North State Journal Staff – Moore County Edition

Sep

17

2024

Union Pines, Pinecrest enjoy fast starts

SportsMoore County sports

Moore County lost one unbeaten last week but still has an undefeated football team. Here’s a look at where the three schools across the county stand on the gridiron. Union Pines The Vikings suffered their first loss of the season, after opening 3-0. Union Pines fell to Randleman, 21-7, on the road. The three straight wins to open the year gave Union Pines as many wins as it had in any of the last three full seasons. The Randleman loss was also the first time Union Pines has surrendered points this season, after opening with three straight shutouts, 42-0 at…

Sep

10

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Red Cross schedules Sept. blood drives

NewsMoore County

After a blood shortage this summer, the American Red Cross is holding a number of blood donation events throughout the month of September. While all blood types are needed, there is a particular demand for type O blood donors and those willing to give platelets. Donations made before Sept. 15 get a Red Cross raglan T-shirt, while donations from Sept. 16 to 30 will get a $15 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice. See RedCrossBlood.org/Fall for more. In Moore County, there are events scheduled in and over the next few weeks: Sept. 12: 1:30 to 6 p.m. at…

Sep

09

2024

By Asheebo Rojas

Northwood offense redeems itself in Brown’s first win against North Moore

SportsMoore County sports, North Moore, Northwood

PITTSBORO — As Northwood (1-2, 1-0) earned its first win of the season over North Moore (0-3 0-1), 33-13, Friday, Dalton Brown earned a soaked t-shirt and a game ball for winning his first game as the coach of his alma mater. “It feels like a full circle Pittsboro moment,” Brown said. “Just happy to come back and be here with the boys. It’s their team. They did a great job. They put the game plan in action and executed very well. So, I’m very happy about that.” On a big night for the Northwood community, as the East Chatham…

Sep

04

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Athlete of the Week: Chris Najm

SportsChris Najm, Moore County sports, Pinecrest

Chris Najm is a junior on the Pinecrest football team. The Patriots moved to 2-0 on the year with a win against Overhills, and, for the second straight week, Najm found the end zone three times. He rushed for 85 yards on 15 carries and scored three rushing touchdowns. For the year, Najm leads Pinecrest in rushing yards and touchdowns. He’s the Sandhills Conference scoring leader and ranks second in the league in rushing and total yards. Najm also ranks 20th in the state in rushing, seventh in touchdowns and eleventh in total points.

Sep

04

2024

By Asheebo Rojas

Union Pines grabs seven interceptions in 35-0 win over Northwood

SportsMoore County sports, Northwood, Union Pines

CAMERON — Union Pines (2-0, 0-0) put on a defensive masterclass in its 35-0 win over the Chargers (0-2, 0-0) Friday. The Vikings intercepted the Chargers seven times thanks to different looks and constant pressure from its defensive line and a solid display of ball skills in the secondary. The seven picks are tied for the second-most interceptions in a game in North Carolina High School Athletic Association history. “It’s more of the defensive line for pressuring the quarterback and making him throw it up,” senior defensive back Harley Moyer said. “TJ (Robinson) and Elijah (Clayton), they are so good…

Aug

30

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Two football teams start seasons with wins

SportsMoore County sports

Football kicked off on Friday, and two of the three area schools found success on the gridiron. Union Pines Union Pines got a shutout victory, blanking Triton, 42-0, on the road. Athlete of the Week Caleb Milton scored five touchdowns, four rushing and one on an interception return, while senior running back Jeremiah Carraway had 107 rushing yards on 12 carries. The Vikings have their home opener against Northwood on Friday, at 7:30. The Chargers are 0-1 after dropping the opener to Riverside Durham, but they’re coming off a 7-4 season last year Pinecrest The Patriots also got a lopsided…

Aug

21

2024

By North State Journal Staff

High school football set to open on Friday

SportsMoore County sports

Boys’ soccer: Union Pines was the first team to hit the field in the 2024-25 school year. The Vikings went 1-2 in the first week of action, beating Hunt, 1-0, on a goal by Kael Jahn. Union Pines then fell, 1-0 to Northside-Jacksonville and 6-0, to Jacksonville. This week, the Vikings play at Fike, then finally have their home opener, against Rocky Mount. A home game against South Garner wraps up the week. North Moore and Pinecrest both get started this week. The Mustangs travel to Southern Lee. Pinecrest travels to Leesville Road, Lumberton and New Bern before playing its…

Aug

07

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Volleyball schedules for Moore County’s varsity teams, key games

NewsMoore County sports

The 2024 high school volleyball season will begin Friday, setting off what should be another exciting year for volleyball fans in Moore County. All three county teams are coming off playoff appearances from last year and will look to build on their respective successes. Before those athletes hit the court for another season, here’s a look at each team’s schedule and matchups to look out for: Pinecrest (19-8 in 2023, 14-0 in the Sandhills Conference) Aug. 12 (vs. Purnell Swett); Aug. 14 (at Ashley); Aug. 22 (vs. Chapel Hill); Aug. 29 (vs. Richmond); Sept. 3 (at Southern Lee); Sept. 5…

Aug

05

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Athlete of the Week: Garrett Wolff

Sportsathlete of the week, Garrett Wolff, Moore County sports, Sandhills Bogeys

Garrett Wolff is a Wilmington native and a rising senior at St. Andrews University, where he’s an infielder on the baseball team. Wolff spent the summer playing for Moore County’s Sandhills Bogeys in the Old North State League, a summer college league. The Bogeys reached the Old North State League finals, where they fell just short of a title, losing the best-of-three championship series to the Clayton Clovers in two straight games. Wolff did his part in the series, however, driving in runs in both games. He went 2-for-5 in the first game, hitting a homer, driving in three runs…

Jul

30

2024

By Asheebo Rojas

NCHSAA reports increase in overall participation, lower participation in baseball across last two sports seasons

NewsMoore County sports

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association reported a 4.73 percent increase in overall student athlete participation during the 2023-24 season, per a release sent out Monday. Based on the information reported to the NCHSAA by its member schools, a total of 208,722 student athletes participated in NCHSAA sanctioned sports last year which is over 10,000 more student athletes than the 2022-23 sports season (198,025 athletes). Every sport, except for baseball, saw an increase in participation. Although the five new baseball programs were added to the NCHSAA, the sport saw 153 less players (a 1.4% drop) participate in 2024. Many…