La
4
The Kings Mountain Herald
January 3, 2008
Moss retirement, Childers’ records big sports stories of ‘07
Sports in Kings Mountain had
its high and low points during
the calendar year 2007, but
many teams and individuals
excelled.
Probably the biggest sports
story was John Henry Moss,
who announced that he was
retiring December 31 after 50
years as President of the South
Atlantic League.
Moss, who spent 23 1/3 years
as,mayor of the city and earned
a reputation nationwide as the
“Mayor with the Midas Touch”
because of his knack of receiv-
ing federal grants, devoted
most of his life to baseball and
earned the title - and in fact was
once crowned “King of
Baseball.”
Moss began a love affair with
baseball as a kid when he
would walk from his home on
the Park Yarn Mill hill to see
high school and American
Legion games at the old City
Stadium that was located near
Deal Street.
He began promoting sporting
events and spent some of his
early adult years as general
Wonderful Colors &
Sites For All Ages!
manager of several professional
baseball and football teams. He
returned home to Kings
Mountain and in the late 1940s
organized the semi-pro Kings
Mountain Vets and later the
professional Western Carolinas
League. The WCL eventually
became the South Atlantic
League, adopting the name of
the longtime Sally League.
Moss was recently honored
by the city with a reception at
the History Museum for serving
for 50 years as league president.
He also received several presti-
gious awards during the year,
including the inaugural
Baseball Digest Award of
Distinction, and is slated to be
honored even more early this
year for his accomplishments.
Not one to ever fully retire,
Moss recently organized and
was elected President of the
Cleveland County Sports
Commission, which will work
to bring top sporting events and
visitors to the county.
Perhaps his major accom-
plishment of 2008 will be find-
ing a site for the SAL Hall of
NOW!
80,000
square Feet
of Bargains
Fame, of which he is a member.
Many other individuals con-
tinued to make sports news
during the year, adding to the
highlights of their careers.
The one that would have to be
named Athlete of the Year in
Kings Mountain was KMHS
softball pitcher
Childers, who completed a bril-
liant four-year career by leading
the Lady Mounties to a third
place finish in the state 3A tour-
nament.
Childers completed her high
school career with a 93-8 pitch-
ing record and 1,284 strikeouts.
Her sophomore and junior
years she pitched the Mounties
to the state championship. She
is now a freshman pitcher for
USC Upstate.
Childers was voted
Conference Player of the Year
for an unprecedented fourth
straight season.
Dremiel Byers of Kings
Mountain helped his U.S.
Greco-Roman wrestling team
win its first ever world champi-
onship in Russia. Byers has won
numerous U.S. Open and World
9-5 Monday - Saturday ¢ Closed Sunday
Morgan
By Lazboy Kidz™
CE
titles in the heavyweight divi-
sion, and has come up just one
point shy of qualifying for the
Olympics in the last three
Olympic Trials. With the retire-
ment of former Gold Medal
winner Rulon Gardner, Byers
will be the leading contender
for the U.S. Olympic berth in
the future.
Shonda Cole of Kings
Mountain completed her four-
year volleyball career at the
University of South Carolina by
being named Honorable
Mention All-American. She
holds numerous records both at
USC and Kings Mountain High
School, where she was a two-
time State Player of the Year
She is currently playing profes-
sional volleyball in Europe.
Other sports highlights of the
year:
KMHS lineman Logan
Hardin signed to play football
at Elon University.
The KMHS boys repeated as
SWC swimming champions.
Wesley Bell, Tyler Hellstrand
and Jiris Toney of KMHS won
their weight class in the SWC
We Want To Make Your Young-One’s Room Exciting For
The Holidays & Beyond!
1} Days
LEN EE OLE
wrestling tournament.
Darrell Van Dyke, Bruce
Clark, and the 1998 KMHS vol-
leyball and football teams were
inducted into the KM Sports
Hall of Fame.
KM'’s boys basketball team
qualified for the state 3A play-
offs for the first time in four
years, losing in the first round
to Hickory. The boys finished 8-
19 and the girls, who also made
the state playoffs, finished 13-
11
Sisters Morgan and Jordan
Childers combined for a perfect
game as the KMHS softball
team blanked Burns 7-0.
Greg Evans bowled the first-
ever 500 series in duckpin bowl-
ing at Dilling Heating.
The KMHS women’s soccer
team blanked Shelby 2-0 for its -
second straight SWC title.
L'Tisha Bell completed a bril-
liant four-year softball career at
Winston-Salem State University,
where she was a team leader in
hitting, defense and stolen
bases.
The KMHS men’s track team,
See Sports, Page 15