SportsTalk: Henderson Native Kaci Roberson Staying Busy With Softball At Pembroke

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Confidence on the softball field is something that Henderson native Kaci Roberson certainly doesn’t lack.  She is a senior at UNC-Pembroke and has spent most of her life playing softball.  “Softball was my number one sport growing up.  I’ve been playing since I was four years old,” Roberson says.  All of those years on field has certainly been a factor in building that confidence.

Roberson, the daughter of Henderson’s Mike and Tina Roberson, played three sports at Oxford Prep from where she graduated in 2019.  She played basketball and volleyball but softball has always been here favorite she said on Wednesday’s SportsTalk.  One reason she didn’t pursue other sports is due to her short stature.  At 5′ 2″, she is much better suited for softball.

UNC-Pembroke is off to a 3-1 conference record so far this year and Roberson thinks they will have a very good season.  The team is coming off an historic comeback against Belmont Abbey.  Pembroke was trailing 13-1 going into the fifth inning but turned the game around and eventually won in eight innings, 15-14.  “We just said to keep it simple and get the ball in play,” Roberson said of the comeback.  “I knew we could do it,” she added.

Roberson started off in the outfield for Pembroke but now plays infield either at third base, second base or at shortstop.

When she’s not on the field playing softball, which she said is a year round commitment, she is busy hitting the books which doesn’t leave much time for family and friends except for holidays. “I push myself in the fall and take the most challenging courses then because we are on the road so much in the spring,” Roberson said of her studies.

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SportsTalk: Local High School Programs Struggling With Bad Weather

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Talk to Ray Noel, Athletic Director at Vance County High School, or Mike Joyner, Athletic Director at Kerr Vance Academy, and both men will tell you the same thing.  Weather has slowed Spring sports to a crawl.  “We need games,” said Ray Noel on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  “The weather has been unforgiving,” Noel added.  Vance County’s softball team is currently 1-4 but failed to get in games with Louisburg High this week because of the wet conditions. The baseball team has only played one game this season, a win against Triangle Science and Math over a week ago.

Rain is not the only problem.  Wet conditions that persist long after the rain stops is also an issue for those on the baseball or softball diamond.  The cool cloudy conditions have not allowed for much drying of the fields this week.  Soccer at Vance County can deal with some wet conditions and the Vipers’ girls soccer team is 0-2 in the conference but are playing hard.  The squad has two seniors and are coming off of a split with Louisburg High School in non-conference play.

Noel also looks forward to the beginning of track season.  The Vipers’ track team has it’s first meet scheduled for March 29th.

Meanwhile, over at Kerr Vance Academy the boys’ baseball team is 1-2.  “We are young but we will be ok,” Joyner said.  The school’s first conference game is scheduled for Friday.  KVA has already had two baseball games rained out.  Soccer has had one game rained out, and the golf team has yet to tee it up this year due to inclement weather.

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SportsTalk: Downey Losing Eight Seniors From 2022-23 Team

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Even though Vance Charter’s boy’s basketball team didn’t win a state championship, Coach Taron Downey is proud of the team’s achievement of going to the state playoffs for the last two consecutive years.  It’s also nice to be recognized for the hard work!  Downey was voted as Coach of the Year for the Triangle North Conference.  “It’s an honor and a privilege to be a coach,” Downey said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.

The off season now gets started with conditioning and weight training, but Downey has a little recovering to do himself after his own injury on the basketball court.  While his injury may not be serious, he is getting some serious ribbing from his players.

Speaking of his players, next season Coach Downey will have to replace eight seniors.  “While we are losing those players, we have a core group of four or five players who will be returning,” Downey says. He also expects to pick up quite a few JV players next season for the Vance Charter Squad.

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SportsTalk: Rigsbee Relies On Youth For KVA Baseball

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Kerr-Vance Academy’s young baseball team is coming off of a 4-1 win over East Wake Academy on Wednesday.  While it was a good win for Kerr-Vance, Coach Mike Rigsbee knows his team is very young.  “We are young but we are talented,” Rigsbee said on SportsTalk on Thursday.  “We are relying on our junior and our sophomores,” Rigsbee continued.  Junior, as in singular. Kerr-Vance’s team only has one junior this year and no seniors at all. The team is also made up of three sophomores, five freshmen along with two 8th graders and one 7th grader.

“Our older kids embrace the younger ones. Kids start at a young age and they have to hustle and control their emotions,” Rigsbee explained.  Youth is not all he has to be concerned with though as weather is playing a factor.  With recent rains leaving the Kerr Vance field drenched, the upcoming game against Thales Academy is likely to be postponed. Rigsbee said the field at Kerr Vance is notorious for poor drainage.

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Oxford Prep School

SportsTalk: Hammett Optimistic About Oxford Prep Spring Sports

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Oxford Prep Athletic Director John Hammett’s teams are coming off a strong winter sports season. Both boys and girls basketball teams made the state playoffs and, for the first time in school history, a swimmer made the State meet.  According to Hammett, “We have a good group of girls who got better as the season went along,” in reference to the girl’s basketball team. Now Hammett turns his attention to spring.  The baseball team at Oxford Prep is off to a strong start defeating Granville Central this week 14-3 but, with only one senior, they are very young.  “Health is a big challenge because we only have  11 players,” Hammett said.

The girl’s softball team is also off to a solid start defeating Louisburg High School 6-0 earlier this week.  “They’ve got a chance to be real good,” Hammett said of the team which has quite a few returning players.  On Tuesday of next week, they will take on county rival Oxford Webb.

As for soccer, having plenty of players isn’t a problem.  Hammett said there are 23 girls on the squad.  The soccer team, unfortunately, is coming off a loss to Falls Lake.

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SportsTalk: Vance Charter Girls Advance To Second Round

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“My job is to ruin the fun,” according to Brian Howard, Head Coach of the girl’s basketball team at Vance Charter School.  His was referring to his team becoming over confident after advancing to the second round of the state playoffs. “Our confidence level is always high. Every year we expect to make the playoffs,” Howard added.  This year is no different.  After defeating North Edgecombe 58-27 in the first round Vance Charter will now face a very competitive Clover Garden school tonight at 6pm. This is a home game for Vance Charter.

Howard says their team is built on defense but would like to see his girls play a little harder in the first half.  “We are a strong second half team,” Howard said. In his fifth year as coach Howard feels like the program has come together.  “Everybody’s playing for each other and everybody’s playing together,” said Howard.  Once again, their game against Clover Garden is at 6pm tonight (Thursday) at Vance Charter.

 

Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Crossroads Christian Girls Play For State Championship Saturday

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It may be a few days early to cue up Queen’s “We Are the Champions” but, Crossroads Christian Athletic Director Scottie Richardson hopes the girl’s basketball team comes home Saturday as champions.  It will be the first time the girl’s team has played in a championship game.  The game against Northside Christian Academy will take place at a neutral site, Calvary Day School in Winston-Salem.  “We knew we had all the pieces,” Richardson said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.

With only two seniors and one junior, the team was young but those younger players have played great and are lead by Izzy Thorpe.  After blowing out #1 seed Pungo 67-28 in the final four Crossroads has now made it farther than any girl’s basketball team in school history.  Richardson says the entire school is excited for the team.  Once again, that game is Saturday in Winston-Salem at Calvary Day School.  Game time is 6pm.

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SportsTalk: Carolina Hurricanes Outdoor Hockey Success

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To understand more about the success of last Saturday’s outdoor hockey event, we caught up with John Brockwell, radio producer and engineer, for the Carolina Hurricanes Radio Network.

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Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Thorpe Surpasses The 1000 Points Mark

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One thousand points is a lot in the game of basketball and to achieve that level is a significant accomplishment, one that Israel Thorpe should be proud of.  The senior Crossroads Christian point guard has now done that but she wasn’t aware of the milestone until her coach, Cammy Simmons, called a time out after her 1000th point. “I was focused on the game,” Thorpe said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  “The students were aware,” added Crossroads Athletic Director Scottie Richardson.

Her scoring milestone also points to her focus on and off the field.  She has a 3.9 gpa to go along with her skills on the court.  “If I’m not at the gym I’m doing school work,” Thorpe said.  This doesn’t leave much time for a social life. “That’s OK with me because I’m bettering my life,” Thorpe added. After this year, Thorpe will be going to Cairn University near Pittsburgh to continue her basketball career.

Crossroads, who is seeded 4th in the state playoffs, is having their most successful season of girl’s basketball in school history.  Previously the most wins had been nine but this season they have twenty-three victories and are hoping for a few more in the state playoffs. A championship to go along with the 1000 points would certainly make Thorpe’s senior year a memorable one.

 

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Israel Terry And Chris Jones Sign Letters Of Intent

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Vance County High School had a very successful 2022 football campaign making it into the state playoff and two of the reasons why are senior wide receiver Israel Terry and defensive star Chris Jones. Both young men have signed letters of intent to play college ball, Terry at Winston-Salem State and Jones with Barton in Wilson.

“It feels like home,” Terry said of Winston-Salem State where he is considering majoring in either the business field or sports training. About the challenges of moving up to the college level Terry says, “I just need to stay focused and locked on goals. I’m just an athlete and I’ll do what the coaches ask.” Terry also said he expects to play receiver for Winston-Salem State. At some point, he may even have to face another Vance Co. graduate, his brother Noah, across the field. Noah plays cornerback for Shaw University.

Jones, who athletic director Ray Noel called modest, will be heading to Barton. While primarily a defensive player with the Vipers, he did play running back on offense but at Barton he will be focusing on defense. “I want to be where I can make the plays,” Jones said about his preference for offense of defense.

Both players say Vance County’s success on the football field comes down to buying into the program that Coach Aaron Elliot put together. It allowed the team to bond. “Vance County (High School) is on the rise,” Jones said.

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