NCHSAA spring sports playoff schedule, scores: Lacrosse, girls soccer playoff brackets set
This story has been updated with scores and highlights.
State playoffs for spring sports begin as the calendar turns to May in North Carolina, with Fayetteville's top teams set to begin the postseason.
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Boys tennis kicks off NCHSAA dual-team and individual playoffs with Terry Sanford holding the No. 1 seed in the 3A East behind five-star Baylor signee Drew Hedgecoe, who is vying to become the second boys tennis player in NCHSAA history to win four straight individual titles.
Here's a look at NCHSAA spring sports playoff schedules, including scores and highlights from Cumberland County teams as they become available.
Keep this page refreshed for updates.
NCHSAA boys tennis playoffs
DUAL-TEAM
First round — Monday, April 28 (at higher seed)
3A
(1) Terry Sanford 6, (32) Harnett Central 0 — The Bulldogs continue their undefeated season after finishing as state semifinalists last year.
(7) Cape Fear 5, (26) Currituck County 3 — The Colts win a playoff game for the second season in a row after an 11-3 run through the U8 gave them second place behind Jack Britt and the conference's top 3A seed.
4A
(28) Wilmington Laney 6, (5) Jack Britt 0
(8) Willow Spring 6, (25) South View 0
(2) Leesville Road 6, (31) Gray's Creek 0
Second round — Wednesday, April 30 (at higher seed)
(1) Terry Sanford 5, (17) South Johnston 1
(23) Wilson Hunt 5, (7) Cape Fear 2
Third round — Monday, May 5 (at higher seed)
(8) Carboro 8, (1) Terry Sanford 0
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Fourth round — Wednesday, May 7 (at higher seed)
Regional championships — Tuesday, May 13 (at higher seed)
State championships — Saturday, May 17 (at Burlington Tennis Center)
Terry Sanford's Drew Hedgecoe serves during his match against Overhills' Aidan Lackey on Thursday, April 3, 2025, at Terry Sanford High School.
INDIVIDUAL
Regional championships — Thursday-Friday, May 2-3
3A Mideast (at Burlington Tennis Center)
4A Mideast (at Durham Jordan High School)
State championships — Friday-Saturday, May 9-10
3A (at Burlington Tennis Center)
4A (at Millbrook Exchange Park, Raleigh)
NCHSAA boys golf playoffs
Regionals — Monday-Tuesday, May 5-6
3A Mideast (at Keith Hills Golf Club in Lillington)
Terry Sanford — The Bulldogs win the regional championship as Hughes McCarthy claims individual medalist honors.
Cape Fear's Tyler Eavenson and Landen Kersey qualified as individuals
4A Mideast (at Longleaf Golf & Family Club in Southern Pines)
Gray's Creek's Will Walters and Jack Britt's Charles Merino qualified as individuals
State championships — Monday-Tuesday, May 12-13
3A (at Gates Four Golf & Country Club in Fayetteville)
4A (at Pinehurst No. 2 on Monday; No. 8 on Tuesday)
NCHSAA baseball playoffs
First round — Tuesday, May 6
3A
(7) Cape Fear 4, (26) Northern Nash 0
(2) Terry Sanford 20, (31) Dixon 2 — In an all-around effort, the Bulldogs were propelled by ECU commit Josh Mozingo's home run and 18 team hits.
4A
(9) Gray's Creek 4, (24) Fuquay-Varina 3 — The Bears came up with a clutch win with a seventh-inning run to break the even score.
(3) Laney 7, (30) South View 2
(2) Wakefield 7, (31) Pine Forest 0
Second round — Friday, May 9
3A
(23) West Brunswick, 10 at (7) Cape Fear 4
(2) Terry Sanford 10, (15) Orange 0
4A
(8) Pinecrest 22, (9) Gray's Creek 13
Third round — Tuesday, May 13
3A
(23) West Brunswick at (2) Terry Sanford
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Fourth round — Friday, May 16
Regional championships — Tuesday-Wednesday, May 20-21
State championships — Friday-Saturday, May 30-31 (at Burlington Athletic Stadium in Burlington and Ting Stadium in Holly Springs)
NCHSAA softball playoffs
First round — Tuesday, May 6
3A
(7) Cape Fear 12, (26) J.H. Rose 7 — Five different Colts players picked up an RBI for a team total of 10, including three from junior Karalina Tomasic.
4A
(13) South View 4, (20) Hoggard 0 — Led by Duke commit Jordynn Parnell's 14 strikeouts and Kaylie Cook's two RBIs, the Tigers have found themselves in the second round after the shutout win.
(4) D.H. Conley 3, (29) Jack Britt 0 — The Bucs' season ends at 12-12.
(6) Gray's Creek 8, (27) Purnell Swett 3 — Gray's Creek met a familiar foe in the Rams and took off with a first-inning grand slam by sophomore August Kebort, who later hit a triple. Hannah Welsh struck out 11 batters as well.
(23) Apex 7, (10) Pine Forest 0 — The Trojans' season ends at 12-8 and third place in the AAC.
Second round — Friday, May 9
3A
(7) Cape Fear 17, (23) Southern Alamance 7
4A
(6) Gray's Creek 10, (11) Wakefield 3
(4) D.H. Conley 3, (13) South View 2 — The United 8 tournament champions' season ends at 18-6 on a controversial call in the 8th inning.
Third round — Tuesday, May 13
3A
(7) Cape Fear at (2) Scotland
4A
(6) Gray's Creek at (3) Cleveland
Fourth round — Friday, May 16
Regional championships — Tuesday-Wednesday, May 20-21
State championships — Friday-Saturday, May 30-31 (at Duke University and UNC Greensboro)
NCHSAA girls' soccer playoffs
Seeding — Friday, May 9
First round — Monday, May 12
3A
(25) Southern Alamance at (8) Cape Fear
(23) Williams at (10) Terry Sanford
4A
(27) Jordan at (6) Pine Forest
(24) Apex at (9) Jack Britt
(25) Gray's Creek at (8) Willow Springs
Second round — Thursday, May 15
Third round — Monday, May 19
Fourth round — Thursday, May 22
Regional championships — Tuesday, May 27
State championships — Friday-Saturday, May 30-31 (at SportsPlex in Matthews)
NCHSAA lacrosse playoffs
BOYS AND GIRLS
Bracketing — Friday, May 9
First round — Tuesday, May 13
BOYS
(18) North Brunswick at (15) Terry Sanford
GIRLS
(13) Cape Fear at (4) Seaforth
(9) Terry Sanford at (8) Carrboro
Second round — Wednesday, May 16
Third round — Tuesday, May 20
Fourth round — Friday, May 23
Regional championships — Wednesday, May 28
State championships — Friday-Saturday, May 30-31 (at Durham County Memorial Stadium)
NCHSAA track and field playoffs
Regional championships — Friday, May 9
State championships — Wednesday-Thursday, May 16-17 (at NC A&T)
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC high school spring sports playoff schedule, scores
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Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
Which college football coaches are under the most pressure this season?
We might be in the heart of the college football offseason, but remember, we're continuing to move closer to the start of the season one day at a time. And when the season begins, the pressure will turn on. For a good handful of coaches, they might already be feeling some pressure entering the 2025 season. So, I wanted to look at 10 coaches around the sport and gauge just where they are on a pressure index that I created before the new season. I want to stress, this isn't me sharing just how hot I think these coaches' seats are entering the 2025 season. This is just how I feel the current sentiment is surrounding each of these 10 coaches and where in the season they might feel the most pressure. I placed the 10 coaches in five groups: "We're just happy you're here," "We like you, but …," "Trying to be patient," Is this going to work?" and "It's time." So, let's take a look at my pressure index! This is different from the rest of the coaches on this list. I don't think the pressure index is on Belichick. Let's be honest, Belichick isn't going to feel a lot of pressure at UNC. If this doesn't go his way, he's not going to lose a lot of sleep over this. Rather, the pressure is on the fan base. You can tell that the fan base is invested in this in a way that's similar to Colorado and Deion Sanders. They hired possibly the best coach in NFL history, so maybe they're just happy he's in Chapel Hill. That's why the pressure doesn't ratchet up in UNC's schedule. It ratchets in the New York Giants' schedule, or another NFL team that could be a potential suitor for Belichick. Belichick can certainly pay the $1 million to get out of his contract, and if he has the opportunity to coach the Giants (who he has a history with) or another NFL team, he could opt to go that route. So, I think the pressure point date here is Dec. 1, when the Giants take on the New England Patriots right before their bye week. If New York is 2-11 entering that game and loses, do you think Brian Daboll is getting fired right after? I think he could. That's also right when the college football regular season ends. The Giants wouldn't be able to name their next head coach right after, but Belichick could have an inkling on whether he could become their next head coach around that date. I initially resisted listing Heupel on the index list. However, I didn't love the Nico Iamaleava saga. So, where do we sit, Tennessee fans? The Volunteers have had a couple of really good years with Heupel, but there have also been some marquee failures. It doesn't help that they lost their quarterback, and there's more to the story than what the Tennessee faithful would let you believe. They threw Iamaleava under the bus, essentially. I'm not saying that Iamaleava wasn't blameless in that ordeal, but now Tennessee doesn't have a clear answer at quarterback. Tennessee fans seem to be happy with how the Heupel era has started. Tennessee reached the CFP for the first time last year before losing in the game at Ohio State. The schedule is pretty difficult for Tennessee this season, though. I think the pressure point for Tennessee is the Oklahoma game on Nov. 1. There are a couple of games prior to the Oklahoma matchup that I thought might have served as the pressure point for Tennessee (at Alabama, at Kentucky), but everything should come to fruition in that Oklahoma game. I think Tennessee will be 5-1 through its first six games, losing to Georgia in the first half of its regular-season slate before potentially losing to Alabama to start the second half of its schedule. So, I think Tennessee will be 6-2 entering that Oklahoma game and the Sooners will look to potentially dethrone the Volunteers from one of the seats in the upper-echelon of the SEC. After going 13-1 in 2023, Florida State fell on its face and went 2-10 in 2024, becoming the first preseason top 10 team to lose 10 games. He got a massive contract extension between those seasons, so I don't think Florida State is ready to move off Norvell. However, that's a wild dropoff. That's why I think the game against Miami (Fla.) on Oct. 4 is a really big one for Florida State. FSU fans want to make sure that last season wasn't a one-year anomaly, where the Seminoles got blown out by the Canes. That game also helps determine the hierarchy of the programs in the state of Florida. Miami has some juice right now, and Florida State needs to prove it can play at that level again. Napier had the hottest seat in the country at one point last season before coaching Florida to a winning record down the stretch. Bringing him back was the right move by the school, with quarterback DJ Lagway blossoming as the Gators won their last four games. The expectations are much higher this year, though. Florida's schedule is just as tough as last year's, playing an incredibly tough four-game stretch early in the year. I think it needs to win at least two of the games in the stretch that features LSU (Sept. 13), Miami (Fla.) (Sept. 20), Texas (Oct. 4) and Texas A&M (Oct. 11). Just like Florida State, that game against Miami is one that Florida particularly has to win in order to establish itself in the state hierarchy. Also, if the Gators don't beat Miami, I'm not sure where they can pick up the other two wins. Let's face it, Year 1 in Tuscaloosa was a little bit underwhelming for DeBoer. Alabama went 9-4, falling short of 10 wins for the first time since 2007 - which was Nick Saban's first year there. The fans aren't going to sit around and wait as you put up eight or nine-win seasons. So, they're trying to be patient. DeBoer has been great everywhere else he's been as a head coach. Of course, he made the national championship game with Washington right before he left for Alabama. But he's now at a place where you're expected to win big and at the sport's highest level. You can't miss the College Football Playoff, especially as we continue to expand the field. I think it could get a little uncomfortable for DeBoer this season. When you look at the schedule, I actually don't think the Georgia game is the pressure game for DeBoer this season. That's always been a coin-flip game. But if Alabama loses to Tennessee in October, I think that's when the fan base's patience with DeBoer starts to wear thin. Home losses aren't good, but that's the first game of a tough second half to the schedule (South Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma, Auburn). If Alabama already lost to Georgia and Tennessee, it would likely have to run the table to make the CFP. Fickell has gone .500 in his first two seasons in Madison, with last season being a bit disappointing. He received an unusual one-year extension, which was part of the program's annual review process. Wisconsin might have the toughest schedule in the country, which makes the building process really difficult. It has Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon on its slate this year. If Wisconsin loses those games, I don't think it'll be huge fodder for the fan base. I think the fan base is trying to be patient with Fickell, but he'll be facing pressure when Wisconsin hosts Iowa on Oct. 11. That's a great measuring stick game for the Badgers because those two programs come from the same place. Both programs were previously able to define their success based on how they performed in the Big Ten West. They constantly represented the Big Ten West in the conference title game and got to play in major bowl games because they were in the easier division. Now, Wisconsin and Iowa need to prove to their fan bases that they can rise above and play on equal footing with the other powerhouses in the Big Ten. This is another one of those hierarchy games. If Wisconsin loses to Iowa at home, you look at that schedule and think it might go 3-9. If Wisconsin wins, 8-4 seems possible and the losses to Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon would be much easier pills to swallow. We saw promise in Riley's first year in SoCal, when the Trojans nearly made the CFP in 2022. But the last two years have been underwhelming, going 15-11. I will say, they had a good close to the season last year and there are things to get excited about. They won three of their last four games, including a bowl win over Texas A&M. We all felt Riley was a home run hire when USC brought him in. He's still an elite coach, but he's got to turn it around. When you look at USC's schedule, the pressure moment for Riley and his squad this year might come as early as Sept. 27 at Illinois. That game should tell us everything we'll need to know about what USC can be at the top end and what it could be at the bottom end. I think both teams should be 4-0 when they meet that week, but that game marks the start of a tough four-game stretch for USC (Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska). If USC loses to Illinois, I don't have a lot of faith that it will win those other three games and Riley can't have another 7-5 season. If USC wins that game, it could be a momentum changer for the program in not just its season, but also in recruiting. After Riley left for USC, Oklahoma's recovery to get Venables was viewed as a home run. Similar to Riley, he's had one great year and two underwhelming ones. Oklahoma beat Texas en route to winning 10 games in 2023 and climbed into the top five at one point that year. Oklahoma has taken a step back since then. Dillon Gabriel left in the transfer portal following that season and Oklahoma's been 10-10 since that win against Texas. But they made some investments in the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in a really good player in Washington State quarterback John Mateer and Cal running back Jadyn Ott. The Sooners also brought in a new offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, from Washington State. Venables will call plays for Oklahoma's defense, which is a really good thing. The pressure point for Venables is early in the season, before conference play gets going. Oklahoma hosts Michigan in Week 2. That's a giant moment for Venables. If Oklahoma takes care of business in that game, the SEC schedule doesn't look as daunting. But if Oklahoma loses, it has uphill battle with its SEC slate with upcoming games against Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama and LSU. If the Sooners lose to Michigan, I sense they will go 2-4 at best in those games, which means another 7-5 season in Norman. Everyone around that program knows it's time. This program has built itself on such solid footing over the last few years, reaching the CFP semifinal and playing for a Big Ten title last year. Yet, Penn State still doesn't have that "big" win against a team that's on equal footing or superior to it. Now, Penn State and Franklin have done something that's incredibly difficult to do: They don't lose to teams they should beat. So, they're incredibly consistent. That's a credit to Franklin, but it's time to win a big one. Franklin will feel the pressure when Penn State hosts Oregon on Sept. 27. It's a White Out Game, too, which is one of the best environments in college football. Oregon is bringing in a new quarterback and doesn't have a veteran under center like it's had the last few years. As good as Oregon has been, the talent in this game is equal, especially with all the players Penn State is returning. If Penn State loses that game, all anyone will talk about is that James Franklin can't win these games. We'll start to wonder "Oh no, is this going to work?" Luckily for Penn State, it will have a chance to redeem itself with a game against Ohio State at The Shoe in November. Penn State could also make the Big Ten Championship Game and CFP again. It's already Year 4 for Kelly in Baton Rouge. Remember when he debuted that accent? Or that video of him dancing with a recruit? Anyway, Kelly had two 10-win seasons to go with a nine-win year during his time at LSU. That sounds good on paper, but the expectations are higher for that program. Every LSU coach this century has won a national title. That's why Kelly went to LSU, not to build South Bend South. The pressure point for Kelly and LSU is right away: Week 1 at Clemson. That's the moment for Kelly. He can't lose that game, and I actually think Clemson is a little better than LSU. So, now we're expecting him to beat a slightly superior team on the road against a title-winning coach, along with an accomplished quarterback in Cade Klubnik. After Week 1, LSU still has games against Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma. So, if LSU loses at Clemson, winning each of those games becomes more paramount for the Tigers if they're looking to make the CFP. They'd have to go 6-2, at minimum, in those games to finish 9-3. If LSU wins that game, it could have a victory over the eventual ACC champion on the road for its résumé. That could end up being massive down the line. Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast "The Joel Klatt Show." Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Fox News
Bill Belichick plugs book as Father's Day gift idea in response to questions about relationship ‘noise'
Bill Belichick's brief tenure as UNC football coach has largely been defined by the NFL legend's relationship with Jordon Hudson. Tuesday was no different when the longtime coach faced more inquiries about his personal life. Only this time, he embraced the line of questioning as a marketing opportunity. Speaking to reporters this week, the former New England Patriots head coach faced a pair of questions about the buzz surrounding his personal life during the Tar Heels' offseason. Belichick was asked specifically what he believed was the "biggest misconception" about his time at Chapel Hill. "I don't know. I'm really focused on doing my job here at Carolina, which is to help our football team, and that's just to get better every day. You know, to stack those days together – training days, preparation days, days out on the field, and we've done that. Our staff's done a great job of working hard to do that. That's my big focus." "Is there noise out there? We've always dealt with that," he continued. "Really, our job is to build the football team and… also build their individual careers. That's really where we're at." Belichick was pressed further when asked if he would have come back to coaching knowing what he does now about the attention or if it's taken away from the experience. But instead of a brief response that many NFL fans have become familiar with, Belichick responded with a quip about his recent book. "On some of the noise that's out there – the book and stuff like that, I mean it is what it is. That's a personal venture that I entered into when I wasn't in coaching last year. Hopefully that'll be a big purchase on Father's Day," he said with a smile. Belichick's book – and relationship with 24-year-old Hudson – made headlines in April when, during an interview with CBS News, Hudson shut down questions about the couple's relationship. According to reports at the time, Hudson interrupted on several occasions, including shutting down the question about how they met, and even stormed off at one point, delaying the interview by around 30 minutes. Belichick responded at the time to the fallout from the interview with a statement claiming that he "clearly communicated with my publicist at Simon & Schuster that any promotional interviews I participated in would agree to focus solely on the contents of the book." Belichick added that he was "surprised" about getting the questions about his relationship and that when Hudson stepped in, she was doing her job. He went on to accuse CBS of creating a "false narrative" with so-called "selectively edited clips." CBS responded, disagreeing with Belichick's version of events. "When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview," the company said. "There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation. This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher before the interview took place and after it was completed." Belichick will make his debut when UNC hosts TCU on Monday, Sept. 1. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Tar Heels players embrace new world as part of coach Bill Belichick's first college team
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Shipp remembers the conversation with his roommates after learning Bill Belichick was North Carolina's new coach. 'It was just like, 'That's the greatest coach of all time,'" the receiver recalled, ''and he's about to be coaching us.'' Belichick's arrival has triggered plenty of change for the Tar Heels, who are making a big bet on the man who won six Super Bowls as an NFL head coach to spark their football program. No one knows that better than the players — both the holdovers and the transfer-portal arrivals — after months of Belichick overhauling the roster and building the foundation on his first college team. North Carolina players hadn't spoken to reporters since last year's team ended its season with a Fenway Bowl loss to UConn three days after Christmas, all of which came after Belichick had been hired as coach for the 2025 season. So Tuesday marked the first time UNC had made players available to reporters since then to discuss Belichick's arrival. That has meant being coached by someone with a long track record of success at the sport's highest level, along with getting a peek behind the terse and grumpy persona he was known for with the New England Patriots. Defensive back Will Hardy said the players are used to curiosity that comes with being coached by the NFL lifer now giving college a try. 'There's a lot of that, you get a lot of 'How is Coach Belichick? What's new? What's different?'" Hardy said. 'So I've rehearsed these questions a lot with family and friends.' The school hired Belichick in December to elevate the program at a time when football's role as the revenue driver in college sports has never been bigger. He and general manager Michael Lombardi have described their goal as building a pro-style model at the college level. It's been a key pitch as the 73-year-old Belichick made his first foray onto the recruiting trail, as well as the volume of players transferring in and out of the program. Belichick's first on-field work in Chapel Hill came during spring workouts, lodged between portal windows in December and April. 'Look, these are great kids to work with, they really are,' Belichick said Tuesday. "We've had great buy-in. There have really been no problems at all. These guys are on time, they're early, they work hard, they put in the work in the weight room, out on the field. They spend time on their own, whether it's doing extra training or coming over and watching film and that type of thing. 'They've made a ton of improvement and these guys are a lot better than they were when we started in January, on every level. So it's exciting to see where that's going to take us." Enticing opportunity For the players, part of the adjustment had been the reality that their coach was winning Super Bowls with quarterback Tom Brady while they were growing up and watching on TV. Intimidating much? 'I mean, maybe at first when you see him, all you see is the Super Bowls that he's won,' said offensive lineman Christo Kelly, a Holy Cross transfer and Belichick's first portal commitment. "But when you get here and you see the way he cares, you see the way that he approaches the game, you see how hard he works, there's no question why he has the success that he has. 'The attention to detail, the emphasis on fundamentals, and really just kind of creating competition for the guys, that's what's getting built here. Guys are embracing it. He treats everybody with tremendous respect and it's been great." Defensive back Thad Dixon had met Belichick before when he was at Washington, playing under Belichick's son Steve — now the Tar Heels' defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. The two shared a few conversations then, and he jumped at the chance to head east. 'I really just wanted the opportunity just to learn from somebody like that, that had did it in the league for so long," Dixon said. Behind the curtain Yet not every surprise has been about X's and O's. Sometimes it's simply when Belichick has dropped the all-business facade to expose an unexpectedly humorous side. 'I feel like that's the biggest curveball, you're coming to the first meeting and you're expecting it to be serious, 100% locked in," said Shipp, who played 12 games for UNC last season. 'He comes in and he introduces himself and then he busts a joke. That's the second thing he said.' Hardy pointed that vibe, too. 'There are times when he'll just crack a joke out of nowhere,' he said. "And just him being kind of monotone sometimes will make those jokes so funny.' Still, Hardy noted it's mingled amid the work, such as film sessions when 'there's no hiding' when Belichick highlights a mistake. UNC opens the season on Labor Day against TCU in a college version of Monday Night Football. 'I've loved having 1-on-1 conversations with him," Hardy said. "It's cool to see and meet him personally, because you grow up and see him on TV and everything. And he's just a completely different coach and guy when you get to be around him all day. It's cool.' ___
