Vikings Shut Out By Cougars 42-0 in Burnsville Friday Night

The Avery Vikings fell to 2-8, 1-4 in conference play in a 42-0 loss to the Mountain Heritage Cougars on Friday night. The Vikings could only muster 56 yards of total offense while the Cougars racked up 610 yards, 563 of them on the ground.

Heritage running back Jesse Ballew ran for 247 yards on 22 carries and scored four times in only two quarters of action. Ethan Sluder led Avery with 22 yards rushing.

A full recap can be found in this week's edition of the Journal-Times, with a full story also here on the Blog!

AJ-T Sports Blog: LIVE FROM...Meares Stadium

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon for football, the Mars Hill College Lions host Senior Day for its home finale against the Pioneers of Tusculum College. Both teams enter today's game with identical 6-3 overall record and 3-2 records in South Atlantic Conference play.

Today is the final home game for former Avery Viking standout and current Lions quarterback Ricky Spradling (son of Stan and Marty Spradling of Roan Mountain), as well as 17 other seniors for the Mars Hill ballclub. Ricky is 91 for 178 overall with 1,607 yards on the season with 13 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Also playing today will be redshirt sophomore Zach Johnson, who leads the Lions with 78 tackles, in addition to three sacks and an interception this season.

Mars Hill leads the overall series 14-8-2, but lost the last two contests to the Pioneers by a score of 15-12 a season ago and 24-17 in 2006.

A number of local Avery representatives are in attendance at today's game, including Avery Vikings head football coach Darrell Brewer and head baseball coach Benny Wellborn. Also in attendance today is Appalachian State junior wide receiver Josh Johnson, whose team is fresh off last evening's shellacking of the Wofford Terriers.

We'll be here all afternoon with updates on today's game, as well as photos, details, and commentary.

1:35 PM: Tusculum is on the board with a 53-yard touchdown run by quarterback Corey Russell on the third play of the game. The PAT is no good, but the Pioneers take the early 6-0 lead.

1:45 PM: Mars Hill was forced into a three-and-out and punted on its first drive. Zach Johnson makes a sack on the ensuing Tusculum drive, but the Pioneers get back on the board again with a quick scoring drive. A five play, 68 yard drive results in a touchdown pass from Russell to wide receiver Jarrell NeSmith. The extra point gives the Pioneers a 13-0 advantage at the 10:20 mark of the opening period.

Mars Hill was unable to move the football with its second possession, but a personal foul roughing the punter penalty resulted in a Lions first down. Mars Hill could not move the ball further however, forcing another Lions punt with 5:30 left in the opening period and the Pioneers up by a baker's dozen.

2:00 PM Tusculum is held for the first time today by the Lions defense to get the football back via punt. Mars Hill moves downfield, as Spradling becomes a pass receiver on a throwback pass from receiver McDowell to Ricky for a 17-yard gain. The Lions cap the drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Spradling to receiver Tyrea Allen. The PAT by Pinkerton is good, cutting the Tusculum lead to 13-7 at the conclusion of the first quarter of action.

2:20 PM -- Tusculum punted the ball back away to the Lions, who have driven to the Pioneers 25-yard line. Once down 13 points early, Mars Hill has made a fast comeback as Spradling just fired a 25 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Brown. The Pinkerton PAT gives the Lions the lead at 14-13 with 9:34 left in the opening half.

Tusculum doesn't waste time in answering the Lions score. A 21 yard touchdown pass from Russell to WR Calvin Britt caps off a 5-play, 55 yard scoring drive, helping the Pioneers regain the lead at 20-14 with 7:56 left in the half.

2:35 PM - Mars Hill drove to the Tusculum 26, but a fourth down pass into the end zone by Spradling to Allen was incomplete. The Mars Hill crowd, coaches, and players contended for a pass interference penalty against the Pioneers DB, but no flag was thrown, giving possession to the Pioneers with four minutes left before halftime.

Tusculum takes advantage of the opportunity with a 67 yard touchdown pass from Russell to wide receiver Nate Binder. The point after try is good, and the Pioneers extend their lead to 27-14 with 2:30 left before halftime.

2:50 PM - The Lions take the ensuing drive into Tusculum territory, but the drive stalls, forcing the Lions into fourth down. Tusculum takes a time out to ensure they get the ball back with a little over a minute remaining on the clock. A great punt pins back the Pioneers at their own 3 yard line with 1:18 left before intermission. Tusculum decides to kneel on the football with the poor field position, protecting its 27-14 lead going into halftime.

Halftime stats:

Ricky Spradling -- 8 for 17, 121 yards, 2 TD
Zach Johnson - 3 tackles and a sack

Tusculum leads 27-14 at the half. Back for second half action in a bit!


3:15 PM - Mars Hill takes the second half kickoff and drives inside Pioneers territory. Spradling rushed for 24 yards on the drive which culminated with a two yard plunge by fullback Elroy Harris at the 9:09 mark of the third period. The successful PAT cut the lead to 27-21 Tusculum in the third quarter.

Tusculum drove with the ensuing drive but was held to a field goal attempt by the Lions "D". The field goal attempt by Tusculum was wide left, keeping the lead only at six points at 27-21 at the six minute mark of the third.

3:55 PM - Mars Hill moved the football to near midfield but was forced to punt. The Tusculum defense made a big play as Tagon Richard blocked the Mars Hill punt attempt at the Lions 31 yard line. Tusculum drives to the 22 yard line and face a 2nd and 7 at the end of the third quarter. Tusculum leads 27-21 after three complete.

4:00 PM - Lots of action has ensued as the fourth quarter begins. A Tusculum pass play was intercepted by Deshun Nesbitt in the end zone to prevent a Pioneer score. Mars Hill fumbled the football back to the Pioneers only two plays into the subsequent possession. Tusculum capitalized as Russell found wide receiver NeSmith for a 10-yard touchdown pass. The PAT failed, leaving the Pioneers ahead 33-21 with 12:00 remaining.

Mars Hill moves the football following the touchdown with the help of a pass interference as well as a personal foul penalty assessed against Tusculum. A pitch play to Tyrea Allen is good enough for a three yard touchdown run, drawing the Lions back to within single digits. The PAT is good, making the score 33-28 with 7:02 left in the game.

On the ensuing kickoff the Lions forced a fumble by the ball returner. The Lions' Jermaine Johnson recovered the fumble to give Mars Hill the ball at the Pioneers 20 yard line. Big break for the Lions. Mars Hill is unable to advance the football on its first three plays and are faced with a fourth and nine call from the 20 yard line. The Lions appear set to go for it on fourth down, but call a timeout to talk it over. Mars Hill trails 33-28 with 5:20 to go.

Jeremy Thompson intercepts Spradling's pass near the end zone and returns it to the 27 yard line. Tusculum makes the defensive play of the game thus far to preserve its lead. Mars Hill is out of timeouts and Tusculum looks to run out the clock. The team picks up a first down on a QB sneak by Russell and continue to churn out yardage. Russell sneaks for a second first down, which effectively will allow the Pioneers to run out the clock and take a hard fought win over Mars Hill by the final score of 33-28.

Ricky Spradling was 12 of 27 for 157 yards and two touchdowns and one interception for the contest. Zach Johnson finished the contest with a team-high 7 tackles.

Thanks for following the Blog for this afternoon's game.

LIVE FROM "THE ROCK" ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT

(We are having some technical issues tonight. To see current updates, please click on this post's title.)

6:30: Happy Halloween to everyone out there. We are live at Kidd Brewer Stadium for tonight's NATIONALLY televised SoCon showdown between the #3 nationally ranked Wofford Terriers and the #2 nationally ranked Appalachian State Mountaineers. Why wait for Texas-Texas Tech tomorrow when you have a special Halloween treat tonight on ESPN2 (8:00pm kickoff)? Kidd Brewer has a special atmosphere that probably can not be found anywhere else. Throw in that it is Halloween Night, and you have the recipe for a night like any other. Of course, we will have updates throughout the game (at a reduced rate however), and will even update the Avery game when possible. We will be updating less than normal so that we can give you a full taste of the game atmosphere in pictures and words, as well as a full game recap found only on the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog! (Graphic courtesy of GoASU.com)

6:45: Some quick game notes. The winner of this contest will have the advantage in the SoCon race. Former Watuaga running back Eric Breitenstein returns home to Boone in a Wofford Terrier uniform after graduating last year. Outside "The Rock," there is treat-treating for the kids. This place is rocking. Stay tuned for the game!

7:30: We are 30 minutes to kick off, and what a game atmosphere we are going to have. It's a beautiful night for football. I just came from the field, and it is wild seeing Elvis, a football playing gorilla, the Heisman trophy, and Fred Flintstone among others together in the stands. If you can imagine it as a costume, someone here has it. This is a must watch game if you can not be here. (The Avery game has just kicked off).

8:30: What a game so far. I mentioned Texas-Texas Tech, and this game has been wild. App leads 21-14 with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter. The Mountaineers have just intercepted the Terriers. Both teams have marched up and down the field. This game may come down to who has the ball last.

8:41: END OF THE FIRST App 21, Wofford 14. Mountaineers driving.(Avery trails Mountain Heritage 35-0 at the half)

8:48:Quick Update: 13:08 App scores again as they take a 28-14 lead. Through one quarter of play Armanti Edwards already has 150 yards passing and was 7 of 8.

9:30: Well, I might have spoke too soon about how it might come down to the team with the ball last. The Mountaineers defense has stepped up and the offense led by Armanti Edwards has jumped into control. Edwards is putting on a "frightening" performance as he is12 of 13 for 233 yards and has 3 passing touchdowns. Edwards has also rushed for 57 yards and an additional touchdown. Avery County's Josh Johnson has 2 catches for 18 yards. The atmosphere here at "The Rock" has turned into an all out party as the Marching Mountaineers are doing a special Halloween dance on the field.

9:46: High school update: Avery trails 42 to 0 with a little over 2 minutes left in the game. Cloudland has learned they will have to travel to Oneida next week for the first round of playoffs. The second half of our Halloween special is about to begin.

10:00: The Terriers drive and the Mountaineers taketh away. Mark LeGree intercepts a Terrier pass on the App five yard line. In return, the Apps are driving behind Edwards' arm.

11:00: WOW! The Mountaineers have hit 70 points to the crowd's delight as 1:34 remains as DeAndre Pressly flips over defenders into the endzone after a fumble recovery. Unless, Wofford can get something going we are done. The crowd is beginning to file out of KBS as the Mountaineers put on a dominating performance on Halloween night that should scare any team that is to face them. This is the best App has looked all year, and they did that in front of a record crowd of 30,000 and some, plus the national tv audience. It's great to be a Mountaineer tonight. Thanks for spending your Halloween with us, and hope you enjoyed. There will be more pics online sometime tonight or tomorrow.

(Avery falls 42-0 tonight)

Interview with Avery head coach Darrell Brewer re: Mountain Heritage game

Click the post title above for audio of this week's coach's interview between "Voice of the Vikings" Jamie Shell and Avery Vikings head football coach Darrell Brewer regarding tonight's matchup between Avery and Mountain Heritage.

No. 2 ASU Set to Battle No. 3 Wofford on ESPN2 Friday night

Courtesy Appalachian Sports Information

In what might be the biggest regular-season game in Southern Conference history, No. 2 Appalachian State University (6-2, 4-0 SoCon) hosts No. 3 Wofford (6-1, 4-0 SoCon) in a nationally televised battle on Friday evening at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

ESPN2 is broadcasting Friday’s game to a potential audience of over 93 million households. It marks only the second time that The Rock has hosted a regular-season matchup on one of the ESPN family’s top two networks (ESPN or ESPN2) . The first came on Sept. 22, 1979, when Appalachian defeated visiting Western Carolina, 35-27, in just the second game ever broadcast by the fledgling ESPN.

The national audience is in store for one of the nation's top NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision — formerly Division I-AA) matchups of the year, as Friday’s contest marks only the second time since 1982 (when the conference joined the I-AA/FCS ranks) that two teams with unblemished SoCon records have squared off with four or fewer weeks remaining in the regular season.

NOTING FRIDAY'S MATCHUP:• ASU looks to exact revenge from last season’s 42-31 setback at Wofford, which snapped the Mountaineers’ Division I-best 17-game winning streak. • The Apps and Terriers went on to share the 2007 SoCon championship. Wofford claimed the league’s automatic postseason berth by virtue of its win over ASU, but ASU claimed the ultimate prize by winning its third-straight NCAA Division I national championship. • For the first time in 10 seasons, Appalachian readies for a regular-season matchup of top-three teams. The last time ASU played in a regular-season game that featured both teams ranked among the nation’s top three was 1998, when No. 2 Georgia Southern beat the Mountaineers, 37-24.

For only the second time in the I-AA/FCS era of the Southern Conference (1982-), two teams that are undefeated in conference play are squaring off with four weeks or less left to play in the regular season. Friday’s matchup pits two of the nation’s top offenses. Appalachian’s spread attack averages 244.4 rushing yards, 443.5 total yards and 36.8 points per game, good for sixth, seventh and ninth nationally, respectively. But ASU ranks second in the SoCon in all three categories behind Wofford, which produces 348.9 rushing yards, 480.4 total yards and 40.4 points per game with its wingbone scheme.

Two of the winningest coaches in SoCon history will match wits in Friday’s game. Appalachian’s Jerry Moore, the winningest coach in SoCon history, became only the third active FCS coach with 200 career victories with last week’s triumph over Furman. Wofford’s Mike Ayers is the SoCon’s third-winningest coach ever and ranks 10th among active FCS mentors with 149 wins in his 24 seasons as a head coach.

Highlander Gameday: Thursday Night Treat

The Highlanders travel to Hampton tonight for a showdown with their rival Bulldogs. These two neighbors will leave it all on the field as Cloudland tries to avenge last season's loss at Orr Field. Both teams are coming off heartbreaking losses last weekend, and a win will be a morale boost as the TSSAA playoffs starts next week. When these two rivals take the field, you can throw out the records, because both teams will be giving all that they have. For three hours, it is an intense hard hitting affair, and there is no place better to be for fans of these two teams.

Thursday’s game has major playoff implications for the 'Landers. If the 'Landers defeat the Bulldogs, they will take the third seed, while a loss will place the 'Landers in the fourth seed. Cloudland will face either Oneida or Greenback in the first round of the playoffs. Oneida and Greenback square off this week to decide their conference championship as both teams currently sit with a perfect 9-0 record.

Kickoff is set for Thursday night in Hampton at 7:30pm.

Former Avery Standout Griewisch named SAC Freshman of the Year, Condrey Named Second Team All-Conference

Former Avery High School cross country and soccer standout and current Lenoir Rhyne College runner Kate Griewisch has been named 2008 South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year.

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Women’s Cross Country Team won its first-ever Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Championship Saturday morning at Crooked Creek Park. The Bears won by a score of 32, a 31 point victory over second-place Wingate (63).

The L-R men’s team finished third (84 pts.) in their race behind Mars Hill (31) and Wingate (50), their highest finish since 2006. The Lenoir-Rhyne women were led by South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year Grieswisch as she finished second overall with a time of 19:14 over the 5K course.

The second-place finish placed Grieswisch on the All-SAC First Team as well. Joining Grieswisch were seniors Gennilee Eisenmann (Clayton, N.C./Clayton HS), who finished fourth (19:37), and freshman Tiffany Payne (Painted Post, N.Y./Corning West HS) with a seventh-place finish (20:02).

Former Lady Viking cross country runner Ashley Condrey, (runner pictured on far right) runs for Wingate University and was named to the SAC All-Conference Second Team.

Congratulations to both ladies on their success at the college level!

Cranberry Wildcats 5th and 6th Grade Complete Successful Season

The Cranberry Wildcats 5th and 6th grade football team had a highly successful season. They made the championship game in their league and came home with the 2nd Place trophy against West Madison.

The parents of the Wildcats would like to say 'thank you' to Coach John Phillips and Coach Daniel Pritchard for all your hard work and dedication to our team.

The 2008 Cranberry Wildcats 5th and 6th Grade Football Team

Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer Comments

(Courtesy of UTSports.com)
Below are comments made to the media by Volunteer Coach Phillip Fulmer at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

"In my time as an athlete, an assistant coach and a head coach, I have really preferred to focus on our objectives and goals rather than the obstacles that we have to overcome. In other words, attacking things with a positive attitude and getting things accomplished. I'm really proud of our team as they've continued to fight and play hard and work hard to overcome the struggles that we're having at some positions. I still think that's the right attitude to take, that we are focusing on our objectives and not the obstacles. I think that changes your perspective on life and your perspective on your team and your demeanor as you approach things. I'm not going to let that happen to myself or my staff or my football team. I appreciate the way they continue to fight through this down time that we're having right now.

"Obviously, a catch for our team and particularly our offensive team is still trying to find that consistency. That's been our biggest hurdle along the way. There were plenty of opportunities along the way in the last ballgame to go in ahead at halftime with a great effort by our defense and coverage teams knocking the ball loose and blocking a punt. Usually, in that magnitude of a football game, that's enough to give you an edge to win the game. We weren't able to take advantage of that. We have taken some steps in the right direction offensively in the fact that we're not turning the football over. We are making some plays along the way that are more effective than we were previously. We still have a lot to do to get where we want to be. I keep waiting for us to have that breakout football game and this is a heck of a good time to have that happen for us.

"On third down, we came up three times with third-and-a-yard or third-and-a-half-yard or something like that in a tough, defensive struggle where you don't want to put your defense at a disadvantage. If you just run a route or fall forward better, then that's three right there that are entirely different looking.

"Running the football has been more difficult mostly because we haven't earned anybody's respect in the passing game. As soon as we can make them be concerned about having extra people defend the run, then the better off we're going to be. We're playing with personnel groupings and formations and all kinds of different ideas and schemes to try and get the running game going because it is extremely important that we do that.

"The penalty situation killed us in our last ball game after being penalty-free the week before. I cannot tell you how frustrating that is, not just to me or the fans but to the football team. It's not one position or one person; it's different things at different times. The bottom line is that comes back to me getting that done with the coaches.

"Obviously, we've got to score touchdowns when we get down there close and not kick field goals or miss field goals. I know that's been frustrating for everybody concerned.

"I realize that right now we're fighting for an opportunity to finish with seven wins for the season. That's certainly not where we want to be by any stretch of the imagination, but on Sunday night one thing I talked to the team about-even though we're not going to be SEC champions or SEC East champions-is having the heart of a champion and continuing to work and compete and be more efficient to get to where we want to be.

"South Carolina is a very fine football team, particularly on the defensive side. That doesn't need to be talked about a lot. You can look on the stat sheets and see they're leading the conference in almost all of the categories. They're a very good defensive team with a lot of good players up front. The linebackers as a pair may be the best that we have played against this year. The secondary is mature and has been around awhile with a lot of playmakers.

"Offensively, they have had their struggles as we have from time to time running the football. They have a good passing attack. The quarterbacks, regardless of which one plays, they've both been efficient with what they do. They have good receivers.

"We're going back to work today and I'm expecting a great look in our guys' eyes."

Mars Hill's Galbraith named D2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Week; Lions to Face Tusculum this Saturday in Hime Finale

From Mars Hill College Sports Information:

Mars Hill junior linebacker Stan Galbraith has been selected as the D2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Lenoir-Rhyne College. Mars Hill came from behind to win the contest in Hickory, N.C., 37-24.

Galbraith, a 5-11, 210-pound junior from Birmingham, Ala., led the Mars Hill defense by recovering three fumbles in the Lion's 37-24 come-from-behind win at Lenoir-Rhyne. Two of those fumble recoveries led to MHC touchdowns. One of those recoveries came in the third quarter to put the Lions up 20-17. His other recovery came in the early moments of the fourth quarter, leading to a TD to put MHC up by two scores (34-24). The Homewood High School graduate also posted eight tackles, including a pair of solo hits.

Mars Hill College senior quarterback and former Avery High standout Ricky Spradling (91-for-178, 1,607 yards, 13 TD, 8 interceptions) will be playing in the final home game of his college career this Saturday at Meares Stadium against Tusculum College. Kickoff time is set for 1:30 p.m. He, Mars Hill teammate and former Avery all-conference performer Zach Johnson (
78 tackles, 48 solo, 8 TFL, 3 sack, 1 interception, 2 PBU, 2 hurries, 1 FF), and the rest of the Lions are 6-3 on the season and will take on a Pioneers team with an identical 6-3 record overall on the season.

The AJ-T Sports Blog will be providing live coverage of Saturday afternoon's contest, so be sure to check here Saturday for updates.

Vikings Travel to Cougar Den for Showdown with Mountain Heritage

This week the Avery Vikings (2-7, 1-3 WHC) look to make it two straight conference wins when they travel to Briggs Stadium in Burnsville on Halloween night to tangle with Mountain Heritage.

The Cougars (7-2, 3-1 WHC) defeated Mitchell 21-6 in a Saturday matchup which was delayed due to heavy rain last Friday. Avery and Madison got their game in despite the rain last week, with Avery winning 22-14. A season ago the Vikings were victorious over the Cougars 21-20 in Newland.

Scouting the Cougars:
Mountain Heritage is coached by sixth year veteran head coach Joey Robinson and lost only two starters from a team that finished 4-8 in 2007. Just two seasons ago, the Cougars were winless at 0-11 and have orchestrated a great reversal of fortune.

Approximately two thirds of the Cougars roster are seniors, as the team employs a spread offense with Wing T variations, using receivers to spread the field and open running lanes for the Heritage backfield.

The Cougars offense is fired by senior quarterback Kirk Burnette, who threw for almost 1,300
yards in 2007 and connected on over 60 percent of his passes. Heritage also employs misdirection on offense, with its greatest weapon being the legs of running back Jesse Ballew, a 5’9” speedy runner who is very elusive and has gained 1,246 yards with 12 touchdowns this year.

Casey Randolph, the leading rusher for the Cougars last season, is a junior who is a quick change of pace back who fits well in the misdirection scheme that Heritage runs. Senior wide receiver Dylan McMahan (6’1”, 170 lb.) caught seven touchdowns last season, and caught a score last week against the Mountaineers.

Senior offensive lineman Zach Howell is a three-year starter and All-Western North Carolina performer. Howell is “a phenomenal athlete who moves incredibly,” Coach Robinson told a preseason publication. Howell possesses deceptive speed, as he can run a 5.0in the 40-yard dash.

The multiple defensive front is led by junior linebacker Kyle Barrus (5’11”, 210 lbs.) senior Jake Fox (5’10”, 200 lbs.), and 6’2” senior Thomas Burleson.

The Low Down:
The Avery defense will be greatly tested by a strong Cougars running game. The Mountain Heritage offensive line is a veteran group that can match size with the Avery front line.

For Avery to be successful Friday night, the team will need to take care of the football as it did last Friday against Madison, and the Vikings must account for and contain Ballew as well as any team has all season.

Last week, Avery quarterback Adam Pate showed no effects from the hamstring injury which limited him the past several weeks. Pate can be the difference-maker for the Big Red if the game is tight in the fourth quarter.

Look for the Vikings to attempt to shorten the game as much as possible, working to find continued success in the ground game that it leaned upon for victory against the Patriots in the rain last week.

By the Numbers:
0- wins by Mountain Heritage over Avery since the turn of the century.
2- fourth down conversions by Avery in three attempts in last week’s win.
3 – touchdowns rushing by Adam Pate in last week’s victory over Madison.
7 – touchdown passes by Cougars quarterback Kirk Burnette this season.
17 – points per game allowed by the Cougars defense in conference games this season.
198- yards rushing by Jesse Ballew in Saturday’s 20-6 victory over Mitchell.
203-rushing yards by Avery in last week’s win over Madison.

Local Youth Football Caps Successful Season with Tri-County Bowls

Avery County’s fall youth football program fielded a number of teams in Tri-County Bowl playoff championship action this weekend in both Mitchell and Avery Counties.

A number of teams in both the Pee Wee (3rd and 4th grade), as well as the 5th and 6th grade league participated in championship games for both trophies and bragging rights to wrap up the 2008 campaign.

In third and fourth grade action, six total teams from Yancey and Mitchell Counties made the trip to MacDonald Stadium for bowl action. In Pee Wee action, the Riverside team took second place as a team from Cane River was victorious in a hard-fought championship contest. In a second Pee Wee gridiron battle, Freedom Trail finished as runners-up to the Screaming Eagles from Harris in Mitchell County.

In other third and fourth grade action, Madison West tangled with a Mitchell County team, with Madison winning by a 33-0 final score. Avery also hosted a 5th and 6th grade tussle between the Bowman Bulldogs and East Yancey, with the East club coming away with a championship win.

Multiple Avery fifth and sixth grade teams won championships on Saturday, but the victories took place on the road in Mitchell County. The Newland fifth and sixth grade club defeated the Mounties for a Tri-County win, while Cranberry defeated West Madison’s fifth and sixth grade team by a 6-0 final score. Avery also fielded a Pee Wee league team from Crossnore/Newland which played hard but was unable to capture the road victory.

“All around, we had a good season. Most of our teams went into the games in first or second place for the season heading into Tri-County games, with many of our teams having great seasons,” long-time Avery Youth League President Sammy Cope said following the weekend’s playoff action. “The other counties we played against had drafts for their teams and always seem to be competitive, especially the teams in Madison County. We plan to start doing a draft next season, but in spite of their drafts and their talent, we played on the road against those teams and found we often came back with wins.”

At halftime ceremonies during Friday’s Avery High School home football game, league sportsmanship awards were given to two squads, the Cranberry team in fifth and sixth grade, and Riverside in the third and fourth grade division. Coaches as well as league referees and officials work together to decide the winning teams each season.

“The awards are given to those teams who tend to give the least amount of trouble to officials during the season, and the referees and those on the field help us greatly in deciding who wins those awards,” Cope added.

Prior to the weekend’s games, teams competed in regular season league play, with a total of six teams winning conference titles. At the fifth and sixth grade level, the Newland/Crossnore combined team won with a 3-3 record in conference, with Cranberry capturing high honors in its league with a 4-2 mark. “Both teams were really competitive and had really good coaches work with them,” Cope added.

In third and fourth grade leagues, coach John Hicks and his Freedom Trail team won its league with a 4-2 overall record, as the Crossnore squad finished with a 3-3 record in conference play for high league honors.

The future of football in Avery County appears bright as young players taste success at the youth league level and are taught well the fundamentals of the game of football.

“With the coaching crews we have, our kids are learning so much. The talent of these players will show as we see the kids move up to the 7th and 8th grade level next year,” Cope added. “We have some really good talent in the leagues, and there are good players moving up as long as they continue to play.”

The youth league is made possible by the cooperation of a number of individuals and groups, including the county’s Parks and Recreation office and those who have helped it through the years.

“The county has really helped us out a lot this year in helping us with buying equipment, and I’d like to thank Robbie Willis with the Parks and Recreation Department who has been so helpful in us getting the equipment this year,” Cope stressed. “I also appreciate our officials who have helped us this year. Jeff and Teddy Bare, as well as Kris and Thadd Vance did a good job, and I look forward to being part of the league in the years to come.”

Vikings Run at Regionals, Smith Qualifies for State Competition

This past weekend, the Avery cross country team traveled to Jackson Park in Hendersonville for the 2008 NCHSAA 1A West Regional Championships.

In men’s competition Avery did not have enough competitors to qualify for team scores. However, Avery’s Jose Munoz ran a personal best in the 5K event, finishing with a time of 21:00.3.

In girls competition, Avery sophomore Mary Chesnut Smith proved again to be one of the strongest runners at the high school level in the Western region, finishing in fifth place overall in the 5K run with a time of 20:58.0, a full 30 seconds ahead of the sixth place finisher. Other Lady Vikings competing in the 5K (times in parentheses) included Caroline Crenshaw (23:55.2), Elyse Perry (25:12.8), Taylor Lacey (26:58.9), Katelynn Eudy (26:59.4), and Deborah Anderson (29:15.4). Teammate Teddi Jablonski was unable to compete at the meet due to illness.

Ladies finishing in the top ten overall spots at the event earned All-Regional honors. The runners (schools in parentheses) earning All-Regional accolades include Kristen Stout (Hendersonville). Faith Trammell (Robbinsville), Tracy Trammell (Robbinsville), Brittney Chastain (Hayesville), Mary Chesnut Smith (Avery), Janet Anderson (Hayesville), Hillary Long (Hayesville), Ana Unda (Hendersonville), Emily Craven (Murphy), and Ana Reyes (Hendersonville).

Runners who qualified for state competition include Avery’s Smith, Jessica Viscusi, Rebecca Hawken, and Meghan Gilchrist (each from Swain County), Cabot Lee Petoia of Polk County, as well as Alyssa Chet, Lilly Rolfe, and Crystal Manning from Hendersonville High School.State championships take place at Tanglewood Park in Winston-Salem on Saturday, November 1st.

Fort Lewis and Appalachian State Take Home Collegiate Mountain Bike Titles

Fort Lewis College narrowly surpassed host Lees-McRae College to win the Division I team omnium competition at the 2008 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships. Even fewer points separated Division II champions Appalachian State University and second-place Colorado School of Mines. The top individual scorers in both endurance and gravity events were also awarded individual omnium crowns following Sunday’s dual slalom contests.

Fort Lewis College used a strong showing by its women in the final contest of the competition, the dual slalom, to leapfrog host Lees-McRae College and take home the DI team overall championship by 20 points, 698 – 678. The University of Colorado-Boulder was within striking distance, but had to settle for third while Lindsey Wilson College and the University of Vermont rounded out the top five.

“We had a lot of great individual performances with some tragedies and some victories we didn’t expect,” said Lees-McRae head coach Brian Sheedy. “I am very proud of the whole team. Not only was our overall performance better than we’ve ever had in the past against perhaps the strongest team Fort Lewis has ever had, but the team rooted, cheered and supported each other throughout the entire three-day event. Although the weather could have been better, it was workable. In fact, especially with the talented and skilled riders competing, the mud added some excitement to the short track races. On Sunday, the Dual Slalom course recovered well, allowing for a fantastic day of competition, capping off a successful three days of championship events.”

The DII team race was even closer with nearby Appalachian State University edging last year’s champion, the Colorado School of Mines, 585 – 575. Evenly dispersed talent was on display in DII with the top five schools finishing within 100 points.


The individual omnium crowns are awarded to the top collegiate mountain bikers who competed in both an endurance and gravity event. Eli Krahenbuhl of the University of Wyoming took home the men’s individual omnium crown in DI with top finishes in all four of the weekend’s races. His 272 points narrowly edged Scott Stewart of Lees-McRae who finished second amongst the weekend’s most hotly contested division.

Winning a pair of national titles on the weekend and finishing in the top five of three of the four events, Carla Swart (Lees-McRae College) racked up 494 points only to narrowly defeat a talented DI women’s field, which included Eszter Horanyi (University of Colorado-Boulder), Sage Wilderman (Fort Lewis College) and Jamie Dinkins (University of Tennessee-Chattanooga).

In DII Zach Winn of Union College earned a commanding win in the men’s omnium title after several national title near misses. The DII women’s race was the closest of the day with officials forced to exercise five tie-breakers before Johanna Tuttle (Brevard College) was awarded the title over Rebecca Tomaszewski (Appalachian State University).

The final event of the competition crowned four national champions on Lees-McRae’s dual slalom course on Sunday morning. Weston Pope (Lindsey Wilson College), Chloe Jackson (Lees-McRae College), Deider Barrick (Colorado School of Mines) and Johanna Tuttle (Brevard College) were all donned in the Stars and Stripes after winning their respective division’s head-to-head tournament. The spectator-friendly .4-mile course on the school’s campus provided an exciting finish to an intense weekend of racing.

Complete final results from this weekend’s races can be found on USA Cycling’s official website at www.USACycling.org

Vikings Overcome Elements, Patriots for Second Win of 2008

The Avery Vikings used three Adam Pate touchdowns and a strong defensive performance that forced a pair of turnovers in defeating the Madison Patriots 22-14 on a cold and wet night for football at MacDonald Stadium.

Avery got on the board first after a huge special teams play. A snap over the head of Madison punter Blake Moore resulted in a quick kick which was blocked by Avery's Zac Hall. The Vikings recovered the football at the Patriots' six yard line. Adam Pate did the honors of putting the Big Red in the end zone three plays later on a four-yard scamper. The PAT was blocked but Avery led 6-0 midway through the opening period.

The Patriots answered with a score on its ensuing possession, helped by a 70 yard run by Patriots halfback Cameron Garrison. Fullback Corey Heath Miller plunged across the goal line from two yards out to put Madison on the scoreboard. The two-point conversion attempt was successful, giving the Patriots the 8-6 advantage.

Avery took its next drive deep into Madison territory, but the Patriots defense held on a fourth down play to gain possession of the football. The Avery defense pushed Madison back, with help from Madison penalties, to force a Madison punt attempt inside the Madison 5 yard line. Instead of allowing the time in the first quarter to expire, allowing Madison to kick with the wind at its back, Avery head coach Darrell Brewer took a timeout with five seconds left to force the Patriots to kick against the wind from its own end zone.

Rather than attempting to kick in a swirling wind or risk a second punt block, Madison punter Moore took the long snap and ran out of the back of the end zone for a Viking safety, tying the score at 8-8 on the final play of the opening quarter.

"We took the timeout to make them punt to us in the wind," Coach Brewer said after the win. "We knew the wind would then be in their faces, but I never figured they’d give us a safety. But that was important in tying the game at that point.”

Following the Madison free kick, Avery took the lead back, using its pounding ground game to drive downfield over five plays. Pate capped the drive with a one yard quarterback sneak, his second touchdown, to put six on the board for the Big Red. An unsuccessful two-point conversion try left the Vikings with a 14-8 lead with 9:48 left before halftime.

The scores were crucial to the Vikings, if only to emphasize to Madison that Avery was set on continuing its dominance over the Patriots. "I think no matter what our records are, I think that Madison is used to losing to Avery County," Coach Brewer stated. "Once we began building momentum, it's like they were thinking in their minds "Here we go again.""

Holding on to the football was difficult in the poor playing conditions, as Madison fumbled and lost the football twice during the quarter. Avery was unable to capitalize on the turnovers, however. The best chance for Avery to pad its lead came in the half's closing seconds, but the Vikings ran out of time to run a play at the Madison 15-yard line as the half ended. Avery had to settle for an six-point edge at intermission.

The Vikings extended their lead with the first possession of the third period. Driving 80 yards over eight rushing plays, the Big Red marched downfield. A 38-yard run by running back Chase Arrowood highlighted the drive, with Pate finishing it off with a one-yard touchdown run. A successful Arrowood conversion run pulled the Big Red ahead 22-8 at the 8:16 mark.

"Chase really runs the ball hard. He always has. He is just a hard-nosed carrier of the football, and he's the kind of runner you want all your backs to be," Coach Brewer stated.

A key element of Avery's success Friday night was its defense. The Vikings held the Patriots to a single possession in the third quarter, forcing them to turn the ball over on downs following a fourth down incompletion. Although the drive consumed six minutes of clock time and 12 plays, the defense made a stand which proved vital.

Madison managed to score a touchdown on a three yard run by Miller with only two seconds left in the game. The two-point conversion failed, providing the final margin of victory at 22-14.

Avery won the turnover battle among other areas to come away with victory Friday night. "I think the turnovers were huge. We put the ball down three times and lost only one," Coach Brewer elaborated. "I knew with the weather that turnovers would be important, and I think we did a good job of protecting the football."

Also key to the win was the performance of senior quarterback Adam Pate, who rushed for 46 yards on 18 carries and scored three times in the game. "Adam has been a key to us all season. Our success kind of goes along with him, and when he went down, it was hard for us to recover from that," Coach Brewer said of his quarterback. "He's one of those kids who is a playmaker and is the kind of kid who, any time he touches the ball, he's a threat to score."

Avery improves to 2-7 on the season and will travel to Burnsville to take on Mountain Heritage on Halloween night.