MURPHY
Rogers earns more honors
Murphy girls basketball senior Torin Rogers was nominated for this year’s McDonald’s All-American game. The event, which will take place Tuesday, March 29, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, is the premier high school basketball All-Star game in the country.
Only 24 high school senior boys and girls are selected for the game, with 12 representing the East Team and 12 on the West Team. More than 760 athletes were nominated for the event, and Rogers is one of 12 girls from North Carolina. The teams will be selected on ESPN’S NBA Today, which will air at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25.
That isn’t the only award Rogers picked up recently, as she was named the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s Basketball Performer of the Week for Jan. 3-7. She had 25 points and 13 rebounds during a 68-31 win over Swain County on Jan. 4 and had a career-high 37 points and 12 rebounds in a 65-40 win over Highlands the next day. Rogers is averaging 24 points per game this season for the Lady Bulldogs, who as of press time Tuesday were 13-2 overall and 5-0 in the Big Smoky Mountain Conference.
MURPHY
McCracken on All-State
Murphy senior Payton McCracken was selected as honorable mention All-State by High School OT, a website covering North Carolina high school sports run by WRAL in Raleigh. The site consulted with 22 media members from around the state to select this year’s team.
McCracken was named to the honorable mention list of two-way players, as he lined up at both wide receiver, defensive back and punter for the Bulldogs this season. He finished the year with 48 catches for 825 yards and six touchdowns, averaged more than 33 yards per punt and was a key leader in Murphy’s secondary. He is weighing his college options.
McCracken was one of four players from the Smoky Mountain Conference to be selected to the All-State team, joining Robbinsville’s Cuttler Adams and Carlos Wesley as well as Hayesville senior Jake McTaggart, who was selected to the first-team offense at tight end.
From staff reports.