Cory Lavalette – Moore County Edition

Mar

09

2026

Athlete of the Week: Kileigh Cameron

Sportsathlete of the week, Kileigh Cameron, Union Pines, Union Pines softball

Union Pines softball senior Kileigh Cameron is Athlete of the Week. She also plays volleyball for the Vikings. Union Pines blew out Richmond in its season opener, and Cameron had a big day at the plate. She went 3 for 6 with three home runs, driving in a total of eight runs. She also walked twice.

Feb

15

2026

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Caleb Hill

Sportsathlete of the week, Caleb Hill, Pinecrest, Pinecrest boys' swimming, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Pinecrest swimming

Pinecrest boys’ swimming junior Caleb Hill is Athlete of the Week. The boys won the Mid-South 8A/7A conference meet, and Hill won all four events in which hecompeted. He took first in the 200 free with a personal-best time of 2:00.31, winning by a margin of more than 22 seconds. He also won the 100 fly in a personal-best 55.37, a second and a half faster than the next best swimmer. Hill was also part of two relay champions, swimming the fastest leg in the 200 medley and also taking a gold in the 400 free relay.

Feb

08

2026

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Kingsley Donaldson

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

Union Pines boys’ basketball senior Kingsley Donaldson is Athlete of the Week. The Vikings got a win over South Johnston last week in between snowstorms, and Donaldson had a huge game. He hit 4 of 8 from beyond the 3-point line and 9 of 15 overall from the field to pour in 34 points. He added 10 rebounds, five offensive boards and a pair of steals. For the season, he is the No. 8 scorer in the NCHSAA, all classifications. He’s also sixth in rebounding.

Feb

02

2026

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Wendell Wells V

Businessathlete of the week, Patriots, Pinecrest, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Pinecrest track and field, Wendell Wells V

Pinecrest track and field junior Wendell Wells V is Athlete of the Week. Wells lit it up at the Mid-South 7A/8A Conference Championships. He competed in four events and won conference titles in three of them. He took the boys’ 55-meters with a personal record time of 6.44 seconds, a 0.11-second margin of victory. He then added a title in the boys’ 300 with a personal record time of 34.34, winning by 1.20 seconds. Next came a relay title as he anchored the team that won the 4x200 with a time of 1:28.68, taking the title with a 0.84-second margin.…

Jan

25

2026

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Kennedy Moore

Sportsathlete of the week, Kennedy Moore, Patriots, Pinecrest, Pinecrest girls' basketball, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest girls’ basketball junior point guard Kennedy Moore is Athlete of the Week. In a game against Overhills last week, Moore scored a team-high 15 points, adding rebounds, three assists and four steals. Moore leads the Patriots in scoring, assists, steals, blocks and 3-point shooting accuracy.

Jan

19

2026

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Sam Creed

Sportsathlete of the week, Patriots, pinecrest football, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Sam Creed

Sam Creed is a senior offensive lineman on the Pinecrest football team. The Patriots had their season-ending football banquet, and Creed picked up two honors as he closes his high school football career. He was given the Hard Hat Award, along with teammates Brady Clemons, Carson Burch and Carter Jackson, in honor of his work ethic. He was also one of three seniors to win the Senior Academic Award, along with Rollins Rodriguez and Cole Harrison.

Dec

07

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Chris Powierski & Vince Powierski Jr.

Sportsathlete of the week

Moore County Special Olympians Chris Powierski and Vince Powierski Jr. share Athlete of the Week honors. Vince Sr. is the coach of Team Moore County’s golf team, and both of his sons are competitors on the team. Chris has competed for more than two decades in more than a half dozen different events; Vince for close to a decade. The two have previously represented North Carolina at the Special Olympics USA Games. The brother team paired up at last month’s Special Olympics North Carolina Fall Tournament at the CharlesT. Myers Golf Course in Charlotte. They brought home a silver medal…

Nov

30

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Tami Ostroski and Anna Page

SportsAnna Page, athlete of the week, Special Olympics, Tami Ostroski

Special Olympics golfers Tami Ostroski and Anna Page share Athlete of the Week honors. The Moore County natives are multiple Special Olympic medalists and returned to competition last week in the Special Olympics North Carolina Fall Tournament. Competing at the Charles T. Myers Golf Course in Charlotte, the team of Ostroski and Page shot a 53 to take gold in the Level 2 alternate shot team play competition.

Nov

16

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Chris Najm

Businessathlete of the week, Chris Najm, Patriots, Pinecrest, pinecrest football, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest football senior running back Chris Najm is Athlete of the Week. The Patriots’ season ended with a first-round loss in the NCHSAA playoffs, but Najm went out on his shield. He ran for 148 yards on 22 carries, a 6.7 yards per carry average. Najm scored two touchdowns. Najm ended a season in which he was the state’s 11th-leading rusher and seventh leading scorer. He led class 8A in both categories, as well as touchdowns scored.

Oct

26

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Taylon Tranel

Businessathlete of the week, Taylon Tranel, Union Pines, Union Pines football, Union Pines High School, Union Pines Vikings, Vikings

Union Pines fottball senior center Taylon Tranel is Athlete of the Week. The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder made all-conference as a junior, and he’ll be playing in college, thanks to his specialty — long snapping. He’s one of the top high school seniors in the country snapping for punts and place kicks. Tranel has already committed to NC State, and this month, he was selected to the East roster in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game.