Former Hickory star to play in all-star game

Former Hickory High football star Austin Johnson will play in one final college game.

Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior linebacker who led Tennessee in tackles (81) and who had four interceptions this season, will play in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star game on Jan. 16 in Tucson, Ariz.

Johnson played four seasons for the Vols, including in six games as a freshman. He played fullback as a freshman and sophomore and moved to linebacker as a junior and had 44 tackles, fourth-best on the team that season. He had 126 career tackles.

BASKETBALL

Walters State 89, CVCC 41

Three players combined for 37 points on Monday night, leading Walters State Community College to a women’s basketball victory over visiting Catawba Valley Community College.

Portia Durrett and Ariana Hayes each scored 13 points and Aisjah Roan had 11 for Walters State, which jumped to a commanding 38-15 lead by halftime.

Walters State had a 51-point second half en route to dealing CVCC (13-3) its third loss of the season.

Clarissa Hunt led CVCC’s scoring with nine points.

The Bucs play Guilford Tech at CVCC on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Newton-Conover seeks help with backpacks

In lieu of the price of admission, Newton-Conover High will accept donations to its Backpack Program at a home basketball doubleheader on Jan. 24 against Bandys.

All donations will go to the Newton-Conover school system’s elementary schools for their backpack program.

Three items are needed to get in, and they can come from this list: Non-refrigerated pudding snacks; boxes or cups of macaroni and cheese; fruit cups; small pop-top spaghetti and ravioli, foil pouch tuna; fruit roll-ups; single-serving grits packages.

Also, single-serving oatmeal packages; juice boxes or foil pouch Capri-Sun; raisins in small boxes; Pop-Tarts; two-pack granola bars; small single-serve cereal boxes; cheese cracker packs or single-serving cookies or crackers, etc.

For more information, contact Newton-Conover athletic director Erica Turner at 465-0920.

-- The Catawba Valley Athletic 2A basketball games between rivals Newton-Conover and Maiden, scheduled Jan. 20 at Maiden, will raise funds for Coaches vs. Cancer.

RACING

Auto racing show coming to Hickory next weekend

The Carolina Auto Racing Show (CARS) is scheduled Jan. 12-14 at the Hickory Metro Convention Center.

The show features racing technology items and safety gear that can be purchased, plus seminars involving industry greats like Humpy Wheeler.

About 100 vendors are expected, and booths will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Jan. 13-14.

“The event promises to be a good match for Hickory with the motor sports industry being so prominent in this region,” Hickory Metro Convention Center and Visitors Bureau CEO Bebe Leitch said in a news release.

For more information, visit www.carolinaautoracingshow.com.

Racing show to include Alex Central student

Racing Dreams, a program that follows three teens who aspire to become NASCAR drivers, will make its national broadcast debut on PBS on Feb. 23 at 9 p.m.

Among the teens featured is Annabeth Barnes from Hiddenite, an Alexander Central High student who races at Hickory Motor Speedway.

The film follows Barnes, Josh Hobson of Flint, Mich., and Brandon Warren of Creedmore as they compete in the World Karting Association’s National Pavement Series.

BASEBALL

Former Yankees great to speak at App State

Appalachian State University’s keynote speaker for its first Hot Stove First Pitch Banquet will be former New York Yankees great Bobby Richardson.

The event will be Feb. 11 on the club level of the Appalachian Athletics Center.

Richardson was an eight-time all-star and played on three Yankees teams that won World Series titles.

The banquet begins at 5:45 p.m. and will be followed by a dinner and the program at 7 p.m.

The cost is $50 per person and corporate tables are available for $300, which includes dinner for six and access to the VIP lounge with Richardson and the Mountaineers baseball staff.

Registration is available at GoASU.com.