The year in area sports started with big news with the hiring of a new football coach at a historic program, and it continued with several individuals and teams claiming state championships.
There were even more events that made the 2025 local sports scene special. Here is a look at the area’s most memorable sports moments of the year in order of when they happened:
Garvey named Southwest coach
After three years as the JV coach, former Southwest High football standout offensive lineman Zach Garvey was named the Stallions’ varsity coach in January.
He replaced Charlie Dempsey, who stepped down in December. Garvey is a 2013 Southwest graduate who was a senior captain for the Stallions when they won their fourth state title in 2012. He returned to his alma mater six years ago as part of the coaching staff.
Jacksonville wrestling regional runner-up again
For the second consecutive year, the Jacksonville High boys’ wrestling team fell to Union Pines at home in the NCHSAA East Regional final in February.
The Cardinals ended the dual-team season at 25-4 while also placing high in several competitive tournaments. Jacksonville advanced to the regional final earlier in the day by defeating Person 38-30.
Swansboro’s Hucal captures another swim title
Swansboro junior Trevor Hucal repeated as state champion in the 100-yard breaststroke during the NCHSAA swimming and diving championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary in February. Hucal ended with a time of 56.85 seconds. Hucal won his first title in 59.43.
Croatan’s Bowen is state champion again
Croatan senior Madison Bowen won her third state title when she captured the 200-yard freestyle in 1:52.39 in the NCHSAA swimming and diving championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary in February.
It was the second consecutive 200 freestyle title for Bowen, who also placed second in the 500 freestyle later in the competition.
Jacksonville’s Gholston takes indoor high jump crown
After placing second in the state outdoor high jump competition the previous year, Jacksonville senior Lauryn Gholston won the event in the NCHSAA Indoor Track & Field championships at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem in February. Gholston recorded a height of 5 feet, four inches.
Croatan’s Guerrero earns indoor title
Croatan senior Noah Guerrero won the 1,000-meter title in the NCHSAA Indoor Track & Field championships at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem in February.
It marked another crown for Guerrero, who also won the 1,600 title during the previous outdoor state championships. He also helped his 4×800 relay team win the indoor title.
Swansboro’s Yesunas wins pole vault
Swansboro senior James Yesunas won a second state pole vault title, this time recording a personal best 14-6 in the NCHSAA Indoor Track & Field championships at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem in February. Yesunas won the pole vault in the previous year’s state outdoor meet.
Swansboro wins appeal
Under the leadership of Principal Dr. Helen Gross, Swansboro High School’s realignment appeal won via an 18-0 vote by the NCHSAA’s board of directors in March.
The previous realignment draft sent 6-A Swansboro into the Big Carolina 6-A/7-A Conference with Jacksonville, White Oak, J.H. Rose, D.H. Conley, South Central and New Bern. Winning the appeal sent the Pirates to the Coastal 5-A/6-A Conference with Croatan, Dixon, Havelock, Northside, Richlands and West Carteret.
Gross cited safety concerns, missed instruction time and parents’ difficulty supporting their children during away games as reasons for the appeal.
Swansboro basketball advances to final four
The Swansboro boys’ basketball team advanced to the NCHSAA East Regional final with a 75-43 home win over Person in the fourth round in March.
The win sent the Pirates to the state’s final four at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem. Swansboro fell 78-65 to Southern School of Energy & Sustainability in the regional final to end 25-2.
Former East Duplin coach Hunter joins hall
The late Jerry Hunter, a former East Duplin coach and athletic director, was named to the NCHSAA Hall of Fame Classic of 2025 in March.
Hunter, who passed away in 2011 at 60, was a teacher, coach and athletic director at the school from 1975 to 2011. The induction ceremony was held in August.
Swansboro embraces boys volleyball
Swansboro became Onslow County’s first public high school to have a boys’ volleyball team in March. The Pirates finished their inaugural season 10-3.
Onslow Early College named NCHSAA member
In April, the NCHSAA unanimously approved Onslow Early College as a new member for the 2025-2026 school year.
The Owls fielded boys’ and girls’ cross country and girls’ tennis in the fall, boys’ and girls’ wrestling in the winter and will have boys’ and girls’ track & field and boys’ tennis in the spring.
Track & field teams win regionals
The Croatan boys’ and girls’ teams, the East Duplin girls’ squad and the Lejeune girls’ squad took first place in the NCHSAA East Regional track & field championships in May.
The Lejeune girls won the 1-A East title with 144 points, 64 ahead of second-place Pamlico, at Northside-Pinetown.
The Croatan boys scored 119.5 points, 28.5 ahead of South Central, while the Croatan girls scored 83, six ahead of second-place Northside, as both Cougars’ teams won the 3-A East Regional title at Hunt.
The East Duplin girls won the 2-A East Regional title at Kinston with 74 points, 11 ahead of Manteo.
Croatan’s Guerrero wins again
Noah Guerrero added to his trophy case in May when he won his second consecutive 1,600-meter title in the NCHSAA outdoor track & field state championships at the Marcus T. Johnson Track and Field at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro.
Guerrero crossed the finish line in 4 minutes, 14.88 seconds, ahead of North Bumcomb’s Michael Ferguson, who ran 4:16.98, and Western Harnett’s Ethan Rich, who ended in 4:19.22.
Northside’s Daniels claims title
Northside senior Kaydance Daniels was the only Onslow County athlete to win an individual NCHSAA outdoor track & field title when she captured the long jump crown in May at the Marcus T. Johnson Track and Field at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro.
She accomplished the winning distance with a personal best 18 feet, 10.5 inches on her sixth and final attempt, outscoring Fike’s Jewel Brewington at 17-10.25 and Franklin’s Laura Covarrubias at 17-6.
Northside 4×100 also wins gold
The Northside girls’ 4×100 relay team of Taylor Cooper, Cheyenne Walker, MaCaela Claxton and Kaydence Daniels also won a title in the state track & field meet in 48.29 in May.
Byrd steps down at Richlands
Pat Byrd announced in May he had stepped down as Richlands High football coach after five seasons. He was 25-21, tied for the fourth-most victories by a coach in team history, and he also guided the Wildcats to three consecutive winning seasons.
Croatan boys’ lacrosse wins state
Junior Dain Sparks scored the winning goal off an assist from senior Matej Roth with 20 seconds left to help Croatan defeat Lake Norman Charter 13-12 in the NCHSAA 1-A/2-A/3-A state championship game at Durham County Memorial Stadium in May.
It marked the first state title in boys’ lacrosse history for the Cougars, and it came against the three-time defending champion. Senior goalkeeper Graham Myers was named the state final Most Valuable Player.
Ospreys complete second season
The Jacksonville Ospreys summer collegiate baseball team completed its second season 20-14 in the regular season and advanced to the division final of the Old North State League playoffs in July.
Hall leaves Southwest for Liberty
Breon Hall was named boys’ basketball coach at Liberty Christian Academy in Richlands following a three-year tenure with at Southwest that saw the Stallions go 62-21 and win three conference titles.
Monk takes over Southwest
Brandon Monk, a 2012 Southwest graduate and former basketball standout, was named the Stallions boys’ basketball coach in August.
Jacksonville graduate plays for Philippines national team
Azumi Oka, a 2024 Jacksonville graduate who helped the Cardinals win the state title as a senior, played for the Philippines women’s national soccer team during the 2025 ASEAN Serenity Cup in Vietnam in August.
Lejeune sports paused/returns
During the government shutdown in October, school extracurricular activities, including sports, were paused since they are considered nonessential.
That meant Lejeune High athletics were paused during the shutdown. Less than a week later, the Mid-Atlantic District of the Department of Defense Education Activity said it had “received direction allowing extracurricular activities, including athletics and after-school clubs, to be considered excepted activities during the current lapse of appropriations.”
Jacksonville’s Pearson scores six touchdowns
Jacksonville junior Amari Pearson rushed for 331 yards and six touchdowns on just 16 carries to lead the Cardinals to a 67-34 Big Carolina 6-A/7-A Conference victory at New Bern in October.
Former Jacksonville coach Miller named to hall
It was announced in October that former Jacksonville soccer coach Dave Miller would be inducted into the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame during a ceremony Jan. 24 at Piedmont Hall at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.
Miller coached Jacksonville’s boys’ squad for 22 years and the girls’ team for 24, retiring in 2023 with an 810-230-79 overall mark as coach. He was 397-115-31 on the boys’ side, winning state titles in 2005 and 2012, and reaching the final in 2006, 2008, 2013 and 2022.
Richlands soccer wins conference title
A 1-0 win over Dixon and a 4-1 victory over Northside in October gave the Richlands boys’ soccer team the Coastal 5-A/6-A Conference title, the Wildcats’ first league crown since they shared one with Swansboro in 2006.
Gulat scores seven touchdowns to lead Dixon to historic win
Dixon senior JJ Gulat rushed for 429 yards and seven touchdowns on 36 carries to lead the No. 18 Bulldogs to their first playoff victory in program history with a 58-50 double overtime win at No. 15 Rockingham in the first round of the NCHSAA 5-A playoffs in November.
Croatan’s Boucher also scores seven
Croatan junior Andrew Boucher rushed for 197 yards and seven touchdowns on 15 carries to lead fourth-seeded Croatan past No. 20 Seaforth 49-13 in the second round of the 5-A playoffs in November.
The win sent the Cougars to the third round for the first time. One week later, junior Kannon McBride’s 32-yard field goal with 12 seconds left have Croatan a 22-21 win over Havelock.
Jacksonville, Northside play in regional
Both the Jacksonville and Northside football teams advanced to the East Regional finals with home fourth-round wins late November.
The Cardinals defeated Union Pines 34-7 while the Monarchs downed Rocky Mount 21-6.