Liberty
Liberty, NC · Education
FOX8 News
FOX8 News
The Mount Airy News
Mount Airy Middle repeats as football conference champion
The Mount Airy Middle School football team put together another dominant season in 2026. The Granite Bears went 7-0 to complete their second consecutive undefeated season, including a 5-0 record in the Foothills Middle School Athletic Conference. Mount Airy finished first in the conference standings, followed by Pilot Mountain at 4-1, Chestnut Grove at 3-2, Southeastern Stokes at 2-3, North District at 1-4 and Central Middle at 0-5. The Granite Bears outscored opponents 230-50. Despite their undefeated season, the Granite Bears faced their share of obstacles, namely injuries. Head coach Choppy Cawley applauded his team’s “next man up” mentality. “We had at least one starter out with an injury in every game this season, which gave lots of guys on our team the chance to step into starting roles and they rose to the occasion,” Cawley said. “They were a great team to coach all around. They play hard, are receptive to coaching and most importantly enjoyed being around each other every day. “This team will be fun to watch in high school as they will surely make some deep playoff runs when they get to varsity.” Cawley is assisted by coaches Jimmy Selba, Andre Nance, Andrew Boles, Bobby Moore,
Rocky Mount Telegram
hoodline.com
App State’s New GEAR UP Grant Targets 14,000 Students; Program Counts Vary by Cycle
Appalachian State University says its new seven-year, $35 million federal GEAR UP award will support college and career preparation for about 14,000 middle- and high-school students and their families in Western North Carolina. The program, GEAR UP APEX Northwest, began Oct. 1 and is the second consecutive $35 million GEAR UP grant awarded to the university, according to Appalachian Today.