Rather than lose a game by 6 points or less like it had four times over the 2009 season, the Knightdale High School varsity team won the regular season finale by 1 point, 13-12, beating East Wake for the first time in school history on Nov. 6. The first win over the Warriors also marked the first win of the season for the Knights, however, who finished 1-10 overall.

Despite the loss being a tough one to bear for the East Wake squad, the Warriors (4-7, 3-4 in the Greater Neuse after the loss to Knightdale) qualified for the state playoffs for the first time in two years. East Wake dropped to Southern Durham 34-20 in the first round of the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs.

A bit of a controversy followed the Knights' win over East Wake. It became the battle for the 64 sword that went missing.

"It's one of those things where even though we don't have the sword, they can't take the victory back, so we'll be OK," Knightdale coach Kamelio Johnson said after the game.

In February, East Wake High School held its annual Hall of Fame Banquet to honor the families of inductees Jackie Lee Ammons and Chris Bunn, members of the 1990-91 varsity men's basketball team and baseball great Jamie Shearin. It was a night of remembrance for the late Ammons and Bunn, and a night of reflection for Shearin and members of the state championship game basketball team.

Hoops

Also in February, sports fans from a different era enjoyed news that Art Musselman's No. 33 jersey was retired at The Citadel. That's because in 108 years of basketball played at the college it was the first hoops jersey ever to be retired.

Musselman, who now works with Wendell Parks and Recreation, was a standout player in the Blitz-Kids era that led The Citadel to the Southern Conference Championship in 1959 - the only year the school has ever made it that far in the conference. He was a George Mikan Award recipient, and later served as head coach at Presbyterian College and as assistant coach to Norm Sloan at North Carolina State University as the Wolfpack secured the 1974 NCAA Championship and three Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.

The end of the month of February witnessed the Knightdale men's varsity basketball team make a run of its own.

The Knights topped West Johnston in the conference championship 71-51 after competing in the game but losing the previous two years.

The team cruised past Athens in a home-hosted first-round playoff game, and then hit the road to face Durham Riverside in what would become school history. Stan Okoye, who signed a letter on April 15 to play with D-I ball at the Virginia Military Institute, posted 42 points on the Pirates in the 70-69 shootout. Down the stretch the game plan seemed to be "give the ball to Stan", and it worked. He couldn't be stopped - Riverside was only fortunate he didn't hit every shot he took.

In round three the Knights traveled to Enloe and lost 74-67 in the adverse environment the Eagles' gymnasium is famous for. It was a "don't lose" situation for both teams, and the game ended in such fashion. Enloe came out on top in a game of fouls and clock management.

By the second week of March the Heritage Christian Academy women's varsity basketball team had taken second place in the National Association of Christian Athletes National Basketball Tournament in Dayton, Tenn., falling 42-39 to Shining Light Academy - the same team Heritage defeated by 13 points in the state tournament. The Lady Patriots won the NCCAC State Tournament in February. Heritage boasted a 23-0 record heading into the final game in Dayton.

Baseball

At about the same time Heritage was serving its opponents on the court, the Carolina Mudcats were making plans to do so to their foes on the field, but under a new parent club. The Mudcats took to the field in April in a Major League exhibition game against that new parent group, the Cincinnati Reds, but the first season under the Reds wasn't a showing to brag about.

Knightdale baseball started the pair of firsts for the school that ended with football in the fall. The varsity Knights found their first win over East Wake in school history on Wednesday April 1. Knightdale pitcher Cameron Richards threw a mere 69 pitches, mostly breaking balls, en route to the 2-1 win over the Warriors in Knightdale.

Golf and beyond

In May, Knightdale's senior standout golfer Brian Denton fired a two-day 80, 73 to bring home a 13th-place finish in the state finals at Pinehurst No. 4. The day-one 80 was explained by monsoon weather that led to higher scores across the entire field of golfers. Denton won the 4A East Regional at Gates Four Country Club, firing a 72. He joined his sister, Ashley, as a Bulldog at Wingate University in the fall.

As far as pint-sized football goes, the Wendell Rams Pee Wee team couldn't pull off the Super Bowl hat trick in 2009. The same team that gave them problems in the regular season in the past two years, and that the Rams beat in last year's Super Bowl, won the big game - the Zebulon Cougars.

The Knightdale Mighty Mites gripped up on Wendell in a 34-19 Super Bowl win, and the Wendell Mini Mites defeated Clayton Blue 13-6 for the title.