LRU offensive lineman makes pre-season All-America

Rearden selected for elite NCAA Division II list picked by The Sporting News

By: Record Staff | Hickory Daily Record
Published: June 15, 2011

Lenoir-Rhyne University offensive lineman Chandler Rearden is starting the football preseason much like he ended last season.

Rearden, a senior from Greenwood, S.C., has been named to the 2011 Sporting News NCAA Division II All-American Preseason team, LRU announced Wednesday.

Last year, he was named an All-American by five publications: Daktronics, The Associated Press, D2Football.com, the American Football Coaches Association and Don Hansen. He also became the first LRU player to win the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for the South Atlantic Conference.

A two-time first-team all-conference pick, he was All-Southeast Region as a junior after helping the Bears lead NCAA Division II in rushing (319.5 yards per game).

LRU went 7-4 last year for its first winning season in 16 years and tied for third in the SAC.

The Bears’ open their next season on Sept. 3 against Concord in Athens, W. Va., in new head coach Mike Houston’s debut.

Other SAC players named to the TSN team were: Tusculum quarterback Bo Cordell and his teammate, tight end, Michael Rodriquez.

BASEBALL

Bunker Hill 3-3, East Burke 2-6

Bunker Hill’s Junior American Legion team split a doubleheader Wednesday against East Burke.

Caleb Smith had a game-winning double in the bottom of the fifth for the Bears in a 3-2 victory in the first game. Jason Setzer was the winning pitcher.

East Burke won the second game 6-3 behind a home run by Elijah Reese. Jacob Lail was the winning pitcher.

Bunker Hill is 8-3.

Post 48 game wiped out

Hickory Post 48’s American Legion baseball game in Hickory against Shelby on Wednesday nigh was called off due to lightning and rain, with Hickory leading 3-1 after 2 1/2 innings,

The game will be replayed entirely at 7 p.m. Monday at the Legion Fairgrounds.

Hickory's game against Moundsville, W.Va., scheduled for that day, might be moved to 4 p.m. Monday.

Legion All-Star game scheduled on June 26

The Area IV American Legion All-Star game is scheduled June 26 at 7 p.m. at the Legion Fairgrounds off U.S. 64-70 in Newton.

Qualifying players will be rising high school senior players, 2011 high school graduates and 2010 high school graduates who did not play college baseball in the spring.

Drills will begin on June 26 at 3 p.m. and a home run derby is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.

Player registration times vary: 8:30 a.m. for players from Hickory, Caldwell, Alexander County, Burke and Shelby; 10 a.m. for players from Lincoln, Cherryville, Kings Mountain, Gastonia and the Gaston Braves; 11:30 a.m. for players from Asheville, Henderson County, Rutherford County, Huntersville and Queen City; and 1:30 p.m. for players from Mint Hill Army, Mint Hill Marines, Pineville, Union and Monroe.

Catawba Valley Stars 10-6, Greensboro 3-4

The Stars swept two seven-inning games at Greensboro on Tuesday night, winning 10-3 and 6-4.

Taylor Moon did not give up a run over six innings in the first game to get the win. Ricardo Velez had two singles, Chandler Gellar added a double and two singles and Carlos Leal had two singles and two RBI for Catawba Valley (10-5).

In the second game, Adam Trevino was the winning pitcher and Coty Pate had a double, two singles and drove in a run for the Stars.

Road trip focusing on cancer comes to Frans

The fifth annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Road Trip will visit L.P. Frans Stadium on Sunday for the Hickory Crawdads game at 5 p.m. against Charleston, S.C.

Ed Randall visits minor league parks across the country to promote awareness of the benefits of early testing and treatment for the disease.

GOLF

Area golfers finish in tourney’s Top 10

Four area golfers were in the top 10 in a one-day TYGA tournament at Cedarbrook Country Club in Elkin.

Ty Stephenson of Hickory and Bradley Childers of Granite Falls were part of a three-way tie for sixth in the 12-13 boys division with 95s.

James Setzer of Hickory had an 86 to tie for fifth in the boys 14-15s, and Granite Falls’ Blake Childers tied three other golfers for seventh in the boys 16-18 division with an 82.

-- Thomas Lilly of Maiden finished tied for ninth with two other golfers in a U.S. Junior Championship qualifying tournament in Asheboro.

Lilly finished at 73-69—142, five strokes back of co-winners David Sargent of Davidson and Will Blalock of Gastonia.