High School Sports
High school basketball
High school basketball: Causby announced as Cox Mill coach Published 3:35 pm Thursday, April 17, 2025 Coach Jason Causby. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers Staff report SPENCER — The basketball odyssey for Jason Causby took another interesting turn on Wednesday when he was announced as the new head boys coach of the Cox Mill Chargers. Former […]

High school basketball: Causby announced as Cox Mill coach
Published 3:35 pm Thursday, April 17, 2025
- Coach Jason Causby. Photo Credit: Sean Meyers
Staff report
SPENCER — The basketball odyssey for Jason Causby took another interesting turn on Wednesday when he was announced as the new head boys coach of the Cox Mill Chargers.
Former Rowan AD Brad Hinson, now the Cox Mill AD, announced the hire after an extensive search and interview period.
Causby will be the assistant coach for the West team in this summer’s East-West All-Star Game. He has coached 298 varsity boys basketball wins, with 291 of those coming in Rowan County. He is second on Rowan’s all-time coaching wins list for boys basketball, behind only former West Rowan coach Mike Gurley.
A modern and still relatively new Concord school, Cox Mill, is currently a member of the 4A Greater Metro Conference and will be competing in a 6A/7A league when the new realignment kicks in this fall. Cox Mill has been a state power, at times, but was 12-14 in the 2024-25 season.
Causby is a West Rowan graduate who got his first varsity coaching opportunity at Salisbury High. He coached six seasons, with five winning teams, including a 28-2 powerhouse.
Causby left Salisbury for North Hills Christian School and coached a year there with some success (14 wins) before returning for another run at Salisbury. He coached there for four more seasons, the best of which was 15-10, as the talent level had declined a bit from the peak years.
In 10 seasons — including both stints — at Salisbury, Causby’s record was 157-111.
His next stop was in Mecklenburg County at Mallard Creek. That team started woefully at 0-9 but finished 7-17.
Causby then returned to Rowan County when he was hired by North Rowan. His first Cavaliers team was his best one. That was a 28-3 squad, and the next season, North followed up with 22-8.
A 6-6 COVID season came next.
Causby coached his seventh season at North in 2024-25 with an 18-11 team and posted a record of 120-62 for his time in Spencer.
Causby’s teams at Salisbury, North Hills and North Rowan were 291-186, winning 61 percent of the time.
High School Sports
CSUF club highlights women in the weight room
For years, weight rooms have been dominated by men — Girl Gains is changing the narrative to empower women’s confidence at the gym. The club was founded in 2020 at San Diego State University and is now present on over 100 campuses across the United States, Canada and Vietnam. Their mission is to promote female […]


For years, weight rooms have been dominated by men — Girl Gains is changing the narrative to empower women’s confidence at the gym.
The club was founded in 2020 at San Diego State University and is now present on over 100 campuses across the United States, Canada and Vietnam. Their mission is to promote female weightlifting and support women in the gym.
In January 2023, former president of Girl Gains, Kayla Long, brought the club to Cal State Fullerton. For the past two years, CSUF’s Girl Gains club has hosted events, frequent gym-meetups, panel discussions with fitness coaches and created a safe learning environment for women to grow at the gym.
The current president, Mattea Chung has worked hard to grow the club on Fullerton’s campus, with attendance varying weekly. On average, they have about 15-30 active members, depending on the meeting.
Many of the women in the club formed strong connections through their shared experience of playing sports in high school. However, after starting college, they found themselves without a community to stay active with, leading them to join Girl Gains.
“It was one of the best decisions I made. Now I’m here, president of the club 2.5 years later (…) and all these people are here because I found a vision for it,” Chung said.
Haley Agbayani, a senior and biology major at CSUF, joined Girl Gains in the spring of 2024 to continue to stay active after leaving the school’s cheerleading team.
“Before Girl Gains, I was on the cheer team and I decided to part ways,” Agbayani said. “I wanted something to fill that void.”
While some women joined Girl Gains to continue their active lifestyle, some members were just getting started on their fitness journey.
No matter the fitness level, Girl Gains strives to be a safe space for women to learn and improve their weightlifting technique. Women of any background and skill level are welcome into the club. With a $25 membership, members have access to bi-weekly chapter meetings, merchandise discounts, off-campus events and their annual end-of-year banquet.
During their bi-weekly meetings, Girl Gains brought educational speakers to speak on women’s health, nutrition and other kinesiology-related topics.
CSUF’s Girl Gains chapter partners with other schools’ chapters for fitness events. Last month, they held a hiking event with USC’s Girl Gains called “Sisterhood Summit.” The club doesn’t only focus on weightlifting, they have held pilates classes, zumba classes, rock climbing, swimming and other fitness events.
Girl Gains also has bonding events like karaoke night, game night, banquet and camping trips. This semester, the event coordinator, Sarah Mazengia, planned a camping trip at Joshua Tree National Park. They spent three days on the trip.
“It was our first big overnight trip (…) It was a lot of fun, a lot of things went wrong,” Mazengia said. “But everyone survived.”
To wrap off the Girl Gains year, they hosted their second annual banquet in the Titan Student Union. Members had free food, games, awards, and a slideshow of all their photographed memories from the 24-25 school year.
Mazengia became teary-eyed as she spoke about her memories from Girl Gains, as a graduating senior.
“Banquet was really hard for me (…) I’m going to miss them a lot, because they’re all amazing, beautiful, and that is a true reflection of their soul,” Mazengia said.
High School Sports
Westview High School Girls Lacrosse team forms a strong bond that extends beyond the field
High School Sports
Local doula highlights importance of maternal mental health
(WKBN) — Mother’s Day serves as a reminder that maternal mental health is important, and one local doula has made it her goal to help as many families as she can find resources they may otherwise not know about. Jillian Barker is using her knowledge and years of experience in the maternal field for good. […]

(WKBN) — Mother’s Day serves as a reminder that maternal mental health is important, and one local doula has made it her goal to help as many families as she can find resources they may otherwise not know about.
Jillian Barker is using her knowledge and years of experience in the maternal field for good. Not only does she provide care in her practice, but on her website Parenthood in Bloom, she shares complete lists of area resources for parents. The categories range from mental health to resources for partners.
“People feel like they have really limited options, but we do have really great organizations in the area to help families,” Barker said.
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She understands how mental health care is especially important for new moms and their partners. Barker explains how mental health can directly correlate with a baby’s chance of thriving.
“It’s actually the leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity. So, if we’re able to help reduce that in any capacity, I think that is super helpful,” Barker said.
Barker says there are plenty of resources that are available for low-income families in need of assistance. She says moms can’t do it all alone.
“It’s really important to help families build a village to support them,” Barker said. “You deserve to have your voice heard, knowing that you deserve to be supported and knowing that there are options for when it feels like maybe those things aren’t super stable in your life.”
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The full list of resources can be found at parenthoodinbloom.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
High School Sports
Sports Extra
This week’s edition of Sports Extra leads off with a feature story on the niche sport of lacrosse — and two athletes who are headed to play the sport in college. WATCH SPORTS EXTRA FOR MAY 10: Sports Extra: Montana sports news and highlights (May 10, 2025) Callie Crass and Olivia Shepherd are members of […]


This week’s edition of Sports Extra leads off with a feature story on the niche sport of lacrosse — and two athletes who are headed to play the sport in college.
WATCH SPORTS EXTRA FOR MAY 10:
Callie Crass and Olivia Shepherd are members of the Spartan Lacrosse Club in Missoula. Crass, a senior at Sentinel High School, will play at Newberry College in South Carolina while Shepherd, a senior at Hellgate High, will compete at the University of Hartford in Connecticut.
The episode then hits the high school softball diamond to spotlight Helena High pitcher Faith Howard, who has established herself as one of the state’s top players.
Also, with the further expansion of varsity baseball across Montana in 2025, the demand for umpires has increased. This episode includes a profile of Billings’ Jason Hardy, who is channeling his love of the sport into umpiring for kids that he says deserve a fair game.
On the track, we feature Jefferson High School’s Luke Oxarart, who is wrapping up his track career before heading to Montana State for football, as well the strong season the Fairfield Eagles have put together in advance of the state meet.
The show wraps with profiles of Justus Peterson, Montana Tech’s one-man college rodeo show, and on a personal Special Olympics friendship that has sparked a movement in Box Elder.
High School Sports
How to watch North Carolina high school girls lacrosse
On Tuesday, May 13, hitting the field at 6:30 p.m. ET, Fuquay-Varina High School will face Apex Friendship High School in Fuquay-Varina, NC. How to watch Apex Friendship vs. Fuquay-Varina girls lacrosse Apex Friendship and Fuquay-Varina will match up on Tuesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m. ET. Don’t miss out on any of the action […]


On Tuesday, May 13, hitting the field at 6:30 p.m. ET, Fuquay-Varina High School will face Apex Friendship High School in Fuquay-Varina, NC.
How to watch Apex Friendship vs. Fuquay-Varina girls lacrosse
Apex Friendship and Fuquay-Varina will match up on Tuesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m. ET. Don’t miss out on any of the action with NFHS Network.
The NFHS Network gives you access to live high school sports around the country. Watch games live and on demand, all year long, on any device. Follow your favorite team and never miss a game!
Want to track your alma mater, local team or family member’s school throughout the playoffs? NFHS Network has high school lacrosse streaming live, plus on-demand replays and highlights of all the action from thousands of schools across America.
Watch Fuquay-Varina vs. Apex Friendship on NFHS Network!
Apex Friendship High School girls lacrosse schedule
- May 13 vs. Fuquay-Varina High School: 6:30 p.m. ET | Fuquay-Varina, NC | NFHS Network
- May 13 vs. Heritage High School – Wake Forest: 7:30 p.m. ET | Apex, NC | NFHS Network
Watch Apex Friendship High School all season long on NFHS Network!
Team schedules reflect available data from NFHS and may not include every upcoming game.
All NFHS Network events are available to watch online at and through the NFHS Network Mobile Apps for iOS and Android and TV Apps for ROKU, Amazon Fire, Google TV and Apple TV.
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High School Sports
WWE Backlash 2025 results, grades, recap, winners
If John Cena and Randy Orton never wrestle again, they can be proud of how they closed out their 20-year rivalry at WWE Backlash. Orton had a viper-like grip against Cena, but returns to his home in St. Louis empty-handed after bad luck and many distractions on Saturday. Cena made the first title defense of […]


If John Cena and Randy Orton never wrestle again, they can be proud of how they closed out their 20-year rivalry at WWE Backlash. Orton had a viper-like grip against Cena, but returns to his home in St. Louis empty-handed after bad luck and many distractions on Saturday.
Cena made the first title defense of his record-setting 17th world title run against a familiar foe. Orton was one step ahead of Cena in the weeks leading to their match, and for most of their match. Ultimately, however, Orton was foiled by endless shenanigans familiar to those present for their illustrious careers.
The rest of the card also featured a mixed bag of results. Jacob Fatu managed to retain the United States championship in a fatal four way thanks to some assistance from a debuting superstar. Gunther beat down Pat McAfee despite some aid from play-by-play man Michael Cole. Lyra Valkyria retained the women’s intercontinental title against Becky Lynch, who lost it in the aftermath. And Dominik Mysterio retained the men’s intercontinental title against Penta thanks to some help from another masked luchador.
CBS Sports was with you the whole way through the event, providing updates and highlights as the action unfolded in the live blog below.
Jacob Fatu defends U.S. title in barnburner fatal four-way, gets an unwanted assist from debuting Jeff Cobb
Backlash got off to a hot start with this fatal four-way match. The St. Louis crowd validated Fatu’s reputation as a future main eventer, repeatedly chanting his name. Typically, more conniving superstars form temporary alliances in these matches. But heroes LA Knight and Damian Priest, recognizing Fatu’s danger, briefly aligned to take out the champ. Everyone had a moment to shine, but it’s hard competing with Fatu’s ridiculous athleticism. The defending United States champion pieced together an incredible sequence after being hurled off the top rope by Drew McIntyre, landing on Knight with a swanton bomb. Aftewards, he quickly took out McIntyre with a corner attack, launched into Priest with a suicide dive, and flattened McIntyre with a second swanton.
Each superstar also scored near falls. Priest fell directly onto Knight after eating a Claymore Kick, nearly winning the match by accident. McIntyre had the match won before Priest yanked the referee from the ring, continuing the plot of Priest screwing McIntyre over. Knight put down Fatu with an elbow drop, but the champ kicked out. The bad blood between McIntyre and Priest spilled into the crowd. The brawl ended after Priest hit a South of Heaven chokeslam off an equipment box through two tables, ostensibly removing them from the match.
Closer to the ring, Fatu was in peril. Knight splayed Fatu across the announcers’ table and lined him up for a top rope elbow drop. That’s when Solo Sikoa arrived. Fatu’s Bloodline ally yanked Fatu off the table and confronted Knight. Suddenly, Knight was laid out by a mystery assailant — the debuting Jeff Cobb. Fatu was upset with Sikoa and Cobb’s intrusion, but capitalized by putting away Knight with a jumping top rope moonsault. Each superstar delivered memorable spots. The finish hit all the right marks: giving the champ a win, protecting the challengers, debuting a new act, and furthering The Bloodline storyline. Fatu def. Knight, McIntyre and Priest via pinfall to retain the U.S. title. Grade: A
Underdog champion Lyra Valkryia springs the upset on Becky Lynch
Saturday’s women’s intercontinental had a dash of Lynch’s bravado, a sprinkle of Valkyria’s technique, and heaping scoops of bravado and intensity from both athletes. The former tag team champions kicked off the match with a fist fight, demonstrating their bitterness. Lynch found the most success by intercepting Valkyria and bludgeoning her with strikes. At one point, Lynch dragged Valkyria over to the latter’s fiancé, mocking the lovebirds. Several open-hand slaps meant to demean Valkyria instead lit a fire under her. The defending champ slapped Lynch back before hitting a running fisherman’s buster, enzuiguri and sit-out powerbomb. A stalling superplex was perhaps Valkyria’s best display of power.
Valkyria’s increasing momentum spurred Lynch’s desperation. “The Man” rolled up Valkyria and grabbed the ropes for leverage, but the referee caught her red-handed. The closing sequence featured a series of impressive counters as both superstars chained armbar attempts. Lynch appeared to have the match secured after landing a Manhandle slam, but Valkyria kicked out. The champ’s resilience sent Lynch into a panic. The challenger attempted to use a steel chair and exposed turnbuckle, but the referee continued to foil her.
Ultimately, Valkyria stunned her former hero with a quick roll-up for the win. Lynch, outraged, didn’t give her opponent a moment to celebrate. Lynch pounced on Valkyria and slapped on a Disarm Her until WWE producers pulled her off. This was Valkyria’s best main roster match to date. Her power moves had impact, her technique was crisp and she shined as the underdog. Lynch was a step behind her in the ring, but excelled as a cunning villain. My only complaint is that the match ran a little long. Valkyria def. Lynch via pinfall to retain the women’s intercontinental title. Grade: B+
Dominik Mysterio gets a dirty win over Penta with help from El Grande Americano
Mysterio vs. Penta was a clash between Penta’s athleticism and Dom’s “dirty” tactics, but it wasn’t exclusively that. The match’s most impressive physical feat was arguably Mysterio’s flawless suicide dive DDT. Penta’s luchador style was also displayed with a top rope crossbody to the ring, a springboard crucifix bomb and a ring apron destroyer. Mysterio’s weaponization of other superstars’ moves was one of the more entertaining tropes. Mysterio whiffed on Eddie Guerrero’s three amigos and father Rey Mysterio’s 619, but surprised Penta with Liv’s Oblivion.
The Judgment Day, who walked Dominik Mysterio to the ring, were involved as expected. Carlito, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh tried to intervene but were initially thwarted by Penta and the referee. Balor’s second distraction was more successful as El Grande Americano — the masked superstar presumed to be Chad Gable, who defeated Penta’s brother Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41 — dropped Penta with a steel plate-assisted headbutt. Mysterio followed up with a frog splash for the win.
Mysterio vs. Penta had flashes of a great match, but never quite kicked into that gear. In hindsight, a few minutes could have been shaved from the women’s intercontinental match to give the men’s title more time. Mysterio def. Penta via pinfall to retain the intercontinental title. Grade: B
Gunther puts Pat McAfee to sleep in a snoozer
Gunther stared down McAfee with a wide smile, identifying his foe as easy prey. “The Ring General” exercised his vast technical advantage early, though McAfee’s athleticism drew acknowledgment from the former world heavyweight champion. Gunther gave McAfee a brotherly pat on the head, setting the tone for how the match would go. Gunther encouraged his smaller foe to chop him, absorbing multiple blows to the chest before dropping McAfee with a massive chop of his own. The bullying extended to McAfee’s broadcast partner Michael Cole, whom Gunther would stare down in between beating McAfee. Cole’s pleading for Gunther to show mercy fell on deaf ears as Gunther prolonged McAfee’s torment. Cole at one point described it as “a public flogging.”
McAfee briefly sprang to life, landing on his feet after a missed moonsault and again finding his footing after Gunther attempted a German suplex. McAfee, previously a punter for the Indianapolis Colts, stunned Gunther with kicks to the chin and spine. Cole became increasingly present after leaving the announcers’ booth to cheer on his friend. Gunther dragged Cole into the ring, but his split focus created multiple opportunities for McAfee. The former NFL star saved Cole from a powerbomb by big booting Gunther. Cole returned the favor by snatching Gunther’s leg on a suplex attempt, resulting in McAfee landing on and nearly pinning Gunther. Shortly after, Gunther latched on a rear-naked choke, putting McAfee to sleep. Gunther showed McAfee a small gesture of respect afterwards.
This didn’t click for me. The pacing was slow, and McAfee’s comebacks were half-baked. There was potential to build sympathy around Cole, but the storyline didn’t develop enough to make for a meaningful payoff. Gunther def. McAfee via submission. Grade: C+
John Cena sneaks away with the win in a possible conclusion to his legendary rivalry with Randy Orton
The match was slow and methodical, as expected from two superstars in their mid-to-late 40s who’ve traditionally employed that style. The audience got loud for everything that hometown hero Orton did. Cena indulged as the antagonist, mocking the audience and fleeing when things got tough. The legends have wrestled nearly two dozen times on WWE broadcasts, but rarely, if ever, in their current roles. Cena and Orton wrestled as the villain and hero, respectively. Yet old habits die hard, and Orton wasn’t beyond stooping to his opponent’s level. Cena lured Orton with a disingenuous handshake and poked him in the eye. Moments later, Orton retorted with his own blinding thumb.
The action picked up after Cena hoisted Orton onto his shoulders. The undisputed WWE champion landed the Attitude Adjustment, but simultaneously ate an RKO. Neither wrestler, each enduring the other’s finishing move, could capitalize. Cena surprised Orton with a second Attitude Adjustment, but Orton kicked out. Orton, no stranger to surprise strikes, countered Cena’s shoulder block series with an RKO but only mustered a two-count. “The Legend Killer” dusted off the punt kick from his repertoire; however, Cena moved out of the way and hit a third Attitude Adjustment. That would have sealed the deal in most cases, but not against Orton in St. Louis. Cena couldn’t capitalize on a fourth Attitude Adjust because the referee had been knocked down. When Cena retrieved his title to strike Orton with, “The Viper” struck first with an RKO. Referee Chad Patton slowly spurred to life, though the extra time allowed Cena to kick out.
Outside the ring, an accidental collision took the referee out again. Orton gave Cena a taste of his medicine, landing an Attitude Adjustment onto the announcers’ table. The table only slightly budged, so Orton grabbed a wooden table from underneath the ring. The second break was far cleaner as Orton landed another Attitude Adjustment. Amusingly, the challenger took a small beverage break before resuming action. Orton continued to dominate Cena, but he couldn’t catch a break. Orton landed two RKOs — the replacement referee arrived too late on the first instance, and got clocked with the title belt for the second RKO. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis and various WWE staff ran into the ring to check on the officials, and they all ate RKOs.
The match ended after Orton lined Cena up for the punt. R-Truth — who describes Cena as his childhood hero despite Truth being five years older — intervened and begged for mercy. Orton delivered an RKO to Truth, but the distraction allowed Cena to land a low blow and Attitude Adjustment for the win. The right atmosphere can do a lot for a match. Was Cena vs. Orton a technical thriller? Certainly not. But there’s a charm to seeing an iconic rivalry’s final chapter after 20 years. It was an overbooked throwback to WWE’s heavily used playbook in the 2010s. The match was physical, the stakes were high, and the crowd was hot. Cena def. Orton via pinfall to retain the undisputed WWE title. Grade: A-
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