Shining at the Next Level: September 2-8, 2019

September 8, 2019, 11:34 pm | by Tim Hower

New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties produce a large number of athletes that continue their careers at the next level. Each week, this list will feature a number of area athletes who are finding success in the college ranks.

Check back for weekly updates each Monday morning.

FOOTBALL

***Full list of area football players in college***

R-Sr. DE Alex Highsmith, Charlotte (2015 Ashley grad): Finished with four tackles, including a pair of sacks fro 13 yards, in Saturday’s loss at Appalachian State. Highsmith also had a pair of pass breakups.

Soph. QB Josh Jones, UNC Pembroke (2018 Hoggard grad): Tossed the game-winning 14-yard touchdown pass to Shammond Hicks with 4:32 remaining in the game to lift the Braves to a season-opening 27-21 home win over Winston Salem State. Jones finished 21 of 35 for 180 yards and also had 11 carries for 75 yards.

R-Sr. FB Daniel McRainey, Wingate (2015 West Brunswick grad): Started at fullback and helped open up holes that allowed the Bulldogs to rush for 146 yards on 35 carries in a lopsided 42-6 victory over Johnson C. Smith on Thursday.

Soph. P Michael Rivers, N.C. A&T (2018 North Brunswick grad): Had seven punts for an average of 41.9 yards and three inside the 20 in a loss at Duke on Saturday.

R-Jr. OL Joe Sculthorpe, N.C. State (2016 Topsail grad): The starting left guard helped the Wolfpack finish with 540 total yards of offense in Saturday’s dominant 41-0 victory over Western Carolina.

Jr. DL Taye Vereen, UNC Pembroke (2017 West Brunswick grad): Made the first tackle of Saturday’s game against Winston Salem State and finished with four in the 27-21 win.

Jr. WR Imeek Watkins, Chowan (2017 Laney grad): In Saturday’s season-opening 40-22 loss at UVa.-Wise, Watkins had three carries for 64 yards and four catches for 42 yards. He also returned a pair of punts for 30 yards.

Laney graduate Imeek Watkins now plays football at Chowan. [Chowan Athletics]

WOMEN’S SOCCER

***Full list of area women’s soccer players in college***

Soph. GK Delaney Mitchell, Towson (2018 Cape Fear Academy grad): Made her first career start and stopped four shots in 45 minutes of shutout action to help the Tigers pick up a 1-0 victory over UMBC on Thursday afternoon.

Sr. F Anna Rae Porcelli, Greensboro College (2016 Laney grad): Scored a pair of goals in a 5-1 victory at Bob Jones on Sept. 2 and found the back of the net on Saturday in a 4-0 victory at Southern Virginia.

VOLLEYBALL

***Full list of area volleyball players in college***

Fr. S Julianna Askew, North Florida (2019 Ashley grad): In her first three home matches, Askew dished out a remarkable 115 assists in 11 sets. She had a career-high 42 assists against East Carolina on Friday morning and finished with 41 against Wake Forest later that night. Askew also had 12 digs, nine aces, eight kills and three blocks during the tournament.

Soph. MB/RS Georgia Davis, King University (2018 Wilmington Christian Academy grad): In Friday’s season-opening loss against Carson-Newman, Davis had five kills, five digs and two blocks.

Sr. MB Madi Ford, Limestone (2016 Topsail grad): Had nine kills and five blocks in three matches at the Bobcat Classic at Georgia College over the weekend.

Topsail graduate Madi Ford now plays volleyball at Limestone. [Limestone Athletics]

Soph. OH Sydney Fox, Brevard (2018 South Brunswick grad): Finished with back-to-back double-doubles in losses to Salem on Friday and Piedmont International on Saturday. Fox had 16 kills and 13 digs on Friday and finished with a career-high 20 kills and 16 digs during Saturday’s match. She also had 11 kills and nine digs in a five-set defeat against Emory & Henry on Thursday.

Fr. MB/RS Carson Fuller, Coker (2019 Coastal Christian grad): Hit .316 with nine kills in a season-opening five-set victory at UNC Pembroke on Saturday.

Soph. MB Bethany Henry, Virginia State (2018 Hoggard grad): Finished with eight kills and 18 digs to lead the Trojans to a five-set win over Alderson Broaddus on Friday afternoon.

Jr. DS Madie Schider, Hillsdale (2017 Hoggard grad): Helped the Chargers go 3-1 over the weekend by finishing with a total of 79 digs and serving six aces.

Soph. OH/RS Sarah Shropshire, Averett (2018 Laney grad): In 12 sets over four matches, Shropshire put down 24 kills to go along with six digs and six blocks. She had 10 kills in a three-set loss at Randolph Macon on Saturday.

Fr. RS/MB Emily Steyskal, Cape Fear CC (2019 Hoggard grad): In Tuesday’s five-set win over Wake Tech, the freshman had seven aces, five kills and four blocks.