Ringgold resident Jamie Perry won Friday night at Boyd's Speedway for his third consecutive Steel-Head Late Model victory there. He credited his father, local drag-racing Hall of Famer Cotton Perry, for preparation of the car. Lamar Scoggins finished second in the caution-filled race, which was called three laps early because of a major crash and the curfew ordinance, and Brian Jackson, Riley Hickman and John Owenby were third through fifth. Maryville's Jason Welshan edged Chatsworth's Jeff Smith at the end of a thrilling Crate Late Model race, with Jerry Coffman, Andy Picklesimer and Corey Underwood third through fifth. Blake Armitage won in A-Hobby with Dewayne Wilson second and Chuck Cooper third, and Dallas Brooks was the B-Hobby victor with Ronnie Kerr and Billy Hogan second and third. The Front Wheel drivers didn't get to race because of the curfew; they will have two races this Friday.
Basketball
• The dunking exploits of Larriques Cunningham continue to gain attention for the 6-foot-7 leaper who played basketball for Lee University the past two years. He is one of the college players featured in the latest edition of Dime Magazine, along with the likes of Kyie Irving, Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight and Jimmer Fredette from big-time programs. Cunningham, who participated in the Houston Showcase this weekend, is expecting a chance to play professionally, perhaps in Japan. His vertical jump is in the mid-40s and he can touch the top of the backboard, according to Lee coach Tommy Brown. Reporter Lucas Shapiro wrote in the Dime story: "Not only will he have plenty of opportunities to play overseas, but he may have an opportunity to join Team Flight Brothers as well. Wherever he ends up, with a bounce like his, there's no doubt he will always have a crowd to watch." Team Flight Brothers is a collection of top slam-dunkers who make exhibition appearances and do halftime shows.
• Point guard Dion Fair and wing Will Winton from Class AAA state runner-up Knoxville Bearden are among the 2011-12 men's basketball signees for Bryan College. Fair led the 35-3 team in minutes played and averaged 8.7 points, 4.5 assists and a school-record 3.8 steals per game and made the all-state-tournament team. "He was one of the top point guards in the state of Tennessee this past year," Bryan coach Don Rekoske said in a posting on the Dayton school's website. The 6-foot-3 Winton shot 42.9 percent on 3-pointers in averaging seven points and 4.6 rebounds a game for Bearden, which went 136-13 the past four years. "He played on one of the best high school teams in the state and for an outstanding coach," Rekoske said. "He understands defense and is highly skilled." Another Lions signee is 6-1 shooting guard Jake Thayer from Forsyth Central High in Cumming, Ga. He averaged 11 points and six rebounds as a senior.
• Meagan Kreisel from Parkland, Fla., and Liz DeMaria from Shrewsbury, N.J., are the latest recruits announced for the 2011-12 Covenant College women's basketball team and new coach Corey Mullins. They join Mary Lynn Alexander from Calhoun, La., and Morgan Woodward from Acworth, Ga., in addition to previously reported guard Terah Hooper from Blairsville, Ga. Kreisel averaged 10.4 rebounds, 9.3 points and 1.8 blocks per game for her four-year career at Calvary Christian Academy, which finished fourth in the state playoffs this past season, and she had a 4.46 grade point average. "She has great height and athleticism for our league," Mullins said, "and she should come in right away and make a contribution." DeMaria averaged 6.5 rebounds with six points a game as a high school senior and had a 3.58 GPA, and Alexander is a 5-foot-6 point guard with a 3.97 GPA who averaged 10 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists for a home-school team that made the Louisiana Christian School state semifinals. Woodward, a 5-7 point guard with a 3.7 GPA, averaged 9.7 points, 5.4 steals, 3.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds as a senior for North Cobb Christian School and qualified for the state track meet in the 100-meter dash and the long jump. "Morgan is an exceptional athlete," Mullins said. "I look forward to reuniting her in the backcourt with her former high school teammate, Kiaira Cooper."
Lacrosse
• Dylan Stanley from Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Ga., and Rachel Matlock from Harrison High in Kennesaw are recent additions to the Tennessee Wesleyan College lacrosse teams. Stanley, a former football player and wrestler with 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash, had 38 goals, 11 assists and 18 takeaways as a senior midfielder for Mill Creek. Matlock, who began playing as a fifth-grader in the West Cobb youth program, was a three-year starter in high school and captain as a senior, when Harrison won its region and reached the state playoffs' second round.
General
• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball coaches Wes Moore and John Shulman greeted drive-thru customers Friday morning at the McDonald's on East Third Street, and football coach Russ Huesman did the same at the Dayton Boulevard restaurant in support of the local Ronald McDonald House Charities fundraising campaign. UTC cheerleaders and Sugar Mocs helped at the McDonald's on Amnicola Highway.