Who were the Gastonia, Shelby area's top high school athletes, teams of 2022?
With the chaos and uncertainty of the past two years behind us, high school sports returned to some form of normalcy in 2022.
This past year saw individuals and teams in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties win state gold, while others rewrote record books. Before closing the chapter that was 2022, let’s look back at some of the biggest moments.
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Top athletes
Mason Avery, West Lincoln
Avery rushed for 2,622 yards and 37 touchdowns, setting new Lincoln County records. He also set a county single-game record with 397 rushing yards in an Oct. 7 win over Newton-Conover. Avery also had 105 tackles on defense. The senior standout was named Catawba Valley 2A Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year.
Austin Brotemarkle, Forestview
Brotemarkle won the 3,200-meter race at May’s NCHSAA 3A state track meet, completing the race with a time of 9:30.90.
Zeke Cannedy, Kings Mountain
Cannedy averaged just shy of 34 points per game last winter for the Mountaineers basketball program, shooting 51% from the field. He was voted first team all-state, Big South 3A Player of the Year and selected to play in the Carolinas All-Star Classic. He is now a freshman at Johnson C. Smith.
Ben Cutter, East Lincoln
The West Virginia football signee earned Western Foothills 3A Player of the Year honors after racking up 201 tackles (eight for a loss), two sacks and four interceptions in leading East Lincoln to the NCHSAA 3A state title.
Kate Hollifield, Shelby
Now a freshman playing basketball at Belmont University in Tennessee, Hollifield averaged 18.6 points and five rebounds during her senior season. For her work, she was voted Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Player of the Year.
Katherine Hopkins, Lincolnton
Hopkins claimed the 2A girls cross country championship in November, her time of 19:20.05 nearly a full minute ahead of her nearest competition.
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Ben Mauney, Burns
Mauney was voted Southern Piedmont 1A/2A baseball Player of the Year and an NCBCA all-state 2A selection after hitting .427 with five home runs and 22 stolen bases. He followed that by throwing for 3,392 yards and 37 touchdowns in helping Burns football to a 13-2 record and a trip to the West Region final.
Garrett Michel, East Lincoln
Michel hit .532 with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs in his senior season. Now a freshman at VIrginia Tech, he also had 10 doubles, a triple, 15 stolen bases and 45 runs scored in helping the Mustangs to the 3A West championship series.
Trevin Moyer, Mountain Island Charter
Moyer set a 1A state meet record in the 400-meter dash, his time of 46.97 seconds eclipsing the mark previously set by Cherryville’s Trentavis Friday. Now a freshman at Arizona State, he also won the 100- and 200-meter races. He also set 1A/2A state meet records in the 55- (6.25 seconds) and 500-meter (1:05.31) dashes at the indoor championships.
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Randall Pettus, Bessemer City
Pettus averaged 26.4 points per game to go with 7.2 assists, 6.9 steals and 6.5 rebounds during the 2021-22 basketball season, helping Bessemer City to the 1A West semifinal round. A Northern Kentucky signee, he was selected as Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Player of the Year.
Charlie Sly, Stuart Cramer
One of a pair of Stuart Cramer wrestlers to claim 3A state individual titles, Sly claimed the 113-pound championship with a 3-1 decision over Foard’s Karter Floyd. Sly is a Gardner-Webb wrestling signee.
Lauren Tolbert, Highland Tech
Tolbert claimed NCHSAA 1A state track titles in the 100-, 200- and 800-meter races. Now a freshman at Duke, her time of 2:09.37 set a new record at the 1A state meet. She also won an indoor track title, claiming top honors in the 1,000-meter run.
Marco Wright, Gaston Day
Wright was a catalyst in Gaston Day winning a second NCISAA boys soccer title in a row. The senior forward finished with 34 goals and 13 assists en route to being named an all-state performer.
Top teams
Bessemer City boys basketball
The Yellow Jackets finished 23-5 overall, their 11-1 record in Southern Piedmont 1A/2A earning them a share of a league title. Bessemer City advanced to the 1A West semifinal round before losing to Winston-Salem Prep.
Cherryville baseball
Cherryville (22-12) claimed its first 1A West regional title since 2016. The Ironmen’s bid for a state championship fell just short, however, falling in the title series to Perquimans.
East Lincoln football
Under the direction of coach David Lubowicz, the Mustangs capped a 16-0 season with a NCHSAA 3A state title. East Lincoln trailed a mere nine minutes, 17 seconds all season, opponents scoring only 6.8 points per game.
Gaston Day boys soccer
The Spartans claimed their second NCISAA 2A state title in three seasons with a 3-1 win over Greenfield on Oct. 29. Gaston Day (16-2) outscored opponents by 4.2 goals per game.
Kings Mountain volleyball
The Mountaineer machine rolled to its third consecutive Big South 3A title, capping a 27-3 season with a return trip to the fourth round of the NCHSAA 3A playoffs.
Mountain Island Charter track and field
The Raptors claimed their second 1A boys track title in a row, finishing 47 points clear of second place Union Academy. Mountain Island Charter also claimed the school's first indoor track title as well.
North Lincoln girls cross country
The Knights finished with a team average of 19:58.19 at November’s state meet. Four runners placed in the event’s top 15, including individual state champion Macy Parks, Bella Wood (fifth), Bella Green (13th) and Olivia Ferraro (14th).
Shelby girls basketball
Shelby fell just short in its bid of a second NCHSAA 2A title in a row, losing 45-44 to eventual state champion Salisbury in a double overtime classic.
South Point girls soccer
The Lady Raiders’ run of dominance continued in 2022, the team finishing 23-1 with a Big South 3A title in tow. South Point advanced to its second consecutive 3A West final, falling to Lake Norman Charter.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Best of 2022: Gastonia, Shelby area's top high school athletes, teams
