Sports – Moore County Edition

Nov

08

2024

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

15

2024

By Asheebo Rojas

Four interceptions help North Moore spoil Seaforth’s homecoming, 38-20

SportsMoore County sports, North Moore, Seaforth

PITTSBORO — North Moore won the turnover battle in a 38-20 win over Seaforth Friday, spoiling the Hawks’ homecoming night and extending its win streak to three. Junior defensive back Martez Johnson grabbed two of the Mustangs’ four interceptions on back-to-back pivotal possessions in the fourth quarter. After a 4-yard touchdown run from junior Joseph Dunn put North Moore up 31-17, Johnson ended Seaforth’s ensuing drive by catching a tipped pass from sophomore punter Travis Mann on a fake punt attempt. Seaforth got another chance to make it a one-possession game after recovering a fumble on the following possession and…

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

11

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Banner week for Moore County high school football

SportsMoore County sports

Don’t look now, but North Moore is on a winning streak. Meanwhile, Pinecrest bounced back from a surprising loss, and Union Pines continues to roll. All three area teams posted wins on the gridiron last weekend. It was just the second time in the last two years that all three county teams won on the same day and the first since Sept. 1, 2023. It was the first time Pinecrest, Union Pines and North Moore all won conference games on the same Football Friday since Oct. 27, 2022. All three teams are in a good place as we enter the…

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.

Oct

01

2024

By North State Journal Staff

North Moore breaks through

SportsMoore County sports

It was a week where everybody’s “0” must go. North Moore got rid of the 0 in its win column, posting a dominant win over Jordan-Matthews. Meanwhile, Pinecrest saw its 0 in the loss column disappear, with a loss in its conference opener. Union Pines The Vikings enjoyed a bye week last Friday, after opening 4-1 on the season, their best since 2015. This week, the Vikings are back in action with a home game against Scotland in a Sandhills conference contest. Kickoff is Friday at 7:30. The Fighting Scots are 3-3, 2-0 in the Sandhills and coming off a…

Sep

26

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Union Pines gets milestone win

SportsMoore County sports, North Moore, Union Pines

Union Pines is having its most successful season in recent years, while North Moore is struggling more than it has in the past few campaigns. After a week off, Pinecrest will rejoin the football fray this week. Union Pines The Vikings bounced back from their first loss of the year in week four to get back on the winning track Friday night. Union Pines pulled out a 7-6 win in a defensive struggle at home against Lee County. The win was a milestone one or the Vikings. Union Pines has played Lee County every year since 2013 and had never…

Sep

23

2024

By North State Journal Staff

Athlete of the Week: Harley Moyer

SportsHarley Moyer, Moore County sports, Union Pines

Harley Moyer is a senior defensive back on the Union Pines football team. The Vikings are 4-1, and the defense is a big reason why. Union Pines shut out their first three opponents this season and held Lee County to just 6 points, their fewest in nine seasons. Moyer tied for the team high in tackles against Lee, with nine, including eight solo stops. He also recovered a fumble in the 7-6 victory. For the year, Moyer has four interceptions, which leads the Sandhills Conference and is third best in North Carolina Division 3A. He’s also recovered two fumbles and…