SOCCER
Tri-County falls twice
On March 25, the Tri-County Early College women’s soccer team lost to the top ranked Swain County 5-0. Head coach Chris Blanton said the team played well despite the loss.
On Thursday, the Jaguars traveled to Cherokee to take on the Lady Braves, losing 2-0.
The loss to Cherokee was Tri-County’s last game before next week’s spring break. When they return from spring break, they will host Blue Ridge Early College at 6 p.m. Monday, April 15.
FISHING
1,000 miles of stocking
At 7 a.m. Saturday, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open about 1,000 miles of trout waters that are hatchery supported, according to a release.
The state will stock more than 600,00 trout from April through June, with a few streams being selectively stocked in July. 96 percent of the trout stocked will average 10 inches in length.
In Cherokee County, Davis Creek, Hyatt Creek, Junaluska Creek, Shuler Creek and the Valley River will be stocked in April, then again in May. Davis and Junaluska Creeks and the Valley River will also get stocked in June.
The season will run until Feb. 28, 2025. Hatchery Supported Trout Waters are marked by green and white signs.
Details: Visit ncwildlife.org/Learning/Species/Fish/Trout/Trout-Fishing.
GOLF
Dogs take tournament
The Murphy golf team took the first Smoky Mountain Conference tourney by beating their nearest competitor by 23 strokes. The final scores were Murphy at 163, Robbinsville at 185, Swain at 188 and Cherokee at 191.
The golf team will face off against Andrews this week. The Bulldogs’ team is comprised of Andrew Barkley, Conner Golden, Bradley Golden, Will Joyner and Xander Wachacha.
RACING
Cave full of moonshine
Last week at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 700-square-foot cave was discovered underneath the grandstands during routine cleaning and maintenance, track officials said.
The crew found cracks in the concrete, then removed seats to further inspect the cracks. Beneath the grandstand was a cave that could have been used for storing or making moonshine.
Steve Swift, senior vice present of operations and development at Speedway Motorsports said, “We haven’t found a still [yet], but we’ve found a small cave and interior wall that would have been the perfect location to not only make illegal liquor, but to hide it from the law as well.”
NASCAR has a storied history with moonshine, especially in North Carolina. Junior Johnson of Wilkes County is notorious for being a bootlegger and also a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2010.
North Wilkesboro Speedway will host the NASCAR All-Star Race Week from May 14-19. The track opened in 1947 and held races until it closed in 1996. After extensive renovations, it began hosting races again with the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race.
BASEBALL
State native hurling day 1
Major League Baseball pitcher and Charlotte native Alex Wood got the start on opening day for the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. Wood pitched 3.1 innings and gave up six runs on seven hits, with three strikeouts and one walk in the loss.
Wood grew up in Charlotte and played baseball at Ardrey Kell High School, a 4A school. He went on to play in college at the University of Georgia. He was then drafted in 2012 by the Atlanta Braves and debuted in 2013, where he had a record of 3-3 in his rookie season
He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2015 season and stayed until he signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 2019. After playing a season with the Reds, he was sent back to the Dodgers in 2020, where he was apart of the World Series winning team.
Wood entered free agency in 2021 and signed with the San Francisco Giants. After three seasons with the Giants, he signed with the A’s as a free agent on Feb. 2.
GAMBLING
N.C. raking in revenues
In the first day of mobile sports betting being legalized in North Carolina, they made nearly $2 million and in the first week, they made more than $7.6 million.
The amount made is unofficial gain in state tax revenue. An article by The Center Square details the figures relating to mobile sports betting from the March 27 N.C. Lottery Commission meeting.
The total revenue made on March 11, the first day of legal mobile sports betting was $11,030,957.65. At the 18 percent tax rate, that comes out to $1,985,572.26. For the first week of legal mobile sports betting, the total revenue was $42,683,281.73. The amount paid out as winnings were more than $12.2 million.
The Department of Revenue will determine official taxable amounts from mobile sports betting, so theses amounts are preliminary aggregates.
Compiled by Sports Editor Cannon Crompton. Email your items to him at sports@cherokeescout.com.