By ENTERPRISE STAFF
TRIAD — Nine area teams have qualified for the NCHSAA boys soccer playoffs set to begin next week, according to the preliminary brackets released Thursday afternoon.
There was an appeal to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction set for later in the afternoon that could impact seeds.
First-round games will be Monday, followed by second-round games Thursday.
Wheatmore, Oak Grove and Southwest Guilford will play in the opening round. Wheatmore will visit Hendersonville while Southwest will travel to East Forsyth. Oak Grove will host Saint Pauls.

#grove #southwest #games #staff

The Magic Mile is the next-to-last race before the Chase in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The Dollar Tree 301 takes place from the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the flat 1.058-mile oval north of Concord.
Tyler Reddick is on the pole, with Hendersonville's Josh Berry on the outside of the front row.
Shane van Gisbergen, 16th in points and 50 points ahead of the Chase cutline, will start fifth.
Today's race will set the scene for next week's regular-season finale at Daytona. If Austin Cindric (+57 to the cutline) or SVG struggle at New Hampshire, the Daytona race will only be more intense and important. But Cindric and SVG could also add to their points cushions at New Hampshire, if not clinch a Chase spot.

#race #points #next #Magic

The NASCAR Cup Series continues its stretch run to the Chase with the Dollar Tree 301 on Aug. 23 at New Hampshire.
Only New Hampshire and Daytona next weekend remain in the regular season.
Shane van Gisbergen leads Ryan Preece by 50 points at the Chase cutline coming into the weekend.
SVG qualified in fifth, while Preece will start.
Tyler Reddick is on the pole, with Hendersonville's Josh Berry on the outside of the front row.

#hampshire #preece #dollar #only

Funeral arrangements have been made for Anthony Lake, the former Hendersonville offensive coordinator and quarterback who died on July 26, according to his obituary.
Hendersonville football coach James Beasley confirmed to The Tennessean on July 27 that Lake had died. Lake was 54.
A visitation will be held Aug. 2 from 1-3 p.m. at Hendersonville Memory Gardens, Funeral Home & Cremation Center, according to the obituary. Lake's celebration of life will take place immediately afterwards from 3-5 p.m. at the funeral home.
Lake is survived by his wife, Heather; his children Chase (Shawnna) Lake and Ashelyn Lake; his mother, Sharon Lake; his father, Ed (Lori) Lake and his sister Jennifer (Travis) Donaldson.
Lake was a longtime Hendersonville ***** istant who served most recently as the Commandos' offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. He led his alma mater to the 1988 TSSAA football Class AAA state semifinals. Hendersonville finished with a 10-4 record and a region championship under the late legendary coach Bill Derrick that year.

#hendersonville #funeral #july #home

IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden, a Hendersonville native, showed up on July 9 using crutches and wearing a walking boot on his left foot for the guitar trophy unveiling of the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix.
The Team Penske driver is the defending champion of the Music City Grand Prix, which is scheduled for July 19 at Nashville Superspeedway. The race will air on Fox Sports after the World Cup final, which begins at 2 p.m. CST.
Newgarden has remained tight-lipped since injuring his foot during a crash in the 2026 Indianapolis 500 on May 24.
"I'm keeping the foot stuff close to (the vest) right now," Newgarden said at the event at Gibson Guitar Garage. "But everything's been good. I mean we've had a great team that's just been going forward every day. That's kind of the most important thing: whatever obstacles we have, we just keep moving forward. You're going to have that in racing in a lot of different ways. I just feel like we're in a really good place right now."
Since the injury, Newgarden finished 10th at the Grand Prix of Detroit on May 31, won the Grand Prix of Illinois on June 7, finished 22nd at the Grand Prix of Road America, and finished ninth at the Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio on July 5.

Taylor Swift's favorite teacher died the day of her massive wedding to NFL superstar Travis Kelce. According to new reports, Kirk Schwabe, who taught criminal justice to the pop star in 2004 and later became her personal security guard, died from his battle with metastatic kidney cancer on Friday, July 3. He was 69.
Schwabe's family confirmed that the 69-year-old passed away on Friday—the same day as Swift's wedding to Kelce in New York City, according to The Telegraph.
His wife, Jane, told the outlet that he saw Swift "like he did his daughters," while his daughter said the former high school teacher "had a remarkable way of making people feel seen, valued, and protected."
"Whether you were family, one of his students, or someone like Taylor whose path crossed his, he cared deeply about people. That's the legacy he leaves behind," they added.
Schwabe was a Chicago police officer before he became a criminal justice teacher at Hendersonville High School in Nashville. Years later, Schwabe quit his job to become Swift's personal security guard right around the time her career started taking off.

Taylor Swift's high school best friend Abigail Anderson Berard was in attendance to see the Grammy winner marry Travis Kelce
Anderson Berard and Swift met as teenagers at Hendersonville High School in Tennessee, and the beginning of their friendship served as the inspiration for Swift's 2008 hit "Fifteen"
Swift mentioned her BFF by name again in her 2025 song "Ruin the Friendship," and Anderson Berard made cameos in the Miss Americana documentary and several of Swift's music videos
Taylor Swift's longtime best friend Abigail Anderson Berard was in attendance to see the pop star's wedding dreams come true as she and Travis Kelce tied the knot.
The bride's bestie, 36, was all smiles as she left a New York City hotel to head to Madison Square Garden, where the celebration took place. Anderson Berard was dressed in a Sau Lee gown with a fitted corset top adorned with magnolia flowers and a deep-brown silk skirt. Her signature curly locks were down and perfectly coifed despite the intense heat the day brought.

After adding four position players through the NCAA transfer portal, the Texas Longhorns have added the first pledge from a pitcher during the current window, landing a commitment from former Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders right-hander Gavin King on Tuesday.
The 6’7, 210-pounder has three seasons of eligibility remaining with the new five-for-year rules.
Originally committed to South Carolina out of Hendersonville (Tenn.) Liberty Creek, King was the No. 21 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 7 right-handed pitcher in the state as a 2024 graduate. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, King landed at Volunteer State in 2025, starting in three of his four appearances and recording 19 strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched.
After transferring to MTSU, King held multiple roles for the Blue Raiders as a sophomore, making two Friday starts and also appearing in long relief and as a closer. In 19 appearances, King went 3-2 with five saves and a 6.00 ERA. Opponents only hit .247 against King and he struck out 59 batters in 42 innings, but also walked 31 batters and gave up 10 home runs, so improving King’s command will be a major priority for Texas pitching coach Max Weiner this offseason, as well as an imperative for the big right-hander to get into games for the Longhorns in 2027.