By MONTE DUTTON

The Carolina Panthers have won four games, and somehow it seems like a good year.
They could be a legitimate spoiler. The remaining games are against the contending teams in the NFC South, Atlanta and Tampa Bay.
Looking for a competitive postseason college-football game? Northern Illinois edged Fresno State in overtime at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
The Jan. 1 CFP matchups are Georgia-Notre Dame, Arizona State-Texas, Ohio State-Oregon and Boise State-Penn State. The closest first-round game was Notre Dame’s 27-17 win over Indiana, followed by Texas’s 38-24 decision over Clemson.

I once wrote a magazine story on NASCAR great Fred Lorenzen, and I cherish the memory of a phone conversation with my first NASCAR favorite. The Elmhurst (Ill.) Express died last week at 89. Lorenzen was replaced at Holman-Moody by David Pearson, who became my all-time favorite.
Baseball’s Rickey Henderson died over the weekend at 65. His base-stealing numbers are unlikely ever to be broken. He also holds the record for most career runs scored, and what’s more important than scoring runs?

Clinton High is up to speed in boys’ basketball. Ask Newberry, which the Red Devils defeated, 75-54, on Monday afternoon.
Five nights earlier, the hoops-playing members of the Class 2A state champion football team hit the hardwood for the first time and fell to the Bulldogs, 69-63. In that game, Tushawan Richardson was scoreless in the former half but scored 27 in the latter.
In the rematch, Richardson scored 28 of his 31 points in the opening half, when the Red Devils opened up a 46-22 edge. Richardson’s pitch-and-catch partner in football, Devin Swindler, added 17. Head coach Dontavius Glenn emptied his bench as Clinton (3-2) cruised home.

Nine of the 10 players who saw action scored. Nyking Pitts scored 8, Kylen Calhoun and Khari Vance 4 each, Jaydon Glenn and Zy Butler 3 apiece, and Jared Willard and J’Shon Nabors, each with 2.
Kenton Caldwell led Newberry (3-6) with 11 points.
The Red Devils forced 16 turnovers, 15 of them in the first half.
Clinton connected on 26/68 (.382) field-goal attempts and 18/28 (.643) free throws. Richardson buried nine 3-pointers.
The Red Devils are in the Carolina Invitational on Dec. 27-30.

Girls’ coach John Gardner was grateful for the activity in Clinton’s 54-19 destruction of the Bulldogs.
Clinton (7-1) got 15 points from Nah’shia Wright and 11 from Emma Patterson, building leads of 16-3 after a quarter, 27-4 after two and 38-8 after three.
“It’s been an out-of-rhythm start,” said Gardner. “I think we played two games in 22 days before [Monday].
“We played a first quarter against Emerald where we scored two points in the first quarter. Fortunately, they had zero. … We’re playing good defense, playing hard, and now we’re seeing the shots start to fall.”

Clinton forced 40 Newberry turnovers and hit 21/60 (.350) from the floor and 7/15 (.467) from the line. The Red Devils, thanks to all the Bulldog turnovers, took twice as many shots as Newberry was 8/30 (.267) from the floor and 3/11 (.273) from the line.
The Bulldogs were 18/58 (.310) from the field and 9/23 (.391) at the line.
Daizee Williams led Newberry (3-7) with five points.

The Red Devils play consecutive games on Dec. 27, 28 and 30 against Durham Academy, Concord Christian and Cross in the Carolina Invitational.
Presbyterian put 10 players on the Phil Steele Magazine version of the All-Pioneer Football League team.

In addition to four first-teamers and three more on the second, rookie quarterback Collin Hurst was selected by Phil Steele as the PFL Freshman of the Year and a third-team Freshman All-American.
The Blue Hose won their last four games to finish 6-6, the first six-win season since 2004. The current four-game win streak is the best since 2007.
In addition to Hurst, the PC picks were wide receiver Dominic Kibby, tight end Worth Warner, running back Zach Switzer and defensive back Caleb Francis on the first team.

On the second team were running back Quante Jennings, linebacker Alex Herriott and defensive lineman Carter Szydlowski.
Wide receiver Cincere Gill made the third team, linebacker Malek Horlback the fourth.
“Life is hard no matter where you go. It’s a tortured path, tough row to hoe. When the wheels spin, got a heavy load, hoping I can get to the paved road.”

Wellpilgrim.com is adjusting to the winter chill.
Times are changing. I am aware of how irrelevant what I do for a living has become and thus how unimportant my efforts are. The readers appreciate them, but there aren’t enough of them. I doubt there ever will be again.
It’s what I do. It’s what I know.
Support the advertisers. They are all fine people who want their businesses associated with honest coverage of local sports.

In the off chance you’d like to read my novels and other books, they’re available on Amazon and many prominent bookseller sites.
You can read them on your phones and other devices for a modest cost. I make a bit more if you purchase the actual books, but what I mainly want is for folks to read them.

The Latter Days is a baseball novel about a former player and manager, Clyde Kinlaw, trying to prove the game hasn’t passed him by. His proof is a raw talent named Taiquan Wattson.
Photo galleries are posted on Instagram @furmanatt and @laurenscountysports.

Thanks for putting up with me.