Triad Sports Weekly by Triad Sports Weekly

Kernersville Post 36 American Legion defeats Davie in first playoff series, see 3.

One Dollar

July 4, 2014

Volume 9 No. 20

Forsyth County Edition

The Deacons took a victory in Hot Hoops Basketball action at Hanes Hosiery, see 2.

Southwest Forsyth takes District 2 Major League title Tyler McDaniels draws bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth for victory By Sam Davis Triad Sports Weekly

League All-Stars a 6-5 victory on Sunday at Southwest. The victory also gave Southwest the District 2 championship and the team will now advance to the State Tournament, which will be held in Greenville, beginning July 16. McDaniel Tyler McDaniel came to the plate

Southwest Forsyth Little League celebrates its District 2 Baseball Championship with their banner.

Southwest Forsyth pushed across the tying run in the top of the sixth innning when Tyler McDaniel worked East Surry pitcher Nick Shoffner for a bases-loaded walk to give Southwest Forsyth’s Major

see Southwest on 3

Brandon Davis is on the right path with WM9 Baseball 10-year-old plays pitcher, along with all infield and outfield positions By Sam Davis Triad Sports Weekly Brandon Davis is having the time of his life these days. Brandon is spending a lot of his time playing sports. That’s makiing him

happy as well as keeping him safe, in organized activities. It also brings smiles to the faces of his parents, William and Katrina Davis. For the past couple of weeks his

Brandon Davis

mornings have been spent with the Triple P Lacrosse Club, coached by Forsyth Country Day Lacrosse Coach Marc Winbush. His evenings and weekedns have been devoted to playing baseball with the WM9 Baseball Program. That program, named after Tampa Bay Rays catcher and reigning American League Rookie of the Year Wil Myers, is based out of the High Point Batting Center. Brandon’s team is coached by Brandon Smith. For Brandon Davis it’s all about having fun. Although his parents and Coach Smith see a definite future in the sprort if Brandon decides to stick it out, Brandon is merely just having a fun time playing.. Not that his parents are putting everyting into sports for his

Brandon Davis delivers a pitch for the Kernersville Warriors. future. Brandon is a nearly-straigh A student. He attend Prince Ibraham Elementary and made straight A’s the first two quarters, before settling for four A-s and a a B the last two. In adition he has taken and passed the examination to be included in the

Academically Gifted Program, but his parents are waiting to let him join it later. Brandon’s sports career his built up to this point after going through several other programs. He was with the Kernersville Warriors and Coach Todd Woods prior to

joining WM9 this year. And it has been a very good year for him thus far into 2014. Through the first part of the team’s season, Brandon is batting .446. He enjoys a .488 on-base percentage has a .436 slugging percentage. And although

see Davis on 8

Carolina Bruins win Super 25 baseball title Glenn’s Kier Meredith leads the way as local 14 & under team heads to nationals

Kier Meredith

Having covered local sports in this area for more than 30 years, sometimes things don’t come to mind as quickly as they once did. However, there are certain things that

Sam Davis From The Press Box

make a habit of sticking out in your mind. I had been receiving emails and updates about Kier The Carolina Bruins celebrate after winning the Super 25 Regional title. Meredith for nearly three was the same speedster past season when he led football. Boy, I thought, months before I from Glenn High, the Glenn JV Bobcats to is this kid fast and athrealized that he whom I first met this a victory over Carver in

see Bruins on 4

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July 4, 2014

Home Grown Talent Hanes Hosiery Recreation Center’s Hot Hoops action begins Blue Devils, Deacons claim wins in 6-10 League From Staff Reports

combined to score for more points for the Wolfpack.

Blue Devils 29 Wolfpack 21

Demon Deacons 22 Tarheels 18

Monay Galloway poured in 11 points, while Vincent Moss and Nicholas Paige combined for 15 more points to lead the Blue Devils to an opening-day victory over the Wolfpack in the 2014 Hanes Hoisery’s summer league open gym. The kids played their hearts out in front of a packed house. the Wolfpack was led by Corey Simons with eight points. Jalen Tomlinson added six and Jamari Hause scored two points Jadakess Stowe and Dennis Timmons

Adryan Dubose cleaned up, scoring 22 pointsas the Deacons claimed a four-point victory over the Tarheels. Kegan Southerland dished out four assists along with the strong effort of the team. The game stayed close throughout and had fans on their feet until the final horn. Jerell Cohen scored 10 points and Evan Dunlop added five for the Tarheels. Mathias Banks and Carissa Potter combined to add five points.

YCFL Youth Character Football League

Former Atkins High and Wake Forest standout Wille Griffin donated his No. 22 Jersey to Hanes Hosiery’s archives. Griffin set the stage for local athletes like Josh Howard and Chris Paul to attend Wake.

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Kernersville Post 36 takes playoff series over DCW Scearce, Stanberry combine for seven-hit shutout for Devil Dogs From Staff Reports Frustration was the name of the game for the Davidson County Warriors on a muggy Wednesday evening, but they're going to get a chance to hit the reset button in a few weeks. Tyler Scarce and McKinley Stanberry combined on a seven-hitter and Kernersville beat Davidson County 4-0 at East Forsyth's J.W. "Mack" Nelson Field to complete a 3-0 sweep of their American Legion Area III first-round playoff series. The Warriors, as hosts of the event, are still in the state tournament, which begins July 25 at HoltMoffitt Field. Kernersville (20-8) advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Scarce, a left-hander, allowed six hits while striking out four and walking three in seven innings. Stanberry hurled the last two innings, giving up a hit with two walks and a strikeout. Tyler Sellers took the loss for Davidson County, though he did not give up an earned

Bump Martin on four pitches in the bottom of the first and "Our pitchers did well," said Kernersville head ceded a line drive single to the next batter, Mason coach Chad Loflin. "Those Striplin. Drew Wilson then guys fought really hard. They've got a good ball club. hit what looked like a double-play That's two Kernersville Roster grounder but it good teams got past second for a first12 Seth Brim baseman round 44 Paul Coady Kelvin Pena matchup." 8 Robbie Corlett for an error as Kernersville 17 Eric Corlett Martin scored won 5-2 at 6 Blaine Dalton and Striplin home in went to third. Game 1 on 7 Austin Elrod Striplin scored, Monday, then 3 Matthew Hailey making it 2-0, beat the 2 Stephen Hemrick when Jamison Warriors 7-5 4 Harrison Hollis Nagle groundin Game 2 on 14 Bump Martin ed into a douTuesday at 15 Jamison Nagle ble play. Holt-Moffitt 5 Jacob Nester The Warriors Field. 9 Justin Pegram experienced Like 10 Rob Rodgers their first bout they did in of frustration Game 1, the 18 Tyler Scearce when they got Devil Dogs 22 Zach Scudder Donnie Sellers runners on first seized the Logan Sheets and second initiative by with no one taking an 33 McKinley Stanbery out in the top early lead. 16 Mason Striplin of the third but Sellers, a 6- 21 Ben White failed to score. foot-6 right- 11 Drew Wilson Sellers held hander from down the fort after that and Union Grove Christian who the Warriors looked like they has signed with Surry Community College, walked were going to make it a onerun game in the top of the Kernersville leadoff hitter run.

Southwest from Page 1 after Brendon Cuthrell led off the inning being hit-by-pitch. After Davis Latham struck out, Caden Parry drew a walk. Ethan Cagle, the next Southwest batter reached on an errror at second to load the bases and up stepped McDaniel. McDaniel appeared to be hit-by-pitch on Schoffner’s first pitch when the ball glanced off his forearm and grazed his bat. The pitch was ruled a foul tip because McDaniel appeared to start his swing. Shoffner then threw four straight balls, the last to walk McDaniel and give Southwest the victory. McDaniel said he was ready to deliver for Southwest. “I really love pressure so I went up there to be agressive,” he said. “I was mad when that pitch hit me and I wanted to have a chance to deliver a hit.” He never got a chance and Southwest advanced through the District 2 tournament without a loss. They defeated Northwest Forsyth 14-1 in their opener, then disposed of

Ronnie White

Jamison Nagle, Kernersville’s catcher tags out Colson Everett at the plate to prevent a Davie run. fifth when Colson Everett ripped a double down the left field line. Christian Dix tried to score from first and it seemed like he would make it when the ball rolled to the fence. But left fielder Logan Sheets fielded the ball and made a strong throw to shortstop Stephen Hemrick, who pivoted and threw a strike to catcher Nagle, who tagged out a sliding Dix to end the inning. With one out and one on in the bottom of the fifth, Wilson hit an infield dribbler and the Warriors thought

they had a play at first. But Wilson was ruled safe. The Devil Dogs then extended their lead to 3-0 on an RBI single by Harrison Hollis. Tyler Rhodes came on in relief of Sellers with two out and the bases loaded and got Hemrick on a fly ball to end the inning. Austin Stilley was ruled out on a bang-bang play at first for the second out in the top of the sixth and that was too much for Moser, who argued the call and was ejected from the game.

Kernersville by a 14-0 score in their second game. They advanced to the championship game with an 11-1 victory over Davie. Coach Donnie white said his team wasn’t pushed to the limit by any of their previous opponents but proved their toughness with the clutch win over East Surry. “East Surry is a tough team,” White said. “They lost to Kernersville in the winner’s bracket and then came all the way back through the loser’s bracket to get here. “I thought our team did a good job of batting and this is a good hitting team,” he added. We’ve got hitters Manager Ronnie White huddles his team before their turn at bat. throughout the lineup and once we got and scored on Evan Morris’ grounder homers by Shoffner and Jefferson things going today we started to show Baez tied the game at 5-5. that we have an even bunch of players. to second,. Southwest’s offense finnaly to The game remained deadAll 13 of our players can hit and it going in the tottom of the third inning. locked until the bottom of the sixth showed today.” Ethan Campbell lef off with a single when Southwest pushed across a run Southwest got off to a rocky to take the victory and advance to the start early in the game. East Surry took and scored on Davis Latham’s infield single. Brenden Cuthrell, who reached State Championship in Greenville. a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. ona fielder’s choice scored on Ethan Nolan McMillen doubled to center Lcagle’s infield single to force a 2-2 with one out and scored on deadlock. Shoffner’s single. However, the Southwest then took Southwest defense Southwest Major All-Stars its first lead of the game came alive, throwing 11 Conner Monroe when Tyler McPherson out Shoffner as he 18 Brendon Cuthrell drilled an opposite-field, tried to steal third. 10 Davis Latham lead-off homer to right Conner Monroe, 51 Cade Parry field, giving Southwest a Southwest’s starting 75 Ethan Cagle 3-2 lead. Two outs later pitcher, got the team Monroe helped his cause out of the inning by 22 Coby Warren 3 Tyler McDaniel by blasting a double striking out Wes 20 Colby Reichenbach Cuthrell f0ollowed with Tucker. It was the a two-run shot to center second of nine strike- 33 Tyler McPherson for a 5-2 lead. 15 Drew Carter outs that Monroe Monroe cruised along recorded on the day. 4 Payton Brown until the top of the fifth East Surry 27 Jackson Caroway inning when his fielding increased its lead to 7 Ethan Campbell miscue on a bunt gave 2-0 in the second East Surry a chance with when Hoyt Bullington Manager: Ronnie White two outs. Back-to-back led off wih a single Tyler McPherson

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Press Box from Page 1 letic. But to know that he is considered one of the state’s top baseball player in his age group is mind-blowing. Thanks to his father Tracey Meredith, a fellow Winston-Salem State alumnus, I have been blessed with the opportunity to follow the pursuits of young Kier throughout the spring and summer. Kier’s accomplishments are many. For one thing, he started at Glenn this past season as a freshman. He went on to make AllConference as well. He led the team in stolen bases. However, the most important part that helps fill out the stat sheet is the fact that he scored nearly Aall A’s on his report card and was on the school’s Honor Roll all four quarters. That final stat should make both his parents (Tracey and Kiana) happy. To know that your son can excel in sports and still maintain high academic standards is indeed an honor. While many of his teammates at Glenn are chasing footballs in Seven-on-Seven Football Camps, Kier Meredith is chasing pop flies and lining out doubles, triples and homers and trying to impress college and professional scouts in the sport that really pays money and offers opportunity baseball. Not since Jackie Robinson broke the Color Barrier in Major League Baseball has their been such a premium on the tools that athletes like Meredith bring to the table. And while lots of opportunities are out there for the taking, fewAfrican Americans are taking advantage. So, I say kudos to all involved. To the parents for exposing their son to the game of baseball and to Kier for having the internal fortitude to stick it out and not give in to friends and others who might try to influence him to utilize his considerable skills in other sports. Kier is no stranger to travel baseball and the long summers of traveling throughout the U.S. in search of the next showcase tournament. He is a mamber of the Caroliona Bruins 14 & Under Team, which is currently playing in the BCS National Championships in Fort Myers, Fla. The Bruins are chock full of talent. Kier is one of the team’s stars. In a recent game he drove in five runs to help lift the team to its Super Region Championship. Kier has also stood out with his his incredible speed. He was chosen the Fastest Man in a recent competition at the

July 4, 2014

BCVS, clocking a time of 6.5 seconds in the 60-meter dash. At last word, the Bruins had won three straight games down in Florida after opening the tournament with a loss. That loss shouldn’t be as damaging to the team’s chances of coming away with the title. As for Meredith, he should be content to enjpoy the ride. There aren’t a whole lot of 14-year-olds who can clock a 6.55 in the 60. And of them, very few can hit an 80 or 90mile-an-hour fastball. With his tool set, Meredith should be able to pick and choose his opportunities. He shouldn’t be concerned about rushing back to Forsyth County to take part in Glenn’s pre-season football drills. Although the media makes playing the sport seems so exciting the rationale behind specializing in it aren’t very impressive. At worse Kier will end up signing a scholarship to attend college in baseball. Even if that doesn’t work out, he cam fall back on his strong academic background and land an academic scholarship. That’s thje route that I, and several of my peers, took after being accepted into prep school. We had someone (Mrs. Clara Cloud, guidance counselor at Anderson High) to expose us to private schools throughout the Northeast. In the same manner, Kier is gaining exposure to an experience that can take him places. That is something that more African-American parents should consider. There are so many opportunities in baseball, especially by exposing their children to travel baseball.

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2014 Carolina Bruins 14 & Under No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 9 16 24 32 38 42

Name Isaiah Finerity Jeremiah Foster Kier Meredith Angel Zarate Nate Essick Nathan Perry Lyle Pfingst Blain Curry Ben Clary-Holt Chase Walter Kyle Blendinger Darrell Smith

Hometown Gibsonville Greensboro Winston-Salem Reidsville Advance Spencer VA Clemmons Lexington Lexington Winston-Salem High Point Danville VA

High School Eastern Guilford Westchester CD Glenn High Rockingham Forsyth Country Day Bassett High West Forsyth North Davidson Forsyth Country Day Forsyth Country Day Southwest Guilford George Washington

Kier Meredith (right) and his teammates enjoy a light0hearted moment.

Carolina Bruins 14-and-under Baseball Team

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Hanes Hosiery dominates city-wide competitions Hosiery athetes get top finishes in track meet and baseball challenge From Staff Reports Hanes Hosiery Director,

Coach Art Blevins could not be more proud of “his kids” than last week. 12 Hanes Hosiery Kids placed and won in various events at the Citywide Track Meet at Civitan Park, and 10 Hanes Hosiery kids placed in the Citywide Baseball challenge held at Hanes Hosiery! On June 18th at the Hershey’s Track and Field meet, Hanes Hosiery had athletes place and qualify for state in the Boys 11-12; Boys 13-14; and Girls 11-12 divisions at the meet. In the Boys 11-12 division they had Jordan Timmons place with a 16.02 in the 100m dash.

In the Standing Long Jump Hanes had Tariq Hauser jump 6’3’’; and Jamoore Ramos jumped 5’9.5”. In the Softball event Hanes had Jordan Timmons with a 138’3” throw; and Jamoore Ramos with a 98’4. Also Hanes has the boys 4x100m with a time of 1:05 with the members Nathanial Campbell, Tariq Hauser, Jamoore Ramos, Jordan Timmons. In the Boys 13-14 division Hanes had Anthony Mock taking over in the 100m with a 13.5; the 200m with a 28.78 and also the standing Long Jump with a 7’9”. In our Girls 11-12 division, Sierra Samuels dominated the 100m dash with a time of 15.22. On June 27th Jordan Timmons, Anthony Mock, and Sierra

Samuels advanced to Raleigh, NC and won 1st place in the Boys 11-12 100m, Softball (Timmons), Standing Long (Hauser); Boys 13-14 100m, 200m, Standing Long Jump(Mock); and the Girls 11-12 100m (Samuels) in the 2014 Hershey State Track Meet amongst the 25 participants! In the Citywide Baseball Challenge, Hanes Hosiery also had a number of athletes take place in the baseball challenge and place in the top 3 in at least every division, Boys/Girls 9-10; Boys/Girls 11-12; Boys/Girls 13-14. In this challenge there were 30 participants from 10 Recreation Centers in the Citywide Event. In the Boys 9-10 division Hanes had Mattias Banks place 3rd,

and in the Girls 9-10 Hanes had Carissa Potter take 2nd. The Boys 1112 division, Hanes took 1st place with Josiah Banks and 2nd with Aaron Potter; in the Girls section Hanes took 1st with Sierra Samuels and 3rd with Kendal Barr. In the 1314 Division Hanes swept the Boys section by taking 1st with Jalen Peoples, 2nd with Anthony Mock, and 3rd with Elijah Banks, and on the Girls side Hanes had Adonijah McPherson with a 1st place win. Blevins says he is so proud of his kids and staff, Avery Faucett and Jeremiah Hawks for their hard work helping prepare the kids.

Hanes Hosiery stars with Coach Art Blevins and Coach Jermaine Williams (left),displaying their awards after winning the city-wide Baseball Challenge. Coach Avery Faucett with some the Hanes Hosiery tack stars after a rcent workout.

Wake Forest sports announces plans for construction From Staff Reports Wake Forest Athletics will begin construction later this summer on a new indoor practice facility named in honor of Bob McCreary (’61), who committed $7.5 million to the project this spring. Designed to benefit all of the Wake Forest athletic programs, the McCreary Indoor Center will provide an area for teams to train year-round regardless of the weather conditions. The $21 million facility will be located behind the Miller Athletic Center on the Reynolda Campus and will feature a 120-yard artificial turf field with roll-up doors that will

open onto the existing football practice fields. Site work is slated to begin in August and construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2015. A groundbreaking ceremony is being planned for the fall and will be announced at a later date. “We are excited to begin construction on the McCreary Indoor Center,” said Wake Forest Director of Athletics Ron Wellman. “In the spirit of our mission of ‘Developing Champions,’ we want to provide a place for our student-athletes to train yearround during inclement weather, so this facility will benefit all of our athletic programs and help

ensure that our teams remain competitive. It will also have a tremendous impact from a recruiting standpoint and will play a crucial role in our ability to attract top prospects. We are also are deeply grateful to Bob McCreary and other donors whose philanthropy makes possible this new facility.” In addition to McCreary, Ben Sutton (’80, JD ’83), Alan Fox (’79, MBA ’81), W. Prentiss Baker III (’65, P ’89, P ’90), Gaither M. Keener Jr. (JD ’77), Carl M. Tucker III (’68, P ’95, P ’97, P ’04) and other generous donors have contributed to this Wake Forest Athletics project as

part of the Wake Will capital campaign. “I hope the construction of the new indoor practice facility motivates recruits to become part of a new era in Wake Forest Football under Coach Dave Clawson,” said McCreary, a former football player whose longtime support of Wake Forest includes more than $15 million in lifetime commitments. “The support for this facility makes it clear that Wake Forest is committed to ensuring the success and wellbeing of student-athletes and athletic programs.” "The groundbreaking announcement is great news for Wake Forest football,” said head coach

Dave Clawson. “It is a significant investment and shows the high commitment level that the University has to our program. The McCreary Indoor Center will be a game changer for our current student-athletes and future Deacons. It will give our players the ability to improve and work on their skills the entire year. The facility will also give us a great boost in our recruiting efforts to attract the best possible student-athletes to Wake Forest University. “We appreciate the efforts of everyone involved who made this project possible.”

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Roadrunners bring home lots of medals, qualifiers 30 of 37 participants from track club earn qualifying efforts for national track championships in Iowa From Staff Reports The Roadrunners Track Club of Winston-Salem journeyed to Suffolk,

Va. recently to participate in a national qualifying competition. The club took 37 participants to the meet and some 30 of the partici-

ipants brought home medals or qualified for the national meet, which will be held in Iowa in three weeks. Several performers from the Roadrunners held on to the No. 1 national rankings as well. The Roadrunners also had 14 individual event winners during the competition. Caman Chaplin won the long jump competition in his age diviision for the Roadrunners. Janaul Ritzie_pouncey brought home the gold in the 400 meter dash. Asia Phillips held off the competition to capture a gold medal in the 100-meter dash in her age division. Brandon Johnson

stormed to victory in the 80-meter hurdles. Speedy Issac Sutton brought home two individual gold medals, winning the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Jahvaree RitziePouncey, who is ranked atop the national rankings in the shot put, discus and high jump, won all three events at the competition. Nickolas Childs also won three events taking the gold in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. and the long jump. Jordan Johnson also won in an individual event, bringing home gold in the 400 meter dasjh. While the Roadrunners had strong individual finishes,

they also fared well in several relays. Most notably, the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bantam boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 4X100 meter relay team captured the gold.

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Davis from Page 1 only 10-years-old, he has already developed the ability to hit from either side of the plate. Coach Smith said his attributes are considerable. “He's a good shortstop, but he can also play anywhere in the infield,” smith said. “He has a good arm and has good range.” While that might describe many 10-year-old baseball players, it doesn’t define Brandon, who also has a strong pitching arm and is a big asset for the tearm at the plate. “He’s definitely a really good pitcher,” Smith said. “He’s got a good arm and can throw several different pitches.” And with most young pitchers smith won’t let the young Davis uncork his best curves and changeups on a regular basis because he doesn’t want to see him hurt his arm at a young age.” Smith said Davis has other good baseball traits that will enhance his ability to go far in the sport. “He can switch hit” Smith said. “That’s outstanding for a 10-

July 4, 2014

Page 8

year-old. Not only that, he's a good kid.” Smith who has been in the business of coaching kids from age eight to 18 for more than a decade, said Davis appears to have all the tools neccessary for being successful in high school and beyond. “He's above average,” smith said. “He’s doing real good. But at 10 years old he has a lot of things have to get out him that’s part of the normal maturing process. He might miss a ball and he might shed a few tears. That’s natural for a 10-year-old. But as an athlete he is well above average.” Like most athletes, Smith said there are a couple of things that Brandon neeeds to work on that will complete him as an athelte. “He needs to work on his speed,” smith said. “He’s a good runner, but that’s something that could separate him from the rest of the pack. So that’s something he needs to work on more.” Smith also said Brandon has had a great introduction to the game of baseball. As an infielder he has good ranged,good hand-eye coordination and good footwork. With those things in hand, he has the basic fun-

Brandon Davis stretches before a game.

Brandon Davis, holding down third base, during a recent WM9 game.

damentals down-pat and is able to build on them for the future. And it appears to be a bright future where the sport is changing more and more each year. Most serious prospects play baseball year round and are members of travel teams. Brandon’s team is one. His previous team, the Kernersville Warriors are too. Smith said that’s how players earn college scholarships and are drafted out of high school. On the day of the interview with Smith for this arricle, Smith was in Georgia for a Showcase Tournament. “There are more than 4,000 scouts down here, “ Smith said. “This is how we get them into college scholardhsips and the pros. More than 95 % of the kids that play in our program get into college baseball.

“For players like Brandon, they are on a good track. They just need to stay on it and continue doing the things they are doing now.”.

Brandon Davis