Vikings Travel for Western Highlands Conference Showdown with Bearcats

This Friday night, the Avery Vikings (4-2, 2-0 WHC) make the trip off the mountain to Dietz Field to take on the Hendersonville Bearcats (6-0, 2-0 WHC). Both teams are coming off impressive shutout victories last week. Hendersonville upended the Madison Patriots 28-0 last Friday in Marshall, while the Big Red blanked the Thomas Jefferson Gryphons 51-0 at MacDonald Stadium Friday night.

Avery fell in two games to the Bearcats a season ago, losing 35-6 in the regular season and 56-6 in the first round of the state playoffs last year.

Scouting the Bearcats
The Hendersonville Bearcats are coached by veteran head coach B.J. Laughter, who earlier this season picked up his 100^th career victory at the high school. The Bearcats finished the season with a 13-2 mark and an undefeated 6-0 conference record, losing in the fourth round of the state playoffs to perennial 1A championship contender Thomasville.

Hendersonville experienced back-to-back losing seasons in 2005 and 2006 before bouncing back with a strong 2008 campaign. The Bearcats return 15 lettermen, including seven offensive and six defensive starters from last year’s team. Offensively the Bearcats employ a spread option offense, and defensively rely on a 5-3 base formation.

Much of the nucleus of the team remains from 2008’s success, including most notably senior quarterback Ben Walgenbach.

Walgenbach was All-Conference and All-Western North Carolina in 2008, as he passed for 2,099 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also added 663 yards and ten touchdowns as a runner, making him the ultimate dual threat. This season Walgenbach missed multiple games with a separated shoulder injury, but returned at the beginning of the conference season two weeks ago showing no ill effects while posting back-to-back wins.

Joining Walgenbach on the offensive side of the football is senior running back Jonathan Simmons (383 yards rushing, 3 TD) as well as junior Desmond Whiteside (75 rushes, 451 yards, 5 TD), who filled in at quarterback during Walgenbach’s injury. Daniel Orr (3 TD in 2009) helps anchor the Hendersonville receiving corps.

Senior James Foster anchors the Hendersonville five-man defensive front, along with a pair of players in juniors Whiteside and Laquan Young who each registered over 100 tackles last year.

The Low Down
This week’s showdown in Hendersonville is crucial for both teams on multiple fronts. The winner will have first place all to itself, as well as an inside track for the conference championship, emerging from the game with a 3-0 conference record. A win would bolster either club’s potential seeding in the 1-AA football playoffs come November.

For the Vikings to earn the victory this week, they must use the playoff game last season as fuel to energize and motivate themselves. As is the case many times in this contest, Avery must negate the speed of Hendersonville and the Bearcats’ desire to utilize its speed by running on the edges and spreading the field with the likes of Whiteside, Simmons, and Walgenbach.

If there was anything for the Vikings coaching staff to be disappointed about in last week’s win, it would be penalties. Avery was assessed 12 penalties for 142 yards. If Avery can play with more discipline and cut down those numbers, the team’s fortunes will vastly improve. To win on Friday, the Vikings must control the clock, make sure tackles, and effectively run the football to give Avery head coach Darrell Brewer one of the biggest victories in the six-year tenure.

By the Numbers
0- points allowed by both the Avery and Hendersonville defenses in conference victories last week.
4- sacks by the Avery defense in last week’s win over Thomas Jefferson.
11- points per game allowed by the Hendersonville defense thus far this season.
21- average points per game scored by Avery in 2009.
79- yards gained by Trent Mitchell when he scored on the opening kickoff of Friday’s romp over Thomas Jefferson.
187- combined rushing yards for the duo of Jonathan Simmons and Desmond Whiteside in Hendersonville’s 28-0 win Friday over Madison.
293- yards of total offense gained by Avery in last week’s win over the Gryphons.

Read the Avery Journal-Times for a full recap of this week’s game against Hendersonville, as well as a preview of next Friday’s home game against Polk County.