Welcome to the weekly sports roundup in the greater Charlotte area presented by The Sports Chief. Every Sunday, let The Chief be the one to catch you up on all the latest sports happenings in and around the Charlotte, NC area. We take a look at professional sports, as well as semi-professional, college, and high school. If you like what we’re doing, make sure you give us a follow on Twitter at @thesportschief where you’ll be notified of all our latest postings, and visit our website at www.thesportschief.com.

Professional

Carolina Panthers

Recent roster moves:

The Panthers added 13 players to the practice squad this week (3 remaining spots) by signing WR Aaron Parker, QB James Morgan, C Sam Tecklenburg, WR C.J. Saunders, RB Spencer Brown, S Kenny Robinson, RB Rodney Smith, WR Keith Kirkwood, WR Omar Bayless, OT Aaron Monteiro, DE Frank Herron, S Jalen Julius, and TE Stephen Sullivan.

Carolina also claimed RB Royce Freeman off waivers from Denver. The running back is entering his fourth season in the league and has amassed 1,187 rushing yards and 409 receiving yards in his first three seasons. In response, the Panthers released RB Trenton Cannon.

The Panthers will spend this week preparing for their season opener against the New York Jets this coming Sunday at 1:00 at Bank of America Stadium.

Charlotte Hornets

Countdown to the first regular season game (home game against the Pacers): 44 days

Semi-Professional

Charlotte Knights

The Knights wrapped up a six-game road series in Norfolk against the Tides yesterday, splitting the series 3-3. The Tides and the Knights both sit at the bottom of the Triple-A Southeast Division, with the Tides 1.5 games better than the Knights. Charlotte’s record stands at 42-66, a total of 26.5 games back of division-leading Durham Bulls. Like most of the rest of the country, the team gets today off before beginning another six-game series on the road tomorrow in Jacksonville against the Jumbo Shrimp.

Charlotte Checkers

Countdown to the first regular season game (away game against Hershey): 40 days

College Football

Charlotte 49ers

Talk about a big time win for the young football program. The 49ers had never hosted a Power 5 football opponent until Friday when they welcomed Duke to Jerry Richardson Stadium. They walked out handing the Blue Devils a 31-28 loss. In a game that saw a lot of flip-flopping on the scoreboard, it was the final five minutes that were the most action-packed and provided the ultimate excitement for 49er fans.

Senior quarterback Chris Reynolds connected with Grant DuBose to give the 49ers a 24-21 lead with five minutes left. But when Duke answered quickly to regain the lead 28-24, it may have put some doubt in fans minds whether their team could actually win the big game. There was no doubt in Reynold’s mind, however. He engineered the game-winning drive that culminated with an 11-yard pass to Shadrick Byrd to give Charlotte a 31-28 lead with just 33 seconds left. That would end up being the final score, providing the biggest win in program history.

The 49ers will now turn their attention to Gardner-Webb this upcoming Saturday, with a 6:00 p.m. game scheduled at Jerry Richardson Stadium.

Appalachian State Mountaineers

Appalachian State began the season just as fans anticipated, with a win over in-state rival East Carolina on Thursday night. With the game televised on ESPN, and taking place in Bank of America Stadium, it was a big win not only for bragging rights, but also for in-state recruiting battles. With the Pirates scoring the final 10 points late in the game, the 33-19 final score was actually more lopsided than it appeared in the box score.

It was a strong showing for new quarterback Chase Brice, who transferred to the Mountaineer program after playing for both Duke and Clemson. The grad-transfer was 20-27 on the night, with 259 yards and two touchdowns. His lone interception came late in the game when his pass got picked off in the end zone. As it is most of the time, the rushing attack was strong for the Mountaineers with a team-total of 226 yards on the ground. Nate Noel racked up 126 of those, while Camerun Peoples added 100 and two touchdowns.

Of course, I have to mention the defense, who was strong as well. After giving up an early touchdown to the Pirates, they really settled in, not letting the Pirates into the end zone until the game was just about over. The Mountaineers have a big game next, with a date scheduled with the Miami Hurricanes this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in Coral Gables, FL.

High School Football

Credit: Jonathan Aguallo/The Charlotte Observer

Final scores from week three in the Charlotte-area:

West Forsyth Titans 7

Weddington Warriors 19

Cuthbertson Cavaliers 17

Charlotte Christian Knights 20

Ardrey Kell Knights 26

Marvin Ridge Mavericks 7

Reagan Raiders 20

Myers Park Mustangs 35

South Mecklenburg Sabres 62

East Mecklenburg Eagles 0

Olympic Trojans 35

Hopewell Titans 13

West Charlotte Lions 15

Independence Patriots 6

Providence Panthers 20

Mallard Creek Mavericks 28

A.L. Brown Wonders 28

Rocky River Ravens 6

Garinger Wildcats 0

West Mecklenburg Hawks 49

North Mecklenburg Vikings 27

Harding University Rams 14

South Point Red Raiders 7

Hickory Ridge Ragin’ Bulls 27

High Point Christian Academy Cougars 40

South Iredell Vikings 28

Mooresville Blue Devils 21

West Rowan Falcons 13

Northwest Cabarrus Trojans 40

North Lincoln Knights 54

Robinson Bulldogs 42

South Rowan Raiders 0

East Rowan Mustangs 0

Salisbury Hornets 65

Lincolnton Wolves 8

East Lincoln Mustangs 14

Hickory Red Tornadoes 37

Draughn Wildcats 13

Alexander Central Cougars 7

A.C. Reynolds Rockets 24

Kings Mountain Mountaineers 19

Burns Bulldogs 14

Forestview Jaguars 13

Freedom Patriots 7

North Gaston Wildcats 26

Chase Trojans 36

Garett

Queen City Sports Report