Triangle spring sports preview: the ‘Sweet 16’ faces and teams of the season
There are no defending state champions, few statistics from the 2020 spring sports season.
No athletes probably were affected more by the COVID-19 outbreak than the spring athletes. The 2020 season was halted after a few games, so coaches and teams are starting almost from scratch, in some cases.
So the Triangle area’s private school spring sports athletes and teams will begin again, with the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association starting the spring sports season last Monday.
Most area schools won’t get going until the beginning of March, however, until basketball and wrestling seasons have concluded.
In review, the Triangle area had a pair of NCISAA state champions in 2019. St. David’s School won the 3A golf title, and Cary Christian captured the Division 2 girls’ track and field championship.
Here’s what to expect in 2021 from the area’s private schools:
‘The Sweet 16’
(16 teams and athletes to watch this spring)
Luke Edwards, Cary Christian golf: Edwards, a senior and a North Carolina commit, is two-time state tournament runner-up and a 2020 American Junior Golf Association academic all-America.
North Raleigh Christian baseball: With senior Cooper Doyle and Cole Harding, the Knights could battle the perennial Charlotte-area powers for state honors.
Cary Christian girls’ track: Despite having no on-campus track facilities, the Knights could win a second straight state title.
Ryan Schaffroth, North Raleigh Christian softball: A senior, she hit .490 with 21 runs and 27 RBI in 2019.
Cooper Doyle, North Raleigh Christian baseball: Doyle, a senior, hit .500 (25-for-50) in 2019.
Olivia Hitt, Ravenscroft School soccer: Older sister Emily, an all-state player, has graduated. Now Olivia, a sophomore who played with the state’s Under-16 team last year, takes the spotlight.
Ravenscroft School girls’ lacrosse: The Ravens were state Division runners-up in 2019 and are loaded again.
St. David’s School golf: Dave Adams, second in the 2019 Division 2 state tournament, leads the drive for a second straight N.C. private school crown.
Cary Christian golf: With Luke Edwards on the team, Cary Christian will challenge St. David’s in Division 2.
Jackson Brimfield, Cary Academy golf: While we’re talking about golf, Louisville commit Brimfield was all-state as a sophomore. With him, Cary Academy is a Division 1 state contender.
Peter Glos, Wake Christian track: A senior, Glos holds school records in the 800 and 1,600 meter runs and as a member of two relay teams.
North Raleigh Christian softball: The Knights were 4A state semifinalists in 2019 and are loaded again.
Ravenscroft boys’ lacrosse: Senior attacker Charlie Enloe, a Belmont Abbey commit, was the leading scorer in last spring’s abbreviated season.
Caitlyn Hankins, Ravenscroft girls’ lacrosse: She was an all-state attacker in 2019, with 83 goals and 43 assists.
Pete Crowley, Durham Academy tennis: As an eighth-grader, he was 16-1 in 2019.
Ravenscroft School girls’ soccer: State semifinalists and 14-4 in 2019, the Ravens appear to be the class of area teams again.
Sport-by-sport
A quick look at top athletes:
Baseball: North Raleigh Christian, seniors Cooper Doyle (.500 in 2019) and Cole Harding (4-4, 3.17 ERA); St. David’s School, senior SS Paxton Williams and senior P-3B Ford Everett; Ravenscroft School, senior SS Jacob Zucker (.424 in 2019, .417 in 2020) and sophomore Luke Yoon (.600 in 2020).
Golf: Durham Academy sophomore Bryan Fang has a 285-yard drive average, and teammate Brian Wei has a 38.0-stroke average … St. David’s School senior Davis Adams was second in the 2019 state tournament and ranked 20th among N.C. juniors … Cary Academy sophomore William Chapman was in the team’s top four as an eighth-grader … Cincinnati commit John Lendach has a 37.17 stroke average and was the team’s No. 1 player for four years.
Boys’ lacrosse: Durham Academy senior midfielder Gavin Schulz (Franklin & Marshall) and John Donovan (Gettysburg) are college commits … Ravenscroft junior goalkeeper Ryan Pretzer is getting college attention … Cary Academy junior Kavin Wood set a school record for ground balls (179) in 2019 as a freshman.
Girls’ lacrosse: Ravenscroft School senior Emmy Replogle was an all-stater in 2019 (61 goals, 32 assists).
Girls soccer: North Raleigh Christian has a set of twins who are state-level standouts, in midfielder Reagan Evans and center-back Reese Evans.
Softball: In addition to Ryan Schaffroth, North Raleigh Christian senior Hannah Gordon had a big 2019 season, with a .413 on-base percentage … Ravenscroft School twins Jessica and Nicole Keim form a pitcher-catcher combination. Jessica had 82 strikeouts in 2019 as a freshman, and Nicole batted .467.
Tennis: Cary Academy senior Henry Lee and junior Travis Kimball are all-state contenders, as are Durham Academy’s Pete Crowley and Paul Wang.
Track and field: Sprinters Caysey Colant and Michael Diorio, both seniors, lead Wake Christian. Colant is a Louisburg College commit … Cary Christian’s standouts include Jessica Nagel, who has state meet-level efforts in the 100 hurdles and triple jump.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle