Big weekend for CFCC sports: basketball home opener & playoff soccer at Legion

Ranked No. 8 by Sporting News for Division I junior college programs and No. 18 by NJCAA, ninth year coach Ryan Mantlo understands the task ahead, but believes he has the pieces in place to make another run at a Region 10 Championship.

“We feel like everything is there to make a very special run this season,” said Mantlo, who’s guided the Sea Devils to four conference tournament titles and a pair of regular season championships during his tenure. “It’s great to get these preseason accolades, but the real hardware comes in March. We must continue to focus on our main goal and get more consistent every day.”

While Cape Fear will be missing their leading scorer from one year ago, several returners will be asked to play a bigger role in the success of the team, including sophomores TJ Evans and Calvin Davis. As a freshman, Evans was third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game.  Davis, one of the country’s most explosive point guards, gives the Sea Devils the floor general needed to win championships.

“TJ is one of the best shooters in the country and in my estimation there isn’t a better point guard out there than Calvin,” Mantlo added. “Matt Lindsey and Josh Lindsey are both back from last year’s team to add depth at the guard positions. We’ll also rely on James Tillman to have a big year as he looks to return healthy from a knee injury last season.”

Bolstering the backcourt is six-foot, three-inch guard Mike Chambers.  Chambers comes to CFCC from Lees McRae where he averaged 18 points per game as a freshman.

The Sea Devils will also have a ton of size in the post with newcomers Alonzo Tyson, DeVarte Watson and Tyrek Coger expected to make an immediate impact. Tyson is a six-foot, nine-inch forward, who signed with High-Point University out of high school, while Watson is a six-foot, eight inch forward who signed with Delaware out of high school.  Coger is listed at six-foot, eight-inches, and a current commit to Ole Miss.

Cape Fear will face its toughest schedule in school history and the four-time coach of the year thinks the 2015-16 slate should bring out the best in his team as the season progresses.

“It’s our first NJCAA ranking since 2010 when we finished eighth at the national tournament so we have a lot of expectations for our guys moving into the season,” said Mantlo. “It’s always exciting to go through the grind of an offseason, but now it’s time to continue that work on and off the floor and live up to some of the preseason praises given to us.”

The Sea Devils will face four teams in the top 20 preseason poll this season, with a game against the defending national champions Northwest Florida State College on Friday, November 6. Northwest is currently ranked No. 3 in the country, behind Hutchinson Community College and preseason No. 1 Southern Idaho.

Cape Fear plays in their home-opener against Stillwater Christian Prep on Friday, Oct. 30. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at the Schwartz Center in downtown Wilmington.

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Wilmington, NC (CFCC) — For the first time ever, Legion Stadium in Wilmington plays host to the Region 10 Championship Tournament in both men’s and women’s soccer Oct.31-Nov. 1.

After opening round play got underway earlier this week on the home pitch of the higher seed in the six-team single elimination bracket, four programs representing each division will converge on the Port City this weekend for the semifinals and finals.

The Cape Fear Community College women’s soccer team earned top-seed after clinching the regular season title and face No. 5 Patrick Henry Community College at 12 p.m. on Saturday.

“When you look back on our season, we have played well and earned positive results when we have had to,” said CFCC First-year Coach Ryan Deppa. “We have had our backs against the wall and had to perform under pressure, while at the same time taking some lumps as well. When we show up and work for each other, we are a tough team to beat.  It will be a challenging weekend as each team has the ability to do well.”

Each team picked up a result on the opposing pitch to split the season series and Patrick Henry is coming off a double-overtime first round result after erasing a two-goal halftime deficit. The Sea Devils have gone through their growing pains over the last few months with a new coach and having 12 players in their first season competing at the college level, but Deppa has been encouraged with his team’s progress and believes they are contributing to the overall success of the program moving forward.

“The girls continue to work at it, both on and off the field,” Deppa added. “They have a lot on their plate as they are establishing the foundation of our program’s culture, which not only matters today, but for the future. They have made sacrifices to build our team chemistry and this has developed loyalty within our team.”

Cape Fear (10-2, 10-6) has shown a well balanced attack throughout the course of the year, while freshman Alyssa Coustenis (Salamanca, N.Y.) has been a dominate force in the attack. Her 16 goals are a team-high to go along with classmate Jenna Pecorini (Fox Lake, Ill.), who has seven tallies and seven assists. Wilmington natives Vivian Hernandez and Ramie Cooper have also seen extensive minutes for the Sea Devils as the team returns just five players from one year ago.

Heading into the weekend, Cape Fear is on a brief two-game win streak and looks to build off the momentum following a 3-1 loss to Patrick Henry on Oct. 18. The Sea Devils blanked Louisburg 1-0 last Saturday in their final home game thanks to a game-winning goal by Allyson McLamb (Greensboro, N.C.) to clinch first-place in the region standings.

“For our girls to handle all the injuries we endured and the crazy weather this fall, and to handle it all the way they have is why they earned the regular season conference title,” Deppa said. “They continue to adapt, and overcome all obstacles.  That takes some toughness.”

No. 2 Louisburg College and No. 3 Spartanburg Methodist square off at 2:30 pm on Saturday, Oct. 31, with the winners facing off in the title game at 12 pm on Sunday.

The Region 10 Champion heads to the District L Game on Nov. 7, with a chance to clinch a spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Tournament, Nov. 16-20, in Melbourne, Florida.

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Men’s Final Standings

# 1 Louisburg College	14-0-0
# 2 Patrick Henry CC	10-3-1
# 3 Spartanburg Methodist College	10-4-0
# 4 Richard Bland College	7-5-2
# 5 Cape Fear CC	3-8-3
# 6 USC Salkehatchie	3-9-2
# 7 Wake Tech CC	2-10-2
# 8 USC Lancaster	2-12-0

Women’s Final Standings

#1 Cape Fear CC	10-2-0
#2 Louisburg College	9-3-0
#3 Spartanburg Methodist College	9-3-0
#4 USC Lancaster	7-5-0
# 5 Patrick Henry CC	5-7-0
# 6 Wake Tech CC	2-10-0
# 7 USC Salkehatchie	0-12-0

 

 

 

 

 

Tournament Bracket

Saturday, October 31st, 2015 – Semi-Finals

12:00 pm Game One: (WOMEN)  #1 Cape Fear CC vs. #5 Patrick Henry CC

2:30 pm Game Two: (WOMEN) #2 Louisburg College vs. #3 Spartanburg Methodist College

5:30 pm Game Three: (MEN) #1 Louisburg College vs. #4 Richard Bland College

7:30 pm Game Four: (MEN) #2 Patrick Henry CC vs. #3 Spartanburg Methodist College

Sunday, March 7, 2015 – Championship

12:00 pm Game Five: (WOMEN) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner

2:30 pm Game Six: (MEN) Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner