by Cliff Mehrtens

College hoops offers rolling in for Patriots’ Davis

Davidson Day basketball point guard Rashun Davis, who recently had a standout summer season, has received several offers from Division I colleges, Patriots coach Ron Johnson said.

Davis, a 5-foot-11 senior, has offers from Elon, Coastal Carolina, Presbyterian, Radford, Maryland-Baltimore County, UNC Asheville, North Carolina A&T, Siena and Niagara, among others.





Hough player helps win tournament

Jasmine Lamontagne, a pitcher for Hough High School, scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Challengers won, 5-4, against the New York-based Bandits in the final of the 2011 PONY Nationals Fast Pitch tournament in Cary, N.C., on July 29.

The tournament included 36 softball teams from throughout the country in the 16-under division. The Challengers went 9-0 in the tournament. In the decisive rally, Lamontagne drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored the winning run when Lindsey Hilts singled up the middle.

Lauren Marbrey was the winning pitcher and Hannah Reynolds hit a home run to tie the game in the sixth inning.

Tryouts for Copperheads showcase teams

The Copperheads Baseball 16-under and 18-under showcase teams will hold tryouts for players in grades 9 through 12 on Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. at North Lincoln High School.

To request a player profile sheet, visit www.copperheadsports.org.

Softball camp for girls

The Carolina Comets will host their annual softball clinic at Lake Norman High School Monday, Aug. 8 through Friday, Aug. 12. The clinic was rescheduled from the previous week because the Carolina Comets Teal team won the ASA state tournament and played in the ASA national tournament this week.

The camp will be from 8 a.m. to noon daily for rising first- through fifth-graders and 1 to 5 p.m. daily for rising sixth- through 10th-graders. Rising 11th- and 12-graders are welcome.

The cost is $90, and each camper will receive a T-shirt. To register, stop by the Mooresville Recreation offices, 418 Carpenter Ave. For more information, contact Roger McGuffey at 704-236-7428 or rdmcguffey@yahoo.com.

Copperheads bounced from SCBL playoffs

The Lake Norman Copperheads lost 8-4 to the Pineville Pioneers and were eliminated in the second round of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League playoffs on July 27.

Lake Norman, the reigning league champion, had a nine-game winning streak snapped. The Copperheads finished with a 29-14 record. Pineville went on to win the championship by sweeping Morganton, 9-4 and 7-2, in the best-of-three finals.

Ten Lake Norman players were picked for the SCBL All-Star Game: Kasceim Graham, Brett Armour, Mark Rhine, Aaron Spano, Austin Blake, Nolan Gaige, Liam O’Sullivan, Ryan Mas, David Lee and Jerry Skeens.





Local team wins national hoops title

The Queen City Athletic Association’s Force Blue basketball team won the 5th-Grade U.S. Basketball Association national championship with a 50-48 victory against the Virginia All-Stars in the final at Myrtle Beach last month.

The team included players Joel Wissell, Blake Wilson, Connor Hammond, Will Turner, Gary Drummings, Michael McKoy, J.B. Truesdale, Kyle Austin, Kyle Wood, Caleb Grimes and Josh Amigo, and coaches Ricky Grimes and David Amigo.

NFL Youth Flag Football signups

Registration for Cornelius and Huntersville’s NFL Youth Flag Football is open. The nationally affiliated program is a non-contact league for boys and girls ages 4-14.

Online registration is available at www.corneliuspr.org.  Registration forms will be accepted at the Cornelius Town Hall or Huntersville Parks & Recreation office.

The cost for residents is $35 for the 4-5-year-old instructional division and $55 for other divisions, which are ages 6 to 8, 9 to11, and 12 to 14. There is an additional $10 fee for non-residents. Financial assistance for residents is available on a limited basis.

Practices and games will begin in September, with practices on weeknights and games on Saturdays. All participants will receive a reversible NFL replica jersey and a trophy at the end of the season.

For more information, call the Cornelius PARC Department at 704-892-6031, ext. 160, or the Huntersville Parks and Recreation Department at 704-766-2220.

Women’s softball league seeking players

Sassy Softball Sisters, a women’s softball league for players age 45 and older, is looking for new players. Any skill level is welcome, and there is no age ceiling. For more information, call Eva at 704-896-8118 or go to www.sassysoftball.com.

Public has chance to win Golden Ticket

Area residents will have a chance to win “a sports enthusiast’s dream” in the coming months, now that the Charlotte Sports Commission, in collaboration with presenting sponsor Piedmont Natural Gas, has opened the first public Golden Ticket raffle.

The winner of the Golden Ticket raffle will receive tickets to every major sports event in the Charlotte area over the next year, including:
• Two tickets to all 2011 Carolina Panthers home games
• Two tickets to the first home game between the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat
• Two weekly lawn/clubhouse passes to the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship
• Two 2011-12 season tickets to the Charlotte Checkers
• Two 2012 season tickets to the Charlotte Knights
• Two 2012 tickets to Charlotte’s Major League Lacrosse Team’s inaugural season
• Two 2012 season tickets to Charlotte Eagles’ soccer
• Two tickets to the 2012 Bank of America 500 NASCAR race
• Two tickets to the 2012 Sprint All-Star Race
• Two tickets to the 2012 Coca-Cola 600
• Two tickets to the 2012 Pit-Crew Challenge
• Two tickets to the 2011 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship
• Two tickets to the 2011 Belk Bowl
• Two tickets to 2012 CIAA basketball tournament
• Two tickets to the 2012 ACC Basketball Championship in Atlanta

Tickets can be purchased for $50 each by visiting the Charlotte Sports Commission’s website, www.charlottesports.org/goldenticket.

The raffle will close on Aug. 25 at midnight, and the winner will be selected and notified on Aug. 26. Once selected, the winner will be asked to attend an Aug. 31 ceremony at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.