Coastal Preps Best of 2021

December 22, 2021, 9:53 am | by Tim Hower

2021 was a great year for high school athletics in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties. There were team state champions as well as individuals that captured medals. Now, its up to you to decide which teams and athletes stand out among the rest.

Take a minute to read the summaries of each finalist and then choose your winners by clicking the link at the bottom of the page. Voting will remain open until noon on New Year’s Eve and results will be posted later that night!

Best Male Team of 2021

Ashley baseball: Led by Coastal Preps Offensive Player of the Year Drew Tyndall and Pitcher of the Year Tanner Collins, the Screaming Eagles claimed their first Mideastern Conference title since 2007 and reached the 4A East final for the first time since 2011.

Cape Fear Academy tennis: The Hurricanes capped a perfect 16-0 season with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Forsyth Country Day School in the NCISAA Division II State Championship match on May 15. It was the program’s first title since 2015.

Coastal Christian cross country: By placing four runners in the top 10, the Centurions claimed the NCISAA 3A state title for the first time in school history. Sophomore Jack Sterrett was the individual champion with a dominant 32-second victory. The Centurions had finished in the top five each of the prior three seasons before finally breaking through.

Laney wrestling: The Buccaneers had six wrestlers finish in the top four at the 4A State Championship en route to their first team state title since 1992. Mark Samuel claimed a second consecutive individual title as the Buccaneers scored 100.5 points to top runner-up Cardinal Gibbons by 21.

New Hanover soccer: After suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss to Weddington in the 3A State Championship in March, the Wildcats came back even stronger during the regular fall season. A talented senior class helped New Hanover finish 27-0-1 and claim the 4A state title with a 3-0 win over Hough. It was the first time a public school in Wilmington won a soccer state championship.

Best Female Team of 2021

Ashley basketball: National Gatorade Player of the Year Saniya Rivers guided the Screaming Eagles to the best season in program history. Ashley finished 15-2 and reached the 4A East final for the first time.

Cape Fear Academy tennis: In one of the greatest comebacks in school history, the Hurricanes rallied from a 4-1 deficit to earn a dramatic 5-4 victory over top-seeded Arendell Parrott Academy in the NCISAA 3A State Championship. Elle Harmon sealed the win with a 6-3, 3-6, 10-5 victory at No. 4 to give CFA its first dual team title.

Coastal Christian volleyball: After dropping the first two sets in the NCISAA 3A State Championship, a group of veteran players regrouped and reeled off three straight sets to earn the first title in program history. It capped a remarkable 32-2 season.

Hoggard cross country: The Vikings repeated as 4A team state champions on January 22 thanks in large part to a third-place finish from sophomore Molly Parker. Hoggard scored 96 points to defeat runner-up Panther Creek by five.

Hoggard softball: Veteran coach Colleen St. Ledger was sent out in the best possible way – with a state title. Sophomore Jordan Martin’s walk-off single gave the Vikings a 6-5 victory over East Forsyth in the deciding Game 3 of the 4A State Championship Series.

Best Male Senior Season

Will Parker, Hoggard swimming: Capped his incredible career with a pair of top-10 individual finishes at the 4A State Championship. Parker was fifth in the 50 freestyle and eighth in the 100 distance. He also swam the anchor leg on the 11th-place 200 medley relay.

Aidan Payne, New Hanover soccer: Set a new school record with 54 goals to lead the Wildcats to their first state title. Payne scored at least once in 23 of 28 games and and finished with three or more goals nine times.

Evan Pena, Hoggard cross country: After winning the Mideastern Conference title and placing third at the 4A East Regional, Pena finished 10th at states. He was the first male runner from a New Hanover County public school to finish in the top 10 since 2008.

Nicholas Scrocco, Coastal Christian track & field: Scrocco claimed three state titles at his final NCISAA Division II State Championship. He crossed the finish line first in the 800 and 1600 meter runs. Scrocco also ran the anchor leg on the winning 4×400 relay.

Drew Tyndall, Ashley baseball: Hit .431 with eight doubles, a pair of home runs, 18 RBI and scored 11 runs to help guide the Screaming Eagles to the 4A East final for the third time in school history. The talented catcher also threw out nine runners attempting to steal.

Best Female Senior Season

Grace Holcomb, Laney golf: Holcomb managed to win seven of the eight events she played in, including the Mideastern Conference Championship with an event-record 65. She won the 4A East Regional and was the runner-up at states. Holcomb ended her final high school season with a stroke average of 71.5.

Kelly McConekey, Coastal Christian volleyball: Put down an area-best 395 kills while hitting .337 in 34 matches to lead the Centurions to their first NCISAA 3A state title. McConekey also served 150 aces and added 170 digs and 30 blocks.

Liza Murtagh, Cape Fear Academy swimming: Finished with the fastest area times in the 100 breaststroke, 200 freestyle and 200 IM. Murtagh capped her remarkable career with four state titles – 100 breaststroke, 200 IM, 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay.

Saniya Rivers, Ashley basketball: Was named the National Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 36.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.3 steals, 5.1 assists and 1.4 blocks to help Ashley reach the 4A East final for the first time.

Icess Tresvik, Hoggard softball: Guided the Vikings to their first state title by going 20-1 with an ERA of 0.84 and 238 strikeouts in 125 1/3 innings. She also hit .556 with 11 home runs, 31 RBI and 40 runs scored.

Best Male Junior Season

Tanner Collins, Ashley: Became the team’s ace early in the season and finished 8-1 with a 1.82 ERA. Collins threw at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or less in eight starts. He allowed 15 earned runs and struck out 48 batters in 57 2/3 innings.

Jaxon King, Hoggard football: During a rare spring football season, the safety finished with 70 tackles, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, two blocked punts and one blocked field goal to lead the Vikings to an 8-1 record.

Nathan Lau, Topsail track & field: Won the discus and shot put events at every Mideastern Conference meet. Lau claimed the discus title and was second in shot put at the 3A East Regional. A week later, he was the runner-up in discus and fifth in shot put at states.

Mark Samuel, Laney wrestling: Finished unbeaten and captured a state title for the second straight season. Samuel went 29-0 at 120 pounds with 26 of the victories resulting in bonus points for his team.

Best Female Junior Season

Olivia Bufalini, Laney cross country: Bufalini recorded top-10 finishes in all 12 races she competed in, including five victories. She was second at the 4A East Regional with a season-best time and finished sixth a week later at states.

Taylor Chism, Laney soccer: Led the team with 22 goals in 17 games to help the Buccaneers finish 13-4 and reach the Elite Eight of the 4A playoffs for the first time since 1997. She scored at least twice in seven games.

Callie Parkes, Hoggard swimming: After claiming the 4A East Regional titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle, Parkes had top-three finishes in both events at the 4A State Championship with area-best times. She was the runner-up in the 50 freestyle and third in the 100 distance.

Elizabeth Teeters, Southeastern Homeschool: Set a pair of individual records at the NCHEAC State Championship and also anchored a pair of victorious relays. Teeters cruised to a 50-second victory in the 500 freestyle and had an 11-second win in the 100 backstroke. She had three of the top five fastest 500 freestyle times in the area.

Best Male Sophomore Season

Kenan Everhart, Ashley lacrosse: In his first season with the Screaming Eagles, Everhart scored a team-high 35 goals and added 23 assists in 12 matches. Ashley reached the final eight of the 4A playoffs for the first time in school history.

Walker Jenkins, South Brunswick baseball: Batting in the leadoff spot, Jenkins finished with a .436 average and a .582 on-base percentage. He added five doubles, four home runs, 16 stolen bases, 8 RBI and scored 21 runs in 13 games.

Vytas Nausedas, Cape Fear Academy track & field: The talented multi-sport athlete excelled in a number of different events. He competed in five meets and was victorious in the shot put in each of them, including the NCISAA 3A State Championship. Nausedas also finished fifth in the state in long jump, seventh in high jump and 13th in the 200-meter dash.

Jack Sterrett, Coastal Christian cross country: Capped a terrific season with a dominant 32-second win at the NCISAA 3A State Championship to help the Centurions claim their first team title. Sterrett won four of the eight events he competed in. He also had Coastal Christian’s six fastest times as well as four of the area’s top 20 times.

Best Female Sophomore Season

Marlee Cook, Ashley volleyball: Led the Screaming Eagles in assists (446), digs (249) and aces (75). She also put down 149 kills and added 22 blocks to lead the team to the Mideastern Conference title.

Kaitlyn Obremski, Topsail cross country: Had a remarkable winter season, which concluded with a third-place finish at the 3A State Championship in February. Obremski won seven races, including the Mideastern Conference Championship and 3A East Regional.

Laney Scoggins, North Brunswick basketball: In nine games, Scoggins averaged 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals. She shot 42 percent from the field and connected on 36 percent of her 3-point attempts.

Haven Wittkofsky, North Brunswick softball: The power hitter finished with a .575 average, six doubles, six triples and four home runs. She also drove in 15 runs and scored 20 times. Wittkofsky’s on-base percentage was .654 thanks to 11 walks in 14 games.

Best Male Freshman Season

Augie Ballantine, New Hanover tennis: In his first season in a Wildcats uniform, Ballantine finished 10-0 in singles and 17-1 in doubles. He played 20 sets in singles and won 18 of them by a scores of 6-0 or 6-1. Ballantine and his doubles partner, Alan Dimock, reached the semifinals of the 3A State Championship.

Algernon Butler, Cape Fear Academy tennis: Finished with a 16-1 record (8-0 in singles and 8-1 in doubles) to help the Hurricanes finish 16-0 and claim their first state championship since 2015. Butler won eight sets in singles without dropping a set and four more where he lost only one game.

Myron Mckoy, Trask basketball: Averaged a team-best 14.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists in 12 games. Mckoy shot 42 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range.

Cian Post, Ashley swimming: Qualified for the 4A State Championship in three events. He anchored the 200 freestyle relay that finished sixth and the 200 medley relay that placed seventh. Post was also 12th in the 100 freestyle.

Best Female Freshman Season

Sophia Catino, New Hanover tennis: Went 33-6 at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Mideastern Conference champion Wildcats. Catino was victorious in 15 of her 16 singles matches. Seventeen of her winning sets came by a score of 6-0, 8-0, 6-1 or 8-1.

Ellie Hildreth, Hoggard golf: Captured all nine Mideastern Conference matches to lead the Vikings to their first league title since 2001. After finishing fourth at the 4A East Regional, Hildreth tied a state championship record with a 5-under-par 67 on the opening day before finishing fifth. She had a nine-hole stroke average of 37.5

Ella Johnson, Hoggard soccer: Made an immediate impact for the area’s best team by scoring 18 goals and dishing out 14 assists in 18 matches to help Hoggard finish 15-2-1 and advance to the 4A East final for the fifth time in eight seasons.

Meagan Lundin, New Hanover track & field: Won all four events she competed in at five of her six Mideastern Conference meets, including the conference championship. She had four top-10 finishes at the 4A East Regional and placed fourth in the 300 hurdles and 12th in the long jump at states.