HAYESVILLE
Girls golf tournament
The girls golf Smoky Mountain Conference tournament got underway at Chatuge Shores Golf Club with the first round Oct. 8.
Murphy’s Ellie McClure shot 50 to put her in second in individual scoring. Tri-County’s Madison Dern shot 61, while Ruby Kuykendall shot 63.
Cherokee leads the team scores with 152. Paytyn Barker of Cherokee shot 47 to lead individual scores after the first round.
Round two was held after the Cherokee Scout’s press time Tuesday at Sequoyah National in Cherokee.
RALEIGH
Schedules changing
The N.C. High School Athletic Association announced schedule changes to allow teams to make up games canceled because of Hurricane Helene.
For football, there must be a minimum of three days between games. Playoff seeding will be held on Nov. 10, with the first round set for Nov. 15. The state championships will be from Dec. 20-21.
For volleyball, teams cannot exceed eight games in a week. Playoff seeding will be held on Oct. 22, with the first round on Oct. 24. The state championship will be on Nov. 2.
Boys soccer cannot exceed four games in a week. Playoff seeding will be Nov. 7, while the first round of playoffs will be Nov. 9.
The number of nine-hole rounds to qualify for girls golf regionals was changed from five to three. No major schedule changes were made to cross country, as the regionals (Oct. 26) and state championship (Nov. 2) dates remain the same.
CULLOWHEE
Murphy alum to WCU HoF
Murphy High School graduate Matt Cook will be inducted into the Western Carolina University Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024.
Cook helped change the trajectory of Catamount men’s golf during his four-year career. He was the first Catamount men’s golfer to compete in an NCAA regional, doing so three times.
He also had 27 top-10 finishes, with 19 top fives, in his career at WCU. He was Southern Conference Men’s Golfer of the Month nine times, a league record. In 2006 and 2008, he won the SoCon Men’s Golf Championship.
Cook was only the second WCU men’s golfer to claim the SoCon Player of the Year when he won in 2008. He also has the second-highest men’s scoring average for golfers over 100 rounds, averaging 72.11 – second only to J.T. Poston, a two-time PGA Tour winner.
He will become the third Catamount men’s golfer to join the Hall of Fame when he is honored Saturday, Nov. 16.
FLORIDA
Milton makes teams move
Before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Oct. 9, college and professional sports teams had to make some scheduling adjustments.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL headed to New Orleans almost a week prior to their game against the Saints so they could practice and prepare for their game on Oct. 13.
The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lighting headed to Raleigh days prior to their season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes. They practiced in the Raleigh area in the days leading up to the game on Oct. 11, but the Lightning were still forced to cancel their home opener on Oct. 12.
Two NBA preseason games were also canceled due to Milton’s arrival. In addition, a NCAA football matchup between South Florida and Memphis at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa was pushed back from Oct. 11 to Oct. 12.
Compiled by Sports Editor Cannon Crompton. Email items to him at sports@cherokeescout.com.
