Sunday, October 4, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - It was a busy week for the Ironmen athletic teams, due to events rescheduled due to last week’s rain. It was a great week for the soccer team as they recorded their first conference win in three years. The Lady Ironmen tennis team closed out their regular season, both cross-country teams performed well, and volleyball suffered two heartbreaking losses. It was a week of highs and lows, yet each player gave their all both in victory and defeat.
The men’s soccer team began their week with a tough loss but rebounded by the end of the week to secure their first conference win since a victory over East Gaston on October 9, 2023. The win came over long-time rival Bessemer City, as the Ironmen prevailed 5-3 on October 1. Cherryville will have two opportunities in the coming week to build upon that momentum as they travel to East Gaston on October 5 and to Highland Tech on October 7.
This one got away early, due in part to a dominating performance by Edwin Ramirez, scoring 5 goals, adding 2 assists, and creating 30 steals. Jerick Alvarado was also a defensive force with 40 steals, and Byron Blas scored 2 goals, added 1 assist, and had 20 steals for the Rebels. The Ironmen were led by Cole Kelly, scoring 1 goal, Denis Sorto made 1 assist, and Ethan Johnsen was credited with 12 saves.
The Ironmen returned home to face the Wolves of Lincolnton. The Wolves scored first at the 36:47 mark of the first half and again 11 minutes later, leading at the half, 2-0. At the 31:33 mark in the second half, Cherryville missed a penalty kick but retrieved the rebound, and Arturo Lopez scored the Ironmen's goal with an assist from Seth Locklear. Neither team scored again until the 13:15 mark when Lincolnton found the net and went up 3-1. They added two more goals in the final 8 minutes of play. Ethan Johnsen again had a busy night in front of the net as he recorded 16 saves from 21 opponent shots on goal.
Perseverance finally paid off for the Ironmen as they recorded their first conference win in 3 years. The victory gives Cherryville 2 wins this season as they look to build momentum heading into the end of the season. Unfortunately, statistics were not yet available for this match. They will be included in next week’s recap.
The cross-country teams competed on October 1, 2026, in the Mountain Island Charter Pink Out Invitational with 12 other schools registered to participate. Despite both teams being hit by the injury bug and runners unavailable due to rescheduled athletic events, the Lady Ironmen and Ironmen both placed well. The Ironmen finished 3rd, and the Lady Ironmen took home 4th place. They are expected to be back at full strength for the upcoming Gaston County Championship on October 6.
Team scores for the men were: 1st Mountain Island Charter, 20 points; 2nd Davidson Day School, 56 points; and 3rd Cherryville, 62 points. Individual finishes included 13 Mason Powers 23:30.01 – 9 points, 19 Bryson Yarbro 24:57.24 – 11points, 20 Dylan Hughes 24:58.89 – 12 points, 24 Charlie Morgan 26:32.11 – 13 points, and 42 Phoenix Poulter 36:14.02 – 17 points.
Team scores for the ladies were, 1st Davidson Day School 34 points, 2nd Mountain Island Charter 34 points, 3rd Piedmont Community Charter School 58 points, and 4th Cherryville 95 points. The individual placements were 20 Ella Rayfield 31:39.96 – 15 points, 23 Saharay Hernandez-Kerr 33:08.12 – 17 points, 26 Laighna Snider 34:12.67 – 20 points, 27 Ava Jones 34:13.42 – 21 points, 28 Grace Brown 35:26.92 – 22 points, 31 Myla Parnell 38:11.00 – 24 points, and 32 Lydia Skamarock 38:11.03 – 25 points.
It was a week of heartbreak, joy, and reflection as the ladies closed out their regular season. Eleven seniors played their final match on their home court as they closed out their high school tennis careers. The final match of the season was played on the road, and they went out on a high note with a victory over Stuart W. Cramer. The regular season concludes with Cherryville finishing 4th in the conference with a record of 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A Conference. Playoff eligibility and pairings have not yet been determined. Results from the Shelby match on September 17 were not available in time for the last article. Winners in that 5-4 Lady Ironmen victory were Laney Jones, Bailey Bryant, and Ava Freeman in singles, and in doubles, the teams of Laney Jones and Miley Dalton and Ava Freeman and Maddie Avery were victorious.
This one was a heartbreaker. The results for singles matches were: Camila Rodriguez-Chaparro (EG) defeated Morgan Wray 6-3/6-1, Alexis Hunsucker (EG) defeated Laney Spangler 6-3/6-1, Alexis Wheeler (EG) defeated Laney Jones 3-6/6-3/0-0/10-6, Bailey Bryant defeated Eva Smith (EG) 6-4/7-5, Maddie Avery defeated Rhianna Deal (EG) 6-2/6-1, Ava Freeman defeated Aubrie Ballard (EG) 7-5/6-2. Results for doubles were Camila Rodriguez-Chaparro/Alexis Hunsucker (EG) defeated Laney Spangler/Bailey Bryant 8-4, Maddie Avery/Ava Freeman defeated Alexis Wheeler/Eva Smith (EG) 8-3, and Aubrie Ballard/Sierra McClellan (EG) defeated Miley Dalton/Kayla Throckmorton 8-1.
The final home match and senior night did not go the way the Lady Ironmen would have liked. Eleven seniors took to the Donna Lavery Tennis Courts for the final time. Those seniors are: Maddie Avery, Lydia Bradley, Bailey Bryant, Miley Dalton, Ava Freeman, Katelyn Hastings, Laney Jones, Laney Spangler, Kimsey Stephens, Kayla Throckmorton, and Morgan Wray. Singles results were: Marissa Pendleton (B) defeated Morgan Wray 8-0, Madelyn Day (B) defeated Laney Spangler 8-0, Julia Cornwell (B) defeated Laney Jones 8-1, Peyton Beaver (B) defeated Bailey Bryant 8-2, Avalina Richardson (B) defeated Maddie Avery 8-5, Sarah Bumgardner (B) defeated Miley Dalton 8-0. Doubles results were, Julia Cornwell/Madelyn Day (B) defeated Morgan Wray/Laney Jones 8-2, Marissa Pendleton/Peyton Brewer (B) defeated Laney Spangler/Bailey Bryant 8-2, and Avalina Richardson/Annie Willis (B) defeated Maddie Avery/Miley Dalton 8-0.
The Lady Ironmen concluded their regular season on a high note as they downed the host Lady Storm at Stuart Cramer. Results for singles were Laney Spangler tied Jude Rogers (SC) 4-6/6-1, Laney Jones defeated Annabelle Shine (SC) 6-1/6-2, Bailey Bryant defeated Abigail Barker (SC) 6-2/6-2, Maddie Avery defeated Isabella Baruk (SC) 6-2/6-4, and Ava Freeman defeated Sabrina Polk (SC) 6-0/6-0. Results for doubles were, Morgan Wray/Laney Jones defeated Clara Poulsen/Jude Rogers (SC) 8-4, Annabelle Shine/Abigail Barker (SC) defeated Bailey Bryant/Laney Spangler 8-5, and Ava Freeman/Maddie Avery defeated Isabella Baruk/Sabrina Polk (SC) 8-1.
The Lady Ironmen had two conference matches this week, both on the road. Unfortunately, both were 3-0 losses. They will have three opportunities in the coming week to get back on the winning track. They will travel to Piedmont Community Charter for a non-conference match on October 6, then return home to face Burns on October 7, and Bessemer City on October 8.
In the first set, the Lady Rams jumped out early and held on to easily win 25-9. The second set was much closer. The Lady Ironmen sprinted out to a 4-0 lead and led 7-2 before Highland Tech tied the set and then pushed the lead to 16-9. Cherryville fought back and cut it to 12-16 and as close as 16-17 before Highland closed it out at 25-18. The third set was again a close contest early. The Lady Ironmen again led in the early moments, leading 6-4. The Lady Rams then tied the score and took the lead for good, going on to win the final set 25-11.
Cherryville High School Volleyball vs East Gaston - East Gaston High School - Mount Holly, NC - September 24, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
The Lady Ironmen led by 3 early in the first set before the Lady Storm took the lead and never looked back. They would win 25-13. In set 2, Cherryville again took the early lead by 3, Cramer tied it, and Cherryville retook the lead by 2. Once the Storm retook the lead, they kept it and won 25-14. The third set was close throughout. Stuart Cramer took the early lead by 3. Cherryville tied it 6-6 and 9-9. It continued back and forth, being tied again at 15-15 and 16-16. The Lady Ironmen briefly led by 2 before it was tied 18-18 and 19-19. Cramer then closed it out 25-19.
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