Jay Edwards Spotlight Stars: Covenant Day baseball star off to hot start

Andrew Kerry, Marvin Ridge Baseball: The Marvin Ridge senior exploded for two home runs and single to lead the Mavericks to a 9-6 win at Ardrey Kell in the season opener for both teams.

Kerry, who had four RBI in the same game, helped longtime Marvin Ridge assistant get a win in his first game as the Mavericks’ head coach.

Trent Black, South Caldwell Baseball: The South Caldwell senior struck 11 batters and didn’t allow a hit in five innings of work in the season-opening, 10-0 win over Hibriten.

Black combined for a no-hitter with teammate Clay Canale.

Black, a UNC Wilmington signee, is a Major League baseball prospect, according to South Caldwell baseball coach Jeff Parham.

The Spartans also beat Draughn 10-0 March 2 to improve to 2-0 this season.

Joey Cobb, North Lincoln Baseball: The North Lincoln senior struck out the first 12 batters he faced in an 11-4 win at Forestview Feb. 27.

Cobb didn’t allow a ball to put in play in the first four innings of the game.

Cobb finished the same game allowing just one hit, while striking out 15 batters.

Philip Abner, Covenant Day Baseball: The Covenant Day sophomore had nine strikeouts in three innings of work, topping out at 89 miles per hour on the radar gun, in the Lions’ 12-1 win over Greensboro Day Feb. 27.

Abner, a University of Florida commit, also got it done from the plate in the same game, going 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases in the season-opening victory for Covenant Day.

Cade Caggiano, Ardrey Kell Lacrosse: The Ardrey Kell sophomore attacker scored 10 goals last week as the Knights got off to a 2-0 start to the season.

Caggiano scored five goals and had two assists in the season-opening, 15-9 win over rival, Providence, Feb. 28.

A day later, Caggiano scored five more goals and had two assists in an 18-10 victory at Cannon School.

Caleb Campos, Cannon School Wrestling: The Cannon School freshman earned All-American status finishing 7th in his 120-pound weight class at the National Prep Tournament at Lehigh University, Feb. 24.

Campos beat the defending state champions from Louisiana, Tennessee, Washington, D.C. and Virginia at the National Prep Tournament, Feb. 22-24.

Campos finished his freshman season with a 42-5 record, capping his high school season with an NCISAA state title at 120 pounds.

Charlotte Observer Girls’ Athletes of the Week

Hannah Clark, Kings Mountain Basketball: The Kings Mountain senior finished her historic Mountaineers’ career in style becoming the first player (boys or girls) in school history to score 2,000 points.

Clark scored her 2,000th-point early in the third quarter of Kings Mountain’s 44-35 second round playoff win over North Gaston Feb. 28.

Clark, a Wingate University commit, also had 26 points, including seven three pointers, in her final high school game, a 58-47 loss at Cuthbertson, Mar. 2.

Clark, who was also named co-Big South conference player of the year, averaged 22 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds per game for the Mountaineers (23-5) this season.

Jordan Hatch, West Stanly Softball: The West Stanly sophomore tossed a one-hitter tallying 17 strikeouts in the Colts’ 2-0 season-opening win over Jay M. Robinson, Feb. 27.

Hatch went all seven innings with surrendering a walk in the same game.

Jillian Thomas, Piedmont Softball: The Piedmont freshman had 12 strikeouts in her first career start to lead the Panthers to a 10-2 win at Hickory Ridge, Feb. 28.

Thomas went all seven innings allowing just two runs on five hits to help Piedmont level their record at 1-1 on the season.

Mary Gale Godwin, Charlotte Latin Soccer: The Charlotte Latin sophomore scored the game-winning goal in both Hawks’ wins last week.

Godwin first notched the deciding goal in a 2-0 win at Greensboro Day, Feb. 26.

Two days later, she accounted for all three scores, including the decisive goals and two assists in Charlotte Latin’s 3-1 victory over Wesleyan Academy.

Charlotte Latin is 2-0 this season.

Riley Rich, Carmel Christian Soccer: The Carmel Christian junior goalkeeper had 16 saves to help the Cougars to a 2-1 win over Covenant Day, in what Coach Tiffany Rice called “one of the biggest win in her program’s history,” Feb. 28.

Rich also stood out in the Carmel Christian’s (1-0) 1-1 tie in a scrimmage with Charlotte Christian earlier last week.

Marissa Hart, Providence Day Soccer: The Providence Day senior, co-captain accounted for six of the Chargers seven goals, scoring four times, while dishing out two assists in the 7-1 win over Nation Ford, Feb. 26.

Hart, a Princeton University signee, was an all-state performer for the Chargers (1-1 this year) last year when she scored 23 goals and had 21 assists for the NCISAA 3A state runner-up squad.

Gracie Colombo, Charlotte Latin Lacrosse: The Charlotte Latin junior, co-captain started her year with a bang, scoring seven goals, while adding two assists and two draw controls to lead the Hawks to a season-opening, 13-10 win over Lake Norman, Feb. 27.

Colombo was an all-state performer last year with the defending, NCISAA state runner-up, Charlotte Latin team.

Amelia McCauley, Clover Lacrosse: The Clover sophomore scored 24 goals, had six assists, 33 groundballs and 22 draw controls in three, Blue Eagles’ wins last week.

McCauley’s had 14 goals and 10 draw controls in her most productive game of the week in a 21-0 victory over Byrnes, Feb. 27.

McCauley, who had 47 goals as a freshman last year earning all-state honors, also helped this season’s Clover defense to a strong start allowing just nine goals in the first three, Blue Eagles (3-0) wins.

** Information published today includes statistics through March 3.

Want to nominate an athlete?: Athletes of the week highlights high school players with

outstanding performances. The goal is to recognize all athletes in all sports, both the most accomplished and the underrated or underappreciated players. If you want to suggest someone to be included in the Athletes of the week column, send email to Jay Edwards at edwardswork23@gmail.com. Please include the athletes’ name, school, class and applicable game performance statistics. Coaches must be willing to verify information.

This story was originally published March 12, 2019 at 12:04 PM.