For the fifth time in the past eight seasons, the Greenfield boys tennis team sits atop the 1-A Coastal Plains Independent Conference.
The Knights secured the regular-season crown with a 7-2 victory against visiting Kerr-Vance Academy on Wednesday.
Senior John Dandanell celebrated Senior Day for himself and classmates Averette Packard and Bennett Moore by rallying to win his No. 5 singles match.
Dandanell trailed 8-4 in the third-set tiebreaker but won six straight points to take the match 6-3, 6-2, (10-8).
Cameron Homes pulled out a third-set tiebreaker at No. 6 singles.
Dandanell then teamed with Clayton Stakes to win No. 2 doubles, their fifth victory without a loss.
Mitchell Sheets, Homes and Stakes also won singles matches for the Knights, who swept doubles to start the afternoon.
"The guys really came out and set the tone for the match with the sweep of the doubles," Greenfield head coach Will Cobb said.
"I knew if we could get at least two of the doubles, we'd be in pretty good shape to win the match. I really stressed that to the guys before the match and they responded well."
The Knights will enter Friday's CPIC Tournament at Greenfield with a 10-4 mark. Greenfield was 6-0 in league matches as it handed Kerr-Vance its first conference loss.
GREENFIELD 7, KERR-VANCE 2
Will Jackson (KV) def. Averette Packard 6-1, 2-6, (10-7), Mark Falkner (KV) def. Robert Daniels 6-1, 6-2; Clayton Stakes (G) def. Dylan Ellington 6-1, 6-2; Mitchell Sheets (G) def. Will Bugg 6-2, 6-1; John Dandanell (G) def. Dalton Crews 6-3, 2-6, (10-8); Cameron Homes (G) def. Zack King 6-2, 4-6, (10-5).
Packard-Daniels (G) def. Jackson-Ellington 8-6; Stakes-Dandanell (G) def. Falkner-Bugg 8-6; Sheets-Homes (G) def. Crews-King 8-2.
Panthers edge Bear Grass, advance to second round
WILLIAMSTON -- The North Johnston varsity boys tennis team nipped Bear Grass 5-4 Wednesday afternoon to advance to the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A playoffs.
North Johnston, the No. 2 seed from the Carolina Conference, defeated the top seed from the Tideland Athletic Conference, and will move on to face Topsail (11-10), the No. 1 seed from the Coastal Plains Confernce, on Tuesday.
Jonathan Cooper, Dustin Kendall and Gabe Pate each won their respective singles matches for the Panthers.
NORTH JOHNSTON 5,
BEAR GRASS 4
Tyler Haislip (BG) def. Jacob Peedin 7-5, 6-3; Buddy Womble (BG) def. Grey Bruton 7-6, 6-2; Jonathan Cooper (NJ) def. Cameron Donaldson 7-5, 6-3; Dustin Kendall (NJ) def. Justin Harden 6-2, 7-6; Gabe Pate (NJ) def. Weston Nelson 6-0, 6-0; Issac Hardison (BG) def. Will McLamb 7-6 (8-6), 4-6 (10-4).
Hairslip-Donaldson (BG) def. Peedin-Cooper 10-3; Kendall-Pate (NJ) def. Womble-Harden 10-2; Bruton-McLamb (NJ) def. Nelson-Hardison 10-4.
Aycock handles Oxford Webb, 5-0
Charles B. Aycock (19-2) defeated Oxford Webb, 5-0, Tuesday to earn the right to face Coastal Conference No.1 D.H. Conley (15-4) this coming Tuesday in the second round.
Rams upset by Cedar Ridge in first round
Greene Central fell to Hillsborough Cedar Ridge 5-4 Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2-A boys tennis playoffs.
Greene Central, the No.1 team of the Eastern Plains Conference, ends its season at 12-5. Cedar Ridge, the No. 2 seed from the 2A/3A Mid-State Conference, improved to 17-4.
SOFTBALL
CCS blanked in conference tournament
SMITHFIELD -- Community Christian lost to Johnston Christian, 3-0, Tuesday evening in 1-A Carolina Christian Tournament varsity softball action.
"We just couldn't get a couple of hits together to get any runs," CCS head coach David Felton said. "Our defense did a great job."
Pitcher Jessica Daley struck out 12 in six innings in the loss.
Score by innings:
CCS 000 000 0 -- 0
Johnston Christian 101 001 x -- 3
LP-Jessica Daley.
LEADING HITTERS -- Chelsea Page 1-3; Mandy Felton 1-3; Jessie Stalls 1-3; Kara Beland 1-3.
Aycock blasts Eastern Wayne in ECC semis
PIKEVILLE -- The Charles B. Aycock varsity softball team smacked 12 hits en route to an 11-0 victory against Eastern Wayne Wednesday night in the semifinals of the 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference tournament.
Emily Jordan pitched a one-hitter over five innings to earn the win.
Anna Sullivan went 3 for 3 to lead eight Lady Falcons with a hit.
CBA hosts Southern Wayne Friday at 7 for the championship.
Score by innings:
Williams 000 000 0 -- 0
C.B. Aycock 030 35 x -- 11
WP - Emily Jordan 5 IP, H, 3 K. LP-Fricks.
LEADING HITTERS -- CBA: Anna Sullivan 3-3; Stevie Savage 2-4, 3 RBI; Brooke Edgerton 2-3 2 RBI.
North Johnston in Conference title
CALYPSO -- The North Johnston varsity softball team defeated North Duplin 6-1 Tuesday to capture its fifth straight 1-A Carolina Conference title.
Leann Woodall carried a perfect game through four innings and allowed just three hits for the game.
Kayla Whitley doubled and drove in two runs to lead North Johnston.
The Lady Panthers host Bunn for a make-up game Thursday at 4:30 p.m before entering the state playoffs next week.
Score by innings:
North Johnston 003 003 0 -- 6
North Duplin 000 010 0 -- 1
WP-Leann Woodall. LP-Pridgen.
LEADING HITTERS -- Casey Creech 2-2; Kayla Whitely 2-4, 2b.
GIRLS SOCCER
N.J. takes down Louisburg in first round
KENLY -- The North Johnston varsity girls soccer team knocked off Louisburg for the third time this season Wednesday night, this time in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A state playoffs for the program's second ever playoff victory.
The Lady Panthers (13-6) blanked Louisburg 3-0 behind the strength of two first-half scores from senior forward Haley Newsome.
North Johnston's leading scorer netted her first tally off an assist from junior forward Paige Fields in the 27th minute and made it 2-0 in the 38th off a feed from senior midfielder Caitlyn Hines.
Newsome assisted senior Sydney Levick for the final goal in the 56th minute.
Newsome now has 26 goals for the season, the second-highest single-season total in school history.
The Lady Panthers, a wild card team, ended the season of the Tar-Roanoke's No. 1 seed at 4-13-2. North Johnston will play at Manteo Friday at 6 p.m.
"We were much improved in the second half," North Johnston head coach Brent Walston said. "The girls really stepped up after not playing particularly well in the first 15 to 20 minutes."
Lady Falcons fall in first round of state playoffs
BARCO -- The Charles B. Aycock girls soccer team lost is first-round N.C. High School Athletic Association playoff matchup against Currituck, 1-0, on Wednesday.
Currituck scored the lone goal on a second-half corner kick with 25 minutes remaining.
The Lady Falcons finished 8-11-2 overall.