Monday's Roundup: UNCP's football opener to be televised The Lumberton and St. Pauls girls soccer teams will host first-round playoff games Wednesday at their respective schools, the NCHSAA announced Monday.
The Pirates (15-4-1) earned a No. 2 seed from the Southeastern Conference and will host South View (8-11-4), the No. 3 seed from the Mid-South Conference, at 7 p.m.
It will be the third time the teams have played this season, with Lumberton getting both wins during the regular season.
St. Pau...
Rams look for success at Monday’s regional golf meet PEMBROKE — When the Purnell Swett boys’ golf team started the season, coach Jamie Locklear heard plenty of people who were unsure of his team’s ability on the course. It left the question of whether or not the Rams would make it to their sixth straight regional tournament.
“They’re like ‘you’re not going to have to worry about this team Jamie. This is going to be the team that won’t make it to regionals, you don’t have the talent,’” Locklear ...
Crawford: Baseball an oasis for Hoke coach during ALS bout Mike Ray needs baseball.
Never one to complain or let problems linger, the game’s his outlet during personal times of torment, no moments worse than what he’s battled through this season from the dugout at Hoke County High.
Held upright by a walker, Ray’s not his usual self. His right foot drags the turf and he can no longer swing a bat for infield practice before games. Assistant coaches have taken the reins of in-game duties while Ray watc...
FRINGE: Swing for Life raises $19K The Southeastern Health Foundation held its 23rd annual Swing for Good Health tournament Thursday at Pinecrest Country Club, and per usual, the event served its cause.
More than $19,000 was raised for academic scholarships that benefit individuals planning to work locally after completing training for careers in medicine, nursing, and allied health.
The foursome of Donnie Beck, Tommy Britt, Larry McNeill, and Jeff Wishart won with a score of...
Concussion software added to county's athletic training program LUMBERTON — Starting this football season, student-athletes in Robeson County will utilize a new method when it comes to concussion evaluation.
This week the Southeastern Health Foundation donated $12,500 to SeHealth Rehab Services’ athletic trainer program to implement Impact, a computerized concussion evaluation system.
“We know how important it is for our student athletes to be safe and that they not return to sports after a concussion un...
Pirates lose 6-1 in SEC soccer title game LAURINBURG — The first two times the Lumberton soccer team played Pinecrest, it was close.
The Pirates lost the first game by one goal, the second by two.
But the third time was no more of a charm for Lumberton Wednesday as Pinecrest used slick passing and overall possession dominance to win 6-1 in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship.
“I would have liked to think coming in that we could have gave them a better game, a game m...
Red Springs seizes top 1A postseason seed in one-game playoff FAIRMONT — Red Springs coach Chris Howell worried his baseball team had lost its mojo after a non-enthusiastic shutout loss to West Columbus on April 9.
In the midst of a five-game slump, the Red Devils appeared to be headed south in the Three Rivers Conference after an unexpected 8-0 start shifted focus away from front-running Fairmont in Robeson County.
An impressive win at St. Pauls coupled with three victories over their final four games...
Wednesday's Prep Roundup: Scots down Pirates LAURINBURG — With two home runs, a team-based hitting attack, and a defense that refused to give up a rally, the Lumberton softball team saw many elements from a Tuesday win back in play on Wednesday night.
But where the Pirates played the aggressor in the previous round’s mercy rule win over Hoke, they found themselves on the opposite end 24 hours later during an 11-2 loss at Scotland in the Southeastern Conference tournament semifinals.
“T...
Rain washes out Three Rivers tournament LAKE WACCAMAW — Athletic directors and head coaches from the Three Rivers Conference convened Wednesday and decided East Columbus High’s fields were unplayable for this week’s league tournament due to recent storms. Instead of moving the schedule of games to an alternate site, conference officials voted on wiping away the baseball and softball tournaments in their entirety. Red Springs will play West Columbus today in a 6 p.m. tiebreaker at Fa...
Mistakes prove costly for Rams in SEC semis LAURINBURG — In Wednesday’s 3-1 loss at Scotland, Purnell Swett simply didn’t execute the way it had hoped.
Though starting pitcher Austin Lee Locklear threw a complete game and allowed only four hits, it was shaky defense and a struggling offense that hurt the Rams in the Southeastern Conference tournament semifinal game.
“We didn’t do the little things,” said Purnell Swett coach Bryan McDonald. “We didn’t play small ball and didn’t run the...
Lumberton soccer advances to SEC final LAURINBURG — Lumberton is moving on to the Southeastern Conference championship in soccer after defeating Scotland 2-1 in a semifinal match Tuesday.
The Pirates took a two-goal lead and fended off the Scots to set up a third meeting with Pinecrest in the final on Thursday night.
Scotland, which clinched a playoff berth after Pinecrests’ 6-0 victory over Hoke in the first game of the day, played another even game with the second-seeded Pirates....
Local Roundup: Lumberton softball routs Hoke LUMBERTON — Late in the regular season, Lumberton coach Mackie Register noticed his team was hitting too many fly balls, so the Pirates have spent a hefty amount of time recently on hitting line drives.
The efforts paid off Tuesday as Lumberton beat Hoke 12-2 in five innings in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, taking advantage of 12 hits and two home runs over the left field fence.
“Both of those balls were line d...
Swett escapes upset bid from Hoke in SEC first round Editor’s note: A feature on Hoke coach Mike Ray and his battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease will appear in Sunday’s print and online editions. PEMBROKE — Neither starting pitcher would give in during Tuesday's Southeastern Conference tournament opener at Purnell Swett. With Swett's Christian Collins staying ahead in counts and retiring the first batter of every inning with ease, Hoke's Jordan Virgil matched his counterpart with several popout...
Rain alters league tournament schedules PEMBROKE — Prep baseball on Saturday?
That’s not out of the question this week according to Purnell Swett athletic director Jerome Hunt who said Monday that the Southeastern Conference tournament could move to a Thursday-Friday-Saturday schedule if wet weather continues to flood playing fields in the region.
Heavy rain drenched the Rams’ home baseball field on Monday, site of an SEC first-round game later that evening against Hoke County. Co...
St. Pauls wrestling gets $2K in donations in first month ST. PAULS — In late March, members of the St. Pauls High School wrestling team came face to face with idea that they might not have a program next winter.
Citing a lack of conference support and budgetary concerns, the team and its supporters were told in a meeting with school administration that they would need to raise $3,000 privately by July to keep the program for another season.
“It was pretty hard to deal with,” said Jacobi Jacobs, a ...
Red Springs' Williams named Scholar-Athlete of the Month RED SPRINGS — Red Springs High School senior Jessica Williams is a big believer in giving back to the community, and for that reason, cheerleading has always been natural fit.
“We don’t just build ourselves, we’re there to build other peoples’ character as well. Like with the basketball teams and football teams, we’re there to push them on,” she said. “We give them those encouraging words that others might not.”
Though cheerleading is a simp...
SEC, Three Rivers Tournament Schedule THREE RIVERS
Baseball — All games at East Columbus
Tuesday
(3) Red Springs vs (6) East Columbus at 4:30 p.m.
(4) South Robeson vs (5) St. Pauls at 7
Wednesday
(2) West Columbus vs Winner of 3 vs 6 at 4:30 p.m.
(1) Fairmont vs Winner of 4 vs 5 at 7
Thursday
Championship Game at 7 p.m.
Softball — All games at East Columbus
Tuesday
(3) Fairmont vs (6) Red Springs @ 4:30
(4) St. Pauls vs (5) West Columbus @ 7:00
Wednesday
(2) South...
Local Roundup: Chavis to play at Methodist PEMBROKE — Ever since Purnell Swett senior James Chavis was young, he’s wanted to play college basketball.
Next year, he’ll get that chance.
The guard signed a confirmation of enrollment form Friday afternoon to attend Methodist University in Fayetteville, where he’ll also play on the basketball team, which competes at the NCAA Division III level.
“It’s been one of my dreams to play ball at the next level, so it’s a big thing for me,” Chavi...
St. Pauls tennis wins conference title ST. PAULS — It was a year of firsts for Carol Bishop.
She has coached tennis, but never boys. Her players have had nicknames, but never ones like “Meatloaf” or “French Fry.” Her team has gone to the 1A/2A playoffs, but never undefeated — and never as Three Rivers Conference Champions.
And she’s never been named Coach of the Year.
“It means I have a great team,” she said Monday as she watched the team compete at Fairmont High School. It was ...
Red Springs’ Williams named Scholar Athlete of the Month Red Springs’ Williams named Scholar Athlete for April
Scott Schlaufman
Sports Editor
RED SPRINGS — Red Springs High School senior Jessica Williams is a big believer in giving back to the community, and for that reason, cheerleading has always been natural fit.
“We don’t just build ourselves, we’re there to build other peoples’ character as well. Like with the basketball teams and football teams, we’re there to push them on,” she said....
