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Prep Rdp., May 13 - Soccer playoffs continue tonight
RHS golf eyes top-five finish at state match
A half-dozen area soccer teams continue their quest for a state championship when the third round of the NCHSAA playoffs begins tonight.
Two-time defending 3-A champion White Oak welcomes West Carteret for a 6 p.m. kick off at Vikings Stadium. The Vikings (17-1-1) are the No. 1 seed from the Mideastern 3-A/4-A Conference and ranked No. 2 in the latest N.C. Soccer Coaches Association 3-A poll. The Patriots (22-3) enter as champions of the Coastal Conference and hold the No. 8 ranking in the polls.
Jacksonville takes on a familiar foe tonight at 6 p.m as the Cardinals visit Wilson Hunt. Jacksonville (15-6-1), the No. 10 ranked 3-A team, finished second in the MEC while Hunt (21-2) was the winner of the Eastern Carolina Conference and comes in at No. 9 in the polls.
Richlands faces a long road trip for it's 2-A match tonight at First Flight. The ninth-ranked Wildcats (15-6-2) were the runners-up of the East Central Conference while the Nighthawks (19-2), ranked No. 2 in the 2-A poll, emerged the champions of the Northeastern Coastal Conference. Game time is 6 p.m.
A pair of teams will wait until Wednesday to hit the pitch.
Swansboro will travel to South Brunswick for a 6 p.m. start in the 2-A brackets. The Pirates (17-3-1) won the East Central Conference and are ranked No. 5 in the poll, while the Cougars (18-4-1) took the crown in the Waccamaw Conference and hold the No. 3 spot in the rankings.
In the 1-A playoffs, Dixon will visit nemesis Raleigh Charter at SAS Park at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs (17-3-2) finished second in the Coastal Plains Conference and are ranked No. 4 in the 1-A polls. The Phoenix (15-3-1) were champions of the Mid-State Conference and sit atop the 1-A rankings.
Also in the 1-A brackets, CPC champion Topsail (19-4), third in the latest poll, will visit Albermarle/Tideland Athletic Conference champion Manteo (11-3), which is ranked No. 8.
GOLF
Wildcats poised for strong finish: At Southern Pines, Richlands shrugged off windy conditions and put itself in postion for a top-10 finish at the NCHSAA 2-A golf championships at Longleaf Golf and Country Club.
The Wildcats finished the first round tied for sixth with East Henderson after both squads carded a 330.
Jeb Kiser led the way with an 81 while Trent Cloninger had an 82, Elliott Jarman an 83 and Carson Jordan an 84.
"We shot pretty well but but the conditions were tough up here today. It was windy and a little cold," RHS head coach Fred Schlagentweith said. "We would like to crack the top five, that would be great. There are some fine teams here and they will be hard to catch. But we certainly hope to improve our team scores."
Also carding scores for Richalnds were Evan Roundtree with a 92 and Jordan Brown with a 100.
Northside had a pair of golfers competing in the individual competition. Ivy Conekin traversed the course with an 83 while Eastern Regional champion Tom Duty finished with an 87.
Ryan Lavelle of Cardinal Gibbons leads the individual race after a 1-under-par 70, the only golfer to break par. Cardinal Gibbons also holds the team lead after totaling a 302.
The tournament continues today beginning at 8 a.m.
In the 1-A tournament at Buies Creek, Topsail had a banner day as the Pirates finished with the team lead and placed five golfers among the top 10 individuals at Keith Hills Country Club.
Topsail tallied a team total of 300 for a five-shot lead over East Surry while Joe Ondish took the individual lead after a 3-under 69.
Also for the Pirates, David Kostyal was fifth after a 75 while Josh Whitehead, David Donovan and Pat Morris each tied for seventh with a 78.
The tournament continues today beginning at 8 a.m.
TENNIS
Panthers' duo into state match: At Greenville, East Duplin's Nolan Outlaw and Tyson Lane advanced to the NCHSAA 2-A championships with their effort on Saturday.
Outlaw, the No. 2 seed overall, and Lane, who was unseeded, each advanced to the semifinals in the East Regional tournament.
Outlaw defeated Croatan's Nick Alfano 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals before falling to First Flight's James Chase 6-1, 6-2 in the semis.
Lane won his quarterfinal match 6-1, 6-0 then lost to top-seed Lucas Ford 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
In a playoff match, Outlaw defeated Lane to become the state tournament's No. 3 seed; Lane will be seeded fourth. Both players are juniors making their first trip to the state tournament.
"I'm very, very pleased," EDHS head coach Mark Lane said. "It's another step forward.
"Both are well deserved, both have played well the last two years so both are getting a chance to see what it's like against the best."
