C. JEMAL HORTON
MOUNT PLEASANT â Chase Crayton hadnât been a state wrestling champion for more than two days last year before someone he didnât even know slid into his DMs.
And this wasnât exactly an admirer sending direct messages to Craytonâs Instagram account.
This was someone who was gunning for Crayton, who hadnât even really had time to take a good stroll through Mount Pleasant High School with the gold medal heâd won for being the Class 2A 220-pound champ.
Chase Crayton squares off against North Pitt s Alex Johnson in the 220-pound finals. TARA CRAYTON, SPECIAL TO THE INDEPENDENT TRIBUNE
HARRISBURG â The dream was just on the horizon.
That is what the Hickory Ridge softball team thought as it started the 2020 season undefeated.
But as the coronavirus pandemic has extracted a heavy toll on people all over the world, the Raginâ Bulls were no exception.
When spring sports all over North Carolina were canceled last year, Hickory Ridge lost the opportunity to make a run at its sixth straight conference regular-season and/or tournament title â and perhaps even a run at a state championship.
Hickory Ridge softball coach Justin Davies
âI think last year taught us a lot about enjoying every moment for what it is because you never know when it is going to be taken away from you,â Raginâ Bulls coach Justin Davies said. âWe always talked about times where you get hurt or canât play for some reason, but even beyond playing softball, the whole world was turned upside down for all of us.â