Sam Moir Christmas Tournament: A success year in and year out

If you're not from the Salisbury/ Rowan County area, than you've probably never heard of the Sam Moir High School Basketball Christmas Tournament. If you are, than you know what a big deal it is to the locals. Local sports writers have called it the biggest sports event in Rowan County every year.

That's a fairly bold statement, considering Rowan County is home to many successful prep sports teams and the tradition-laden winning machine that is Rowan County American Legion Baseball. The Sam Moir Tournament consists of all six Rowan high schools plus Davie County High School.

The three day event draws large crowds each day and both championship games are usually overcrowded with people at Catawba College's Goodman Gymnasium. The event is for many a reunion of sorts. Many past high school players are home from college and they just have to come check out their old high school team. You get to see familiar faces and shake familar hands. Everyone is in the Holiday mood, and the Sam Moir just adds to that cheerfullness.

The tournament also provides great basketball as well.

The Salisbury Lady Hornets (who won the 2A state title last year) just recently won their seventh straight Sam Moir Title with a 69-29 win over West Rowan.

The boys side is usually wide open, but the last three years have been won by the Salisbury Hornets. Quality teams and teams with great tradition such as West Rowan, North Rowan and East Rowan are sure to make the tournament quite entertaining.

If you haven't checked out the Sam Moir Tournament, and you want to see how well and successful a Holiday Basketball Tournament can be ran, than you have to check out next year's version of the classic.

Live Blog: Mountain Heritage vs. Tarboro

With 45 minutes left until kickoff, fans are filing into Kenan Stadium to watch Western 2A Champion Mountain Heritage face off against Eastern 2A Champion Tarboro.

The two teams are on the field for pregame warm-ups.

The temperature is already in the 30's and is expected to dip into the 20's later this evening.

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7:30pm

Mountain Heritage elected to receive, Tarboro is lined up to kickoff the ball.

Can West Rowan complete the two-peat?

As Saturday's 3A championship game against Eastern Alamance draws nearer, many Falcon fans and naysayers alike have one thing on their mind, can West repeat as the defending 3A state champs Saturday, at NC State's Carter-Finley Stadium?

This West team, which returned many key players from last year's state title team was expected to get back here coming into the season. Returning all-star running back K.P. Parks, quarterback B.J. Sherrill, defensive end Chris Smith, wide receiver/ punter Jon Crucitti, and a stellar offensive line led by Timmy Pangburn.

West listened early on when people said they weren't as good as last year when they struggled to defeat Davie County and Salisbury. But the Falcons got progressively better as the season went on and captured their sixth straight North Piedmont Conference title.

After four playoff wins against Freedom, RS-Central, Asheville and Tuscola, West has reached the big stage, and it's now time to prove that they belong here, by defeating Eastern Alamance. It surely won't be an easy task, but if West stays focused and they play their way, you know with that "U" swagger, there's no doubt, even in the doubter's mind, that West Rowan Football will bring home it's second straight state championship back to Mt. Ulla.

Live updates from the Mens Soccer 4A State Title Game

The Page Pirates are your Mens Soccer 4A State Champions! Final Score 4-0!

Green Hope heads in the goal but the Referee says offsides. Goal disallowed. 4-0 Pirates. 3:35 left.

Glen Long for the Pirates receives a yellow card for delaying a re-start of the free kick. 8 minutes to go.

10 minutes to go in the second half score still 4-0 Page. Green Hope has been playing the wings but can't seem to get the ball into the middle.

Green Hope with a corner headed out by a Page defender. 14 minutes left in the second.

Two yellow cards given soon after the goal. One to #12 Sean Horan for Green Hope and one to #11 Hans Lohmeyer for Page

Rob Lovejoy for the Pirates gains a hat trick with a goal with 20 minutes left in the second half. 4-0 Page.

Penalty Kick awarded to the Pirates due to a foul on #22 Andrew Wolschlag for Green Hope. Glen Long with the kick and the GOALLLLLL! 3-0 Page with 34:15 left in the second half.

Free kick for Green Hope due to a hand ball by Glen Long. 2-0 Page with 36:44 left in the second half.

Second half is underway here in Cary.


Update: The first half has come to a close and the Pirates are still leading Green Hope by a score of 2-0.

Update: Green Hope gets a free kick from about 22 yards out with 13:03 left in the first half. Deflected high by a Page defender. Score still 2-0.

Update: with 23:23 left in the first half a shot on goal by Rob Lovejoy was deflected by the Green Hope goalie and goes in the for the score.

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Green Hope 0

With 28:33 left in the first half the Pirates have scored an unassisted goal by #16 Rob Lovejoy.

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Soccer State Championships Information

The NCHSAA Soccer State Championships will be held this weekend in Cary at the Wake Med Soccer Park, former known as the SAS Soccer Park.

The 4A Championships will be held at the main stadium and feature western finalist Greensboro Page vs. eastern finalist Morrisville Green Hope. The match starts at 7:30 pm Friday night.

Page (21-0-2) advanced to the finals by defeating Asheville Roberson 2-0 in the semi-finals while Green Hope (19-4-1) defeated Southern Pines Pinecrest 2-1 in the East Regionals.

Stay tuned for more information today with the rest of the championship teams.

The other championship games will be held at Koka Booth Stadium which is adjacent to the main stadium.

3A - Saturday, November 21 @ 12 noon Koka Booth Stadium
1A - Saturday, November 21 @ 3pm Koka Booth Stadium
2A - Saturday, November 21 @ 6pm Koka Booth Stadium


Wake Med Soccer Park
201 Soccer Park Drive
Cary, NC 27511 (919) 858-0464

NCHSAA Cheerleading Championships This Weekend in Raleigh

RALEIGH-- The seventh annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association state invitational cheerleading championships are scheduled for Saturday at the Raleigh Convention Center.

A record number of 116 teams have registered for the event.
Competition will be held in 10 different categories. The doors open at 7:30 am and competition will begin at nine o¹clock Saturday morning.

The Carolina Cup will also be awarded during the course of competition. Cheer Ltd., Inc., an NCHSAA corporate partner that assists with the invitational championship, established the Carolina Cup to recognize annually the top high school varsity cheerleading team in the state.

The team that earns the highest cumulative score among varsity teams during the invitational championship earns the Cup.

Jamestown Ragsdale won the Carolina Cup last year. Previous winners include Cardinal Gibbons in 2007, North Gaston in 2006 and Raleigh Sanderson took the Cup in its inaugural year in 2005.

East-West All-Star Game Football Rosters

The 2009 NCCA East-West All-Star football rosters will be released Sunday morning on CarolinaPreps.com.

Should be a great game this year. The game is at Jamieson Stadium at Greensboro Grimsley High School on July 22, 2009.