Coach Chris Hadlock’s Vikings are the second seed from the Cape Fear Valley Conference. They bring an 18-2-1 record into the program’s second state playoff appearance. They lost 3-2 at home to North Iredell last year.
Rockingham County is a wild-card selection from the Triad Conference. They finished fourth while compiling an overall record of 12-5-1. A Viking win will put them in a second-round match at Western Guilford, the regular-season champion of the Triad Conference, on Friday.
Union Pines finished the regular season tied for first place with Gray’s Creek. But a 1-0 loss to Harnett Central in the semifinals of the conference tournament allowed Gray’s Creek to land the first seed and a first-round bye in the state playoffs.
Union Pines is led offensively by the goal scoring of sophomore Heather Halstead (36 goals, 25 assists), junior Jennifer Waldrep (13 goals, seven assists) and junior midfielder Ana Maria Quiros (five goals, 10 assists).
Goalkeeper Jessie Puszynski and sweeper Sara Savage have been in the center of a defense that has shut out 13 opponents.
Baseball Event Set
The Southern Pines Recreation and Parks Department will offer a local qualifying Major League Pitch, Hit & Run competition on Saturday, May 13, at the Memorial baseball field in Southern Pines.
This competition starts at 2 p.m., and is for youth 7-14 years of ages (age as of July 17, 2006). Proof of age must be shown when registering. Registration forms are available from the Web site www.southernpines.net/recreation.
For more information, call the department at 692-2463.
Patriot Hoops Camp
The Patriot Basketball Camp will be held in the Pinecrest High School Gym June 19-22.
Each session, directed by Pinecrest varsity boys’ basketball coach Mike Apple, will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The camp is open to all rising third- through ninth-grade boys and girls. It will be geared toward improving the individual and team basketball skills of the participants.
The cost per camper is $40. There will be guest speakers and each participant will receive a camp T-shirt. Additional information can be obtained by calling Apple at 692-6554.
Golf Talk Thursday
The guests on Thursday night’s edition of the Sandhills Golf Talk Show reads like a Who’s Who list of personalities from the Pinehurst-Southern Pines area.
Hosts Jon Hockaday, Joe Gay and Doug Thompson will spend the first hour of the show talking with Al Arrigoni, executive director of The First Tee of the Sandhills, Michael Dann, associate director of the Carolinas Golf Association headquartered in West End, Caleb Miles of the Pinehurst-Southern Pines-Aberdeen Convention & Visitors Bureau, and David Allen, coach of the Green Hope High School golf team.
The talk show, which debuted April 6, can be heard on WFJA Radio 105.5 FM from 7-9 p.m. each Thursday.
Falcons Win in Golf
The O’Neal School golf team won the 2-A Triad Athletic Conference Title with a team score of 314 at The Meadowlands in Winston-Salem Monday afternoon.
The Falcons’ Bert Subin was the medalist on the course set up at par-72, 6,323 yards with a round of 74.
Stefan Steckfus posted a 79 for the winner’s second best score.
The Falcon’s top-two players this season, Jack Ulrich and Michael McGowan, struggled to an 80 and 81, respectively.
Other O’Neal scores on the cool and wet day were an 86 by Lyman Woollens and an 87 by Mitchell Friesen. Westchester Academy finished second with a team total of 316, High Point Christian was third at 338 and Calvary Baptist at 356.
Conference Player of the Year Honors went to Troy Spencer of High Point Christian. O’Neal golfers named to the six-man all-conference team were Ulrich, McGowan and Subin.
“With the state tournament a week away at Mid South Club,” O’Neal coach Jon Hazelwood said, “we got a boost from some players we have been counting on. It gives us a lot of confidence knowing we can win even though our best players did not play their best.
“This should take the pressure off our young men knowing that their teammates will come through for them when they have an off day.
“I am looking forward to participating in an exciting state tournament where we are going to see many young talented players competing for the state trophy. Our team will be ready and I expect to see the best played golf of our year.”
