Sampson independent sports. , Jones Senior @ Union 7 p. “Bill” Johnson, Jr. Reaching across the political aisle. Sherry Matthews|Sampson Independent The Crusaders hosted three separate schools on Tuesday, bringing in Village Christian, Wake Christian and Fayetteville Academy. Cooper was joined by the Browse The Sampson Independent obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online The Sampson Independent and one of its youngest contributors, along with McDonald’s of Clinton, are adding another source of information and entertainment for the county as a The Hobbton Wildcats saw their postseason run come to an end Friday night on the road, falling 47-12 to the Tarboro Vikings in the third round of the NCHSAA 2A football playoffs. Name Email Anita Miller of Lakewood High School – 2020-2021 Sampson County Sports Club Women’s Basketball Coach of the Dedicated to the youth for years, head recreation baseball coach Terry Moore uses the talent and love he amassed over nearly 20 years of The culmination of the 2022 soccer season for Clinton saw them lose in overtime penalty kicks to the Owen Warhorses, a game that’s still fresh Postseason play is in sight and the teams of Sampson County prep to take their seasons further. From The Sampson Center, known locally as “The Block,” has been a cornerstone of Clinton for decades, long recognized as a gathering spot and a The Sampson County Independent Newspaper ClintonNC News Back on March 13, 1924, when the editor and publisher of the Sampson The Sampson County chase began on U. com, you would find scans of The Burgess was the longtime sports editor of the Sampson Independent and worked at the paper for more than 30 years. Lakewood moved to 2-4 on the season with the loss before heading to Red Springs Friday for a double-header, with one of the games being the make-up for Tuesday night’s cancelled It was a beautiful day on the golf courses out at the Coharie Country Club the other day. What in the world does a sports fan watch Midway’s best years along the lines of Sampson County football came in 2014 and 2019. With gold on the line both Stay updated with Sampson County's local news, events, and community highlights at The Sampson Weekly. An early lead for the Rebels was quickly erased The Sampson Middle Dark Horses captured the conference championship in dominant fashion Thursday night, blanking the Hobbton Wildcats 30-0 at Dark Horses Stadium. He has been a Content Writer with The Sampson Varsity Football: Midway @ Rosewood, 7 p. As the recap will show, some teams are having strong starts to the season while others are The Kenny Bass Holiday Classic wrapped up over the weekend with the Lady Titans from Trask High School claiming the girls championship and the Half of their wins already this season have come against other Sampson County teams, too. We’ve entered Daylight Saving Time, 1,721 Followers, 347 Following, 274 Posts - The Sampson Independent I think the Harrells will dominate the Eagles, but I don't expect it to be a high scoring game. Play on the diamond was cut off abruptly with the Hobbton Wildcats and Midway Raiders ending their runs in the state tournament in the first and second round respectively. SUBSCRIBE Now or RENEW Account Login Register Home News Sports Obituaries Opinion Public Notices Business ‘Heart of a lion’ Union’s Maynor talks full-circle moment of coming back to coach the Spartans Jul 23, 2025 — By Brandt Young Sports Editor in Sports At a recent summer workout, A county rivalry rarely belongs to just one storyline, and Monday night’s “Battle of the Cats” at Lakewood proved exactly that. By clicking "I agree", you acknowledge that you have read It was a special night down at Union High School on Friday night as the Spartans Athletic Program honored three of its former greats. After riding the momentum of a 3-0 week, the Clinton Dark Horses ran into a challenging stretch against South Lenoir, falling in back-to-back contests highlighted by extra innings and Sampson Independent Sports (@SportsSampson) - Posts - Official Sports Page for @SampsonInd - Covering Sampson County Athletics | X (formerly Twitter) Two Clinton men, jailed in November on myriad drug charges, now face a death offense that has been added to the list of their crimes. Search The Sampson Independent Archives more options Search Browse the archive by date Search the website Search Search E-Edition The Sampson Independent’s new sports editor, Brandt Young, says he’s ready to report all things sports. The Sampson County Football Jamboree is this Friday night, marking the official return of high school football. Clinton was looking to avenge an earlier close loss to St. — in Sports Soccer 10/6 Liberty @ Mintz 2-2 West Columbus @ Lakewood 0-8 East Bladen @ Hobbton 1-6 Union @ North Duplin 3-0 Clinton @ East Duplin 6-0 Midway @ Goldsboro 3 The Sampson Middle School Dark Horses left no doubt Thursday night, shutting out the Hobbton Wildcats 30-0 at Dark Horses Stadium to secure What an athlete does off the field or court is just as important as what they do in their sport, and Garland resident Tobias Cromartie learned that to be Their regular season finale win over North Duplin proved to be extremely crucial for Hobbton, who earned their way into the 1AA Playoffs set to Under the bright lights of the old Sampson Middle School gym, now Sunset Avenue Elementary’s court, the middle school Dark Horses and Raiders Reach Brandt Young at (910) 247-9036, at byoung@clintonnc. Before you write off esports as just gamers wanting to infiltrate the sphere of athletics, look at the similarities between the psyche of both. com on Saturday. The Sampson Middle Dark Horses captured the conference championship in dominant fashion Thursday night, blanking the Hobbton Wildcats 30-0 at Dark Horses Stadium. Price is a former city government/county education reporter for The Sampson Independent. And it’s a great thing knowing that the sport of golf is growing at Lakewood. File photo (Editor’s note: The Sampson Independent sports team wanted to do things a little bit differently as the school year, and sports season, approaches. Share your videos with friends, family, and the world Clinton leads Sampson County in the diamond, rocking out four straight wins. Along with that, players stepping off the bench and performing at a high Friday night’s Sampson County Football Jamboree at Midway High School saw the local teams take to the field for one final live scrimmage action prior to kicking off their seasons this Friday SUBSCRIBE Now or RENEW Account Login Register Home News Sports Obituaries Opinion Public Notices Business Spring sports are kicking off, as everyone ties their cleats and oil their gloves. com, or on the Sampson Independent Facebook page. Clinton, NC 28328 Edward Beard of Clinton shows off a whopper of a catch earlier this week, an almost 8-pound flathead catfish he reeled in Wednesday morning. Lakewood High MaxPreps Schedules The 2024–2025 season schedules for all sports. Thank you for visiting the The Sampson Independent Archives. Beard, who has appeared in the Sampson He would eventually become a sports reporter and then during his last semester, was Sports Editor. Coach Jeff Smith, head of Clinton’s women’s soccer program, was awarded Coach of The Year for the 2A division of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). Football came to a halt for Sampson County last week when the last two teams representing were eliminate, with both Clinton and Hobbton ousted Business Advertiser Pay Sponsored Content Submit Sports News If you are human, leave this field blank. The Spartans played with vigor but fizzled out We get better every week. io The gym was loud, the rivalries were hot, and the nostalgia was thick in the air Saturday as the seventh The Carolina 1A conference came to a close this past week, the SAC-6 and the NCISAA Independent will be wrapping up next week. They dominated Union in the first game of the For one last preseason showing before the season started, all of the public high schools’ soccer teams in Sampson County gathered at Clinton High The pitch has been filled with excellent performances last week to start the year off. ) View All Issues Keyword (s) About searchable newspaper text Pete Sampson is a senior writer for The Athletic on the Notre Dame football beat, a program he’s covered for the past 25 seasons. The Sampson Independent, Clinton, North Carolina. Brandt Young can be contacted at (910) 247-9036, (email protected) or on the Aug. I predict HCA will win 21-17. Recently, I talked to someone I would consider a mentor in journalism, someone who I looked up to as a kid in Northeast Ohio. Pauls Tuesday night, CLINTON WEATHER - WeatherWidget. Pete Sampson of the Athletic and Matt Fortuna of The Inside Zone are back to take you inside the Notre Dame program. Five individuals will be inducted As the Hobbton baseball team made the trek to Lakewood on Tuesday night, the game was more than just a Carolina 1A matchup: two sets of Friday night at Union, both the Union Spartans JV boys and the Lakewood Lady Leopards walked away as NCHSAA 1A/2A Eastern Conference Tournament champions after a pair of hard-fought victories. Prior to the Burgaw tournament, two of Sampson County’s Dixie Softball Ponytail X-Play All-Star teams made it to the district tournament held in The multi-sport athlete, a senior on the Leopards’ basketball team, said he plays football because of his uncle. Across three The next stop on our winding trip around Sampson County for our Senior Spotlight is a return to Newton Grove, the home of Hobbton High School and 2020 graduate Brayden Herring. I don’t like that,” after The scoreboard told one story, but both sidelines understood there was more beneath the surface as Union rolled past West Columbus 14-0 in a mercy-rule shortened soccer matchup. They dropped Union on Monday by a score of 46-27, to move on to the championship game. He currently resides in Clinton. Here are the games that didn’t get coverage. ; Hobbton @ KIPP Pride, 7 p. Gigi and I will each make our picks to go head-to-head with all of you wonderful With Selection Sunday being this week, I will get all of this finalized early next week after seedings and such. Sampson Independent content writer Anthony Goodman has been promoted to the role of sports editor. 24—The Sampson Independent and Performance Ford/CDJ are providing a unique glimpse into the world of local sports with its new online offering "Sport Shorts," which premiered on Local Patriots given wreaths in honor. On OldNews. io With Selection Sunday being this week, I will get all of this finalized early next week after seedings and such. C. Sampson County Athletic Director James Lewis told the Independent from his 32 years of experience in the craft. Midway Raiders following closely behind at 3-1. Anthony started as a Content Writer for The Sampson Independent in March 2025, With high school athletic directors facing financial challenges, the Sampson County Schools Board of Education approved spending $60,000 to help fill the gaps during a recent meeting. m. I have written numerous articles covering games where Sampson I just mentioned school sports. Community news, local sports, events, and deals at Sampson Independent Midway High School MaxPreps Schedules The 2024–2025 season schedules for all sports. Be on the Kelvin Sampson called Kansas “one of those teams you never know,” and KU guard Darryn Peterson responded, “Dang. Those were the seasons where they went 3-1, and their Union Middle School visited Sampson Middle School tonight for the semifinal round of the Sampson County Middle School conference tournament. , is one of the first major donor events of the new fiscal year for the SCC . Anthony Sampson County football fans were treated to a Monday night football game, as Union hosted Spring Creek for what was originally scheduled Sampson Middle School is advancing to the conference championship on Thursday in their gym. Pete Sampson of the Athletic and Matt Fortuna of The Inside Zone are SUBSCRIBE Now or RENEW Account Login Register Home News Sports Obituaries Opinion Public Notices Business After a dramatic comeback victory Monday night, the Clinton 7-8 coach pitch all-stars downed East Duplin on Tuesday night to take the District 7 Sampson Middle visited Hobbton Middle Thursday. 18,880 likes · 754 talking about this. The Independent is the essential listen for fans of Fighting Irish football. SUBSCRIBE Now or RENEW Account Login Register Home News Sports Obituaries Opinion Public Notices Business Dear Sampsonites Sports Thank You Sampson County Sports Editor’s letter to the community The Independent is the essential listen for fans of Fighting Irish football. This week there will be plenty of action on the soccer fields of Sampson County. Connecting with younger voters — especially the unaffiliated ones. Her Lady Leopards went 10-12, this season, up from 9 Mark S. CLINTON WEATHER - WeatherWidget. A corner three by Sampson’s Gibson Hill extended the advantage to 29-17 in the third. The honor He has a deep sense of pride in his community, from the top to the bottom, from Hobbton to Harrells, Midway to Mintz. Community. These were the The Sampson County Sports Club inducted its Class of 2018 Tuesday night at Clinton High School. Midway answered with a putback from Zac Cannady, but Sampson still entered the fourth ahead 31-19. Compare pay for popular Reach Brandt Young at (910) 247-9036, at byoung@clintonnc. The Knights were the only losers of the visiting trio as the As National Signing Day came and went this Wednesday, one of the biggest storylines in Sampson County was Lakewood’s Cameron Williams With a Cinderella story happening in the NCAA tournament nearly every year, this year one of those stories hits closer to home for Sampson County. To say I am incredibly proud of my club is an understatement, I do not usually take to the media but The Fall Sport season continues to march onward as conference battles are about to unfold. io CAPE OVERLOOK MODEL HOME 2090 Ross Rd | Lillington, NC Unfortunately, Sampson County usually only gains statewide attention when there is a major crime, tragedy or monumental agricultural spill. Inductions are made every three years and this The Raiders bounced back into the win column on Friday night, taking down Red Springs on the road by the 26-12 score. Prom is around the corner and most of the team was out The Sampson Independent, in partnership with Sign & Awning Systems of Dunn and Hog Slat of Newton Grove, is ramping up local high school sports with a new Wednesday promotion that Dai’vian Murrell gets an easy two points. This isn’t a new Change. Pauls to take on the Bulldogs for the SAC-6 conference championship, but the hometown team was too much for The April 10, 1924 issue of the Independent reported that the newspaper’s subscriber total “now exceeds 4,000, making us the largest circulation weekly or semi-weekly newspaper in North Carolina. Gigi and I will each make our picks to Four Sampson County teams earned playoffs berths in women’s soccer, with Hobbton, Clinton and Union all set to start at home in the first round of NCHSAA playoffs and Lakewood hitting SUBSCRIBE Now or RENEW Account Login Register Home News Sports Obituaries Opinion Public Notices Business Sampson Independent – E-Edition SKU: SI-Digital Categories: Digital Products, Sampson Independent The newspaper covers a variety of content, from community events and politics to sports and opinion columns, fostering local engagement and discourse. Hobbton girls were dominated by Sampson Middle. Born in Manhattan, New York as the middle child in COVID-19 continues to leave it’s mark across all of Sampson County. This week, Sampson The fall is coming in as summer’s brutal heat cools down, which means the sports season is starting. Closing in on one year into the pandemic, local businesses and restaurants still don’t look the same This week’s weather has been chaotic for the sports community of Sampson County with everyone in the county having to curb their normal routine and change plans as strong winds and Reach Brandt Young at (910) 247-9036, at byoung@clintonnc. It’s that time of year again. It was that man, Aaron Leopards make history By Brandt Young Sports Editor, The Sampson Independent January 14, 2025 Local media members are teaming up for a new local sports show, as a collaboration between Star Communications, WCLN, and the Sampson Independent. To proceed with your search, click "I agree". The Sampson Independent is a community newspaper in Clinton, The spring season has opened for Sampson County sports. Sampson’s Glenna McLamb leads the crowd in the singing of happy birthday to her father, Tommy, who is seated in the background with her mother, E-Mail Address: Password: Login Print Subscribers: Need to claim your e-edition account? Click here. Lewis Field to tangle with conference With fall sports finally kicking off for local schools, here is a preview of the sporting events that are coming up the rest of the week for Sampson Lakewood’s Landon Neal wears many hats as a two-sport student athlete for the Leopards, and this year, he even added a crown to his repertoire, In an exciting, down-to-the-wire finish, the Hobbton Middle School Wildcats held on to win their first game of the season against a determined The Sampson Independent will have more on that in an upcoming edition, but for now, local coaches and athletic directors have weighed in on their stance on where the COVID-19 virus A stroll along the highways of Sampson County will bring you across communities that are rich with sports tradition. clintonnc. Get the inside scoop on jobs, salaries, top office locations, and CEO insights. Main St. Midway will be looking to repeat success as they went deep into the playoffs last season. David Johnson|Sampson Independent The JV and Varsity Wildcats of Hobbton picked up two wins by the skin of their teeth in a hard fought game Editor’s note: This is the second in a multi-part series covering the time period of 2014-2023 in Sampson County sports. The results were split. ” The conference is scheduled for another CLINTON WEATHER - WeatherWidget. Reach Brandt Young at 910-247-9036, at byoung@clintonnc. It isn’t all deep radical change though as developing a relationship and Daron Barefoot|Sampson Independent After power issues in the area delayed the start of the game, the Lakewood Leopards hit the field out at James E. Tripp Westbrook went 8-of-14 passing with two touchdowns and SUBSCRIBE Now or RENEW Account Login Register Home News Sports Obituaries Opinion Public Notices Business CLINTON WEATHER - WeatherWidget. SUBSCRIBE Now or RENEW Account Login Register Home News Sports Obituaries Opinion Public Notices Business This podcast hosted by Ryan Carter focuses on high school sports across Sampson County, with commentary about players, plays and upcoming games. ” Sampson County Athletic Director James Lewis summed it The Sampson Middle Horses played the Midway Middle Raiders in a heated contest on the pitch for the conference trophy. See our next print edition, on Tuesday, for After a long four-year wait, members of the Sampson County Sports Club recently came together and held its seventh Lakewood’s Anita Miller was named the Sampson County Sports Club Ladies Coach of the Year for the 2019-2020 basketball season. With that, local teams are The Mintz Lady Lions stormed into Clinton High School on Thursday night for a volleyball clash between two longtime friends in the local volleyball Students in Sampson County and K-12 public schools across North Carolina won’t return to classrooms this school year, Governor Roy Cooper announced Friday. , Clinton @ Smithfield Selma 7:30 p. Sampson Independent SampsonInd Aug 23 Highlights: Lakewood vs Pender Girls Volleyball For more local sports and highlights, subscribe to The Sampson Independent and check By Brandt Young Sports Editor, The Sampson Independent. He led Clinton with 34 points. The Leopard senior also throws shot Braving the cold and wind on Thursday night, the Clinton Dark Horse baseball team hosted East Duplin for an early-season match-up that would lead The Independent is the essential listen for fans of Fighting Irish football. The Rebels had Stay updated with the latest news and events from Sampson County and beyond on this news category page. Online Forms Submit A News Tip Submit A Letter To The Editor Submit A Sports Score Submit A Sports Tip/Story Submit A Birthday Submit A Wedding Submit An Engagement Submit An Anniversary The Hobbton and Sampson Middle boys basketball teams met on the hardwood on Thursday afternoon, vying for a spot in the championship game of We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Union High School The Sampson Classic, created in honor of William M. 24—The Sampson Independent and Performance Ford/CDJ are providing a unique glimpse into the world of local sports with its new online offering "Sport Shorts," which premiered on Sampson Independent SampsonInd Aug 23 Highlights: Lakewood vs Pender Girls Volleyball For more local sports and highlights, subscribe to The Sampson Independent and check MATTHEWS — In a battle of the best offense in NCHSAA 2A soccer and the best defense, the Clinton Dark Horses played host to the Southwest Randolph Cougars in the state After a week full of rain all over the state, all five of the NCHSAA high schools in Sampson County ventured to North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro for the state With the media’s release for All-Conference teams in the college ranks recently released, the sports staff at the Sampson Independent have In the fall, I wrote a column about the depth of talent in Sampson County. While the Pigskin Preview is coming The selection committee for the Sampson County Sports Club Hall of Fame met Saturday to select the newest members of the Sports Club Hall of Fame. And that fact isn’t just true in one Union took on the fired up Wildcats of Hobbton on Friday, who were walking with back to back wins. Between the The Clinton athletic department is unveiling a new way of honoring past athletes, as they are now taking submissions for the Dark Horse Ring of In a meeting that lasted nearly an hour on Friday night, Union High School introduced its new boys’ basketball coach to the team, parents and In case you haven’t been inundated enough with Pigskin Jamboree talk, I’m bringing you one more piece on it, because of both the public’s excitement and my own over this wonderful time of In Saturday afternoon’s third and final championship bout, North Duplin and Lakewood faced off once more for the boys’ title. Sampson County Baseball Conference Tournament Champions: Midway Middle School Sampson County Baseball Conference Tournament A Sampson player pushes the ball forward. Fighting back How Midway baseball, softball persevered through tragedy Apr 16, 2025 — By Brandt Young Sports Editor in The Sampson County Football Jamboree is fast approaching, offering a sneak peek into the school programs coming Reach Brandt Young at (910) 247-9036, at byoung@clintonnc. With a Practice makes perfect Clinton Dark Horses ride 15 win streak into state finals Dec 8, 2023 — By Anthony McConnaughey Sports Editor in Sports Stay tuned to the Sampson Independent for all details related to local impacts from Hurricane Florence as well as all information as to when local and county sports will resume. It was a hard fought defensive battle, but the Hobbton Wildcats picked up their sixth win in a row spoiling the Lakewood Leopards’ senior night and coming away with a 20-7 win. Add those in, and the student-athletes are now working a full-time job on top of balancing a social life, schoolwork and everything else that comes with the Leopards make history By Brandt Young Sports Editor, The Sampson Independent January 14, 2025 The Lakewood Leopards traveled to neighboring North Duplin Friday night in a third round match-up of the NCHSAA 1A playoffs. S. It was a historic day for Lakewood last Wednesday, as their newly-founded wrestling team participated He is nearly the opposite archetype of HCA’s Newton — instead of being tall and lanky, he is smaller and compact, which means a punishment for the defenders trying to stop him from scoring. The final was 27-0. Here is where we stand so far: Clinton Baseball (3-1) The Dark Horses are holding The Sampson Independent (Clinton, N. In middle school action, the Sampson Middle Dark Horses visited Hobbton Middle Monday afternoon and went home with a win. Yes, the smell of freshly cut grass on the field, the squeak of sneakers on the court, the thud of a soccer ball kick, the sound of Anyahs Butler attempts a 3-point shot. Find out what works well at Sampson Independent from the people who know best. It marked the Tart informed the Independent that getting one of their players back, Garret Britt, helped get them back into form. It marked the This podcast hosted by Ryan Carter focuses on high school sports across Sampson County, with commentary about players, plays and upcoming games. In other words, when our county gets regional The Sampson Independent and Performance Ford/CDJ are providing a unique glimpse into the world of local sports with its new online Sports Editor “It was a great night showcasing of the amazing talent in Sampson County. Pete Sampson of the Athletic and Matt Fortuna of The Inside Zone are back to take you inside the Notre Dame Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson used his Wednesday night presser, following a 24-point win over UCF, as a platform to vent about his 1,721 Followers, 347 Following, 274 Posts - The Sampson Independent (@thesampsonindependent) on Instagram: "News and engaging content for all 443 Posts 123 Following 226 Followers Official Sports Page for @SampsonInd - Covering Sampson County Athletics It was a beautiful night for sports at Clinton High School on Monday night, with baseball, softball, and women’s soccer all hosting home games as When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted. ” From Trevon McGlone has been selected as the new content writer for The Sampson Independent. The Sampson Independent · October 26, 2022 · Follow Hobbton VS Union / Highlights Carolina 1A Conference Semifinals Catch even more conference action in the Sampson Independent After another busy week in county athletics, here are this week’s recaps of events that weren’t covered in last week’s editions. Highlights: Lakewood vs Pender, Girls Volleyball For more local sports and highlights, subscribe to The Sampson Independent and check us out at The 2024 chapter of the Sampson County football season has come to a close, and while I’m sad that I have no more Friday Night Lights to cover, I’m equally as excited for basketball — a Football came to a halt for Sampson County last week when the last two teams representing were eliminate, with both Clinton and Hobbton ousted from the third round of the state Football came to a halt for Sampson County last week when the last two teams representing were eliminate, with both Clinton and Hobbton ousted from the third round of the state Brandt Young|Sampson Independent For the second week in a row, a Sampson County athlete signed their commitment to play soccer for Chowan College basketball has ended, the NFL draft is still over a week away, the NHL playoffs haven’t started, and the NBA regular season just ended. io Home News Sports Obituaries Opinion Public Notices Business Highlights from Spring Creek Gators @ Hobbton Wildcats / August 20, 2024 For more highlights, go to www. 421 north of Clinton and continued on other roads until rejoining the highway, with the motorcyclist crashing near Kitty As school sports seasons have officially ended for the 2024-25 school year, my focus now shifts to summer activities, like rec ball, swimming pools and The Midway Raiders traveled to St. The Sampson County rec league is open Anthony McConnaughey|Sampson Independent Kenzy Yang leaps into the water and races to third place in the 100 yard butterfly. Goodman, who has been with the paper Currently Running 2026 2025 2024/2025 2024 Category SUBSCRIBE Now or RENEW Account Login Register Home News Sports Obituaries Opinion Public Notices Business Aug. This week, Sampson Names like Leonard Henry, Jerris McPhail, Mikayla Boykin, Amaris Williams, Willie Parker, and numerous other CHS athletes have given credence to that statement. Reach Brandt Young at 910-247-9036, at Call: T: 910-592-8137 F: 910-592-8756 Address: 109 W. com or check out the Sampson See updates on The Sampson Independent Facebook page and at clintonnc. The former editor and co-founder The sports season is underway here in Sampson County. ke1w isby k7qq irw hbh