After three impactful years at South Lenoir High School, Brandon Battle is heading home.
Battle, who served as the head varsity boys basketball coach for the past season and a half—and JV coach prior—announced in a Facebook post that he will be leaving South Lenoir to return to Martin County, where he’ll take on a coaching role closer to his roots.
When one door began to close, another opened—and Suggs didn’t just walk through it. He ran full speed, with purpose, heart, and an unshakable belief in himself. On signing day, the Greene Central standout made it official: he’s headed to Johnson C. Smith University to continue his football career.
Former Kinston High School standout Kyonna Kelly is once again using the game she loves to empower the next generation.
This Saturday, June 21, Kelly will host a free girls basketball camp from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kinston High School(2601 North Queen Street). The event is open to girls ages 7 to 15, with a focus on fundamentals, fun and community. Parents can register their children by texting or calling 252-361-9534.
The 2025 Lenoir Community College volleyball schedule is officially set, and the Lady Lancers are gearing up for a packed season featuring a strong mix of regional rivalries, showcase events, and a home-heavy campaign designed to keep fans in Kinston energized all fall.
The Kinston-Lenoir County Sports Hall of Fame has officially announced its Class of 2025, featuring a standout lineup of local legends and a historic team that left a lasting legacy on the diamond.
This year’s inductees include Tony Dawson, Eddie Gwaltney, Tracy Hart, Dee Dee Jarman, Norman Joyner, Cam McRae, Cliff Whitfield, and the 1967 Grainger High School State Championship Baseball Team
The six-time state champion Greene Central Rams are set to host their annual Greene County Baseball Day Camp from June 16–19, offering young athletes in the area a chance to learn from one of the state’s premier baseball programs.
Since August 2023, Cori Waters and Will London has led a group of 8-to-14-year-old boys in a journey that began with local flag football and evolved into a 7-on-7 travel team called Kinston Elite 252 now competing across the state and beyond. The name isn’t tied to a school or booster club. There are no big sponsors backing it. This is raw grassroots football, molded by passion and purpose.
The 5-foot-6 defensive specialist from Princeton High School has officially signed to play volleyball at the University of Mount Olive, a nationally respected NCAA Division II program just a half-hour from her hometown.
In their first state title appearance since 2005, North Lenoir fell to West Wilkes in the 2A State Championship series at UNCG Softball Stadium. But their season was anything but a disappointment. The Hawks, seeded No. 15 in the East bracket, carved out one of the most unlikely playoff runs North Carolina high school softball has seen in decades — and in the process, reignited a standard for the program.
In a season built on culture, toughness, and belief, the Blue Devils reached uncharted territory, playing for the NCHSAA 2A Baseball State Championship for the first time in program history. Though they fell in the final series to East Rutherford—a hard-fought 4-3 loss in Game One followed by an 11-0 setback in Game Two—the real story lives in what it took to get there.
Top-seeded West Wilkes (25-3) enters the 2A State Championship on a 19-game winning streak and a mission to finish what last year’s 21-1 campaign couldn’t. Meanwhile, North Lenoir, the 15-seed out of the East, made history—becoming the first double-digit seed in over two decades to reach the 2A finals. One team is chasing legacy. The other is rewriting it.Top-seeded West Wilkes (25-3) enters the 2A State Championship on a 19-game winning streak and a mission to finish what last year’s 21-1 campaign couldn’t. Meanwhile, North Lenoir, the 15-seed out of the East, made history—becoming the first double-digit seed in over two decades to reach the 2A finals. One team is chasing legacy. The other is rewriting it.
This is everything you want in a championship series. The #6 seed South Lenoir Blue Devils (23-4) are riding a wave of postseason momentum into their first-ever state finals appearance. Waiting for them is the immovable object: the #1 seed East Rutherford Cavaliers (28-1), a six-time champion with a resume built for Cooperstown.
Christopher Johnson, a proud South Lenoir alum and lifelong supporter, submitted this piece ahead of the Blue Devils’ first-ever appearance in the NCHSAA 2A Baseball State Championship. He writes from the heart, as a friend of head coach Paul Novicki and as a father raising the next generation of Blue Devils.
Arendell Parrott Academy’s Claire Mixon isn’t just heading to one of the top high school softball showcases in the country—she’s arriving as a symbol of resilience, heart, and rising-star talent.
For the first time ever, South Lenoir is heading to the NCHSAA 2A State Championship Series, clinching the East with a dramatic 5-4 victory over Midway on Saturday in Game 3 of the Regional Finals.
The Hawks (20-3) will square off with West Wilkes (25-3) in the 2025 NCHSAA 2A Softball State Championship Series at UNC Greensboro’s Baseball Stadium. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, May 30 at 5 p.m., followed by Game 2 on Saturday, May 31 at 11 a.m. If necessary, a decisive Game 3 will be played Saturday at 5 p.m.
Backed by a fiery crowd and refusing to fold, the Blue Devils willed to a dramatic 9-8 extra-inning win at Midway to force a do-or-die Game 3 in the 2A East Finals.
With a state title in sight and a fired-up crowd behind them, the North Lenoir Hawks delivered a commanding 13–4 win over South Granville on Wednesday night to clinch a trip to the NCHSAA 2A State Championship.
This postseason, North Lenoir hasn’t just been beating teams — they’ve been breaking brackets.
For the fourth straight playoff game, the No. 15-seeded Hawks went on the road and took down a higher seed — this time overwhelming No. 4 South Granville with a 9-1 win in Game 1 of the 2A Eastern Regional Finals. One more win, and North Lenoir will be headed to the state championship series for the first time since 2005.
In the first Eastern Regional Final appearance in school history, the No. 6-seeded Blue Devils couldn’t get the bats rolling Tuesday night, falling 8-1 to No. 13 Midway at home in Game one of the three game series.
