Robeson County's top 10 sports stories of 2022

Dec. 30—As 2022 comes to a close, there have been no shortage of big stories within the Robeson County sports community this year.

While many are worthy to be looked back on, here are the top 10 sports stories of the year.

1. St. Pauls girls basketball advances to 2A East Regional final

After knocking on the door of a deep playoff run for three seasons — including a 27-0 start in 2019-20, and an undefeated season in 2020-21 cut short by COVID-19 cases within the program — the St. Pauls girls basketball team finally reached the 2A East Regional final this year for the first time since 2000.

While the regional final itself was a 75-36 loss on March 5 to Farmville Central, which won its fourth straight regional championship, it doesn't diminish what the Lady Bulldogs accomplished to get there.

St. Pauls started 27-1, reaching the regional final with a 56-41 fourth-round playoff win on March 1 over East Bladen, a team which finished 26-4 with all four of its losses to the Bulldogs. Jakieya Thompson scored 18 points and Tamyra Council scored 17 for the Bulldogs, who were the No. 1 seed in the 2A East Regional.

The run completed a three-year stretch with a 67-3 record under Moses; he announced his resignation on June 5 and became an assistant coach at Western Kentucky University.

2. UNCP wins numerous conference championships

The year of 2022 was certainly a successful one department-wide for athletics at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Five teams won conference championships during the year.

It began with men's basketball, one of the school's signature programs, winning an outright regular-season conference title for the second time in its history, clinching the title on Feb. 24. The Braves finished the season at 27-4, advancing to the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The team was nationally ranked as high as fifth in the Feb. 8 coaches poll and Spencer Levi was named Conference Carolinas Player of the Year.

On April 4, UNCP's women's golf program won the Conference Carolinas championship, beating runner-up Mount Olive by 36 strokes while Georgia Page and Toni Blackwell finished as the top two individuals. Page was also named Conference Carolinas Scholar Athlete of the Year.

In the fall season, UNCP won three conference championships in an eight-day span. On Nov. 5, the Braves men's cross country squad won the team title at the Conference Carolinas Championships, and Joshua Chepkesir won his fifth individual conference title; women's runner Jackline Kosgei also won an individual crown. Chepkesir proceeded to win the NCAA Southeast Regional championship for a third time.

The Braves women's soccer team won its own title the next day, beating North Greenville 3-1 to win the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship for the second straight year. Junior midfielder Anna Grossheim won Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year, then was named to four All-American squads: two as a player, and two as a scholar.

On Nov. 13, the UNCP volleyball team won the Conference Carolinas Tournament at home in the English E. Jones Center, defeating Emmanuel 3-1. The Braves won the Conference Carolinas East Division championship in the regular season, just three years removed from a 49-game conference losing streak.

3. Lumberton hosts Dixie Youth World Series

For the third time since 2018, the Dixie Youth Baseball world descended on Lumberton for the organization's Division-I World Series, held Aug. 5-11 at the Dr. Raymond B. Pennington Athletic Complex.

More than 1,500 out-of-town visitors came to Lumberton to attend the event, contributing more than $800,000 to the local economy, according to the Lumberton Visitors Bureau.

Girard, Louisiana won the majors championship, with Cameron Guitterrez throwing a perfect game in the championship game against West Robeson, whose run that included a thrilling, walk-off, extra-innings win over Lumberton in front of a huge crowd on the third night of the tournament.

Montgomery, Alabama beat Hope Mills for the "O"Zone championship; Blythewood, South Carolina beat Mobile, Alabama for the AAA championship.

4. Hall replaces Richardson as UNCP head football coach

Shane Richardson has been a part of the UNC Pembroke football program for every season of its existence, first as the defensive coordinator then as head coach for the last nine seasons, but will not be a part of the team in 2023.

Athletic department officials announced Nov. 13 that Richardson's contract was not being renewed, leaving the head-coaching role vacant after the team went 5-6 in 2022.

Mark Hall was hired as the third head coach in the program's modern era, and was introduced at a press conference on Dec. 14. Hall, 42, comes to UNCP from Chowan after going 14-7 in two seasons as the Hawks' head coach.

5. Purnell Swett girls basketball/softball success

Not only did the Purnell Swett girls basketball and softball teams each have tremendous success in 2022, but there was a large overlap between the core of the two teams, with many of the same players in key roles for each.

The Lady Rams girls basketball team started the season 25-0; after winning the Robeson County Shootout in late 2021, the team won regular-season and tournament titles in the United-8 Conference, and reached the second round of the playoffs before a 57-55 loss to Green Level, nearly completing a 22-point comeback after a slow start. This team was the winningest basketball team, boys or girls, in school history.

The Rams have started the new season 9-1. Kylie Chavis has signed to play at UNC Wilmington and Natalie Evington has committed to UNC Pembroke.

Once basketball season turned to softball season, the Lady Rams were equally strong on the diamond, going 23-3 and winning the Robeson County Slugfest and United-8 regular-season and tournament championships. Purnell Swett lost to Fuquay-Varina in a 10-inning playoff heartbreaker, the second straight season they've been defeated in the third round by the Bengals. Four softball players signed to play collegiately.

6. High school coaching changes

As mentioned above, Mike Moses resigned as St. Pauls girls basketball coach on June 5 and became an assistant coach at Western Kentucky University. While that was arguably the biggest coaching change at the high school ranks locally this year, it certainly wasn't the only significant change.

Three of the county's five high school football programs saw a coaching change within the last year. In January, Lawrence Ches resigned on Jan. 18 after a successful run at Red Springs to become head coach at Heide Trask; Red Devils alum and former Goldsboro head coach Tim Ray was named as Ches' successor on Feb. 8.

After the fall season, Lonnie Cox resigned from Fairmont on Oct. 31; St. Pauls assistant coach Jeremy Carthen was named as his replacement on Dec. 14. Lumberton fired Adam Deese on Nov. 10; his replacement has not yet been announced.

In girls basketball, Moses was replaced by former assistant coach Jaymar Thompson; Red Springs also made a change, as alum Tenisha McArthur replaced William Judd.

7. William McGirt takes step back from pro golf

Fairmont native William McGirt lost his full membership status on the PGA Tour at the end of the 2022 season after 12 seasons playing at golf's highest level, and has stated intentions to play no more than a few events moving forward.

McGirt was playing on a 29-start major medical extension on the Tour after returning in 2020 from a hip injury which kept him off the course competitively for nearly two years. He did not meet the requirements of the extension to keep his full-time Tour status, and also did not finish in the top 125 in this year's FedExCup standings, which would have also maintained his membership, placing 181st. He also failed to regain his membership during three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals, finishing outside the requisite top 25.

McGirt, a father of two, has stated multiple times that even if he maintained his full membership on Tour he would likely play a limited schedule moving forward to allow him to spend more time with his family. He does, however, have conditional status for the 2022-23 season, as a past tournament champion ranked 151st to 200th in last season's standings, which will result in a few Tour starts; he missed the cut in the first such start, the Bermuda Championship in late October.

McGirt has made over $11 million playing the PGA Tour, with one win at the 2016 Memorial Tournament.

8. Darren Bowen selected in MLB Draft

Red Springs High School graduate and UNC Pembroke baseball player Darren Bowen was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 13th round of the MLB Draft on July 19.

Bowen became the first Robeson County native to be drafted since the San Diego Padres took Fairmont High School product Michael Bass out of UNC Wilmington in 2013. Bowen is UNCP's 15th all-time draft selection and the fourth in coach Paul O'Neil's tenure after earning a team-high nine saves and striking out 84 batters in 54 2/3 innings in the 2022 college season.

River Ryan, who was UNCP's previous draft pick in 2021 by the Padres, was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 28 for major-league veteran Matt Beaty.

9. PSRC facilities upgrades

All five Robeson County high schools saw their facilities upgraded in 2022. The largest project, the Red Springs Athletic Complex, is nearing completion and is expected to be ready for the 2023 spring sports season; the complex includes baseball and softball fields, a track and football stadium.

Lumberton High School renovated its gym bleachers. Fairmont installed a large net between the baseball and softball fields to allow for more safety regarding stray foul balls; the school's upgrades also include a new athletic storage building, renovated and expanded dugouts with storage rooms, and football goalposts. St. Pauls also installed a net adjacent to its softball field for increased foul-ball safety along North Fifth Street.

All five high schools and all 11 middle schools within PSRC replaced existing gym lighting with cost-efficient LED lighting.

10. Jerome Hunt announces retirement

PSRC athletic director Jerome Hunt recently announced his retirement after four years as the county athletic director and 32 years in high school athletics in Robeson County, effective Feb. 28, 2023.

During Hunt's tenure, middle school sports were expanded to include soccer and wrestling, with middle school track set to launch in the county next spring, while other middle school sports saw expanded playoffs. The Robeson Cup tournament for the county's boys and girls high school soccer teams was established under Hunt, and all PSRC schools have benefited from facilities upgrades.

Hunt previously served as coach and athletic director at South Robeson and Purnell Swett, and coached at Red Springs; he is a 1986 graduate from South Robeson, where he was a three-sport star, and was a standout baseball player at UNC Wilmington.