Cohen Christian racked up several records and awards during his time as a baseball player at Patton High School, and despite graduating in May, he recently added another accolade.
Christian
HighSchoolOT.com released its sixth annual all-state baseball team late last week, with the 6-foot-3 right-hander — who’s now a member of the Mars Hill University baseball program — earning a second-team selection after a dominant senior season on the mound.
Christian finished his prep career as the Panthers’ all-time leader in career and single-season strikeouts — he struck out a program-record 108 batters in 88 innings this past spring — and as a senior he pitched seven complete games in 14 outings, including three shutouts. The Western Piedmont 3A/4A Conference and Burke County pitcher of the year also posted a 10-0 record and a 1.43 ERA.
At the plate, Christian batted .398 with 33 hits, including 12 extra-base hits (two home runs, six doubles, four triples). He also knocked in 25 runs and scored 12 times.
Patton ultimately advanced to the fourth round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A state playoffs, completing the deepest postseason run by a Burke County prep baseball team since the Panthers reached the 2A state championship series in 2009.
Burke, Caldwell runners win Waldensian Footrace titles
The 50th annual Great Waldensian Footrace was held in conjunction with the Waldensian Festival on Aug. 8 in Valdese, with a total of 20 runners from Burke County and six from Caldwell County finishing first in their respective age groups.
On the women’s side, 41-year-old Jill Konkol of Lenoir was the top overall finisher in the 10K with a time of 43:31.8, while 42-year-old Jessie Stout of Morganton was the runner-up. Furthermore, 12-year-old A. Darling (no first name provided) of Granite Falls was the top overall female finisher in the 5K with a time of 21:22.3 as she finished ahead of runner-up Nora Wykle of Glen Alpine and third-place Charlotte Rigsbee of Morganton, who are 16 and 19, respectively.
The top overall finisher in the men’s 10K was 22-year-old Dylan Powell of Taylorsville, who ran the race in a time of 37:27.9, with 32-year-old Taylor Adams of Morganton earning runner-up honors. And in the men’s 5K, 13-year-old Levi Stephens of College Park, Md., posted a first-place time of 19:14.6 to finish ahead of runner-up Nolan Darling of Sawmills and third-place Mike Darling of Granite Falls, who are 15 and 46, respectively.
Age group winners from Burke County in the 5K were Adalyn Thomas of Valdese (female 14 and under), Adelei Morrow of Valdese (female ages 15-19), Noah Thomas of Valdese (male ages 15-19), Ashton Hendrix of Morganton (female ages 20-24), Denver Treadway of Valdese (male ages 20-24), Alex Patton of Valdese (male ages 25-29), Sara Hill of Valdese (female ages 30-34), Hayley Greene of Valdese (female ages 35-39), Carrie Morrow of Valdese (female ages 40-44), Chad Wykle of Glen Alpine (male ages 55-59), and Jerry McKee of Morganton (male ages 65-69), Annette Brinkley of Drexel (female ages 70-74), and Joyce Pharr of Morganton (female 80 and up).
Age group winners from Burke County in the 10K included Tanner Carswell of Morganton (male ages 25-29), Bryan Raborn of Morganton (male ages 35-39), Paula Flynn of Valdese (female ages 50-54), Mark Rostan of Valdese (male ages 55-59), Amy Brooks of Morganton (female ages 60-64), Robert Murray of Valdese (male ages 65-69), and Jeff Morse of Morganton (male ages 75-79).
Finally, additional age group winners from Caldwell County were Levi McCall of Lenoir (male ages 20-24; 10K), Hannah McCall of Lenoir (female ages 25-29; 10K), Derrick Lingle of Granite Falls (male ages 40-44; 5K), and Melissa Darling of Sawmills (female ages 45-49; 5K).
There were 139 total competitors in the 5K and 53 total participants in the 10K.
New Level Fitness now at new location
New Level Fitness, a personal training studio in Morganton that initially opened in May 2022, recently moved from 302 Burkemont Ave. to 1000 E. Union St.
New Level Fitness focuses on one-on-one personal training, athletic development, and small group classes, and its staff consists of founders/coaches Shane and Connie Farris and their daughter, Jessica Farris, who serves as client success manager. According to the business’ website, newlevelfitness1.mydurable.com, “Jessica is the vital bridge connecting our expert coaches with our valued clients, ensuring every individual receives the personalized support and attention they deserve.”
July 6 was the first day for New Level Fitness at its new address, and the studio is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, while group classes are held at 7 a.m., 8:15 a.m., and 6 p.m. on weekdays.
For more information about New Level Fitness, visit the aforementioned website, call 828-334-3368, send an email to newlevelfitnessllc@gmail.com, search for “New Level Fitness” on Facebook or TikTok, or search for “New Level Fitness LLC” on Instagram.
Draughn basketball junior skills clinic
The Draughn High School basketball program will host the Junior Wildcat Skills Clinic for third through eighth graders on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 2-6 p.m.
Cost is $25, although a sibling discount is available, and pre-registration is required by Oct. 1. Draughn coaches, players, and alumni will lead participants through skill stations, drills, and competitive games, and each child will receive a T-shirt.
Cash or checks (make checks payable to “Draughn Men’s Basketball”) are accepted, payment will be collected at check-in on the day of the clinic, and registration can be completed at tinyurl.com/vznkwf9x.
Morganton youth volleyball registration
The Morganton Recreation Department is currently holding signups for its youth volleyball league, which is for ages 8-16.
Cost is $30, and registration — which is available online at tinyurl.com/2f8sec3v — ends on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The season is scheduled to start on Sept. 28, with matches to be played on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
For more information, contact Jesse Bunton at 828-438-5371 or jbunton@morgantonnc.gov.
NAWA back in Morganton next weekend
The North American Wrestling Alliance (NAWA) will hold its first show in Morganton in nearly three months next Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Burke County Fairgrounds when it presents “NAWA: It’s Getting Hot in Here.”
The main event will see Justin Kindred-Allen defend the NAWA Heavyweight Title against “The Throwback” Curtis Robertson, who won the 10th annual Bunkhouse Stampede — a 31-man over-the-top-rope battle royal — in January to earn the opportunity to challenge for any NAWA championship at any time for up to a year.
In the show’s remaining championship matches, Mike Maughan will challenge “Outlaw” David Sellers for the NAWA Carolinas Title, the team of Robert and Steve Allen will defend the NAWA Tag Team Titles against Moonshine Express (Big Nasty and Dusty Money), and Jett Morris will defend the Explosive Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title against “Outlaw King” Bennett James.
Other singles contests on the card include Jay Cage versus “Hired Gun” Chris Stallings and Masked Outlaw versus Big Donnie, while Thomas Extreme and Jonny Baker will take on Expensive Attraction (Conner Drake and Collin Casanova) in a tag team match.
Doors open at 6 p.m. next Saturday, the main show starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are $10 for everyone except children ages 5 and under, who get in for free with a paid adult.
Parking will be free as always, while concessions will be sold during the event and tickets can be purchased online at tinyurl.com/2staat8r.
