TheSunNews.com: Sports

West Brunswick's season of improvement ends in North Carolina playoffs

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:37 EST

West Brunswick will have to settle for gradual progress in 2009.

The Trojans, just two years removed from a winless season, fell 28-7 to Fayetteville Douglas Byrd Friday night at M.H. Rourk Stadium in the second round of the N.C. Class 3-A state playoffs.

Their season ended at 8-4 following a 6-6 campaign last year.

Myrtle Beach flying high, drubs North Charleston behind Golson's 8 TD passes

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:55 EST

Myrtle Beach High quarterback Everett Golson must have spent a lot of time stewing over not throwing a touchdown pass for the first time all season last week.

The junior phenom more than made up for it Friday night by throwing eight touchdown passes in a 55-13 victory over North Charleston in the third round of the Class AAA playoffs.

"I felt like we really jelled tonight. All year we have talked about peaking, but we really haven't done it [until tonight]," said Golson, who completed 27-of-36 passes for 444 yards for career highs in both yardage and touchdowns. "It looks like an individual stat, but it really wasn't. It was a team stat."

Coastal Carolina program a model for others

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:34 EST

In the years following Coastal Carolina's meteoric rise, the university became a popular stop for fledgling programs hoping to duplicate its success.

Coaches from two programs in particular, FCS Old Dominion and Division II UNC Pembroke, spent time with coach David Bennett and his assistants, picking their brains on everything from building a roster to building relations in the community.

Yet Bennett didn't hand over the blueprints. Instead, he encouraged them to enhance his strategy.

Clemson's Spiller to light up Death Valley for one last time

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:23 EST

When C.J. Spiller stands beside Howard's Rock for his solo, Senior Day run down Clemson's famed hill today, he won't think about the friends he's made, the highlight reels he's filled or the nearly four miles he's run since picking the Tigers four seasons ago.

He'll focus, as he always has, on the 60 minutes ahead and guaranteeing his Tigers come out on top.

"It might be emotional, it might not," Spiller said. "Once the game starts, I'll block all that out. My objective will be to position myself to help my team win [today]."

Coastal Carolina football's Shirley charged with driving under the influence

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:23 EST

A Coastal Carolina football player was charged early Thursday with driving under the influence.

Austin Shirley, 22, was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 3:16 a.m., jail records show. He was later released on a personal recognizance bond.

He was arrested by Conway police near the intersection of U.S. 501 and Singleton Ridge Road about 1:45 a.m., police said.

Today's Coastl Carolina men's basketball game breakdown

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:23 EST

Voorhees (N/A) at Coastal Carolina (2-1)

Time | 2 p.m.

Location | Kimbel Arena, Conway

Coastal Carolina-Charleston Southern game breakdown

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:35 EST

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (5-5,3-2 Big South) vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers (5-5,3-2 Big South)

Series | Coastal leads 4-2, losing once in Charleston (2005) and once in Conway (2008).

Weather | 65 degrees at kickoff; Chance of rain: 20 percent; Winds:10 mph.

Auto racing notes: Mayfield holds auction to help fund legal fight

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:39 EST

Jeremy Mayfield sat in the back of his large barn Friday morning about 800 miles from where NASCAR's season-ending weekend was kicking off. Several hundred people surrounded him, listening intently as a fast-speaking auctioneer sold dozens of items.

Banned from driving by NASCAR after testing positive for methamphetamines, Mayfield has become an auction fanatic. Only this time, he was selling his own stuff, ranging from a second home, land, cars, dirt bikes and bulldozers to weed-whackers, humidifiers and sunglasses.

If it was all sold by the end of the day it would be worth about $5 million, money needed to help his ongoing court fight to be reinstated to the sport.

Clemson cruises to win over UNC Greensboro

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:38 EST

If this is what passes for a tight game for No. 22 Clemson, the Tigers will take it.

For the first time, a team kept it closer than 40 points against them - but it still wasn't enough to test them for 40 minutes.

As a result, Clemson routed North Carolina-Greensboro 89-67 on Friday night behind a season-high 17 points from Trevor Booker.

Panthers have tough road after loss to Dolphins

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:14 EST

From Jake Delhomme's struggles to suspect tackling to key injuries and just plain bad luck, there are plenty of reasons for Carolina's 4-6 record.

It shouldn't, however, be a surprise. Following a playoff season with a dud is all the Panthers have known in their 15-year history.

Thursday's 24-17 loss to Miami followed the familiar script. Coming off an impressive win over Atlanta, the Panthers fell flat as a home favorite against a team without its top running back and a banged-up offensive line.

Auto racing roundup: Johnson to start on the pole Sunday

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:39 EST

Jimmie Johnson will go for his fourth straight Cup title from the pole.

Johnson turned a lap of 173.919 mph to win the pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He qualified first Friday hours after it was announced he signed a contract extension to drive for Hendrick Motorsports through the 2015 season.

Scott Speed was second. Marcos Ambrose was third. Mark Martin and Tony Stewart round out the top five.

College basketball roundup: Syracuse rolls past Tar Heels

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:36 EST

Brandon Triche and Arinze Onuaku combined for 13 points in Syracuse's 22-1 run to open the second half and the Orange went on to a 87-71 victory over No. 6 North Carolina on Friday night in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.

The Orange (4-0) were the only unranked team in the semifinals of the tournament that benefits Coaches vs. Cancer but they left Madison Square Garden with blowout wins over No. 13 California and the Tar Heels (4-1).

North Carolina had a 39-37 halftime lead but that was gone in a hurry as Triche and Onuaku had field goals in the first 40 seconds. By the time the run ended 8 minutes into the second half, Syracuse had a 59-40 lead.

National sports in brief

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:40 EST

Top Story

NBA

Knicks' answer: No to Iverson

Clemson (7-3, 5-2 ACC) vs. Virginia (3-7, 2-4)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:13 EST

Five things to watch

Over the hump | A Boston College loss in its final two games also would clinch the Atlantic Division title for Clemson. But the Tigers would clearly prefer to get there on their own terms.

Over the hill | It will be the last pre-game run down "The Hill" for 19 seniors, nine of whom are starters. So the juices will be flowing for a number of key components to this team, including lineman Thomas Austin, tight end Michael Palmer, receiver Jacoby Ford and defensive end Ricky Sapp. But seeing how the Death Valley crowd greets running back C.J. Spiller for the final time figures to rank among the day's most memorable moments.

Rain postpones play at LPGA; Westwood leads in Dubai

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:13 EST

Sophie Gustafson moved within two shots of leader Lorena Ochoa at the LPGA Tour Championship on Friday before second-round play was suspended because of bad weather.

Rain swamped the Houstonian Golf and Country Club before dawn and the start of the second round was pushed back six hours. The tournament resumed at 1 p.m., but light rain started falling about two hours later and play was halted for the day at 5:05 p.m. with darkness approaching.

Ochoa didn't play on Friday after shooting a 6-under 66 early Thursday. She will start her second round at daybreak today. Conway native Kristy McPherson was among those who didn't get to play Friday. She is three strokes back.

Scores

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:13 EST

LPGA Tour Championship

At The Houstonian Golf & Country Club

Richmond, Texas

Johnson takes strategic approach to schedule

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:13 EST

Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson has settled on his tentative early season 2010 PGA Tour schedule.

It includes seven of the first eight tournaments of the year, including five straight, but does not include the Verizon Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island from April 15-18, the week after the Masters.

The Heritage, the only PGA Tour event in South Carolina, is one of only two tournaments in which Johnson has missed the cut in each of his first two seasons on tour. The other is the Shell Houston Open the week before the Masters, and he's leaving that one off the schedule as well. Harbour Town is a tight, tree-lined course that places more emphasis on accuracy than length, and doesn't seem to suit the game of one of the PGA Tour's longest hitters.

Golson utilizes wide array of competent targets

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:14 EST

Everett Golson missed out on a golden opportunity.

The strong-armed Myrtle Beach junior quarterback long ago could have decided to take advantage of a receiving corps so deep it takes two hands to count them. He could have chosen to make his game-night passing decisions based on which receiver showered him with the best gifts.

Instead he chose the "straight-up" route.

Coastal Carolina AD candidate Yurachek strives to lead program

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:06 EST

When Mack Rhoades was named the athletic director at Houston last June, one of his first tasks was to convince his right-hand man at Akron, Hunter Yurachek, to follow him.

Rhoades tried "extremely hard" to persuade Yurachek, who became Akron's interim athletic director after Rhoades' departure, to trade Ohio for Texas, but he was never successful.

"He would have been a great fit here," Rhoades said. "I'm thrilled with the person that we hired, but because I had worked with Hunter for three years and knew his capabilities, I absolutely tried to get him here."

Coastal Carolina football team has not forgotten '08 finale

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:12 EST

Injured and unable to play, Coastal Carolina safety Dominique Davenport had plenty of opportunities to scoreboard watch in the second half of the 2008 season finale against Charleston Southern.

As the game wore on, that became increasingly more painful for Davenport and Co., especially over the last eight minutes of the game, when the Brooks Stadium scoreboard read: Charleston Southern 24, Coastal Carolina 0.

"At that point there were a lot of things going through your head," Davenport said. "You're just kind of wondering how it got like this. ... We didn't play like Coastal football had ever played. That's a big rivalry for us, and to go into the locker room 0-0 and to lose 24-0, that left a bad taste in my mouth."