News

Changing the Narrative: Kinston Elite 252 is Building More Than Football Players

Changing the Narrative: Kinston Elite 252 is Building More Than Football Players

Since August 2023, Cori Waters and Will London has led a group of 8-to-14-year-old boys in a journey that began with local flag football and evolved into a 7-on-7 travel team called Kinston Elite 252 now competing across the state and beyond. The name isn’t tied to a school or booster club. There are no big sponsors backing it. This is raw grassroots football, molded by passion and purpose.

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North Lenoir Softball’s Historic Season Ends on Championship Stage

North Lenoir Softball’s Historic Season Ends on Championship Stage

In their first state title appearance since 2005, North Lenoir fell to West Wilkes in the 2A State Championship series at UNCG Softball Stadium. But their season was anything but a disappointment. The Hawks, seeded No. 15 in the East bracket, carved out one of the most unlikely playoff runs North Carolina high school softball has seen in decades — and in the process, reignited a standard for the program.

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South Lenoir's Season of Firsts: A Championship Journey Rooted in Grit, Heart, and Brotherhood

South Lenoir’s Season of Firsts: A Championship Journey Rooted in Grit, Heart, and Brotherhood

In a season built on culture, toughness, and belief, the Blue Devils reached uncharted territory, playing for the NCHSAA 2A Baseball State Championship for the first time in program history. Though they fell in the final series to East Rutherford—a hard-fought 4-3 loss in Game One followed by an 11-0 setback in Game Two—the real story lives in what it took to get there.

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NCHSAA 2A State Championship Softball Preview: #15 seed North Lenoir versus #1 seed West Wilkes

NCHSAA 2A State Championship Softball Preview: #15 seed North Lenoir versus #1 seed West Wilkes

Top-seeded West Wilkes (25-3) enters the 2A State Championship on a 19-game winning streak and a mission to finish what last year’s 21-1 campaign couldn’t. Meanwhile, North Lenoir, the 15-seed out of the East, made history—becoming the first double-digit seed in over two decades to reach the 2A finals. One team is chasing legacy. The other is rewriting it.Top-seeded West Wilkes (25-3) enters the 2A State Championship on a 19-game winning streak and a mission to finish what last year’s 21-1 campaign couldn’t. Meanwhile, North Lenoir, the 15-seed out of the East, made history—becoming the first double-digit seed in over two decades to reach the 2A finals. One team is chasing legacy. The other is rewriting it.

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South Lenoir Baseball Tribute by Christopher Johnson

South Lenoir Baseball Tribute by Christopher Johnson

Christopher Johnson, a proud South Lenoir alum and lifelong supporter, submitted this piece ahead of the Blue Devils’ first-ever appearance in the NCHSAA 2A Baseball State Championship. He writes from the heart, as a friend of head coach Paul Novicki and as a father raising the next generation of Blue Devils.

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