AJ-T Sports LIVE from... the 2008 Chick-Fil-A Bowl!

Matt Laws will be live on-site from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta for tonight's Chick-Fil-A Bowl game between LSU and Georgia Tech.

Avery County native Paul Johnson, head coach of the Yellow Jackets, brings his team into the postseason in just his first season at the helm of the Ramblin' Wreck and faces the defending National Champion Bayou Bengals of LSU.

Live Real-Time statistics can be found during the bowl action at: http://www.chick-fil-abowl.com/ .

We hope to have various multimedia (photos, quotes, etc.) either during or shortly following this evening's contest.

Best of luck to Coach Johnson this evening!

UPDATE: A 28-point second quarter was too much for Georgia Tech to overcome as the LSU Tigers defeated the Yellow Jackets 38-3 at the Georgia Dome on New Year's Eve night. Charles Scott had 65 yards on 15 carries and three rushing touchdowns in the game.

Nine different receivers caught passes from LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson in the game.
"We would have liked to have won. We would have liked to have played better, but we didn't," Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said after the game. "It was a disappointing ending to the season. We got outplayed, we got outcoached. It was a good beating."

The biggest special teams plays all fell in LSU's favor. LSU recovered an onside kick and a Georgia Tech fumbled punt return and made a fourth-down stop on the Yellow Jackets' fake punt attempt from Georgia Tech's own 22-yard line.

"We have some pretty nifty special teams guys," LSU coach Les Miles said. "We felt like we needed to maybe steal some possessions and keep the ball away from their offense."

LSU turned the fumbled punt and stop on the fake punt into quick touchdowns while outscoring Georgia Tech 28-0 in the second quarter. "We started the game by kicking the ball out of bounds and it got worse from there on special teams," Johnson remarked. "I think this is the worst special teams game I can remember."

Georgia Tech (9-4) was denied its first 10-win season since 1998, but the team and its coach is optimistic on the close of this campaign and looking ahead to 2009.

"We would have liked to have won. We would have liked to have played better, but we didn't," Coach Johnson added. "I don't think this affects our team moving forward. The 2008 season's over. I look forward to 2009."

Avery Basketball Competes at BB&T Cherryville Christmas Classic

The Avery Lady Vikings defeated host Cherryville 75-41 in the third place game Tuesday afternoon at Nixon Gymnasium during the BB&T Christmas Classic.

Avery started slowly against the Lady Ironmen, trailing early on by as many as seven points, but the squad rallied to trail by only a single point at 30-29 at halftime.

The Big Red outscored Cherryville 46-11 over the final two quarters, leading by a 51-37 score after three periods and outscoring Cherryville with a 24-4 run to close the game.

Samantha Shook led the way with 15 points, with 14 from Katie Ellis, 12 from Elyse Perry, and eight points apiece from Allison Vance and Mercedes Bentley.

Tuesday's win came one day after a disappointing 61-49 loss to Hampton in the semis. Avery started the game on a 16-3 scoring run, but Hampton, the eventual tourney champ, roared back to take a two-point lead at 28-26 at halftime. A 17-6 scoring margin in the third quarter staked the Lady Bulldogs to a 45-32 advantage en route to the victory.

Lauren Avery led the Lady Vikings in the game with 12 points, with 11 points from Samantha Shook, 10 from Allison Vance, and four points from Hayley Pyatte, who appeared in the first game after being out due to illness.

Avery captured a thrilling 49-45 win in opening round action on Saturday. Avery was led by 16 points from Allison Vance, including a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds of the contest to seal the victory.

The game was a physical affair throughout. Avery held a seven-point lead midway through the third period, but Rosman rallied to take a short-lived two-point lead.

Allison Vance and Katie Ellis were named to the All-Tournament Team for the Lady Vikings.

In boys action the Avery boys fell to host and eventual tournament champion Cherryville by the final score of 97-54. Erik Crank had 21 points for Cherryville.

The Vikings played better on Monday but fell by a 60-46 final score to South Point. The contest was tied at halftime, but a strong third period by South Point helped propel them to victory. Dustin Clarke led the Big Red with 24 points in the loss.

On Monday morning Avery played close with Hampton in the seventh-place game, but the Bulldogs stretched a three-point lead into a 34-24 halftime advantage. Avery outscored the Bulldogs 15-14 in the third to cut the lead to 48-39 and drew as near as seven points, but Hampton was too strong in the end as the Bulldogs took the 63-48 victory.

Dustin Clarke and Jared Ward were selected to the All-Tournament Team following the contest.

Avery travels to Mooresboro to take on Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy on Friday afternoon in varsity only contests. Action tips off with the girls contest starting at 6 p.m.

AJ-T Sports Live From... HOLMES CONVOCATION CENTER

We're live from Boone for this evening's non-conference basketball matchup between Milligan College and Appalachian State. ASU returns home with a 4-4 mark, and a 2-0 record in conference play. Milligan is 8-4 overall on the season.

7:10 PM - ASU takes an early 12-4 lead at the 16:42 mark of the first half. Ryann Abraham has already made two buckets to lead the team with five points in the early going. App scores another '3' by Abraham to give the Mountaineers a 15-4 lead with a timeout at the 14:50 mark of the first half.

7:20 PM -- App holds a commanding 24-8 advantage at the 11:53 mark of the first half. Donald Sims has a pair of treys to go with 8 points from Ryann Abraham. Milligan went scoreless for over three minutes as the ASU defense was stern. Open shots for the Buffaloes would not fall either, leading to the early deficit. More to come...

7:30 PM -- 7:46 remains in the first half, and the Mountaineers have stretched its lead to 39-12. The Buffaloes have no answer for the muscle of the ASU inside game, as the Black and Gold frontcourt is able to create second chance opportunities. ASU has already drained eight 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes of action, with four from Donald Sims.

7:45 PM -- Appalachian has built a 51-18 lead at the under four minute media timeout. Eight different Mountaineers have scored in the half, with Abraham's 13 leading the way.

7:55 PM -- It's halftime at Holmes and the Mountianeers have been in control from the get-go, leading 61-19 at intermission.

First half player point totals:

Donald Sims: 17 points - (including a perfect 5 of 5 from behind the 3-point arc)
Ryann Abraham: 13 points
Quinche Dowdell: 2 points
Jeremi Booth: 5 points
Josh Hunter: 8 points, 8 rebounds
Isaac Butts: 5 points, 8 rebounds
Eduardo Bermudez: 7 points
Kellen Brand: 2 points
Andre Williamson: 2 points

Every player dressed out for the ASU squad has seen action on the floor, as the Mountaineers shot 17 for 28 (60.7%) from the field in the half and was 17 of 19 from the free throw line.

Milligan was held to only 6 of 32 from the field (18.8%), and did not score in the final 3:51 of the first half. Tyler Estepp led the way for the Buffaloes with six points in the opening stanza. Second half action coming up!

8:25 PM - under 12 minutes left in the second half and the Mountaineers lead it 79-32. A number of the Mountaineer reserves are getting extensive floor time.

8:40 PM - Tonight's game may reach uncharted territory as the Mountaineers lead 99-37 with 5:12 remaining in the game. ASU has officially drained 13- three-point baskets in the game thus far as part of a scoring barrage. The record for three-pointers made in a game is 17, and ASU unofficially has 15 with 3:40 left and leading 105-39.

8:55 PM - Five Mountaineers reach double-figures in tonight's win. Final score from the Black Hole: Appalachian 112, Milligan 47.

UPDATE: Click Here for the full box score from Appalachian's win over Milligan. Appalachian recorded its third-largest point total is school history in the win.

Appalachian travels to Austin for a contest against the #7 ranked Texas Longhorns before returning home to take on Elon next week.

Viking Grapplers Spend Holiday Season with Pair of Tournaments

It was a working holiday for the Avery Vikings wrestling team this past week as the team traveled to the greater Hickory area for a pair of wrestling tournaments.

On Saturday, December 20 the squad took part in the Fred T. Foard Tiger Classic.
In the pigtail round (a play-in round prior to opening round action), Bryan Moody competed at 140 pounds, while Lucas Lecka entered in a 189 pounds. Both wrestlers met stiff competition, falling in first round falls.

A total of four grapplers began tournament play for the Big Red. Brock Yackey competed at 112 pounds, with Jacob McKinney at 119 pounds, Forrest Sickler at 135 pounds, and Anthony Varacalli at 145 pounds.

Both Yackey and Sickler were victorious in their first round bouts, Yackey by technical fall 17-1 over Foard’s Caleb Griffin, and Sickler by pin at 3:29 over Wilkes Central’s Tyler Ward.
McKinney fell by 12-3 major decision to Freedom’s Luiz Lopez, while Varacalli was defeated by an 8-3 decision to West Caldwell’s J.D. Stiles. Both wrestlers dropped to the consolation bracket, where they advanced in opening round action. McKinney won in a third period pin over Draughn’s Miles Maunery, while Varacalli earned a first period pinfall win over East Lincoln’s Kurtis Snyder.

In the championship semifinals, Yackey advanced to the finals with a pinfall at 2:31 over Hickory’s Dylan Harnish. Sickler met up with a tough competitor in West Caldwell’s Treigh Triplett, losing by technical fall 17-1 to drop to the consolation semifinal bracket.

In semifinal consolation bouts, McKinney was defeated in a 7-2 decision by Scotty Royal of Wilkes Central. Sickler squared off against Burns wrestler Dalton Elmore. Elmore emerged victorious with a pin with only four seconds remaining in the opening period to capture the win. The losses eliminated the Avery wrestlers from the tournament.

In his consolation semifinal bout, Varacalli won by decision over Burns wrestler Shawn Stanton to make the consolation finals, but lost by an 8-5 decision to Hickory’s Dalton Obeerle to capture fourth place at the 145 pound class.

“Anthony came away with a couple of good wins, and also had a couple of matches where he didn’t wrestle as well. I feel like he wasn’t exactly up in to the level he had been,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said after the event. “It was really good for him to overcome a couple of tough matches and be able to place at the tournament.”

In the championship finals at 112 pounds, Brock Yackey came away as the Vikings’ lone champion on the day, winning by pin at 5:17 over Sam Melton of East Lincoln.

“Brock was our Avery Wrestler of the Week and had a terrific tournament. He wrestled solid all day long. He faced a tough kid in the finals and came out with an edge in the second and third period to get the win,” Coach Clark added. “Brock is showing both himself and us as coaches that he has a great opportunity for success at the 112 pound class.”

On Tuesday, December 23rd the Vikings journeyed to Newton-Conover High School to compete in the annual Red Devil Duals Tournament. During the day the Vikings faced stiff competition in separate dual meets with McDowell, Enka, R-S Central, and Newton-Conover High Schools. The Vikings were unable to come away victorious in team scores in the meets, but the duals provided the group of six wrestlers who made the trip with top-notch opposition and experience heading into conference and regional action in the coming months.

“We took a little short of a full team as we’ve had wrestlers either out of town for the holidays or unable to go because of missing practice. We took the kids who have been working hard and getting better,” Coach Clark said as the meet concluded last Tuesday.

Four wrestlers earned multiple wins during the day. Brock Yackey earned four wins and lost in a tough fifth match by a 3-1 final score to Newton-Conover’s Eric Holbrook. Anthony Varacalli earned three wins on the day and narrowly missed a fourth win with a narrow 6-5 loss against Randy Ortega from Newton-Conover. Two other wrestlers, Forrest Sickler and Lucas Lecka, earned a pair of victories at Tuesday’s event.

“Dual team tournaments are tough this time of year because we have so many people not with us, but it’s good for the kids we do take because they will see competition here that they won’t see again until they reach regional competition,” Coach Clark explained. “This tournament is a good eye-opener for our wrestlers and team, as it’s around the halfway point of the season. We get to see where we need to be and where the other kids are. Even if you come out with a couple of losses, it’s not a bad thing because you get to see the caliber of where you should be at this point.”

Avery did receive a forfeit win in the duals, as Providence School did not attend the tournament and Avery’s wrestlers each received forfeit victories for that match.

Individual Avery wrestler records following matches of December 23rd are as follows:
103 lbs. - Bennet Sweat - 13–8
112/119 lbs. - Jacob McKinney - 9–9
112/119/125 lbs.- Brock Yackey - 18-11
125/130 lbs. - Tyler Long 3–10
135/140 lbs. - Forrest Sickler - 15-16
130/135/140 lbs. - Bryan Moody- 3–22
145 lbs. - Anthony Varacalli - 16–6
152/160 lbs. - Jose Munoz - 9-4
171 lbs. - Leo Munoz - 2–4
171 lbs. - CJ Vance - 4–13
189 lbs. -Lucas Lecka - 8–11
215/285 lbs. - Nathaniel Buchanan - 3–26
285 lbs. -Justin Crowder - 3–10

The Vikings jump into conference action quickly following the New Year’s holiday, with dual meets at Hendersonville on Tuesday, January 6th and at home against Polk County on Friday, January 9th.

Avery Junior Varsity Basketball Roundup; Girls Defeat Patton, Boys Come Up Short

The Avery Lady Vikings junior varsity girls basketball team had a difficult time shaking away a tough Patton Lady Panthers team over the first two periods of play. A strong second half on both sides of the court turned a once close contest into a rout, however, as Avery won by a 54-31 final score.

The first quarter was nip and tuck, as the teams were tied 14-14 after one quarter of play. Avery went to the free throw line early and often, converting on 10 of 12 free throws in the first seven minutes. Mercedes Bentley scored six points in the quarter, with four points from Savannah Dellinger.

Both Patton and Avery worked to dictate tempo in the second period, but the game turned into a defensive struggle. The Lady Vikings scored seven points to Patton’s four in the quarter, giving the Big Red the narrow 21-18 halftime advantage.

A 18-2 run over a five minute span of the third quarter put the game away for the Big Red. Avery’s defense held Patton to only one field goal in the entire quarter, while Avery received points from six different players in the period, led by six from Monica Estep to stake the Vikings to a 39-24 lead after three quarters.

Throughout the second half the Lady Vikings used its pressure defense to turn the tide in their favor. Avery held Patton to a single field goal and five free throws for the fourth period. In the meantime, the Big Red tickled the twine for 15 fourth-quarter points for the convincing victory.

Mercedes Bentley led the Avery attack with 14 points, with ten points, including a perfect 8 of 8 free throws, from Savannah Dellinger. Both players also had three steals in the win. Estep’s six points were complemented by five points and five rebounds from Shayna Vance, to go with three points, ten rebounds, and five steals from Mary Chesnut Smith. Avery shot 23 of 29 from the free throw line as a team for the game.

“We shot well from the line and did a good job of getting to the line tonight,” Avery girls JV head coach Pat Daniels said following the win. “We didn’t execute as well with our fast-break offense, and aren’t looking up with the ball as well as we need to. We did a great job with taking care of the ball in the first half, and had 21 steals in the game to go with 43 rebounds. Our intensity was much better after halftime and we pretty much kept our eye on the prize in the second half.”

The Avery JV boys team showed marked improvement from its earlier loss at Patton. Avery led 12-6 after one quarter of action behind a pair of three-point baskets from Mark Polsgrove and two field goals by Alex Villanueva.

Patton went on a scoring run early in the second quarter, scoring the first five points of the period to quickly tie the contest at 12-12. A pair of three-pointers in the quarter helped the Panthers to take a narrow 21-18 lead at halftime.

Neither club found scoring easy in the third quarter of play, as Avery outscored the Panthers by a 6-4 margin to trail by a single point at 25-24 going into the fourth quarter.

Patton pulled away in the fourth quarter to take the victory by the final score of 46-39.

Avery’s Hunter Shields found the shooting touch in the fourth quarter with five points, including a three-point basket, but Patton held on for the win behind the strength of a perfect 9 of 9 effort from the free throw line in the final stanza.

Alex Villanueva led the Viking scoring charge with 14 points on a team-high seven field goals. Dustin Clark added eight points for the Big Red, with seven from Shields and six from Polsgrove.

Both Avery teams are idle during the holidays and will return to the court on January 6th for their second conference contest of the season against Hendersonville.

Vikings Split Varsity Rematches with Panthers

Prior to the holiday break, the Avery Vikings hosted the Patton Panthers in a rematch of contests played just one week earlier in Morganton. In Friday’s varsity contests, the Viking women pulled away for a 73-45 rout, while the Avery boys were unable to hang close with the Panther men in a 69-45 loss.

The Avery varsity girls snapped a two-game losing skid with a convincing 27-point win over Patton. In the opening period the Lady Vikings outscored the Lady Panthers 14-9 behind four points each from Katelynn Eudy and Allison Vance. Avery played the contest without the services of senior forward Katie Ellis, who was still experiencing effects from her collision with Vance in Wednesday’s loss at Watauga.

Avery’s transition game got rolling in the second quarter against the 2-3 zone defense of Patton. Lauren Avery was a spark in her second start at guard for the Vikings, as she scored nine points in the second quarter and 11 overall for the half. Vance also reached double figures scoring in the first two periods as she scored six points, including a three-point bucket, in the quarter for ten points by intermission.

Usual reserve standouts Sara Wiseman and Megan Tennant stepped up big in the absence of Ellis, as they combined for 15 points in the game. Tennant tallied all eight of her points in the first half to push the Big Red ahead 42-24 at halftime.

Avery’s defense stifled the Lady Panthers all evening, with 18 steals as a team and forcing close to 30 Patton turnovers for the contest. The Vikings doubled up the Panthers in the third quarter scoring 18 to 9, paced by five points in the quarter by Wiseman as part of a seven-point, four block performance. Avery led 60-33 going into the final period and closed out the final eight minutes to pick up the 28-point win.

Katelynn Eudy led the Vikings with 17 points on 8 for 10 shooting from the field. She also registered five rebounds and three steals in the game. Lauren Avery had a great all-around effort for the Big Red, as she scored 15 points, with seven assists, six rebounds, and four steals. Vance finished the win with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Elyse Perry scored eight off the bench in the Avery win. Avery moved its record back over the .500 mark at 4-3 overall.

The Avery varsity boys started strong in Friday’s contest with Patton, but were unable to overcome a first quarter run by the Panthers in a 69-45 loss.

Avery led by an early 8-4 margin, but a 16-6 run by Patton, paced by ten points from guard Nick Holland, closed out the first quarter put the Vikings in a double-digit deficit at 20-10 after eight minutes of play.
In the second period, the Vikings settled down and managed to outscore Patton 12-11, but Avery could not put together an offensive run against the aggressive Patton man-to-man defense as the Panthers led 31-22 at halftime.

Patton controlled the contest for good as the third period ensued. Patton shot 7 of 8 from the free throw line as part of a 22-point effort in the quarter, while the Avery pair of Joey Potter and Colton Blackburn provided but all but two of the Big Red’s 11 points in the quarter. The discrepancy left the Vikings trailing by a 53-33 score with only eight minutes remaining. The Panthers defense held Avery to only 12 points in the final quarter en route to a season sweep.

Patton’s defense constantly double-teamed Avery leading scorer Dustin Clarke all evening, as they held the sharpshooter to only four points in the game, all coming on two field goals in the first half.

Avery’s scoring attack was led by the duo of Potter and Blackburn, who scored 11 each. Blackburn added nine rebounds and three blocks, while Potter added five rebounds. Kody Hughes chipped in with nine points and six rebounds.

Five players scored double figures for Patton, led by Marius Harshaw’s 13 points off the bench.
Avery’s varsity girls and boys squads competed in the BB&T Holiday Classic at Cherryville High School the weekend following Christmas. A full report on the tournament will be found in next week’s paper and here on the Blog.

Draughn Outlasts Vikings in Wednesday's Home Dual Meet

The Avery wrestling team met up with a tough squad from Morganton Draughn High School on Wednesday evening at Viking Gym, losing by a total match score of 39-36.

Avery picked up 18 of its team points in the match via forfeit, with victories at the 103 pound class by Bennett Sweat, the 171 pound class by CJ Vance, and the 189 pound class by Lucas Lecka. The Vikings gave up forfeit defeats at the 125 pound and 160 pound classes, respectively.

In the remaining matches of the evening, the Vikings worked hard to earn team points. Nick Malgadey earned a pinfall victory at the 0:50 mark of the first period over Draughn’s Spencer Johnson. Brock Yackey earned a pinfall victory with ten seconds remaining in the first round of action over opponent Seth Cook.

Jose Munoz wrestled for Avery at the 152 pound weight class, earning a third period pinfall victory over opponent Robert McCarthy.

Avery fell by pinfall in three matches, and the match was decided by three narrow, hard fought matches, all won by Draughn in narrow decision victories.

In the 130 pound weight class Tyler Long wrestled a tough match with Draughn’s Jaron Johnson, losing by a 10-8 final score. At 130 pounds, Avery’s Forrest Sickler continued his string of well-wrestled matches, but Draughn’s Derrick Levan managed to escape with a narrow 9-7 win. Anthony Varacalli, the Big Red’s winningest wrestler thus far this season, took on Draughn’s Tyler Carey at 145 pounds. Carey came out on top in a low scoring affair by the final match score of 4-2.

The Vikings will wrestle in a pair of pre-Christmas tournaments in the next two weeks.

Vikings JV Girls Basketball Only Victors at Watauga Wednesday

In Wednesday’s JV girls rematch at Lentz-Eggers Gym in Boone between Avery and Watauga, the Lady Vikings gained a measure of revenge for a home loss from Monday, defeating the Lady Pioneers by a 45-29 final score.

The rivals played a tight first seven minutes of action. A three-point basket by Logan Johnson as time expired gave Avery the slim 12-10 lead after the first quarter. Both teams tallied nine points in the second frame as the Big Red preserved a 21-19 edge at halftime.

As the second half ensued, the Lady Vikings asserted themselves, particularly on the defensive side of the basketball. Limiting the Watauga club to only ten points in the entire second half, Avery snagged a 35-26 lead after three periods, and used a 10-3 run to close the contest for the win.

“The girls played inspired tonight,” Coach Daniels said after the win. “We realized some things on defense that we can and cannot do against Watauga, so we ran a 2-3 zone against them which worked well. The girls ran the defense well and kept them from getting good looks at the basket.”

Bentley again lit up the Watauga defense for a total of 23 points in the game, 14 of which came in the second half, along with seven steals and three rebounds. “Mercedes played a smart game. She was able to pick off several of their lazy passes and go the other way for layups,” Coach Daniels added.

Seven other players scored in the game, highlighted by Shayna Vance’s six points and five from Johnson. Mary Chesnut Smith had nine rebounds and five steals in the victory. The Lady Vikings also committed a season-low eight turnovers for the game and was 17 of 24 from the free throw stripe.

In Wednesday’s JV boys rematch in Boone the Vikings continued to play tough basketball against the rival Pioneers, trailing by only four points after one period of play. Watauga, much like the previous encounter, used an offensive burst to sprint out to an 18-point halftime lead.

Avery struggled shooting from the floor in the second quarter, as the Watauga defense held the Vikings to only four second quarter points in trailing 35-17 at intermission.

The Vikings played inspired basketball coming out of the locker room, however, as Avery outscored Watauga 15-9 in the third period to cut the deficit to 44-32 with seven minutes to play.

As the fourth and final period ensued, Avery managed to continue its run, further cutting the Watauga lead as far as 51-44 with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Watauga successfully played keep away with the Vikings in the waning minutes, however, and converted 8 of 14 free throws down the stretch to defeat the Vikings by a final score of 61-48.

Alex Villanueva paced the Big Red with 17 points, 13 coming in the second half, while Spencer Blackburn added 11 points. Austin Lyons and Benji Stewart scored four points apiece.

“We played with intensity again, but we appeared more relaxed. We were more patient and did a better job attacking with the pass. We were making a run and the kids were playing hard,” Coach Oaks remarked. “We mixed it up defensively with more pressure and a chaotic type of defense which seemed to help. We also knocked down some baskets that built our confidence. What broke our back was where Coach (Matt) Wiseman of Watauga took a timeout and called a set play where they came out and did a great job to get a three-point shot. But I really believe we can build on the intensity that we saw and with how we knocked our shots down.”

The Avery Lady Vikings next took the court against the Lady Pioneers, falling by the final score of 64-56. Avery used the hot hand of Samantha Shook to jump to a double-digit lead in the first quarter. The senior netted 11 points in the quarter, including a trio of three-point shots to help the Big Red to a 21-14 lead after eight minutes of action.

Defenses stepped up in the second quarter, as the 35 points combined by the teams in the first period was followed by only a combined 13 points from the two clubs in the second stanza. Senior guard Allison Vance netted five of the Vikings’ seven points in the period as led on the road by eight points at 28-20 at halftime.

The Watauga offense got in gear in the second half of play, turning up the intensity for 44 points over the final two periods. Katelynn Eudy scored six points in the third quarter to help Avery keep pace, but Watauga took advantage of its opportunity when senior rebounding machine Katie Ellis was saddled with a fourth personal foul early in the third.

The Lady Pioneer frontcourt duo of Nicole Tesh and Katharine Mayhew scored 16 total points and crashed the boards with greater success than in the previous half. The surge cut the Avery lead to only a single point at 44-43 going into the fourth quarter.

As the final period played out, the lead seesawed back and forth. Avery held a slim 52-51 lead with just over three minutes left when Watauga heated up for a 13-4 scoring run to close out the game, including an 8 for 10 stretch from the charity stripe.

With the Pioneers holding a slim two-point lead with 36 seconds left to play, a frightful moment occurred when Viking teammates Allison Vance and Katie Ellis scrambled for a loose ball. The two viciously collided heads diving on the Lentz-Eggers Gym floor. Both players stayed down for a few moments, with Vance suffering a bloody nose and Ellis experiencing concussion-like symptoms. Both players walked off the floor but did not return to the contest, and the Pioneers went on to its fourth straight victory over Avery over a two-season span.

Vance led the Avery scoring attack with 14 points and four assists. Shook added 11 points and five steals, with nine points and 11 rebounds by Katie Ellis and 13 points with six rebounds by Katelynn Eudy.

For Watauga Nicole Tesh scored a game-high 17 points, with 15 points from Katharine Mayhew.

In Wednesday’s night cap in Boone, Watauga varsity boys did not give the Vikings the opportunity to grab the early advantage it did on Monday night. Pioneer guard Murphy Fancher scored the first two buckets of the game to set the tone for the home team. At the same time, however, the Vikings did a better job early with containing the Pioneers. Watauga was unable to unleash its transition game through most of the first quarter.

The Vikings kept the game close for much of the first eight minutes, trailing by three at 12-9 with a couple of minutes remaining in the opening period. Watauga used a late scoring run to give itself breathing room and lead 18-11 after the first quarter.

Avery managed only 11 points in the second quarter of play, while the Pioneers got its transition game on track in the half’s final four minutes. The club continued to ride the strong play of center Jeff Newell to a 37-22 halftime lead.

The center Newell had 16 first-half points to lead all scorers, while Luke Pittman and Colton Blackburn had five each to lead Avery.

Watauga continued to score in the second half but could not race out to the 30-point lead that it did on Monday night. With the exception of the late second quarter and opening minutes of the third period, the Viking defense curtailed the transition game. The team could not mount a serious threat offensively on the Watauga defense, however.

Avery tried to stay within shouting distance behind the shooting of sophomore Dustin Clarke who drained three 3-point baskets in the stanza and four in all for the game.

The Pioneers took a 60-37 lead into the final quarter, however, and did not look back in the 22-point win.

“We stayed with Watauga better in this game, but we got a little tired and when we went to our bench, they were able to get their transition game going again,” Coach Manis explained following the Wednesday contest. “It seemed like we got behind by a few points and hurried ourselves, which led us to rush our shots and fall back into the transition pace that Watauga wants to run. We panicked a little and felt we had to score quickly. The guys played much harder than Monday and I’m really proud to see that. They boxed out better in this game although Watauga made a lot of their first shots. They’re a good shooting team.”

Clarke led Avery with 16 points and four rebounds, with 14 points from Joey Potter. Luke Pittman added seven points and five rebounds. The Vikings play Patton tonight at Viking Gym, with JV girls action starting at 4 p.m. The JV and varsity girls were winners in Morganton a week ago, while the boys fell short in their contests.

Avery will be playing tonight without the services of two of its key players, as Hayley Pyatte is out due to illness and Katie Ellis is out due to headaches suffered during her collision with Allison Vance on Wednesday.

Edwards Wins Payton Award!

Courtesy of Appalchian Sports Information

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Junior quarterback Armanti Edwards became the first Appalachian State University player to ever win the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision’s top honor when he was presented with the Walter Payton Award on Thursday evening at the Chattanooga Marriott. The Payton Award has been presented annually to the nation’s top FCS (formerly Division I-AA) player since 1987.

Edwards easily out-distanced James Madison quarterback Rodney Landers for the award with 398 total points and 53 first-place votes, compared to 290 points and 17 first-place nods for the JMU signal-caller. Western Illinois running back Herb Donaldson finished third with 209 points and 14 first-place votes. Edwards is only the sixth underclassman in the 22-year history of the Payton Award to receive the honor.

The consensus first-team All-American and Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year finished the season with 2,902 passing yards, 941 rushing yards and a SoCon-record 41 touchdowns responsible for (30 passing, 11 rushing). He ranks second nationally with a 170.19 pass-efficiency rating, seventh with 3,033 yards of total offense and 58th in rushing.

He threw only two interceptions in 224 regular-season pass attempts, with a school-record string of 176 passes without an interception that spanned over two months — eight full games and parts of two others.

In addition to the season-long accolades, Edwards earned national player of the week recognition twice, SoCon Offensive Player of the Week accolades four times — including a record-tying three-straight from Oct. 4-18 — and SoCon Offensive Player of the Month awards in October and November.

The previous best finish by a Mountaineer in Payton Award balloting came in 2004, when wide receiver DaVon Fowlkes placed third.In the other awards handed out on Thursday, Mark LeGree finished third in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, with 183 total points and seven first-place votes. Eastern Washington's Greg Peach won the award.

Head coach Jerry Moore placed fourth in voting for the Eddie Robinson Award. Moore received 11 first-place votes and 160 points. James Madison coach Mickey Matthews took home the honor.

Musings and Ramblings: Hansbrough Makes History

Tonight UNC big man Tyler Hansbrough will likely surpass the great former UNC point guard Phil Ford as the basketball team's all-time leading scorer when he notches his ninth point of the game and 2,291st of his storied career.

A lot has been written on "Psycho T" and his non-stop motor which seems to be at a different gear than anyone else on the playing floor. In addition to the team scoring record, Tyler is in reach of the team's rebounding record, set at 1,167. Hansbrough currently has 979 and, if he remains healthy, has an outside shot at catching the former Tar Heel All-American Perkins.

J.J. Redick of Dook holds the ACC's all-time scoring mark with 2,769 points. Counting this evening's game with Evansville, UNC plays a guaranteed 22 games (including the first round of the ACC tournament), with the possiblity of 25 or more if the Heels win the confererence tournament and advance deep into the NCAA tournament. If Hansbrough could average 20 points per contest, that would add 500 points to his career total, putting him at 2,791 and eclipsing the former Blue Devil standout.

During Hansbrough's freshman year in Chapel Hill, I was blessed to be personally invited by Coach Roy Williams to attend a closed practice at the Smith Center (no joke, I still have the letter!) I traveled to the Dome and watched the Heels work out for over two hours. When I arrived I was given a practice schedule for the day. The complete order of practice was listed down to the minute, along with a Thought for the Day for the players to consider.

I was not fortunate enough to have a high-quality camera with me, but I did manage to snap a few shots during practice. I dug those pics up from deep in my sports photo archives and posted the photo above as well as a few at the bottom of this post and even a short video clip of a defensive drill ran by the team.

If you follow Tar Heels basketball you owe it to yourself to sit back and enjoy this evening and the history that should be made. A player like Psycho T is a rarity and might not come around again for a while.

Grapplers Take on Watauga; Competes at NEO Invitational

The Avery wrestling team returned to the mat last week for a dual meet on Thursday in Viking Gym against rival Watauga, while on Saturday team members traveled to Tuscola High School in Waynesville to participate in the NEO Invitational Tournament.

Avery came up short in Thursday’s match against the Pioneers by a final match score of 48-22.
Picking up victories in the matchup were Brock Yackey by a 10-4 decision at 125 pounds, Forrest Sickler by 12-9 decision at 135 pounds, and Anthony Varacalli by 9-1 major decision victory at 145 pounds. Bennett Sweat (103 lbs.) and Jose Munoz (152 lbs.) each earned match victories via forfeit.

“We had some of our experienced guys who were unable to come away with wins. Most of our younger kids didn’t fare so well as they had a more experienced club. They fought hard and they are starting to learn, and part of that learning curve will be felt in these early dual meets,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark commented following the matches.

On Saturday morning a total of seven Viking wrestlers rode to Tuscola High School to compete in the NEO Invitational Tournament. The Vikings were without a number of their experienced grapplers due to prior commitments.

“A number of our kids had other events going on which they had to take care of over wrestling. We had the ACT going on over the weekend as well as Driver’s Ed finals. This was an individual tournament, so if there was one to be missed, this was probably the best one to have a number of kids unavailable,” Coach Clark added.

At 119 pounds, Brock Yackey earned a first period pinfall victory over Jack Elliott of McDowell High School in his second of four total matches. Bennett Sweat was victorious in two of his four matches on the day in the 103 pound weight class, defeating Tanner Piper of Franklin High School by a narrow 9-8 decision, and also defeated Polk County’s Anthony Sage by a first period pinfall. “Bennett is really well and starting to show great improvement in his wrestling,” the coach said.

A pair of Big Red grapplers earned three match victories. In the 135 pound class, Forrest Sickler lost his first two matches, but bounced back strongly to win his final three matches, upending McDowell’s Jeremy Buchanan by pinfall, defeating Franklin’s Cody Wake by a 17-13 decision, and picking up a first period pinfall win over Swain’s Robert Duplack. “Forrest had two convincing wins and is beginning to wrestle very aggressively. With this type of competition being similar to what we will face at Regionals, I think this was a really good weekend for him,” Coach Clark explained.

The other Avery wrestler with three wins during the day was Jacob McKinney, who placed third overall at 112 pounds. McKinney won his first two matches by pin, but was defeated by Jason Bottoms of host Tuscola. McKinney ended his day on a high note, however, defeating Swain’s Austin Curfice with a pinfall in 55 seconds.

“Jacob was the surprise of the tournament for us. He had three pins and beat some wrestlers from some pretty good schools. His only loss came to a very tough wrestler, and I believe he is really coming on and has improved greatly in recent weeks and vastly from last year,” the coach explained.

The Vikings return to the mat on Wednesday to take on Draughn High School in a make-up from a previously postponed match. The team was also scheduled to take on Mountain Heritage, but due to end-of-semester exams at the school Heritage had to reschedule, making Wednesday’s event only one dual at Viking Gym. Avery is then scheduled to travel to Fred T. Foard for another Saturday tournament event.

Pioneers Sweep Avery Hoops Monday night

The Avery Vikings could not hold off a strong Watauga Pioneers basketball program on Monday evening, as the rivals picked up four wins at Viking Gym.

Avery's JV girls got off to a slow start and could not overcome an early run by the Pioneers, falling behind 27-8 after one period. Mercedes Bentley carried the Lady Vikings offense with 32 points, but it wasn't enough as the Lady Pioneers avenged an earlier tournament loss at the hands of the Lady Vikings by a 60-49 final score.

The JV boys played well early, but Watauga pulled away for the win. Watauga grabbed an early 16-11 advantage after one quarter. The Pioneers mounted an offensive surge to start the second quarter, eventually holding a double-digit advantage at 33-20 at halftime.

Watauga's athleticism was difficult for the Vikings to overcome all evening, but Avery cut slightly into the Pioneer lead in the third period, trailing by 11 at 41-30 after three periods. The Pioneers spread the floor and used offensive motion through a large portion of the final three minutes of play to preserve its ten-point cushion. Avery tried valiantly to mount a comeback but fell short as the Pioneers captured the second game of the evening by a 50-41 final margin.

In varsity play the Avery girls squared off with a pesky Watauga Lady Pioneers club that always seems to play competitively as a rival. The teams traded buckets for much of the opening eight minutes, with the Lady Pioneers snagging a one-point lead at 17-16 after the first period. Senior guard Allison Vance led the Vikings with five points in the quarter, along with a pair of buckets by fellow senior Samantha Shook.

Avery found difficulty dealing defensively with the size of the Lady Pioneers, particularly the play of forward Katharine Mayhew. The 5'11" junior forward was a perfect 8 for 8 from the free throw line in the first half as part of a 15 for 21 overall foul shooting half for Watauga.

Foul trouble haunted the Big Red in the first half as both Vance and forward Katelynn Eudy were saddled with fouls in the early portion of the half, prompting head coach Missy Lyons to rely on her reserves. Freshman Megan Tennant and junior Sara Wiseman responded to the call with a combined seven points.

Mayhew scored 14 in the first half and was part of a defensive rotation that held Vikings standout senior Katie Ellis to only three first half points. Sarah Miller added six points off the bench to spark the Lady Pioneers to a 38-30 lead.

Avery trailed by as many as 11 points in the late second and early third quarters before organizing a furious offensive onslaught to erase the deficit. Shook caught fire, torching the Pioneers for eight points in the third quarter. Her three-pointer gave the Lady Vikings its first lead since the opening quarter at 46-44. Watauga added a pair of points in the closing seconds of the third quarter to knot the game at 46-46 heading into the final stanza.

The Lady Vikings had played well defensively all evening, holding Watauga leading scorer Nicole Tesh to a quiet seven points through three periods of play. Things would change quickly, however, as Tesh found her shooting touch in the fourth. The 6'1" junior forward scored 11 of her team high 18 points in the fourth quarter to provide the surge the Pioneers needed to outlast the Vikings.

Avery tried to stay close behind the shooting of Allison Vance who scored five of her 10 points for the game in the quarter before fouling out late in the contest. The Lady Vikings could not reel in the Pioneers, however, as Watauga escaped Newland with a 69-59 win.

The Lady Vikings were anchored by Samantha Shook who scored 17 points to lead the club, and was complemented by Vance's ten points, two steals and five assists for Avery's only double-figure scoring efforts in the game. Katie Ellis scored seven points with 11 rebounds, while Eudy also added seven in the loss. Sara Wiseman netted six off the bench for the Big Red.

Tesh scored 18 points to go with seven rebounds to lead Watauga, with 16 points and 10 rebounds from Mayhew. Christina Rees added eight points, five rebounds, and four assists off the bench for the Pioneers. The loss drops the Lady Vikings to 3-2 overall on the season.

In varsity boys action the Avery team got off to a fast start against the Pioneers, scoring the first two baskets of the game for an early 4-0 lead. Things went downhill quickly from the Big Red, however, as a 23-4 run by Watauga was highlighted by a trio of slam dunks by Watauga's center Jeff Newell to propel the Pioneers to a 23-8 lead early in the second period.

Avery's offense began to click midway through the period as Dustin Clarke found the shooter's touch, stroking three 3-pointers out of four attempts. The sophomore led the Vikings with 11 points in the first half, but no other Viking scored more than four points before intermission.

Watauga meanwhile received contributions from ten of its 12 players on the roster over the first two quarters. Newell led the charge with ten, followed by six each from Brandon Calhoun and Baine Martin. Watauga also took advantage of double-digit Avery turnovers in the half to stake itself to a commanding 43-20 halftime lead.

The Watauga offensive tsunami continued to pound the Avery club as Newell, a 6'6" senior, picked up where he left off with 12 of his game-high 24 points in the quarter. Clarke scored eight points in the quarter, including his fifth three-point basket of the night, but Watauga outscored Avery 26-15 in the quarter to lead 69-37 after three periods.

Avery showed the tenacity and no-quit attitude that has been taught by head coach Bo Manis and his staff, as the club outscored Watauga by a point in the final stanza. Lone Viking senior Jared Ward set the example for his teammates by scoring 11 of his 16 points in the final quarter. Keith McKinney added a pair of baskets, but the contest had long been decided on the scoreboard as Watauga cruised to the 90-59 win.

Dustin Clarke led Avery with 19 points, scoring all his points in the first three quarters, with 16 from Ward. Five other Vikings scored four points each in the contest. Newell's 24 points were complemented by 16 points by Caleb Courtney. Baine Martin added eight points, with seven each from Josh Coffey, Jake Wallace, and Will Koppenhaver.

The teams will renew acquaintances on Wednesday afternoon at Lentz-Eggers Gymnasium in Boone, with junior varsity action starting at 4 p.m.

Vikings Take Three of Four at Owen

The Avery Vikings traveled to Swannanoa for its conference opener in basketball Tuesday night against Owen.

Both junior varsity teams picked up their first victories of the season. Avery's girls won by a final score of 44-29. Mercedes Bentley netted 17 in the win, with 15 from Megan Tennant. The JV boys team won by a final of 31-26.

The Lady Vikings varsity girls earned their first win by a 64-50 final score. Katelynn Eudy netted 20 points to go with 10 rebounds to lead Avery, while Katie Ellis scored 10 points, to go with seven steals and six rebounds.

Avery's boys varsity team was not able to leave Swannanoa with a win as the home team earned a 57-43 win. Dustin Clarke scored 17 to lead Avery, while Luke Pittman had 13 points and two assists, and Cole Blackburn tallied five points, with ten rebounds, four steals, and a pair of assists.

The Big Red return to the court on Thursday in Morganton against Patton High, then return home on Friday for varsity only contests against Thomas Jefferson Academy.

Vikings Wrestling Competes in Doubleheader at Ashe County

The Avery wrestling team was active over the weekend with a pair of early-season events. As the Avery and Ashe County basketball teams squared off Friday night, the Big Red grapplers traveled to Jefferson to take on the Ashe County wrestling squad. Despite a strong effort, the Vikings fell in a hard-fought meet by a 48-28 final score.

Avery’s lighter weight wrestlers Bennett Sweat (103 lbs.) and Jacob McKinney (112 lbs.) picked up forfeit victories.

Other Vikings visiting the winner’s circle on Friday night were Nick Malgadey by 20-8 majority decision at 119 pounds, Forrest Sickler by first period pinfall at 135 pounds, and Lucas Lecka by second period pinfall at 189 pounds.

Following the tournament the Vikings had an early morning on Saturday as they participated back at Ashe County High School in the Ashe County Invitational.

Avery began the meet with a dual against the North Iredell Raiders, dropping the meet by a 64-15 final match score. Victors in the North Iredell match included Nick Malgadey by third period pin (112 lbs.), Brock Yackey by 9-2 decision at 119 pounds, Anthony Varacalli by second period pin (145 lbs.), and Lucas Lecka by first period pinfall at 189 pounds.

In the team’s second dual, the team wrestled an even dual against the Grayson County losing by a final score of 43-42. The two squads tied following the match’s conclusion, and the sixth criterion was used to determine a winner, which was which team scored the highest number of first points. Each team had one forfeit apiece, and six pins for each team, but Grayson scored the first point in seven matches to Avery’s five matches.

Winners in the Grayson meet included Bennett Sweat at 103 pounds (second period pinfall), Nick Malgadey at 112 pounds (second period pinfall), Brock Yackey at 119 pounds (second period pin), Anthony Varacalli by forfeit at 145 pounds, Jose Munoz by first period pin at 152 pounds, Lucas Lecka by pinfall in 20 seconds at 189 pounds, and Justin Crowder by first period pinfall at 215 pounds.

The Vikings were dominant in picking up its first dual meet victory in the tournament, routing 1A foe East Wilkes by a final score of 66-18. East Wilkes picked up 12 of its 18 points by forfeit victories. Winners in the dual included Sweat by forfeit (103 lbs.), Malgadey by first period pin (112 lbs.), Yackey by second period pin (119 lbs.), and Tyler Long by first period pin (125 lbs.). Forfeit victories were earned by Bryan Moody (140 lbs.), Varacalli (145 lbs.), Jose Munoz (152 lbs.), Trent Mitchell (160 lbs.), C.J. Vance (171 lbs.), Nathaniel Buchanan (215 lbs.), and Crowder (heavyweight).

Avery copied the feat in its next dual against Holston High School, winning by the same 66-18 meet score. Forfeit winners in the dual included Sweat, McKinney, Malgadey, Yackey, Long, Varacalli, and Lecka. Sickler won by second period pinfall at 135 pounds, with a victory by first period pin at 140 pounds by Moody. C.J. Vance (171 lbs.) and Justin Crowder (Hvy.) were both victorious in their respective matches by second period pinfall.

In the final dual meet of the day, Avery fell 51-28 to Galax High School. Match winners included Malgadey (majority decision 22-10 at 119 lbs.), Sickler (forfeit at 135 lbs.), Varacalli (first period pin at 145 lbs.), Jose Munoz (first period pin at 152 lbs.), Mitchell (first period pin at 160 lbs.), and C.J. Vance (second period pin at 171 lbs.).

To date, the best individual records on the Vikings team go to Anthony Varacalli (10-1 overall), with Sweat, Malgadey, Yackey, and Jose Munoz each holding records of 7-4 overall on the young season. Vance is also over .500 with a 3-2 mark in five matches this season.

Avery holds a dual meet on Thursday night against rival Watauga at Viking Gym starting at 6 p.m., and travels to Tuscola High School in Waynesville on Saturday for the NEO Invitational.

2008 All-Conference Fall Sports Selections Announced

All-Western Highlands Conference award recipients were named this past week for the fall sports season. The following is a list of those recognized, with Avery honorees in bold.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY:
Mary Chestnut-Smith (Avery County); Kristen Stout, Ana Reyes, Anna Fosberg, Lillian Rolfe, Alyssa Chet and Ana Unda (Hendersonville); Cynthia Griffin, Megan Bennett and Aleshia Reece (Madison).
Coach of the Year: Jessica Houston (Hendersonville).
Runner of the Year: Kristen Stout (Hendersonville).

FOOTBALL:
Christian Montgomery (Avery County); Wesley Cook, Robert Mills, Daniel Orr, Corey Cook, Darren Perry, Jon Bowie, Ben Walgenbach and Cedrick Allen (Hendersonville); Logan Jensen, Austin Burleson and Taylor Hall (Mitchell); Kirk Burnette, Jesse Ballew, Zach Howell, Taylor Fender, Dylan McMahon, Casey Randolph, Kyle Barrus, Clint Carlson and Chris Jones (Mountain Heritage); Andy Coleman, Seth Blankenship, Seth Stewart, Josh Leake and Brennan Kirby (Owen); Jordan Ollis, Andre Overholt, Kamron Kerr, Tony Wicklund, Zach Searcy and Tyler Philpott (Polk County).

Coach of the Year: B.J. Laughter (Hendersonville).
Player of the Year: Cedrick Allen (Hendersonville).
Back of the Year: Jesse Ballew (Mountain Heritage).
Lineman of the Year: Zach Howell (Mountain Heritage).
Special Teams Player of the Year: Stephen Roper (Hendersonville)

BOYS SOCCER:
Andrew Ingram and Kyle Griewisch (Avery County); Tyler Combs, Cody Labelle, Brayan Aguirre, Andrew Boyea, Juan Macias and Eddie Hernandez (Hendersonville); Isaac Justice and Petr Bunzayn (Madison); Jacob Martinez (Mitchell); Daniel Godfrey (Mountain Heritage); Stefan Cazzonelli, Jermaine Vernon and Brandon Roland (Owen); Heath Culbreath, Cole Weicker, Chris Abril, Tony Sciuva, Russell McIntyre and Hugo Santos (Polk County).

Coach of the Year: Lennox Charles (Polk County).
Player of the Year: Brayan Aguirre (Hendersonville).
Goalkeeper of the Year: Christian Maloney (Madison).

GIRLS TENNIS
Coach of the Year: Rhinanon Manis (Avery County).
Co-Players of the Year: Maddie Fahnley (Polk County) and Morgan Yackey (Avery County)

VOLLEYBALL
Katie Ellis and Rachel Buchanan (Avery County); Ellen Payne, Sarah Carswell and Brooks Walz (Hendersonville); Laurel Gregg and Heather Jenkins (Madison); Sam Smith (Mitchell); Alli Huskins and Taylor Fox (Mountain Heritage); Stephanie Jones (Owen); Maggie Conner, Denise Edwards, Kaitlyn Franks and Katie Wilson (Polk County).
Coach of the Year: Heather Clausen (Polk County).
Co-Players of the Year: Courtney Huskins (Mountain Heritage) and Avery Griggs (Hendersonville).

Congratulations to all Avery honorees!

Johnson Garners ACC, CBS Sports Coach of the Year Honors

Paul Johnson, whose first Georgia Tech team exceeded all expectations by winning nine regular season games, received a pair of honors last week when he was named the CBS Sports Coach of the Year in college football, and was named the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year Tuesday by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA).

Johnson, an Avery County native and former student and coach at Avery High School, was selected over Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham for the honor from CBS. Georgia Tech, ranked 14th in the BCS standings and 15th in the Associated Press poll, finished the regular season with a 9-3 record, remarkably better than every preseason projection.

Sports Illustrated predicted Johnson's first Yellow Jacket team would win just three games, and Tech was picked to finish fourth in the ACC's Coastal Division. With a 5-3 record in ACC play, the Jackets tied Virginia Tech for the Coastal Division title.

"This is an honor for the football program at Georgia Tech, the coaching staff and the players," Johnson said today. "There are a lot of great coaches in the ACC, so it's humbling to win such a prestigious honor."

Johnson, who came to Georgia Tech last December after a highly-successful, six-year tenure at Navy, inherited a roster low in scholarship numbers and overloaded with youth. Only 76 players are on scholarship, including three senior walk-ons who were awarded scholarships prior to the start of the season, below the maximum of 85 scholarships. The roster includes 75 freshmen and sophomores, and 16 of 22 starters are either freshmen or sophomores.

Many questioned whether or not Johnson's spread option offense would work in the ACC. Last Saturday, with no senior starters on offense, Georgia Tech rolled up 409 rushing yards against Georgia, which ranked 15th nationally in rushing defense at the time. For the season, the Yellow Jackets lead the ACC in total offense (377.3) and rank third nationally in rushing offense (282.3).

Johnson is the first Georgia Tech coach to be named ACC Coach of the Year since George O'Leary in 2000. O'Leary also won the award in 1998. Tech's Bobby Ross won the honor in 1990 after leading the Yellow Jackets to a share of the national championship. Bill Curry, in 1985, is the only other Georgia Tech coach to win the award. During Tech's tenure in the Southeastern Conference (1933-1963), Bobby Dodd won conference coach of the year honors twice (1951 and 1952) and William Alexander captured the award in 1939.

Johnson was honored, along with other conference individual award winners, last Friday in Tampa, Florida prior to the ACC Championship Game. His Yellow Jackets have accepted a bid to play in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.

Vikings hoops swept by Huskies

The Avery Vikings lost its season opener in both JV and varsity basketball in Viking Gym on Friday night. The Lady Vikings fell 65-50 to the Huskies. Katie Ellis led the Big Red with 15 points, with 14 points from Katelynn Eudy. Kim McNeil scored 24 to lead the Lady Huskies in the win.

In varsity men's action, a 5 and a half minute scoring drought in the second quarter sealed the team's fate as Ashe turned a one-point lead after the first quarter into a 16-point lead at intermission. The Huskies led by 20 after three quarters and went on to a 71-54 victory.

Dustin Clarke scored 19 points to lead the Vikings, while Tommy Spagnolo netted 17 for the visiting Huskies.

The Vikings travel to Swannanoa on Tuesday for their conference opener against the Owen Warhorses. More on these games in this week's print edition of the Avery Journal-Times.

AJ-T Sports Live From... KIDD BREWER STADIUM

We're here at a chilly Rock to bring you the NCAA FCS quarterfinal contest between ASU and Richmond. App is ranked #2 in the nation and are hosting the #7 ranked Spiders. A win for the Mountaineers advances them to the final four of FCS football where they will play the winner of the game between Northern Iowa and New Hampshire.

We'll try to keep things updated as weather and time allows. The game is being televised as part of the ESPN GamePlan package and can be found on http://www.espn360.com/ with the proper high-speed internet connection.

12:15 PM -- Appalachian took the opening kickoff but was held to three and out. The Mountaineer defense returns the favor to Richmond and receives the ball for its second drive of the game. Scoreless with 10:20 left in the first period.

12:35 PM --Big catches by Ben Jordan and Matt Cline, as well as a pair of Spider penalties set up a 2-yard TD run by Armanti Edwards to put ASU on the board. 7-0 Mountaineers with 2:58 left in the first qtr.

12:45 PM - Richmond takes its ensuing drive and marches 59 yards for a touchdown, helped by a questionable pass completion of 27 yards. Two plays later, Josh Vaughan scores on a 13-yard run. The extra point failed, leaving the Mountaineers ahead by a slim 7-6 advantage as the first period expires.

12:55 PM - Appalachian drives the ball inside the Richmond 40 with the first possession of the 2nd quarter, but a quick pass to CoCo Hillary is fumbled and the Spiders recover the ball at their own 37. A healthy dose of RB Josh Vaughn has been the Richmond game plan throughout the first half.

1:15 PM - The teams traded punts after the defenses held. Richmond used the air attack and ground game to mix up a drive inside the ASU red zone. The Black and Gold defense stiffened, however, forcing a Richmond field goal attempt. The try sailed wide right, presering the narrow 7-6 lead as snow flurries begin to fall at Kidd-Brewer.

1:30 PM - A 39-yard pass play to Brian Quick and a pass to tight end Ben Jordan moves ASU from its own 20 yard line to the Richmond 14 in just two plays. Richmond tightens the reigns on D as they stop the Apps on three straight plays to force a Mountaineer field goal attempt. The 38 yard attempt by Jason Vitaris is no good, keeping the score 7-6 at the end of the first half. Armanti Edwards is 14 of 18 passing for 175 yards for the half.

2:00 PM - Richmond takes the opening kick of the 2nd half and marches downfield with a number of key third down conversions, but can only get to the Appalachian 19 yard line before the Black and Gold hold the offense at bay. A 36-yard field goal by Andrew Howard just slips inside the left upright, giving the Spiders their first lead at 9-7 with 9:05 left in the third period. The snow continues to fall more heavily at the Rock.

2:05 PM - An Armanti Edwards pass is picked off by Richmond's Seth Williams and returned to the ASU 2 yard line. Momentum has definitely swung the way of the visitors. A second effort burst by RB Vaughan gets the Spiders in the end zone on third and goal. The Andrew Howard PAT gives the Spiders the lead 16-7 with 7:21 remaining in the third quarter.

2:30 PM - App has given up another touchdown after Edwards is picked off again by Williams, who returns the ball to the ASU 10. Richmond QB Ward runs it in from 10 yards one play later for a score. The PAT puts Richmond up 23-7 at the 5:46 mark. ASU fumbles the ensuing kickoff, but dodges a bullet after the defense holds the Spiders without a first down as Richmond kicker Howard misses a 33-yard attempt. ASU uses the momentum to drive the field. App scores quickly on a TJ Courman 4-yard TD reception. The two-point conversion is no good, but ASU cuts the deficit to 23-13 at the end of the third quarter.

2:40 PM - ASU gets the ball after a Richmond punt and drives inside Spider territory with the help of a long third down pass play, but two plays later Edwards is hit as he throws and the pass is intercepted by Richmond's Michael Ireland, killing yet another offensive series for the Black and Gold. Josh Vaughan has been strong for the Spiders today with 22 rushes for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while quarterback Eric Ward has picked up key runs during drives and has a touchdown today himself.

2:50 PM - following the Spider interception the Richmond offense moves the football to the ASU 9, but the drive stalls, so the Spiders settle for a 26-yard Howard field goal to pad the Richmond lead to 26-13 with 10:10 remaining in the contest. Stat line of the game: ASU has been held to only 28 yards rushing on 21 attempts through three quarters. despite Appalachian leading in total yardage 269-255.

2:55 PM - After the ensuing kickoff, Appalachian tries to move the ball quickly and advances it to near midfield. A long bomb pass from Edwards to Brian Quick is intercepted in the end zone by Richmond. Yet another turnover for the Black and Gold who have been killing themselves, particularly in the passing game due to being unable to run the football effectively against a stern Spider defense.

3:00 PM - Soneone told me just last evening that they were concerned that ASU did not have the fire or hunger to complete the quest for four. That omen is looking more and more to be a possibility as Richmond has taken the football from its own 20 and driven the ball inside the ASU red zone with the running game pounding the football downfield while eating precious time off the clock. A third down pass play from Ward to Kevin Grayson keeps the drive alive and moves the football to the ASU 6-yard line for a first and goal with 2:20 left.

3:05 - Josh Vaughan scores on a one-yard touchdown on fourth and goal with 1:38 left in the contest. The PAT makes the score 33-13, effectively ending the season for the Black and Gold and its quest for Four.

3:15 PM - Edwards attempts another pass toward the end zone in the final minute and Williams picks up his third interception of the game. Richmond goes on to run out the clock and pick up the win to advance to the semifinals. Final score 33-13. A great season for the Apps comes up short of its goal of a national title. Congratulations to the Black and Gold. That's it from Kidd Brewer for 2008. We'll be back in a new indoor press box in 2009! Thanks for following the Blog!

Vols Send Fulmer Out In Style

By: Matt Laws (matt.laws@averyjournal.com)
Avery Journal-Times

Knoxville, TN- For a month, Phillip Fulmer knew Saturday night would be his last game. His Tennessee Volunteer football squad made sure he went out a winner, even though he wasn’t ready to leave just yet.

"This has been a really tough year and a particularly tough month,” Coach Phillip Fulmer said. “This group of kids is special. Every group I've had for my 17 years has been special. They have their own uniqueness about them. I don't want to sit here and rattle on. We've had a great run. I wasn't really ready for it to end, but it probably ended about as well as it could. With the emotions, to get the `W,' we finished up in a really positive way.”

Tennessee used a late first half touchdown to take the lead, and never gave it up the rest of the game as they took the 28-10 victory.

Tennessee with the victory pushed their winning streak over Kentucky to 24 games, and also kept Tennessee and Ohio State to not suffer eight loss seasons in program history.

After Jonathon Crompton scored on a one yard dive with little time remaining in the first half, the Vols came out in the second half with an impressive offensive display.

On the third play of the half, Crompton hit Denarius Moore for a 63-yard touchdown pass. Later in the half, Tennessee carried the ball on every play for 80 yards until Lennon Creer ran into the end zone from five yards out.

With less than six minutes remaining in the game, Gerald Jones ran 55 yards, but stepped out on the Kentucky 1-yard line. However, Jones’ number was called a few players later as he ran into the end zone to push the UT lead to 28-3.

Crompton was 6 of 8 passing for 101 yards with one touchdown. Jones had 67 yards rushing, and one touchdown also. Creer had 24 yards and a touchdown, while safety Eric Berry averaged 8.7 yards a carry for a total of 26 yards on six carries.

For Tennessee, it was a night full of emotion as it was Senior Night in addition to being Fulmer’s last contest as coach of the Vols. Fulmer leaves the Tennessee program as the second winningest coach behind General Robert Neyland with a record of 152-52. UT won two SEC championships and the 1998 National Title under Fulmer.

Fulmer participated in the traditional Senior Day activities, and made his last trip through the famous “T” after the senior players. After the game, the players carried Fulmer into the locker room.

"I feel like that's the way a legend should go out, on top,” Volunteer Defensive End Robert Ayers said of carrying Fulmer off the field. “Coach Fulmer is a legend of college football and he is always going to be remembered at the University of Tennessee for being a great guy and a great coach."

Fulmer spent 32 of the past 38 seasons with Tennessee, and was reflective in his post game press conference.

"I've been so blessed,” Fulmer said. “There's just no way to (rank the feeling of this game). I'm sure it's going to take a few days [to sink in]; I guess my wife to kick me out of the house because I don't have anything to do now. To end up with 100 more wins than we've had losses is a really great accomplishment. I've never really brought that up, but that's not done every day. I'm grateful, very, very grateful. Things change. Times change. Sometimes life's not always the way you want it to be. I've accepted that. They've [his players] accepted that."

Tennessee Selects Kiffin to Coach Football Squad

(Courtesy of Tennessee Sports Information)
The University of Tennessee is introducing Lane Kiffin as the 21st head coach in school history during a press conference Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern time in Neyland Stadium's Wolf-Kaplan Center.

Kiffin joins the Vols as the former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and former offensive coordinator at Southern California under head coach Pete Carroll.

During his previous collegiate coaching stint with the Trojans, Kiffin demonstrated strong offensive prowess as an assistant from 2001-04. He was promoted to passing game coordinator in 2004 and served as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for 2005 and 2006. USC led the nation in offense in 2005 and in both of his years as recruiting coordinator had the best recruiting classes in the nation. Those efforts helped the Trojans to back-to-back national college football championships and produced two Heisman Trophy winners -- Matt Leinart in 2004 and Reggie Bush in 2005.

"Over the past few weeks, we have been on the road meeting with prospective coaches and talking to some of football's most influential and knowledgeable players and coaches about the future of the Tennessee football program," said UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton. "We have had unbelievable interest from great coaches. When it was all said and done, we felt like Lane Kiffin was a perfect fit for Tennessee. He's energetic, charismatic, consumed with recruiting and has had a lifelong love affair with football."

Kiffin began his coaching career at his alma mater, Fresno State, working with quarterbacks and wide receivers from 1997-98. He was an assistant at Colorado State in 1999, working with the offensive line, and made his first stop in the NFL as defensive secondary quality control coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2000.

Kiffin was a quarterback at Fresno State for three seasons (1994-96) and earned his bachelor's degree there in 1998.

A native of Bloomington, Minn., Kiffin is married to Layla Reaves Kiffin. They have two daughters: Landry (3) and Pressley (2), and are expecting a third child in January. His father, Monte, is the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The elder Kiffin, a longtime NFL and collegiate assistant coach, served as North Carolina State's head coach in the early 1980s.

Note: The Avery Journal-Times Blog will have a story from UT's victory over Kentucky available online later this week as well as more on this hire as more information is available.