1Carteret: Students. Sports. Success.

Prep Sports Eject More Players

From the N&O:

CHAPEL HILL - Ejections for bad behavior in high school sports have more than doubled so far this year statewide, thanks to stricter enforcement of sportsmanship rules.

Unsportsmanlike conduct — which can include fighting, on-field celebrations, diving into the end zone and taunting opponents — has become a greater concern in North Carolina partly because of increased emphasis on improving athletes’ behavior by the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations, which sets the rules that the state association must play by.

Mark Dreibelbis, the association’s head of officials, cited “the brazenness of our young people” during winter board meetings Tuesday. “We don’t want to take spontaneous celebration out of the game,” he said. “But we have to make our students accountable.”

Mark Dreibelbis is scheduled to come to Carteret County on February 18 to do the first 3.5 hours of the National Federation of High School Athletics Associations “Fundamentals of Coaching” workshop.

We need at least 20 coaches for the workshop to make.  We can take no more than 40.  If you are interested, send me an e-mail at jpoletti@co.carteret.k12.nc.us

Croatan Matmen Come to Fight

Croatan wrestling coaches David Perry and Gerry Meaney brought their team to the WCHS mat on Wednesday night. And the Cougar matmen brought the fight to the Patriots in a 56-18 man-handling.

The Patriots spotted the Cougars 18 points on forfeits and could never recover.

The match was an hour-and-a-half of power, finesse, strategy, clock management, and ultimate conditioning by both teams.  Kudos to all wrestlers and coaches for their commitment to pushing the limits of human potential in this extreme sport.

The Cougars are now 7-1 in this young season.

Fresh Energy Fan Base

It all started with Duke’s Cameron Crazies. Now, a colorful display of school spirit is on display in the stands of the local hardboards.

Students, decked out in Mardi Gras chic, are showing up in numbers to cheer on their basketball gym heroes. The energy is refreshing . . . as long as it doesn’t denigrate into controversial, confrontational and mean-spirited taunting. Period.

So, in case you missed it—here is this year’s edition of the Croatan Crazies:

Not to be undone, the Patriot Militia is “in the house” this year:

Go, team, go!

BCMS Big Dog Soccer

Just past mid-way through the middle school soccer season, and the Bulldogs from Broad Creek are running through the pack.

With only three games to go in the season, the Dogs are two games ahead of BMS (second place) and three games ahead of MMS (third place.) Here are the standings and the remaining schedule.

—In the middle schools, basketball tryouts and wrestling practices are in the winter air.

WCHS Boys Win at Home

The first time WCHS and CHS met this season, the fans were treated to an OT thriller in which WCHS walked away from the Cougar Dome with the victory. This time around, Coach McClanahan’s boys didn’t need overtime—but the scrappy Cougars made a fight of it to the end.

Final: WCHS 52 CHS 48. WCHS is 4-0 to start the season.

Hustle was the name of the game on both sides as the sound of gym music—and supercharged fans—filled the air.

CHS iced a couple of three-pointers late in the game to keep it close. West used inside muscle and some clutch free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

WCHS guard D. Blackstock sank those free throws for West down the stretch. His father, a social studies teacher at CHS, reportedly was seen relegated to bus duty the next morning in the Croatan parking lot.

The Patriots take on ECHS Friday night at WCHS to continue the Battle of Braggin’ Rights in Carteret.

CHS Varsity Girls Win Big

CHS Coach Steve Yount brought his Lady Cougar team to the 3rd round of the state playoffs last year. He lost no starters from that team! On Wednesday night, he brought them to the WCHS gym. The Cougar varsity girls used size and speed to chalk up a 30-point victory over the WCHS Lady Pats.

The Lady Pats youth movement is well underway and the future is looking bright. But the Cougars used SOLID inside play, speed on the wing, and a bench that runs deep to overwhelm the young Pats.

CHS point guard M. Bridges once again displayed uncanny floor generalship to lead her team to victory. Her mother, a Spanish teacher at WCHS, reportedly was seen relegated to bus duty the next morning in the West parking lot.

CHS Lady Cougars take on ECHS next Friday to continue their quest for the Carteret crown … and quite probably another storied season.

Cross-Town

In sports parlance, this could be coined “Rivalry Week.” Aside from showcasing local athletic talent, cross-town rivalries can bring out the school spirit of fans . . . and give the winners bragging rights, if only for a time.

On the basketball courts, WCHS faces CHS today at WCHS. The first varsity boys match-up of the season between these two schools ended in an OT win for WCHS. More action and intrigue are on tap tonight.

Having lost only 3 players from last year’s winning team, CHS is locked and loaded for the varsity girls game. WCHS has gone young, with 4 freshmen either starting or seeing significant playing time. CHS handily won the first game, but WCHS is gaining confidence as evidenced by their recent victory over White Oak.

The JV girls action, which tips off around 4:00, marks the first of 4 consecutive games at the updated WCHS gymnasium this evening.

In other cross-town sporting events this week and next—

• WCHS and CHS grapplers take it to the mat on Wednesday at WCHS
• Broad Creek and Morehead Middle boys soccer teams square off at MMS on Wednesday
• ECHS basketballers bring it to WCHS on Friday
• ECHS and CHS go toe-to-toe at the ECHS on Friday, Dec. 7.

‘Tis the season!

BCMS Juggernaut Earns V-Ball Title

Broad Creek volley-ballers cruised to the conference championship by going 11-1 on the season. In the last three matches, the Bulldogs went a perfect 6-0 in knocking off the second, third and fourth place teams in the league.

Coach Hoop and her formidable squad are to be commended for their stellar season. Said one of the refs: “They just looked like a junior varsity team out there!”

Congrats also to Pamlico Middle for finishing second, Morehead Middle for finishing third, and Beaufort Middle for finishing fourth. Here are the final results and standings.

Middle school volleyball is often a tale of two half seasons. In the first half of the season, the girls are basically learning the game and figuring out how to play as a team. In the second half, the level of play often intensifies. We look forward to girls from all teams continuing their volleyball pursuits on the hardwoods of our local high schools.

As a recap, the middle school championships thus far look like this:

• Football: Pamlico Middle
• Girls Soccer: Morehead Middle
• Volleyball: Broad Creek Middle

Creekers Flex Muscle

The Broad Creek Middle School volleyball team put on an impressive display of power and skill yesterday in the Morehead Middle gym. The Bulldogs dismantled Morehead Middle and Beaufort Middle in straight games to move to 9-1 on the season.

That sets up the grand finale for sole possession of first place against the 9-1 Pamlico Hurricanes at the Broad Creek gym today (11/15) at 3:30. This is a Breast Cancer Awareness fund raiser . . . so wear pink to the game.

Both Beaufort Middle and Morehead Middle are jockeying for third place in the league, as they entered yesterday’s match with identical 5-3 records. Beaufort rallied to overcome a ten point deficit  to win game one, but Morehead Middle took games two and three to win the match.

Morehead moves into third at 6-3 and Beaufort is a close fourth at 5-4. The two teams meet again Monday at the MMS gym to close out this season’s middle school volleyball story.

Schedules and Standings 

Sweat Equity . . . Seasons Shift

For the most part, the fall sports season is in the books and winter is just in the wings. Here’s where we are:

• ECHS football made the playoffs, but was defeated in the first round by Pender.
• CHS soccer made it to the 3rd round of the playoffs, but was eliminated from further play by First Flight.
• WCHS JV’s turned in a respectable 6-4 campaign and knocked off some heavyweights.
• Both CHS and WCHS cross country finished 6th in the state.
• Middle school volleyball is down to 3 more playing dates. Pamlico and BCMS are tied for first at 7-1. MMS and BMS are in contention, each at 5-3. Here’s the remaining schedule.
• Middle school boys soccer is just underway. BCMS and MMS are both 2-0. Here’s the schedule.
• The high school basketballers begin play this week, and the men (and women) of the mat are in full practice for their pending wrestling season.