Sunday, November 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The end of October was good for the Ironmen as the Marching Ironmen brought home even more awards. The cross-country teams had 11 runners qualify for the NCHSAA Western Regional meet, and the soccer team closed out the regular season with a win. The Ironmen will open the NCHSAA soccer playoffs this coming week.
It has been another rewarding season for the Marching Ironmen band, and they brought home even more awards during the past two weeks of competition. On October 24, 2026, Cherryville competed in the “Pride of Robinson Invitational” at Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, NC. Also competing from Gaston County at this contest were Hunter Huss and South Point High Schools. The awards for Cherryville were 2nd place in color guard, 2nd place in music performance, 2nd place in visual performance, 2nd place in general effect, and 2nd place overall in Class 1A.
The Ironmen closed out their marching band competition season on October 31 and brought home more treats. This competition was the “Charger Cup” held at Cox Mill High School in Concord, NC. The band began their day with a hearty breakfast at Cherryville High School before heading into competition. It was another day of more awards earned. Their finishes in the following categories were 1st place in general effect, 2nd place in music performance, and 2nd place overall in class 1A; they just barely missed first place by .4 points.
Competition season has ended, but plenty is left on their plates before entering concert band season. Still to come are football playoff games beginning Friday night, and several parades will be on the schedule as well. These band members have been working since July and will continue to work until May.
Eleven cross-country runners qualified for the NCHSAA West Regional meet held at Kituwah Mound in Bryson City, NC on October 31. This is the most sacred Cherokee cultural site in existence. Known as the Cherokee mother town, the site has been dated by archaeological research to at least 10,000 years old as a Cherokee village. It made for a great backdrop to the regional meet and a great cultural lesson and experience. Runners and spectators were not allowed onto the mound itself because it is a protected, sacred, historical, and spiritual site.
The ladies’ team did not have enough qualifiers to record a team score. The individual finishers were: 63rd Lydia Skamarock 27:29.49, 65th Saharay Hernandez-Kerr 27:59.59, 72nd Grace Brown 29:50.96. Clara Skamarock also qualified but was unable to participate. The men’s team finished in 9th place with a score of 253 points. Individual finishers were; 38th Geovanny Martinez 19:33.08 – 37 points, 42nd Mason Powers 19:34.64 – 41 points, 58th Seth Locklear 20:52.79 – 56 points, 60th Bryson Yarbro 21:09.42 – 57 points, 66th Dylan Hughes 22:13.06 – 62 points, 78th Isaiah Champion 23:25.01 – 71 points, and Phoenix Poulter 23:29.35 – 72 points.
The Ironmen produced more conference wins this season than the previous three seasons combined. The 2-13-1 conference record was the best since the 2022 season. Their overall record was 3-16-1. They ended the regular season on October 27 at home with a 2-1 win over rival Bessemer City. Making the win even sweeter was that it came on senior night. The senior team members are: Izaiah Mercado, a four-year player; Cole Kelly, a four-year player; Isaiah Costner, a two- year player; Gabriel Stergiou, a four-year player; Arturo Lopez, a three- year player; and Alex Alvarez, a four- year player.
The Yellowjackets scored first off a penalty kick at the 31:11 mark. Cherryville then tied the score 1-1 at the 7:35 mark. The second half was scoreless for almost 22 minutes before the Ironmen broke the tie at the 18:17 mark. This would be the final goal scored as Cherryville held on to win 2-1. Alex Alvarez and Cole Kelly each scored one goal, and Trevor Dalton recorded an assist. Ethan Johnsen made 10 saves and allowed one goal. Cherryville begins the NCHSAA playoffs on November 2 when they travel to Alleghany.
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