Cory Lavalette – Moore County Edition

Dec

13

2024

Athlete of the Week: Kingsley Donaldson

Sportsathlete of the week, Kingsley Donaldson, Union Pines, Union Pines basketball, Union Pines boys' basketball

Union Pines boys’ basketball post player Kingsley Donaldson is Athlete of the Week. Donaldson leads the Vikings in rebounding and is second in scoring and shooting percentage. He’s also second in blocks and third in steals. Donaldson had a huge game against Gray’s Creek, hitting 17 of 24 from the field, including 1 of 2 from deep. He also hit 3 of 6 from the free-throw line. When the dust cleared, he had 38 points, more than half of Union Pines’ 73 on the night. He also had a double-double, with a team-high 14 rebounds. Donaldson added four steals and…

Dec

01

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Tyne Ross

Sportsathlete of the week, North Carolina A&T, Tyne Ross, Union Pines

NC A&T volleyball freshman Tyne Ross is Athlete of the Week. Ross is a 2024 graduate of Union Pines, where she starred for the volleyball and tennis teams. She’s now a freshman on the NC A&T volleyball team. The Aggies entered the postseason with a 17-9 record, a significant turnaround from 8-18 last year. Ross is a big reason why. A&T won back-to-back games to close out the regular season, and Ross led the team in kills in both games, with 17 and 21. She also had a team-high seven digs in the season finale. Ross leads the team in…

Nov

23

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Zymire Spencer

Sportsathlete of the week, Pinecrest, pinecrest football, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Zymire Spencer

Pinecrest senior running back Zymire Spencer is Athlete of the Week. The No. 12 seed Patriots won their NCHSAA playoff opener, beating New Hanover 30-16, and a crushing ground game led by Spencer is a big reason why. Spencer carried the ball 26 times, gaining 137 yards. He scored a touchdown and also added a 19-yard pass reception. He has now rushed for at least 125 yards in his last nine games and scored a touchdown in his last six. For the season, Spencer has 1,757 rushing yards, which is fifth most in the state and second most at the…

Nov

16

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Kael Jahn

Sportsathlete of the week, Kael Jahn, Union Pines, Union Pines football, Union Pines soccer

Union Pines two-sport athlete Kael Jahn is Athlete of the Week. Plenty of athletes around the state are able to compete in two — or more — high school sports. Not many do so simultaneously, however. Jahn spent the fall playing goalkeeper for the Vikings boys’ soccer team while also kicking for the football team. Things went pretty well doing double duty, too. Jahn finished second in the Sandhills Conference in goals against average and shared the Sandhills Goalkeeper of the Year award. He also ranked No. 15 in the 3A level in goals against. Meanwhile, in American football, he…

Nov

08

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athletes of the Week: Sandy Grove Middle School girls’ cross-country team

SportsSandy Grove Middle School, Sandy Grove Middle School cross-country, Sandy Grove Middle School girls' cross-country

Sandy Grove Middle School’s girls’ cross-county team are the Athletes of the Week. Sandy Grove Middle School competed in the co-ed middle school cross-country championships at Hinson Lake last week, and both teams had strong performances. The girls’ team brought home the conference championship, the third straight years that they’ve won the title. The boys’ team finished in fifth place in their conference meet.

Nov

08

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Kaitlyn Kruczek

SportsKaitlyn Kruczek, Pinecrest girls' golf, Pinecrest golf, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest girls’ golf’s Kaitlyn Kruczek is Athlete of the Week. Kruczek helped lead the Patriots to a third straight NCHSAA class 4A championship. Kruczek tied for first place after shooting a first-round 70 and finished with a 146, good for a fourth-place tie, along with teammate Ashley Lee (our athlete of the week two weeks ago). Kruczek improved by one stroke and moved up two spots from last year when she shot 147 for a sixth-place tie at states. The year before, she shot 172, tying for 38th.

Oct

27

2024

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Ashely Lee

SportsAshley Lee, Pinecrest girls' golf, Pinecrest golf, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest golf freshman Ashley Lee is Athlete of the Week. The reigning 2023 Tarheel Youth Golf Association Middle School State champion made a splash in her debut in high school golf. In her first season with Pinecrest, Lee led the Sandhills Conference in scoring average and earned first-team SAC All‑Conference honors, joining five of her Patriots teammates on the All-Sandhills team. She also won the Conference Player of the Year award.

Oct

18

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Hailey Gibbons

Sportsathlete of the week, Hailey Gibbons, Patriots, Pinecrest, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Pinecrest volleyball

Pinecrest volleyball senior Hailey Gibbons is Athlete of the Week. The Patriots finished a perfect 12-0 conference season with wins over Hoke County and Union Pines. In the senior night win over Hoke, Gibbons led Pinecrest with 11 digs and 15 receptions, adding four service aces and an assist. In the regular season finale against Union Pines, Gibbons had 18 digs, 11 receptions, three assists and an ace. For the season, Gibbons leads the team in aces per set and is third in digs, receptions and total aces.

Oct

12

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Brandon Powell

Sportsathlete of the week, Brandon Powell, North Moore, north moore football, North Moore High School, North Moore Mustangs

North Moore football senior running back Brandon Powell is Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. The Mustangs won their second straight game after an 0-4 start, blowing out Bartlett Yancey 55‑22 last Friday. North Moore didn’t throw a pass in the game, rushing for 488 yards. Powell had more than half of them, carrying 23 times for 269 yards, an average of 11.7 yards per carry. He also scored six touchdowns. Powell is the state’s No.3 rusher at the 1A level and leads the Mid-Carolina Conference.

Oct

06

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Blake Pennington

Sportsathlete of the week, Blake Pennington, North Moore, north moore football, North Moore High School

North Moore football freshman Blake Pennington is Athlete of the Week. Playing with older brother Colby, a North Moore senior this season, in their only year together, Blake has quickly made a name for himself on the Mustangs defense. He is averaging more than 10 tackles a game to lead the team. In North Moore’s shutout win over Jordan-Matthews last week, Pennington had a game-high 14 tackles. He also added two tackles for loss, giving him three on the season, to go with one sack. Pennington also blocked two punts against the Jets.