Will Wilson, KM's highest-ever draft pick,
to be inducted into KM Sports Hall of Fame
Former Kings Mountain High and NC State baseball great Will Wilson, now making his mark in professional baseball in the San Francisco Giants organization, will be inducted into the Kings Mountain Sports Hall of Fame Saturday, Oct. 16 at Central United Methodist Church.
The other inductees for the 2021 class are Trina Hamrick Kimble, former basketball star at KMHS, and Monty Deaton, former KMHS standout and KM's all-time winningest coach in school sports.
Wilson is one of many former Mountaineers to play in the professional ranks. He hopes to be the second joining the late Jake Early, an all-star catcher for the Washington Senators in the 1930s and '40s, to make it to the major leagues.
Wilson is KM's highest-ever major league draft pick, going 15th in the 2019 draft. He was an All-American all three seasons at NC State. He graduated after his junior year. He played second base as a freshman and shortstop as a sophomore and junior, helping lead the Wolfpack to three great seasons.
He mostly plays shortstop in the pros, but plays second base one game every two weeks. At the time of this writing, he had played in 71 games including 46 his rookie year of '19 and 25 this season. His career stats at that time included 41 runs, 80 hits, 137 total bases, 19 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 32 RBI and a .281 batting average.
He has been a winner at every level. His parent club now, the Giants, are leading their division and are considered to be a strong threat for the National League pennant.
Looking back over his career, Wilson said he was fortunate to play on good teams with good coaches.
"My favorite year at Kings Mountain was my senior year when we made a playoff run," he noted. "We made it to the third round of the state 3A tournament. That was fun to be a part of. It was a special team."
Unfortunately, the Mountaineers did not win a conference championship during that time, always finishing second to a very good Crest team. Nothing's changed since as the Chargers are still the team to beat every year in the Big South Conference.
His tradition of playing with winners continued in college.
"We had a really talented ball team at NC State," he noted, going to the NCAA tournament all three years under veteran coach Elliott Avent.
"He is a good man and a great coach," Wilson said. "It was a lot of fun to play for him. I played for Matt Bridges all four of my years at Kings Mountain."
Wilson was an All-Conference shortstop his junior and senior years with the Mountaineers, and All-State his senior season.
"We had a great group of guys," he said. "We put in a lot of hard work and we had a lot of help and support from the community."
Some of the other players on that talented team were Thomas Lavin, Matt Absher, John Bell, Bryson Bailey and Brian Lysek.
"It was a solid team," Wilson said. "We made a strong push for the conference championship but never got it. It was always Crest first and Kings Mountain second."
Even though last season was cancelled due to COVID, Wilson said his pro experience has been great so far.
"I had a decent start in 2019 with the Angels (the team that originally drafted him) and I was getting the feel of competing at this level and we were playing well," he said. "But my first full year, 2020, when we were in spring training we got sent home because of the Coronavirus."
Wilson did get to participate in the Giants alternate training site and the Giants invited him to spring training in 2021.
Overall, Wilson said his pro experience so far has been very good. He's currently hitting .290 and has hopes that he will be in the majors soon, possibly as early as next season.
"I had a decent start in 2019 with the Angels," he noted. "I was getting the feel of competing at this level and we were playing well."
This season will end on September 16, so Wilson hopes he will be able to attend his Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
"We have an Instructional League for a month or so," he noted, "and in October we have a fall league. I don't know if I will be involved in that. I hope I would be called up to the big leagues, but more realistically that would probably be next year."
Wilson said he is excited to be selected to the Kings Mountain Hall of Fame.
"It's unbelievable," he said. "It seems that it wasn't long ago that I was getting to see Robbie (his uncle) and my dad (Brad) being inducted. I want to thank everybody for selecting me and I hope to be there for this special moment."
Will Wilson, now, in the San Francisco Giants farm system.
Will Wilson was an All-American at NC State University.
Will Wilson during his playing days at Kings Mountain High School.
set for August 13 at KM Country Club
Entry fee is $70 per player and includes one mulligan per player, one red tee per player and one string per team on hole 15.
Sponsorships are also available for individuals, businesses and industry. A diamond sponsorship is $1,000, platinum $500, gold $250 and silver $100. Make checks payable to KM Touchdown Club and mail to the above address.
Wilson, Hamrick,
Deaton selected
for Hall of Fame
Wilson was an all-star baseball player for the Kings Mountain Mountaineers and was an All-American at NC State University. He is currently playing pro baseball in the San Francisco Giants organization.
Johnny Gamble, longtime coach in Kings Mountain youth leagues and currently head JV baseball coach at KMHS, will receive the Distinguished Service Award.
Youth tennis clinics set
at new KMHS complex
Tennis clinics for boys and girls are being held each week until school starts.
Clinics are for beginners and advanced players, including middle school, high school and others.
Clinics will be limited in size so players can have more individual coaching. Players will work in small groups, mid-sized groups, and individually to develop strokes, strategies, conditioning techniques and playing skills.
Clinics are being conducted by Ed Guy, former Kings Mountain High School men's and women's tennis coach.
Instruction will be from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. If players need to be dropped off earlier, contact Ed Guy for arrangements. If a player is unable to attend all days due to vacations or other events, it will be OK. Just let Coach Guy know your schedule.
"Our goal is to encourage tennis in Kings Mountain and to support the middle school and high school programs," Guy said. "I would like to encourage interested boys to sign up as we need more participation with them."
Starting dates will be Monday and Wednesdays, starting June 13 for the advanced group, and Tuesday and Thursday, June 14 for the beginner group. There is no fee; however, a parent must provide six cans of Penn or Wilson tennis balls to be used by all. Players should take water and a towel. They should have an upper grade tennis racquet, tennis shoes and light weight clothing.
"I will have a limited number of borrowed racquets to start those who do not have one," Guy said. "The new tennis building bathrooms will be available for the clinic."
Persons interested may contact Coach Guy by email, text or phone for more information. His phone and text number is 704-473-3608 and his email address is eguy@carolina.rr.com
"We realize that many parents work, so if a player pickup is a problem, contact me for solutions," Guy said.
Charlie Melton rips a base hit in Kings Mountain's win over Ashbrook.
Mountaineers beat Ashbrook,
qualify for state 3A playoffs
Kings Mountain's Mountaineers clinched a state 3A playoff berth with an 11-6 victory over Ashbrook last week in Gastonia.
The Mountaineers were scheduled to host Gastonia Forestview in their final regular season home game last night and will close out the regular season Thursday night at Crest.
The state playoffs begin June 15. Opponents will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season.
Kings Mountain built an early 6-0 lead at Ashbrook but saw the Green Wave battle back to come within 6-5. The Mountaineers scored three runs in the fourth inning to go up 9-5 and put the win in the bag.
The Mountaineers got their bats going early with a two-run home run over the center field fence by Charlie Melton. Zane Brockman had walked to get things started.
The Mountaineers went up 6-0 with four runs in the top of the second inning. Jaxson Bolin singled and Caleb Broome was hit by a pitch. After a balk moved both runners into scoring position, Jacob Hamrick hit a hard ground ball that the Ashbrook shortstop couldn't handle. Both runners scored to make it 4-0. With two outs, Cole Irby laced a two-run single to left to give KM a 6-0 lead.
Ashbrook answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. The rally was sparked with a double by Meeks. After a couple of walks loaded the bases, Ashbrook coaxed a pair of two-out walks to get within 6-2.
The Green Wave kept their rally going in the third, scoring three more runs on four consecutive singles to make the score 6-5.
That would be as close as they would come, though, as the Mountaineers took control at the bat and on the field. The Mountaineers added three runs in the fourth. Caleb Broome led off with a walk and AJ Wylie followed with a single up the middle. Jacob Hamrick's bunt single loaded the bases. Cole Irby's sacrifice fly to deep center scored Broome. With two outs, Melton helped his own cause with a two-run single scoring Wylie and Hamrick to make it 9-5.
KM tacked on its final two runs in the seventh when Zane Brockman's single to center drove in Broome and Hamrick.
Wyatt Davis came on in relief to pitch the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. He allowed only one hit and struck out four.
Brockman pitched final inning, giving up one unearned run on two KM errors. He didn't allow a hit or walk and struck out two.
Melton picked up the win on the mound to improve his record to 5-1.
KM finished with 12 hits. Jacob Hamrick led the way with three and also scored three runs. Melton was 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a run scored. Peyton Fisher added two hits and Brockman, Irby, Richards, Bolin and Wylie had one each.
ALWS Tickets on sale soon
NC Gov.
Roy Cooper's lifting of capacity
restrictions allows
for a full Keeter
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper announced Friday, May 14, that most restrictions put in place to control the spread of COVID-19 were lifted immediately. The decision allows indoor and outdoor facilities to be at full capacity. The local planning committee for The American Legion World Series (ALWS) breathed a collective sigh of relief. The decision allows for the sale of all seats in the 5,500-seat Keeter Stadium, home of the annual tournament played each August.
"We had not printed any tickets for the 2021 series because we did not know how many seats we would be able to sell," says Committee Chairman Eddie Holbrook. "Now we can let our reserved seat, box seat and rocking chair seat holders know that they will ALL have a place to watch the games. We are especially pleased because we are celebrating the 10th year of having the ALWS played in Shelby-Cleveland County."
The ALWS games are scheduled for Thursday – Tuesday, Aug. 12-17, with the first game at 10 AM Aug. 12. Ticket sales have grown substantially since Shelby became the official home of the tournament in 2011. In 2018, ticket sales reached 128,157 – a record – and fell only minimally to 127,798 in 2019. With special recognitions planned for the 10th anniversary, organizers hope to set another ticket sales record.
Gov. Cooper said in part that mandatory capacity, gathering limits and physical distancing requirements had been lifted. Masks will be mandatory only on public transportation, in childcare, in schools, in prisons and in certain public health settings.
Anyone who purchased any type of reserved seat for the 2019 ALWS will receive a letter offering the same seats for 2021. After those wanting to renew have paid for their tickets, the remaining reserved seats will go to persons on a waiting list maintained by the ALWS staff. General Admission tickets are available for purchase, also, with the price of $35 for all 15 games; these tickets go on sale June 21. Day passes for adults ($10 each) and for students ($5 each) will be available only at Keeter Stadium once the games begin.
www.americanlegionworldseries.com . 704-466-3103 . info@alws.us
KMHS Football Awards
workouts begin
June 7 at 7:30 a.m.
Kings Mountain High School will begin summer football workouts on June 7 at 7:30 p.m.
All returning players and new players should be in attendance.
The summer workouts will go Monday through Thursday until the week of July 4, which is a dead period. There will also be a dead period during the week of July 20 for the NCHSAA Coaches Clinic in Greensboro. The first official day of practice is August 2.
Kings Mountain is trying to schedule a scrimmage for August 11. The Mountaineers will compete in the Cleveland County Jamboree on August 13 and will open the regular season at home against Shelby on August 20.
The Mountaineers will lose many of the starters off last year's team that won the Big South 3A Conference and went two rounds in the state playoffs. But, Coach Greg Lloyd said they will have some good returning starters as well as some reserves that he expects to step into key roles.
blank Cats 3-0
Kings Mountain got a one-hitter from three pitchers and timely hitting to defeat North Gaston's Wildcats 3-0 in a Big South Conference baseball game Tuesday night at Lancaster Field.
Charlie Melton started and worked five innings to get the win, allowing no hits while striking out five. He did walk two batters and hit one.
Wyatt Davis came on in the sixth and gave up the lone hit, an infield single over the pitcher's mound. He walked one and struck out three.
Zane Brockman came on in the seventh to retire the Wildcats in order on a couple of infield fly balls sandwiched around a strikeout.
A walk to AJ Wylie and run-scoring doubles by Brockman and Boone Cartee staked the Mountaineers to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
The Mountaineers scored their final run in the fifth when a North Gaston throwing error on Brockman's infield grounder followed Wylie's double to left and Jacob Hamrick's infield single.
Cartee was the only player with two hits. Melton, Brockman, Wylie and Hamrick added one apiece. Bryson Walker went the distance for the Wildcats.
Mountaineers bomb Huskies 18-2,
Burns here Friday for Senior Night
Kings Mountain High's baseball team bombed the Hunter Huss Huskies 18-2 in a Big South 3A Conference game Thursday at Hunter Huss.
The Mountaineers were scheduled to go to Gastonia Ashbrook last night and will host Burns in a non-conference contest Friday at Lancaster Field. This will be the Mountaineers Senior Night and last regular season home game. They close out the regular season Tuesday at Crest in a battle that will decide the conference championship.
Coach Brad Melton used three pitchers at Huss. Zane Brockman started and pitched the first inning, giving up just one hit and no runs.
Devin Pressley pitched two innings, striking out four and allowing no runs on one hit.
Caleb Broome pitched the last two innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out five.
Offensively, the Mountaineers collected 12 hits. Charlie Melton had a double and triple and Parker Richards had a single and double. Jacob Hamrick, Dalton Gunter, Boone Cartee, Cole Irby, Chris Ruffalo, Jaxson Bolin, Trey Crawford and AJ Wyile had one hit each.
KMHS track tunes up
for conference meet
With the Big South Conference championship coming up this week, four teams met at Kings Mountain's John Gamble Stadium last Tuesday for a "tune-up."
Kings Mountain's women remained undefeated with a 13-0 record while the Mountaineers took another first place for a 12-1 mark.
Kings Mountain women finishing first included Alexis Jackson in the triple jump, Taylor Smith in the shot put, Bailey Ledford in the pole vault, Sindy Ulloa in the two-mile run and the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams.
Finishing first for the KM men were Dameon Wilson in the discus, Titus Phillips in the high jump, Marcus Odums in the long jump and triple jump, Jeramie Thurman in the 100 meter dash, and the 4x100m and 4x200m relay teams.
KM Middle School girls
win conference crown
Kings Mountain Middle's girls scored four runs in the seventh inning to erase a 3-2 deficit and defeat Crest 6-3 Tuesday for the Tri-County Conference championship.
The Lady Patriots were led on the mound by Maddie Huffman, who pitched a complete game. She allowed no walks, just three hits and struck out 11.
Huffman also had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Anna Wooten was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, Ava Tipton 2-4 and one run, Kayla McSwain 1-for2 with two RBIs and two walks, and Paige Fleming 1-for-3 with an RBI.
The Lady Patriots finished the season with an overall 7-2 record.
Huffman had an amazing season on the mound, striking out 87 batters and allowing just one walk in six starts.
Dameon Wilson
presented Career
All football awards at Kings Mountain High School are special, and most have been given since 1954 when the Lions Club sponsored the very first banquet.
But, perhaps the most special award anyone can receive – The Career Achievement Award - is one that is not given every year but just when someone has done something extra special.
Dameon "DayDay" Wilson of Grover is not just one of a very few people to start all four years of his high school career, but is the only one to establish the school record for most games played. For his brilliant career, Coach Greg Lloyd presented him his framed #10 jersey at the annual football awards ceremony Monday at Barnes Auditorium.
In the early years of football there were some players that started for four years. But, none came close to Wilson's string of 53 games. That's because he and his teammates over the past four seasons have taken the Mountaineers deep into the state playoffs.
During that time, the University of Missouri-bound Wilson made well over 300 tackles.
"He is one of the best players to ever come through here," head coach Greg Lloyd said. "It's going to be cool to watch him play on TV and in the Southeastern Conference."
Wilson is one of just a few Mountaineers in the school's almost 100 year history to be chosen to the North Carolina Shrine Bowl squad. He's been All-Big South Conference each of the past three years, and when this year's All-State team is released you can be sure he'll be one of the linebackers chosen.
Wilson also received the Linebacker of the Year Award, given in memory of Coach Jeff Putnam.
Many others received awards as well, and all JV and varsity players were recognized.
Others taking home the hardware included:
Defensive Back Award – Logan Patrick.
Defensive Line Award – Chris Ruffalo.
Fred Plonk Blocking Trophy – Tykel Smith.
Wide Receiver Award – Chance Cannon.
Offensive Back Awards – Ethan Reid and Rashaard Brooks.
Special Teams Player of the Year – Jamie Wilson.
Coaches Awards – Devin Pressley (offense) and AJ Richardson (defense).
Donnie Mace Toughman of the Year Award – Colby Carroll.
Defensive Player of the Year – Javari Wilson.
Offensive Player of the Year – Blake Davis.
All-Conference – Javari Wilson, Tykel Smith, Ethan Reid, Logan Patrick, Rashaard Brooks, Chris Ruffalo, Blake Davis, AJ Richardson, Dameon Wilson.
Conference Players of the Year – Blake Davis, Javari Wilson, Chris Ruffalo.
Weightlifter of the Year – Javari Wilson.
Players of the Week – Dameon Wilson, Javari Wilson, Trey Crawford, Peyton Fisher, Tykel Smith, Caleb Holland, Devin Pressley, Ethan Reid, Jaylen Mims.
edge Cramer 3-2
Kings Mountain's Mountaineers bounced back from their first loss of the season to Crest by edging Stuart Cramer 3-2 Thursday night in the new Fuse District Stadium in Gastonia.
Zane Brockman pitched six innings to pick up his fourth win of the season. Caleb Broome pitched the seventh and retired the Storm on just seven pitches.
Stuart Cramer grabbed an early lead when Peyton Martin singled home Mason Craig for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Kings Mountain took the lead in the top of the third. Jacob Hamrick singled and Brockman walked. Boone Cartee's double to center field drove in Hamrick with the tying run, and Cole Irby followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to put KM on top 2-1.
The Mountaineers added another run in the top of the fourth. Devin Pressley singled and stole second. The throw went into centerfield and Pressley took third. The center fielder then made a wild throw that allowed Pressley to score for a 3-1 lead.
Stuart Cramer added its final run in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Groves singled with two away, then scored all the way from first base when a pickoff attempt went all the way to the right field bullpen.
Charlie Melton led the KM offense with 2-for-2. He had a double and triple and a walk. Jacob Hamrick, Boone
Cartee and Maddox Brown also had hits.
Kings Mountain was scheduled to host North Gaston last night. The Mountaineers travel to Hunter Huss Friday and Ashbrook Tuesday. Their next home game is a non-conference encounter with the Burns Bulldogs on June 4 at 7 p.m. They play their final regular season home game on June 8 against Forestview and then end the regular season June 10 at Crest.
Crest nips Mountaineers 3-2
in battle for first place in BSC
The two top-ranked 3A baseball teams in North Carolina faced off Tuesday night at Lancaster Field with the #2 Crest Chargers knocking off the #1 Kings Mountain Mountaineers 3-2 to take over sole possession of first place in the Big South 3A Conference.
The Chargers' senior first baseman Luke Reynolds sent a 3-2 Charlie Melton fast ball over the left-center field fence for a two-run homer in the fourth inning and that held up for the winning runs.
Crest got its other run and hit off Melton in the top of the first inning on an RBI single to left by Drewery. Kings Mountain rallied with two runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead. Zane Brockman reached on an error with one away and Boone Cartee followed that with a double. Cole Irby's infield grounder plated Brockman with the tying run and the Mountaineers got their only lead of the game when Peyton Fisher singled to right.
Ben Hodge went the route on the mound for the Chargers. Melton worked 6 2/3 innings before reaching his 105-pitch limit and had to be replaced. With the bases loaded on three walks, fireballer Zane Brockman came to the mound and struck out Colby Humphries but the Mountaineers were retired in order in the bottom of the inning.
Both teams threatened on other occasions but good pitching and defense kept them at bay. Kings Mountain collected eight hits led by Cartee and Fisher with two apiece.
The Mountaineers were scheduled to host North Gaston last night but their next home game won't be until June 4 when they host county rival Burns in a non-conference game. Their final home game is June 8 against Forestview and they round out the regular season June 10 at Crest.
Mountaineers blank Cramer,
North Gaston to open season
(May 5, 2021 Issue)
Kings Mountain High's baseball team is off to a fast start in Big South Conference play with wins over Stuart Cramer and North Gaston. They were scheduled to host Hunter Huss last night at Lancaster Field and Ashbrook will visit the Mountaineers Friday at 7 p.m.
The Mountaineers opened their season last Tuesday with a 7-0 win over Cramer at Lancaster Field, then traveled to Dallas Friday and shutout North Gaston 4-0.
Good pitching and defense were the keys, just as head coach Brad Melton was looking for in preseason practice. In those first two games the Mountaineers did not commit an error and got good pitching by committee.
The Mountaineers took advantage of a lot of their opponent's pitching and fielding mistakes in their win over Cramer. The North Gaston game was much tougher as KM saw two of the best pitchers in the Big South in Jairo Oseo and Devin Toney, but got good pitching from their own Zane Brockman and Wyatt Davis as well as timely hits that broke the game open late.
Brockman worked five and two-third innings to get the win and Davis came on in relief and did a great job also. Brockman fanned nine batters and Davis two.
"Our pitching was really good," said Coach Melton. "The pitchers have been spot-on in these first two games and (at North Gaston) we manufactured some runs when we had to."
Jacob Hamrick had two hits for the Mountaineers and AJ Wylie, Brockman, Boone Cartee and Charlie Melton added one each. The big hit was a two-run single by Peyton Fisher that put the Mountaineers up 3-0 in the sixth inning. KM had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first and capped off the win with a sacrifice fly by Cartee in the seventh.
"Zane's pitching was really good, but he didn't really have his A game going," Melton noted. "But he competed enough to throw a solid game through five innings. That's a good sign when you are not on your game but can still compete like that. North Gaston has two really good pitchers and it's good to get a win like that. It really felt good to beat them. We had only seven hits but we had three or four balls hit really well but right at somebody. We had good pitching and hitting and I was proud that we didn't make any errors."
KM-CRAMER
Kings Mountain got only one hit but took advantage of Stuart Cramer mistakes to score four runs in the first inning on the way to a 7-0 win over the Purple Storm Tuesday night at Lancaster Field.
Parker Richards' bases loaded single – his first of three hits for the game – plated AJ Wylie with the Mountaineers' first run of the season. Wylie had actually struck out to lead off the home half of the first but reached first safely on a passed ball. Walks to Zane Brockman and Boone Cartee loaded the bases for Richards. KM went on to score on a passed ball, Charlie Melton's sacrifice fly and a wild pitch to complete the four-run inning.
Melton started on the mound and gave up three
hits while fanning five batters over a 3.1 inning stretch. Wyatt Davis, Caleb Broome and Zane Brockman also took turns on the mound and the foursome combined for 13 strikeouts. Broome and Brockman had three each and Davis two.
Wylie's solo home run over the left field fence and Richards' RBI single to left made it 6-0 in the second inning. KM's final run came in the sixth on a single to left by Richards.
Cramer's three pitchers combined for six walks and seven strikeouts.
Kings Mountain High's softball team defeated Forestview last week to finish second to unbeaten Crest in the Big South Conference and earn a berth in the state 3A playoffs. Photos by Gary Smart
KM softball beats Forestview
to qualify for state 3A playoffs
Kings Mountain High's women's softball team was scheduled to open play in the NCHSAA state tournament Monday at Monroe Piedmont. A win there would set up a possible Kings Mountain at Crest battle Wednesday.
The Lady Chargers go into the tournament as the #1 seed from the West while the Lady Mountaineers are nine. Crest defeated KM twice during the regular season but had to go to the bottom of the seventh inning to win 1-0 in the final conference battle Wednesday.
Jenna Ramsey collected the Lady Mountaineers' only hit while the Lady Chargers got seven hits off KM pitcher Kali Weaver with Addie Beaver getting two hits and scoring the only run. Mackenzie Hayes went the distance for Crest, striking out 15 batters and issuing just one base on balls.
The Lady Mountaineers wrapped up the second seed from the Big South Conference last Monday with a 10-9 victory over Forestview. The Lady Mountaineers led 5-1 after two innings, 7-1 after four and 8-4 after six before the Lady Jaguars rallied to take a 9-8 lead in the top of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Lady Mountaineers got a pair of walks and a single by Jenna Ramsey to load the bases with two away. Alayna Patrick stepped to the plate and won the game with a two-run single.
Patrick finished with 3-for-5 with three runs batted in and pitcher Kali Weaver went 3-for-5 with one RBI while striking out 13 batters. Ramsey, Andrea Melton and Austyn Dixon added two hits each.
Mountaineers rout JMR 49-6
Jaylen Mims is too quick for the Robinson defense in first round of NCHSAA 3A state playoffs.
Kings Mountain dominated in all three phases of the game to defeat Jay M. Robinson 49-6 in the opening round of the state 3A championship playoffs Friday night at John Gamble Stadium.
A large home crowd saw the Mountaineers build a quick 21-0 lead before the visitors were able to score, then KM broke the game open early in the second half and played the entire fourth quarter under the running clock rule.
While the Mountaineers were running up 369 yards total offense, the defense except for one catch and run 65-yard touchdown by J-Rob's Joshua Grant Jr. was holding the visitors to three-and-out on most of their possessions.
"We played pretty well, but it wasn't one of our best nights," noted head coach Greg Lloyd. "It wasn't bad but we have to play much better."
Robinson was successful in stopping a Mountaineer touchdown bid on the game's opening drive, forcing a punt from the Robinson 37. KM's Jamie Wilson downed it inside the visitors' one and they had a hard time getting out of the hole.
With AJ Richardson making tackles on the first two plays, and DayDay Wilson on the third, the KM defense forced a punt from the Robinson seven and it was downed on the 33. Six plays later Caleb Holland scored from 10 yards out and Jaylen Ellis kicked the point-after and the rout was on.
Another three-and-out followed by another short punt put the Mountaineers in business at their own 43 and a 43-yard catch and run by Jaylen Mims put them on the J-Rob 15. Holland carried twice for 14 yards to set up an Ethan Reid sneak for the TD and a 14-0 advantage.
KM forced another 3-and-out, and this time the Mountaineers took over at the visitors' five after a botched punt attempt. A couple penalties set them back to the 21 but Reid hit Chance Cannon wide open across the middle for a 21-0 lead.
The visitors rallied for their only TD, moving 82 yards in five plays, the last one a 68-yard catch and run TD by Joshua Grant. That would be one of just two serious threats by the visitors as the KM defense, led by the likes of AJ Richardson, DayDay and Javari Wilson, Chris Ruffalo, Trey Crawwford and others kept the heat on all night. Pass interceptions by Marcus Odums in the end zone to end the first half, and Deandre Hoyle early in the fourth quarter were big.
The Mountaineers went up 28-6 when Mims broke a 26-yard TD run to cap a 63-yard drive that was aided by a pass interference penalty on Robinson.
Robinson got the ball to open the second half and picked up a first down before having to punt from its own 47. The short kick was downed at the KM 35. Reid hit Odums with a 65-yard bomb for a 35-6 lead.
After tackles by Jake Lloyd and Javari Wilson for minus 13 yards forced a J-Rob punt, it took just two plays to score with Holland going right up the middle of the field for a 41 yard TD and a 42-6 lead.
KM took possession again with 2:13 to go in the third, and on the first play of the fourth quarter Reid hit Cannon with a 24-yard touchdown pass to put the running clock rule into effect.
"I thought our offensive line did a great job and the defense tackled well," Lloyd said. "The backs ran hard and Ethan (Reid) threw the ball well. We were a little undisciplined and had some untimely penalties that can get you beat against a good team. But we played good in all three phases and were glad to win.
"The defense played well. They've been good all year. Other than that one touchdown play we dominated them. We have to keep that up."
HOW THEY DID IT
6:46 – KM – Caleb Holland 10-run (Jayden Ellis kick).33-yd. drive after short J-Rob punt. Mims 1-5 rushing, Holland 5-28 rushing.
3:13 – KM – Ethan Reid 1-run (Ellis kick). 57-yd., 5 plays following J-Rob 3 and out. Key play 43-yard catch and run by Mims to J-Rob 15.
0:26.1 – KM - Chance Cannon, 21 pass from Reid (Ellis kick). Third play after tackling J-Rob punter on five, followed by two KM penalties for 15 yards.
10:05 – JMR – Joshua Grant, 65-pass from Monroe. (Run failed).
6:58 – KM – Jaylen Mims 26 run (Ellis kick). 63-yd. drive, 6 plays. Key plays 16-yard reception by Orlando Odums and pass int. call on Robinson.
8:54 – KM – Odums 65 pass from Reid (Ellis kick).First play following J-Rob punt.
5:41 – KM – Holland 41 run (Ellis kick). Second play following short J-Rob punt.
11:54 - Chance Cannon, 24 pass from Reid. (Ellis kick). 50-yard, 7-play drive following J-Rob punt. Mims 3-14 rushing, Odums 8-yd. reception, Holland 4-run.
KM RUSHING – Mims 15-58, Holland 14-106, Reid 3-3, Smith 4-3, Black 4-0, Team 1-(-11).
KM RECEIVING – Sel Randolph 1-5, Orlando Odums 3-89, Chance Cannon 4-45, Jaylen Mims 1-43, Devin Pressley 1-28.
KM PASSING – Ethan Reid 9-14-205. Jonah Patrick 1-1-5.
Putnam's 74 field
in KMCC golf match
Kings Mountain High finished second to Stuart Cramer in a Big South golf match Monday at KM Country Club, 313-335.
KM's Cooper Putnam was medalist with a one over par 73.
Other KM scores were Caleb Marr 80, Baylor Benton 85, Seabron Echols 97 and Hunter Cruise 100.
KM's Emma Short shot a 56 in a nine-hole girls match.
Kings Mountain and all Big South Conference schools will battle in the annual conference championship match April 26 at Riverbend.
blanks Huss 7-0
Kings Mountain's women's soccer team shutout Hunter Huss 7-0 Wednesday at Huss.
Melia Myers led the Lady Mountaineers with two goals.
Maggie Honeycutt, Mary Grace Hogue, Emma Goff, Emma Herndon and Sage Wright had one goal apiece.
Emma Goff had two assists and Sage Wright, Megan Carley and Emma Herndon added one each.
Kennedy Barnes was in goal for the shutout.
KM women's soccer
blanks Ashbrook 4-0
Kings Mountain shutout Ashbrook 4-0 in a Big South Conference soccer match Monday night at Ashbrook.
Emma Herndon led the Lady Mountaineers with two goals. Melia Myers had one goal and an assist and Maggie Honeycutt scored the other goal.
Taylor Buchanan and Megan Carley each had an assist.
set at KM High
Free annual sports physical days will be May 12 and May 20 at Kings Mountain High School.
Each student must have a physical form with medical history completed and signed by a parent in order to be seen on their assigned dates.
Boys physicals will be on May 12 and girls physicals on May 20, immediately after school. Students should check their email for further details
Physicals are open to rising ninth through 12th grade students.
For more information contact Ms. Gaddis at 704-473-1239.
Tough Monroe team at KMHS for round two
Kings Mountain football coach Greg Lloyd says his Mountaineers face their toughest test of the season Friday night when the Monroe Red Hawks come to town for a second round game in the state 3A playoffs.
Monroe brings a 6-2 record to John Gamble Stadium but Kings Mountain players and fans should not look at that record and feel comfortable. Those two losses were to two of the best football teams in the state, defending 3A state champion Charlotte Catholic and defending 3AA state champion Weddington.
"We have to play our best game this week," Lloyd says. "They are very dangerous. This is the best team we've seen this year. They're the most athletic team we've seen."
Just like the Mountaineers, the Red Hawks have put up some big numbers. They've scored in the 30s and 40s in all of their victories.
And, needless to say, when a team scores big numbers it has a lot of players putting up big numbers as well.
"They'll put a lot of great athletes on the field," Lloyd said. "They're much better than they were last year" when the Mountaineers had to come from 20-0 down to beat them 35-20 in a non-conference game.
"They run and pass very well and they are stingy on defense," Lloyd noted. "This is a big test.
"They're very impressive and I'm sure they will come to play," he said. "They have some of the best players I've seen. Their number 1 (wide receiver/free safety Shalek Knotts) is one of the highest recruited players in the state. He's tall and he's fast."
Knotts has hauled in 20 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns and is just one of three outstanding receivers on the team. Jordan Black has 17 catches for 330 yards and Elliott Reid 24 for 388. That trio has the bulk of quarterback Khamoni Robinson's 1,271 yards and 13 touchdowns passing.
The Red Hawks also have a strong and balanced running game led by Jack Crump with 89 carries for 679 yards and six touchdowns. QB Robinson is also a running threat with 283 yards and four TDs in 33 carries.
"We have to be disciplined," Lloyd noted. "We need to put pressure on the quarterback and not give up any big plays.
"Offensively, we have to establish the run and choose when we can pass the ball. And, we have to have good special teams play.
"Monroe's going to be a hand full," he added, "and we have to play much better than we did last week."
The winner of Friday's game will meet the winner of the AC Reynolds-Charlotte Catholic game for the Western Regional championship and a spot opposite the Eastern champion for the state championship.
We Are The Champions!
Mountaineers blast Crest for Big South crown, Robinson here Friday to open state 3A playoffs
Mountaineers blast Crest for Big South crown,
Robinson here Friday to open state 3A playoffs
FIrst unbeaten regular season since '64
Kings Mountain's Mountaineers did something Friday night that only one other team in the 98-year history of KM football has done, and that was to complete the regular season with an undefeated, untied record.
The Mountaineers' impressive 28-7 victory over Crest at John Gamble Stadium gave them an unshared Big South Conference championship, not to mention a sweep of Cleveland County on both the varsity and JV levels.
The only other Mountaineer eleven to post an unbeaten, untied regular season was the 1964 team that went 10-0. That team was upset 6-0 by Hickory in the opening round of the Western NC Activities Association playoffs.
The Mountaineers played an almost perfect game in all phases Friday. The offense got exceptional blocking from Isaiah Eskridge, Michael Blanton, Chris Richardson, Tykel Smith and Blake Davis and that allowed the offense to roll up 228 yards on the ground and 162 through the air.
While they were doing that, the defense was turning some outstanding Crest backs and receivers every way but loose except on an 83-yard touchdown run by quarterback T.J. Ruff in the final minutes.
In fact, it was a pass interception by Marcus Odums on the second play of the second quarter that got the rout started from the KM 40 yard line. With Rashaard Brooks carrying the running load and Ethan Reid hitting Chance Cannon for a 10-yard pass for a first down at the Crest 45, and Devin Pressley catching passes of 10 and 16 yards for first downs at the 31 and 13 yard lines and Jaylen Mims going 12 yards to the one, Reid sneaked into the end zone and the rout was on.
"We both had an opportunity and then Odums intercepted that pass and it seemed to drive us," noted Mountaineer coach Greg Lloyd. "We scored twice more and that turned the tide for us."
After that TD, the KM defense held Crest to 3-and-out on its next two possessions and the Mountaineers turned both of those defensive gems into points. Taking over at their own 40 with 6:06 left in the half and Brooks out with an injury, Reid hit Chance Cannon with a seven yard pass and Mims took charge and gained 34 yards on four straight runs to set up a six-yard run by Caleb Holland for a 14-0 lead with 3:23 on the clock.
"Holland (143 yards rushing) came in and played great for us after Brooks got hurt," Lloyd noted. "He ran the ball hard. He's fast and he stepped up big time. Mims is still not a hundred percent but he's fast and he made some big plays, too. We hope he will be better this week.
"I thought the line blocked really well for our running and passing," he added. "We had a lot of players that had their best game and they picked a good time to have a big game."
Big hits by Dameon Wilson and Chris Ruffalo, Trey Crawford, Jake Lloyd, and Ty Ledbetter forced another Crest three and out and KM took possession at its own 26 with just over a minute until halftime. On a third and three from the 46, Reid threw a lateral pass to Chance Cannon who threw to Blake Emory all alone down the home sidelines for a 54-yard touchdown and a 21-0 halftime lead.
While KM's stingy defense was holding Crest to just seven plays in the third quarter, it was obvious the Mountaineers were going to wrap up the BSC. With Holland carrying the rushing load, the Mountaineers marched 71 yards in 12 plays with Holland scoring from 10 yards out for a 28-0 lead with 2:36 left in the third.
KM began a 14-play, eight minute and 55 seconds drive that began with 25 seconds left in the third and didn't end until the 3:30 mark of the fourth quarter when an incomplete pass in the end zone on fourth down gave Crest the ball on its own four. Three plays later Ruff broke through the middle of his line and rambled 83 yards for the Chargers' only score. After Sel Randolph recovered an onside kick, the Mountaineers ran the clock out.
"On defense, we tackled very well and got through the conference undefeated," Lloyd noted. "I'm proud of all of them. I think everybody did a great job. Both lines played really well and I thought our tight end Devin Pressley blocked good. It was a good team effort.
"We did a great job on Ruff. We had that long drive and when we didn't score the defense had been over there on the sidelines for a while. He had the bulk of their yards on that one play."
For the game the Chargers had only 153 yards. They had only seven plays in the second half and 29 for the game.
8:29 – KM - Reid 1 run (Ellis PAT). 60-yd. drive following Marcus Odums int. Key first down passes to Cannon for 10 yards, Pressley for 10 and 16 yards.
3:23 – KM - Holland 6-run (Ellis kick). 60-yd. drive following Crest 3 and out. Mims 4-33 rushing, Holland 2-13.
0:13.6 – KM – Blake Emory, 54-pass from Can
Softball beats North,
travels to Huss tonight
Kings Mountain High's softball team defeated North Gaston 7-2 Monday night at Lancaster Field and will be in action again Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Hunter Huss.
Kali Weaver went the route against the Lady Wildcats, surrendering just five hits while striking out nine.
Monica Head, Keegan Irby and Austyn Dixon had multiple hits for the Lady Mountaineers and each of them had two runs batted in.
Forestview edges KMHS
in golf match
Forestview edged Kings Mountain 334-338 in a Big South Conference golf match Monday at Kings Mountain Country Club.
Nick Norman of Forestview was medalist with a 74.
Cooper Putnam led KM with a 77. Caleb Marr shot 80, Baylor Benton 83 and Michael King 98.
In the girls match, KM's Emma Short shot a nine-hole score of 61.
Kings Mountain will face Stuart Cramer Monday, April 19 at KMCC.
finish undefeated
Kings Mountain High's JV football team won a hard-fought 16-8 victory over county rival Crest Thursday to finish the season undefeated with a 4-0 record.
During a season cut short because of COVID 19, the Mountaineers swept all three of their county opponents – Shelby, Burns and Crest – and also defeated a good South Point Red Raider team.
The Mountaineers scored on the game's opening drive Thursday with Zavian Smith getting the TD on a 20-yard run. Lamont Littlejohn's pass to Curtis Simpson gave Diron Bell's charges an 8-0 lead.
The two teams battled back and forth and were tied at 8-all at the half.
Kings Mountain scored the winning points on a 15-yard run by Smith late in the fourth quarter. Littlejohn passed to Ethan Guy for the two-point conversion.
Young Mountaineer baseball team hopes to compete for Big South Conference title
This will be a challenging season for Kings Mountain High baseball and other high schools because of the "changes of seasons" brought on by the pandemic.
But, KMHS coach Brad Melton has good feelings about the spring and his team's chance of competing for the Big South championship. The Mountaineers, like most other schools, will start their season next week minus a lot of athletes who will still be competing with their football team in the state playoffs. He will get his first look at the Mountaineers in game situations Wednesday when the Mountaineers host Shelby in a 5 p.m. scrimmage. The game will be open to spectators.
Melton has been working with about a dozen players in early drills, but he is minus four good players who are still competing with the Mountaineer football team in the state playoffs.
"They would all be starting for us, but I hope they don't join us anytime soon because we want the football team to win the state championship," Melton said.
Melton expects pitching to be the team's strength, but at present he is missing one of his aces Devin Pressley, a senior tight end on the football team.
"He will be a great addition when football is over," Melton said. "Our starters right now will be Charlie Melton, a returning junior, and Zane Brockman, an NC State commit."
Another starter could be Wyatt Davis, a transfer from Gaston County. "He should contribute a lot," Melton noted.
Several other returning starters are looking good in early drills. They include catcher Boone Cartee, infielder A.J. Wylie and centerfielder Jaxson Bolin. Parker Richards should contribute at first base, Melton said.
"The biggest thing right now is that we have four guys who would be starters still playing football," he noted, "so we will be replacing them with freshmen and sophomores. But that's a good problem to have."
Senior gridders like Peyton Fisher and Chris Ruffalo are also wrestlers, Melton pointed out, and the baseball and wrestling programs will be competing at the same time of the year.
"Hopefully they can play both sports," he noted, "but physically it will be hard. Sometimes we'll be at home and wrestling will be away. And sometimes wrestling matches are long. It may be that logically, we can't do it. We don't really know who we'll have and when."
Melton said he expects hitting to be strong, and playing in warm weather instead of the cold nights of February and March should be a big help to pitchers and hitters.
"The only thing right now is that we have to move kids to new positions and that's basically what we've been concentrating on in practice," he said. "Ruffalo, Pressley and Crawford are all outfielders so we're having to move a lot of people around."
Melton has several other starters back from last year, including catcher Boone Cartee who is one of, if not the best in the Big South.
"Pitching will be our strength," he noted. "Pressley can throw with anybody, and the middle of our defense is in good shape. Our offense has a few good bats, but our scores might be like 4-2 and 3-1 this year. We won't have very many slugfests. I don't anticipate a 15-0 win, although that would be nice."
Melton tabs Crest as the team to beat "until somebody takes them down." He also believes North Gaston and Forestview will be strong.
"I think we'll compete for the conference, too," he said. "This could be our year but we have to beat Crest first."
Melton will be assisted by Wil Sellers, a former KMHS and Gardner-Webb pitcher who will be managing the mound staff. JV coaches John Gamble and Alex Grooms are the other members of the staff.
Kings Mountain's first Big South game is at home on April 27 against Stuart Cramer. JV games begin at 4 p.m. and varsity at 7.
KMHS office
Tickets for the Jay M. Robinson at King Mountain state playoff game Friday night will be on sale Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m.-3:45 p.m. in the KMHS front office.
Game time this week will be 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be $8 each. No passes will be accepted.
Any leftover tickets will be sold at the stadium gate, which opens at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Remember '17 game?
Robinson upset KM
Kings Mountain's Mountaineers were road warriors in last year's 3A state playoffs after drawing the #3 seed from the Big South Conference.
They defeated some good teams on the road to the Western 3A championship game for the second straight season, but their first game in this year's playoffs will be Friday at 7:30 at John Gamble Stadium against a very good six seed from the South Piedmont, J.M. Robinson. In this year's Western 3A bracket, the Mountaineers were seeded #3 even though they're the only undefeated team in the mix.
A.C. Reynolds again got the #1 seed with a 6-1 record and will play #8 West Rowan (4-2). Statesville (5-1) is seeded second and hosts #7 Monroe (5-2). Charlotte Catholic (5-1) is #4 and hosts #5 Crest which is 6-1.
Robinson comes in with a 5-2 record, but don't believe they're not an outstanding football team. Their losses were over the past two weeks to Kannapolis A.L. Brown 29-14, which is one of the top ranked teams in the state, and Central Cabarrus, 38-35 on a late touchdown.
Kings Mountain coaches and some fans, and one KM player, remember in 2017 when the highly-favored Mountaineers were upset by Robinson 47-46 in Gamble Stadium when they stopped KM running back Ricaylen Mack on a two-point conversion attempt in overtime. Senior linebacker Dameon Wilson was a freshman starting line backer on that KM team.
"They are a very dangerous football team," KM coach Greg Lloyd said. "They just lost to two really good teams. Robinson could easily be 7-0 because both of those games were really close."
Lloyd says this year's Robinson team is very similar to the one that beat the Mountaineers in '17.
"They are very athletic and we will have our hands full," he said. "They run multiple things on offense. They run a lot of trick plays and use a swinging gate for their two-point conversions. We have to be disciplined and not get tricked."
Lloyd hopes the Mountaineers can keep the ball away from them just like they did Crest last week.
"On offense, we have to run the clock and convert third downs and keep them off the field," he said. He also said the Mountaineers have to protect their kicker and do a good job kicking extra points and field goals.
"J.M. Robinson is a good team," he stressed. "We need to beat them and get past this Friday and get on with it."
The winner of Friday's contest will advance against the winner of the Monroe at Statesville game. Should KM and Monroe win that game would be played in Kings Mountain. If KM and Statesville win it would be in Statesville.
Mountaineers Vs. Forestview
KM's win over Forestview Thursday at Gamble Stadium.
tryouts to begin
Kings Mountain High women's tennis tryouts will begin Monday, April 12 at 5 p.m. at the new KMHS tennis complex.
All student athletes are required to take their tennis gear and their personal cooler.
From a COVID-19 perspective, all student athletes are required to take a mask and are required to maintain a social distancing requirement of six feet or more while practicing and conditioning.
All athletes must have an updated physical on file prior to practicing.
For questions or concerns contact Coach Rick Henderson at Rick.Henderson2@duke-energy.com or 704-460-8066.
Pre-sale tickets
for KM football
Ticket information for Friday's Crest at Kings Mountain football game:
Tickets are $10, cash only. More than likely, there will be no tickets sold at the game because a sell-out is expected.
Ticket sales are as follows:
Wednesday – 2:30-3:30 p.m., for marching band, varsity cheer and varsity football players at Brinkley Field House.
Thursday - 12-1 p.m. for Touchdown Club members at Brinkley Field House.
Thursday - 1-3:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public at Brinkley Field House.
Friday – 8 a.m.-4 p.m. – Tickets on sale to the general public at the front office at KMHS.
KMHS girls softball
golf tourney at KMCC
The Kings Mountain High School girls softball team is having a captain's choice fund raiser Saturday, April 10 at Kings Mountain Country Club.
There will be a 7:30 shotgun start. Teams and hole sponsors are needed.
Entry fees are $260 per team. Checks should be made payable to Carolina Curve-Deaton. Hole sponsors are $100.
Mulligans will be available along with cash prizes for the top three teams (determined by numbers of entries), closest to the pin, longest drives and door prizes.
All profits will support KMHS softball.
Kings Mountain High senior Dameon "DayDay" Wilson started his 50th varsity game for the Mountaineers in last week's win over Forestview. The Mountaineers have gone deep in the state playoffs every year Wilson has been on the team. Photo by Charlie Smith
Crest here Friday,
BSC title on line
If not for COVID restrictions, John Gamble Stadium's seating sections and hills would be packed for Friday's Crest at Kings Mountain Big South 3A Conference football game.
In a shortened seven-game regular season, both teams enter the contest with perfect 6-0 records and the winner will be crowned Big South Conference champion and get the conference's #1 seed for the upcoming state 3A playoffs.
Neither team has had anything close to a scare in the conference, although Kings Mountain did have to overcome an excellent Shelby passing attack to edge the Lions 36-35 in a non-conference game two weeks back.
Crest, on the other hand, rolled over the Burns Bulldogs in their only county matchup and, like KM, also handily defeated all of its Big South opponents.
So, from all indications, Friday's game is going to be a barn burner.
Mountaineer coach Greg Lloyd is a former Crest player and wishes them well…except when they're playing his Mountaineers.
"They are a very solid," Lloyd said. "They're an excellent team. They have an extremely fast quarterback in TJ Ruff. He made us look bad last year with his running and passing. He's really fast on the field and a special talent."
And, he hasn't slacked off any during this shortened season. He has accounted for almost 1,200 yards in six games, including hitting 24 of 38 passes for 428 yards and rushing 87 times for 738 yards and 10 TDs.
"They also have great speed defensively. They played really well at Burns last week and Burns is a very good ball team," Lloyd said.
Like always, the Chargers are well-balanced and have one of the best receivers in the state in Chelsey Borders, who has caught 16 passes for 375 yards and eight TDs.
"He catches a ton of balls," Lloyd noted. "They have a lot of good skill guys. They play a 3-4 defense and are really solid. They're going to be a big challenge for us."
Crest, no doubt, feels the same about the Mountaineers.
"We're happy to be 6-0 and tickled to death to get to play in a game like this at our place," Lloyd said. "It should be a great game and some good competition. We have to play good defense, much better than we did at Shelby. We can't give up big plays. We have to make them earn it. We have to keep them off the field as much as possible."
Lloyd stresses that the Mountaineers must also win the kicking game. "Crest is well rounded in all three phases," he noted.
"I am confident we will play well," he said. "We're looking forward to the game and to a big crowd. It's not just for the conference championship. If we win this game we should have some home playoff games."
Orlando Odums runs after catching a pass in KM's win over Forestview Thursday at Gamble Stadium. Photos by Gary Smart
Mountaineers beat Forestview
to clinch state 3A playoff berth
What everyone thought from the beginning is now official. After last Thursday's 39-7 victory over Forestview at John Gamble Stadium, Kings Mountain's Mountaineers are in the 2021 3A state playoffs.
The Mountaineers will be hosting Crest in a battle for the Big South Conference title and the conference's top playoff berth Friday at 7 p.m. at John Gamble Stadium.
After a sluggish start due to a fired-up Forestview defense which held the Mountaineers to just one touchdown in the first quarter, the home team built an 18-0 halftime lead and rolled to its sixth straight victory.
The slow start really wasn't anything threatening because the KM defense was in top form from start to finish, limiting the Jaguars to minus yards rushing until they gained 21 on their last two carries of the night. They had 28 yards rushing in the second half to finish with plus 20 for the game. They had only 24 yards passing.
"The defense played very well," noted Mountaineer Coach Greg Lloyd. "We tackled their big backs really good and covered the ball with a lot of pressure.
"Our offense continued to run the ball good, but it was tough to pass with it being so windy and cold. But it was a solid effort, especially on a short week and considering it was our fourth game in about 13 days. That's tough and it speaks volumes."
The Mountaineers drove to the Forestview seven on their first possession before a sack forced KM to try a field goal from the 18. On a very cold and windy night, the kick fell short with 4:35 left in the quarter.
But KM's defense quickly forced a Jaguar punt from its own 22, and an 11-yard kick put KM in business at the Jags' 33. Four plays later Rashaard Brooks went 13 yards up the middle for a 6-0 lead.
Moments later Deandre Hoyle picked off a pass at midfield and returned it to the Forestview 39. Orlando Odums and Peyton Fisher caught key first down passes and Brooks scored on a three-yard run behind good blocking for a 12-0 lead.
After a DayDay Wilson sack at the Forestview 25, the Jaguars went into punt formation but punter Anthony Aguilar dropped the snap and
was tackled at his own four. Wilson bulled his way in for the TD and an 18-0 lead, and celebrated his 50th start as a Mountaineer by spiking the ball.
With that good of a lead, KM Coach Greg Lloyd began getting some starters out of the game. He said Brooks was "nicked up a little bit" so sophomore running back Caleb Holland entered and began his best varsity night of the year, finishing with 155 yards on 18 carries. He carried the ball five straight times to open the third period with the final tote putting KM on the Jags' six from which point DayDay Wilson scored and Jaden Ellis kicked the point after for a 25-0 lead.
On a 61-yard drive beginning on the last play of the third quarter, Holland broke a 43 yard run to the Forestview 13. Reid went off tackle for eight yards and then threw a five-yard TD pass to Devin Pressley. Ellis kicked the PAT for a 32-0 lead.
The Jaguars answered with an 18-yard touchdown catch by Josh Medlin, and Aguilar added the PAT from placement to make it 32-7.
Taking over with nine minutes left in the game, the Mountaineers got 27 yards from Holland on two carries, two receptions by Odums for 27 yards and another by Pressley for 12 to work the ball to the Forestview four. Jake Lloyd carried twice for the TD. Ellis' PAT wrapped things up.
2:04 – KM – Rayshaard Brooks 13-run (kick failed). 33-yd. drive following short FV punt. Brooks 3-23 rushing, Pressley 9-yd. reception.
9:32 – KM – Brooks 3 run (pass failed). 39-yd. drive following Hoyle pass interception and 11 yd. return. Brooks 5-10 rushing, Odums 9-reception, Fisher 11-reception.
6:51 – KM – Dameon Wilson 4 run (kick failed from 25 yard line after penalty).
8:58 – KM – Dameon Wilson 6 run (Ellis kick). 56-yard drive, 6 plays. Holland 5-49 rushing.
10:57 – KM – Devin Pressley 5 pass from Ethan Reid (Ellis kick). Five plays. Key play 41-yard run by Caleb Holland.
9:38 – FV – Josh Medlin 18 pass from Jamarion Dawkins (Anthony Aguilar kick). 3-play, 20 yard drive following Dawkins' 64-yard KO return to KM 20.
KM – 4:20 – Jake Lloyd 2 run (Ellis kick). 69-yd. drive following FV kickoff. 8 plays including runs of 17 and 10 yards by Holland, two receptions for 27 yards by Odums and one 12-yard catch by Pressley.
KM RUSHING – Reid 4-13, Brooks 14-49, D. Wilson 2-10, Holland 18-155, Team 1-(-5).
KM PASSING – Reid 12-27-1-123.
KM RECEIVING – Cannon 1-3, Fisher 3-43, Pressley 3-26, Odums 4-50, Brooks 1-1.
KM's DayDay Wilson (10) scores from 11 yards out in Saturday's 36-35 win at Shelby.
Offensive lineman's 2-point conversion gives Mountaineers 36-35 win at Shelby
Offensive lineman Tykel Smith recovered a fumbled two-point conversion attempt in the end zone to give Kings Mountain a 36-35 come-from-behind victory over Shelby in a non-conference football game Saturday night in Shelby.
The victory kept the Mountaineers unbeaten with a 4-0 conference and 5-0 overall record heading into an important Big South contest with Forestview Thursday night at John Gamble Stadium. It broke a 39-game home winning streak for the Lions and it was KM's first victory on the Shelby field since 1986. That was KM's second straight victory on the Shelby field as Denny Hicks' 1985 team beat them there 7-0 in the second round of the state playoffs. Current Shelby assistant Aubrey Hollifield was a linebacker on those KM teams.
The defending state champion Lions used good defense and an outstanding passing game to hold a 35-28 lead going into the final quarter.
But Kings Mountain, which had struggled with its running and passing in the first half, mounted an 80-yard touchdown drive in the final 10 minutes and got a three-yard touchdown run by Rashaard Brooks to pull within 35-34 with 3:39 remaining.
The Mountaineers lined up for an extra point kick, but when Shelby jumped offside and the ball was moved inside the two Coach Greg Lloyd called a time out and set up a two-point conversion try. Big linebacker Dameon Wilson went in to carry the ball but the Shelby defense caused a fumble. After a scurry by players from both teams to retrieve it, Smith scooped it up for the winning points.
"That was a huge win for us," said Mountaineer coach Greg Lloyd. "Both teams laid it on the line."
The game see-sawed back and forth all night. Shelby's Omar Phillips rambled 74 yards for a TD on the Lions' second possession to put them up 7-0.
KM answered with a 66-yard, 11-play drive capped by a two-point sneak by quarterback Ethan Reid. However, KM's extra point kick was wide and Shelby clung to a 7-6 lead.
Early in the second period, Day-Day Wilson blocked a Shelby field goal attempt and Marcus Odums scooped it up and rambled 85 yards for a TD. Jaylen Mims ran a two-point conversion to put KM up 14-7.
Late in the second quarter, KM drove to the Shelby 11 but Shelby's Adams intercepted a pass and appeared heading to the end zone but Mims ran him down at the KM 27. With 16 seconds left, Luke Williams caught a 16-yard TD pass to tie the game at 14-all at the half.
The Lions opened a rainy second half with two quick scores to go up 28-14. The first came on the first play following KM's third quarter kickoff when Adams caught a pass and rambled 76 yards for a 21-14 lead. Shelby picked off a pass two plays later and returned it to the KM 44 and Torrian Arrington caught a touchdown pass to put Shelby up 28-14.
"We got off to a very slow start but Shelby was ready to play," Lloyd said. "They came out with five wide receivers and we didn't do a good job with them. I'm not saying it as an excuse but we didn't have a full day of practice because it rained on Thursday. And, then when you consider we played three games in eight days it was hard. We just had to regroup. Shelby played great. They're a fine team and our kids did a great job against them."
After Shelby went up 28-14, Mims returned the kickoff to the Lions' 31, and later scored from two yards out to cut the margin to 28-21. Along the way Odums caught two passes and Brooks and Mims shared the running load.
After the ensuing kickoff, Shelby set up at the 27 but Odums intercepted a pass at the 50 and returned it to the Shelby 30. Six plays later Wilson rambled 11 yards up the gut of the Shelby defense to pull even at 28-all.
Shelby lost the services of quarterback Gabe Huitt to an injury, but Adams scooped up a Brooks fumble at the Shelby 35 and rambled 65 yards for a touchdown which put the Lions up 35-28 going into the final quarter.
KM set up its winning TD drive at the 20 with 10:03 left in the game. Brooks and Mims shared the running load. Odums hauled in a key 29-yard pass for a first down at the Shelby 43, then an 8-yarder for a first down at the 31. Brooks, Mims and Caleb Holland shared the rushing load to work the ball to the Shelby two to set up Brooks' three-yard TD and Smith's winning two-point conversion.
S – 6:18 – Omar Phillips 74 run (Eli Berkowitz kick).
KM – 1:52 – Ethan Reid 1 run (kick failed).
KM – 11:32 – Marcus Odums, 85 yards return of blocked field goal by DayDay Wilson (Jaylen Mims 2-point run).
S -0:16 – Luke Williams, 16-yard pass from Gabe Huitt (Berkowitz kick).
S – Marquiz Adams, 76-pass from Huitt (Berkowitz kick).
S – Torrian Arrington, 46-pass from Huitt (Berkowitz kick).
KM – 6:07 – Mims 2 run (Jaden Ellis kick).
KM – 3:45 – Dameon Wilson, 11-run (Ellis kick).
S – 0.09 – Adams, 65 fumble return (Berkowitz kick).
KM – 3:39 – Rashaard Brooks 3 run (Two-point PAT fumbled in end zone, KM lineman Tykel Smith recovered).
KM RUSHING – Brooks 28-83, Mims 12-49, Reid 4-5, Cannon 1-3, Wilson 1-11, Holland 1-5.
KM PASSING – Reid 11-29-152.
KM RECEIVING – Orlando Odums 6-116, Devin Pressley 2-6, Bryce Fisher 1-10, Chance Cannon 2-20.
KM's Chance Cannon is heading for the end zone in last week's game with North Gaston at Gamble Stadium. Photos by Gary Smart
blank Wildcats
Kings Mountain got off to a slow start but still rolled to its third straight shutout with a 50-0 victory over North Gaston in a rare Tuesday night Big South contest at Gamble Stadium.
The fired-up Wildcats held the Mountaineers to three-and-out on the game's opening possession but Greg Lloyd's men still managed to put a couple touchdowns on the board by the end of the first quarter. A flurry of touchdowns in the second period built the lead to 43-0 resulting in a running clock the entire second half.
Very few starters were on the field in the second half but the reserves stood strong against the Wildcats, especially on defense. The Mountaineers held the Wildcats to minus 80 yards rushing and just 11 yards total offense as the 'Cats were able to pass for 91.
Forestview transfer Jaylen Mims led the KM rushing attack with 83 yards on seven carries and also scored a pair of touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Quarterbacks Ethan Reid and Jonah Patrick hit 8 of 10 passes for 152 yards with Bryce Fisher hauling in three for 77 yards and Chance Cannon three for 44.
After North held the Mountaineers to three and out to open the game, KM returned the favor with DayDay Wilson's 11-yard sack the highlight of a three-play, minus 14 yards start by North.
KM started a 58-yard, five-play TD drive with a 19-yard burst around left end by Mims. A 19-yard reception by Marcus Odums set up a four-yard TD run by Wilson. Jaden Ellis' PAT made it 7-0 with 6:38 on the clock.
North answered with its best drive of the night to the KM 30 but Trey Crawford put a stop that with an 8-yard quarterback sack on fourth and 17.
North answered by forcing a KM punt, but a DayDay Wilson sack forced the Wildcats to kick from their own 10. After just a 21-yard kick, KM took over on the Wildcats' 31 and five plays later Mims scored from the two and then ran a two-point conversion to put KM up 15-0.
After that the Mountaineers were unstoppable. On North's third play following the kickoff, Logan Patrick picked off a pass at the 40 and returned it to the North three from which point Rashaard Brooks scored and Ellis added the PAT for a 22-0 lead.
North's next possession ended in three plays when Javari Rice-Wilson sacked North QB Daniel Scott. The KM defense put pressure on the punter and he punted the ball out of bounds at the North 29. Mims rambled 24 yards to set up Brooks' five-yard TD and a 29-0 lead.
North's next possession ended in another three-and-out on consecutive tackles for losses by Ty Ledbetter, DayDay Wilson and Trey Crawford and KM took possession at its own 43. On the first play, Reid hit Fisher for a 57-yard TD and a 36-0 lead.
With the first half clock winding down, KM again held the Cats to three straight negative rushes at their six, and a short punt gave KM possession at the Wildcats' 28. Only 29.8 seconds remained, so Reid immediately hit Cannon for a 28-yard catch and run TD and a 43-0 lead which resulted in a running clock.
On the first play of the second half, Fisher intercepted a pass at the North 11. It took just one run for Mims to score, and Dillon Messenger added the PAT to end the scoring with 9:56 left in the third quarter.
With mostly reserves in the game the KM defense still held the Wildcats without a first down in the second half until the last play of the game. DJ Black carried the rushing load with seven carries for 30 yards, and reserve quarterback Jonah Patrick completed his only pass, a 12-yard catch by Blake Emory.
KM RUSHING – Jaylen Mims 7-83, Rashaard Brooks 4-13, Ethan Reid 2-(-6), Jake Lloyd 2-18, Logan Patrick 1-4, D.J. Black 7-30.
KM PASSING – Ethan Reid 7-9-140, Jonah Patrick 1-1-12.
KM RECEIVING –Chance Cannon 3-44, Orlando Odums 1-19, Bryce Fisher 3-77, Blake Emory 1-12.
Ruthe Ware is KMHS Booster Club Good Citizen of Week
The Kings Mountain High School Booster Club would like to honor Ruthie Ware, 4th grader from East Elementary as their Good Citizen of the Week. Ruthie is an example of good citizenship. She is always doing the right thing and making smart decisions. Ruthe always follows school and classroom rules. Even with the challenges of remote learning, Ruthe gives one hundred percent and wants all her classmates to succeed. Her favorite subject is English. She also enjoys recess to interact with her friends. At home Ruthe likes creek stomping, climbing trees and playing video games.
Ruthe is the daughter of Patrick and Charlotte Ware.
KM Golf Team
Kings Mountain High's golf team ready to tee off for a Big South Conference match Monday at Kings Mountain Country Club.
Photo by Gary Smart
will be April 1
Kings Mountain High's senior night will be played April 1 against Forestview at John Gamble Stadium.
"I think it is a really good idea as far as not doing it against Crest (in the regular season finale the following week) because of it being spring break," said Athletic Director Matt Bridges. "We will also have more tickets for the Forestview game."
team nips
N. Gaston
Kings Mountain High's softball team came from behind with five runs in the fifth inning to defeat North Gaston 5-3 Wednesday for their first Big South victory.
Jenna Ramsey led the Lady Mountaineers at the plate going 1-for-2 including a walk. Alayna Patrick, Andrea Melton and Karlee Nantz all had runs batted in.
Kali Weaver went the distance on the mound, scattering only four hits and one earned run while striking out six for her first high school varsity win.
Mountaineer tennis season gets underway
Kings Mountain High's men's tennis team was scheduled to kick off its 2020-21 season yesterday at the new KMHS tennis complex.
The Mountaineers have lost a number of players due to graduation, early graduation in December or going virtual on their studies which does not allow them to participate in high school sports, Coach Rick Henderson noted.
"This has impacted our team greatly," he said, "but I'm optimistic about what we've accomplished in the last two and half weeks in practice."
This year's team is comprised of eight returning players and one freshman coming from the Kings Mountain Middle School team.
Returning players include seniors Connor Goodson, Ryne Smith, Brandon Paulson, Jesse Yarbro and Sam Parsons; juniors Mark Petrilli and Tyler Smith, sophomore Adam Guy and freshman Manoah Allen.
"The seniors are very hungry to play since they were cut short from COVID-19 last spring," Henderson said. "Not getting to play their first tennis match last year at the new KMHS tennis complex was very upsetting to all of our players, especially the outgoing seniors, so I know this year's seniors are eager to get their first win at this magnificent tennis complex."
Goodson, Guy and Ryne Smith are battling for the top three positions, Henderson said. "All three have improved since last year, simply because they've each grown six to eight inches taller, they are stronger and quicker. I truly believe they will be tough to beat once they face off against their competition in the 3A Big South Conference. It wouldn't surprise me if all three make All-Conference. That's how optimistic I feel."
As for the lower seeds, Henderson said Petrilli is improving on a daily basis and should be the team's fourth seed. Fifth and sixth seeds are up from grabs between Tyler Smith, Allen, Paulson, Yarbro and Parsons.
Coach Henderson is in his ninth year coaching the men's team and this will be his 200th tennis match between coaching men's and women's teams (excluding post season playoffs).
"I encourage the entire tennis community to come out and support our local student athletes as they will be the first team to play a match at one of the premier tennis complexes in the south," Henderson said.
Kings Mountain's next scheduled match is at North Gaston Thursday.
face unbeaten
Lions Saturday
Kings Mountain and Shelby put undefeated records on the line for yet another year Saturday when the Mountaineers travel to Shelby's Blanton Memorial Stadium for a 7:30 non-conference game.
The contest was moved from its original date of Friday because Kings Mountain and North Gaston had to work in a game for last night at Gamble Stadium because the North program had Covid tracing the week of their original play date.
The KM-Shelby series is one the longest in North Carolina, dating back to the mid-twenties. The teams did not play in 1942 because of World War II or it would be the longest continuous rivalry in the state.
Like many times in the past, this year's game sees both teams undefeated and the game as a toss-up.
"They're good, as always," noted Mountaineer head coach Greg Lloyd. "They run more than they pass but they are still in the spread and do a really good job with it.
"Defensively, they played very well against Burns last week (a 20-18 Shelby win). They have great personnel and it's been a long time since anybody beat them in Shelby. It's going to be a tough test."
Kings Mountain defeated the Lions 42-17 last year at Gamble Stadium, so the Lions' coaching staff probably won't have any problem getting their guys fired up for Saturday.
"We'll have to tackle well and play solid defense," Coach Lloyd noted. "We can't let them run the ball on us."
With just a few days of practice between the makeup game with North Gaston and their date at Shelby, the Mountaineers hope to be in top shape and ready to go.
"They run a 3-4 defense and may be the fastest team we'll see all year," Lloyd said. "They play tough defense but that will help us as we move on in the season."
Lloyd said it is important for the Mountaineers to win every game in this abbreviated season to give them a good seeding for the upcoming state playoffs. An undefeated regular season would surely guarantee them some home playoff games.
After the Shelby game, the Mountaineers will wind down their regular season with home games against Forestview and Crest, both at 7 p.m.
JVs scalp Red Raiders,
Shelby here Thursday
South Point scored on its opening possession to take a quick 6-0 lead, but it was all Kings Mountain after that as the Mountaineers rolled to a 36-14 victory over the Red Raiders in JV action Wednesday night in Belmont.
It was the second straight win to open the season for the Mountaineers, who host Shelby Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at John Gamble Stadium.
After South Point's initial score, the Mountaineers answered with a 90-yard kickoff return by Zavian Smith to tie the game at 6-all. They then came up with a pass interception and drove 70 yards to take a lead they would not relinquish. They widened the margin to 30-6 before the Red Raiders got on the board again.
On a rainy night, the Mountaineers kept the ball on the ground most of the game. They rushed for well over 270 yards.
Smith and Caleb Holland both topped the 100-yard rushing mark. Smith had 111 and a rushing TD to go with his kickoff return for a TD.
Holland had 108 yards rushing and a two-point conversion.
Micah Ward added 50 yards and a rushing TD.
Quarterback Lamont Littlejohn had a one-yard sneak for a touchdown and threw two-point conversions to Ethan Guy and Curtis Simpson.
Isaiah Eskridge (64) blocks for Rashaard Brooks in Friday's win over Gastonia Ashbrook.
KM offense, defense
rout Ashbrook 41-0
Kings Mountain's Mountaineers scored on six of their seven first half possession and rolled over the Ashbrook Green Wave 41-0 in a Big South Conference game Friday in Gastonia.
With that lead coming just before halftime, the game went to a running clock the entire second half. The Mountaineers used that time to rest their starters and get everyone else some playing time.
While the KM offense was riding the Wave for 390 total yards, the Wave's offense wasn't as much as a ripple with just two first downs and minus yardage for the night. Both of those first downs came late in the fourth quarter against KM's reserves.
"It was a great effort," said Mountaineer head coach Greg Lloyd. "I thought we showed a lot of improvement. It was the best game we've played. Both lines played the best since the Stuart Cramer game.
"And I thought our defense was phenomenal. We tackled well and showed a lot of improvement. The special teams played well also. "
The defense showed its stuff on Ashbrook's opening drive. Ashbrook running back Elijah Antis picked up a yard on the game's first play from scrimmage, but it was followed up by an incompletion and then an interception by KM's Deandre Hoyle at the KM 47. Seven plays later quarterback Ethan Reid hit Orlando Odums with a 16-yard touchdown pass and Jayden Ellis kicked the point after for a 7-0 KM lead.
Yet another Ashbrook three and out set KM up at its own 45. It took just an 11-yard pass from Reid to Rashaard Brooks and three carries for 44 yards by Jalen Mims, the final one for 11 yards and a TD for a 14-0 lead.
After another three and out by Ashbrook, KM took over at midfield on a punt and seven plays later Brooks went in from the three to make it 21-0.
A quarterback sack by Chris Ruffalo forced yet another Ashbrook three and out, and KM took over at its own 24. Nine plays later Brooks scored from a yard out, but the PAT was wide left and KM led 27-0.
The Ashbrook defense was able to force a loss of downs on KM's next possession. But after the KM defense held the Green Wave to three and out again, Coach Lloyd reached into his bag of tricks and had Reid throw a lateral pass to Chance Cannon who then threw to Payton Fisher 20 yards behind the Ashbrook defense for a 44-yard touchdown reception and a 34-0 lead with 2:23 left in the half.
On Ashbrook's first play following the KM kickoff, freshman Robert Kendrick recovered a fumble at the Ashbrook 21 and it took just one run by Brooks to get the final TD with 2:10 to go in the half.
"I thought Rashaard ran the ball very well," Coach Lloyd noted. "Our offensive line was good, and the defense played well, too. I thought Trey Crawford had a really good game, and so did AJ Richardson. It was just a good all-around game by all."
Most KM starters were taken out at the half but the defense still held Ashbrook without a first down until late in the fourth quarter. It came on a four yard reception by Antis at the Ashbrook 20. They added another first down at the 30 from which point they threw three incomplete passes and a run for zero yards by Brandon Lewis to end the game.
It was the second straight shutout for the KM defense against a Gastonia team (the other a 35-0 win over Hunter Huss the week before) and the second straight game that the D held its opponent to minus rushing yards.
See more photos in this week's issue of the KM Herald (3-24-21)
L-R: Principal Miriam Harvey, Ruthie Ware and Booster President Mark McDaniel. (Photo provided)