Clayton will hoist a Wachovia Conference Cup for the fourth consecutive school year and North Johnston has its second Cup in the past three seasons after the final standings for the 2007-08 school year were released.

The Wachovia Conference Cup sanctioned by the N.C. High School Athletic Association, recognizes high school sports programs that achieve the best overall performance within their respective athletic conferences. Wachovia has sponsored the conference awards program since 1980.

The Wachovia Conference Cup, formerly known as the Wachovia Trophy, is a companion to the Wachovia Cup, a statewide award given to schools with the best overall interscholastic athletic performance in each of the four classifications.

In most conferences, points are awarded based on participation and standings in conference play. Each conference determines its own method of awarding points.

The Comets used league championship runs in boys golf, girls soccer and boys tennis to hang onto their lead over runner-up Southeast Raleigh. Clayton outscored Southeast 256.5 to 232 in the final standings.

“Our success with the Wachovia Cup is just one sign of the effort and determination our teams and coaches have shown on the playing field,” said Clayton athletic director Gary Fowler. “It’s just another sign that we’ve got great kids working with great leaders together with a common goal of helping our school achieve all it can in the field of competition.

“It takes a lot of commitment from those outside of the playing field as well to have this continued success, namely our parents, supporters and administration.”

West Johnston, which won conference crowns in both baseball and softball during the spring season, finished a best-ever third in the GNRC standings with 230 points.

Smithfield-Selma was sixth in the league with 202.5 points.

North Johnston roared through the Carolina 1-A Conference in spring competition, picking up conference championships in baseball, softball, boys golf and boys tennis.

The wins helped the Panthers hold a final 67-49.5 advantage over league runner-up Ayden-Grifton. Princeton was third in the league with 45 points. Just seven points separated positions two, three and four. (Rosewood was fourth with 43 points.)

“I think winning the Wachovia Conference Cup for the Carolina Conference is a great testament to the time and effort put in not just by our athletes and coaches, but also our administration, parents, and booster club as they contribute to our success,” said North Johnston Athletic Director Brent Walston.

“Winning something like this represents the overall success of our athletic program, not just showcasing one or two sports.”

South Johnston finished third in the Cape Fear Valley 3-A Conference standings for the season. Union Pines won the league title, followed by Harnett Central.