Avery High School celebrated its 41st season of prep athletics last Friday evening with its annual athletic awards banquet held in Viking Gym The best and the brightest student-athletes were recognized during the ceremony for their successes both on the field and in the classroom.
Athletic Directors Matthew Bentley and Jay Smith served as the Masters of Ceremonies as team, individual, and coaching achievements were honored.
A total of 18 athletes were recognized by being named All-Conference selections in sports during the 2008-09 school year, while a number of individual athletes were recognized for additional notable outstanding accomplishments during the past school year. Those honored for individual achievements included:
Chase Arrowood – Track and Field State Qualifier
Emily Banner – Soccer All-Region Selection
Hayden Blackburn – Tennis State Qualifier
Rachel Buchanan- Volleyball Blue/White All-Star Selection
Caroline Crenshaw – Track State Qualifier
Katie Ellis – Blue/White All-Star selection (volleyball & basketball), Western Highlands Conference Basketball All-Tournament Team
Kyle Griewisch – Track and Field State Qualifier, Soccer All-Region
Daniel Huff – Soccer All-Region
Andrew Ingram - Track and Field State Qualifier, Soccer All-Region
Anna Melton- Tennis State Qualifier
Samantha Shook – Western Highlands Conference Basketball All-Tournament Team
Mary Chesnut Smith- Track and Field State Qualifier, Cross Country State Qualifier, Cross Country All-State Selection, Track and Field All-State Selection, Soccer All-Region
Alex Villanueva – Track and Field State Qualifier
Brock Yackey – Wrestling State Qualifier
Morgan Yackey- Three Softball No-Hitters Pitched, Softball All-District, Softball All-State
Several additional special awards were doled out during the evening’s festivities. Avery teacher Gwen Clark was presented with a special award for her work during the conference basketball tournaments held this season at Avery, as well as for her help in framing and preparing the awards for the athletic banquet.
A pair of Avery coaches and a duo of Lady Vikings were recognized with Western Highlands Conference special awards. Rhiannon Manis was presented with a plaque for being named WHC Tennis Coach of the Year, while first-year men’s golf coach Boe Barinowski received the WHC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year award. A pair of Avery student athletes were also recognized as WHC award winners, as senior Morgan Yackey nabbed Conference Player of the Year for tennis during the fall season, and senior Cailan Calloway was honored with the WHC Goalkeeper of the Year Award for her record-breaking success during the Lady Vikings soccer season.
Avery High School Assistant Coach and Head Coach of the Year Awards were also given on Friday night. Varsity boys basketball assistant coach Reggie Oakes was named Assistant of the Year for his time and dedication to his sport and to the school. “This coach will do anything that is asked or called upon to do. He has been a success anywhere he has been,” said Athletic Director Bentley during the ceremony.
The Avery County Head Coach of the Year honor was awarded to Rhiannon Manis for the tremendous season her ladies tennis squad enjoyed in 2008-09. In the words of Avery Athletic Director Matthew Bentley, “This coach has built the program from the ground up, and has worked in all aspects of the program.” Coach Manis’ résumé from this past season included being named the Western Highlands Conference Coach of the Year, as well as coaching three state qualifiers and the conference’s player of the year.
A number of students were recipients of special individual awards. Senior Katie Ellis received the Western Highlands Conference Academic Athlete of the Year award for her terrific year on the court and in the classroom.
Former Avery County Teacher of the Year Roger Wise presented this year’s Sportsmanship Awards to seniors Sara Singleton and Jordan English for their displays of exemplary sportsmanship both on and off the field.
English also was the male beneficiary of the Avery Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which was presented by Avery High School Principal Mark Garrett to him and fellow senior Katie Ellis 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. Sutton Stanley was the male winner of the award, while there were co-female recipients of the award in senior standouts Katie Ellis and Morgan Yackey.
While numerous sports accolades were lauded for the 2008-09 school year, Avery students were also outstanding in the classroom setting. In addition to the aforementioned individual scholar-athlete awards, a total of eight teams were recognized for their academic excellence, honored by being named North Carolina High School Athletic Association Scholar Athlete Team Award winners.
An impressive total of 58 athletes earned NCHSAA Scholar Athlete Awards, where athletes must maintain a 3.5 or higher grade point average.
The only bump on the road during the event was the accidental omission of a pair of All-Conference basketball student-athletes in senior Allison Vance and junior Lauren Avery to the original naming of All-Conference team members. The ladies’ names were called and recognized at a later portion of the program, but Athletic Director Bentley wished to personally express his apologies for the oversight. “I want to apologize to Allison and Lauren for not being originally mentioned with the All-Conference team members. I’m very sorry for that,” Mr. Bentley said after the ceremony.
Bentley went on to discuss the event and the student-athletes who have achieved so much this season in academics and athletics.
“We’ve had a very good group of kids this year and I really hate to see them go. I wish we could keep them around a couple more years,” Bentley stated at the event’s conclusion. “Academics translate straight to the athletic field. If you look at our teams, the ones who have the most scholar-athletes are among our best teams. Kids that work hard in the classroom work hard on the field. I appreciate everyone’s support and it has been a great year for Avery High School.”
