The Leesville Road boys golf team was an impressive winner in the Keith Hills High School Kickoff on Friday in Buies Creek.
Led by sophomore Grayson Murray, who already has committed to Wake Forest, the Pride topped a loaded field, beating second-place Clayton 298-301. Broughton (302), Southern Pines Pinecrest (306) and 2009 N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3-A winner Ravenscroft (307) rounded out the top five.
Murray shot a 1-under 71 to lead Leesville. Teammates Zack Seabolt (75), Carter Jenkins (76) and Larry Han (76) helped lead an effort that surprised Pride coach Andy Hunt.
"I was just hoping we'd be in the mix, especially with the level of competition and the difficult [weather] conditions," Hunt said. "It's a great testament to the work these kids have done in the offseason to get better."
Clayton sophomore David Germann posted a 4-under 68 to lead all scorers.
"I hit all the greens [Friday] and was just trying to stay focused on each shot and not get ahead of myself," said Germann, who birdied his first three holes on the way to posting a career-best score.
Clayton coach J.C. Triplett was proud of his Comets, who finished eighth in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A championships. In addition to Germann, Justin Runyon carded a 76, followed by Andrew Furr (78) and Tyler Matthews (79).
"Our kids played a marvelous round," Triplett said. "We've played this tournament the last eight or nine years, and we knew we were good enough to compete."
Broughton was led by Richard Fountain (74), Ryan Fricke (75), Cyrus Stewart (76) and John Mikels (77).
Ravenscroft was led by Wilson Day (74). Robert Boyce (77) and Reeves Zaytoun, Zak Dearinger and Charlie Killian (all with 78s).
Green Hope, the 2009 NCHSAA 4-A champion, shot a 320 to finish 10th.
Sheehan steps down: Mike Sheehan, who built a solid football program at Cardinal Gibbons, stepped down as coach on Friday.
In three seasons, Sheehan led the Crusaders to 2-9, 7-6 and 12-2 records.
The 2009 squad had a 10-game winning streak and reached the third round of the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs.
"Mike did a tremendous job for us," Gibbons athletic director Dean Monroe said. "He not only laid the foundation for the future, but he built a team that was a contender this year."
Monroe said Sheehan will continue to teach English at the school.
"Mike told me that he needed more time with his family," Monroe said. "He is an outstanding teacher and has been an outstanding coach."
Sheehan was an assistant football coach at the school for five years before becoming head coach in 2007. In his second year, the Crusaders posted an NCHSAA 2-A playoff victory, defeating Ledford, 28-6.
Last year, Gibbons moved to the 3-A classification and won the Carolina Six regular-season title, its first football conference championship. The Crusaders added playoff wins over Currituck, 47-0, and China Grove Carson, 21-15, before being ousted by eventual state runner-up Eastern Alamance, 28-0.
Monroe said Gibbons is in the process of finding Sheehan's successor.
Falcons on TV: The NCHSAA 4-A boys and girls basketball games will be televised live on News 14 Carolina on Saturday from N.C. State's Reynolds Coliseum.
The undefeated Green Hope girls (31-0) play Charlotte Butler (24-4) at 5 p.m.
Fayetteville Terry Sanford (31-0) plays Lake Norman (25-3) at 7:30 in the 4-A boys game.
All the other championship games will be webcast on News14.com.
Thorpe picks UNC: Durham Jordan junior football player T.J. Thorpe committed to North Carolina last weekend.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound wide receiver caught 63 passes for 963 yards and five touchdowns during the Falcons' 6-6 season. He also returned five kickoffs for touchdowns.
He also played safety for Jordan but is expected to be a wide receiver for the Tar Heels.
Correspondent Dave Malenick contributed to this report.
