How Ashley girls soccer, Laney baseball can win state championships this weekend
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Two Wilmington high schools are set to close out the spring sports season in dramatic fashion, as Ashley girls soccer and Laney baseball compete for state championships on May 31.
Laney baseball kicks things off with Game 1 of its best-of-three 4A state title series against two-time defending champion T.C. Roberson on Friday, May 30. The series will wrap up Saturday with Games 2 and 3, if necessary.
The Ashley girls soccer team takes center stage in its third straight 4A state final Saturday evening, hungrier than ever to bring home a long-awaited championship.
The Screaming Eagles face Ardrey Kell at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews.
We've reached the final chapter. The last dance. For seniors and underclassmen alike, this is the moment they've trained for. The spotlight is on—and it's time to answer the call.
Here's everything you need to know about Wilmington's two title contenders this weekend.
Is the third time the charm for Ashley?
There are few feelings that adequately compare to losing a state championship. Falling twice, however, creates a certain drive that's equally undefinable.
"We have to go out with a bang," junior Kieran Bradley said after winning the 4A East regional final. "We can't lose again. All the losses have helped us grow, but now is the time that we have to prove ourselves because the third time is the charm."
Ashley (22-2-2) enters its third straight state title game against Ardrey Kell, the team that beat them in the 2023 4A championship. It feels fitting that the Screaming Eagles' storybook ending may come full circle.
Savannah Manset and Kieran Bradley have led Ashley in goals all season, stepping up after the early graduations of stars Karina and Kiley Peat.
But what makes this time different? Why can this version of Ashley, which has a noticeably less star-studded roster, overcome its greatest challenge?
Health.
In past title runs, Ashley entered beaten down mentally and physically.
Karina Peat played last spring's championship with a broken arm after a tough regional battle. In 2023, the team faced similar challenges and the pressure of their first-ever state final but lost 3-2.
While no team is ever 100% healthy at this point in the season, Ashley's core is intact.
Though less star-studded, this version of Ashley makes up for it with experience and grit. With six starters graduating this summer, the Screaming Eagles know their journey is coming to an end.
Laney baseball's turnaround season
It's hard to imagine, but the Mideastern Conference's seventh-place team over the past two seasons is competing for a state title this weekend.
Laney (25-5) has made an incredible turnaround that includes a 20-game winning streak and both the Mideastern Conference and 4A East regional titles.
After finishing 9-16 last season, the Bucs have little left to prove but will fight hard for their first state championship since 2010.
Senior TJ Ziermann leads a Laney team that has been nearly unbeatable since March 8. They won 20 straight games before dropping Game 2 of the East regional final to Corinth Holders and then closed the series with a 4-0 shutout in Game 3.
Now Laney faces North Carolina's best, T.C. Roberson (25-6). The Rams seek their third straight 4A title after beating Ashley in two games last spring.
Roberson stumbled in the West regional final, losing Game 1 to Cuthbertson 13-0 before rallying to win Games 2 and 3 (By a combined score of 20-8).
Though the challenge is formidable, Laney has the talent to pull off the upset and bring a championship banner back to Wilmington.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: What to know Laney baseball, Ashley soccer NCHSAA state championships
