East Carolina Head Baseball Coach Cliff Godwin, left, and Parker Byrd, right, take a picture together while Byrd recovers from a freak accident that caused part of his right leg to be amputated in 2023. Byrd made history in his return to the field last season by becoming the first player in Division I baseball history to play in a game with a prosthetic leg.
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Special Olympics athlete Devon Martin, center, relays the Olympic torch with Army Master Sergeant Shawn Edwards, left, before the start of the 43rd Special Olympics of Scotland County at Pate Stadium in Laurinburg.
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Since the inception of the Scotland Regional Hospice Golf Tournament in 1987, $4.7 million has been raised and all proceeds go toward Scotland Regional Hospice.
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Scotland’s Carmin Moore, left, holds her arm up after pinning Fuquay Varina’s MiaZion Warren, right, in a 145-pound bout during the 3A Mideast Regional at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville in 2024. Moore and Latia Williams became the first women wrestlers in Scotland history to qualify for the individual women’s wrestling state championships.
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David Coptsias, a sophomore wrestler at St. Andrews, fought his way to victory scoring a first-place finish in the Beach Wrestling World Team Qualifiers held at Carolina Beach in May.
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Avery Stutts (17) was named 3A softball Player of the Year for the 2024 season with five of her teammates also being named to the 3A All District team for their efforts during Scotland’s dominant season.
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From left to right: Carson Bailey, Isaiah Locklear, Laura Bailey, Dajuan Gibson and Richard Bailey at the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas football game in Spartanburg.
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Scotland senior Alicia McClain went over 1,000 points for her Scotland career during the Scots’ win against Hoke County earlier this season.
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Scotland senior Claire Smith qualified for the golf states outing during the team’s regionals competition in Burlington. Five Lady Scots including Smith made it to regionals.
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The St. Andrews Knights western team traveled to University of Findlay in Ohio for the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association semifinals, took home Reserve High Point Champion and qualified for the national competition back in March.
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LAURINBURG —With 2024 now behind us and 2025 in full swing, it’s a good time to look back at the important moments that have happened in the sports world of Scotland County over the past year. Here are our top sports stories from 2024:
Honorable mentions:
Lady Scots’ Johnson sets personal bests at swimming states | Laurinburg Exchange
Scotland senior Ciro Velasco named to SAC All-Conference team | Laurinburg Exchange
Scots senior Marissa Smith named to All-Conference tennis team | Laurinburg Exchange
SAU western team qualifies for nationals | Laurinburg Exchange
No. 10 —Smith qualifies for states at regionals outing in Burlington
Five girls on the Lady Scots golf team qualified for the regionals competition in Burlington, including senior Claire Smith, who made it to the states outing just as she did in 2023. Delaney Pittman, Madison Dixon, Karli Jacquez and Addison Pittman were the other girls to make regionals along with Smith.
The story can be found here: Scots Roundup: Smith qualifies for states at regionals outing in Burlington | Laurinburg Exchange.
No. 9 —Johnson, Malpass and McClain pass 1,000 marks
Three different Scotland seniors passed the 1,000 marks for their careers in various statistics since the start of the 2024-25 school year. Addison Johnson and Reagan Malpass both made the All-Region team on the Scots volleyball team that went 21-7 overall (8-4 against conference opponents) and made it to the third round of the 3A NCHSAA state playoffs. Johnson passed 1,000 career kills while Malpass went over 1,000 career assists during the 2024 season.
Alicia McClain meanwhile recently went over 1,000 points for her Scotland career during the Lady Scots basketball victory over Hoke County back in early December. The Scots currently sit at 4-3 (2-1 against conference teams) on the season.
No. 8 —Cooter Powell was once a boy who wanted to play baseball and get a college degree, now he’s a UNCP Hall of Famer
Richard “Cooter” Powell is well respected and beloved in Scotland County and surrounding areas. The 1959 Laurinburg High School graduate was entered into the UNCP Hall of Fame for his work on the Pembroke State College baseball teams in the early 1960s.
The full feature story can be read here: Cooter Powell was once a boy who wanted to play baseball and get a college degree, now he’s a UNCP Hall of Famer | Laurinburg Exchange.
No. 7—Scots contribute to North Carolina victory in Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas
Scotland had several representatives at the annual all-star football game. Head Coach Richard Bailey coached the North Carolina squad while Defensive Coordinator Scott Loosemore was on his staff as an assistant. On the field for the Scots were seniors Isaiah Locklear and Dajuan Gibson.
The Scots are coming off of a season where they advanced to the third round of the 3A NCHSAA state playoffs for the second consecutive season. They picked up playoff wins over conference rival Union Pines and Terry Sanford, both on the road, before falling to top seeded Havelock.
The full story can be found here: Scots contribute to North Carolina victory in Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas | Laurinburg Exchange.
No. 6—Scotland softball lands six on All District team including Player of the Year
Link: Scotland softball lands six on All District team including Player of the Year | Laurinburg Exchange.
The Scots had a historically good 2024 season where they went 19-2 overall and a perfect 12-0 against conference competition with a +179 run differential. They had six girls named to the 3A All District team: Dawson Blue, Ramsey Hale, Addison Lewis, Madison Dixon, Addison Johnson and Avery Stutts, who was named the 3A Player of the Year.
“So proud of these girls for this accomplishment, I see all the hard work and time these girls put in day in and day out during the season,” Head Coach Adam Romaine said. “To know other coaches also recognize how good these girls are and vote for them is even more evidence their hard work pays off.”
Stutts is committed to the University of Memphis and Dixon is committed to Wingate for the fall of 2025 after they graduate. Blue is committed to Oklahoma State for the fall of 2026.
A full feature story on Stutts can be found here: Meet Avery Stutts, the 3A Player of the Year | Laurinburg Exchange.
No. 5 —SAU wrestler clinches top prize at Beach Wrestling World Team Qualifiers
David Coptsias, a sophomore wrestler at St. Andrews turned a day trip to Carolina Beach into a future trip to Greece by obtaining a first-place finish in the Beach Wrestling World Team Qualifiers in May. The win punched him a ticket to the World Championships in Pierria, Greece, which was held in September.
“It was a day at the beach, I went with a few friends, and I ended up making a world team,” Coptsias said. “It was pretty fun.”
The full story can be found here: SAU wrestler clinches top prize at Beach Wrestling World Team Qualifiers | Laurinburg Exchange.
No. 4 —Pair of Scotland women wrestlers make history
Carmin Moore and Latia Williams became the first two women wrestlers in Scotland history to qualify for the individual women’s wrestling state championships in the 3A Women’s Mideast Regional in February. They both performed well at the state championship, each finishing 1-2 in the tournament. Thomas Salinas joined them as the lone male wrestler.
The story can be found here: Pair of Scotland women wrestlers make history | Laurinburg Exchange.
No. 3 —Scotland Regional Hospice Golf Tournament garners $180K
The Scotland Regional Hospice Golf Tournament returned to Scotch Meadows Country Club for the 38th year in May, raising $180,383. Since its inception in 1987, $4.7 million has been raised and all proceeds go toward Scotland Regional Hospice.
The fundraiser is a two-day affair with each day acting as its own individual competition. Awards and prizes are given to teams that finish in the top 1/3 of the field with several individual prizes as well.
The full story can be found here: Scotland Regional Hospice Golf Tournament garners $180K | Laurinburg Exchange.
No. 2 —Scotland County’s 43rd Special Olympics held at Pate Stadium
125 student-athletes gathered for the event held at Scotland High School. Scotland Healthcare took home the Julian Butler Award, given to an individual or group who has contributed outstanding service to Scotland County’s Special Olympics while Abby Smith received the Chuck Sligh Award, given yearly to a student who exemplifies the ideals in the Special Olympics motto: “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Athletes competed in the 50-meter and 100-meter dashes, running and standing long jumps and a softball throw. All competitors received medals or ribbons for their participation. There was also an Olympic Town set up with putt-putt, face painting and cornhole next to the concession stand where volunteers were doling out free snacks and drinks to participants.
The full story can be found here: Scotland County’s 43rd Special Olympics held at Pate Stadium | Laurinburg Exchange.
No. 1 —Parker Byrd makes college baseball history
Former Scotland High School star Parker Byrd became the first player in Division I baseball history to play with a prosthetic leg in his first game back from a well-documented boating accident that caused part of his right leg to be amputated. The historic moment was captured on numerous platforms including ESPN, MLB.com and AP News.
Byrd played in three games during the 2024 season and is entering his sophomore season with the Pirates in 2025. The story can be found here: Parker Byrd makes college baseball history | Laurinburg Exchange.