Good News

South Point High School students designed and created a scarecrow that is part of Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden’s “Scarecrow Hollow” exhibit.

The South Point High School marching band received several awards at the North Gaston Wildcat Invitational. In Class 1A, the band earned first place overall, along with first place for drum major, second place for color guard, and first place for percussion, general effect, visual performance, and music.

James Dover of South Point High School was named semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The South Point High School boys’ soccer team won the Gaston Cup championship. The Gaston Cup is a three-day tournament that was held at George Poston Park in Gastonia.

Emma Saiter, Hannah Thovtrup, Jasmine Boyd, and Spencer Baker earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Program.

South Point High School’s Chanyce Ford was selected to play in the third annual Queen City Bowl football game on December 21. 

The South Point High School girls’ golf team won the 3A team state championship at Longleaf Golf and Family Club in Southern Pines. In addition, junior Madison Pruden placed fifth in the individual state championship. 

The South Point High School marching band earned several awards in Class 1A, including placing second overall in their class. The band’s drum major took first place while the percussion and color guard sections both earned second place. The band also placed second in general effect and visual performance, and third in music performance. 

South Point High School senior Asher Dover is a semifinalist for the UNC Chapel Hill Morehead-Cain Scholarship.

South Point High School senior James Dover, who is the recipient of the Calvin Coolidge Scholarship, attended the 2024 Winter Gala in New York City and was able to spend time with writer George Will.

The South Point High School marching band received several awards at recent competitions. At the North Lincoln Roundtable Tournament of Bands, the band took home the Class 1A first place band award, as well as first place in music performance, visual performance, and general effect. They also earned second place in colorguard and first place in percussion. At the North Gaston Wildcat Invitational, the band continued its success with the Class 1A first place band award and first place in music performance, visual performance, general effect, drum major, and percussion, along with the CJ Hill Prop/Pit Crew Award. Additionally, they secured second place in colorguard. At the Porter Ridge High School Pirates’ Cove Classic, the band achieved the Class 1A second place band award, third place in music performance, second place in visual performance, general effect, colorguard, and percussion, and first place for drum major.

The South Point High School cheerleading team placed first in the Super D1 category at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state cheerleading championship. They also placed first in the Super Varsity Division at the UCA Piedmont Prestate Competition at Cox Mill High School and the Mav Classic at Marvin Ridge High School.

The South Point High School Environmental Club in partnership with Keep Belmont Beautiful cleaned up areas in and around Belmont.

Erin Stokes of South Point High School was among the 457 Impact Educators recognized by outstanding high school senior semifinalists for the UNC Morehead-Cain Scholarship. The educators from 40 states and 22 countries have played a significant role in shaping the lives and leadership learning of their students.

. South Point High School’s relay team of Miles Ferguson, Daniel Lane, Noah Legnosky and Grant Hunnicutt won the Class 3A state swimming championship in the boys 200-yard freestyle relay. Additionally, sophomore Ila Turner earned second place in both the girls 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle at the 3A state championship.

South Point High School senior Rachel Tolbert placed third place in the girls’ 500- meter event at the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A Indoor Track and Field Championship.

South Point High School freshman Ammon Scott placed fifth in the 3A individual state wrestling championship in the 144-pound weight class.

South Point High School senior James Dover is a National Merit Scholarship recipient.

The South Point High School environmental club collected 110 pounds of aluminum cans and donated $47 from recycling proceeds. The club also received a grant from Keep Gastonia Beautiful to purchase additional collection containers to support their ongoing recycling efforts.

For the third consecutive year, all 21 varsity athletic teams at South Point High School earned “Scholar-Athlete” team honors from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. In addition, South Point won the Wells Fargo Cup for the Big South 3A Conference for the 2024-2025 school year. This marks the sixth time in the past eight years the school has received the award, which recognizes overall athletic success across all varsity sports.

The South Point High School boys’ tennis team won its second consecutive 3A dual championship and finished the season with a 19-1 record. Brandon Cunningham earned MVP honors for the Dual Team Championships, and Asher Dover was named a 2025 N.C. Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award winner.

The South Point High School girls’ soccer team won the western regionals championship and secured their third consecutive trip to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 3A state championship. The team finished the season as Big South 3A Conference champions with a record of 21-4-2, despite a loss in the state championship to Western Alamance. Junior Taylor Culbertson was honored before the game as the NCHSAA Sportsmanship Award winner. Additionally, junior Grace Maynard was named to the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association (NCSCA) 3A all-state team.