Cascade Athletics

There perhaps has been no greater local pitching rivalry among high school athletes than between Jared Carkuff of Cascade and Bryan Smith of Eagleville. The pair graduated back in 2012, but were electric on the mound. Both, Cascade and Eagleville eventually earned state tournament bids and Eagleville eventually played for the state championship...

This is a rare time for sports. At no point in the recent history has there been such an extensive effort to combat a pandemic that resulted in a complete halt of live sports action at every level of every competition for seemingly every sport. During the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff of the Times-Gazette will revisit local games from the past and relive the greatest Bedford County athletics moments through new reporting...

Sports have such an important place in society. There’s never really been a time in any recent history without any sports on any level of competition. Even during the dog days of summer, there are active competitions being played. These are strange times, however...

It never seems to fail. When the calendar turns to spring, the weather never seems to cooperate with the early weeks of high school sports. This week, area high schools were hit with a slew of postponed and canceled games. Cascade High School was one such victim of the unrelenting rainy weather, forcing a slow start to the 2020 baseball season...

NASHVILLE — The one-two punch of Ben Underwood and Kam Elder proved more than the Cascade Champions could overcome in the Region 4-A quarterfinals on Saturday night. The pair from LEAD Academy combined for 61 points and led the Panthers past Cascade, 84-55...

HUNTLAND — Cascade got just about as good of a start as a team could want against Moore County in Saturday evening’s District 8-A consolation game against Moore County. Cascade jumped out to a 13-5 lead and led by double figures at the half. But a monster fourth quarter by the Raiders forced overtime where they eventually beat Cascade, 70-64...

After a competitive first quarter on Senior Night against Richland, Cascade was unable to match the intensity on the offensive end of the court in the second half as the Raiders out-scored Cascade 39-25 in the final 16 minutes, ultimately proving the difference in the 67-50 final score...

A slow second quarter was more than the Cascade Lady Champions were able to overcome against Richland on Senior Night on Tuesday. Richland went on a tear in the second frame, out-scoring Cascade 20-5 and held on for the 57-43 win over the Lady Champions...

HUNTLAND — There was a point this season when the Cascade Champions struggled to break out of the 40s on the scoreboard. In Tuesday night’s district finale at Huntland, things went a little smoother for the Champs. Cascade built a 41-19 lead at the half and coasted to a bruising 70-39 drubbing of the Hornets to lock up fourth place in the regular season standings...

HUNTLAND — During their first meeting against the Huntland Lady Hornets last month, the Cascade Lady Champions hung tough against the No. 1 teem in the district for the better part of three and a half quarters before the relentless Lady Hornet pressure finally took its toll...

LYNCHBURG — After a competitive first half on Friday night in Lynchburg, the Cascade Lady Champions were unable to continue the momentum for the final three quarter and dropped a 48-31 decision at Moore County. Cascade felt good after one quarter, out-scoring the Raiderettes 10-9 in the opening frame...

LYNCHBURG — Cascade just couldn’t get shots to fall in the second quarter on Friday night at Moore County. The Raiders outscored Cascade 20-9 in the second frame and held on in the second half to beat the Champions in a 70-68 thriller. Cascade felt good after an offensive outburst in the first quarter...

For a good part of the season, the Cascade Lady Champions struggled to find their identity. While their system is still a work in progress, it’s no secret the Lady Champs have perhaps turned a corner and are ready to make a run as the regular season comes to a close...

During a January 27 meeting at Eagleville, the Cascade Champions did a decent enough job of slowing down Eagleville juggernaut Ryley McClaren. While the Champion defense impeded McClaren’s onslaught for the better part of three quarters, he did rattle loose for 27 points in a 61-54 win over the Champions...

After being held to a mere six points in the first quarter on Friday night against Cornersville, Cascade rallied back for a slim, one-point halftime lead. While the first half was no offensive masterpiece by any stretch, Cascade found its footing in the third and fourth quarters and blasted Cornersville, 59-37...

A stellar defensive effort in the first quarter that put visiting Cornersville in a huge hole was enough for the Cascade Champions to complete the season sweep on Friday night. The Champions out-scored the Bulldogs 14-3 and went on to win comfortably, 62-50...

FAYETTEVILLE — For weeks, the Cascade Lady Champions have shown flashes of putting together a complete game effort. Despite a lackluster start on Tuesday night at Fayetteville, Cascade rallied from a nine-point deficit after the first quarter and knocked off the Lady Tigers, 56-52, for their second District 8-A win of the season...

FAYETTEVILLE — At times, the Cascade Champions have struggled to provide consistency on the offensive end of the court. While Cascade was able to rally from an early deficit at Fayetteville and tie the Tigers at the half, the Champs couldn’t overcome another third quarter drought in which Cascade was held to just two points in a 50-39 loss, snapping a two-game win streak in the district...

Cascade coach Kevin Weeks likes where his team is at the halfway point of the District 8-A standings. Having made one trip through the schedule, the Champions now sit with a 3-2 8-A record following Friday night’s 70-66 win over Huntland. “We’re becoming mentally strong and guys that can play under pressure. I’m proud of them for that. We didn’t shoot the ball well from the free throw line, but we made some big ones when it counted,” he said...

For the better part of three quarters, the Cascade Champions just wouldn’t let Huntland pull away. At the end of the third frame on Friday night, Cascade trailed the Lady Hornets by just six points. But fatigue and a trap defense ultimately proved the difference as Huntland went on to win 72-53...

On Friday night against Eagleville, Cascade coach Kevin Weeks saw a different look from his team—a look that showed patience and growth within his system. While Friday night didn’t end in a win for Cascade, the Champions carried that same momentum into Tuesday night’s District 8-A clash against Moore County and made needed plays with the game on the line to knock off the Raiders, 57-56...

At two separate occasions late in the second quarter, the Cascade Lady Champions cut the visiting Moore County Raiderettes’ lead to a single possession. In the final minute of that second quarter, Moore County took advantage of two key possessions that ignited a 20-3 run and handed the Lady Champs a 59-42 defeat...

EAGLEVILLE — The Cascade Lady Champions battled to the wire, but in the end, the Eagleville Lady Eagles had just enough in the tank to escape with the District 8-A win over Cascade. Eagleville out-scored Cascade 24-20 in the fourth quarter to claim the 66-55 win...

EAGLEVILLE — Ryley McClaren is one of the top scorers in the region. While Cascade was able to frustrate McClaren at times and force him off to a slow start, he eventually rattled loose for 27 points and led Eagleville past Cascade, 61-54. With a prominent scorer in McClaren, Cascade was able to battle to a 27-27 tie at the half, but the biggest disparity came in the third frame when the Eagles out-scored Cascade 16-5...

CORNERSVILLE — The Cascade Lady Champions picked up their first District 8-A win of the season on Tuesday night, beating Cornersville on the road, 41-26. Lani Jones led the Lady Champs with 13 points, while Kylie Calvert added 10 more points for the winners...

CORNERSVILLE — Anytime a team can end a skid, it’s a positive for a program to build on. Cascade did just that on Tuesday evening, beating Cornersville 54-49 to end an 11 game skid and also pick up its first District 8-A win of the season. During the recent skid, Cascade struggled to provide consistency on the offensive end of the court...

sports@t-g.com On Friday night, the Cascade Champions looked good on the offensive floor at times, and not so great at others. That inconsistency ultimately proved the difference in a 51-65 loss to Fayetteville in the District 8-A opener. “Right now, we struggle in stretches offensively. That’s when teams, if they can make a couple of shots on us, increase leads,” Champion coach Kevin Weeks said...

The Cascade Lady Champions had their chances on Friday night against Fayetteville City. Not once, but twice the Lady Champions rallied from a double digit deficit and held a lead late in the fourth quarter. That lead didn’t hold, however, and Fayetteville was able to execute in the clutch to escape with a 68-64 win over the Lady Champions...