The 2023 Cape Hatteras Surf, Sand and Service Tournament held on Friday, March 31 was a huge success. The tournament welcomed 4A Wake County high schools Green Hope and Panther Creek to the island to compete against the Cape Hatteras Hurricanes, as well as each other. Fans and teams had a good time, despite the wind and a little bit of rain in the final game.
The purpose of the tournament was to share some great baseball and fellowship, but also to honor military personnel as well as EMS, law enforcement, and fire personnel. Captain Greg Wilson of the Dare County Sheriff’s Department got the day started by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, (for a strike), to his son Ashby Wilson who is on the Cape Hatteras Middle School Baseball team. A table full of canned goods was also collected at the ticket booth to be donated to the Hatteras Island Food Pantry.
RESULTS
Game 1 – Green Hope 19 – Cape Hatteras 2
Game 2 – Panther Creek 18 – Cape Hatteras 7
Game 3 – Green Hope 13 – Panther Creek 3
The Green Hope Falcons took home the Championship trophy after defeating the Hurricanes in game 1 and coming back for game 3 to defeat their cross-town rival Panther Creek Catamounts 13-3 in the night game.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM and AWARDS
The All-tournament team is selected by the competing coaching staffs based on performance during the tournament. Each team
is represented on the All-tournament team. Team members are listed below.
- Wyatt Schaffer – Green Hope
- Harrison Brewer – Green Hope
- Cody Kennison – Green Hope
- Issac Nitzkowski – Green Hope
- Cooper Lanzisero – Panther Creek
- Anthony Trantass – Panther Creek
- Jalen Carter – Panther Creek
- Gavin Thompson – Cape Hatteras
- Joey Gavetti – Cape Hatteras
- Most Valuable Player – Jacob Krebs – Green Hope
- *1st Responder Award – Keegan McCann – Panther Creek
- **Patriotism Award – Garland Midgette – Cape Hatteras
*The 1st Responder Award was presented in memory of Percy Hudson, Lisa Hudson Durham’s late father. Percy served as a medic for the US Army Special Forces based out of Fort Bragg NC during the Vietnam War. When he returned home, he continued his service by working for the Johnston County Sheriff’s Department until his death in 1995.
**The Patriotism Award was presented in memory of Jerry Durham, Coach Keith Durham’s father who passed away during the 2022 baseball season. Jerry was a great man who was a fun person to be around. He was an avid baseball fan who had an incredibly deep love of our country and respect for our armed forces.
“Special thanks go out to all of the fans, teams, umpires, volunteers, and sponsors that helped make Friday evening a success,” stated the Hurricanes’ Coach Keith Durham. “Without the support of our community, the Cape Hatteras Athletic Booster Club, and Conner’s Supermarket, days like this would not be possible.”
