Ledford's girls soccer team put on a dominant performance Monday, rolling past Lexington 9-0 in a PAC Seven 4A/5A conference matchup at home. The Panthers, now 13-3-2 overall and a perfect 10-0 in conference play, showcased their depth and firepower throughout the match.
Maggie Eccard was the star of the show, tallying three goals and three assists to lead the charge. Carmen Hughes added two goals, while Katelyn Hemric contributed a goal and an assist. Addie Robertson, Avery Dunbar, and Gracie Johnson each found the back of the net once, and Bella Montesa chipped in with an assist. Goalkeeper Qolbe Olson earned the shutout, keeping Lexington off the scoreboard for the full 90 minutes.
In other local girls soccer action, Bishop McGuinness edged Southwest Guilford 1-0 in a tightly contested nonconference battle. Laney Heafner scored the lone goal off an assist from Annabelle Pirkl, lifting the Villains to 12-4-2 on the season. Goalkeepers MacKenna Langdon (two saves) and Heather Hamilton (one save) split time in net to preserve the clean sheet.
Over in the Central Carolina 3A Conference, East Davidson outlasted West Davidson 1-0 in overtime Monday. The Golden Eagles improved to 11-8 overall and 4-6 in conference play with the hard-fought road victory.
Ragsdale also picked up a win, defeating Western Guilford 4-1 in Metro 6A/7A Conference action. Micah Moody led the Tigers with two goals, while Jacquelyn Shaner and Gabby Graham each recorded a goal and an assist. Mara Cothran earned the win in goal as Ragsdale improved to 12-4 overall and 7-4 in conference play.
On the boys tennis front, No. 5 Wheatmore saw its season come to an end with a 5-2 loss to No. 4 Goldsboro in the third round of the NCHSAA 3A dual-team playoffs. The Warriors finished the year with a solid 10-6 record.
Eight area athletes will now turn their attention to the NCHSAA boys tennis individual state championships, set for Friday and Saturday. Play begins each day at 9 a.m., with sites varying by classification: 1A/2A at North Main Athletic Complex in Holly Springs, 3A and 4A at Burlington Tennis Center, and 5A and 6A at Cary Tennis Park. The three-round single-elimination brackets include Ledford's doubles teams of Miller Richardson/Maddox Penland and Landon Thoma/Carson Cosper in the 4A draw.
In girls lacrosse, Bishop McGuinness continued its dominant run with a 19-1 rout of West Stokes in Conference 4 action. Grace Gerber led the Villains (18-2, 9-0 conference) with five goals and two assists, while MK Suire added four goals and an assist. Stella Ropko and Ellie Brown each scored twice, and Emery Grunwald contributed a goal and three assists. Sophie Varner, Cecilia Drabik, and Sasha Thompson each had a goal and an assist, with Morgan Aho and Isabel Gerber also finding the net. Jenna Moore dished out an assist, and goalkeepers Maddie Edwards (two saves) and Aveanna Woelfel (one save) split time in the blowout win.