I Brur
BY JOHNNY CRAIG
From prep basketball to little league baseball, from
the muddy football fields to the beautiful resort golf
courses of the area, "improvement" is the word to sum
up the 1984 Brunswick County sporting scene.
wiuie au inree county high schools showed drastic
improvements in nearly all areas of athletics, Brunswick
County began to come into its own and move out of the
shadow of Myrtle Beach in the golfing world. There are
countless other improvements in areas outside of the
high school level and the golf links as can be found below.
The year makes for a tough selection to draw one
particular event as the top story of the year. AU of the
C - it - ??in f ^
1UUO rr 11 wv? M?uuJ Iiiu^vu *WJ V r? 11 I ait lUtltUllg U Uiti
que year in Brunswick County sports. Each made its own
lasting impression on the year and wiU set the stage for
the new year already underway.
Roundball Success
Basketball success was abundant in i-he county as
five of six teams advanced to the state playoffs at the
district level. All three beys teams won spots in district
play while North and South girls both won playoff berths.
The West Brunswick boys finished their best year
ever undpr fifth-venr nnvr-U Dnnnia nu ? rm-_ wu.
??jv?. w?vu iwiuuv viiaiupiuii. ine irojans
knocked three-time league champion East Bladen
from its perch to win their first Three Rivers 3-A Conference
title in Champion's reign. West Brunswick led the
conference race from start to finish while winning a
season-high six straight games in early February. Tlie
Trojans ripped South Johnson in the opening round of the
District III playoffs but were eliminated the next game
by Apex in the semifinals to finish 18-6.
Although the Trojans edged East Bladen for the TRC
title, the Cougars, after a 16-6 finish in the regular season,
went on to capture their first-ever state championship
defeating West Caldwell in Greensboro for the title.
The South Brunswick boys finished 8-15 but not
before a trip to the 2-A District IV where they were
eliminated in the first round by Fairmont.
Meanwhile, North Brunswick concluded its year at
11-12 but advanced to Use semifinals of District!!! play.
Although finishing below son both North and South
Brunswick did advance to the playoffs following the East
Waccamaw Conference tournament. However North
Brunswick (5-16) and South Brunswick (6-14) never made
it past the first round.
Cage Honors
A number of county players received post-season
honors including all-east, all-county and all-conference.
West Brunswick's Robert Thompson, Bra.i Cheers,
Scott Evans, Sheila Johnson and Amy Trogdon were all
named to the All-Three Rivers Conference team wliile
Chuck Brown, Dona Quince ana Kobyn Robinson from
North Brunswick along with South Brunswick's Joe
demmons, Isaac Ballard and Regina Jones made the
All-East Waccamaw Conference squad.
The Beacon released its second All-Brunswick County
Jcam rhot consisted of Thompson and Evans of West,
Brown and Quince of North and Ballard of South. The
gffls team included Johnson and Trogdon of West, Jones
Gt Suuui Slid RcbuuCu 2P.fi Qorlong Worrlcnn nf NnHh
A trio from West Brunswick?Cheers and Thompson
(boys team) ar.d Johnson (girls)?were named to the AllBrunswick
Golf Featured
In February, Oyster Bay Golf Links, along with Sentry
World (Wisconsin! was named America's Best New
Course uy Gou Digest Tile Soiuci Beach course was
featured in a two-page color spread In the Digest's expanded
annual Issue. The course is owned by Larry
Young and was designed by Dan Maples.
Adams Named New Director
Also in February, Charles Adams was named the
new executive director of the North Carolina High Sciiooi
Athletic Association. Adams replaced Simon Terrell, who
retired in July, after serving 16 years as assistant director.
Dominate Diamond
West Brunswick won its second straight Three
Rivers Conference baseball crown wliile setting a school
record for mast wins in a single season. The Trojans went
19-.1 overall and 11-1 in the league including a 13-gamc
winning streak that wasn't broken until the rm.nS
of the state playoffs by Southern Durham.
Included in the Trojans romp to the title were Scott
Evans' no-hitter thrown in a 10-0 win over CUnton and
Henry Stevenson's three-lwme-run game in a 12-4 wit)
over (-oris, S C. In the win over Clinton, Evans struck out
13 and only three walks prevented the senior Hurler from
a perfect game
Pitcher Matt Gore tossed a ooe-hitter in a 3-0 win
over Laney while Evans also one-nit Pender in an 11-4
triumph over Pender.
The Trojans topped Durham Jordan, 10-3 in the state
playoffs' opening round but fell to Southern Durham, 0-0
in round two.
Meanwhile, North Brunswick finished 15-0 and also
advanced to the second round of the state 2-A playoffs
V-.lfth rhmlin ct-f\ in tKo nrwvnincJ
round but ieii to Sarni Pauls, ii-5 in the next round of
play I
AH-County Baseball
Wesi Brunswick ieni ii*r way in iiic Seacuu's annual
Al-uruHovrict County Ujr-| ?k.? ... r?. ,
Evans. Jeff Johnson, Rusty Johnson, Stevenson and Pat i
?< H-- ? -* " .... ?
ottuui en uic i rojaro nontreo. aiso inci'xved were South'?
Jim Dezern, Richard Long and Jeff Brindle From North
were Johnny Sanders, Justin Sholar. Landon McLean,
Choc* Clemrnons and James Reynolds I
Athletes Of The Year J
In June all three high schools held awards banquets I
ttlNOROMI j
" ~1 ? i^mimirTTn
Oa Ms At ffi
4
1984 IN
IC1A fif*Lr i m in-f
!5 AiLr\ vuui if
honoring top athletes. Evans was named the top athlete
at Woct v? * 1 ?
? ...?- ikuuij ljkjam. uiiu rtegina Jones were the
tops at South. Wanda Jacobs and Andre Lee were named
the best at North.
AH-EWC Softball
Seven girls from North and South were named to the
All-East Waccamaw Conference Softball team including
Pam Coring and Deborah White of South and North's
Wendy Williams, Belinda Ramsey, Robyn Robinson,
Wanda Jacobs and Donna Royal.
Trojan Tennis Is Tops
West Brunswick won iis third boys iemiis iiiie in four
years finishing the year 12-2 overall with an 11-match win
streak. Top singles player, Brad Cheers, advanced to the
regionals after a second-place finish in sectional play in
Wilmington. Cheers finished the year with a 17-1 record
in singles play.
Local Pair Win Golf Tourney
Ernie Hewett (Supply) and Charles Todd (Shallotte)
became the first Brunswick golfers to win the annual
South Brunswick Islands Four-Ball Championship in
June. Hewett and Todd combined for a total 137 for two
days at Carolina Shores and Oyster Bay to win the biggest
and most prestigous tournament in the county.
Grid Coaching Changes
The first of two football coaching changes occured in
June when South Brunswick announced Glenn Sasser as
the Cougar's new gridiron coach. Sasser, a former coach
_t M ft ?
tii new nanover ana i-aney in Wilmington, moved from
Myers Park in Charlotte where he was named Associated
Press state high school coach of the year.
One week later West Brunswick football coach Sam
Pngti annniinrert his nlnns In resign tn lake a similar position
at Buford High School in lancastcr County, S.C.
Page ended sis years with the Trojans after compiling a
28-35 record ttiat included a 1980 TKC championship and
9-3 record.
In July, Greg Norrls was named the new Trojan football
coach. Ncrris, the former successful baseball coach
at West Brunswick, stepped up to the job after a year's
layoff from coaching.
County Players Sign Grants
During the summer, a number of county standouts
signed grants-in-aid to continue play on the collegiate
level. Scott Evans signed a baseball grant with Campbell
University while Brad Cheers signed n tennis grant with
UNC-Wilmington. Chuck Brown, although not officially
signing, did sign a letter-of-intent to play basketball at
jir Stole.
Brown's letter ended many months of speculation us
to where the Scorpion standout would continue his
basketball career after being the most sought-after eager
in Brunswick County.
Midget Girls Win State Title
The Brunswick County All-Stars u/nn iiu> muiuo!
Girls State Softball championship with a 5-5 win over
r,?st Duv'idsoii at Wilmington. Pltcner l.a5uondH Gnssett
was named most valuable player.
I I / ? I _ A ! 1 V
liiiic t-cuyuc /-\il~sjiuis
Jiri'uny Johnson was named Brunswick County Little
league Baseball most valuable player In July. Johnson
led the Cardinals to another league titie w'niie also being
named the most valuable pitcher with a 5-0 record.
Named to the league's all-star team were Jimmy
Hewett, Matt Abbott, Wayne Cassidy, Shane Holden,
Chris Robinson, Chris Bland, Cliris Morgan, Jarvis Herring,
Johnson, Raymond Howard, Nell Ward, I ,uke Upchurch,
Scott Qualntance and Jody Clemmons.
Athletes Successful In College
A number of former Brunswick County athletes had
successful years on the college level. Former Trojan pitcher
Greg Pickett was named All-Dixie Conference after
a 6-0 year on the mound for Methodist College in Fayetteville.
Pickett finished with a 2.37 ERA and helped lead
Methodist to a 37-7 record on the NCAA Divison II ievei.
Included in Pickett's 6-0 record was a one-hitter against
Savannah State early in the season.
Former .South Brunswick football standout Jo Jo
White broke the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
(CIAA) career rushing record of 3,843 set by Tlmrny
Newson, now with the Dallas Cowboys. White broke the
old mark with 206 yards on the ground in a 54-0 win over
Bowie State in October to bring his rushing total to 3,92?
yards.
Another former Cougar grid star, Ned Thigpen, was
named Lenoir-Rhyne College player of the week in the
Bear's 28-20 loss to defending national champion CarsonNewman.
ThigDen was honored for hi? nl?t/ nn
teams.
Lees-McKae freshman Jeff Sholar was named to the
All-Region X Junior College football team. Sholar was a
standout at North Brunswick under conch Tom r'arrar
prior to playing with Lees-McRae,
Football Improvements
W?i Rnn-Mwick finished with the best football record
in iiir at W ami luilaleu iiiiiu In tie Tmcc rvivcia
Conference with a 2-2 mark. It was the first winning
seascr. for the Trojans in three years after back-to-back
1-9 seasons
c w rj _i..L c t . ift
yu*r unA North Rnin?wirk fell t/i n dlvaOpolr.UflV 4-6
season after winning four of it* first five games
Buff kin Wins Scoring Title
West Brunswick's James Buffkin won the county
football scoring title in a runaway with 14 touchdowns
ind five two-point converuora and H total point* Included
in Buffkins play was a I our-touchdown performance in
he Trojans' 36-J4 win over West Columbus
- MM
THE BRUN
REVIEW
k/C Ww-.- Cy
^ i ctui ii i v^ji
All-County Grid Teams
West Brunswick led the Beacon's annual AllP?.?*
" " *
ui vn?o?Tivf\ vuuiiij' iwiuan squ?a wiui nine seiecuons
while South placed eight and North seven to the team.
From West were Keith Stanley, Buffkin, Matt Gore,
Mike King, Jarrett Elliott, Tony Ward, Torn Brown and
Dave Andrews.
From South were I .a try Galloway, Leo Bohland,
Scott Rhode, John Spencer, Bryan Galloway, Danny
Howard, Quinton McCracken and Mark Kames.
From North were Mike Blanks, Junior King, Mitchell
Stevens, Jackie Bullard, Lanier Sloan and Ix?vi Moore.
All-TRC Football, Tennis
Seven Trojans received All-Three Rivers Conference
honors in football and glris tennis in November. Receiving
football honors were Stanley, Buffkin, King and
EUiott while Gina Howard. Jill Hewett and April Causey
ivrvlr fnnnle hnnnrc
Galloway Named Cougar MVP
tarry Galloway was named South Brunswick football
mast valuable player at the Cougars football banquet
in December. The senior played both linebacker and was
the leading rusher for the Cougars. Speaking at the South
banquet was former NFL and N.C. State quarterback
Roman Gabriel.
~ 61
AUlOMATii
ON YOUR '85
ORPIVMOV
SS^ -
HU tAIKA
W'QMATiG TR
Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries K
for 1985?newly restyled, sixpassenger
comfort, front-wheel
drive economy, ond best of all you
can now got yours with an
automatic transmission at no extra
chargo.
Thanks to Plymouth and Dodge,
ireo auTornutiL irunsinisSiOnS have
THE BEST OF THE BIG CAR
I See our
Ibesf-ever selection ?1
All rotors A oau
iaiucct ddir
hW ?W b?# BmOb
REMAINING '8
2 Ford Escorts
1 Mercury Cougar
RUSSpPv/
754 434\
f >?w? r?*
DnMHBNBHMMVPIMMMnnMMMMMIHHM
SWICK BEACON, Thursday, January 10, 1985?Page 7-B
IWMO
Champion Wins 100th
nusi munswicx MsKctUall coach Ronnie Champion
won his 100th career win while at West Brunswick just
before Christmas break in a 61-59 win over North Myrtle
Beach, S.C. The win coincs in Champion's sixth season
with the Trojans.
Alignment Finalized
In what will probably have the biggest effect on
Brunswick County sports in 1985, the prep conference
alignment by the North Carolina High School Athletic
Assocation (NCHSAA) received its final drafting in
December in C'napei Hiii.
Speaking in more local terms, this alignment moved
all three county high schools into the same conference for
the first time ever. Three schools of the Three Rivers
Conference (West Brunswick, East Bladen and West Columbus)
were moved from 5-A classification to the 2-A
level and will join South ami North Brunswick, Fairmont,
South Robeson and WhlteviUe to give the East Waeeamaw
Conference an eight-team field.
The remaining teams from the TRC, Clinton and
Pender, also dropped to the 2-A level to ioin the East reu.
tral Conference. Meanwhile, Hnllsboro and Tabot City
(formerly with the KWC) dropped to the 1-A Tri-County
Conference.
Although finalised in December, the new alignments
will not take effect until the 1985-86 school year.
ET 1
B SAVINGS |
DODGE ARSIS
M RELIANT!
W lmYsu.n
y*/jfjA13
i Plymouth
f CHARGE |
AHSmiSSiGHS
been modo ovaiioblo to us. Ask how
wo can pass it along to you for no
extra charge.
Select the Plymouth Reliant or the
Dodge Aries K you want and mako
your best doal while the savings are
possible and tho selection is best.
u ...An'i U*i
t i u i jr , if ?? ui i i iux i v# wj .
15 to choose from.
iamont notions.
a
cc cycp qm |
4s IN STOCK:
1 Thunderbird
1 Dodge 50 4WD
D-CHRYSLER
V\OUTH DODGE
Shcillofte