Pinecrest – Moore County Edition

Feb

15

2026

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

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.

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.

Nov

09

2025

By North State Journal Staff

Athlete of the Week: Madeline Dorsch

Businessathlete of the week, Madeline Dorsch, Pinecrest, Pinecrest cross country, Pinecrest cross-country

Pinecrest girls’ cross-country sophomore Madeline Dorsch is Athlete of the Week, and she’d like to remind everyone that girls’ golf isn’t the only one bringing home state titles for the Patriots. Dorsch was absolutely dominant in winning the NCHSAA Class 8A girls’ cross-country state title at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex. She ran a 17:09.28, giving her a margin of victory of over one full minute. The second-place finisher ran an 18:10.21. Dorsch’s win was one of the 10 largest in state history and was the second-fastest girl’s time ever run on that course. She also brought home the fourth cross-country…

Aug

10

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Sam Creed

Sportsathlete of the week, Elon, Elon Phoenix, Jeff Yurk, Patriots, Pinecrest, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Sam Creed

Pinecrest football rising senior Sam Creed is Athlete of the Week. As a long snapper, Creed often goes under the radar, unless something goes wrong. However, he’s been a star on the summer football camp circuit. His speed and accuracy won him camp long snapper competitions at Duke, Western Carolina, Vanderbilt, Elon and ECU. He also made the finals in competitions at Clemson and Auburn. Creed will follow former Pinecrest punter Jeff Yurk to Elon after committing to the Phoenix last week.

Aug

03

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Ashley Lee

SportsAshley Lee, athlete of the week, Patriots, Pinecrest, Pinecrest girls' golf, Pinecrest golf, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest girls’ golf rising sophomore Ashley Lee is Athlete of the Week. In addition to being a part of the defending state champions on the links, she also plays softball for the Patriots. In July, the Pinecrest girls finished third in the National High School Golf Invitational, which the school hosted. Lee tied for third place overall, two strokes off the tournament lead. She shot a first-round 72, a second-round 67 and finished with a 68 on the final day.

Jun

30

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Colby Wallace

Sportsathlete of the week, Colby Wallace, East Carolina, East Carolina Pirates, Pinecrest, Pinecrest baseball, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Pirates

Pinecrest High School 2023 graduate Colby Wallace is Athlete of the Week. Wallace was a two-time all-state pitcher and a three-time conference pitcher of the year while leading the Patriots to three conference titles and one berth in the state championship game. Wallace completed his sophomore season at East Carolina earlier this month. He was named to the All-AAC Conference first team as a utility player and also made the AAC All-Tournament team. He also pitched, tying for the team lead with three saves. Wallace’s 3.78 GPA also earned him another postseason honor, as he was one of five Pirates…

May

11

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Ian Scott

Sportsathlete of the week, Ian Scott, Pinecrest, Pinecrest boys' lacrosse, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest lacrosse, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest boys’ lacrosse sophomore Ian Scott is Athlete of the Week. The Patriots lead the Sandhills Conference with an unbeaten 11-0 league record. Scott came up big in a win over Union Pines, scoring six of the team’s 10 goals on just nine shots on goal. He also assisted on two of the team’s other four goals. For the season, Scott leads Pinecrest in goals, points, shots on goal and shooting percentage, and he is second in assists.

May

05

2025

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Mitch Baek

Sportsathlete of the week, Mitch Baek, Patriots, Pinecrest, Pinecrest baseball, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest baseball senior Mitch Baek is Athlete of the Week. The Patriots head into the postseason on a four-game winning streak, including going 3-0 last week. Baek had hits and was responsible for runs in all three contests last week. Against Union Pines at home, he homered, walked, drove in two runs and scored one in a 1-for-2 day. In the game at Union Pines, he went 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Against Central Davidson, Baek went 1 for 2 with two RBIs. For the year, he is second on the team in batting, homers,…