Vikings Hold Youth Football Camp

The Avery Vikings football team, in conjunction with the county Parks and Recreation Department, hosted its annual youth football camp this week at Avery County High School.

Campers learned about a variety of drills, from learning to block and proper footwork, to jumping, balancing, running and catching skills. A number of current Vikings football players and members of the Avery coaching staff have donated their time to working with the campers ranging in age from youth league through middle school age.

Check next week's edition of the Journal-Times for photos from the camp and comments from the coaching staff.

Tennessee Prep Football Changes

On Wednesday, the TSSAA voted to make the following classification changes that will take effect in 2009 (From the TSSAA Board of Control Minutes):

Voted to continue to use a multiplier of 1.8 for enrollments of private schools that participate in Division I.

In regards to football:
1. All schools play everyone in their district (AAA, AA, A).

2. Each class is divided in half by enrollment. AAA is divided into 6A/5A; AA into 4A/3A; A into 2A/1A. This will place approximately 55-65 schools in each football classification. If the number of football schools in Class A is less than 70, then the Board would determine whether Class A would be divided for playoffs or remain as one class. Using present enrollments, we would have 83 footballplaying schools in Class A.

3. In 6A, 5A, 4A, and 3A, 32 teams would qualify for the playoffs. In 2A and 1A 24 teams would qualify for the playoffs. This difference is due to the fact that there would be 41-42 schools in 2A and 1A each, with 58-62 schools in the other 4 classifications.

4. Teams would qualify for the playoffs in the following manner:
a. One half of the teams in each group (6A, 5A) in each district are automatic qualifiers Example: 4 teams - 2 automatic qualifiers; 6 teams -3 automatic qualifiers; 3 teams 1 automatic qualifier; 1 team 0 automatic qualifiers)
b. Teams finishing 1st or 2nd in the district are automatic qualifiers
c. Wild cards based on TSSAA tiebreakers
5. In 6A, there is the rare possibility that you have 25 automatic qualifiers. Districts 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 16 where there is 1 qualifier and another 6A team could finish 2nd. If this occurred in all 8 districts, you would have 33 qualifiers. In the unlikely event that this would happen, you would apply the tiebreaker criteria to those 8 teams to determine the 7 qualifiers to complete the 32-team bracket.
6. The 32 teams are then placed geographically in 4 quadrants with 8 teams in each quadrant in 6A, 5A, 4A, and 3A. In 2A and 1A there are 6 in each quadrant with the top 2 seeds drawing a bye in the first round.
7. The eight teams (6 in 2A and 1A) are placed in the bracket so that no teams from the same district play each other in the first round except when there are 5 or more teams from the same district. Placements are then done with priorities given to automatic qualifiers based on their district finish followed by Wild Cards. There may be times where teams have to be placed other than their order of district finish to avoid teams from the same district meeting in the first round.
8. The team with the higher seed will host throughout the first three rounds. In the semifinals, the top team in the bracket will host in odd years and the team in the bottom bracket will host in even years. (Exceptions: If the two teams are from the same district, the higher finishing team in district standings shall host.)
H. Directed state office to bring back plan on how the tournament format would look if you use the same plan for football for other sports (basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball).

Keep checking with the Avery Journal-Times for more information on this developing story.

Yackey named to All-Region 8 Softball Team

Avery junior softball pitcher Morgan Yackey was selected to the 1A All-Region squad by the North Carolina Softball Coaches Association.

Joining Yackey on the squad are Kayla Myers, Kristen Cook, Lauren Maennle, and Kayla Stephens (Swain County); Denise Edwards, Kayla Byrd and Nikki Williams (Polk County); Shelby Parker (Cherokee); Brittany Henry (Murphy); Summer Carringer and Megan Silvers (Robbinsville).

Yackey led the team in victories, threw a no-hitter this season, and helped lead the Lady Vikings to a 6-12 record and second round appearance in the 1A state softball playoffs.

Best of the Best: The Games

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 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.

ACHS Holds Athletics Banquet

It was an evening of celebration in Viking Gym Friday night as Avery High School honored its best and brightest students in both athletic and academic prowess.
Athletics Director Matthew Bentley was Master of Ceremonies as awards for team, individual, and coaching achievements both on the field and in the classroom were handed out at the 40th annual Avery High School Athletic Awards Banquet.

A total of 21 athletes were recognized by being named All-Conference selections in sports during the 2007-08 school year, while a number of individual athletes were recognized for other notable accomplishments during the past school year.

Those honored for individual achievements included:
Kyle Cable- WHC Basketball All-Tournament team
Jared Clark- Elite Sports Team Hawaii Baseball Selection
Caroline Crenshaw- Cross Country State Qualifier
Stephen Daniels- Elite Sports Team Hawaii Baseball Selection
Judi Dillashaw- state qualifier and earned All-State in both track and field and Indoor Track. Finished fifth in state in Shot Put, Back-to-Back State Champion in Discus Throw
Katie Ellis- WHC Basketball All-Tournament Team
Jordan English- Wrestling State Qualifier
Katelyn Eudy- Cross Country State Qualifier
Kim Gragg- Blue/White All Star Selection, Basketball
Kate Griewisch- Cross Country and Track State Qualifier, 5th in state in 3200 m Track, 6th in state in 1600 m Track, Athletic Scholarship to Lenoir-Rhyne College
Jonathan Hensley- Wrestling State Qualifier, Wrestling Regional Champion and 2nd in State, Wrestling All-State
Teddy Jablonski- Cross Country State Qualifier
Preston Jennings-Athletic Scholarship to Emory & Henry College
Laura Lacey- WHC Basketball All-Tournament Team and Conference Tournament MVP
Anna Melton- Tennis State Qualifier
Hayley Pyatte- WHC Basketball All-Tournament Team
Katie Peters- Soccer All-State
Trevor Shields- Athletic Scholarship to Mars Hill College
Ginny Smith- Track and Indoor Track State Qualifier, 8th in state in Indoor Track High Jump, 2nd in state in Outdoor Track High Jump, Athletic Scholarship to Mars Hill College
Mary Chesnut Smith- Cross Country and Track State Qualifier, 4th in state in 800 m Track, 4th in state in 1600 m Track, 10th in state in Cross Country
Morgan Yackey- Softball No-Hitter

Several additional special awards were doled out at the ceremony on Friday evening. The Assistant Coach of the Year Award was given to Pat Daniels for his time and dedication to a number of Vikings sports programs. The Avery County Head Coach of the Year honor was awarded to Missy Lyons for the tremendous season her varsity girls basketball team enjoyed in 2007-08, resulting in a conference tournament title and berth in the 1A Western Regional Tournament.

The Avery High Booster Club awarded its annual scholarships to two worthy persons in seniors Andrea McFee and Jonathan Hensley.
Avery High’s Roger Wise presented this year’s Sportsmanship Awards to seniors Kate Griewisch and Preston Jennings for their displays of exemplary sportsmanship both on and off the field.

Scholar-Athletes of the Year were awarded by Avery High School Principal Mark Garrett to Viking seniors Kate Griewisch and Lucas Carver for their merit in the classroom while also excelling in the athletic arena.

The final individual awards of the evening were the Avery Athletes of the Year. Katie Peters was the female recipient of the award, while the male award went to Jonathan Hensley.

Earlier in the ceremony Avery High recognized several individuals for their unique service and contributions to Avery athletics, including Susan Hawkins for her work and support as Avery’s athletic trainer, and Bill “Buster” Dellinger with the Loyal Viking Award for his numerous years as video recorder for numerous varsity sports. Head coaches Art Williamson and Libby Wit were also presented with Viking Service Awards in appreciation for their time and dedicated service to Avery athletics programs.

While numerous sports accolades were lauded for the 2007-08 school year, Avery students were also outstanding in the classroom setting. In addition to the aforementioned scholar-athlete awards, a total of nine teams (women’s track, women’s tennis, women’s soccer, softball, men’s soccer, cross country, volleyball, and women’s basketball) were recognized for their academic excellence, honored by being named North Carolina High School Athletic Association Scholar Athlete Team Award winners.

The women’s track team was singled out by the NCHSAA as the overall Scholar Athlete Team Award winner in its sport with the highest cumulative grade point average among all teams in the state of North Carolina. The team’s award was recognized at the NCHSAA’s annual meeting in Chapel Hill back on May 1st.

As well, the NCHSAA recognized at its annual meeting Vikings women’s soccer head coach Tom Evaul with the Toby Webb Coach of the Year Award for his storied career and contributions to high school athletics in North Carolina. Both honors were noted and recognized at Friday’s awards banquet.

An impressive total of 79 athletes were named Western Highlands Academic All-Conference, which demands a student maintain a 3.25 or higher overall grade point average, with 58 athletes earning NCHSAA Scholar Athlete Awards, where athletes must maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA.