Cherryville is now one win away from its 12th state championship after a dominant 4-0 victory over Rosewood in Game 1 of the 2A State Championship Series Wednesday night at Burlington Athletic Stadium.

Through playoff heartbreaks, tough exits, long practices, offseason workouts and years of growing up together on the same baseball fields, they believed this moment would eventually come.

Jack Adams drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh inning to force home the winning run as the No. 2-seeded Eagles survived a wild offensive showdown with No. 5 Perquimans County, 20-19, in Game 1 of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A Eastern Regional Finals.

Built on a field raised by the community 40 years ago, Rosewood baseball’s latest playoff run is the continuation of a small-town dynasty powered by generations of players, coaches and families who turned the Eagles into one of eastern North Carolina’s most consistent programs.

Croatan swept the 5A East Regional team championships while C.B. Aycock and Southern Wayne highlighted the meet locally with four individual regional titles combined.

Rosewood showcased its depth at the 2A East Regionals by earning fourth place in the boys standings and eighth in the girls standings behind multiple podium finishes, a regional title from Michael Vaughn in shot put, and standout performances from Thu Min, Jaylin Cooper, and several relay teams.

Eastern Wayne dominated the NCHSAA 4A East Regional with boys and girls team championships while North Lenoir’s Cassidee Fraser captured regional titles in both the 100- and 200-meter dash events.

Rosewood snapped Midway’s 17-game win streak with a gritty 3-2 road victory behind a complete-game effort from McCandless St. John.

The NCHSAA finalized the men’s dual team tennis playoff brackets, with multiple local teams earning top-four seeds and first-round byes, including Greene Central (#2), Goldsboro (#4), North Lenoir (#4), and C.B. Aycock (#3). The playoffs begin Monday, with state championship matches set for May 15-16 at the Burlington Tennis Center.

Become a subscriber today to get al the inside news with our local high school sports teams.

Reed delivered a dominant and defining performance in the circle, going the distance while allowing seven hits and five runs—none earned—and striking out 20 without issuing a walk. She consistently controlled the tempo, working out of traffic and shutting down rallies with swing-and-miss stuff when it mattered most.

In Episode 32 of Timeout with Trey Scott, we sit down with Reed to talk about her journey through the game, her mindset, and what it takes to perform at a high level year after year.

Neuse News Sports is expanding into Wayne County, bringing its proven, athlete-focused coverage model to a new community after years of impact across Lenoir, Greene, and Jones counties.

Girl’s results from the 2026 Wayne County Track and Field Championships. Charles B Aycock took the crown for the ladies side.

Boy’s results from the 2026 Wayne County Track and Field Championship at Rosewood High School. Eastern Wayne boys stole the show with first place.

Check out the latest Softball and Baseball RPI rankings from our NNS teams.

While I've stepped back from day-to-day editorial decisions, I've shifted my focus to growing our news portfolio, expanding our high school sports coverage into Wayne County, and delivering stronger video and social media services to our clients. That work continues, and today I'm excited to share a couple of updates that I believe will improve your experience across all of our platforms.

Behind a composed effort on both ends of the floor, Goldsboro defeated East Surry 54–46 to capture the NCHSAA 3A girls basketball state championship, securing the program’s first state title since 1982 and capping a remarkable 28–2 season.

Goldsboro advanced to the NCHSAA 3A State Championship with a 54–44 win over Northwood, fueled by 20 points from Aziyah Boyer and a pivotal third-quarter stretch where freshman Kennedy Barbour scored 10 straight points to break the game open.