Welcome to The Great 58, a list that brings attention to the special accomplishments and noteworthy items in high school sports in the state of North Carolina. Fifty-eight schools and/or athletes, listed in bold, are highlighted in each column. Nominations are welcome by emailing [email protected].

The fall season is hitting its stride in a number of sports, so we’ve got some catching up to do!

Don’t forget that there’s a weekly feature that does this for football — Joel Bryant’s Starting 22.

Enjoy the first edition of The Great 58!

GIRLS GOLF (14)

Durham Academy’s Jenna Kim is torching the greens as always. The sophomore has a handicap differential (also, shout out to the NCISAA for mandating every school upload each round so we can have these kinds of stats) of -2.37 on the season through 12 matches. The next closest player in NCISAA is her teammate, Saia Rampersaud, a 0.14.

Also, Kim has notched her seventh hole in one in her high school career. She’s on track to be our first seven-time HSOT all-state selection (she made it as a seventh- and eighth-grader).

The NCHSAA doesn’t mandate teams report scores to iWanamaker, but some do anyway.

Hoggard senior and N.C. State recruit Ellie Hildreth has a 34.8 scoring average across five nine-hole rounds, while Christ the King’s Malerie Lague has a 35.0 average across six nine-hole rounds.

Defending 4A champ Leah Edwards of Northwest Guilford, a Western Kentucky recruit, is at 35.3 for six rounds and Holly Springs’ Kelsey Jones is at 36.0 over six.

The 4A race seems to come down once again to Pinecrest (107.5 average across two nine-hole rounds), Northwest Guilford (113.3 average through seven nine-hole rounds), Reagan (115.4 through five nine-hole rounds) or Hoggard (245.0 through two 18-hole matches).

The 3A leaders based on scoring average, though few have reported scores, are Southern Alamance, Williams, and Croatan.

In 1A/2A, East Rutherford leads the way thanks to two freshmen additions.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY (9)

The seven fastest times boys cross country times this season were all recorded at the adidas XC challenge: Cary Academy’s Kavi Gibson, Reagan’s Tate Shore, R.J. Reynolds’ Cedar Nichols-Barnhart, Riverside’s Philip Blum, Ravenscroft’s Henry Baker, Marvin Ridge’s David Rivlin, and Watauga’s Will Bradbury.

A win by Western Harnett’s Ethan Rich at the Hare & Hounds Invitational makes him the fastest 3A runner this year.

Seaforth’s Jack Anstrom is the fastest 2A runner thus far this year, putting him on track to join a rare group of three-time state champions.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY (10)

On the girls’ side, Carolina Day’s Caroline Barton has the fastest recorded time this year, clocking 17:34.50 at the Hare & Hounds Invitational.

It’s an impressive top seven: Lake Norman’s Kasey Dingman is second, Cardinal Gibbons’ Hannah Rae Shaffer (a UNC recruit), Metrolina Christian’s Annie Miller, Cardinal Gibbons freshman Kaitlyn Estep is fifth, Asheville’s Sofi Alexander, and Swain County’s Arizona Blankenship.

Cardinal Gibbons is projected to have as many as three top-10 runners and five in the top 35, which means they could have a historic victory in the 4A championships should it hold. The biggest margin of victory is 95 points. Right now it could be more than 150 points.

Speaking of heavy favorites, Swain County’s girls are projected to have four runners in the 1A top 10! The Maroon Devils could make it a four-peat this year.

E.E. Smith’s Georgy Helmers, a transfer from Ohio, has the fastest time in 3A this year.

GIRLS TENNIS (9)

These are the seven undefeated girls tennis players with 12 or more wins at No. 1 singles play: Cape Fear’s Shea Bieniek, North Lincoln’s Emma Carver, Myers Park’s Teagan Reilly, Davie County’s Elliot Newsom, Seaforth’s Lillian McFall, Highland Tech’s Madison Darnell, and Lake Norman Charter’s Luci Falls.

Reilly has been a 4A singles semifinalist in each of the last two years. Falls was a 3A singles semifinalist last year, while Carver made the 3A quarterfinals. Bieniek made the 3A doubles semis. Darnell was the 1A singles champion.

Two other undefeated names that jump out: Bishop McGuinness freshman Lucia Neves (11-0) has bolsted the Villains’ lineup and made them a title contender in 1A; and East Burke star basketball point guard Braelyn Stilwell is 9-0 for the Cavaliers.

BOYS SOCCER (8)

Sometimes it’s not always about how many goals you score but the impact you make on the game. So we’re honoring eight players who you might not find among the state leaders in outright goals.

Ardrey Kell goalkeeper Cole Freeman has a GAA of 0.699 this year, allowing just eight goals in 14 appearances. He’s the only returning two-time HSOT all-state selection.

There aren’t many teams that feel as good doing back passes and letting a center back dictate ball movement, but Myers Park can do it with senior defender Gavin Trosch. Trosch is second on the team in points and goals.

Upcoming showdowns between Green Hope and Holly Springs will feature two of the 4A East’s top scorers. Green Hope’s Jacob Colberg has 18 goals and nine assists while Holly Springs’ Sean O’Laughlin has 16 goals and two assists. Over the last two years, only six WCPSS players have topped 20 goals in a 4A season, and only two touched the 30-goal mark.

A number of Triad players are playing this year who otherwise would’ve been playing club soccer, which has made the competition more fierce. Still, it hasn’t taken Wesleyan Christian far off last year’s path, thanks in large part to catalyst Sean Jacobs, who has five goals and 10 assists.

One of those players who has joined high school soccer is Northwest Guilford’s Justin Lee, who has 14 goals and five assists while playing a target forward position up top.

Asheville’s Shep Goldstein has 30 goals this year, which is no small matter consider he played a lot of defense the year prior, scoring 13 from his outside back position.

VOLLEYBALL (8)

The state’s best in volleyball are defined by more than just a stat leaderboard. Stats don’t lie, but there’s more than meets the eye with some numbers. With this group, we’re going to honor some versatile players on top of some of those who’ve been racking up the stats.

Take the multi-talented Clara Evans of J.H. Rose, who has 3.6 kills, 1.2 aces, and 2.9 digs per set for the Rampants. That’s the kind of all-around game that can set a player apart, and a reason why she’s a beach volleyball recruit to TCU.

An indoor volleyball recruit Anne Bradley Bing of Gaston Day, has also shown off her all-around game during her career. This year she has a whopping 8.3 kills and 6.3 digs per set. This is a player who had more than 1,000 assists as a full-time setter her freshman year.

Shout out to two setters who have kept their teams near the top in 3A despite losing some of the state’s best weapons to graduation. Kings Mountain’s Camden Pasour is still averaging 9.6 assists and 2.7 digs per set, while Ashe County’s Lorali Overcash has 8.7 assists and 1.9 digs per set.

Read more about Ashe County’s emergence on the statewide stage by clicking here.

Likewise, McMichael’s Zoey Bradford has had to step up — moving to setter to replace all-state setter Bianka Sola, who moved out-of-state. She went from 2.4 kills per set to 7.5 assists per set, and the Phoenix are still (at 18-2) looking like a 2A title threat.

Chapel Hill’s Kira Devrieze has taken advantage of being the full-time libero this season and has a whopping 3.7 digs per set for the undefeated Tigers.

Topsail’s Ryan Lambert and Grimsley’s Naomi Locklear are also off to torrid starts. Locklear has 310 kills already, while Lambert has 4.0 per set to go with 1.0 aces and 2.6 digs.

Source: highschoolot.com