Home Local Sports Lady Wildcats clinch first regular-season conference title in program history; Ellerbe boys...

Lady Wildcats clinch first regular-season conference title in program history; Ellerbe boys inch closer

The Ellerbe girls' soccer team has won the 2019 regular season SEMSAC championship.
Deon Cranford — The Richmond Observer.

WADESBORO — For the first time in program history, the Ellerbe Middle School girls’ soccer team is the regular season conference champion.

On the road at Anson Middle School on Tuesday, the Lady Wildcats clinched the Southeastern Middle School Athletic Conference title with a 4-0 win over the Lady Bearcats. The shutout win also secured the No. 1 playoff seed, complete with a first-round by and home field advantage.

“It’s good to win the regular season title,” head coach Derek Anderson said of his team’s success. “But they have set their goal on a championship and still have some work to do.

“The girls have played hard all year and never want to take days off,” he added. “They want to practice on Fridays, in the cold or in the rain. A lot of these girls I’ve had for three years, many for basketball and soccer, and that helps a lot, too.”

The Lady Wildcats improved to 8-0 on the spring, as eighth-grade goalkeeper Chloe Nunn and the Ellerbe defense recorded their fifth shutout of the season.

Leading the way was eighth grader Nyla Stroman, who scored twice. Also netting a goal apiece were Melissa Morales and Rebecca Avalos.

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With the regular season title already locked up, the Lady Wildcats will close out the regular season Thursday and look to cap a perfect season at Spring Hill Middle School. Kickoff against the Lady Spartans is set for 4 p.m.

Ellerbe boys inch closer to SEMSAC title

The Ellerbe boys’ soccer team isn’t far behind its Lady Wildcat counterparts, as it moved one step closer to clinching the SEMSAC title. Also on the road at Anson, the Wildcats cruised to a 3-1 win to stay ahead of second-place Hamlet Middle School.

The first goal was scored by Yair Aquino on an assist from Gerardo Aguirre. The next scoring sequence for Ellerbe saw Aguirre connect on a pass from Kevin Cortes. Aguirre would end the game with his second goal of the afternoon, using an assist from Daniel Jaimes.

If the Wildcats (7-1) and head coach Jimmy Chavez were to defeat Spring Hill on Thursday, they would also win the regular season title. That would make it the first sweep for Ellerbe in school history.

Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m.



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Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.