Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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AUGUST 28-SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 UCW 25 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Jungle Run adds race for middle schoolers by EARL VAUGHAN JR. The Jungle Run, South View's annual night cross country meet, returns for its 19th year on Saturday, Aug. 31, with the finish line on the Tiger track at Randy Ledford Stadium. This year's event will feature one significant change, the addition of a combined race for middle school runners, boys and girls. South View cross country coach Jesse Autry said he's trying to encourage middle school cross country because some areas of the state that lack it are falling behind in the sport. Another new award will be pre- sented to the Most Spirited Team at the meet for its overall enthusiasm and support of teammates during the competition. With one day left before the signup closed last week, 61 teams had committed to the event this year. A drawing card for entries is the fact the South View cross country course will host two major com- petitions later this year, the Patriot Athletic Conference meet and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A East Regional championship. Some familiar powerhouses will be coming to South View to com- pete in this year's race. On the boys side top teams include Raleigh Broughton, Raleigh Leesville Road and Raleigh Millbrook. Among the better region teams, Union Pines is back. Among smaller schools, a powerful Croatan team is back along with private school standout Fayetteville Christian. Some of the better girls' teams in the meet include Carrboro, Wilmington Ashley and Cary Academy. One traditional power that won't be running this year is Pinecrest, which is unable to take part due to a schedule conflict. Check-in for the meet begins at 4 p.m. The combined middle school race for boys and girls will start at 5:45 p.m., followed at 6:15 p.m. and then 6:55 p.m. by the developmental races for boys and girls respectively. The two invitational races for smaller schools will be held at 6:55 p.m. and 7:40 p.m. The championship races for boys and girls are set for 9 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. The awards ceremony takes place in the foot- ball stadium stands beginning at 10:15 p.m. Entry to the meet itself is free but spectator parking in the lots at South View is $5 per carload. Stan Bagley knew his Cumberland Post 32 Bombers had no shortage of talent this season, but even he was surprised by the way the team coasted through the rest of the field at this year's North Carolina American Legion Lady Fastpitch state tournament in Shelby. Cumberland, in its first season of American Legion softball field, cruised through the double elimi- nation event with a 3-0 record and outscored the rest of the field 30-10 en route to the title. They fin- ished the season with an 18-2 record. "I was a little shocked that we hit the ball as well as we did late,'' Bagley said. "In all three games, seeing those pitchers the second and third time, they really zoned in and showed me what they were capable of doing. "I knew they had the potential. Just to watch it click when we needed it was awesome.'' Among the leading hitters for Cumberland in the three games in the state finals were McKenzie Mason with a .727 average, Alyssa Norton .556, Alexa Glemaker .500 and Courtney Cygan .455. Bagley credited the top of the Cumberland order — Jaden Pone, Cygan and Mason, for setting the table with their speed and putting the ball in play. In the championship game, he praised Ashton Fields for sparking a huge rally that put the win away for Cumberland. Most Valuable Player honors for the tourna- ment went to Glemaker for her pitching, mostly in a relief role. She came on in the championship game after Cumberland fell behind early and pitched scoreless relief as the Bombers rallied for the win. In 11.1 innings for the tournament, Glemaker recorded seven strikeouts, allowed no walks and just one earned run. "All year long, when we needed that relief off the bench she stepped up and came through,'' Bagley said of Glemaker. "It seemed like she knew the pres- sure was on and she pitched better for us.'' Glemaker, a fresh- man, will enroll at Cape Fear High School this fall. "I know some people thought we weren't going to be as good because we were a first- year team,'' Glemaker said. "Watching some of the other teams, I thought we had a good shot.'' If no one else in Cumberland County decides to field an American Legion soft- ball team next year, Bagley could potentially return everyone on this year's team for the 2020 season. If another team is formed, a deci- sion will have to be made on how the county schools will divide the players between them. Bagley said with the success of this year's entry, he expects Legion softball to continue growing around the state. "The ultimate goal is to have one team in every county in North Carolina, then grow this thing in the Southeast and eventually the whole nation,'' he said. Cumberland savors state Legion softball title by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Alexa Glemaker Makenzie Mason, Jaden Pone, Courtney Cygan, Megan Cygan, Becca Collins, Carey Dees, Emma Cobb, Madison Bagley, Alyssa Norton, Ashton Fields, Korie St. Peter, Catie McGrath, Alex Deville, Sarah Edge, Alexa Glemaker, Coach Stan Bagley. Jesse Autry