By Charles Curcio, Sports Editor
Thursday, January 1, 2009 — Here are some of the biggest stories of 2008, as chosen by the editorial staff of The Stanly News and Press.
January 2008
- Despite the drought, Don Montgomery Park has withstood the drought and looks green and gready for play.
- Many Albemarle and Stanly County football fans mourned the loss of former Bulldog head coach Jack Gaster.
- Pfeiffer men’s basketball team upset #1 Belmont Abbey 91-89.
- North Stanly girls’ basketball improves to 13-1 with win over talented Forest Hills team.
- Patrick Konopka named Most Outstanding Wrestler at Stanly County meet.
February 2008
- Pfeiffer men’s basketball team beats defending Div. II national champs, Barton, by two points at the buzzer, the team’s 10th straight win.
- Former Albemarle softball star Shanna Smith ties a team record at NC State University for most hits in a game with five, including two home runs and five RBI’s.
- Jeanette Oxner lights up for 40 points and hands North Stanly girls just their third loss of the season in the RRC tournament.
- Tempestt Mack seals the Comets’ first-round 2A playoff win over East Lincoln 51-46.
- A 17-6 fourth quarter by the Albemarle girls’ basketball team leads to a 49-46 win in the opening round of the 1A playoffs.
- Albemarle finishes second at RRC wrestling tournament; Alex Thompson, Teng Lee, Damond Kelley, Charlie Coggins and Dearron Cole win first place and All-Conference.
March 2008
- Albemarle boys’ basketball team wins thrilling 65-61 overtime win at home over Jordan-Matthews to win 1A sectional championship.
- Albemarle and South Stanly’s baseball teams become the first teams to play on the new grass infield at Don Montgomery Park.
- West Stanly pitcher Matt Large allowed just one run on four hits as the Colts won at North Stanly 11-1.
- Darryl Currie, Alexis Atkins named SNAP county basketball players of the year.
- North Stanly triple jumper Antwon Benson qualified for regionals with a triple jump of 42 feet.
- Comet pitcher Morgan Fraley fans 15 batters and shuts out the East Montgomery Eagles 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.
- South pitcher Chelsey Whitley throws a no-hitter in a 16-0 win over Monroe.
- Eighty-two year old Elizabeth Poplin attends her first pro wrestling event, a live taping of “WWE Smackdown!” in Fayetteville.
- At a local toughman competition, WBC Continental Americas Champion boxer Donnell “The Real Touch of Sleep” Holmes.
April 2008
- The South Stanly baseball team battled cold weather, extra innings and rival Albemarle to earn a 2-1 win in eight innings.
- South’s Ryne Poplin struck out twelve and only gave up two walks along with a complete-game no hitter for a 7-0 win over Gray Stone.
- Optimist Park in Albemarle was named for the late Bobby “Diz” Owens”.
- South Stanly’s boys and girls’ track teams sweep the county meet.
- The South girls’ track team wins the RRC title.
May 2008
- GAME OF THE YEAR: The North Stanly baseball team rallied from a 6-0 deficit to win the RRC conference title 7-6 over Mount Pleasant.
- South’s Jade Farlow (1,600 m) and Albemarle’s Shay Covington (triple jump) both earned state titles in their events at the 1A State Track Meet.
- The senior baseball team of Post 76 rallied for three runs with two outs in the ninth inning for a dramatic 8-7 win over Kannapolis.
- North’s Ethan Austin and South’s Nikki Whitley were named the SNAP Baseball and Softball Players of the Year, respectively.
June 2008
- Former Bulldog baseball star Bradley Holt is drafted 33rd overall in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Mets.
- INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Sixteen-year old Sarah Almond shoots rounds of 74 and 68 to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open.
- Adrian Shepherd strikes out 19 batters as Stanly County Post 76 wins 4-3 over Mooresville.
July 2008
- Jordan Sells receives the 2008 Don Montgomery Award as a member of the Stanly County Post 76 American Legion baseball team.
- The U.S. Olympic equestrian team selections were held in Stanly County at The Fork Stables.
- Bradley Holt pitches a complete-game shutout 2-0 win for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the minor-league rookie-level New York-Penn League.
- North Stanly defended its state championship title in Dixie O-Zone Baseball, with back-to-back pitching performances by Carson Sells and Derek Tucker.
- South Stanly’s Dixie Belles win the North Carolina state title in Dixie Youth Softball.
- Bradley Holt follows up his shutout with six innings of shutout ball, striking out 14 batters, including nine in a row.
- Four Albemarle students, including Bulldogs defensive end Tevis Swaringen, were killed in a car crash on N.C. 138 south of Albemarle.
- The Lady Braves U-12 team wins the 2008 AAU Fastpitch national title.
August 2008
- Former Bulldog standout football player Jason Bright, finds a future in sports off the field.
- Russell Brewer, the former South Stanly star, wins the Russ Ford Award for Oustanding Relief pitcher in the Cape League.
- South Stanly’s football team opens the season on the road with a win at West Montgomery 18-14, who was the 1AA state runners-up in 2007.
- North Stanly boys’ soccer opens their season with a 6-1 win over South Stanly; Zack Xiong and DeMarco Shankle each score a hat trick for the Comets.
- Torrential rains force the early ending of the West Stanly – Sun Valley game, with the Spartans leading 14-0.
- The football squads of North Stanly and South Stanly both earned road wins; the Comets won at East Montgomery 28-12 while the Rebel Bulls earned a 26-6 win at Blacksburg, SC.
Sept. 2008
- West Stanly’s Hayley Alberghini and South Stanly’s Paige Rogers stage a classic two-hour tennis match that Alberghini would win 7-5, 4-6, (8-6).
- North Stanly football blows out Chatham Central at home 51-0.
- Albemarle’s volleyball team improved to 6-1 in the conference with a 3-1 win over Gray Stone.
- Shane McConologue’s goal with 4:24 left in the game led the Bulldogs’ soccer team to a 3-2 home win over North Stanly.
- Gray Stone cross-country runner Hunter Latimer wins the Girls’ Division II race at the Cannon Invitational.
- The Gray Stone soccer team remained undefeated at 6-0 with a 1-0 win in very wet conditions over Union Academy.
- Luke Gibson’s goal and a shutout from keeper Cody Tucker led the Colts to a 1-0 upset over the top-ranked 1A team in the state, Central Academy.
- A 384-yard performance on the ground by the Albemarle offense led the ‘Dogs to a 46-14 win over West Stanly.
October 2008
- The Albemarle volleyball team handed Mount Pleasant their first conference loss in four years 3-1 in the Tigers’ own gym.
- South Stanly lost to Mt. Pleasant on the football field 21-20 on a call so clearly wrong that the officiating crew was suspended for two games and banned for the 2008 playoffs.
- On the same day while fighting pouring rains, North Stanly’s soccer team held off a furious Gray Stone rally for a 4-3 win while Albemarle fought the same conditions and rallied for a 3-1 win over North Stanly.
- A five-game classic volleyball match between Albemarle and North Stanly would go to the Bulldogs.
- The RRC cross-country titles went to South Stanly (girls) and West Stanly (boys).
- FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Mariah Lowder and the Albemarle volleyball team advanced to the third round of the 1A playoffs with a 3-1 home win over the North Carolina School of Science and Math.
- Cross-country dominance for Stanly County as the Gray Stone boys and South Stanly girls both won at the 1A regionals; West Stanly boys won the 2A regionals.
November 2008
- West Stanly cross-country standout Daniel Yeakley wins the 2A state championship in a time of 16:21, winning by 17 seconds; The Colts (2A) and Gray Stone Knights (1A) both place second in the team event at the cross-country finals.
- The Pfeiffer women’s soccer team earned a trip to the NCAA Division II tournament by winning the 2008 Conference Carolinas post-season tournament.
- Both the Stanly Cup and the Rocky River Conference title go to the Albemarle football team with a 30-14 win over South Stanly.
- The Albemarle soccer team won the 1A Western Regional title with a 2-1 win at Bishop McGuinness.
- Ben Guiliano earns a spot in Pfeiffer volleyball history, setting record for most wins (27), conference wins (18) and the 2008 regular-season Conference Carolinas title.
- MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: South Stanly defensive back Terry Shankle announced his commitment to play football at North Carolina.
December 2008
- Another classic basketball game between Albemarle and West Stanly went to the Colts in overtime 58-56.
- Albemarle’s boys’ basketball team would need overtime at Monroe, but would rally for a 66-61 win.
- South’s girls’ basketball team would extend their winning streak to six games with a 59-40 home win over Central Academy.
- North Stanly’s girls’ basketball team handed Albemarle their first loss of the season and extended their own winning streak to nine straight games with a 58-31 win, without leading scorer Alexis Atkins in the lineup.
