By Eric Lusk
Sports Editor
elusk@elkintribune.com

The opening of the new Starmount and Forbush middle schools in the fall will usher in a new era of sports for seventh- and eighth-grade athletes in Yadkin County.

As a last hurrah for this year’s seventh- and eighth-grade elementary school basketball teams, a special middle school tournament has been planned for this weekend at Starmount and Forbush high schools.

This will be the first time in more than 10 years such a tournament has been staged, according to Ricky McCollum, the athletic director for Yadkin County schools.

Games will begin at 4 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. Admission is $4 per person.

“We’re also doing it as a fund-raiser for our middle school athletics next year,” McCollum said. “Each team will have the opportunity to play one game at Starmount and one game at Forbush.”

There are eight boys teams and eight girls teams that will participate this weekend — from Jonesville, West Yadkin, Yadkinville, Courtney, Boonville, Fall Creek, Forbush and East Bend schools.

Each tournament will be divided into two separate brackets, with the top four seeds on one side and the lower four in the other.

The top-seeded boys team is Boonville, while the No. 1 seed on the girls side is West Yadkin. Both squads are unbeaten.

Starmount and Forbush middle schools, which will keep the sports nicknames of their high school counterparts (Rams and Falcons), plan to offer a wide variety of sports beginning next year, McCollum said.

Yadkin Middle School

Basketball Tournament

Friday, Feb. 13 • at Starmount High

4 p.m. — East Bend girls vs. West Yadkin girls

5 p.m. — Yadkinville boys vs. Boonville boys

6 p.m. — Boonville girls vs. Yadkinville girls

7 p.m. — Courtney boys vs. West Yadkin boys

Friday, Feb. 13 • at Forbush High

4 p.m. — Courtney girls vs. Fall Creek girls

5 p.m. — Fall Creek boys vs. Jonesville boys

6 p.m. — Forbush girls vs. Jonesville girls

7 p.m. — Forbush boys vs. East Bend boys

Saturday, Feb. 14 • at Starmount High

4 p.m. — Fall Creek/Courtney girls loser vs. Forbush/Jonesville girls loser

5 p.m. — Jonesville/Fall Creek boys loser vs. East Bend/Forbush boys loser

6 p.m. — Fall Creek/Courtney girls winner vs. Forbush/Jonesville girls winner

7 p.m. — Jonesville/Fall Creek boys winner vs. East Bend/Forbush boys winner

Saturday, Feb. 14 • at Forbush High

4 p.m. — West Yadkin/East Bend girls loser vs. Yadkinville/Boonville girls loser

5 p.m. — Boonville/Yadkinville boys loser vs. West Yadkin vs. Courtney boys loser

6 p.m. — West Yadkin/East Bend girls winner vs. Yadkinville/Boonville girls winner

7 p.m. — Boonville/Yadkinville boys winner vs. West Yadkin vs. Courtney boys winner