EB’s dream tennis season ends in 4A West semis
East Burke’s Luke Borders rips a forehand from the baseline in the No. 1 singles match against Cramer on Monday in Icard during the teams’ NCHSAA 4A dual-team state playoff third-round contest.
The East Burke boys tennis team’s best season ever came to an end Wednesday on the road in the fourth round of the NCHSAA 4A dual-team state playoffs, though three Cavaliers continue on in individual fashion this weekend.
The No. 3 seed Cavaliers (15-1) started the week by topping No. 6 Cramer by a 7-0 score in Icard in round three but fell two days later at No. 2 Salisbury, 5-1.
East Burke swept the singles matches on Monday and gained a No. 3 doubles win from the team of Landon Yang/Michael Rodriguez, who had started play before the team triumph was clinched in singles.
EB’s singles winners were No. 1 Luke Borders (6-0, 6-0), No. 2 Braxton Kirkland (6-1, 6-3), No. 3 Haiden Dale (6-0, 6-2), No. 4 Noah Ramsey (6-1, 6-1), No. 5 Kevin Lee (6-3, 6-3), and No. 6 Yingchi Yang (5-7, 6-4, 10-8).
“We won the first playoff match that East Burke’s ever won in men’s tennis, much less getting to host in the third round,” said Cavaliers coach Fred Brown. “From a couple years ago where we were to where we are now, it’s just big for the guys and their confidence. And then getting people here to kind of get more interested in this sport has been one of the things, it kind of helps give them more reason to work at it and see what we can keep doing.”
Borders gained the Cavs’ lone win on Wednesday, maintaining his unbeaten record this spring with a 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 1 singles.
“It means a lot because I’ve seen this team grow and change over the past three years that I’ve been here,” Borders said. “We went out there and they played hard, and I’m proud of the guys.”
Previously, on May 1-2, Borders, Dale, and Ramsey each qualified for the individual state tournament this weekend (Friday and today) at the Burlington Tennis Center by virtue of their finishes at the 4A West Regional at Brevard College.
Borders won the singles portion after a pair of runner-up regional finishes the last two seasons to reach state for a third consecutive year, while Dale/Ramsey finished as runners up in doubles.
Borders started his run with a 6-0, 6-0 first-round win, then posted another win by double bagels in the quarterfinals over Wyatt Ferguson of Tuscola to end day one of the event. He came back the next morning for a 6-0, 6-3 win over Pisgah’s Kampbell Kruk, and the three games in the second set were the only ones he dropped all tournament as he won the finals match over Andrew Mash of Ashe County by a familiar 6-0, 6-0 score.
Dale/Ramsey won by scores of 6-4, 6-2 in the first round, 6-2, 6-3 in the second round, and 7-5, 6-4 in the semifinals to qualify for state before dropping a 2-6, 2-6 regional finals match against Brevard’s Paxton Smith/Braden Boswell.
“I’m super excited to see our two seniors, Haiden and Noah, get to make it to that point,” Brown added. “And then of course Luke, I think he’s got a really good shot this year.”
The tennis season also continues on for NCSSM-Morganton, whose players’ run in the individual postseason is over but whose 1A dual-team playoff run stretches into a third week on Monday, May 11.
The No. 7 seed Dragons (10-4) cruised in the third round of the 1A-2A West bracket at No. 2 Highland Tech on Monday, winning 5-1.
NCSSM-M got its singles wins via No. 1 Nicholas Levine (6-2, 6-4), No. 2 Andy Quach (6-2, 6-2), No. 3 Nash Taylor (6-2, 7-5), No. 5 August Cook (6-2, 6-3), and No. 6 Akarsh Kadapi (6-1, 6-1).
The Dragons next play at No. 6 Bishop McGuinness (9-5) in the regional semifinal, and with a win, would stay on the road for the regional final, which is scheduled for the next day.
NCSSM-M’s individual run ended at regionals at Elkin Municipal Park on May 1-2, where its doubles squad of Levine/Quach reached the semis and needed just one more win to reach state but fell to eventual regional champions Aidan and Connor Ballard of Elkin, 1-6, 2-6.
The Dragon doubles squad of Cook/Aneel Gupta lost on day one, and singles qualifiers Akshaj Puttoju and Nash Taylor did not participate at regionals.
And No. 5 seed Patton (7-5) saw its season come to a close Monday with a 6-0 road loss at No. 4 North Stanly in the third round of the 3A West dual-team playoffs.
The Panthers also did not produce an individual state qualifier as singles regional entries Bryant Arrowood and Ethan Beall fell short of reaching the finals at Gardner-Webb University on May 1-2.
GIRLS SOCCER
Panthers, Dragons headed for playoff byes
Patton, NCSSM-Morganton, and East Burke each won matches over the regular season’s final week, with it appearing that both the Lady Panthers and Dragons have both done enough to date to earn first-round byes in next week’s NCHSAA state playoffs.
Patton (15-3-1, 10-3-1 Western Piedmont 3A/4A Conf.) stormed past its final two foes, earning an 8-0 home win over Chase on April 30 before a 9-0 road win at Draughn on Tuesday as the Lady Panthers reached 10 conference wins for the first time ever and 15 overall wins for the first time since 2019.
Patton junior Carlie Harris caught fire in both victories, scoring a three-goal hat trick against Chase before tallying a career-high five goals in Valdese on Tuesday to move her to 19 goals this spring.
Sophomore Jaxyn Nolen increased her county-leading goal total to 23 as she supplied a goal and an assist against Chase and found the back of the net twice versus Draughn.
Brenda Lopez-Ortiz scored one goal in both games and tacked on two assists on Tuesday, Nora Conley also scored once in both wins, and Ana Sic and Jincy Gibby added a goal apiece against Chase, while Mia Chapman supplied an assist against Draughn.
Gibby notched the shutout in both games as the PHS goalkeeper is now up to 11 shutouts for the season.
“The ladies came out and put on a great show tonight,” said Patton coach Will Singley. “Big shout-outs to Katrina Vu, Hayden Hein, and Katie Aguilar Ramirez for assisting on offense, Ana (Sic), Jocelyn Castro-Say, Lydia Jones, Lexi Laws, and Kim Slattery for the hard work in the midfield, and Adisyn Smith, Nataly Morales-Sale, Claire Przywara, Luci Hirsch, Kacey Mendoza-Ailon, and Nancy Raymundo Lopez for locking it in on defense.”
With a state 3A RPI rating of No. 10, Patton was likely to earn a first-round bye when NCHSAA state playoff pairings were released late Friday. The opening round is Monday, May 11, with the second round set for Thursday, May 14.
NCSSM-M (9-6, 8-4 Catawba River 1A/2A/3A Conf.) won its only recent game, topping host Queen’s Grant on Wednesday, 2-0. Ennis Marcus tallied both of the Lady Dragons’ goals off an assist apiece from Hannah Xu and Amelia Fleury.
NCSSM-M (No. 12 in 1A RPI) also should be idle Monday in round one of the postseason and at home in round two as well after, like Patton, placing third outright in its league.
East Burke (5-12-1, 5-9 WPC) nabbed its recent win in 4-0 fashion at home over rival Draughn on April 30. Kiyiah Pyatte supplied a goal and an assist to key the Lady Cavaliers, who also got a goal each from Tatiana Fung, Katelyn Rudolph, and Alexandra Cisneros and one assist via Camryn Patton.
The Lady Cavs ended the regular season with a 7-0 loss at conference champion Hibriten on Tuesday.
Freedom (5-14-1, 2-8 Northwestern 6A/7A Conf.) was edged, 1-0, at South Caldwell on May 30 as the Lady Spartans scored the lone goal of the match off a corner kick in the final seconds.
And Draughn (1-12-5, 0-11-3 WPC) ended the regular season with a 10-0 loss at Hibriten on Wednesday.
Freedom (No. 43 in 6A RPI), East Burke (No. 46 in 4A), and Draughn (No. 48 in 3A) are each on the playoff bubble ahead of pairings being released.
BOYS GOLF
NCSSM-Morganton trio qualifies for state
The NCSSM-Morganton boys golf team is sending three players to the NCHSAA state championships for the first time ever after each qualified through Tuesday’s 1A West Regional championship match held at Meadowbrook Golf Club near Rutherfordton.
The Dragons (356) finished in third place as a team, just one shot off second place, which would have sent the entire NCSSM-M team to state. Instead, the Dragons will be represented on May 11-12 at Gates Four Golf and Country Club in Fayetteville by juniors Lance Morgan and Arti Phoncharoensri as well as by senior Davis McColley.
Morgan carded a 9-over par round of 82 to finish in second place, three strokes out of first. His day was highlighted by a front-nine 39 that included six pars.
Phoncharoensri (87) tied for seventh place, eagling the par 5 third hole and making birdie at the par 3 14th hole. And McColley, this year’s Burke County individual champion, tied for 13th with a round of 90 as he nabbed the last state-qualifying spot.
NCSSM-M’s Will Thompson added a 97 on Tuesday, while Colten Keller shot 100.
The same day, Draughn and Patton golfers competed in the 3A West Regional at Deer Brook Golf Club in Shelby, while Freedom participated in the 6A West Regional hosted by Brushy Mountain Golf Club in Taylorsville.
Patton freshman Matthew Piercy shot 79 and tied for ninth place. He started his day on No. 10 and birdied Nos. 17, 18, and 2 in a hot four-hole stretch around the turn but ended with back-to-back double bogeys and missed the state cutline by one shot.
Panthers sophomore Mason Brown tied for 16th with an 81 that included birdies at Nos. 7 and 8, while Draughn junior Cash Baker shot 88 and freshman Ethan Cline added a 100.
Freedom was led by junior Cooper Price, whose score of 80 left him in a tie for 22nd place, four shots off the state pace, while his Patriots teammates Timothy Cope shot 85 and Greyson Snipes 87.
LACROSSE
Panthers squads drop finales on road
Both the Patton lacrosse teams ended the regular season with conference road losses on April 30 at North Lincoln.
The Patton girls (1-13, 1-11) fell by a 14-5 final margin despite a strong first half, after which they trailed just 7-4. The Panthers boys (1-13, 0-12), meanwhile, fell 28-3. No PHS statistics were available from either contest.
NCHSAA state playoff pairings were released late Friday, with both PHS teams hoping for a 1A-6A postseason berth as the girls’ RPI rank was 38th and the boys 51st. The first round of the playoffs is May 12.
