Thinking big picture

Fall sports season is rolling around, even though it's still oppressively hot outside.

This time of year, I always begin to wonder: Which team, or teams, has the best shot of bringing a state championship back to Iredell County. [Fall has been particularly good to us here lately.]

KEEP AN EYE ON THEM: Three-time county runner of the year Alexa Van Epern returns for her senior season to lead a talented Lake Norman girls cross country team. Kaitlyn Ferguson and rising sophomores Jenny Gallagher and Rebecca Roman all finished inside the top 40 at last year's state championship meet, paving the way to the Wildcats' fourth-place finish. A note of interest: State champion Asheville Roberson graduated its two best runners, both of whom placed in the top five at the state meet.


QUEST FOR 3: Lake Norman's boys soccer team and Mooresville's boys cross country team will be pursuing a third consecutive state title. Both have immense voids to fill. Lake Norman graduated forward Matt Foxx, midfielder Ryan Mertes and defender Matt Gwilt, all of whom were named all-state last year, when the Wildcats capped back-to-back undefeated seasons with a second straight 3A state championship. Mooresville lost Patrick Campbell and Nathan Craig, who are now going to be running at North Carolina State and Brigham Young, respectively. If I had to pick which team I thought had the better chance to extend the streak, I'd take Mooresville because of the Blue Devils' stockpile of developing distance runners.

DIG THIS: North Iredell's volleyball team could be scary good. The Raiders will have one of the best front lines in the area -- perhaps region or state -- in outside hitter Molly Rhyne and middle blocker Taylor Clendenin. The duo helped the Raiders earn a piece of the 2007 North Piedmont Conference title. They shared it with eventual 3A state runner-up West Iredell. The Warriors graduated three marquee starters from that squad, opening the door for North Iredell to make a run at the state title this season. For the Raiders to become a legitimate championship contender, I believe three things must happen: (1.) There has to be a commitment to great defense, because a potent offense will only take you so far; (2.) They need to cultivate a pin-point accurate setter to replace Anna Wells, who graduated; and (3.) There must be confidence amongst teammates that they're good enough to go all the way, and a determination to see it through.

Football is in the air

The N.C. High School Athletic Association set an Aug. 1 date for the first official day of high school football practice.

That means we're a week away, folks.

Opening night is just around the corner, too. The season kicks off Aug. 22.

I love it. Nothing gets my blood pumping in this profession quite like Friday night football.

Wednesday night's East-West All-Star football game in Greensboro only increased my anticipation.

Let the countdown begin.

Black and gold suits Rucker

Quan Rucker elected to play football for Wake Forest once his high school career is over at West Iredell High School.

The receiver has given the university a verbal commitment. (More on this story can be found in Wednesday's edition of the R&L).

"Wake Forest was high on his list," West Iredell coach Mark Weycker said.

Higher than Clemson, Illinois, North Carolina State and Virginia, just to name a few. Those schools pursued his services, too.

I think this is a great decision by an athlete I have a lot of respect for. Wake Forest is a fine academic institution with a football program on the rise. The Demon Deacons are 20-7 over the last two seasons, which includes an 11-3 mark in 2006, when they won the Atlantic Coast Conference title.

It always pleases me to see good things happen for good people, and Rucker is definitely one of those. If you've ever had the fortune of speaking to the young man, you know what I'm talking about. He's very grounded, a yes sir, no sir, yes ma'am, no ma'am, type of guy.

In addition to his tremendous athletic skill set -- he is a three-sport athlete at West Iredell -- Rucker will bring a good work ethic and strong leadership qualities to Wake Forest.

Those attributes have to be valued as much as his big-play ability, which keyed West Iredell's come-from-behind win over North Piedmont Conference champion West Rowan last season. After falling behind 12-0 midway through the third quarter, Rucker hauled in a slant pass from Jared Thompson, split two defenders and took it the rest of the way for a 72-yard touchdown. The Warriors' 20-18 win over West Rowan was the Falcons' only regular season loss.

Yes indeed, Wake Forest will be getting an all-around talent.

That's for sure.

Iredell blanked in East-West girls soccer showcase

For the first time since 2005, Iredell County isn't sending anyone to compete in this summer's N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star girls soccer game.

Rosters for this year's event were released this week to the media.

The West team is as follows: Kelly Adams (Porter Ridge), Kristin Alderin-Fleagle (East Forsyth), Sarah Caldwell (Watauga), Heather Carter (North Stanly), Sarah Christman (Asheville Roberson), Eleanor Davidson (Pfafftown Reagan), Caroline Dickson (Greensboro Page), Meghan Gilmore (Asheville Roberson), Molly Kuchar (Asheville Reynolds), Casey McCormick (Charlotte Catholic), Taylor Norman (Pfafftown Reagan), Rachel Patton (Charlotte Providence), Joy Pittman (Charlotte Ardrey Kell), Corinne Smith (Greensboro Grimsley), Lena Suarez (Huntersville Hopewell) and Mélise Welbourn (West Henderson). West Henderson's Craig Long will coach the West team.

This wasn't a particularly strong year for seniors in Iredell -- underclassmen by and large grabbed the headlines -- but there were a few solid East-West candidates who were passed over in favor of the aforementioned 16 players. Below are my top three seniors, in no particular order:

• Caroline Moffett. The Lake Norman forward was an all-conference, all-region selection. Her 13 goals were tied for most on a Wildcats team that advanced to the regional final of the 3A state playoffs. Moffett could score with her feet or head, making her a dual threat.
• Tiffany Wilson. The Mooresville midfielder was all-conference and all-region. She tallied 12 goals and 12 assists to help the Blue Devils win 19 games and reach the second round of the 3A state playoffs. Wilson scored in big games. The hat trick against Statesville comes to mind. Her goal in the 63rd minute on April 16 tied the contest with Lake Norman at 2-all, but Lake Norman would eventually prevail 3-2.
• Brittney Dailey. The Mooresville midfielder was all-conference and all-region. Her offensive numbers don't scream at you (four goals, six assists), but she was reliable with the ball at her feet. Dailey was an excellent defender, too; you couldn't just drive right past her.

Countdown to All-County

This week the R&L sports department staff will discuss who we think should be on the All-County teams, which will be announced the week of June 9.

There are six spring sports, and nominations have been streaming in from Iredell County high school coaches who want us to consider their athletes.

The process is a challenging one for the simple fact there always tends to be an outstanding pool of nominees to choose from. (That goes for fall and winter sports seasons, too.)

This year is shaping up no differently.

The R&L also selects a county player of the year (or athlete of the year, in the case of track and field) in all sports. Those will be announced the week of June 9, as well.

'Bittersweet' ending for Wildcats

I'm not convinced the voters got it right when they voted Asheville Roberson No. 1 in the nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, which was released Tuesday.

Having said that, the Rams are still REALLY good.

They had enough offensive punch to fend off a valiant effort by Lake Norman (24-2-1) in Wednesday night's 3A West Regional final. Roberson (28-0) won 2-1 and advances to play for the state championship Saturday.

Rams keeper Rachel Jennings made eight saves, and Roberson had nine for the game.

Lake Norman keeper Mollie Zimmer stopped three shots. The first goal she allowed wasn't really her fault. Marrisa McCord's shot off a Roberson throw-in was unchallenged. She had a clean look and buried it for a 1-0 lead with 10 minutes, 30 seconds left before halftime.

"There were a couple of defensive errors," Lake Norman coach Jon Mertes said, "and you can't do that when you're trying to get to the title game."

Mertes was hard-pressed to find many flaws in his team's execution and effort, though, and rightfully so.

The Wildcats played probably the best 30 minutes of the season in the second half. Of course, that was after they fell behind 2-0 to the Rams, who have now outscored their opponents 137-3 in 2008.

And so, Lake Norman will have to settle for making the state semifinals for the first time in program history.

"It's very sad that we didn't make it to the final," senior Caroline Moffett said. "But we had a great season. It's the farthest we've ever gotten (in the playoffs). Bittersweet, I guess."

Wildcats shine in pressure situation

Lake Norman's girls soccer team is one victory away from playing for the first state championship in the program's six-year history.

The Wildcats defeated Marvin Ridge in Saturday's 3A state quarterfinals thanks to a 3-1 advantage in penalty kicks. The teams battled to a scoreless draw in regulation. No one scratched in the two 10-minute overtimes or two five-minute sudden death periods either.

Shootouts are usually intense (this one was no different). There is pressure on the goalies to make saves, but the shooters face a lot of pressure, too. No one wants to be remembered for missing the entire net, trust me.

Lake Norman goalkeeper Mollie Zimmer set the tone with a magnificent diving save on Marvin Ridge's first PK.

Lauren Vawter buried Lake Norman's first attempt.

The Wildcats made two of their next three kicks, while the Mavericks missed two of their next three -- one shot went too high and another clanked off the crossbar.

It had to be demoralizing for previously unbeaten Marvin Ridge (20-1-1), which outplayed Lake Norman (24-1-1) most of the game and had a goal disallowed in the 77th minute on an offside call.

I admire the Wildcats' ability to hang in there and find a way to get the job done.