Alex Riley
StarNewsOnline
Wilmington, NC, United States
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Past articles by Alex:
Coast Guard veteran and his son share classes on way to earn associates degree
A Coast Guard veteran and his son have found themselves in the same class together 10 times already as they make their way to each of their degrees. → Read More
TOP SPORTS STORIES OF 2018: Hurricane Florence alters athletics
The storm displaced students, damaged facilities and forced plenty of schedule changes → Read More
TOP SPORTS STORIES OF 2018: Florence alters athletics
The storm displaced students, damaged facilities and forced plenty of schedule changes → Read More
New Hanover's Jackson Tyler hits his stride to earn StarNews All-Area honor
Jackson Tyler won five of eight Mideastern Conference events and played his best two round of the year at the 4A state championships en route to being named the conference and StarNews All-Area player of the year. → Read More
Feed your football needs with 7-on-7 tourney
A dozen teams took part in a 7-on-7 football tournament at Hoggard High School on Thursday. → Read More
Opening statement
BURLINGTON – Payton Rice’s start was forgettable. He wasn’t going to let the finish be the same, no matter how long the rain delay lasted.“That was all me. I was going back out,” Rice said of the decision to retake the hill in the seventh inning.A rocky start put Topsail in a hole to open the 3A state baseball championship against Marvin Ridge, but an explosive offense and Rice’s resilient… → Read More
Whiteville baseball players follow in fathers' footsteps
WHITEVILLE – The moment wasn’t lost on Brett Harwood. He just had other things to think about.In Game 3 of the 2014 1A state baseball championship series against East Surry, Whiteville drew even in the seventh on Zach Pait’s double. The next player into the batter’s box was Brett’s son, Hunter.Hunter’s RBI double gave the Wolfpack a 3-2 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. It gave Brett a memory he… → Read More
Payton Rice becomes Topsail's unlikely ace
HAMPSTEAD – Good things come to those who wait. Hard work pays off. Those were the mantras Payton Rice told himself as a junior at Topsail.On a pitching staff littered with college commits, Rice was an option – the sixth option. Five other pitchers worked 26-plus innings throughout the year. Rice had half that.While others shined, Rice waited.“I think a big part of it was just that last year,… → Read More
Pirates continue to sail on despite adversity
HAMPSTEAD – Uncertainty. That was the lingering feeling over the Topsail baseball program the day practice opened on Feb. 15.The season was still weeks away, but the previous few months left many in the Hampstead community wondering what the 2016 season would be like.“It was tough at the very beginning of the season because we just weren’t sure really what it was going to look like, but maybe… → Read More
Girls basketball icon Sherri Tynes steps down at Laney High School
Laney girls basketball coach Sherri Tynes has resigned after 23 seasons at the school.Over the last few years, Tynes has been battling pain in her feet, leading to three surgeries designed to fuse three joints together. The recovery process has limited her mobility.Tynes leaves with a career record of 423 win and 189 losses. She won four conference championships and seven tournament title during… → Read More
Pirates' season comes to a frustrating finish
PIKEVILLE – Keri White remembers the feeling last spring when the Topsail softball program made it to the 3A East Region championship series for the first time. It was a memory that will last a lifetime.So will the memory of Thursday's Game 3 in this year's regional series, but for a much different reason.“First year was amazing. It was a feeling I've never had. This year, it's another feeling… → Read More
Pirates unable to overcome miscues
HAMPSTEAD – The first C.B. Aycock batter reached base via error on Wednesday against Topsail. Things never got better from there.The Pirates committed five errors -- leading to three unearned runs -- on the way to a 5-2 loss in Game 2 of the 3A East Region softball championship series.An error, two stolen bases and a sac fly put Topsail in a 1-0 hole three batters in. Unlike Tuesday’s series… → Read More
Topsail softball hits groove late for win in Class 3A semifinals
PIKEVILLE – Before every game, Topsail softball coach Jay Abston evaluates a trio of players during batting practice to see who will get the start as the team's No. 8 hitter.On Tuesday, Abston's instinct led him to go with junior Kyla Boyles. Her bat led the Pirates to big win.Boyles knocked in a two-out run in the second that keyed a big rally and the go-ahead run in the seventh to lead Topsail… → Read More
Wolfpack rolls on to state semifinals
WHITEVILLE – It's a feeling that hasn't gotten old for the Whiteville girls soccer team. Now, they're ready for more.For the third straight season, the Wolfpack is in the final four of the 1A state soccer tournament following a 6-1 win over Rosewood on Friday. Whiteville will travel to Franklin Academy on Tuesday to play for a spot in the state championship.The Wolfpack (21-5) entered the game… → Read More
Titans bow out of playoffs
ROCKY POINT – It wasn't the ending anyone on the Trask softball roster pictured.Stymied by North Duplin pitcher Rylee Pate and plagued by errors that led to runs, the Titans saw their season end with an 8-0 loss in the third round of the 1A playoffs.Trask (24-5) didn't get a hit until the fifth inning as Pate worked her magic in the circle. The junior and UNCW commit retired the first 12 batters… → Read More
Hoggard fails to match Cardinal Gibbons’ second half surge in state semifinal defeat
VIDEO REFER: It was a tough end of the 2016 season for the Hoggard boys lacrosse team. See highlights and interviews by searching StarNewsVarsity on Twitter and Facebook. RALEIGH – For a moment, everyone on the Hoggard sideline froze.The press box announcer at Cardinal Gibbons sent praise through the loudspeakers moments after the end of Tuesday’s game and no one knew what to do. The team had… → Read More
Area teams advance to the next round of the playoffs
The playoffs continue for several area teams, including Cape Fear Academy boys lacrosse, Whiteville girls soccer, Hoggard softball and New Hanover baseball. The postseason march continues for a plethora of area teams in the girls soccer, boys lacrosse, baseball, softball and boys tennis playoffs. Here’s a look at next week’s matchups with some dates and times filled in. Please contact… → Read More
Updated playoff schedule
Cape Fear Academy boys tennis, Trask girls soccer, Hoggard boys lacrosse and Topsail softball remain alive in the postseason along with a host of other area teams. The state playoffs continue or start for all our area teams in girls soccer, softball, baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, track and field, and boys tennis. The action resumes tonight and runs through Saturday. Here’s a look at the… → Read More
Hoggard girls lacrosse silences rival in Class 4A playoffs
The game was expected to be another classic between the Ashley and Hoggard girls lacrosse teams. The two regular season conference meetings had gone down to the wire in dramatic fashion, and Tuesday's playoff meeting was predicted to be just as entertaining.It turned out to be anything but.Hoggard unloaded for eight straight goals to close out the first half on the way to a lopsided 13-6 win… → Read More
Trask's Ramirez makes soccer comeback after two ACL tears
ROCKY POINT – One inch. There was a time when the difference between success and failure for Ruby Ramirez was simply one inch.Lying on a table at Cape Fear Rehab Services, therapist Dan Duffy asked Ramirez to lift her leg. The sutures from surgery to repair a torn ACL in her left leg were only days old and still very tender. For the first time in her life, Ramirez was seriously hurt. The girl… → Read More