Thursday’s Roundup: Catholic soccer falls; NCHSAA scores/pairings

Elevator

↑Wendell Moore, Cox Mill basketball; Jaden Springer, Rocky River basketball: Moore, a 6-6 sophomore, and Springer, a 6-3 freshman, were invited to USA Basketball’s U16 team camp with a shot to play on a 12-man USA international team this summer. Full story here.

↑Army All-American Bowl nominees: Five Observer-area players -- including Mecklenburg County stars Dyami Brown of West Meck and Mallard Creek’s Charles Johnson and Jordan Davis -- were nominated for the Army All-American game. Full list of Carolinas invitees is here.

↑Jason Lanning, Lake Norman wrestling: Lanning, an assistant coach with the Wildcats, was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s N.C. assistant coach of the year.

↑Pettis Norman, West Charlotte/Dallas Cowboys: Former Lions football great played for the Cowboys and Chargers from 1962-73. He will visit Revolution Park Sports Academy on Remount Road Friday at 11 a.m. Norman was recently indcuted into the Sports Wall of Fame at Revolution Park for athletes, coaches or teams who contributed significantly either to the development of athletes or to the excellence of sports programs in the Charlotte-area area or brought national and/or international recognition to Mecklenburg County.

↑Josh Roberts, SouthLake Christian baseball: senior signed with Lenoir Community College. Catcher hit .317 and scored 22 runs this season.

↑Roger Woodell, Hickory Grove softball: won his sixth state championship in 16 seasons last week. He has a career record of 304-82. His team also won the MAC regular-season and conference tournament championships. Assistant caoch Jordyn Pagan, who won four softball and one basketball state titles as a Hickory Grove player, won her first as a coach.

West Forsyth eliminates Charlotte Catholic soccer on PKs

Charlotte Catholic’s girls soccer team will drop down to the 3A class next season, but before the Cougars left, they really wanted to get a 4A state championship.

The Cougars were very close to getting their shot at one.

West Forsyth beat Charlotte Catholic 4-3 on penalty kicks Thursday at Pine Lake Prep School in Mooresville to advance to the state championship for the first time in school history. Catholic (21-3-3) had won championships in the past. The Cougars won 1A/2A state championships in 2002 and ‘03 and took the 3A championship in 2011.

Catholic was trying to get back to the championship round for the first time since losing to Jacksonville White Oak in the 2012 3A final. The Cougars had never qualified for the 4A championship.

“There’s very few things in life that I was at a loss emotionally -- obviously my children, my wedding and things,” said West Forsyth coach Scott Bilton, whose team plays Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons Saturday at N.C. State for the 4A championship. “And I don’t know if this up there on that pedestal, but that was pretty fun. It was a phenomenal team that we played against. And my girls just left everything out. Penalties are such a harsh way to end the game. One way it doesn’t matter or the other. It’s such an emotional roller-coaster.”

The game went scoreless for 80 minutes of regulation, two 10-minute overtimes and two five-minute sudden-death overtimes before it went to penalty kicks.

West Forsyth (25-1-1) took a 3-1 lead penalty kicks, but Rachel Hedrick of Catholic made her shot to trim it to 3-2. Kat Spencer of West Forsyth had her shot blocked by Rock, and Grace Wielechowski made her shot to knot it at 3-3.

Riley Terry of the Titans had her shot blocked. At 3-3, Lindsey Poff of Catholic (21-3-3) missed a shot high over the goal post. Up next, West Forsyth’s Delaney Cowart scored to give her team a 4-3 lead. Charlotte Catholic goalkeeper Amanda Rock missed the final shot in penalty kicks off the left post.

When Rock’s attempt to tie hit the post, the Titans rushed the field in a mad celebration.

“It’s part of the game,” coach Gary Hoilett of the Cougars said. “It’s one of the ways that they decide who advances. We didn’t lose the game. I don’t see us as losing the game.”

Northside Christian athletics director/baseball Brian Larsen resigns

After six years at the school, Northside Christian athletics director Brian Larsen has signed. While at the school, Larsen helped rebuild the Knights’ baseball team, turning it into a state championship contender. Northside won the 2016 state championship, its first since 1992. Northside was state runner-up this season.

Larsen was athletics director at the school for the past two years.

Thursday’s Results

BASEBALL

R-S Central 6, Lake Norman Charter 4

R-S. 3 2 0 0 0 1 X. 6 9 0

LNC 0 0 0 0 0 4 0. 4 3 2

WP- Dillion Phillips

LP - Grayson Hickert

Leading Hitters

R-S: Jace Crowe - 3 for 4, 1RBI, 2R; Cam Snethen - 2 for 4, 1RBI, 1R; Jake Laughter - 1 for 2, 1RBI; Nate Collins - 1 for 3, 2RBI; Wesley Smith - 1 for 3, 1R; Keaton Snethen - 1 for 3, 2R

LNC: Ryan Morrow - 1 for 2, 1R; Landon Calton - 1 for 3, 3RBI's, Grayson Hickert - 1 for 3, 1RBI; Daniel Alperi, Evan Borcich & Chris Torres each with 1R

This story was originally published May 25, 2017 at 11:02 PM with the headline "Thursday’s Roundup: Catholic soccer falls; NCHSAA scores/pairings."