LIVE FROM "The Rock:" Apps Host Elon in Polar Weather

(Graphic Courtesy of GoASU.com)

We're live @ the Rock for today's rainy, chilly ballgame. We'll keep bringing updates as the weather allows (an outdoor press box means dealing with elements.)

App State wins the toss and chooses to receive. The Mountaineers get the ball first. A nasty weather forecast but no precip yet. If ASU wins today they will take at least a share of the SoCon Championship and the automatic bid for the upcoming FCS playoffs.

ASU drives inside the Elon 30 yard line, but an Armanti Edwards fumble gives possession to the Phoenix for their first series of the ballgame.

3:45 PM Elon drives downfield with the help of a couple key pass plays and a pass interference penalty, but ASU's defense forces an Elon field goal attempt which sails wide left. Still scoreless with just under seven minutes left in the opening quarter. The rain has begun to fall again on the field.

Note: Due to the weather elements, we were unable to blog from Saturday's game like we normally do.

Vikings Blasted By Bearcats in Opening Round of High School Football Playoffs

The Avery Vikings fell 56-6 in Hendersonville on a wet and foggy night at Dietz Field in Henderson County tonight.

Avery took an early 6-0 lead with freshman Alex Villanueva calling the signals as starting quarterback. Wide receiver Adam Pate scored on a 32-yard touchdown carry, then Avery forced and recovered a Hendersonville fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Avery could not capitalize on that turnover nor on two additional miscues by the Bearcats in the first half. Hendersonville scored late in the first quarter on a two-yard run by fullback Corey Cook to take a 7-6 lead after one period.

The floodgates opened for the Bearcats offense in the second quarter, piling up 35 points in the next 12 minutes for a commanding 42-6 lead at halftime. Cedrick Allen was a beast all night for the home team, as he racked up 288 yards on only 13 carries in the game and scored three times. Quarterback Ben Walgenbach also passed for a pair of scores, while Chase Arrowood led the Vikings offensively with 85 yards on ten carries, all in the first half of play.

Avery played hard throughout the contest, but was simply no match for a talented and speedy Hendersonville squad.

Avery's season ends with a disappointing record of 2-10, while Hendersonville improves to 11-1 and will host Jordan Matthews in the second round next Friday night. The two other remaining local squads, Watauga and Ashe, also were defeated Friday night.

On to basketball season in the High Country!

Vols JVs, Coleman Shine

(Courtesy of UTSports.com)
B.J. Coleman completed 22-of-31 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns while Sam Edgemon rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown to lead Tennessee past Hargrave Military Academy, 37-21, in the lone junior varsity game of the 2008 season Thursday at Neyland Stadium.

It was just the second JV game for Tennessee since 1992. The Vols defeated Hargrave 37-20 last season at Neyland Stadium. The Tigers entered this year's game 10-0 on the season looking to close out a perfect 2008.

"It feels good to hurt right now; I haven't hurt in a long time," said Coleman, a Chattanooga product. "Anytime you can get any kind of game experience, it's important. The receivers played their hearts out today; they did a great job getting their hands on the football. When they did, they made something happen."

Nashville's Ben Bartholomew scored two touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air, while Monroe, La., native Ahmad Paige led the team with five receptions for 93 yards. Maryville's Tyler Maples caught four passes for 77 yards.

Huntingdon native Chris Donald led the UT defensive effort with 10 tackles, including one for a loss.

Tennessee capitalized on two-straight turnovers by the Hargrave offense in the third quarter. Cookeville's Tyler Wolf picked off a pass at the UT goal line and returned it 71 yards into Hargrave territory. Cleveland's Tanner Shamblin hit Nashville-native Ben Lehning on a 14-yard scoring pass to cash in the miscue.

After a Hargrave fumble on its next possession was forced and recovered by Kingsport's Phillip Tritapoe, Bartholomew punched in a score from 15 yards out two plays later to give Tennessee a 30-13 lead early in the third frame.

The Vols' final score came on a 1-yard run from Pulaski's Edgemon midway through the fourth quarter.

Hargrave's only points of the second half came on a 1-yard pass from Kevin Newsome to Phillip Lefebvre. Newsome then converted the two-point PAT on the ground.

"This is the second time I've gotten to do this, and I wish we could have had this when I played because it would have been perfect for me," said Jim Bob Cooter, acting head coach on the field. "I though B.J. played really well. He looked good on a few sideline throws and had some screens that were good. He handled the game well, got us in and out of the huddle."

Tennessee led 16-13 at the intermission after reeling off a two-play, 52-yard scoring drive in the last 30 seconds. Coleman hit Maples from 24 yards out to cap the drive and a wild final minute of the second quarter.

The Vols got a Devin Mathis (Chattanooga) field goal from 25 yards out with 62 seconds to play in the half, but the ensuing kickoff was returned 91 yards for a touchdown by the Tigers' Jonathan Meeks. Troy Krepich missed the PAT, leaving the score at 13-9.

Tennessee opened the scoring with a 10-play, 83-yard drive late in the first quarter. Coleman hit Bartholomew on a 5-yard, play-action pass for the score that gave Tennessee a 6-0 lead after a missed PAT.

The Tigers responded with an impressive drive of their own, marching 63 yards in seven plays to take a 7-6 advantage. The big play was a 31-yard pass from A.J. Blue to Tyshon Goode that moved the Hargrave offense to Tennessee's 5-yard line. Tyler King paid off the effort with a touchdown run on the next play.

Tennessee takes the weekend off before reconvening at the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center on Sunday to continue preparations for Vanderbilt. Kickoff in Nashville is set for 11:30 a.m. Central time on Nov. 22.

Apps Set to Host Elon for Last Regular Season Home Game

No. 2 Appalachian State University (8-2, 6-0 SoCon) can clinch at least a share of its fourth-consecutive Southern Conference championship and earn the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division I Football Championship with a win over No. 11 Elon (8-2, 6-1 SoCon) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

In addition to the title implications, Saturday's game also marks the final regular-season appearance at The Rock for 14 Appalachian seniors: LB Pierre Banks, OL Jonathan Bieschke, OL Brad Coley, WR T.J. Courman, WR Anthony Cruver, DB Josh Davis, TE Trey Hennessee, WR James Hill, WR Brandon Knox, DB Leonard Love, WR Clay McKnight, DB Billy Riddle, TE Brandon Simpkins and P Neil Young. Since 2005, when all but one of the 14 seniors were playing their freshman or redshirt-freshman campaigns, ASU is 47-8 overall and 29-1 at home.

Additionally, the class is striving to become only the second in NCAA football history (post-1900) to win four national championships. The only class to ever accomplish the feat was the 1986 senior class at Augustana (Ill.), which won Division III national titles from 1983-86.

NOTING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP:• Appalachian rides a seven-game winning streak into the game, which is tied for the second-longest streak in NCAA Division I FCS, behind only top-ranked James Madison (8).

• ASU has also won 10 conference games in a row, which is the third-longest string in the nation, behind only Dayton’s and Albany’s 12-straight wins in Pioneer and Northeast Conference action, respectively.

• ASU has won 12-straight games over Elon, including five in a row in Boone. Elon has not won a game in the series since 1964.• In five games since Elon joined the SoCon in 2003, the Apps have outscored the Phoenix by a combined 228-86, good for an average final score of 46-17.

• However, laying claim to its fourth-straight SoCon title and the automatic spot in the 16-team postseason field certainly won’t come easy to ASU, as Elon brings perhaps the best team in school history to the High Country this afternoon. The 11th-ranked Phoenix have been tabbed as high as No. 3 in The Sports Network’s national FCS poll this season. Their only losses have come at the hands of a pair of top-10 foes in Richmond and Wofford.

• The matchup features the unquestionable front-runners for first-team all-conference accolades at quarterback this season in ASU’s Armanti Edwards and Elon’s Scott Riddle. Edwards leads the league in total offense (278.5 yards per game) and pass efficiency (174.1) by wide margins while Riddle is tops in passing yardage (247.1 yards per game). The duo is tied for the conference lead with 22 touchdown passes apiece.

• Edwards has thrown just two interceptions all season and has attempted 157-consecutive passes without being picked off. On the other hand, Riddle has been picked off a SoCon-high 14 times and ASU’s defense leads the league with 17 INTs.

Volunteer JVs set to clash with Hargrave Military Academy

Courtesy of UTSports.com

Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer described Wednesday's mood as "business-like" as the Vols completed their brief open date practice schedule with a 90-minute session at Haslam Field.
UT is off this weekend before completing the 2008 season with games at Vanderbilt on Nov. 22 and home against Kentucky on Nov. 29.

"The team periods against each other were good," Fulmer said. "I think we've gotten a good start on Vanderbilt on both sides of the ball. I?hope by Monday we're healed up physically a lot better and emotionally ready to go, which I expect us to be.

"Nine weeks in a row with (six) of them SEC ballgames -- that's a tough road for anybody. It will be great to get a little bit of a break. They need it and the coaches need it. Hopefully, we'll come back refreshed and ready to go on Sunday."

Next on the agenda, however, is Thursday's junior varsity contest against undefeated Hargrave Military Academy of Chatham, Va. The Tigers enter Neyland Stadium 10-0 and looking to close out a perfect season, while also gaining a measure of revenge for last year's 37-20 setback to the Vols.

Fulmer expects another good outing from his reserve units, including starting quarterback B.J. Coleman.

"B.J. will do fine. He certainly will have great demeanor on the field, good leadership and management of the huddle and the clock. The last four or five weeks that we've been going with the full-speed stuff at the end of practice, that's helped him as much as anybody. It's not scrimmage, but it's really close to scrimmage.

"You can see him getting better, getting more confident and getting fundamentally better. B.J.'s one of those guys who has that personality you really like being around if you're a player or a coach. He's always patting guys on the back and helmet, encouraging everyone -- all those things you enjoy being around."

Musings and Ramblings: Is the High School Playoff System Broken?

This year the Avery Vikings football team finished the regular season with a record of 2-9, and a 2-8 record for playoff seeding, since a team can drop one non-conference loss for playoff seeding purposes. The team travels to Hendersonville Friday night for a rematch of a game played October 3rd in Newland. The Bearcats won that contest 35-6, and enter Friday's game as a #3 seed taking on the #14 seed Vikings.

A total of 64 teams in the 1A class are 'eligible' for the two levels (32 in the 1A and 32 in the 1AA classification) of playoff tournaments. By current count, there are only a grand total of 74 teams in the entire 1A classification, meaning that only ten schools will be kept out of playing a postseason game.

In other words, if a team is class 1A and goes winless for the season, there is a slim chance that team might STILL qualify for postseason play, despite earning ZERO wins.

There are proponents of the current high school playoff format who say that it is nice for give teams an opportunity to play an additional game to end the season. And there are others, like me, who question why football playoffs should be watered down by "rewarding" a team with little or no chance of upsetting a state-ranked team with a road trip (normally to play one of the top 3 to 5 teams in the state), which normally doubles as a financial loss for the school.

From my experience, it comes down to one simple reason: the color green, as in money. As I understand it, the NCHSAA web site spells out that schools that host a playoff game submits 15% of its gross proceeds from that contest back to the Athletic Association BEFORE deducting expenses. More eligible teams for playoffs equals additional playoff games, which... VOILA! Provides additional revenue to the NCHSAA to fund the championships for non-revenue sports.

With the current system, I can't help but wonder why teams who qualify for postseason play must be forced to travel long distances to serve as sacrificial lambs to top-ranked teams. Since moving to the 1A class in 2005, Avery has made the playoffs with 9 wins, 5 wins, and 5 wins, respectively, hosting a playoff game on two of those occasions. The first occasion was in 2005, when both Midway High School and West Columbus High School were forced to drive to Newland for playoff games. Midway, located near Dunn, was an over five hour drive by bus, with West Columbus taking over six hours by bus to travel to the High Country, arriving home at 5:30 a.m. after its second round loss to the Vikings.

In 2004, Avery's final season as a 2A playoff team, the squad traveled on Thursday to Tabor City (that's about 30 minutes north of Myrtle Beach, SC) to play South Columbus High School in a first-round playoff game. Does driving SIX HOURS ONE WAY for a playoff game make sense? I don't think so, even if a trip to the beach is a fringe benefit of the deal.

If a watered-down system is inevitable, why drain these small schools of high dollar amounts for gasoline, food, and other expenses, as well as take those students out of what can potentially amount to a day of class work to drive multiple hours to be a cupcake opponent for a team favored to win by 30 or 40 points?

My father taught me that if you're willing to complain and gripe, you'd better provide suggestions, answers, or at least feasible solutions to remedy the issue. Here are a couple of suggestions for the folks in Chapel Hill:

1. CLOSER REALLY IS BETTER.

If such a vast number of teams and games is a necessity (and if it is, I believe a piece of the football pie should be distributed to other school programs, BOTH ATHLETIC AND ACADEMIC), then why not make the matchups more travel-friendly and save the longer road trips for later rounds? This minimizes the dollar amounts that teams which will be 'one-and-done' have to invest, it maximizes the amount the schools will get to keep for their respective schools, plus it may boost attendance at those matchups of teams of closer proximity.

2. RECOGNIZE THE SENSITIVITY OF SCHOOL NEEDS AND CONCERNS

This issue ties in somewhat with the first point. I believe the problem of what is in the best interest of schools and student-athletes goes beyond football.

Look at the case in point of high school basketball. Last season the Avery ladies team played home playoff games against schools that had to make three-hour bus rides to Newland. If you're the home team, that's a great advantage. If you travel, it isn't easy.

Basketball's Western regionals have taken place the past few seasons in Winston-Salem, in a building where some of the games had to be shifted to the Joel Annex with minimal notice due to what was can only be perceived as lack of forethought. Scheduling the dates for the regional high school games to NOT conflict with the home games of the building's normal occupant, the Wake Forest University basketball team, seems to make better sense.

In my travels I speak often with other sportswriters and administrators at schools during sports regional and state events. During the regionals at Winston-Salem last spring, I spoke with representatives from Robbinsville High School, a team that traveled between 4 and 5 hours for their one regional game with Bishop McGuinness, the eventual state girls 1A champion. They were glad to advance as far as they did, but they and their fans were unhappy with the distance they had to travel to play a regional round.

In the past, games were played in a more central location for Western regionals: the greater Hickory area. With such a vast number of teams traveling from areas in southwest NC such as Swain, Cherokee, or Graham, or from the northwest such as Ashe, Caldwell, McDowell, or Burke, it appears that an area like Hickory would serve as a location fairly equidistant for schools from Boone, Winston-Salem, and the Asheville area alike.

I know the job of determining playoff teams, travels, locations, etc. can be and often is difficult. But for the sake of the student-athletes, the schools, and fans, it seems more can be done to alleviate this issue which often crops up at playoff time.

Have a thought about this issue? Leave a comment or drop an email to sports@averyjournal.com

Apps Crush Mocs

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Appalachian State University quarterback Armanti Edwards racked up 328 yards of total offense in just one half of work to lead the second-ranked Mountaineers to a 49-7 rout over Chattanooga on Saturday afternoon at Finley Stadium.

Edwards, who topped 100 rushing yards on Appalachian’s second possession, finished with 152 yards on nine carries and 176 yards and two touchdowns on 9-of-17 passing. He was lifted after directing ASU to five touchdowns in seven first-half series and a commanding 35-7 halftime lead.

Four of the Mountaineers’ five first-half scoring drives went 80 or more yards. Edwards wasted no time in making his presence known, as he broke off a 28-yard run on the first play of the game. Four snaps later, Robert Welton scored on an 18-yard run to make it 7-0. The teams swapped punts on the next two series before Chattanooga knotted the contest at 7-7 on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Jare Gault to Clint Woods.

However, that would be the only bright spot of the half for UTC.On the first play after the Mocs’ score, Edwards ran 76 yards all the way to the UTC 4 yard line. The 76-yard rush more than doubled Edwards’ previous long carry of the season (35) and set up a one-yard touchdown dive by Welton two plays later that gave the Mountaineers the lead for good.

The Apps went on to score on three of their final four possessions of the first half to grab the 28-point halftime advantage. After UTC fumbled the kickoff following Welton’s second score, ASU only needed to go 35 yards to make it 21-7 on a 16-yard pass from Edwards to CoCo Hillary. On its next possession, Appalachian covered 86 yards in only five plays, highlighted by a 26-yard Edwards rush and 38-yard completion to tight end Ben Jorden and capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Welton – his third of the afternoon – which made it 28-7, ASU.

It looked like the three-touchdown lead would stand going into the half when the Mountaineers got the ball back on their own 5 yard line with 1:31 remaining in the second quarter. However, the Apps needed only 1:10 to march 95 yards in seven plays and stretched the advantage to 35-7 on a 48-yard connection from Edwards to a wide-open T.J Courman down the left sideline.

With the majority of first-teamers on the sideline, Appalachian’s reserves scored on two of their first three possessions in the second half to account for the final margin. True freshman quarterback DeAndre Presley did the majority of the damage after the break, rushing 12 times for 101 yards and a touchdown and completing 3-of-3 passes (ASU’s only three passes of the second half) for 51 yards and another score, a 38-yard strike to Blake Elder.

In all, the Mountaineers out-gained the Mocs, 655-227, including a 428-110 on the ground. The Apps had three 100-yard rushers – Edwards, Cedric Baker (107) and Presley. Defensively, linebacker D.J. Smith led ASU with eight tackles, including one for loss. Mark LeGree matched a 45-year-old school record with his NCAA Division I FCS-leading eighth interception of the season.

Appalachian can clinch at least a share of its fourth-consecutive Southern Conference championship and the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division I football championship with a win next Saturday over No. 11 Elon (8-2, 6-1 SoCon). Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at ASU’s Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Rocky Top Low: Vols Fall to Wyoming For Homecoming

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

KNOXVILLE- Everyone associated with the Tennessee Football program wanted to send Phillip Fulmer out a winner in his last three games. However, the Wyoming Cowboys did not get the memo.

The Cowboys defeated the outgoing Fulmer’s Volunteer squad 13-7 in a less then happy homecoming at Neyland Stadium.

“The players don't owe me any kind of apology,” Fulmer said. “If anything, I should be apologizing to the fans and everybody for this whole week coming about. You get beat if you turn the ball over.”

On Monday, it was announced that Fulmer would not return next season as head coach of the Volunteers in an emotional press conference.

The loss was a painful one for the Vols, who had not lost a Homecoming game since the 2002 season.

“We're not going to make excuses,” UT Defensive end Wes Brown said. “It's been a tough week, but there's no excuse for how we played. No one wanted anything more than to win these games for coach Fulmer and these coaches. That's all I can say, it's been a tough week."

Tennessee quarterback Nick Stephens threw two interceptions, one that was returned for a touchdown and another that was returned to the Volunteer five-yard line, and that proved to be the difference. Right before halftime, Stephens was benched in favor of Jonathon Crompton, who started the season at quarterback for the Vols.

"Our quarterback play has been less than what we would like to have,” Fulmer said. “I did think Jonathan (Crompton) came into the game and threw it around and competed and kept us in the game.”

Stephens ended the game 3 of 9 for 27 yards and two interceptions, while Crompton was 11 of 27 for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The four touchdown underdog Cowboys entered the game as one of the lowest scoring teams in college football, but scored just enough to keep the Vols and their struggling offense in check.

“We did a great job today and I thought we deserved a victory,” Wyoming Coach Joe Glenn said. “We worked hard and went out and played hard and came away with a hard fought victory.”

Wyoming’s Mike Neuhaus intercepted Stephens on the Vols opening drive and returned it 55-yards. The Cowboys wasted no time in scoring as Chris Stutzriem hit Greg Genho on the next play for a four-yard touchdown.

Ward Dobbs intercepted a Stephens’s pass and returned it 24-yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 13-0 lead. The ensuing extra point was blocked.

Tennessee’s offense showed signs of life at the start of the second half. Lennon Creer had a 23-yard run before Crompton found Gerald Jones in the end zone for an eight yard touchdown. The Vols had the ball at the end of the game, but the drive ended on fourth down at midfield with less than two minutes remaining.

“We're trying to make plays to win the game,” Crompton said of the last drive of the game. “You have to give credit to Wyoming. They played their game. I don't really know what to say because we're out there busting our butts."

Creer ended with 86 yards on 16 carries while Tauren Poole has 11 carried for 44 yards. Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty did not play due to injury.

Tennessee has two games to improve on their 3-7 record with a trip to Vanderbilt and a home contest with Kentucky. The Tennessee program has never lost eight games in a season

Vikings Get Second Crack at Bearcats in High School State Playoffs

The Avery Vikings (2-9, 1-5 WHC) received a #14 seed in this week’s opening round of the state high school football playoffs. The silver lining to the otherwise dark cloud of a disappointing season is that the Big Red gets to take on a familiar foe this week for a second time in the Western Highlands Conference champion Hendersonville Bearcats (10-1, 6-0 WHC).

Avery is coming off a 38-14 loss to Mitchell at home last week, while Hendersonville took care of rival Polk County 28-13 to clinch its first conference championship since 2003.

Scouting the Bearcats:
Hendersonville is coached by B.J. Laughter and utilizes a version of the wishbone offense. The Bearcats have been successful in 2008 largely due to their experience at most skill positions. Leading the charge for the Bearcats is senior running back Cedrick Allen (171 rushes, 1285 yards, 24 TD in 2008), good enough for fourth in rushing yards and second in scoring in all of Western North Carolina.

An All-Western Highlands Conference player last season, Allen ran for over 1,500 yards in 2007 and scored 23 touchdowns.

Triggering the offense for Hendersonville is junior quarterback Ben Walgenbach (54 for 93, 1,464 yards, 17 touchdowns in 2008). He is a player the coach calls one of the best quarterbacks he has ever coached, describing him as “a true field general.”

When Walgenbach throws the football, look for him to target a pair of talented receivers in Daniel Orr (26 receptions, 736 yards, 10 receiving touchdowns) and James Foster (15 receptions, 498 yards, 7 receiving touchdowns).

The offensive line is anchored by 6’8”, 263-pound senior Wesley Cook.

The Low Down:
For the Vikings to pull off the upset in Hendersonville on Friday, they must first win the battle between their collective ears and believe they have the talent on the field to defeat the Bearcats. Prior to the loss earlier this season, the Vikings had beaten this group of Bearcats twice and were robbed of a third win at Dietz Field in 2007.

The Avery offense will need to find a way to score more than six points against Hendersonville this time around, bucking the recent trend of struggles to get the football into the end zone.
Out of its possible opponents this week, Hendersonville was viewed by most as the “best case scenario”. Now that the Avery has the advantage of having already played its opponent once this season, perhaps it can learn from its earlier loss and shock the football pundits who have written off the Big Red.

Avery may very well be without a number of key starters this week, including Christian Montgomery, Travis Thomas, Paul Townsend, and Chris Eggers, so those players stepping into their shoes will have to step up and play with pride as well as a chip on their shoulders.

The best chance for Avery to win Friday will be if they can find the way to dominate the time of possession in much the way they were dominated last week by their opponent Mitchell. Long drives will not only keep the potent Bearcats offense off the field, but will force the Bearcats to play more plays on defense than they would like.

This week is the time for the Avery squad to rally alongside Darrell Brewer and the coaching staff, giving them its best effort of the season to date.

By the Numbers:
2 – fumbles lost by the Bearcats in last week’s gain against the Wolverines. Also the number of rushing touchdowns scored by Avery’s Adam Pate last week.
3 – rushing touchdowns by Cedrick Allen in last week’s win over Polk County.
241- yards in total offense gained by Avery in last Friday’s loss to Mitchell.
258- rushing yards by Hendersonville on 37 carries last Friday night.

Junior Varsity Trounces Mountaineers to Secure Strong Finish in 2008

The Avery junior varsity football team used an opportunistic defense and a relentless offensive attack to double up the Mitchell Mountaineers jayvees 40-20 in Ledger on Thursday night.

It was the Mountaineers who drew first blood in the grudge match to take a 6-0 lead but failed on its two point conversion attempt. Avery answered on its ensuing possession to knot the score on a 15-yard touchdown from quarterback Alex Villanueva to wide receiver Andy Gonzalez. The successful PAT by Dustin Clark gave Avery the narrow one-point advantage at 7-6.

Mitchell counter-punched with its own offensive attack, using the running of quarterback Troy Self and halfback Cody LaPlante to march the football downfield on the Viking defense. Mitchell used the combination in earnest as it scored a second touchdown, regaining the lead at 12-7.

Despite giving up the lead, the Avery offense proved time and again that it could strike with potency all evening long. Avery’s punishing ground game, combining the talents of running backs Nathaniel Buchanan, Kenny Hicks, and Thomas Moore was devastating. That, in addition to the athleticism out of the pocket by Villanueva to both run and pass spelled trouble for the Mitchell squad.

Villanueva did the honors of putting te Vikings back on the scoreboard. A drive was highlighted by a Villanueva carry which dragged Mitchell tacklers for a number of yards to inside the Mountaineers 10-yard line. The quarterback then capped the drive three plays later with a one-yard quarterback sneak with 32 seconds left before halftime. Clark’s second extra point staked the Big Red to a 14-12 edge.

The momentum-changing moment of the contest occurred on the final play of the first half when a pass by Mitchell’s quarterback Self was intercepted at the 15-yard line by Andy Gonzalez. The defensive back picked up blocks from teammates, raced by the Avery sideline, and outran would-be tacklers for an 80-yard touchdown. Avery’s conversion attempt failed, but the Vikings led 20-12 at halftime.

The Vikings seized firm control of the contest, using a seven play, 59-yard drive to again reach the end zone. The drove was highlighted by a 37-yard Villanueva pass and a five-yard scamper across the goal line on back-to-back plays. An extra point by Clark pushed the Viking lead to 27-12 with 6:32 left in the third period.

Mitchell answered the Avery score with its final touchdown on the evening when Self scored on a seven-yard keeper with 1:48 left in the quarter. The two-point conversion narrowed the Big Red advantage to 27-20.

Each time it appeared the Mountaineers could engineer a comeback, the Avery offense snuffed it out. Avery scored on the first play of the fourth period on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Villanueva to Colton Blackburn, making the score 34-20 with just over nine minutes left in the game.

Avery’s defense forced a key turnover on Mitchell’s ensuing drive which drained major air from the Mountaineers’ proverbial balloon. A strong hit by defensive back Taylor Potter jarred the football from a Mitchell receiver, which the Vikings recovered.

The Big Red used the opportunity with the football to run time off the fourth quarter clock by keeping the football on the ground. Avery eventually was forced by the Mitchell defense to punt, giving the Mountaineers the ball with three minutes remaining and trailing by two scores.

On Mitchell’s first play following the change of possession, Vikings sophomore defensive end Blackburn made an athletic play when he sacked quarterback Self, forced a fumble with the hit, and then recovered the football to again stymie the Mountaineers offense.

On the first play following the turnover Avery put the ball in the end zone, using play action to perfection as Villanueva threw a 25-yard touchdown strike to Gonzalez. The PAT failed, but the score provided the final margin in the 40-20 doubling of the Mountaineers.

The win marked the fourth in Avery final six contests, giving Avery a final season record of 4-6, with a 3-3 conference record. The record was a respectable one, considering the Vikings began the season losing its first four contests.

“I told these kids that I had never been prouder of a bunch of kids than I was with them,” Avery JV coach Mikey Laws said on the field following the win. “The kids never complained and did exactly what we asked, and they have improved every single week. They play their tails off, they execute, and their fundamentals have gotten better. The future for football looks bright for these kids.”

The victory was a particularly sweet one for Coach Laws, as his brother C.L. stood across the field from him Thursday night as a coach for the Mitchell squad, making for an interesting week for the family.

“Honestly, my brother and I have looked to this game all year long. I probably prepared for this game and watched more film on them than anyone this year. We knew what they wanted to do, and he knows what I like doing offensively as well,” Coach Laws elaborated. “We’ve really enjoyed it and had a good time with it. Both teams played hard and we parted in good ways. So needless to say, we’ve both had some sleepless nights over this one, but our team will take this one and enjoy it.”

Congratulations to the junior varsity football team on an entertaining and successful season.

Avery Senior Night Spoiled by Mountaineers

On Friday night at MacDonald Stadium, the Avery Vikings honored its 16 football seniors and members of the cheerleading and band squads. Unfortunately the game ended on a sour note for the Big Red faithful, as the visiting Mitchell Mountaineers used a ball-control offense to dominate Avery 38-14 in the regular season finale for both clubs.

The rivals struggled to build offensive momentum in the game’s early stages as the teams traded punts. It was the visitors from Ledger who drew first blood in the game, however, when Mountaineers junior quarterback Logan Jensen took a quarterback draw play and skirted through the Avery defense, speeding for an 84-yard touchdown run. The point after touchdown by kicker Jesse Mimken put Mitchell on top 7-0 at the 4:09 mark of the first quarter.

On the ensuing possession the Vikings held the football for the remainder of the period. The team was forced to make a fourth down decision with the opening play of the second quarter. Avery could attempt a field goal or try to convert a first down on 4th and 6 at the Mitchell 24-yard line. The Vikings tried a fake, but the Mountaineers managed to prevent quarterback Adam Pate from reaching the first down marker, turning the ball back over to the Mitchell offense.

With possession of the ball, Mitchell consumed over nine minutes of the second quarter clock on a 17-play, 68-yard scoring drive. The club converted a trio of third or fourth down plays to keep the drive alive, culminating the series with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Jensen to tight end Austin Burleson. The PAT gave the Mountaineers a 14-0 advantage with 2:35 left in the first half.

The momentum built from its last offensive possession continued as Avery used its next drive to hit pay dirt. Avery capitalized on a 67-yard run by quarterback Pate to get into the Mitchell red zone, and scored three plays later on a Pate one-yard sneak. Sutton Stanley’s PAT cut the Mitchell lead in half at 14-7 at halftime.

Mitchell took momentum of the game for good during the third quarter of action. The Mountaineers received the opening kickoff of the second half and trudged downfield to the tune of a 10-play, 61-yard drive that was capped off by five-yard head-over-heels jaunt into the end zone by Jensen, again moving the Mitchell lead to 14 points at 21-7 at the 7:35 mark in the third quarter.

Avery held the pigskin for only two plays with its first series of the half. Pate completed a 17-yard pass to receiver Colton Blackburn, but was intercepted one play later by Mitchell QB-turned-defensive back Jensen.

Mitchell’s offense went back to work, pounding relentlessly on a tiring Viking defense that was on the field for long intervals all evening. An 11-play drive was completed in the final minute of the third quarter with a two-yard scoring run by Jensen, his third touchdown of the night pushed the Mountaineers further ahead at 28-7 after three quarters.

The two teams traded punts in the early moments of the fourth quarter, but the Mitchell defense, specifically linebacker Burleson, made a play that sealed Avery's fate when he intercepted a Pate pass and ran untouched for a 21-yard touchdown. Mitchell led 35-7 and tacked on a field goal midway through the period to up its lead to 38-7.

Avery refused to lay down in the game’s final minutes, however. The offense mounted one final drive in the game’s final three minutes, marching 80 yards over eight plays. Pate crossed the goal line for his second one-yard touchdown of the game with six seconds left, and the Stanley extra point closed the scoring.

The Vikings improved on its offensive performance from a week earlier, gaining 241 yards of total offense. The defense was unable to slow the Mountaineers, however, as the visitors gained 261 yards on the ground and 332 yards of total offense.

Senior Adam Pate paced the Big Red with ten rushes for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with 33 yards on nine carries by fellow senior Chase Arrowood. Logan Jensen led Mitchell with 161 yards on 20 carries and three scores.

Mitchell improved to a final record of 3-8 on the season, but failed to qualify for the 2A high school playoffs. The loss dropped Avery’s final regular season record to 2-9.

Due to a total of only 74 total 1A high school teams across North Carolina, the Vikings qualified for the North Carolina high school playoffs as a number 14 seed, traveling this Friday night to take on a familiar foe in the #3 seeded Hendersonville Bearcats. Hendersonville defeated Avery 35-6 earlier this season in Newland.