SouthLake middle-schoolers make national football event

Quarterback Riley Zayicek and linebacker Zack Dudan were chosen for the Charlotte-based team.

The Football University event features some of the nation’s top eighth-grade players from 40 states playing in a single-elimination, multi-round tournament. The final round will be on Jan. 7, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Tex., with the top two teams competing for the national championship. This event is the newest offering of the All-American Games, which is the owner and producer of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on NBC, the nation’s biggest high school all-star football game.

Zayicek and Dudan played key roles for SouthLake’s middle school football team, which finished 9-1 this season, culminating with a win over Charlotte’s Carmel Christian School to earn the Queen City Cup.

Hough, Lake Norman Charter lead Wells Fargo Cup standings

Hough High and Lake Norman Charter lead their respective leagues in the Wells Fargo Conference Cup standings after completion of the fall sports season.

The award, formerly known as the Wachovia Cup, is sponsored by the N.C. High School Athletic Association and Wells Fargo. It recognizes high schools that have the best overall athletic programs, based on conference competition only.

Points are awarded based on participation and standings in conference play. Each conference determined its method of awarding points.

Hough’s 46.5 points are best among schools in the I-MECK 4A conference. The Huskies won conference championships in boys soccer and volleyball.

Lake Norman is second in the I-MECK 4A with 42.5 points, followed by Mallard Creek (40.5), Mooresville (39), Hopewell (27), North Mecklenburg (22), Vance (15) and West Charlotte (10.5).

Lake Norman Charter’s 77 points are tops among schools in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A conference. The Knights won conference championships in volleyball, girls tennis and girls golf. Second-place East Lincoln (75 points) won the boys soccer title, followed by North Lincoln (69), Lincolnton (66), Gastonia Highland Tech (52), Cherryville (51), West Lincoln (51) and Bessemer City (25).

Hough soccer star commits to college

Hough High boys soccer player Santiago Patino has committed to play at UNC Wilmington.

Patino is a senior midfielder who was named to the all-I-MECK 4A conference, all-Region 10 and all-state teams this season. He’ll join Hough teammate Nathaniel Goodwin, who also committed to play for the Seahawks.

Patino had 11 goals and 11 assists this season, helping the Huskies win the conference with a 13-0-1 record. Hough won a school-record 19 games

Spring lacrosse leagues and free clinics

Registration is open for the Cornelius PARC Department’s spring lacrosse season, which will be in partnership with Xtreme Lacrosse.

Players can register at www.xlacrosse.com and find additional information. Players who register by Jan. 1 will have their names printed on the backs of their jerseys. The spring season will begin in mid-February.

Also, Xtreme Lacrosse will hold a free boys lacrosse clinic on Dec. 28 at Smithville Park. Boys ages 10 and under will be instructed from 10 to 11 a.m., and boys 11 and older from 11 a.m. to noon. Xtreme Lacrosse will be accepting donations for its Assist the Goal scholarship fund.

Xtreme Lacrosse will hold four free clinics for beginning lacrosse players – both boys and girls – on Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 4 and Feb. 11, from 11 a.m. to noon at Smithville Park.

Everest Gymastics produces state champions

Huntersville-based Everest Gymnastics Training Center finished second in the team competition at the Level 5 and 6 State Championship last weekend in Hampstead, N.C.

Everest had several individual state champions, including Level 5’s Claire Christman (beam, floor and all-around), Emily Buffington (vault and floor), Lilly Neal (beam) and Lauren Little (vault, bars, floor and all-around); and Level 6’s Peyton Freeze (all-around) and Sydney Bennett (vault, beam, floor and all-around).

The aforementioned gymnasts also placed in other categories

In Level 5, Christman was eighth in vault and third in bars. Buffington was third in bars and second in beam and all-around. Neal was 10th in vault, fourth in bars, seventh in floor and fourth all-around. Little was second in beam.

In Level 6, Freeze was second in vault, bars, beam and floor. Bennett was second in bars and floor.

Other Everest competitors included Aicha Kaouss, who was seventh in vault, fourth in bars, third in beam and floor and third all-around; Kayla Serpeca, who was 11th in vault and bars, 12th on beam, sixth in floor and 11th all-around; Brooke Watson, who was third in vault, second in bars, eighth in beam, fourth in floor and third all-around; Gabriella Carbonara, who was fifth in vault, third in bars, fourth in beam, 12th in floor and sixth all-around; Abigail Petry, who was seventh in vault and all-around, fifth in bars, third in beam and eighth in floor; Bria Diorio, who was sixth in vault and bars, fourth in beam, 16th in floor and ninth all-around; Hailey Higbea, who was fifth in vault, fourth in bars and all-around, seventh in beam and third in floor; Nicole Thean, who was 13th in vault, seventh in bars and all-around, and fifth in beams and floor; Gabriella Gallentine, who was third in vault, fifth in bars, floor and all-around, and 15th in beam; Darby George, who was 16th in vault, 10th in bars, 12th in beam, 11th in floor and 13th all-around; Peyton Gorman, who was fifth in vault, sixth in bars, beam and all-around, and 10th in floor; Hannah McMurray, who was 12th in vault, ninth in bars, fifth in beam, seventh in floor and eighth all-around; Olivia Tarpley, who was third in vault, eighth in bars, second in beam, fifth in floor and fourth all-around; Julia Marsilio, who was third in vault, 10th in bars, second in beam, fifth in floor and fourth all-around; Catie Holder, who was 13th in vault, 11th in bars, seventh in beam and all-around, and third in floor; Mackenzie Shipley, who was 15th in vault, ninth in bars, 10th in beam and all-around, and seventh in floor; Cianna Coyle, who was 12th in vault and bars, eighth in beam, ninth in floor and 11th all-around; and Addyson Klass, who was fifth in vault, 13th in bars, 11th in beam, eighth in floor and 12th all-around.







Extreme concludes solid fall season

The L-Town Extreme 14-under fast-pitch softball travel team won several tournaments this fall and was the points winner for the Top Gun Tournament Championship.

Jeff Hicks is the head coach of the team.