January 20 2012

Lady Scorpions Drop Seventh Straight

By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com photos by Kassira Harrleson
Coach Travis Fortune knew coming into the season that his team would have games where they struggled but the 55-42 lost to  West Bladen was just to hard to watch. To many missed opportunities led the Lady Scorpions to their demise. Turnovers and missed free

throws aided North Brunswick to drop their seventh straight game.
West Bladen led 10-6 after the first quarter on their way to a 23-21 halftime lead. North Brunswick remained in striking distance until the Lady Knights pulled away in the final period as Abbey Walters scored 18 points on the night.
Fortune who is still trying to find a point guard after losing Tyera Fisher from last year’s squad saw his team turn the ball over 33 times as they continue to struggle in that department. They also were horrific from the charity strike missing 17 out of 24 shots.
Katrina Brown led North Brunswick with 11 points. Daja White chipped in 10 and freshman Tiffany Keaton added 10. Another freshman Nikayla Ramsey scored seven
Courtney Thompson had a huge game for the Lady Knights with 13 points and 20 rebounds. Lexi Storms added 12 points and 11 rebounds for West Bladen.
The win propelled West Bladen to 8-6 on the season and 4-2 in Waccamaw Conference action. The Lady Scorpions fell to 4-10 overall and 2-2 in conference play after opening the season with conference wins over West and South Brunswick.

Brown’s Fourth Quarter Heroics lead Lady Scorpions to Win

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com  photos by Kassira Harrelson
Trailing by 10 points with just over four games remaining Katrina Brown put her Lady Scorpions on her shoulders and willed  the team to a 34-30 win over South Columbus January 13. Brown scored eight points in the last quarter with six coming in the last three minutes in leading North Brunswick in the Waccamaw Conference victory.

Daja White led the Lady Scorpions to a 9-2 lead after the first quarters, but the Lady Stallions held the home standing Lady Scorpions to just one field goal the second quarter and led 13-11 at half time.
South Columbus increased their lead in the third period carrying a 25-17 lead into the final quarter after outscoring North Brunswick 12-6 behind Chelsey Long’s two three point baskets.
The visitors had their largest lead of the game at 29-19 with 4:20 remaining. After coach Travis Fortune called a timeout his Lady Scorpions squad picked up the defensive intensity holding South Columbus to just one free throw over the rest of the way while scoring 15 points of their own.
The Lady Scorpions began the rally on two quick baskets by Brown. Freshman Nikayla Ramsey picked off a pass at mid court and went in for a lay-up and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but Daja White came up with the rebound and was fouled. She made one free throw cutting the deficit to four at 30-26.
Ramsey came away with another steal  and hit a driving lay-up and was again fouled. She again missed a free throw and again White retrieved the rebound and put the ball back up to tie the score at 30-30. After a defensive stop by the Lady Scorpions led to another Brown basket giving North Brunswick their first lead since the second quarter. Brown scored her eighth point of quarter with 18 seconds left in the game for the final margin.
White led North Brunswick inn scoring with a game high 13 points. Brown followed with eight and freshman Gracan Deal scored five. Ramsey added four, while Tiye Cheatham and Annabel Hsia eached tallied two. Brown also hauled down 11 rebounds while White had six and also came away with six steals. Chelsey Long led South Columbus with eight points including two three pointers.
North Brunswick snapped a seven game losing streak and improved to 5-10 overall and 3-2 in conference play. They return to action January 20 when they host cross county rival South Brunswick. They defeated the Lady Cougars earlier in the season 41-30.

Lady Gators use Fourth Quarter Run to Down Red Springs

By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com
Photos by Crystal Cecil
The East Columbus Lady Gators outscored Red Springs 17-4 in the final quarter to pull away in what had been a relatively close Three Rivers Conference match-up January 6. East Columbus defeated the home standing  Red Devils 41-25 just two days after absorbing just their second loss of the season to East Bladen.
The score was just 3-3 after the first quarter and Red Springs held a slim 12-10 lead at intermission. After leading just 24-21 after three quarters, the visitors went to work and put the Red Devils away. East Columbus remained perfect in Three Rivers action at 2-0 and improved to 8-2 overall. They travel to St. Pauls January 13 in another conference tilt.
Junior sharp shooter Brittany Hall led East Columbus in scoring with 14 points. Jamarra McCullum and Lauren Jenkins each tallied seven points. Kierston Johnson with six, Quin Walker with five andMeonti Campbell  with two rounded out the scoring.
Jenkins had a huge game on the boards pulling down 14 rebounds. Hall dished out four assists and came up with three steals. McCullum added five steals as well.
Jasmine Murchison led red Springs in scoring with nine points. She also pulled down 10 rebounds. Robyn McPhaul added six points for the Red Devils who fell to 6-7 overall.

Scorpions Drop First Conference Game to West Bladen

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com
The North Brunswick Scorpions suffered their first Waccamamw Conference loss January 6, to visiting West Bladen 55-51 after three straight conference wins. Inconsistent play is continuing to hurt the Scorpions.
The Knights took an early lead over the Scorpions as they trailed 13-8 after the first quarter, but rallied the second quarter and took a 23-19 lead at the half. The four point half time lead eventually extended to eight in the third quarter, but faded down the stretch as the Knights led after three quarters 35-33.
With senior leader Jeremy Young on the bench saddled with four fouls much of the last quarter, the Scorpions had no answer for D.J. Mason who poured in a game high 20 points while pulling down 20 rebounds.
North Brunswick placed three players in double digits, led by Young with 16 points including three three pointers. Ronald Roland scored 12 points and Adam Jacobs added 10. Legrande Roseborough and Nic Sloan scored eight and five respectively.
Roseborough pulled down eight rebounds for coach Bryan Hayes North Brunswick squad. Roland came away with three steals and Jacobs dished out two assists. Justin Gillespie followed Mason I scoring with 12 points for West Bladen.
North Brunswick fell to 6-5 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Knights ran their season record to 11-5 and 4-1 in Waccamaw Conference play. The Scorpions return to action January 13 when they host South Columbus.

 

Scorpions Squander Big Lead, Fall to South Columbus

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com
Photos by Kassira Harrelson
North Brunswick second year coach Bryan Hayes saw his Scorpion team build a huge lead and then let it slip away as the visiting South Columbus Stallions outscored the Scorpion 22-11 in the fourth quarter to drop a key Waccamaw Conference game 55-52.
The win was the first conference win for the Stallions who went on a 16-0 run in the last quarter to overcome a 31-33 deficit at the end of the third quarter. The Scorpions were leading 47-35 early in the fourth period before the Stallions went on their 16-0 surge. North Brunswick led 29-22 at the half.
The Scorpions who dropped their third straight game fell to 6-6 overall and 3-2 in Waccamaw Conference play. It was the second straight conference loss after winning the first three.
Jeremy Young led the Scorpions in scoring with 16 points. Ronald Roland added 12. Jaron Smyre and Adam Jacobs added eight and seven respectively. Other Scorpions to score included Jaeden Phillips with five and Legrande Rosebourough and Jabril Robinson each added two.
Young added nine rebounds, four steals, and five assists. Roland hauled in six rebounds. Pharoah McKever led the Stallions with a game high 19 points. He also pulled down 11 rebounds. Dashaun Daniels added 11 points for South Columbus.
North Brunswick will be back in action when they host South Brunswick January 20.The edged the Cougars 51-49 in a game played December 9.

East Columbus Pulls off Upset at St. Pauls

By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com
The East Columbus Gators used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to knock off St. Pauls giving the Bulldogs their first Three Rivers Conference loss, while the Gators notched their first win in conference play. Coach Curtis Moss saw his team possibly play their most complete games of the season with a 71-51 win over the host Bulldogs.
The defensive unit really stepped up forcing 27 turnovers and senior guard T.J. Wilson season high 29 points in leading the Gators to the win. East Columbus improved to 4-5 overall and 1-2 in Three Rivers play. It was the first conference loss for St. Pauls who fell to 7-3 overall and 3-1 in Three Rivers action.
The Gators step out of conference play in their next action when they host South Columbus January17 before returning to Three Rivers play January 20 when they host Fairmont.
In girls play St. Pauls stormed out to a quick 11-5 lead after the first quarter and led 25-11 at the half. However as usual coach Karlyn Stephens team battled back in the third going on a 14-1 run to cut the deficit to 26-25 at the end of three quarters.
Meonti Campbell scored a career high18 points for East Columbus to lead all scorers. K.J. Johnson added five points and Brittney Hall scored four. Bianca Palazzola led St. Pauls in scoring with 13 points.
The home standing Lady Bulldogs regrouped and out scored the Lady Gators 17-6 in the final quarter to come away with the 43-33 victory. The loss, East Columbus’ first Three Rivers loss of the season dropped the Lady Gators to 8-3 on the year and 2-1 in conference play.

Six Scorpions Medal in Eight Team Match

By Gary Rabon@theLNR.com photos by Kassira Harrelson

Although North Brunswick had six medalist it was only good enough for a fifth place finish in the annual Scorpion Invitational recently. West Brunswick was the big winner winning in four weight classes, finishing second in one class, and third in five more.
The only first place for the Scorpions went to Steve Ercole who won in the 132 pound class. Alex Pellom finished second in the 137 pound class. Stephen Byrd and Homero Segura both finished second in the 152 and 182 pound class respectively. Garrett Williams finished third at 170 pounds and Charles Williams finished third at  220 pounds.

January 6 2012

East Columbus Edge Vikings to Capture
Title

Coach Curtis Moss saw his Gators win the East Columbus Holiday Tournament for the fourth time in the 10 year history of the tournament. They opened up with a 57-48 win over Loris and then defeated cross county rival West Columbus 49-47 for the title.
In the opening game against Loris the Gators Ronald Ratcliffe nailed a three point basket giving the Gators a 3-2 lead, a lead that they never relinquished. They ran out to a 14-10 lead after the first quarter and led 30-24 at half. Loris wasn’t able to get within three points the second half as the Gators cruised into the championship game with the win.
East Columbus placed a pair of players in double digits as T.J. Wilson led the way with 15 points. Ronald Ratlliff added 12. They were followed in the balanced scoring attack by Gage Lassiter with nine and Mack Jenkins with eight. Kentrez Hilton led Loris with 13 points.
Loris fell to 2-6 while the Gators carried a 3-4 record into the title against the Vikings who defeated South Columbus 57-55 in the opening game.
In the championship game against the Vikings, East Columbus led 47-37 after three quarters but had to hold off a ferocious run by the Vikings in the fourth as they were outscored 10-2 in the quarter as they held on for the victory and their fourth championship in the history of the 10 year tournament.

West Columbus the two time defending champion of the tournament had beaten the Gators in Three Rivers Conference play
43-39.
Junior forward Ronald Ratliffe led the Gators in scoring with 14 points. He was followed closely by T.J. Wilson with 13. Sophomore Elijah Gresham added nine points and Gage Lassiter added seven.
Cameron Brisbon led the Vikings with a game high 16 points. They fell to 4-6 on the season and the Gators improved to 4-4 and will host East Bladen January 4 in their next action.

Hall leads Lady
Gators to ECHS
Holiday Title

Junior guard Brittany Hall led the Lady Gators to their fifth ECHS Holiday Basketball Tournament for the fifth time in the ten years of the event. East Columbus edged West Bladen 43-38 in the title game behind 18 points from Hall.
East Columbus grabbed a 13-7 lead after the first quarter which proved to be the difference as the two teams played pretty evenly after the opening period. Coach Karlyn Stephens said the defense was the difference in the game as her squad hauled in 22 rebounds, and came away with 26 steals.
After Hall’s 18 points, Kierston Johnson scored 10 points, followed by Lauren Jenkins with nine and Jamarra McCullum with four. Jenkins led the team in rebounds with nine and she had six steals. Hall added five steals and Johnson dished out six assists. Courtney Thompson led West Bladen with 16 points.
To reach the championship game the Lady Gators had to first take care of Loris. They did that quite easily with a 42-18 laugher. East Columbus jumped out to an 11-4 after one period and led 24-6 at the half.
Hall scored 18 points to lead all scorers. She nailed three shots from beyond the arc. Lauren Jenkins reached double figures with 10 points. Kierston Johnson followed with eight and Keana Robinson added four. Jenkins pulled down 14 rebounds, and Hall came away with five steals.
Brittany Hall and Kierston Johnson were named to the all-tournament team. Courtney Thompson from West Bladen, Chelsey Long from South Columbus, and Brianna Garrett from Loris rounded out the team.
The Lady Gators improved to 7-1 overall and are 1-0 in the Three Rivers Conference as they resume their second part of the schedule with a home game against their old nemesis East Bladen January 4.

Scorpions Boys, Whiteville girls Come Out
Victorious

Coach Bryan Hayes’ North Brunswick basketball team finished the 2011 part of their schedule on a high note with a 60-40 win over the Whiteville Wolfpack in Waccamamw Conference play. Hayes has been preaching defense all season and their defensive pressure harassed the WolfNorth Brunswick led 20-17 at the midway point, but they took control in the third quarter and led 36-24 after the third. They then outscored the host 24-16 in the last period for the win.
Legrande Roseborough led the Scorpions with 15 points. He also hauled down five rebounds. Ronald Roland scored nine points, Adam Jacobs, and Jaeden Phillips both added eight. Jeremy Young, the Scorpions leading scorer was held to seven.
Phillips also pulled down four rebounds. Roland came away with four steals and Nic Sloan had three. Young, Phillips, and Jacobs each dished out two assists. Whiteville was led in scoring by Robert Smith and Javon Belleamy with 12 points each.
The Scorpions (6-3, 3-0) are now off until January 3 when they travel Wilmington to play New Hanover. Whiteville fell to (3-4, 0-2) and travel to Marion December 22.
In girls action it was a tightly played game that saw the score knotted at the half 26-26. The Lady Wolfpack however came out the locker room and dominated the third period outscoring the visitors 22-5 giving Whiteville a 17 point lead at the end of the period.
Leading scorer for North Brunswick was Daja White with 20 points. Emeesha Bland scored 10 points and Katrina Brown added seven. Jordan Ray scored a team high 18 points to lead Whiteville. Deidra Jordan pulled down eight rebounds and Jenna Watts handed out six assists to lead the Lady Wolfpack.
North Brunswick (4-5, 2-1) will be playing in the Laney Holiday Classic beginning December 20. Whiteville (6-2,2-0) returns to action January 3 when they travel to West Bladen.
pack all night resulting into several key turnovers.

North Brunswick Drops Three in Laney Holiday Classic
By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com  photos by Kassira Harrelson
The North Brunswick Lady Scorpions dropped three games on consecutive nights over the Christmas Holidays in the Laney Holiday Classic. They were soundly defeated in all three games by the 4A schools from Wilmington. Coach Travis Fortune used these games against the much more experienced teams to prepare his young team for the Waccamaw Conference where they currently stand 2-1. Fortune lost four starters from last year’s squad including the school’s all-time leading scorer Tyera Fisher.
North Brunswick began the tournament with Ashley. After leading 35-19 at the half, the Screaming Eagles held North Brunswick to just 13 second half points while putting up 38 of their own on the way to a 73-32 rout. Ashley improved to 7-3 while North Brunswick fell to 4-6.
Daja White and freshman Nikayla Brown each scored eight points to lead the scoring attack for the Lady Scorpions. Tiffany Keaton scored six and Annabel Hsia and Katrina Brown both scored four points. Keaton added eight rebounds.
In the second game of the tournament North Brunswick was pitted against New Hanover. The Wildcats scored 19 points in the first and fourth quarters as they defeated the Lady Scorpions 57-37. North Brunswick played with the Wildcats the other two periods.
Daja White, the only starter returning from last season led North in scoring with 17 points. She also pulled down eight rebounds and dished out five assists. Another freshman Gracan Deal added ten points with three shots from beyond the three point line. Tiye Cheatham scored six. The Wildcats placed three players in double figures led by Shanta Williams with 21.
With the loss North Brunswick fell to 4-7 on the season, as did New Hanover. The two teams will square off again January 3 when the Lady Scorpions travel to Wilmington.
In the final game of the tournament for the Lady Scorpions, they fell behind Hoggard 23-9 after the first quarter and were never able to recover as the Vikings went on to a 48-37 victory. North Brunswick was able to cut the lead to seven at 30-23 at halftime.
Daja White the team’s leading scorer led the Lady Scorpions with 16 points. She also pulled down a team high five rebounds, and handed out five assists. Tiye Cheatham, Tiffany Keaton, Katrina Brown, and Nikayla Ramsey all scored four points.
North Brunswick finished the tournament and are heading into the second half of their schedule with a 4-8 record. With the win Hoggard improved to 4-6.

by Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com

comments? send them to sports@theLNR.com

 

Dec 16 2011

Scorpions Take Two from East Columbus

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com
Photos by Kassira Harrelson

For the second straight game North Brunswick boys topped the East Columbus Gators in boys basketball action. The November 29 match-up took place at North Brunswick with the Scorpions coming out with a 73-60 victory. The Scorpions had soundly defeated the Gators a week earlier 73-51.
After leading 20-11 after the first quarter, the Scorpions carried a slim 30-26 lead into the locker room at  the midway point before outscoring East Columbus 21-11 in the third quarter to take a 51-27 lead and held on for the 73-60 victory.
Junior guard Adam Jacobs led the Scorpion scoring with 15 points. Senior gurad Jeremy Young scored 14 while Jaron Smyre added 11 as the Scorpions placed three in double figures. Legrande Rosebourgh scored nine points and also hauled in 11 rebounds. Jaeden Phillips scored seven points and also pulled down seven rebounds.
T.J. Wilson scored a game high 22 points to lead the Gators scoring. Mack Jenkins added 15 and Ronald Ratliffe scored seven for the Gators, who fell to 0-2. With the win Coach Bryan Hayes Scorpions improved to 2-0 and will host Clinton in a December 1 match-up.
In girls action Coach Travis Fortune’s Lady Scorpions avenged a 44-33 season opening season loss at East Columbus with a 51-46 victory to even their record at 1-1.  North Brunswick jumped out to a comfortable 31-15 lead at the half but a 21-7 advantage in the third quarter by the Lady Gators helped fo erase the deficit as they even briefly took the lead.
North Brunswick led 38-36 after three quarters and held off the Lady Gators in the fourth quarter for their first win of the young season. Daja White led the Lady Scorpions with a game high 19 points. Ladonna Sloan followed with 14 points. Katrina Brown and Nikayla Ramsey added eight and five respectively.
Coach Karlyn Stephens East Columbus squad was led by Brittany Hall with 14 points, folled by Kierston Johnson with 12. Lauren Jenkins lacked two points from pulling off a double double. She scored eight points while pulling down 16 rebounds. Johnson added six steals and six assists.
Scorpions Sting South Brunswick in
Conference Opener
By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com
North Brunswick Scorpions notched their first Waccamaw Conference win with a 51-49 victory over the host and cross county rival South Brunswick. Coach Bryan Hayes’ team placed three players in double figures but, it was his teams defense especially down the stretch that helped seal the win.
The game was close throughout as the Scorpions led 16-11 after the first quarter, and 42 -38 after three  quarters. They held their biggest lead at 46-38 with just over six minutes remaining on a Jeremy Young lay-up.
The Cougars twice had the ball with and opportunity to tie the score but were denied by the Scorpions defense and they were unable to even get a shot off in the final seconds.
Jeremy Young led the way for the Scorpions with 17 points. He also dished out five assists, and came away with six steals. Legrande Roseborough added 13 points while Jaron Smyre scored 10. Adam Jacobs hauled in six rebounds and Jaeden Phillips had five. Gary Williams and Eddie Reid scored 11 each to lead the Cougars.
North Brunswick (4-2, 1-0) will host West Brunswick December 13. The Cougars (2-2, 0-1) travels to Ashley in a non-conference game December 12.

Scorpions Nip Laney on Young’s Free Throws

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com

After scoring 15 first half points on five three pointers, senior guard Jeremy Young was held without a point the second half until he stepped to the free throw line with five seconds remaining in the game with the Scorpions trailing 53-52. Young sank the pair of free throws and the Scorpions held on to defeat the Buccaneers 54-53.
The Scorpions led 19-11 after the first quarter, and held a slim 33-30 at the half. That’s when Laney coach Fred Lynch switched defensive assignments to try and contain Young.
Young scored a team high 17 points, and dished out three assists to lead the Scorpions. Leegrande Roseborough had a huge game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Ronald Roland scored nine points and Jaeden Phillips added seven. Phillips also pulled down nine rebounds.
Laney was led by  Elijah Wilson with a game high 26, and Donovan Levy added 10.
The Scorpions improved to 3-1 on the season and travel to Clinton December 7. The Buccaneers fell to 1-3 on the season.
In girls action the Lady Scorpions had no answer for the Bucs inside game as Laney dumped North Brunswick 49-16. Laney had a huge size advantage over North Brunswick and led 8-5 after the first quarter. They scored 16 second quarter points while holding North Brunswick to just a Gracan Deal three pointer. The Lady Bucs led
24-8 at halftime.

Things didn’t get much better for North Brunswick after intermission as they just scored four points in the third and fourth period as they were outscored 25-8.
Deal and Ladonna Sloan led North Brunswick with six points each, both hitting a pair of three pointers. Daja White added five points.
Amber Doniere led the way for Laney with a game high 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds.  Brianna Baham added seven points.
North Brunswick evened their record at 2-2. Laney improved to 4-0. The next action for North Brunswick will be a road contest at Clinton.

White Leads Lady Scorpions Over South Brunswick

By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com
Daja White continued her stellar play for North Brunswick as she led the Lady Scorpions to a 41-30 victory over cross county rival South Brunswick December 9. White recorded a double-double pouring in 23 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.
After a sloppy performance from both teams in the first half that saw South Brunswick holding a slim 13-11 lead, North Brunswick opened the second half on a 12-2 run on their way to 23-20 lead after three quarters. The Lady Scorpions outscored South Brunswick 18-10 in the last quarter to pull away for the win.
Besides White’s 23 points, LaDonna Sloan and NiKayla Ramsey each scored five points and Hayley Watson scored four points. Gracan Deal had three assists and three steals for coach Travis Fortune’s Lady Scorpions. Meaghan Julius led South Brunswick in scoring with seven.
North Brunswick (3-3, 1-0) continues Waccamaw Conference action December 13 when they play host to West Brunswick. The Lady Cougars (0-5,0-1) travel to Ashley in non-conference action December 12.

 

Gators Make Clean Sweep at Whiteville

By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com
Photos by Crystal Cecil

The East Columbus Gators men and women made it a clean sweep over the home standing Whiteville Wolfpack. Coach Curtis Moss saw his Gators’ squad notch their first victory of the young season with a 49-39 win. East Columbus had dropped their first two games to North Brunswick.
The Wolfpack got off to a quick start as they ran out to a 9-2 lead early in the quarter, but senior guard T.J. Wilson took over leading the East Columbus on a 10-0 run the remainder of the period. Wilson nailed a pair of three point baskets and dished off a couple of assists during the run that ended with the Gators holding a 12-9 lead.
The Gators increased their lead to 24-16 at the half, and 33-23 after three quarters. East Columbus’ defensive pressure forced several key turnovers that enabled them to come away with the win. The win snapped a five year loosing streak to the Wolfpack dating back to 2008.
Wilson led the Gators with a game high 20 points. Twin brothers Ronald and Ricky Ratliffe followed with 15 and seven points respectively. Mack Jenkins added five points and Ferrell Bowen with two points. Dylan Bowen led Whiteville with 10 points as the Wolfpack fell to 1-2 on the season.
The Lady Gators held Whiteville to just two points in the final quarter holding off the Lady Wolfpack 34-26. Coach Karlyn Stephens saw her Lady Gators extend their winning streak over Whiteville to seven games.
Kierston Johnson led the Lady Gators with 13 points. She scored 11 of the Gators 13 points in the second half. Sophomore center Lauren Jenkins followed with 10 points. Brittany Hall added six points and Jamarra McCullum added five. McCullum and Meonti Campbell each pulled down eight rebounds. Jenna Watts led Whiteville with 13 points.
East Columbus improved to 2-1 on the season and travels to South Columbus December 6. Whiteville fell to 1-2.

East Columbus Girls Win, Boys Lose to West
Columbus

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com
Coach Karlyn Stephens’ East Columbus Lady Gators won for the fourth  time this season and third straight game with a 52-29 win over cross county rival East Columbus.
The Lady Gators raced out to a quick 21-4 lead after the first quarter, thanks to the hot hand of Brittany Hall who had 13 of her 19 points in that quarter. Hall hit nine shots out of 12 attempts on the night. East Columbus led 31-8 at half time.
East Columbus had eight players to get into the scoring column on the night, led by Hall. Kierston Johnson was also in double figures with 10. Meonti Campbell scored seven. Lauren Jenkins, Quin Walker, and Miyah Moore all scored four points.
Campbell hauled in 10 rounds and Lauren Jenkins had six, while Keana Robinson and Hall grabbed five rebounds each. Hall also dished out four assists and came away with 11 steals. Princess Flowers led the Lady Vikings with 18 points. East Columbus now stand 4-1 and 1-0 in Three Rivers play.
In the boys game, T.J. Wilson had yet another 20 point game, but the Gators fell short as the visiting Vikings came away with a 43-39 win. West Columbus trailed early but led 12-8 at the half. The score was tied 23-23 after three quarters.
Cameron Brisbon had a triple double to lead the Vikings. He scored 13 points, 12 assists, and 10 steals as the Vikings improved to 2-4 overall and 1-0 in Three Rivers play. East Columbus (2-3, 0-1) return to action December 13 when they play host to Whiteville.

Lady Gators Drop South Columbus 39-28

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com
The East Columbus Lady Gators polished off their non conference schedule with a 39-28 win on the road at South Columbus. The Lady Gators improved to 3-1 as they begin their Three Rivers Conference play when they host West Columbus December 9.
Coach Karlyn Stephens squad  was led by Meonti Campbell with 14 points. Sophomore center Lauren Jenkins had a double double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Kierston Johnson and Brittany Hall each had six points. Hall also had six steals and handed out six assists.
Destiny Drayton led South Columbus with 14 points and Chelsey Long added eight points. The Lady Stallions are now 0-1 on the season.

November 18 20111

Scorpions Fumble Away Chance of Beating Bunn

By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com photos by Kassira Harrelson
The North Brunswick football fumbled away any chance of advancing in the state 2AA playoffs when three straight kickoff returns were fumbled late in the second quarter. Bunn, the Northern Carolina Conference champion used the Scorpions’ miscues to win the game 49-28 putting an end to what began a very promising start.
North Brunswick won their first five games of the season, but lost six of their last seven to finish the season with a 6-6 mark. The season was pretty much a mirror image of last season when the team got off to a 5-1 record before losing the last six including an opening round playoff game to Fairmont.
Bunn got on the board first on a 35 yard touchdown pass and the PAT gave Bunn an early 7-0 lead. The Scorpions scored the next two touchdowns on a one yard run by Jaron Smyre and a two point conversion on a pass from Jacob Shumate to Riley Spivey giving the visitors an 8-7 lead. The Smyre touchdown came with a heavy price as he went down with a neck injury and was lost for the remainder of the game.
Seldom used sophomore Shakeem Graham stepped in for coach Gary Bishop and broke free for a 70 yard touchdown run on his first carry for a touchdown and then carried the ball in for the two point conversion. At this point the Scorpions seemed to be in the drivers seat. However things quickly went south for the Scorpions.
The Scorpions put together another impressive drive late in the second quarter driving the ball inside the Wildcats 10 yard line but came up short on fourth down turning the ball over on downs. What happened the last two minutes of the left of the half left the Scorpion faithful stunned. The Wildcats scored quickly on an 80 yard touchdown pass which also saw J’Laney Jenkins go down with a shoulder injury on the play. The injury to Jenkins, was compounded with Marcus Montgomery and Smye both on the side line leaving the Scorpions secondary vulnerable.
The Scorpions fumble special teams fumbled  away the next three kick-offs and the Wildcats took advantage of the miscues with three  downs and a 33-16 lead. The Scorpions could very easily had went into the locker room up 24-7, but the fiasco that occurred the last two minutes put them in a hole they were never able to dig themselves out of. Of course that was tuning part of the game, as Scorpions head coach Garry Bishop said. “ They scored three touchdowns and we didn’t even get to run an offensive play which was devastating to the kids, especially the defense because they were playing their butts off,” he said.
Both teams scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter with Graham running for a four yard and a two yard scores. The Wildcats scored on a 35 yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the final score of the night sending the Wildcats into the second round against Northeastern High School with an 8-3 record.
Graham led the Scorpions ground attack with 90 yards on just seven carries scoring three touchdowns. Shumate completed seven passes for 178 yards and scored on a quarterback keeper. LeGrande Roseborough  hauled in six passes for 111 yards and Spivey had one catch for 54 yards. Montrel Cooke led the Wildcats with 210 yards passing with three touchdowns and scored two more rushing. The defensive star of the night for the Scorpions was Keilin Rayner who came away with 15 tackles. Travis Oliver and Roseborough each had an interception, and Devonte Robbins and Randy Clark both recovered fumbles.
Bishop stated that two of senior stars fell just short of school records and Rayner finished the season with 164 tackles, just two shy of the record of 166 set in 2002 by Stephen Graham. Also Smyre fell just 30 yards short of the school rushing yards in of 1798 set in 1998 by Pedie Byrd.

Gators Loose to James Kenan in 1AA playoffs

 

By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com photos by Crystal Cecil
Had the East Columbus Gators played the first half like they did the second the score would certainly have been different and they may still be playing. However the Tigers pretty much controlled every aspect of the game and led the visiting Gators 34-0 at halftime before ending the Gators season with a 40-18 loss.
Devon Best led the Tigers with 121 yards on just nine carries and scored two first half touchdowns to lead the Tigers to their decisive victory. He broke free for a 90 yard touchdown run late in the second quarter that gave the Tigers their huge halftime lead.
The Gators finally got on the board with 11:21 left in the third quarter. The Gators mishandled the opening kick-off of the second half and were pinned deep in their own end of the field. However Nick McClure broke free for a 95 yard touchdown run.
James Kenan made the score 40-6 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter on a one yard run by Jamie Gonzales for the last Tiger score of the night. Isaiah Day recovered a fumble for East Columbus and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown with just a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the game and the Gators trailing 40-12. The Gators scored the final points on a two yard run by McClure with just under three minutes remaining for the final score of 40-18.
Second year head coach Toby Kassell has now led the Gators to the playoffs two straight seasons which is evident that he has the Gators heading into the right direction. Kassell said that of the 23 players he had dressed out against James Kenan, only two were seniors. The junior varsity squad has dominated teams the last two season which bides well for Kassell in the future.
The ended the Gators season at 4-7, where they were 2-3 in Three Rivers Conference play. The Tigers were the runner-up in the Tri-County Conference and will carry an 8-4 record to Red Springs in the second round of the playoffs.

November 4 2011

North Brunswick
Spikers Draw Curtains on Season

by Gary Rabon
photos by Kassira Harrelson and Crystal Cecil
Coach Michelle Collins North Brunswick volleyball team ended their season October 22 with a 3-2 loss to conference rival West Bladen in the first round of the state playoffs. With the loss the Scorpions fell to 8-12 after finishing the regular season with a 6-7 Waccamaw Conference mark.
The scores for the match were 12-25, 25-19, 25-18, 8-25, and 13-15. Allison Burton led the way for North Brunswick with 14 assists. Jenny Pearson had nine aces. Meagan Spivey had nine kills, and two aces while Daja White added nine kills and one ace. Macey Bordeaux had four kills and one ace.
With the season ending, it also brought the end of the career of five senior leaders for the Scorpions including team captains Meagan Spivey and Allison Burton. Other seniors includes Kelsey Sanders, Jenny Pearson, and Jessica Bass.

North Brunswick Loses Defensive Battle at
Jordan Matthews
The North Brunswick Scorpions traveled to Siler City October 21, to play a non-conference match-up against Jordan Matthews. The game turned out to be a defensive struggle for both teams as the Jets edged the Scorpions 7-6. This was the lowest point production for North Brunswick in the season, as they are averaging almost 34 points per outing.
The Scorpions opened the season with five straight wins, but have now lost three in a row and four of the last five. The Scorpions will try to get back on the winning track next week against East Bladen, who will be going into the game needing a win to capture the Waccamaw Conference championship.
The two teams played to a scoreless tie through the first half before the Jets got on the board in the third quarter with a long touchdown pass. The PAT was successful which would later prove to be the decisive point of the game. The Scorpions were finally able to get on the board with five minutes remaining on a Jacob Shumate quarterback sneak. The play was set up by a Jaron Smyre 47 yard pass to Josh McMillian on a halfback option that got the ball to the Jets one yard line.
Shumate then punched the ball in from the one. The Scorpions unable to move the ball on the ground the entire game tried to pass for the two point conversion but it failed leaving North Brunswick on the short end of the score board.
North Brunswick was held to just 39 total rushing yards and 140 yards of total offense. The areas leading rushing Jaron Smyre was held to a season low of 45 yards on 15 carries. Shumate completed six passes for 54 yards.
As good as the Jets defense played, the Scorpions played equally as well. They were led by Keilian Rayner who recorded 19 tackles on the night and now has 135 on the year. Devonte Robbins and Tyler Hickey each recorded 10 tackles.
The loss dropped North Brunswick to 6-4 overall and will carry a 2-3 conference record into the regular season finale against East Bladen. The Eagles enter the game 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

East Columbus Defeats South Robeson in Season Finale
The East Columbus Gators snapped a three game losing streak with a 35-14 win over South Robeson October 28, in the regular season finale for both teams. The Gators playing in front of a large homecoming crowd played their best game since a 48-14 win at Whiteville September 9.
East Columbus dropped the first three games of the season before downing Whiteville, Southwest Onslow, and West Columbus. They then lost three straight Three Rivers Conference games. Injuries have decimated the young Gators this season. Quarterback Ricky Ratliff returned to the line-up for the first time since the Southwest Onslow win, and it paid quick dividends for coach Toby Kassell’s squad. “ It was great to have Ricky back under center, and get a few players back from injuries. We also brought up some players from the junior varsity team that helped especially on the special teams,” Kassell said.
Greg Melvin set the table early in the contest as he put the Gators on the board just three minutes into the game on a four yard touchdown run. Nick McClure who ran for 141 yards on just nine carries scored the second gator touchdown on a 68 yard burst just before the end of the first quarter.
The Gators scored two quick touchdowns in the second quarter on a 30 yard run by junior Henry Baldwin and 20 yard interception for a touchdown by junior Isaiah Day. The Mustangs scored on a five yard run midway through the quarter and the Gators led 29-6 at the midway point. During the halftime ceremonies Natalie Malpass was crowned Homecoming Queen.
East Columbus and South Robeson both scored a touchdown in the last half with the Mustangs scoring with just a minute left in the game as Kassell had emptied his bench. Besides McClure’s 141 yards, Melvin added 89 yards on eight carries. Ratliff completed two of three passes for 47 yards in his return to the line-up. “It was great having Ricky back in the line-up. Not to take anything away from Dereck Young, who did a great job filling in, but Young had never played quarterback until we had two quarterbacks go down,” Kassell said.
East Columbus finished the regular season 4-6 overall and 2-3 in the Three Rivers Conference. The Gators received a #6 seed, and will travel to James Kenan for first round action in the 1AA state playoffs. The Tigers will enter the game with a 6-4 record and a third seed.

Fairmont Spoils
Senior Night for Gators
Although coach Toby Kassell’s East Columbus Gators have just five seniors on their roster, they were looking for better results on senior night. After scoring two first quarter touchdowns, the Gators were held in check the rest of the way as the Golden Tornadoes handed the Gators their third straight loss 34-14.
Fairmont remained unbeaten and held on to their one game lead in the Three Rivers Conference with just one game remaining. The Golden Tornadoes improved to 10-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play. With the loss the Gators fell to 3-6 and 1-3 in Three Rivers play.
The game was marred by turnovers which began early and often. Both teams had fumbled before even two

 

minutes had passed. Fairmont was the first to reach the goal line when Alex Gilchrist scored from the one yard line. The two point conversion was good for an 8-0 lead.
After both teams had drives that stalled the Gators Greg Melvin broke a couple tackles and ran down the left side line for a 44 yard touchdown run, Derrick Young found Ronald Ratliff in the right corner of the end zone for the two point conversion to knot the score at 8-8 with five minutes remaining in the quarter.
Both teams scored again in the first quarter with Fairmont scoring on  a 10 yard quarterback keeper by Demetrius Washington. The two point conversion failed and Fairmont led 14-8 with 2:38 left in the quarter.  Tremain Howard returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the Fairmont 18. It would take T.J. Wilson just two plays to scamper in from the 12 yard line. The two point conversion failed and the quarter ended at 14-14.
After a turnover by both teams, and a long drive by the Gators that ended up with a punt the Golden Tornadoes took over at their own 20 with just over four minutes remaining in the half. Three plays later Andrew Hill broke free for a 42 yard touchdown with just under three minutes remaining in the half. The two point conversion was good and the Golden Tornadoes led 22-14.
Fairmont held the Gators to three and out and was driving for more points when Greg Melvin intercepted a pass in the end zone with 14 seconds left to prevent any further damage, as Fairmont took a 22-14 lead to the locker room.
Neither team scored in the their quarter, but Fairmont scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth on a Andrew Hill’s third interception of the night. He returned the interception 70 yards for the score. Washington scored the final touchdown on a 17 yard run with five minutes left in the game.
East Columbus was still playing without quarterback Ricky Ratcliff, who is nursing a hip injury that has him out for the remainder of the season. During the game the Gators lost a host of players to injuries that shortened their bench even more.
Greg Melvin, Ronald Ratcliff, Tremain Howard, and Elijah Gresham all had solid games on defense, as they each come up with turnovers.
Washington completed seven passes for 184 yards and scored two touchdowns for Fairmont. Gilchrist gained 140 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown. Hill had to be the star of the game however with his three interceptions, he also caught four passes for 101 yards.
The Gators will try to get back on the winning track when they host winless Red Springs on homecoming night October 28. East Columbus defeated the Mustangs on the road last season 29-0 and are in the midst of a 14 game losing streak dating back to last season when they beat Princeton 39-26.

 

October 21 2011

South Brunswick Wins Shootout with Scorpions

By Gary Rabon    Sports@theLNR.com photos by Kassira Harrelson The South Brunswick Cougars prevailed over cross county rival North Brunswick 41-36 in an old fashioned shootout October 14 in Southport. The game featured two of the best backs in the area in the Cougars’  Gary Williams and Scorpions’ Jaron Smyre. If anyone came to see the two play they didn’t leave disappointed. Williams ran for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Smyre ran for 194 yards and    ur touchdowns. Williams got the home crowd into the game early as the speedy senior ran 75 yard for pay dirt on the first play from scrimmage for the Cougars. A Willie McRae PAT gave the Cougars a 7-0 lead with just under nine minutes to play in the first quarter. Williams’ cousin Greg Burton-White scored on a seven yard touchdown run five minutes late after a Scorpion turnover. The PAT failed and the Cougars led 13-0.  North Brunswick answered that touchdown when Smyre capped off and 11 play drive with a three yard run, and a two point conversion cutting the Cougars lead to 13-8. J’Laney Jenkins intercepted a Nejuann Watts pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown just two plays later giving the Scorpions their first lead of the game with 10:49 left in the quarter. Another two point conversion by Smyre gave the Scorpions a 16-13 lead. South Brunswick used a nine yard touchdown run by Jahkhrii Smith; and a 35 yard touchdown pass to Justin Hill from Watts late in the half, giving the Cougars a 26-16 halftime lead. Smyre scored on a seven yard run with just under six minutes left in the third quarter. The two point conversion failed but the Scorpions were within four points at 26-22. Hill scored on a 15 yard pass from Watts with three minutes remaining in the quarter. Watts ran in for the two point conversion giving the Cougars a 35-22 lead. North Brunswick struck quickly on a 58 yard touchdown run by Smyre late in the quarter. Jacob Shumate hit Riley Spivey on a two point conversion cutting the deficit to 35-28. Smyre completed the comeback with his fourth touchdown of the game on a 33 yard run with 10:37 remaining in the game. The two point conversion failed but the Scorpions led 36-35. Williams quickly put the Cougars back in the lead with a 29 yard touchdown run to cap off a long drive and give the Cougars the score which would prove to be the game winner with seven minutes remaining. The win for South Brunswick was the second straight over the Scorpions. Smyre fell just short of his sixth consecutive 200 yard game with 194 yards on 31 carries with four touchdowns. Graham Rivenbark tallied 64 yards on two carries. Shumate completed five passes for 50 yards. Travis Oliver caught two of the passes for a total of 20 yards. Coming off a 20 tackle game against South Columbus, Keilian Rayner had 16 tackles against the Cougars. Alex Pellom came away with 10 tackles. Marcus Montgomery continued his stellar defensive play and come up with an interception. With the loss the Scorpions fell to 6-3 overall and 2-3 in Waccamaw Conference play. The Scorpions travel to Siler City October 21 to play Jordan Matthews before returning home October 28 to complete the regular season against East Bladen. South Brunswick improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play which has them in a three way tie for first place with South Columbus and East Bladen. South Columbus Hold off Scorpions Late Rally By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com After trailing 14-0 at the half North Brunswick scored three touchdowns in the last seven minutes of the game against South Columbus, however the rally fell short as the Stallions held on to down the Scorpions 35-26 on homecoming night. The perennial Waccamaw Conference powerhouse Stallions have been without senior running back Rontonio Stanley for almost a month but since his return he has led the Stallions to the top spot in the conference. Against the Scorpions he ran for 123 yards on 18 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns on a 12 and 50 yard run. After a scoreless first quarter Stanley scored on a 12 yard run with less than two minutes gone in the second stanza. The PAT was good for a 7-0 lead. The visitors tacked on another seven with 56 seconds left in the half on a 14 yard run by Reggie Frink. The PAT was successful and the Stallions carried a 14-0 lead into the locker room while the Homecoming festivities went on in front of the packed house in Leland. Madeline Bordeaux was named Homecoming Queen at the half and Jay Jenkins was named the King in the halftime ceremonies. The Scorpions seemed to grab some momentum in the third quarter as they opened the half with a 70 yard drive, capped off by Jaron Smyre’s seven yard. The key play of the drive however was a 25 yard pass from Jacob Shumate to Josh McMillian on fourth and 16. The two point conversion failed and the Scorpions trailed 14-6. The crowd was quickly silenced as Stanley took a handoff and raced 50 yards for his second touchdown of the night. The PAT was good for a 21-6 South Columbus lead with 5:48 left in the quarter. The Stallions recovered a fumble at their own 35 yard line, and marched down the field scoring on a three yard run with just over a minute left in the third. The PAT was good giving the Stallions a 28-6 lead. After the Stallions picked off a Shumate pass South Columbus drove down the field and scored on a Pharaoh McKever three yard run with seven and a half minutes remaining in the game giving South Columbus a commanding 35-6 lead. That’s when the Scorpions began their furious comeback attempt. It took the Scorpions just three plays and less than a minute to score as Shumate hit Graham Rivenbark for a 17 yard touchdown pass. Again the two point conversion failed and the Scorpions trailed 35-12. After the Scorpions held South Columbus they took over at their own 30 yard line and Shumate quickly marched them down the field before he found McMillian in the right corner of the end zone. Smyre scored on the two point conversion cutting the deficit to 35-20. Marcus Montgomery recovered a Stallion fumble and returned it to the Stallion 30 yard line, setting up yet another North Brunswick touchdown. Shumate completed three straight passes, the  final one to McMillian from three yards out with just 51 seconds remaining. The Scorpions failed to convert the two point play leaving the Stallions up 35-26. The Stallions recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock for the 35-26 win. For the fifth game in a row and the sixth time on the season, Scorpions Jaron Smyre rushed for over 200 yards. He had 201 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown. It was his 19th touchdown of the season. Shumate completed nine passes for 140 yards with two touchdowns. Smyre was the recipient of two of those passes for 61 yards and McMillian caught three passes and scored on two of them. The Scorpions were led on defense by Keilin Rayner who recorded 20 tackles, with nine solo  tackles. Graham Rivenbark recorded 12 tackles. Tyler Hickey added a sack and Montgomery recovered a fumble. North Brunswick (6-2, 2-2) will travel to cross county rival South Brunswick October 14. The Cougars won last season’s match 51-26. The Stallions ( 5-2, 3-0) will play host to East Bladen in a game that may go a long way in determining the Waccamaw Conference Champion.

Bulldogs Trounce Gators on Homecoming Night

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com  photos by Crystal Cecil After reeling off three straight victories and reaching the .500 mark on the season the East Columbus Gators have now dropped two straight after a 40-14 loss at St. Pauls in the Bulldogs homecoming game. With the loss East Columbus dropped to 1-2 in the Three Rivers 1A-2A Conference and 3-5 overall. The game was scoreless until St. Paul erupted for three touchdowns in the second quarter taking a 20-0 halftime lead. The Bulldogs quarterback Jacob Locklear threw for three touchdowns in the quarter on his way to a 291 yard night. Locklear and Antonio Henderson hooked up for three touchdowns, on passes of 68, four, and 50 yards. He was 11-19 on the night with four touchdowns with Henderson grabbing six of them for 165 yards. The Bulldogs also scored on a 62 yard kickoff return and a 70 yard fumble recovery. The young Gators continued to struggle with injuries, as quarterback Ricky Ratliffe continues to nurse a bad ankle. To make matters worse back-up quarterback T.J. Wilson was also sidelined with an injury forcing Kassell to use Dereck Young as his signal caller. According to Kassell Young did a good job considering he hasn’t played the position since middle school. Young was able to connect on a couple touchdown passes to Ronald Ratcliffe and John Mitchell late in the game, after it was out of reach for the Gators. The road doesn’t get any easier for the Gators as they host undefeated Fairmont October 21. The Golden Tornadoes bring a 9-0 record into the game. “We are still a very young team. And we have to improve each game,” said Kassell. “ We have been hurt by injuries recently especially with Ratcliffe and Wilson, but that’s no excuse for the way we last against St. Pauls,” he added. Kassell is hoping that he will have the services of  Ratcliffe when they return to the Swamp to host Fairmont.

Gators Fall to Red Springs to Snap Three Game Winning Streak

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com photos by Crystal Cecil Coach Toby Kassell saw his East Columbus Gators three game winning streak snapped with a 47-32 loss at Red Springs in Three Rivers Conference action. The Red Devils built a 34-14 lead at the half before the Gators East Columbus who had won three straight games with a 48-14 win over Whiteville, 20-13 over Southwest Onslow and a 22-0 win over West Columbus had a hard time handling the Red Devils spread formation. Sophomore quarterback Blake Greene led the Red Devils with two touchdown passes and two touchdown runs. Greene led Red Springs to a 14-8 victory over the Gators last season in “The Swamp”. The special teams didn’t help the Gators much either as Julian Brown had a pair of 75 yard kickoff returns for touchdowns. East Columbus was again playing without quarterback Ricky Ratliff who was injured while punting early in the West Columbus victory. T.J. Wilson who was the team’s quarterback last season has stepped in and performed admirably as the replacement for Ratliff. Wilson in fact threw a pair of touchdown passes to Ricky’s twin brother Ronald Ratliff. The Gators also got a couple touchdown runs from Nick McClure in the losing effort. East Columbus fell to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the Three Rivers 1A-2A Conference will next travel to St. Pauls trying to avenge  a 20-8 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs last season in the Homecoming game at East Columbus. The Bulldogs are 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference after last week’s 28-2 win at South Robeson.

October 7 2011

Turnovers Key to Scorpions First Loss By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com North Brunswick gained over 500 yards of offense, however thanks to four turnovers, three in the red zone the Scorpions dropped their first game of the season with a 41-28 loss to West Brunswick. The Scorpions were coming off a 33-28 win over Whiteville to open Waccamamw Conference play. The score between the county rivals was knotted 20-20 at halftime, but at the end of the day it was to many Scorpions mistakes and to much Taylor Buffkin for North Brunswick to overcome. The Scorpions had been living on the edge in their first five games winning games in the waning minutes but couldn’t pull this one out. For the fans that like offense no one was disappointed as the two teams combined for over 950 yards with the score changing hands five different times.  Buffkin, the Trojans quarterback rushed for 218 yards on just 14 carries and scored four touchdowns out of the triple option the Trojans ran. He scored on a first quarter run of 67 yards and another one of 48 yards in the third quarter. North Brunswick got on the board first on a 12 yard scoring pass from Jacob Shumate to Riley Spivey just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter. The four play drive was highlighted by a 40 yard run by senior Travis Oliver. The celebration in the Scorpions stands was short lived however as Buffkin took the first play from scrimmage in for a score on a 67 yard run. The PAT was good as the Trojans led 7-6 after the first quarter. The Scorpions regained the lead after Shumate hooked up with Spivey again this time with an eight yard pass with a little more than seven minutes left in the second quarter. The two point conversion failed leaving the Scorpions with a 12-7 lead. Just as they did in the first quarter the Trojans took the next play from scrimmage and scored on a 62 yard touchdown run by Jamar Bethea. The PAT was good and the Trojans led 14-7 at the seven minute mark. West Brunswick scored again with three minutes left in the half on a one yard sneak by Buffkin. The play was set up after the Trojans took over on their own 35 yard line after picking off a pass. The PAT failed leaving West Brunswick up 20-12. North Brunswick tied the game less than a minute later when Jaron Smyre broke free for a 75 yard touchdown run. Shumate hit Oliver on the two point conversion to tie the score at 20-20 with two and a half minutes left in the half. The Scorpions had another shot at scoring but a Shumate pass into the end zone was knocked away as time expired. The Trojans regained the lead on their first possession of the second half, on a 70 yard drive. Buffkin capped the drive off with a four yard run. He had scrambled on a 67 yard run earlier in the drive. The PAT was good and The Trojans led 27-20 at the 6:26 mark. The Scorpions scored on the next play from scrimmage as Oliver went up the middle for an 85 yard touchdown run. Shumate scored the two point conversion giving the Scorpions their last lead of the game at 28-27. The Trojans put together a four minute drive that covered over 60 yards, with Buffkin scoring on a 48 yard touchdown run for his fourth of the night. The PAT was good for a 34-28 Trojan lead, a lead they would not relinquish. The Scorpions took over on their own 40 yard line and marched down the field to the 10, but the drive was halted on their fourth turnover of the night. Shumate was hit as he dropped back to pass and the Trojans recovered turning the Scorpions away once again. West Brunswick then drove down the field, killing as much clock as possible before Phillip Gause broke free for a 25 yard run for the final touchdown of the night. The PAT was good for the final score of 42-28. Smyre led the Scorpions with 236 yards rushing on 13 carries. It was his third straight game with 200 plus yards. Oliver added 155 yards on 11 carries. Shumate connected on eight passes for 121 yards, and Spivey hauled in four of those passes for 60 yards. Buffkin gained 218 yards on 14 carries and Bethea gained 147 yards on 22 carries for the Trojans who gained 415 yards on the ground. West won for just the second time this season with four losses. They are 1-1 in Waccamaw Conference action. North Brunswick fell to 5-1, and 1-1 in conference play. The loss to West Brunswick was the fourth straight to the Trojans and sixth out of the last seven. North Brunswick travels to West Bladen September 30. The Knights go into the game 1-5. Scorpions Rebound From Loss to Defeat West Bladen After suffering their first loss of the season a week earlier at home to West Brunswick, the North Brunswick Scorpions rebounded nicely with a 32-8 win at West Bladen. The win for the Scorpions spoiled homecoming night for the home standing Knights. The Scorpions defense gave up nearly 500 yards against the Trojans but were able to keep the Knights in check for the most part, allowing a touchdown way after the game had been decided and coach Garry Bishop playing some of his younger guys. The Scorpions offense didn’t move the ball as they did against West Brunswick, but they took care of the ball much better. Against West Brunswick, the Scorpions gave the ball away four times, three while in the red zone. That wasn’t the case this game as senior running back Jaron Smyre scored five touchdowns, four on the ground and one through the air. North Brunswick got on the board first with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter capping off a 75 yard drive in just eight plays on a six yard run by Smyre. The two point conversion failed and the Scorpions led 6-0 after one period. It looked like the two teams would go the locker room with that score but with the Knights trying to run out the clock Graham Rivenbark recovered a fumble for the Scorpions at the West Bladen 30 yard line. After picking up a first down to the 17 yard line, Jacob Shumate threw a pass over the middle that was tipped by a defender, and was caught by Smyre with just 11 seconds left in the half. Travis Oliver scored the two point conversion for a 14-0 halftime lead for North Brunswick. West Bladen tried to regain some momentum to open the second half with an on-side kick, but it failed and the Scorpions recovered at mid-field. It took North Brunswick just eight plays to get back in the end zone for a 20-0 lead, on a15 yard Smyre run. On the ensuing kick-off the Knights failed to come up with the ball, North Brunswick recovered on the 42 yard line and the Scorpions were in business once again. On the next play Smyre scampered 42 yards for his fourth touchdown of the night giving the Scorpions a 26-0 lead. North Brunswick scored their last touchdown of the night late in the third quarter on Smyre’s fifth touchdown, a 45 yard run for a 32-0 Scorpion lead. North Brunswick had a chance to score again but a fumble at the 10 yard line ended a drive, and the Knights took advantage and drove the length of the field for a touchdown with a little under three minutes left. The two point conversion was good for the final score. Smyre rushed for 232 yards on 19 carries. It was the fourth straight game he has rushed for at least 200 yards. Travis Oliver carried the ball 11 times for 61 yards. Shumate had another solid game running the team. He completed six passes for 75 yards with one touchdown pass. His six passes were spread out among six different receivers. J-Rod Covington led the defensive charge with 10 total tackles. Keilin Rayner had eight tackles with four solo tackles. Devonte Robbins had two solo tackles and a forced fumble. North Brunswick improved their season record to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the Waccamaw Conference. The Knights fell to 1-6, 0-3. North Brunswick returns home October 7, when they play host to South Columbus who enters the game with a 4-2 record. It will be homecoming night for North Brunswick. Gators Top East Columbus in Three Rivers Opener By Gary Rabon Sports@theLNR.com Photos by Crystal Cecil Due to severe thunderstorms that swept through the area September 30, the East Columbus Gators had to wait and extra 72 hours to complete their game, but it was well worth the wait as the Gators shutout their cross county rival West Columbus Vikings 22-0.

The game was suspended mid way through the first quarter with the Gators holding a 6-0 lead in the Three Rivers Conference opener for both squads. East Columbus was coming off a bye week after defeating Whiteville and Southwest Onslow in back to back weeks. East Columbus opened the scoring early in the first quarter on a 20 yard touchdown run by Derrick Young. That was all the offense either team who muster before the game was suspended with about seven minutes remaining. The Gators did however loose quarterbackRicky Ratliff to an injury after he was hit on a botched punt before the delay. T.J. Wilson last years quarterback was summoned by Coach Toby Kassell to run the offense and he did just that. He connected with Nick McClure late in the second quarter on a touchdown pass and with Ronald Ratliff in the fourth quarter to put the Vikings away. East Columbus (3-3, 1-0) snapped a two games losing streak to the Vikings. They will be on the road this Friday on the short turnaround when they travel to Red Springs. Red Springs who defeated the Gators last year 14-8 is coming off a 57-6 trouncing of St. Pauls  in their last outing. The Vikings will host undefeated Fairmont when they return to action. The Golden Tornadoes come into the game with a perfect 7-0 mark.

September 23 2011

North Brunswick got off to a rocky start in the Waccamaw Conference opener at Whiteville but held recovered nicely to take a 33-25 win over the Wolfpack in the game played September 16 at Legion Stadium.

The Scorpions received the opening kick-off but fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and Zanady Adams recovered it and ran for a 31 yard touchdown giving the Wolfpack a 6-0 lead just eight seconds into the game. The Scorpions roared right back with a 21 yard touchdown run by Jaron Smyre. The PAT attempt failed leaving the score knotted at 6-6 at the 8:25 mark in the first quarter. That is where the score would remain until a two yard run by Smyre and a PAT by LeGrande Roseborough would give the visiting wo minutes remaining in the half. North Brunswick extended their lead to 19-6 with seven minutes left in the third quarter on a three yard run by Smyre, his third rushing touchdown of the game. The two point conversion failed. The Wolfpack capped off a long scoring drive with a four yard touchdown dash by Fuquon Thompson. The PAT was successful as the Wolfpack cut the deficit to 19-13 after three quarters. Whiteville made the game interesting as they tied the score on the first play of the fourth quarter on a Jacob Long pass to Thompson. The PAT was blocked and the score was tied at 19-19 as the Wolfpack faithful sensed an upset. The Scorpions struck quickly however, again quieting the Wolfpack crowd as quarterback Jacob Shumate scored on a six yard keeper just over a minute later. Smyre scored on the two point conversion giving the Scorpions a 27-19 advantage. Whiteville’s Long connected with Ethan Morris for a 35 yard touchdown pass with four minutes remaining to cut the Scorpions lead to 27-25, the two point conversion failed. Whiteville blocked a punt and recovered at their own 25 yard line, and was poised to drive for the winning score with less than two minutes left to play. However, on the first play from scrimmage Smyre stepped in front of a Long pass, intercepted it and took it to the house for a 75 yard score putting an explanation mark on the Scorpions fifth win of the season, and the Scorpions fifth win over Whiteville in the last six meetings. Smyre, the Scorpions workhorse rushed for 215 yards on 32 carries, It was his second straight game with over 200 yard and his third on the season. Through five games he now has over 800 yards and 12 touchdowns. Shumate completed a pair of passes for 56 yards. Keilin Rayner recorded 11 tackles with a sack to lead the defensive unit. North Brunswick ( 5-0, 1-0) will be looking to avenge a 28-27 loss at West Brunswick when they host the cross county rival September 23. The Trojans ( 1-4, 0-1) are coming off a 41-28 loss to South Brunswick. Scorpions Sting Lejeune By Gary Rabon  Sports@theLNR.com After beginning the season with three nail biting wins, the North Brunswick Scorpions hung 50 points on Lejeune is the first half on the way to a 63-26 rout. The visitors carried a 50-26 lead into the half and then went out the second half and shutout the Devil Pups. It was the fifth straight victory for the Scorpions over Lejeune, and the fourth straight win to open the season for North Brunswick. They last accomplished that feat in 2000 when they finished the season 12-1 with a third round loss. The Scorpions behind senior Jaron Smyre took a 22-14 lead after the first quarter. Smyre scored on a 26 and a 25 yard run, and Jacob Shumate hit tight end Riley Spivey for a 30 yard touchdown pass. North Brunswick scored four touchdowns in the second quarter with Smyre scoring two more. He scored on a 15 yard run and a 35 yard pass from Shumate. LeGrande Roseborough scored on a 10 yard run and Devonte Robbins scored on a 49 yard fumble recovery. Travis Oliver scored on a 40 yard run in the third quarter, and Daniel Malpass scored on a 29 yard run in the last quarter to round out the scoring. Smyre had a career high 217 yards on 25 carries for the game. Oliver had seven carries and gained 70 yards. Malpass gained 33 yards on three carries. The Scorpions gained 326 yards on the night. Shumate only attempted five passes completing two, with both going for touchdowns for a total of 61 yards. Keilin Rayner recorded eight tackles and Robbins had six. Graham Rivenbark and Tyler Hickey each had sacks for the defense that had six take away‘s. Robbins, Roseborough, and Josh Riley all recovered fumbles. Randy Clark picked off two passes and J’Laney Jenkins intercepted one. The Scorpions will take their undefeated record to Whiteville September 16 for the Waccamaw Conference opener for both schools. The Wolfpack fell to 1-3 after last week’s 48-14 drubbing at the hands of East Columbus, a team the Scorpions defeated September 3, 16-8. East Columbus Holds off Southwest Onslow By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com For the second game in a row sophomore Greg Melvin ran back kick-offs for touchdowns to help lead East Columbus to their second victory in a row, this time in a 20-13 win over Southwest Onslow. It marked the first victory over the Stallions in eight meetings. The team had met seven times previously, but this was the first time the two teams had ever met in “The Swamp”. Southwest Onslow won last season’s match 38-6. The Gators found themselves behind early as the visitors marched down the field on the opening drive and scored on a nine yard run by Bryan Rosado. The PAT was good for a 7-0 lead. That’s when Melvin worked his magic for the second week in a row. He took the ensuing kick at the 10 yard line and ended up 90 yards later in the end zone. The two point conversion failed and the scored remained 7-6 until the second quarter when the Stallions scored on a five yard Cortez Vernon run. The PAT failed and the score was 13-6 at the midway point. Neither team were able to score in the third period but the Gators scored in the third quarter on a five yard run by Dereck Young. Melvin scored the two point conversion giving the Gators the lead at 14-13. With just over five minutes remaining in the game the Gators punted to Southwest, but the Stallions mishandled the punt and the Gators were able to recover inside the 10 yard line. Just three plays later Nick McClure scored on a three yard run giving East Columbus a 20-13 lead. As everyone knew however, five minutes could be an eternity to a Phil Padgett coached team. Melvin capped off an outstanding night with his second interception of the night near mid-field ending any chance the Stallions had of making a comeback. Coach Kassel said coming into the season his team was young, made up of mostly JV players from last year’s undefeated squad. “ I said all along that we were young, but the kids now have five varsity games under their belt, and they are game tested now. They have bought into what into our system very well and I think with the tough non-conference schedule we should be prepared for the conference action.” The Gators were without star running back T.J. Wilson who is nursing an ankle injury for the second week in a row. The Gators routed cross county rival last week 48-14 without Wilson. After dropping their first three games of the season, the Gators have now won two and stand 2-3 on the season going into a bye week. East Columbus have finished their non-conference part of the schedule as their next action will be September 30 at home against Three Rivers rival West Columbus. The Stallions fell to 3-2. Ratliffe’s Lead East Columbus Past Whiteville By Gary Rabon sports@theLNR.com The East Columbus Gators have come close in all three of their games to start the season, but fell short and came into their non-conference match-up against Whiteville 0-3. The Gators wasted little time in setting the pace in this game however as they romped past the Wolfpack 48-14 in  game played at Whiteville’s Legion Stadium. Coach Toby Kassell’s Gators scored on their first two possessions as they built a 22-0 halftime. Twin brothers Ricky and Ronald Ratliffe hooked up for three touchdowns on the night. The first one came midway through the first quarter when quarterback Ricky connected with wide out Ronald on a 15 yard touchdown pass. Nick McClure scored the two point conversion as the Gators went up 8-0. On the very next possession the brothers hooked up again for a touchdown, this one a 95 yard catch and run. McClure went in for another two point conversion giving the Gators a 16-0 lead after one quarter. The Gators drove the length of the field in the final minutes of the half, and Greg Melvin punched the ball into the end zone on a one yard touchdown run giving East Columbus the 22-0 lead at the midway point. The home town crowd’s hopes of a comeback was severely dashed on the opening kickoff of the second half as Melvin gathered the ball inside the 20 yard line and streaked 85 yards for a touchdown. The two point conversion extended the visitors lead to 30-0. The Wolfpack were finally able to get on the board late in the third quarter, But the Ratliffe duo hooked up on yet another touchdown, this time for 35 yards which gave East Columbus a 36-7 lead after three quarters. After a Whiteville touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the Gators scored twice more on a pair of 24 yard touchdown runs by McClure finished the scoring. The Gators defense may have played their most complete game of the season recovering three fumbles and picking off a pass. Early in the first quarter the defense turned back the Wolfpack on fourth down inside the five yard line. This stance set the tune for the Gators for the night. McClure had 150 yards rushing with two touchdowns on the night. The Ratliffe brothers ended the night with three passes/catches for 154 yards and Melvin reached the end zone twice. The win, the second straight for the Gators over Whiteville was even more impressive due to the fact that All Three Rivers Conference tailback T.J. Wilson was on the sidelines nursing a sore ankle. Both teams now stand 1-3 and will be hosting strong foes in next weeks action. East Columbus will be hosting perennial power house Southwest Onslow, while the Wolfpack will be entertaining North Brunswick who will be entering the contest undefeate

September 9 2011

North Brunswick Kicks off Season with Win at Pender

By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com North Brunswick kicked off the 2011 football season August 19 with a 14-6 win over the Pender Patriots. Although Pender was under the watchful eye of a new coach, they did finish with 12 wins and runner-up in the 1AA state playoffs last season. They have advanced to at least the third round of the playoffs for five years in a row. North Brunswick coach Garry Bishop said before the season began that his defense would be key to this squad being successful and from the way they played in the season opener he was right on target. His defensive unit was solid the entire game, in fact they didn’t allow a point in the game, as the only Pender score came on a fumble recovery. After a scoreless first quarter North Brunswick got on the score board when Tyler Hickey recovered a blocked punt by Riley Spivey in the end zone with 3:32 remaining in the half. The two point conversion failed for a 6-0 lead. Pender offensive lineman Kymonthy Murphy recovered a fumble and rambled 40 yards for a touchdown with less than a minute to play in the half. The two point conversion failed and the two teams went into intermission tied at 6-6. Just over four minutes had run off the clock in the third quarter when senior running back Jaron Smyre broke free for an 82 yard touchdown sprint, giving the Scorpions a lead they would never relinquish. North Brunswick recorded a safety at the six minute mark in the third quarter for the final score of the game. The Scorpion defense came up with a huge stop late in the fourth quarter when they stuffed the Patriots on a fourth and goal to keep Pender out of the end zone and preserve the win. The Scorpions defense was able to get into the Patriots almost at will as they wrapped up the Pender offense in the backfield for losses about 10 times. Smyre had a huge night to lead the young offense for the  Scorpions who have only one starter from last year’s team returning. He had 182 yards on the night on 15 carries including the 82 yard touchdown run. Another first year starter Jacob Shumate did a terrific job under center as he completed four of six passes for 52 yards. Riley Spivey caught two passes with LeGrande Roseborough and Smyre each hauling in one. On the defensive side of the ball Alex Pellom had 16 tackles. Spivey had 14 tackles with four going for losses defensive end Tyler Hickey had eight tackles and scored a touchdown on the blocked punt. The Scorpions will open their home schedule August 26 when they host Trask. The Titans opened the season with a 9-7 loss to Topsail. Trask defeated the Scorpions 34-33 in a shootout last season. Scorpions Top Trask on Last Second Trickery By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com Coaches will give credit to their players for a win, and take the blame for a loss. Veteran coach Garry Bishop has to be given credit in the Scorpions 50-44 win over Trask. With just 3 seconds left on the clock and the ball 63 yards from the end zone, Bishop called the play that has worked so many times over the years for him. He called the hook and lateral, and the team worked the play to perfection. Quarterback Jacob Shumate threw a screen pass to LeGrande Rosenborough, who then lateralled the ball to a streaking Jaron Smyre who outran the Titans defense for the winning score after the gun had sounded. The game was a sharp contrast from the season opener when they won at Pender 14-6. Trask beat North Brunswick last season in another high scoring affair 34-33. Trask scored two early touchdowns to take a 16-0 lead before the Scorpions scored with under a minute left in the first period on a 10 yard run by Smyre. He also scored on the two point conversion as the quarter ended with the Scorpions trailing 16-8. After a one run touchdown run by Travis Oliver and a 25 yard pass from Shumate to Roseborough the Scorpions took their first lead with less than a minute left in the half on a one yard run by Keilin Raynor for a 28-23 lead. The score changed hands several time in the second half. In the third quarter North Brunswick scored on an Oliver five yard run in the third quarter as the Scorpions trailed 38-36 after three quarters. With the  Titans leading 44-36 and under five minutes to play Shumate led the Scorpions on a 70 yard scoring drive capped off by a six yard run by Smyre. Shumate called his own number for the two point conversion to tie the score at 44-44. On the ensuing possession Trask marched right down the field getting the ball to the Scorpions 17 yard line. However a sack and a penalty pushed the ball back to the 40 yard line where an attempted field goal was blocked. North Brunswick was a quick three and out giving Trask one final shot at the win. However Marcus Montgomery picked off a pass to set up the game winning play. Smyre picked up 134 yards on 27 carries, and scored three touchdowns. Oliver carried the ball 10 times picking up 76 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Shumate completed seven of 14 passes for 190 yards. Rosenborough caught four passes for 58 yards and Riley Spivey caught three passes for 77 yards. Keilin Raynor recored 12 tackles while Travis Oliver added 10 and recovered a fumble. Tyler Hickey and Riley Spivey both had fumble recoveries. Montgomery and Shak Graham each came away with interceptions. The Scorpions carry their 2-0 record into a home game with East Columbus in their next action September 2. The Gators enter the game 0-2 but were impressive in both losses to South Columbus and East Bladen. South Columbus Dumps Gators in Season Opener By Gary Rabon  sports@theLNR.com East Columbus was trying to do something to open the 2011 football season that they had never done, beat South Columbus. In 20 previous meetings the Stallions had won each game played between the two county rivals. However the Gators had no answer for Stallion running back Rontonio Stanley who rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the Stallions 20-6 win over the Gators at the Swamp. Although coach Toby Kassell’s Gators are much younger than the more experienced Stallions they did keep the game much closer than most would have expected as they trailed just 14-0 at the midway point. It was actually 6-0 with just seconds remaining in the first half, before Stanley scampered in for a touchdown on an 80 yard touchdown scamper. Quarterback Pharoah McEver snuck in on a keeper for the two point conversion for the 14-0 cushion. The Stanley run came just seconds after the Stallions had intercepted a pass in the end zone for a touchback. The Stallions first touchdown had come in the first period on a one yard run by Dashaun Daniels giving South Columbus a 6-0 lead. The Stallions increased their lead to 20-0 on a 16 yard run by Stanley with  just under 10 minutes remaining. East Columbus bounced back with their only score on a 51 yard run by senior back T.J. Wilson with under five minutes remaining. The game was mired by turnovers and penalties from both teams. In fact after the Gators scored their only touchdown they forced a South Columbus turnover and threatened to score but their drive was stopped by a huge defensive play on fourth down. The Stallions coming off an 11-1 record in which they won the Waccamaw Conference 2A-3A Championship held the Gators to just 187 total yards on offense, as Wilson ran for 100 yards on 11 carries. Gators coach Toby Kassell was very pleased with the effort his young squad exhibited in the game, but he realizes that the mental mistakes they made in the game has to be corrected. The Gators coming off a 5-7 overall record last season, a season in which they won the 1A-2A Three Rivers Conference Championship. It was the first conference title the football team had ever won. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the youthful Gators as they travel to Elizabethtown August 26, to play East Bladen. The Eagles are coming off an 11-4 season where they lost to Tarboro in the regional finals.       They then travel to North Brunswick, before playing at Whiteville then hosting Southwest Onslow. Gators Fall to East Bladen on Late Touchdown By Gary Rabon  sports @theLNR.com The East Columbus Gators played a great game for the second week in a row, but fell short of the upset bid over East Bladen when the Eagles scored with less than three minutes remaining to take a 20-18 home win. The Gators lost to South Columbus 20-6 in the season opener at the Swamp. East Columbus led 18-14 when the Knights took over on their own 25 yard line, and marched down the field scoring on a four yard touchdown run by A.J. McCoy with just over two minutes remaining. McCoy had scored the games first points on a first quarter one yard run. The run came on the opening possession after a 53 yard kick return got the Eagles on the 35 yard line of East Columbus. Coach Toby Kassell’s Gators responded with a touchdown when Greg Melvin recovered a fumble and run in from 30 yards cutting the Eagles lead to 7-6. East Bladen added to the lead on a one yard sneak by quarterback Daron Burney. The Gators took an 18-14 lead into the locker room at the half after a 31 yard touchdown pass from Ricky Ratliffe to sophomore Elijah Gresham and a Ratliffe five yard run put them in the lead. Although the Gators did suffer their second loss of the early season, Coach Kassell had to be pleased with his team‘s effort. The Eagles have advanced to the Eastern 2A Regional finals the last two seasons and should be a contender in the Waccamaw Conference this season. The road doesn’t get any easier for the Gators who has only six seniors on the squad.  They  finish their non-conference action when they host Southwest Onslow September 16, before an off week to prepare for the Three Rivers Conference play. The Gators captured the school’s first ever conference title last season when they won the Three Rivers championship. Fall Baseball and Softball Leland and Town Creek Parks are gearing up for the 2010 fall baseball and softball season. Registration for both parks are being held every Saturday in August from 10 to 2 pm at the Leland Ball Park, located on Village Road and the fee is $35.00 per child.   Practices and games will start after Labor Day.  This year, Oak Island and Town Creek will be combining teams for the fall season only.  If you have any questions, please contact the Leland Ball Park at 371-9606.