It is a daunting task to sift through hundreds of regular season games, playoff contests, and competitions to determine the most memorable feats. Nevertheless, this first piece emphasizes a number of games that stand out from the past season.Avery v. Mitchell (Varsity Girls WHC Tournament Final) – After a drought of a dozen years, the Avery Lady Vikings finally took the proverbial monkey off the back and defeated a talented and athletic Mitchell Lady Mountaineers squad on Mitchell’s home floor in February. The overtime contest featured several memorable performances. Mitchell’s Laken Norris continued her torrid shooting season with 29 points, but Avery senior Laura Lacey rose to the occasion, highlighting a hot streak on the hardwood with 25 points to lift the Big Red to a tournament championship. The game provided momentum to both teams, as the squads each reached the regional semifinals in their respective classification’s state tournament.
Avery v. Owen (Varsity football regular season)- On a cool Homecoming evening at MacDonald Stadium, the Avery Vikings broke a lengthy losing streak to the Warhorses with an emotional 28-21 victory, Coach Darrell Brewer’s first in five tries over the rivals from Swannanoa.
A thrilling 92 yard run 'stop and go' run by RB Travis Thomas helped put Avery out in front, but Owen led the Vikings by a touchdown with under four minutes remaining.
A thrilling 92 yard run 'stop and go' run by RB Travis Thomas helped put Avery out in front, but Owen led the Vikings by a touchdown with under four minutes remaining.
A long touchdown pass from Adam Pate to Preston Jennings knotted the game and offered renewed hope. Two possessions later the Vikings blocked an Owen punt and recovered the ball on the Owen 12 yard line. Pate scrambled in on the next play for the eventual game-winning score.
Avery v. Polk (women’s soccer regular season)- In a season where both teams were consistently ranked among the state’s top teams and the squads met on three occasions, the Lady Vikings and Lady Wolverines played to a scoreless overtime tie in the team’s first showdown held at MacDonald Stadium. The Vikings handed Polk its only non-victory in an otherwise perfect conference season.
Avery v. Hendersonville (women’s softball regular season) – In the most impressive all-around performance in the past several seasons, the Avery girls softball team played flawless defense and rode the momentum of junior pitcher Morgan Yackey’s no-hit effort to a 4-1 win over conference rival Hendersonville in the final week of the regular season. The Lady Bearcats’ only run came on a walk, stolen bases, and a passed ball. The win was Avery’s first conference victory in three seasons, and the team repeated the result in the first round of the state tournament just over a week later in Hendersonville.
Avery v. Cloudland (varsity football regular season)—In the renewal of a rivalry that had stood dormant on the gridiron for 20 seasons, the Vikings and Highlanders met in Newland last August for the first AJ-T Border Battle Classic. Avery was dominant in a 35-14 win to etch its name on the trophy as the first winner. The teams meet again this August when the next chapter is written at Orr Field in Roan Mountain.
Avery at Madison (varsity baseball regular season)- On a rainy afternoon in Marshall, Avery trailed the Patriots by the score of 9-6. With two runners on and a mud-soaked batter’s box in the top of the sixth inning, Vikings catcher Zac Hall took a pitch through the raindrops and deep over the left field wall for a dramatic game-tying home run. The contest was suspended at inning’s end with the score tied at nine Avery returned to Madison the following week, scored six runs in the game’s next inning, and defeated the Patriots 15-9.
Avery at Mitchell (varsity football regular season) – The regular season finale between these two rivals provided one of the most dramatic finishes of the long and storied series. After taking an early lead, the underdog Vikings spent much of the fourth quarter trying to hold off a frantic rally by the Mountaineers, only to see Mitchell come back to take a 27-20 advantage with under six minutes remaining. Avery made a final drive downfield and scored in the game’s final minute. Travis Thomas made the three biggest runs of the game on the drive, one of which a run of 65 yards and the third run a fourth-and-goal gallop from the one yard line, fighting through tacklers to score.
After the touchdown, the Vikings decided to roll the dice and attempt a two-point conversion for the lead. Pate took a snap from the spread formation, ran right on a designed option but found daylight to his left, cutting back to race into the end zone and give the Vikings a 28-27 lead with 52 seconds left in the game.
Mitchell still had fight left as the offense took the field one final time with 45 seconds left. The offense used four effective pass plays to move to the Avery 10 yard line. After an incomplete pass toward the end zone left only 3.2 seconds on the clock, Mountaineer kicker Jesse Mimkin was called upon to attempt a game-winning field goal. Avery took a timeout to ice the kicker and set up a rush scheme which was used for the first time all season. At the snap, the Vikings brought pressure up the middle and blocked down the Mimkin kick attempt to preserve a thrilling one-point win.
