Former Eagle signs pro contract CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT Former North Carolina Central University outfielder Marcus Mack has signed a professional baseball contract with the Utica Brewmas(en> of the New York State League of Professional Baseball. The sweet-swinging lefty out of Fayetteville, recorded a .330 batting average (38-for 115) in 43 games during his senior season, while adding 45 runs scored, 29 runs baited in. four dou bles, s i x triples. Mack three home runs, 42 walks and 37 stolen bases. Among NCAA Division II leaders during the 2007 campaign. Mack ranked third in stolen bases (0.86 per game), fifth in walks (0.98 per game) and 14th in triples (0.14 per game). The New York State League conducted a three-day tryout which started on June 27 with 1 ,500 athletes in three different cities. Mack was one of the 80 players selected for the league draft, which was held on July 1 . After a practice the next day. Mack was the starting designated hitter for the Brewmasters in their sea son-opener on July 3, which drew a crowd of 2,776 fans. The New York State League is a professional base ball league designed to offer first year players who have fin ished their collegiate eligibility the opportunity to advance to higher level independent leagues. The four teams in the league will play a 50-game schedule at Murnane Field in Utica, N.Y. The season will finish with a championship game on Aug. 31. For more information about the New York State League of Professional Baseball, visit www.nystateleague .com . Late Nite squads hustling for top spot BY MIC HAEL CONRAD AND ANTHONY HILL THE CHRONICLE 1 1 's on as usual at 14th Street Recreation Center, with the Late Nile Basketball season in full swing. A week after the fourth of July cele bration and squads were still lighting fireworks in the gym. This week has already offered a rematch of last year's championship game, several second-half come backs and an adequate col lection of other intense match ups. The action continues tonight when Platinum Palace plays a big and talent ed Syracuse Style team at 7:30. The fundamentally sound Syndicate will play Run & Gun at 8:30 p.m. On Monday, WWW (Winston World Wide) took down the Young G's, 32-22. Run and Gun completely ran past Platinum Palace. 58-35. Monday's most exciting game had to be the One and Done versus Hot Boy'z match up. "The Hot Boy'z and One and Done game was good." said Late Nile director Rob Little. "I expected that to be an intense game. They usual ly play, each other tough. It was a rematch from the championship game, and it always has that type of feel about it. 1 thought the Hot Boy'z played well enough to win. They had the lead early, but they had some coaching controversy in the second half. I think that messed them up a little bit. One and Done got kind of hot on them too." One and Done 45, Hot Boy'z 42: The Hot Boy'z jumped off to a great start, but the defending champs proved to be too much for the Hot Boy'z in the end. One and Done slipped by the Hot Boy'z in double overtime, 45-42. Despite the great finish by One and Done, the Hot Boy's had a chance to send the game into a third over time. Mike "Petey" Noel missed a wide open 3-point basket as time was about to expire. Josh Pittman led One and Done with a solid 15 points. Danny Gathings contributed with 8 points, eight rebounds and three assist. John Rumley had a strong second half for One and Done, applying great defense and smart dis tribution. One and Done presently sits on top of the standings with an undefeated record. Jon Jon Adams and Whit Holeomb-Faye paced the Hot Boy'* with 12 points apiece On Tuesday. Syracuse Style narrowly slipped by a shorthanded Syndicate squad, 68-65 in double over time. The Syndicate played the two overtimes with only four players, and held the lead for while. Several bailers had good games for both squads, especially Syndicates' Andy Snow. Flagge Stanfield and Ray Bristow. For Syracuse Style. big Adrian Harrison and Jay Nofflett played strong. They also had great play from Kenny "Tap Voodoo" Allison and Mitch Jackson. Jackson has played great all season for Syracuse Style, also known as Da Cuse . AOG 53. New Jump Off 45 Former Missouri point guard Ricky Clemmons puts on a ball handling clinic almost every time he and AOG hit the floor. Tuesday nights session was against New Jump Off anl1 Clemmons was ready to take the feisty MLK team to school. ? . . Clemmons led AOG with 18 points in a 8-point victory AOG's Donte Ferry took the show early with high-flying tip ins and putbacks. He left the game late in the first halt after tweaking his knee. New Jump Off kept the game relatively close in the first half, though. Nardo "Black" Davis put on a jump shooting show to pace New Jump Off. AOG held a slim. 23-19 lead at halftime. New Jump Off made the score 38 37 late in the game. That's when Clemmons sealed the deal and the victory for AOG Will Perry, Keon Johnson and Charles "The Kernal" Kearns also played well for the winners. Note: Wednesday games are not reported on due to deadline. Late Nite games are played Monday through Thursday. The league play offs will Win July 26 at 14 Street Recreation Center. -T? \ Photo by Charlie Pf?f Syndicates guard Darryl Myer dribbles past Milch Jackson. Mouzon fiom page B1 1 " they announced her in first place. I started crying. Her God parents were there to see it too. Everyone was so happy." Morea Mouzon scored a 9.15 on bars for first place. She tallied a score of 8.70 on beam for third place place, a 9.45 on floor exer cise for first place. Mouzon scored an all around first place with a score of 36.4. She also received a gym nastic magnet for first place in the head stand competi tion. "I was really surprised that I won too," Morea. "I was kind of nervous before we started. It was a little hard at first." Morea Mouzon had a lot more than nerves going against her prior to the competition. She was also nursing a slightly injured ankle heading into the com petition. "She had a little ankte injury prior to the competi tion," said Salem Gymnastic coach Jeff Devito. "I was actually sur prised that she was able to do so well. 1 thought for sure she'd be slower. She did very well." Gymnastics isn't any thing new to Morea, as she's been participating in the sport since she was 2 years old. "We actually got her started with gymnastics when she was six months old," said Jessica Mouzon. i!We got her in the little gymboree. She was just such an active baby. We also got her involved in swimming. She's received several ribbons (more than 30) from competitions at Salem Gymnastics. She's doing very well now. I think her coach is talking about moving her to a Level 3." Devito added: "She's actually already a Level 3. 11 .If,, Morea Mouzon She's absolutely a Level 3 already. She's got a bright future, but we still like to take things in small steps. I don't want her to burnout. That can come without many factors. So, we're taking things in small steps with Morea. But her future can be very bright. I told her parents that when she was 2 years old." "I saw a lot of potential back then," Devito contin ued. "There was certain ways that she rolled. You could also tell by the way she held the bars back then. She also listened very well, and trust what we were doing." Morea definitely enjoys participating in gymnastics. But she's also interested in a number of (ffher things. "I want to go to the Olympics one day," Morea said. "I watch gymnastics on TV sometime. But I don't really watch it much. I (also) like to dance. I like hop-hop dancing. I'm hav ing a lot of fun doing both ." Note: Morea Mouzon is the daughter of Willie and Jessica Mouzon and the sis ter of Willie Mouzon II. Morea, who's an honor roll student, is a rising second grader at First Assembly Christian School. She attends church at Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist, church. BELIEVING IN YOURSELF IS STRONG. ACHIEVING WHAT YOU NEVER BELIEVED POSSIBLE IS ARMY STRONG. There's strong. And then there's Army Strong. There is no limit to the things you can learn from one of over 150 career opportunities available to you in the Army. You can also receive money for .college. To find out more, visit your local recruiter, log on to goarmy.com or call 1-800-USA-ARMY. ? U.S. ARMY ) ARMY STRONG. See your local Army Recruiter or Check us ouJ^atjwv^.goarmy^conr^ mam 1 :Ml atte-.-.j j vffj^fcS^SjBPWF" Are you ready to be Army Strong? ?25 251 r *"+*<* Ipr bV tK? United States Army AM r Iqhtt' VSHH