WHISPERING PINES (NCHSAA) — Defending individual champion Cole Jefferys of SouthWest Edgecombe put himself into position to seek another state title after Monday’s action in the 30th annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 2-A men’s golf championships on the Pines Course at the Country Club of Whispering Pines.

Jefferys shot a one-over par 73 to have sole possession of first place after one round.  Tanner Bibey of South Stokes is in second, three shots off the pace, with a trio of golfers tied for third at 76.

The championship is being held on a par 72 layout set at 6,695 yards for the NCHSAA event.

South Stokes leads the way in the team standings with a 323, eight shots ahead of Newton-Conover, which has won the last two 2-A championships.  Wilkes Central is in third, 10 shots back. The best four of five individual scores count toward the team total.

Prior to 1986, all NCHSAA schools competed for a single title in an open tournament. Play went to three classifications in 1986 and then to four classes beginning with the 1998 tournaments.

A total of 72 golfers began play in the two-day event.

NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2015 MEN’S 2-A GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
Country Club of Whispering Pines—Monday’s Results

South Stokes                        323
Newton-Conover                  331
Wilkes Central                      333
Washington                          335
Roanoke Rapids                  340
Reidsville                             342
East Duplin                          343
Clinton                                 344
Shelby                                 346
East Davidson                     352
Farmville Central                 358
Franklin                                369

 

SOUTHSIDE TRACK AND FIELD TO SEND 23 ATHLETES TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

GREENSBORO — The Southside track and field team will send 23 athletes to the 1-A state championships on Friday at North Carolina A&T University after a strong showing in the 1-A regional meet.

In last week’s eastern regional meet at Lejeune, the Southside girls placed sixth, while the boys captured fourth place.

For the girls, senior Nancy Walker was the 800-meter run regional champion with a time of 2:46 flat, while also being apart of the Seahawks’ first place 4-by-400 and 4-by-800 relay teams. Other Southside female state qualifiers are Breanna Godwin, Carington James, Keegan Wiggins, Eminey Redmond, Nekeya Johnson and team captain Kinyara Daniels. Relay alternatives are Trundle Norman, Jada Jones and C’kira Daniels.

For the boys, senior Rae’kwon morning was Southside’s sole regional state champion, winning the shot put with a mark of 43 feet, eight inches. Other Southside male state qualifiers are Lawrence Brown, Ronald Dennis, Shamari Walters, Joe Myer, Kevonte Little, Raquen Ward, Zikajah Crawford, Leevontea Grimes and team captain Tyreik Gaskins, who qualified in a team-high four events — 100-meter, 200-meter, 4-by-200 relay and 4-by-400 relay. Relay alternates are Tyrese Johnson, Will Mumford and Jamison Bennett.

 

NORTHSIDE TRACK AND FIELD TO SEND TWO ATHLETES TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

GREENSBORO — The Northside track and field team will send two athletes to the 1-A state championships on Friday at North Carolina A&T University after their individual performances at the 1-A regional meet.

In last week’s eastern regional meet at Lejeune, both Northside teams notched 10 points apiece, the girls coming in 13th place and the boys finishing in 10th place.

Junior Allison Waters placed third in the high jump with a mark of four feet, eight inches, while Holden Newman finished second in the 3200-meter run with a final time of 10:48.36.

 

FORMER PLAYER ARRESTED IN NC SPORTS AGENT PROBE

HILLSBOROUGH (AP) — A former college football player has been arrested and charged with acting as an agent and violating North Carolina’s law that bars illegally luring collegiate athletes into contracts.

Chris Hawkins faces a court appearance Tuesday afternoon in Orange County.

According to arrest warrants made public Tuesday, Hawkins faces two charges of trying to induce former Tar Heels defensive end Robert Quinn to sign a contract with him in 2010 — by giving Quinn $13,700 in cash, and by helping him sell game-used equipment for another $1,700. Quinn now plays for the St. Louis Rams.

Hawkins, 32, also is charged with intentionally initiating contact with former UNC defensive back Jabari Price in 2013 via Instagram without being a registered agent, and of intentionally failing to register as an athlete agent.

Hawkins, arrested Monday, is being held Tuesday in the Orange County Jail on $500,000 bond. It was not immediately known if the former defensive back at North Carolina and Marshall has an attorney.

 

NFL SUSPENDS BRADY FOUR GAMES FOR DEFLATED FOOTBALLS

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are preparing for a fight.

The reigning Super Bowl MVP will appeal his four-game suspension, his agent said, and the team threw its “unconditional” support behind its quarterback after the NFL came down hard on its biggest star in the “Deflategate” scandal.

“Tom Brady has our unconditional support,” Patriots owner Bob Kraft said in a statement issued on Monday night. “Our belief in him has not wavered.”

Five days after an NFL investigator reported that it was “more probable than not” that the Patriots broke the rules, the league handed down its punishment: Brady was banished for four games, and the Patriots were penalized $1 million — matching the largest fine in league history — and docked two draft picks for using improperly inflated footballs in the AFC Championship game.

NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent also indefinitely suspended the two equipment staffers who carried out the plan, including the one who referred to himself in text messages obtained by the league as “The Deflator.”

 

BUSCH TO RETURN TO CAR THIS WEEKEND IN ALL-STAR RACE

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Kyle Busch will run the All-Star race this weekend, his first competition since he was seriously injured in a crash at Daytona nearly three month ago.

Busch will drive his No. 18 Toyota in Saturday night’s All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He tweeted “I’m back. #RowdyReturns” early Tuesday along with a 24-second video of him in his fire suit and pulling down the visor of his helmet.

Busch broke his right leg and left foot in a Feb. 21 wreck in the season-opening Xfinity Series race, crashing into a wall that was not protected by an energy-absorbing SAFER barrier at 90 mph. He said his car left the racing surface and headed toward the wall at 176 mph, and even though he was able to slow it, he knew the impact was likely going to break one leg.

Although Busch removed his right foot from the brake pedal, the impact with the wall was so hard, both his helmet and chest slammed into his steering wheel. Busch said the throttle stop was pushed back closer to him and smacked his right leg, breaking it.