ADs name Burke County's high school athletes of the year

Burke County high school athletic directors recently announced 2009-10 male and female athletes of the year.

Here’s the lineup:

Draughn: Alex McGee, LaSashia Connelly

Alex McGee competed in three events (50 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay) at the 2A state swimming championships.

On the baseball diamond, McGee recorded 48 RBIs and 10 home runs, while assembling a .420 batting average.

McGee earned all-conference honors for swimming and baseball.

On the football gridiron, McGee finished with 36 solo tackles, plus three tackles on special teams and for negative yardage. He’s credited with two sacks, eight quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. On offense he had 15 receiving yards on two catches.

McGee returns to Draughn as a rising junior.

LaSashia Connelly in this past season led the girls basketball team in two-point field goals (41.7), steals (124), steals per game (4.6), assists (106), assists per game (3.9), and assists-turnover ratio (1-0). She averaged 9.4 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, seven blocks and six forced charges. She earned all-conference and all-district honors and was named to the Southern Piedmont’s All-Conference team in 2008-09.

During the volleyball season, Connelly recorded 329 assists, 171 kills, 21 blocks and 50 ace serves. She was an all-conference selection in her junior and senior years.
Connelly will play volleyball for Salem College.

East Burke: Justin Lail, Tanner Anderson, Paige Moore

East Burke High had two male athletes of the year. Justin Lail was the starting quarterback on the football team and a senior captain on the basketball team.

With 745 passing yards on 32 of 73 passing attempts, Lail threw 13 touchdowns. He also rushed for 256 yards on 47 carries and had three rushing touchdowns.

On the hardwood, Lail averaged 24 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He had a 75.7 percent free-throw average and a 50.0 percent field goal average.

Lail earned all-conference and all-district honors in men’s basketball. He will play basketball for Catawba Valley Community College.

Tanner Anderson in his senior year made history in the state record books for his specialty: high jump. He clinched the indoor track state championship by clearing 6 feet 10, His 7-feet, 2.5-inch jump broke the 2A and all-time high jump records at the state outdoor championship meet at N.C. A&T. Anderson also earned all-conference honors.

He will compete in high jump at Duke University.

Paige Moore was the only senior on a girls basketball team that fought its way to third place in the CVAC. She averaged 20 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.6 steals in her senior season. She earned all-conference and all-district honors.

During the volleyball season, Moore recorded 112 digs, 93 kills, 40 aces and 15 blocks. She was all-conference in both her junior and senior years.

Moore will play basketball for Catawba Valley Community College.

Freedom: Phillip Pearson, Chelsea Connelly

Phillip Pearson competed in two spring sports, baseball and track and field, after earning an all-conference selection in fall football.

On the gridiron, Pearson recorded 19 tackles with an average of 3.2 per game. He also deflected two passes and forced a fumble.

On the diamond, he stole eight bases in nine attempts as a pinch runner for the baseball team.

He qualified for the state track championships in the 200-meter dash.

Chelsea Connelly, the 2010 SMAC girls basketball player of the year, averaged 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals per game in the Lady Patriots’ undefeated conference championship season. On  defense she blocked 25 shots during the 2009-10 season.

As the middle blocker, she led the Lady Patriots volleyball team in kills (197; 3.2-per-game average) and blocks (51).

Connelly will play basketball for St. Leo (Fla.) University.

Patton: Aaron Attaway, Julia Singley

Aaron Attaway recorded 38 hits and 13 walks and had a .380 batting average for Patton’s baseball team. His hits included six doubles, three triples, six home runs and 22 RBIs. Attaway also scored 34 runs and stole 12 bases.

On the mound, with an 8-1 record in 57 2/3 innings and a 2.43 ERA, Attaway threw 57 strikeouts and allowed 31 walks. He was an all-conference selection.

He also played on the men’s basketball team. Attaway will play baseball for Western Carolina University.

Julia Singley scored 23 goals and was credited with nine assists on the girls soccer team that advanced to the district playoffs. She was named SMAC most-valuable offensive player.

Singley competed in the 1600-meter event in track. She finished fourth at the indoor state championship meet, with a personal best of 5:33.30. In outdoor track, she won the pre-season SMAC 1,600-meter championship, was a runner-up at the SMAC championships and qualified for the 3A West Regional. A rising senior, she earned all-conference honors in track and soccer and all-district honors in soccer.