Undefeated Cougars tear up Roxboro

Culbreth Middle School crushed Northern Roxboro 44-8 Wednesday to go undefeated in the Orange-Person Athletic Conference and, at 8-0, complete the best season ever in the school's 46-year history. (See "Scoreboard" on Page B2 for more.)

Doug Parrish led the way on offense with 19 carries for 154 yards and four touchdowns. Will Buckley scored at both ends of the field, driving in with an 8-yard TD run and returning an interception 73 yards for another touchdown. JaMichael Brown added 95 yards rushing, most of it on an 88-yard touchdown run. Alex McVeigh rushed seven times for 98 yards. Will McEntee also starred on both sides of the ball, rushing three times for 42 yards and punching in a two-point conversion, plus a tackle in the end zone for a safety.

Other top performances by the dominant Cougar defense included Tabius Sales, with a team-high seven tackles, Hudson Woods (4 tackles), Matt Maqsoud (4), George Carpenter (3), and Dameon Curry (2) who racked up a 10-yard tackle-for-loss with a quarterback sack.

A Cyclone blow out

Smith Middle School's eighth-graders put on an offensive show for their final home game as Cyclones -- a 54-22 blowout of Hillsborough Stanford. Sakori Moore started the offensive fireworks with a 60-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. He ended up with a team-high 100 yards rushing. Alex Duncan chipped in 42 yards on the ground to go with a 17-yard reception.

"The ground game was good, but the passing game was even better," coach John French said.

T.J. Johnson completed 11 of 15 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns. Alternate quarterback Ben Smoot came in the third quarter and passed for 55 yards, completing 3-of-4 passes with one TD.

Brad Randall led a steady group of receivers with 135 yards and a touchdown, while Quole Wilson added 99 yards receiving, with two TDs. Kendall Simms had 66 yards in receptions with a TD, plus two more touchdowns rushing. Jamarius Jones got in the act with 38 yards receiving and one touchdown.

"I'm really happy with the way that our players came out and played team ball," French said. "The line did a great job of blocking, and everyone on the team did their part to help the eighth-graders go out in style."

Smith (6-2 overall) tied for second in the Orange-Person Athletic Conference. Johnson passed for a school-record 823 yards despite missing two games on the season. Randall went over 100 yards rushing three times this season, and he led the defense with eight tackles in Wednesday's finale. Alex Duncan, Saivon Farrington, and Sakori Moore chipped in five tackles each. Kevin Mercer had two interceptions on the game.

ECH eliminated

East Chapel Hill fell behind early and couldn't mount a comeback in a 6-1 loss to New Hanover in the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A soccer playoffs. The last PAC-6 team left in the playoffs, the Wildcats trailed 3-0 at halftime.

"At 3-1, I thought we had some momentum and were moving the ball well," Wildcats coach Joe Burger said. "I thought we were still in it. But we had a defensive breakdown, and they got the fourth goal. We continued to make an effort, but we were a little over-matched up top. New Hanover has a very good team."

New Hanover (21-2-1) advanced to meet Pinecrest (20-2-3), and the winner of that match advances to meet either Green Hope (18-3-2) or Millbrook (19-4-0) for the NCHSAA East Region title.

In the 2-A playoffs, Mid-State Conference rivals Cardinal Gibbons and Northwood advanced through the third round of the tournament on Wednesday and were to meet Saturday in their third meeting this year.

Gibbons (21-2-1) was the Mid-State 2-A champion, and Northwood (21-2-2) was Mid-State runner-up this fall, with the Chargers' only losses coming against Gibbons, 1-0 and 2-0. Gibbons also defeated Northwood in the 2007 NCHSAA quarterfinals.

Gibbons defeated Roanoke Rapids 9-0 and Northwood edged Cedar Ridge 1-0 last week to advance to this weekend's quarterfinals. The Red Wolves (16-8-1) were seeded as the No. 3 team from the Mid-State. They out-shot Northwood, 16-4, but the Chargers' Johnny Santiago hit the shot that counted, getting an assist from Joe Graybeal for the game's only score.

Watch this guy

East Chapel Hill senior Nick McCrory is listed by the New & Observer as the top prep male to keep an eye on this winter in the swimming and diving season. McCrory is hands-down the best diver in N.C. High School Athletic Association history. He has won three straight 4-A titles on the 1-meter springboard and broke his own state record with a 637.3 score in 2007-08. The senior finished fourth in the 10-meter platform competition at the U.S. Olympic trials at Indianapolis over the summer.

The News & Observer began its series of winter sports previews last week, and most can be seen at www.newsobserver.com.

LOCAL/AREA

Highlanders start

The three-time state champion Highlander Rugby Club of Chapel Hill kicked off its preseason training this weekend with drills and a four-hour clinic on skills.

In addition to their A and B sides for high school play, the Highlanders will feature a new squad this year -- a U15 team for high school freshmen and middle schoolers -- to go with their well-know U19 and U17 all-star entries in USA Rugby. Both of those are coming out of highly successful runs in the spring, 7-0 and 6-0, respectively.

For more information about Highlander rugby, including open clinics and practices, contact head coach Robert Joseph at rjoseph4@nc.rr.com.

The doctor will see you ... now

Prep athletes experiencing pain the morning after a Friday night game don't have to suffer through the weekend before treating their injuries. Dr. Mark W. Galland, a board certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, is treating injured athletes at a walk-in clinic open Saturdays from 8:30 to 11 a.m.

The clinic is held at Orthopaedic Specialists of North Carolina's (OSNC) Wake Forest office and is open to all high school, college and professional athletes. OSNC has office hours weekdays at other locations, including Chapel Hill.

Following a merger with the North Carolina Spine Center in Chapel Hill, Orthopaedic Specialists of North Carolina, P.A. (OSNC) has added two new specialists to its leading treatment staff. Paul B. Suh, M.D., who specializes in orthopaedic spine surgery, will work from OSNC's offices in Chapel Hill, Wake Forest and Oxford, while Dr. Ingrid Luo-Tseng, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), will practice solely at the Chapel Hill office.

Galland serves as team physician or orthopaedic consultant to many area sports teams and high schools, although athletes from any team are welcome to the Saturday clinic and will receive personal attention.

While football players with Friday night injuries are the most frequent visitors, the clinic sees athletes of all sports, with a variety of injuries including knee, shoulder, foot, ankle, and hand, among others. Athletes younger than 18 years old must bring a note of parental consent to receive treatment. Referrals and appointments are not required and insured patients are only billed their standard co-pay for the visit. If a patient is uninsured, Dr. Galland will provide the treatment free-of-charge.

In addition to the Wake Forest practice, OSNC operates five other offices located in Raleigh, Henderson, Louisburg, Oxford and Chapel Hill. For more information, visit www.orthonc.com or call the Chapel Hill office, located at 101 Conner Drive, Suite 200, at, 929-7796

'Frosbite' provides golf's cold comfort

Give Ed Rodgers credit for one of the zaniest golf events of the year. The personable owner of the Jefferson Landing Club has created the "Frostbite Open" golf tournament set for New Year's day at his popular Ashe County course. The rules are simple: all players must wear shorts.

If you are in the vicinity, drop by Jefferson Landing on New Years day for an 11 a.m. shotgun start. And bring your thermal underwear and your Bemudas.

COLLEGES

Kasold, Heels get more ACC honors

Wake Forest's Michelle Kasold, and North Carolina's Britt van Beek, Illse Davids and Katelyn Falgowski have earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, as announced Wednesday by the league.

Kasold, a former standout on East Chapel Hill High School's state champions, earned All-ACC accolades for the second straight season. At least one Demon Deacon has earned All-ACC honors 10 consecutive seasons. Playing at midfield, Kasold leads the team in points with 24, including seven goals and a team-leading 10 assists. Kasold has started all 16 games for the Deacons and scored the game-winner against Michigan State on Sept. 30.

Kasold scores GWG against UNC

Former East Chapel Hill star Michelle Kasold scored the game-winner Friday as No. 3 seed Wake Forest defeated No. 2 seed North Carolina, 2-1 in the ACC Tournament semifinals. The Deacons will face top seeded and No. 1 ranked Maryland in the championship final at 1 p.m. today at Jack Katz Stadium in Durham.

Just four minutes in the match, Wake Forest junior Aileen Davis scored off a penalty corner assist from junior Melissa Martin. UNC even the game at 1-1 with only 48 seconds remaining in the first period, when sophomore Kiki Norbruis finished off a penalty corner started by Kate Scholl and Britt van Beek.

In the 45th minute, Kasold scored her second goal of the ACC Tournament and 10th of the season. She was assisted by senior All-ACC honoree Minou Gimbrere.

"I'm disappointed for our team not to advance to the ACC Championship game," said UNC coach Karen Shelton, who has led the Tar Heels to 16 conference crowns, most recently in 2007. "I thought they fought very hard. It was a well-played game by both teams and we just weren't able to find the goal a second time tonight."

Carolina and Wake split their regular season meetings, with each team winning a close game on its home field. North Carolina now awaits the announcement of the NCAA Tournament bracket, which will be set on Tuesday evening.

Five football Falcons All-CIAA

St. Augustine's tight end Jabre Green and defensive end Marcus Crump, both of whom played high school football at Northwood in Pittsboro, are among five Falcons who were named to the 2008 All-CIAA football team. Green, Crump and tailback Walter Sanders of Baltimore were selected for the All-CIAA second team. St. Aug's nose guard Marcus Kennedy and defensive tackle Phillip Stevenson were named to the first team.

Green, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound senior, is the fourth-leading receiver for the Falcons with 13 receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown. This is the second All-CIAA selection in four seasons for Green, who was an All-CIAA first-team pick as a freshman in 2005. He is an engineering major.

Crump, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound junior, ranks fifth in sacks (7) despite playing in just eight games. He also ranks 11th in tackles for loss (11) in the CIAA. Crump also majors in engineering.

Tar Heel duo takes CGA Four-Ball title

Carolina varsity golfers Robert Riesen of Pinehurst and Philip Chauncey of Durham took the North Carolina Four-Ball amateur golf title last weekend at Ocean Ridge Plantation. The duo followed up a scorching 61 Saturday with a closing 67 Sunday for a 195 total, 21 under par, and a two-shot victory.

Riesen counted six birdies while Chauncey had five in building a seven- shot lead on day one. But, the next day, Riesen, a senior, and Chauncey, a sophomore, were playing what they called a "mediocre round" when Riesen shanked a shot on the 14th hole, which the team bogeyed. That seemed to shock them back to reality. "After that, we got hot," Riesen said. They went birdie-eagle to put a margin between themselves and the charging tandem of Paul Daniel of Winston-Salem, a 1997 NCHSAA finalist, and Uly Grisette of Clemmons, an N.C. State alum who won the North & South championship in 1987. They birdied the last four holes and closed 61--197.

"We played really well Saturday and just well enough today to win," Chauncey said.

The CGA competition was open to male amateur golfers in North Carolina and attracted a starting field of 72 two-man teams.

BRIEFLY ...

Wheaton College freshman Dylan Caldwell of Chapel Hill has joined the varsity swim team at the four-year school in Norton, Mass. A graduate of Emerson Waldorf School, Caldwell will specialize in freestyle events for the Lyons. ... Chick-fil-A Bowl representatives were scheduled to visit Chapel Hil on Saturday to scout No. 20 Georgia Tech against No. 19 North Carolina. The ACC and SEC team selections for the bowl game in Atlanta are scheduled to be announced Dec. 7. ... UNC baseball associate head coach Scott Forbes has been chosen Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's College Pitching Coach of the Year. Since rejoining the UNC after a three-year stint at Winthrop, Forbes has served as the Tar Heels' pitching coach for three seasons and has helped guide Carolina to three straight College World Series appearances. Last year, his staff led the country in earned run average (2.92), strikeouts per nine innings and fewest hits allowed per nine innings. ... The ACC has eight players on the 2008-09 pre-season Wooden Award watch list, including 2008 winner Tyler Hansbrough. The other seven are Boston College's Tyrese Rice, Duke's Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler, Miami's Jack McClinton, Carolina's Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson, and Wake Forest's James Johnson. ... Lauren Prussing, a senior sport administration major at UNC is one of 10 ACC volleyball players named to ESPN Magazine's Academic All-District Volleyball Team, as selected by college sports information officers. ...UNC junior center Lowell Dyer has been nominated for the 2008 Wuerffel Trophy, presented annually to the major college football player who best exemplifies community service with academic and athletic achievement. Dyer, who was a captain for both the state champion football team and varsity lacrosse team at Durham Riverside, has started the last four games and was one of the coaches' offensive players of the game in the Notre Dame victory. Dyer is a double major in English and philosophy with a minor in business. He has participated in several of Carolina's community service events over the past three years, including UNC Children's Hospital visits, Habitat for Humanity, Share Your Holiday program and Volunteers for Youth golf clinics.