■ Reynolds has announced a class of five for induction into its sports hall of fame in October. Members of the Class of 2009 are: Senator Richard Burr, Doug Crater, Stan Elrod, Bill Gramley and Allison Lippard Morris.
Burr, a U.S. senator since 2005, was a standout football player at Reynolds. He played in the 1973 Shrine Bowl, graduated in 1974 and went on to play defensive back at Wake Forest.
Crater, who retired in 1993 and still lives in Winston-Salem, is a 1952 graduate and was a longtime teacher and coach. He has the longest tenure of any football coach in school history (17 seasons, 1972-88). He also coached golf for nearly 30 years and had a state-championship team in 1968.
Elrod, now the principal at Reagan, spent 24 years at Reynolds, first as a teacher and coach and then as athletics director, assistant principal and principal (1991-2004). During his time as principal, Reynolds' basketball teams won three straight NCHSAA 4-A championships under Coach Howard West.
Gramley, also retired and living in Winston-Salem, was a standout defensive tackle on the 1952 state-championship team and made two key defensive plays in the title game against Durham. He was all-state in football in 1952 and won state championships in shot put (1952) and discus (1953).
Lippard Morris was a star soccer, basketball and tennis player and later taught and coached at Reynolds. She was a four-time all conference pick (1980-83) and a three-time conference player of the year and all-state selection. She once held national records for goals in a season (56) and career (175).
■ Robbie Mudge of Reynolds won the NCHSAA 4-A singles title last weekend, becoming the first boys player from Reynolds since 1942 to win a state tennis title.
As of Monday, with records incomplete, school and NCHSAA officials still couldn't identify the 1942 champion.
It turns out it was Berkley Ingram, who died in 2004. Virginia Ingram, Berkley's sister, told the Journal yesterday that her brother did indeed win the title, adding that the trophy was "around here somewhere."
Berkley Ingram served in World War II after high school, and later graduated from North Carolina and Harvard Business School before becoming a vice president with Massachusetts Mutual in Virginia.
He retired in 1993 and moved back Winston-Salem.
■ No boys tennis team from Forsyth County has ever reached a championship match in the NCHSAA team tournaments, which started in 1991. Reynolds, however, is one win away from changing that.
The Demons inched a step closer to Saturday's 4-A title match in Burlington by knocking off previously unbeaten Greensboro Page 5-4 in Tuesday's quarterfinals.
Reynolds (19-2) has one more hurdle to clear to make the final -- 2008 runner-up Charlotte Ardrey Kell (16-0). The two will meet in the semifinals at 4 p.m. today in Charlotte.
■ Chelsea Leonard's conspicuous absence from Central Davidson's softball team has ended.
Leonard, a dominating right-handed senior who has sparked Central to two straight Class 2-A state titles, returned to the pitching circle for the first time Tuesday and led Central to a 1-0, eight-inning win over South Iredell.
Leonard, who tore a knee ligament in the fall and didn't play during the regular season, showed little rust from the time off. She allowed only two hits and struck out 20 of the 26 batters she faced.
Last spring, Leonard set a state record by pitching 2062/3 scoreless innings.
■ Isaac Spencer, a senior at Mount Tabor, has signed to play golf at Southeastern University in Orlando, Fla., said Evan Gibson, the university's outgoing coach.
"We are extremely excited to have landed such a talented player in Isaac," Gibson said. "He is not just a great golfer, but a great fit for our university, and we feel Isaac has a real bright future."
■ Mason Linker can be reached at 727-7324 or at mlinker@wsjournal.com.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement