Defense Dooms Avery in 11-1 Loss at Swain

BRYSON CITY - The Avery Vikings dropped an 11-1 defeat at the hands of top-ranked Swain County this evening.

At the outset, prospects looked promising for the Big Red, as first inning leadoff hitter and senior shortstop Pedro Benavides took a 3-2 pitch by Swain southpaw starter White high over the left field wall to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead. Little did the Vikings know at the time that the run would prove to be the only one they would put on the board for the evening.

Later in the first inning Avery put a runner on, but a 4-6-3 double play killed the Avery rally. Swain answered the Avery tally with four runs in the opening inning off starter Brooks Oakley. Although all nine starters for the Maroon Devils were talented seniors, with five players going on to play collegiate baseball, it was Avery errors which hurt most in the first two innings, Four gaffes contributed to keeping rallies alive as Swain put up three runs in the second frame to lead 7-1 after two innings.

A bobble and an error, as well as three well hit balls helped Swain add two insurance runs in the third. Avery meanwhile continued to hit the ball solidly, as no less than four of the team's hits in the contest would have cleared the fence at the Avery ballpark. Deep dimensions at Maroon Devils Field as well as talented outfielders turned the shots into deep flyouts.

Avery's strongest offensive threat came in the top of the fourth, as two singles and a fielder's choice left two runners on with two outs. A deep flyout to center field ended the inning. Swain rudely welcomed relief pitcher Seth Philips into his final appearance on the mound as a Viking in the bottom of the fourth as White helped his own cause with a home run over the left center field wall. The Maroon Devils added one more run in the frame to account for the final margin in the contest.

The Vikings end their season with a final record of 5-15 on the season and lose four seniors from this year's team.

Lady Vikings Softball Fall to Madison, Baseball Travels to Swain Tonight

The Avery Lady Vikings softball team fell by an 11-0 score in six innings against Madison at a windy Viking softball field Thursday afternoon.

Avery had difficulty generating offense against Madison star pitcher Laurel Gregg pitched another masterful no-hit effort, striking out 15 Lady Vikings and surrendering only a walk to Morgan Yackey, who actually reached base twice in the game as she was also hit by a Gregg pitch in her second at-bat of the contest.

Madison picked up two runs in the first inning and four in the second before Avery starter Yackey and the Lady Vikings defense held the Lady Patriots scoreless for the next two innings. Madison picked up a single run in the fifth, then put the game away with a four-run sixth inning for the win, improving the team's record to 19-1 overall, and 11-1 in conference play.

Avery finishes the regular season with five victories and will wait until Sunday or Monday to find out if they qualify for the state playoffs and what potential opponent they may face.

The Vikings baseball team travels to Bryson City where it will take on the 19-2 Swain County Maroon Devils. Swain went undefeated in Smoky Mountain Conference play to claim its league championship, and boasts a University of Tennessee recruit in southpaw pitcher Josh Allman.

“Josh isn’t an overpowering pitcher,” says Swain County coach Brandon Deitz. “He throws in the mid-80s, but he is smart pitcher. He has been trained well. He throws a lot of off speed.”

The Maroon Devils played perennial power West Henderson on Monday, and ended its conference season with a win over Murphy. The following appeared in the Smoky Mountain Times newspaper:

"West avenged an early season loss to the Devils by taking a 6-5 win. But for the Maroon Devils it was great preparation for the 1A playoffs. The game itself went nine innings before the Falcons pushed across the winning run.

Brad Roland picked up the tough luck loss, but pitched brilliantly working seven full innings. Cory Hipp hit 3-5 while Luke Burton went 2-3.Against Murphy, the Devils built a 6-2 lead and then held off a furious Bulldog rally in the seventh to take a 6-4 win.

Nick Lyons drove in a pair of runs, while Cory Hipp went 2-3 with an rbi and a run scored. Hipp added two stolen bases as well.Josh Allman picked up the win for the Devils. Allman worked out of seventh inning trouble by striking out the final batter with the bases loaded. He struck out nine while scattering six hits."

Swain is a senior-laden team that Coach Benny Wellborn knows will be a tough team to beat, especially at home. "We know we have a tough one against Swain, they're ranked number one is the state for a reason. I think if we're able to put the ball in play, we have a shot. Anything can happen in the playoffs," the coach said.

The keys to tonight's game are simple. Avery must make routine plays and not give the Maroon Devils extra outs, and will utilize its versatile pitching staff to try to keep Swain off balance. Also, the team must hit the baseball, as the Vikings are hitting under .300 as a team.

"We have cut down on some errors in the field from the beginning of the year, and as long as our bats come alive, anything can happen." First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Bryson City, and we hope to post the final score and a brief wrap-up shortly after the game (if web access makes it possible).

Women's Soccer Ends Phenomenal Season with Loss at Polk

The Avery Lady Vikings fell 5-1 to Polk County in opening round play of the NCHSAA 1A soccer playoffs.

Due to a middle school track meet at Polk, the opening kickoff of the match did not begin until after 8:30 p.m., over an hour later than the advertised start time. Avery faced difficulty even before the opening kick, as Katie Peters injured an ankle as the team warmed up on an adjacent practice field. Despite obvious discomfort and immobility, the senior captain put extra tape on the injury and played through the pain in the match.

Polk scored a pair of goals at the 16th and 18th minute, respectively to take a 2-0 lead. Avery eventually settled down, withstanding an additional barrage of corner kicks to trail by the pair of goals at halftime.

Needing momentum to carry them into a comeback, Polk was the team who stole momentum authoritatively, scoring a goal in the half's first 12 seconds to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Avery's lone goal of the match came less than two minutes later as a Mary Chesnut Smith corner kick was headed into the goal by Peters, making the score 3-1.

The Lady Wolverines netted another pair of goals for the final margin of victory, sending the disappointed Big Red into the offseason.

We'll post some coach's comments and perhaps a photo or two over the next day or so. Congratulations to the Lady Vikings for a thrilling and successful season!

Playoff News and Notes

WOMEN'S SOCCER


The Avery women's soccer team travels to Polk County this evening for the opening round of the 1A soccer playoffs. That's right, the same Polk County that the Lady Vikings traveled to Friday night, losing a narrow 1-0 match on Polk's Senior Night.


The Lady Wolverines boast six players who have scored six or more goals this season, but Avery has given the team trouble like no other squad this season, being held to only a single goal a total of 180 minutes of soccer action.


Tonight's game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. We'll have results as quickly as we can post them shortly after the match.


BASEBALL

Avery's varsity baseball team dropped a 3-0 contest yesterday in Ledger. Vikings starter Chris Childress gave up all three runs in the opening inning off a pair of bunt singles, a throwing error, and a 2-RBI single. He allowed only one additional hit over the final six innings of a complete-game effort.

The Vikings' struggles at the plate continued Tuesday night. The team's best scoring opportunity off Mitchell starter Pfouts came in the first inning when Pedro Benavides reached base, was bunted over to second and advanced to third on a groundout, only to have a strikeout strand the senior at third base.

Avery finished the regular season at 5-14 overall on the season, with a 2-10 conference mark. It was a "Good news, Bad news" scenario earlier today as the NCHSAA playoff brackets were released. The Good News... Avery qualified for the postseason as a Wild Card entrant. The Bad News?? They must face 19-1 Swain County, the top team in the Impact Baseball 1A state baseball poll, in Bryson City on Friday afternoon.
Again, we hope to post game results shortly after the game, so check the blog late Friday night or early Saturday morning for details!

Avery's junior varsity baseball team picked up a 10-9 win and season sweep yesterday over the Mitchell Mountaineers in Newland on Tuesday, and wrap up its season this afternoon with a conference make-up game at Hendersonville.

SOFTBALL:

The Lady Vikings softball team lost a heartbreaking 6-5 contest to Mitchell on Senior Day Tuesday afternoon. The game was a back-and-forth affair, as the teams traded the lead on multiple occasions.

Avery's seniors were honored during the game, and it appeared the team would provide a victory for its veteran pair of players when a two-out double by junior Samantha Shook in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Avery a 5-4 lead. Mitchell rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the fifth for what proved to be the winning runs.

Avery starter Morgan Yackey gave up only three earned runs and eight hits over seven innings of work and struck out seven Lady Mountaineers.

"The girls played hard and came back to take the lead twice during the game. We had a couple defensive mistakes that helped give them three unearned runs. I am proud of the effort and our continued abilty to compete for the entire game," Coach Merritt Yackey said after the game. "As it was senior day we recognized our two seniors, Andrea McFee and Sierra Perkins, both of whom were escorted by their parents. Hopefully we will get a bid to play in the state tournament."

Avery hosts Madison on Thursday afternoon in the team's home finale, and will then wait to see if they have earned a likely berth in this year's 1A softball playoffs.

TRACK AND FIELD

Avery boasts an array of athletes who have qualified to participate at this weekend's Western Regional Track and Field Championships at Polk County High School.

On the women's side, seven ladies will be attempting to qualify for the state meet. In women's Shot, Judi Dillashaw and Heather Carpenter have qualified, with Dillashaw also qualifying in the women's discus. Caroline Crenshaw has qualified in the women's long jump, triple jump, 100 meter hurdles, and 300 meter hurdles.

Also qualifying in the triple jump and 100 meter hurdles, as well as the high jump is Ginny Smith. Katelynn Eudy has qualified in the 100 meter dash and 400 meter dash, with Kate Griewisch and Mary Chesnut Smith qualifying in the 1600 meter and 3200 meter runs. Mary Chesnut also qualified for a third event, the 800 meter run.

On the boys side, Andrew Ingram has qualified to compete in the men's discus and long jump. Alex Brannon also qualified for the long jump, in addition to the men's 400 meter run. Chase Arrowood will compete in the men's triple jump, with Quentin Burleson competing in the men's 300 meter hurdles. Forrest Sickler and John Ray Benfield have qualified for the 800 meter run, while Kyle Griewisch and Tony Villanueva will compete in the 200 meter dash. Villanueva has also qualified and will compete in the men's 100 meter dash.

Best of luck to all of Avery's track and field athletes this weekend at Regionals!

Manis Tabbed as New Vikings Varsity Men's Basketball Coach

At Monday evening's meeting, the Avery County Board of Education announced that Bo Manis has been named the new varsity boys head basketball coach at Avery County High School.

Manis, a former Senior Bowl football honoree and Vikings basketball standout, has most recently served as head basketball coach for the junior varsity boys team at the high school.

Manis takes over for Art Williamson, who led the club for seven years before resigning as head coach following a 3-23 campaign this past season.

Yackey Tosses No-Hitter as Vikings Softball Beats Hendersonville

The Avery Lady Vikings picked up its first conference softball victory in three seasons in a 4-1 domination of Hendersonville in Newland on Monday.

Avery junior right-hander Morgan Yackey pitched masterfully in allowing no hits to the Hendersonville nine, striking out three batters with the only players reaching base via walk.

Avery scored a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. The score remained unchanged as the Lady Vikings defense made several sterling plays in both the outfield and infield. Errors doomed several contests for the Big Red throughout the season, but on this evening the team played error-free softball.

The Lady Vikings added three runs of insurance the bottom of the fifth which was more than enough run support for a dominant Yackey. Sierra Perkins doubled and scored on a fielder's choice, sliding under a tag at home plate for Avery's second run. Kaylea Davis scored on a passed ball from third base during the ensuing at-bat for a 3-0 advantage. The play moved Jessica Banner to third base, who scored on an RBI groundout from Ramona McGowan for the team's fourth and final run.

Yackey allowed a base on balls to Hendersonville in the top of the seventh, and the hitter came around to score, sliding into home plate on a passed ball on a play where the runner appeared to be tagged out. Undaunted, Yackey retired the next hitter with a line out to end the game.

"I was very proud of the girls today. This was truly a team win with every position making a defensive putout or assist. We had nine putouts, nine assists and three strikeouts, and most importantly no errors. Morgan threw her first no-hitter and was effective hitting her spots," Coach Merritt Yackey said after the win. "Offensively we hit the ball efficiently, moved runners along and showed good patience at the plate drawing six walks. This momentum should help with another conference game against Mitchell tomorrow."

The victorious Vikings doused coach Merritt Yackey with the water container in joy after the win. Avery will look to continue its winning ways on Tuesday with a Senior Day contest with Mitchell, then will take on Madison on Thursday to close the regular season.

Pair of Avery Golfers Advance to Regionals

Carter Bumgarner and Chase Watson played well enough in last week’s two-day conference tournament to qualify for the regional tournament. The regional tournament was held this past Monday in Hiawassee, GA (The host school Hayesville uses a host golf course that is two miles over the state line).

“Carter has been our point man for most of the year, and Chase came on very strong as the season progressed,” said Avery golf coach Dan Fortune. “This is a wonderful opportunity for each of these two fine young men. They’ll get to play against an entirely different level of competition, as they will be competing against 108 other individuals who also qualified from our region.”

Bumgarner, a junior, and Watson, a freshman, will both be returning next year to lead the Vikings. Coach Fortune stated that he knew Carter had it in him to possibly qualify and that it was a pleasant surprise to find Watson “bringing his game together when it mattered the most, especially as a freshman.”

Avery Drops Season Finale at Polk, Gets Rematch in Playoffs This Wednesday

On Friday evening Avery closed out its regular season in Columbus with a road test against Western Highlands Conference champions and second-ranked Polk County. As was the case in a scoreless tie in the match earlier in the season, the two squads played skilled soccer as the game was scoreless through the first 72 minutes of action.

In the 73rd minute, however, Polk County’s Kaitlin Franks squeezed a shot into the back of the net for the only goal of the match. Avery rallied frantically to net the equalizing goal, but a pair of late-game shot attempts was turned away by the Lady Wolverines to escape with the victory.

“The girls really step up to the level of their competition, and we have played Polk tougher than any team this season,” Coach Tom Evaul remarked. “We can leave here with our heads up. Our defense has been the heart and soul of our team, and they have done a fantastic job. We’re proud of the effort and our defense is a key to our game right now.”

The Lady Vikings end the regular season with a record of 14-4-2 overall, and 8-3-1 in conference play. Avery enters the 2008 state playoffs as a wild card and will have a chance for revenge against the Lady Wolverines this Wednesday afternoon.