Patton girls soccer reaches 3rd round, falls to No. 1 seed

The Patton High School girls soccer team both repeated some history and wrote a new chapter in program history in the second round of the NCHSAA 2A state playoffs on May 16.

The No. 24 seed Lady Panthers (14-9) traveled to King to face No. 8 seed West Stokes and pulled off their second upset in as many rounds, winning 1-0 on a 70th-minute goal from senior midfielder Lorely Tzul.

Tzul weaved past several defenders on the play and beat the West Stokes goalkeeper to find the back of the net from about 25 yards out for the game-winner.

It marked just the second time in program history that the Patton girls advanced to the third round of the playoffs, joining the 2010 squad, and their 14th win also tied the second-most in program history.

Only the 2019 Lady Panthers won more games, and just like that season — PHS’ most recent postseason berth prior to this spring — the team claimed a 1-0 road playoff win over West Stokes.

This season’s Patton squad won just the program’s second and third road playoff games all-time, which were also the team’s sixth and seventh overall postseason wins.

“Hard fought game,” Patton 19th-year head coach Keith Scott said. “So proud of these ladies for sticking together.

“We controlled much of the game as West was very defensive minded throughout the game. (We got) another solid game in back from Maleah Pritchard, Adisyn Smith, Mia Chapman, and Jaxyn Nolen.”

Patton senior goalkeeper Michelle Beckmann (four saves) and junior Jincy Gibby (one save) combined for the shutout, with the guests taking nine shots on goal to West’s six and holding a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.

In the team’s third-round contest on Monday evening at No. 1 seed Pine Lake Prep (18-2), junior Sadie Peterson scored a season-high five goals to push her 2025 total to 45 goals as the hosts led 7-0 by halftime en route to a 9-0 final to end Patton’s season and the prep careers of Tzul, Beckmann, Pritchard, Kimi Vicente-Lopez, and Bella Johnson, Kinsley Lor, and Kadin Scism.

Senior Avery Garrett added two goals and two assists, freshman Victoria Christiansen had one goal plus three assists, and six other players had either a goal or an assist.

No Patton statistics were available.

Also, on May 16 in round two, No. 9 seed NCSSM-Morganton (14-4-1) was clipped by a 1-0 margin at No. 8 Elkin to bring the Lady Dragons’ best season yet to a close. No NCSSM-M statistics were available.

TRACK AND FIELD

Younger Byrd ends career with gold

After watching older brother KJ Byrd rack up gold medal after gold medal in NCHSAA state championship track meets over the last few years, it was Kolby Byrd’s turn in the 2A meet held May 17 at Marcus T. Johnson Track at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

The younger Byrd shined in the spotlight, capping his prep career by winning the boys shot put event on his final throw as his distance of 54 feet, 7½ inches topped the previous first-place toss of Owen Grismer of West Stanly by 4½ inches.

Byrd also placed fourth in the discus (137’6”), an event he was the runner-up in at the regional level the weekend before, as he increased his marks in both events from regionals to improve by four and five spots from his finishes at state last year as a junior in the same two events.

Also at the 2A state meet, EB’s Kendall McFalls took fifth place in the girls 400 meters (1:01.10), Jordan Auldredge was sixth in the girls pole vault (8’0”), Kendale Cook was eighth in the boys 300-meter hurdles (41.04) and ninth in the 110 hurdles (15.78), and Cadence Willis took the teams’ other top-10 finish in the girls 3200 meters (10th, 12:36.91).

The Cavaliers’ Dautry Ragle was 12th in the boys high jump (5’10”), Geraldine Ramos was 13th in the girls discus (81’8”), the girls 4x200-meter relay team of McFalls, Michelle Cook, Sarah Cook, and Emmonie Haith also placed 13th (1:50.84), and Ossie Burkeen was 14th in the boys 110 hurdles (16.91).

Patton was led by double regional champion Elisabeth Sawdy, a freshman who placed fourth in the girls 3200 meters (12:18.91) and seventh in the 1600 meters (5:33.28).

Charlotte Rigsbee took seventh in the 3200 meters (12:29.31), and fellow Panthers senior Cayden Roscoe finished ninth in the boys triple jump (42’9¾”) and 10th in the high jump (5’10”).

Burke County athletes the day before at the same site participated in both the 1A and 3A state meets.

NCSSM-Morganton’s Stella Friedman was the only other county athlete aside from Byrd to earn a medal as the Lady Dragons junior took the 1A bronze in the girls 800 meters (2:22.55) while also earning fifth place in the 1600 meters (5:27.67).

Also, in the 1A meet, NCSSM-M’s Max Vaughan placed seventh in the boys 3200 meters (10:33.95), and Draughn’s lone entry, Jerome Ramseur, was 12th in the boys 110 hurdles (16.18).

Freedom’s lone athlete to qualify in 3A was Tiras Walker, who placed 14th in the boys triple jump (42’3”).

GIRLS LACROSSE

Lady Panthers fall in first round

Qualifying for the postseason for just a second time ever, the No. 12 seed Patton girls lacrosse team lost by a 20-2 margin at No. 5 Community School of Davidson on May 16 in the first round of the NCHSAA 1A/2A/3A state playoffs.

Senior Grace Maddox led the host Lady Spartans with eight goals, while junior Emerson Hodgeman added five goals.

No individual statistics were available for the Lady Panthers (2-12), who before next spring will graduate seniors Blakeley Arney, Julia Civitello, Jasmine Gama-Ortiz, Ella Gibbs, Hayven Mace, and Dakota Strohl.