Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - Several Cherryville High School teams secured conference wins this week, as the season quickly approaches the midway point for many sports. There were also a few heartbreaking losses along the way, but overall, it was a very good week for all Ironmen and Lady Ironmen teams. All these athletes have given their best in each competition, and that hard work and dedication are beginning to pay off.
The Lady Ironmen had two conference matches at home this week. The Lady Rams of Highland Tech visited the Donna Lavery Tennis Courts in Cherryville on September 15th. The 7-2 victory by Cherryville was the first over Highland Tech since 2014. The win improved the Lady Ironmen’s record to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference. West Lincoln is 3-0, and the two face off at West Lincoln on September 22nd.
Singles results versus Highland Tech were: Morgan Wray defeated Lilly Warrne (HT) 8-5, Jenna Lazenby (HT) defeated Laney Spangler 8-4, Bailey Bryant defeated Jenna Lazenby (HT) 8-6, Laney Jones defeated A.J. Holder (HT) 8-2, and Maddie Avery defeated Caroline Washington 8-3. In doubles action, Morgan Wray/Laney Spangler defeated Lilly Warren/Jenna Lazenby (HT) 8-1, A.J. Holder/Caroline Washington (HT) defeated Bailey Bryant/Laney Jones 8-1, and Maddie Avery/Ava Freeman defeated Morgan Felician/Rachel Vercauteren (HT) 8-2.
Lady Ironmen Tennis Team vs Thomas Jefferson | August, 20, 2026
There was no information available for the home match against Shelby on September 17th. The Lady Ironmen have played 44 matches total, with 27 wins and 17 losses, for a winning percentage of 61.3%, pending the result of the Shelby match. Leading players in the season thus far are Maddie Avery, 4-1, and Ava Freeman, 4-0, in singles. In doubles, the teams of Maddie Avery/Ava Freeman are 3-0, Bailey Bryant/Laney Jones are 2-0, and Miley Dalton/Maya Torres are 1-0. Along with the West Lincoln match on September 22nd, Cherryville will also travel to East Gaston on September 24th.
Coaches Callie Cooke and Antonio Griggs have their teams running on all cylinders. The women’s and men’s teams both placed well again this week. The men finished 4th, and the ladies came in 3rd. Ashbrook High School hosted an 8-team meet on September 15th. The next cross-country meet is scheduled for October 1st at the MICS High School Pink Run Invitational, held at Mountain Island Charter.
Cross Country at Forestview High School - Gastonia, NC - September 1, 2026
Ironmen: The team results for the men were: 1st Kings Mountain 34 points, 2nd Forestview 58 points, 3rd South Point 69 points, 4th Cherryville 103 points, 5th Ashbrook 127 points, and 6th Crest 147 points. The individual results were: 10. Geovanny Martinez 20:35.7, 13. Mason Powers 21:27.7, 28. Bryson Yarbro 23:23.1, 29. Dylan Hughes 23:29.8, 34. Isaiah Champion 23:54.0, 41. Charlie Morgan 24:50.4, 66. Phoenix Poulter 31:15.6, and 72. Alex Gomez 36:26.0.
Lady Ironmen: The team results were: 1st Forestview, 23 points; 2nd South Point, 36 points; 3rd Cherryville, 91 points; 4th Ashbrook, 99 points; and 5th Kings Mountain, 109 points. Individual placements were: 12. Laighna Snider 27:44.10 – 11 points, 19. Ava Jones 29:41. 10 – 16 points, 23. Saharey Hernandez-Kerr 30:22.70 – 17 points, 24. Ella Rayfield 30:29.90 – 18 points, 43. Grace Brown 36:45.09 – 29 points, and 45. Myla Parnell 37:30.80 – 31 points.
The Lady Ironmen had their best week of the season. After coming close several times, they captured two big conference wins and took Shelby to the wire for the second time this season, narrowly missing an upset.
Cherryville High School Volleyball vs East Gaston Volleyball - Nixon Gym - Cherryville, NC - August 25, 2026
Cherryville 3, Bessemer City 2 – September 15th: The week began with a trip to Bessemer City to challenge the Lady Yellow Jackets. All 5 sets were close, and both teams battled to earn every single point. The first set began with BCHS gaining a slight lead. Cherryville chipped away and eventually tied at 17-17. The Lady Ironmen took a 19-17 lead before Bessemer City tied the score at 19-19, followed by another tie. BC once again went up by 2 and held that advantage, winning 25-23. The second set began like the first, with Bessemer City taking a 4-point lead. Cherryville cut the lead to 1 before the Lady Yellow Jackets went back up by 6 points. The Lady Ironmen tied it at 18-18, before BC went back up 22-19. The score would be tied 23-23, then 24-24, before Cherryville put it away 26-24. Cherryville controlled the third set, only allowing a few ties, and went on to win 25-20. The next set began with a Cherryville lead, and after Bessemer City tied the score, there were several more lead changes before the Lady Jackets took control and won 25-19. The tie-breaking fifth set was a duel to the end. Cherryville ran out to a 4-point lead before Bessemer City tied it, only to see Cherryville back up by 2, then another BC tie at 9-9 and 10-10. The Lady Ironmen were finally able to get the edge and saw off the pesky Yellow Jackets 15-13 in the deciding set. This was Cherryville’s first conference win of the season.
Shelby 3 Cherryville 0 – September 16th: The second stop of the week for the Lady Ironmen was in Shelby. This was the second meeting of the season, and once again Cherryville took the Lady Golden Lions down to the wire. The results were: set 1, Shelby 25-Cherryville 22, set 2, Shelby 25-20, and set 3, Shelby 25-22.
Cherryville High School Volleyball vs East Gaston Volleyball - Nixon Gym - Cherryville, NC - August 25, 2026
Cherryville 3, West Lincoln 2 – September 18th: The Lady Ironmen closed out their week at West Lincoln and came away with their second conference win. The night began with the Lady Rebels running out to a 2-0 lead after the first two sets. Cherryville fought back and won the next 3 sets, including the fifth set tie breaker. This week will see the Lady Ironmen in action only twice, as they are home on September 22nd when they host Lincolnton, then travel to East Gaston on September 24th.
The Ironmen have hit a rough spot offensively in the last few matches. They have done a good job of keeping opponents from scoring, yet have not been able to produce enough shots on goal to keep pace. Cherryville doesn’t give up and battles until the final buzzer in each match.
Shelby 5 Cherryville 0 – September 14th: This match was scoreless until just under five minutes were left in the first half when Shelby went up 1-0. The Golden Lions scored their second goal at the 19:29 mark of the second half. They scored again five minutes later, going up 3-0. The final two goals came with less than 4 minutes remaining in the match. Jeffrey Walsh led Shelby with 2 goals, Salvador Torres Badillo with 1 goal and 1 assist, Walker Borders and Drake Duncan each with 1 goal, and Luke Rumfeld, Tristan McCorkle, Liam Robertson, and Joel Cook each with 1 assist. Leading the Ironmen was Cole Kelly, who took 1 shot on goal, and Ethan Johnsen, who made 19 saves and allowed 5 goals on 24 opponent shots on goal.
Cherryville High School vs Lincoln High School - Lincoln High School Football Stadium - Lincolnton, NC - August 31, 2026
Stuart Cramer 2 Cherryville 0 – September 16th: The Ironmen’s second home match of the week was against the Stuart Cramer Storm. The match was scoreless until 2:12 left in the first half, when the Strom scored after a call that left many Cherryville fans vocal in disagreement. A foul was called against the Ironmen that many in the stands felt was less offensive than an earlier play that had resulted in a no-call. Stuart Cramer missed the penalty kick but scored on the ensuing corner kick for a 1-0 Storm halftime lead. The Storm scored again in the second half at the 29:43 mark for a 2-0 lead. Neither team scored for the remainder of the match. Scoring for Stuart Cramer were Tate Ramkissoon and Emerson Phadke, each with 1 goal, and Isaac Vallejo and Connor Brown each added an assist. Channing Wright made 12 saves against 12 opponent shots on goal. Ethan Johnsen allowed 2 goals and made 10 saves. The Ironmen will travel to Bessemer City on September 23rd for their only match of the week.
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