AJ-T Sports LIVE FROM... Mars Hill College

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon we're at Meares Stadium on the campus of Mars Hill College for college football between the Mars Hill Lions (3-1) and the Eagles of Carson-Newman College (3-2).

Former Avery Vikings standouts Zach Johnson and Josh Johnson are in action today for the Lions against the Eagles. Live statistics of the game as it happens can be found following this link. We'll be following the action throughout today's game and provide intermittent updates throughout the contest. Thanks for reading!

Update #1: The two teams have exchanged punts to open today's game. Carson-Newman's second drive ends with a pair of sacks before kicking the ball for a second time. Mars Hill muffs the punt and the Eagles recover at the MH 11. Two plays later Eagles running back Buck Wakefield takes an option pitch seven yards for the touchdown. The Carlos Lopez PAT is good as the Eagles draw first blood, leading 7-0 with 6:02 left in the opening quarter.

Mars Hill is stuffed as a clipping penalty helps kill its ensuing series. Following the punt, C-N goes on the march again inside the Mars Hill 25. A long run by quarterback Alex Good moves Carson-Newman to the Lions 3 yard line as time expires in the first quarter. Carson-Newman leads Mars Hill 7-0 after one quarter of play.

Update #2: QB Alex Good finishes the drive with a two-yard sneak for a touchdown. Lopez's PAT increases the Eagles lead to 14-0 early in the second period. Mars Hill managed only one first down through the first quarter as the Eagles defense has been stout thus far.

Update #3: The Lions are on the board. A play-action fake sets up a 49-yard touchdown pass from Cruz to Josh Johnson. The PAT is good and the Lions have cut the lead to 14-7 with 9:42 left to play in the first half.

Carson Newman answers quickly on a reception by Reggie Hubbard, covering 75 yards to the Mars Hill 2-yard line. Good is back in for his second touchdown, a one-yard tote. The PAT is good and C-N leads 21-7 with 7:30 left in the half.

Update #4: Lots of big hits out on the field this afternoon. Mars Hill has switched quarterbacks, bringing in Luis Cruz to replace Jon Richt. The Lions appear invigorated as they have marched inside the red zone. A clipping penalty bites the Mars Hill offense again, pushing the Lions outside the 30 yard line. Two plays later and the Lions are faced with a fourth down decision whether to try a long field goal or go for a first down. A big sack by Carson-Newman's Ryan Helton quells the drive and turns the ball over on downs with under four minutes to play.

Update #5: The Lions defense rises up to force a punt from the Eagles. Trailing 21-7, Mars Hill will look to cut the C-N lead before intermission. A run play for a loss, a sack, and a personal foul penalty assessed against Mars Hill pins the Lions inside its own 10-yard line. The Eagles take a time out following third down to force a Lions punt from their own end zone with 51 seconds left to play.

Carson Newman receives a punt and starts a drive from the Mars Hill 31 yard line. A pair of penalties push the Eagles back to the 41, but a pass from Good to Charles Dobson covers the real estate for a touchdown with 38 seconds left. The PAT is good and Carson Newman pads its lead to 28-7.

Mars Hill's first play following the touchdown is an interception thrown by Cruz to Jermel Demps of Carson Newman. The Eagles run out the clock to end the first half with Carson Newman leading 28-7 over Mars Hill. We'll bring more action from Mars Hill coming up.

Update #6: Back for second half action at Mars Hill as the Lions look to dig out of a 28-7 hole. Mars Hill gets the first offensive possession of the third quarter. A long run play (65 yards) by Jonas Randolph moves the Lions inside the ten-yard line. The Lions punch it into the end zone on a Garrison McDowell one-yard run. The PAT is successful to cut the Carson-Newman lead to 28-14 with 12:43 left in the third period.

Carson Newman answers yet another Lions score with its own scoring drive. A Buck Wakefield one-yard tote to cap a 9-play, 81-yard drive extends the Eagles lead to 35-14 with 9:22 to play in the third quarter.

Update #7: A Richt pass was intercepted by P.J. Woods of Carson Newman. The return is brought back into Mars Hill territory where the Eagles take over possession leading by 21. Two plays later, however, the Eagles cough up the football and Mars Hill recovers to get the ball back.

On second down, a double reverse play was ran by Mars Hill with Josh Johnson set to pass on the play. Tricky play call was sniffed out by the Eagles, however, forcing Josh to throw the ball out of bounds rather than take a loss or risk an interception. The Lions are held on third down and punt the football back to the Carson Newman 36-yard line.

Update #8: Mars Hill's defense forces a punt by the Eagles. Mars Hill looks to kick the offense back into gear as the third quarter winds down under two minutes to play.

Update #9: A 36-yard pass completion moves the Eagles to the Mars Hill 13-yard line. Carson Newman looks poised to put this game out of reach as the third quarter expires. 35-14 Eagles lead it.

Update #10: Eagles strike again on a Wakefield nine-yard run to the corner pylon. The PAT is good and Carson Newman is up 42-14 with 14:16 left to play.

Update #11: Mars Hill adds a touchdown immediately after the Eagles score when Demetrius Smedley returns the kickoff 95 yards to pay dirt. The PAT closes the game to 42-21. Mars Hill will need to make multiple stops on defense to narrow the gap.

It's over in Charleston. A Jason Vitaris field goal wins it for the Mountaineers over The Citadel. Final Score: ASU 30, Citadel 27.

Update #12: Jonas Randolph breaks off a huge run for the Lions to set them up quickly inside the red zone. Randolph has 175 yards on 20 rushes so far. A quick touchdown can make things interesting. Mars Hill scores on a two-yard pass to Josh Crumpton. The PAT is good and the Lions cut the lead to 42-28 with the six play, 60 yard scoring drive. 9:12 remains in the contest and Mars Hill looks to make another defensive stand to draw closer.

Update #13: Buck Wakefield is chewing up yardage for the Eagles. Wakefield breaks away for a 41-yard rush inside the Mars Hill 10. Two plays later Alex Good slides into the end zone for another touchdown run. With 4:54 left on the clock, the Eagles lead has been increased to 49-28. The touchdown caps a 9-play, 83-yard drive that chewed up over four minutes off the clock.

For the Lions, Zach Johnson has tallied nine tackles, good for second on the club today behind ten from teammate Josh Baker.

Update #14: A Mars Hill fumble is picked up by Ellitte Jackson, who rumbles 40 yards for another Carson Newman touchdown. The PAT was blocked by the Lions, but the Eagles appeared headed for a win, leading 55-28 with 2:51 left to play.

Josh Johnson picks up his second reception of the day on Mars Hill's next drive, a 16-yarder to pick up a first down. A fourth down pass play is incomplete as the Lions turn the football over on downs back to Carson Newman. 1:19 remains to play and the Eagles will advance to 4-2 on the season, while Mars Hill drops to 3-2. The final score from Meares Stadium in Mars Hill, NC: Carson Newman 55, Mars Hill 28.

We'll post a couple of more photos momentarily. Thanks for reading the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog!

Avery Wins, Cloudland Falls in High School Action

The Avery Vikings defeated the Thomas Jefferson Gryphons 51-0 at MacDonald Stadium Friday night, while the Cloudland Highlanders fell to Cosby 13-6 on the road on Friday night.

Avery held a 37-0 halftime lead, which began with a 79 yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Trent Mitchell. Avery held TJCA to a grand total of three yards for the night.

Other scores from tonight in the Western Highlands Conference:

Owen 35, Mitchell 20
Mountain Heritage 27, Polk County 7
Hendersonville 28, Madison 0

Battle of the Cats in Brad King Bowl Produces Fan Excitement, Funds for Local Family

On Tuesday, September 29th at MacDonald Stadium, Avery's two middle school programs met for the 27th annual showdown in what has become one of the greatest and longest-lasting fundraisers in the area, the Brad King Bowl.

The contest between the Avery Middle School Panthers and the Cranberry Middle School Wildcats closed out the regular season in Toe River Conference football, but more importantly, it allowed local folks to give back financially to assist people in need. This year's annual benefit, began 26 years ago to both raise funds locally and to honor the life and legacy of former youth football player Brad King. Since that time, the football game has raised tens of thousands of dollars to assist terminally ill children and others in great need.

This season the proceeds from the Brad King Bowl was donated to a college trust fund set up for Ciara and Carrie Laws, the daughters of Avery County Schools employee Chris Laws who passed away suddenly in early September. By the end of the evening, an announced amount of $2,530 was raised to help the family.

As for the game itself, the two teams played a competitive contest that didn't disappoint the huge crowd in attendance to root the teams on. The Panthers started the game with a fortunate break as an intended sky kick rolled along the ground. Avery's Chase Buchanan fell on the loose football to give the Panthers the first offensive possession.

Avery took advantage of the break and pieced together a 38-yard scoring march that elapsed nearly half the first quarter clock. Buchanan finished what he started with a 13-yard ramble to pay dirt. The two-point conversion failed, but the Panthers led 6-0.

Cranberry looked to get its offense with is punishing rushing game. The team found success moving the football with its wishbone offense, behind the running of the tandem of Jonah Tenge, Tyler Pittman, and Cody Clawson. Avery's defense bent but would not break, however, keeping the Wildcats from making a serious scoring threat for the first two quarters. Cranberry's defense also buckled down, keeping the Panthers out of the end zone for the remainder of the half. Statistically the contest was as close as the score indicated, as a single yard of total offense separated the clubs.

As was the case in the first half, the Panthers scored on its first offensive series, eating up most of the third quarter clock to march 46 yards for a second touchdown. Avery quarterback Ty Polsgrove capped the drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone. The two-point conversion quick pass from Polsgrove to wide receiver Wade Smith was successful and staked the Panthers to a 14-0 advantage with 2:05 left to play in the third period.

Cranberry's first series ended horrendously as the team fumbled. Avery recovered the ball, then proceeded to add an insurance touchdown as Chase Buchanan, who rushed for 98 yards on nine carries, split the Wildcats defense on a 48-yard touchdown dash. The score and subsequent two-point conversion pass from Polsgrove to wideout Daniel Childress, increased the Avery lead to 22-0 as the third period expired.

As has been the case throughout the season, the Cranberry Wildcats continued to display great heart and the will to win. The offensive line opened holes for the Green Machine of running backs to take turns netting chunks of yardage. Cranberry made the work pay off for six points as running back Jonah Tenge scored on an 11-yard tote to put the Cats on the board. The two-point try was unsuccessful, but the Panthers lead was cut to 22-6 midway through the fourth period.

The teams exchanged turnovers late in the contest, but the Wildcats could mount no further offensive attack to claw closer in the contest, as Avery garnered the victory by the 22-6 final score.

Chase Buchanan was named the Avery Panther Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year, collecting 158 yards in total offense and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Jonah Tenge captured Most Outstanding Player honors for the Cranberry club, with 10 rushes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

“I thought we played really well tonight and closed the season strong. We’ve been improving a bit in each game and it looked like tonight we’ve come full circle,” Avery Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said after the win. “With Chance going down last week, we had to approach the game differently. We made them honor Ty with the option from the quarterback position, and along with Chase Buchanan in the backfield you have multiple threats on the edges. We wanted to hit them on the perimeter to set up running up the middle, and we were really more run-oriented.”

The Panthers defense played a solid contest against a potent Wildcats rushing game, making big plays when needed. “”We bent but didn’t break today. Holding them from scoring on the big drive at the end of the half was huge,” Coach Johnson added. “They had hit the double-reverse on us, but we were able to bounce back and get the stops when we needed them. They had big boys who just kept coming, but we kept fighting and clawing back.”

Although the Wildcats were on the short end of the scoreboard, the team has many positive points to build uponleading into its final game of the season and next year’s club.

“I’m excited about being a part of this game. It is exciting to be an Avery County coach. We told all the eighth grade kids from both teams after the game that they will no longer be Wildcats and Panthers after this season, but they’ll all be Vikings,” Cranberry head coach Richard Sheppard said following the contest. “We weren’t able to win a game during the season, but we’ve been improving with every game. With just a few breaks here and there, we could have won a couple of ballgames. Still, we’re just working to make these kids better players and better people.”

Toe River Conference playoff action begins tonight with semifinal action. Avery travels to East Yancey in a battle of Panthers for the right to play in the Tri-County Bowl. Cranberry takes on Bowman Tuesday night in Bakersville. Congratulations to both teams for terrific seasons! seasons!

Lady Vikings Volleyball Tangle with Lady Cougars, Lady Titans, Sweep Mitchell in Home Match

The Avery Lady Vikings found themselves on the court during three days last week. On Monday, September 21^st, Avery traveled to Burnsville to take on Mountain Heritage, falling by scores of 18-25, 22-25, 18-25 in varsity action, while dropping two games in junior varsity play.

Avery played Monday’s match without the leadership of head coach Kim Hayes, who was not able to attend due to sickness.

“(Assistants) Caroline (Turner) and Libby (Wit) said the girls played hard. We had the lead several times and just couldn't finish,” head coach Kim Hayes remarked regarding the match. “We were hitting the ball hard, but we had some defensive let downs. They felt like we could have beaten them.”

After a day’s practice, Avery returned to the floor at Viking Gym on Wednesday, September 23^rd to host McDowell in a non-conference tilt. The Lady Vikings played a tight first set and prevailed by a 26-24 score. Avery carried momentum into the second set, but McDowell regrouped quickly to seize control, capturing the last three sets by scores of 19-25, 14-25, and 12-25, respectively. The junior varsity was unable to overcome the JV Lady Titans, falling in two games.

Cassie Bumgarner had 23 assists against McDowell, with 12 digs and six kills from Johanna Pittman. Jennie Elrod added nine digs, Savannah Dellinger had 8 digs and 8 kills, with six kills from Megan Tennant.

“McDowell played an incredible defensive game, probably the best I have seen all year. They made some unbelievable saves on the ball, and that just makes a team play harder and harder,” Coach Hayes said. “It was very frustrating watching balls hit the floor on our side over and over. Savannah Dellinger and Megan Tennant were hitting the ball great, and Savannah had a lot of power on her hits that night. We just could not do anything defensively.”

On Thursday evening, Avery played like they were on a mission for victory and would not be denied as it hosted the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers. The junior varsity club set the pace in picking up a conference win in two games over the Mitchell JV club.

As the varsity match was set to begin, Coach Hayes had a specific message for her club.

“I told the girls before the match that I was sorry about the McDowell game, that I did not give 100 percent coaching, but tonight I am,” the coach said. “I challenged the team to go out there, fight and do not quit no matter what, give 100 percent and meet me half way and WE WILL WIN.”

Avery grabbed early momentum in the varsity match, taking the first set by a final score of 25-17. The teams stayed close throughout each of the remaining two sets, but Avery put together a mini-scoring run to build a workable lead which helped the team take the second set 25-19. The Lady Vikings gained control of the third set only to see Mitchell rally to draw within four points. Avery slammed the door with a pair of points at the end to secure the third set 25-19 and a sweep for the match.

Bumgarner posted 23 assists in the match, while Pittman tallied seven kills and four digs. Elrod added five digs and three service aces, in addition to five kills and three service aces from Dellinger, six kills and two blocks from Tennant and five kills with six digs from Megan Robbins.

“Both the junior varsity and varsity teams played great. They were consistent throughout the game. I was very proud and so happy for them. They deserved it,” Coach Hayes said after the win. “I was pretty hard on them during the McDowell game. They stayed strong throughout each set. Even if Mitchell got a few points they stopped them quickly.”

Avery Lady Vikings Volleyball will play three times this week: at home against Owen on September 29, hosting West Wilkes September 30^th, and at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy on October 1^st.

Vols Weather Ohio to Get Back on Track

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

The Tennessee Vols needed to get their season back on track, and Saturday night was the perfect place to start. The Volunteers held off a pesky Ohio Bobcat squad to take a 34-23 victory to snap a two game losing streak and build confidence entering next week’s game when Auburn comes to town.

“It's good to get a win,” Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin said. “We haven't won since the opener. We talked about it. You can't get to 3-2 or 4-2 until you get to 2-2. So it's good to see the win.”

Kiffin and the rest of coaching staff brought in a game plan where they looked to build the confidence of beleaguered quarterback Jonathon Crompton. The result wasn’t the game that Kiffin had hoped to see.

"We're a long ways away from being a championship team, as you saw today,” Kiffin said. “You saw a different game plan. You saw us try to throw it around, I think, 28 times in the first half and we got back to what we do and threw it, I think, eight times in the second half. We've got a long ways to go."

The Vols started the game with an impressive drive that was capped off when Montario Hardesty dived in from 11 yards out in the Wild Vol formation. However, the Bobcats evened it up 13 seconds later as Chris Garrett took the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

Crompton was intercepted on the next UT drive, and Ohio took advantage as Theo Scott found LaVon Brazil to take the early 14-7 lead.

The Vols got back on the board when Crompton hit Brandon Warren for a three yard pass, and when Chris Walker made an acrobatic interception on a screen play and ran seven yards into the end zone to give the Vols a 21-14 lead. Both squads added field goals in the closing minutes of the first half as UT took a 24-17 lead into the locker room.

Crompton found freshman sensation Bryce Brown for a 26-yard touchdown play that gave the Vols an 11 point lead entering the final frame.

The fourth quarter nearly saw the tables turn on UT as an Ohio touchdown off a Crompton fumble was wiped off the board after officials ruled that Noah Keller was out of bounds when he picked up the fumble. However, the Volunteers couldn’t take advantage as they were forced to punt.

The Bobcats managed to close the gap back to a one possession game halfway through the quarter, but that was as close as they could get as Daniel Lincoln added another field goal to secure the 34-23 victory.

Crompton ended the game with 17 of 34 passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns. The workhorse Hardesty had 140 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries while Brown added 56 yards on 11 carries plus the receiving touchdown.

Ohio ended the game with 319 passing yards on a Tennessee defense that is considered to be one of the best in the nation.

"We looked like a different defense today than what you're used to seeing.” Kiffin said. “We've got to make plays, it doesn't matter who's in there. There's no excuses. We've got to play better.

The victory didn’t come without a cost for the Vols however. Nick Reveiz was injured and most likely lost for the season adding to the injuries on the defensive side of the ball that saw Walker unable to play in the second half along with LaMarcus Thompson, Herman Lathers, and Wes Brown being banged up.

“We're pretty beat up over there, but we've got to get better,” Kiffin said. “We've got to improve our depth. That's why we have competition so that our depth is improving and our backups aren't sitting there."

Dennis Rogan was also unable to go on Saturday, but not because of injury as he was suspended.

The Vols host undefeated Auburn in their SEC home opener on Saturday night.

Middle School Football Tunes Up for Brad King Bowl

Last week was a key week in Toe River Conference action as both the Avery Panthers and Cranberry Wildcats were in action.

The Cranberry Middle School football team fell by a 34-14 final score last Tuesday, September 22^nd at East Yancey

Late in the first half the Wildcats had the opportunity to cut a 14-0 East Yancey advantage, but were unable to convert on a long pass play that would have cut the lead in half.

The Wildcats scored all 14 of its points in the second half. A touchdown pass and an electrifying kickoff return for a touchdown by Tyler Pittman, his second return for a score during this season, accounted for the Cranberry scoring.

“We played one of our better games of the season. At halftime we were close, only down 14-0 and we moved the ball well. On defense we buckled down and kept them from scoring at times, but our turnovers hurt us,” Cranberry head coach Richard Sheppard said after the game. “We lost a couple of boys to injury in the game, but I think our kids will be ready for Avery next week. They’ll have their work cut out for them if we can stop them defensively.”

The same evening Avery traveled to Spruce Pine to take on Harris. Avery held a 6-0 lead at halftime but could not hold on as Harris took the 14-6 win.

Throughout the first half the teams battled in a defensive struggle for field position. Harris was able to use its running game, but Avery would shut the Blue Devil attack down once it reached the red zone. Avery had difficulty running the ball, but relied on its pass attack to loosen up the opposing defense.

Avery scored a touchdown on its opening possession with a 20-yard touchdown play, but the score was called back due to penalty.

Late in the first half Panthers defensive back Tre Jackson intercepted a Harris pass attempt. Avery then moved with its final drive on offense during the remainder of the first half, scoring on the half’s final play when quarterback Ty Polsgrove, subbing for injuring starting quarterback Chance Watson, found Chase Buchanan with a 12-yard touchdown pass to lead 6-0 at the break.

Harris scored on its first series of the second half to tie the contest, but Avery quelled the two-point conversion try to keep the contest tied. Avery punted on its first series of the third quarter, and Harris struck again for a 50-yard touchdown play on a third down and long play. The two-point conversion was good and Harris led by the 14-6 score.

In the final period Avery continued to succeed in its pass game, as well as used a defensive stand on fourth down on one series to help keep the Blue Devils scoreless for the remainder of the game. Unfortunately, the Panthers could not cross the goal line to tie the score, dropping the club to a 2-2 record for the season.

“Harris had a big quarterback that was hard to bring down, but for the most part we held them in check,” Avery head coach Donnie Johnson said after the game. “We moved the ball pretty well during the night, but we dropped a number of passes. We lost Chance in the second quarter for the rest of the game and Ty stepped in for us. Ty is great with using the option running plays, but it hurts us that he isn’t out at receiver to be able to throw to him”

Seven different players had receptions in the game for Avery, but the turnover bug bit the Panthers to hamper any chance for victory.

Avery will take on Cranberry in the 27^th annual Brad King Bowl, to be played Tuesday, September 29^th at MacDonald Stadium. Both teams are excited about the game and look forward to the matchup that ends regular season Toe River Conference play.

“I basically told our boys if they don’t just naturally get up for this game, I can’t motivate them any more than that,” Cranberry’s Coach Sheppard said. “We try to keep things in perspective as feeder schools for the high school, but we want to be competitive as possible, and whatever happens will happen.”

“Win or lose, we’re in the playoffs, so we’re just working on trying to get better,” Avery’s Coach Johnson stated. “We feel we can build on the good things we did last week. We’ll have to catch the football against Cranberry and move the football better, and we’ll have to be able to stop their running because Cranberry has some athletic kids on their side. It should be a good game as you can throw out the records when the teams play.”

Proceeds from the game will benefit the Chris Laws’ family, as funds raised will be deposited into a trust set up with the State Employees Credit Union for Laws' daughters.

A full report on the Brad King Bowl can be found in next week’s Avery Journal-Times.

AJ-T Sports Weekly Pick 'em Winner and Week 7 games

Congratulations to Sam Burleson who correctly picked 14 out of 20 games in last week's AJ-T Weekly Picks Contest.

Sam will be entered in our end-of-season prize drawing. Special thanks again to Avery Tire and Service of Newland (Hwy 181 on the four lane), the Avery Journal-Times of Newland, as well as the Avery High School and Cloudland High School football programs.

Below are the slate of games for this week:

Week 7 games:

1. Avery @ Thomas Jefferson
2. Cloudland @ Cosby
3. South Caldwell @ Watauga
4. Mitchell @ Owen
5. Burns @ Freedom
6. Hendersonville @ Madison
7. Polk County @ Mt. Heritage
8. N. Bumcombe @ McDowell
9. LSU @ Georgia
10. Georgia Tech @ Mississippi St.
11. N.C. State @ Wake Forest
12. Virginia @ North Carolina
13. Oklahoma @ Miami (FL)
14. Auburn @ Tennessee
15. Appalachian State @ The Citadel
16. Carson-Newman @ Mars Hill
17. NFL: Tennessee @ Jacksonville
18. NFL: Buffalo @ Miami
19. NFL: Dallas @ Denver
20. NFL: Tampa Bay @ Washington

Tie Breaker: Oklahoma @ Miami (FL)
Total # of Points Scored: ____________

Faulkner and Yackey Named This Week's Edward Jones Scholar-Athletes of the Week

Kaley Faulkner (Cheerleading) and Brock Yackey (Soccer) are the Edward Jones Scholar Athletes of the Week. To qualify for the award, each student must currently participate in a varsity sport at Avery High School and maintain an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or better. The Scholar Athlete Award is given for outstanding performances not only on the playing field, but also in the classroom and in life. Congratulations to this week’s winners!

Home Sweet Homecoming: Vikings Trample Warhorses for Third Win of Season

Despite an early deficit and less-than-stellar weather conditions, the Avery Vikings made sure to send the Big Red faithful home happy last Friday night. Fourteen unanswered points and an inspired defensive effort led Avery to a 14-7 win last Friday on Homecoming night over the visiting Owen Warhorses at MacDonald Stadium.

In the game’s opening moments things looked up for the Big Red to draw first blood in the contest. Owen fullback Brennan Kirby fumbled on a handoff, and Taylor Potter recovered for Avery to set the Vikings up with prime field position. Owen held Avery to a three-and-out, however, and a Dylan Aldridge punt pinned the Warhorses inside their own 15-yard line.

Saddled with poor field position, the Warhorses used its ground game to chew up chunks of yardage with its second offensive series. A 39-yard Austin Myers run highlighted a drive where Kirby redeemed himself by rambling 23 yards to the end zone to give the Owen the lead. A Gerald Cruz extra point staked the Warhorses to a 7-0 lead at the 8:38 mark of the opening period.

The squads exchanged possessions by way of punt through the remainder of the first period that was marked by heavy rains. As the half wore on, Avery gradually began to win the field position battle. Senior punter Dylan Aldridge successfully pinned the Owen offense inside its own 20-yard line with kicks on three separate occasions in the half, the latter of which was a 58-yard effort which pinned the Warhorses on their own 1-yard line.

After forcing another punt that set an Avery drive to begin inside Owen territory, the Vikings marched 47 yards on 7 plays. Running back Colton Blackburn ran for 29 of his 101 yards for the half on the drive, which was capped by an Alex Villanueva one-yard quarterback sneak across the goal line. An extra point from Andres Castaneda knotted the game at 7-7 with 5:33 remaining until halftime.

On Owen’s ensuing series, the Warhorses drove the field to the Avery 19-yard line. Faced with a difficult decision, Owen head coach Ken Ford decided to go for the first down and opted for a fullback run with Kirby. Avery sniffed out the play immediately and downed Kirby for a loss of yardage to kill the threat and help the game remained tied at halftime.

During ceremonies at intermission Avery High School presented its 2009 Homecoming Court, with the naming of Hayden Blackburn as Homecoming Queen and Hunter Gossett as Homecoming King.

As rain continued to fall intermittently throughout the game, the Vikings turned the momentum of the contest for good with the opening drive of the second half. A 19-play, 89-yard drive consumed 8:48 off the third quarter clock. The drive included 16 running plays which systematically wore down the Owen defense, as well as four successful conversions on third down and a successful fourth down conversion inside the Owen 5-yard line. A four-yard scurry by Villanueva and Castaneda extra point gave the Vikings its first lead at 14-7 with 3:07 left in the period.

“We felt all week like we could run the football on them,” Vikings head coach Darrell Brewer said after the game. “With the weather conditions, it was going to be hard to throw the football, so we went to work running the football.”

On its ensuing possession the Warhorses looked to answer the Avery touchdown. As the fourth period began, fog began to settle in the valley and into MacDonald Stadium itself, eventually encompassing the facility. As visibility decreased, Owen quarterback Kaleb Fowler appeared to score on a six-yard quarterback sweep. A holding penalty negated the score, however. The call set the stage for a fourth and goal two plays later from the Avery 3-yard line. Fowler called his own number, but the Vikings stopped the Owen signal caller for no gain to turn the football over on downs.

Avery could not move the football away from its own goal line as it went three-and-out. One of the Big Red’s most valuable weapons of the evening, the kicking leg of punter Aldridge, came through again as he booted a punt through the mist and fog for 52 yards, forcing Owen to again drive the field for the tying score.

As visibility shrunk to mere feet on the playing field and virtually zero from the press box, the Warhorses advanced the football inside the Avery 25-yard line. Owen’s last credible opportunity to score was quelled when a Fowler pass in the right flat was intercepted by Avery’s Colton Blackburn.

The Avery defense held Owen one last time to a three-and-out in Warhorse territory, and kept possession of the football for the final 3:26 of the game. Due to the fog, the clock keepers could not operate the game clock, so the official on the field kept the time and eventually blew the whistle, igniting a raucous celebration and elation from the Avery bench.

“This was a good win. The kids outdid themselves and played extremely hard on both sides of the football,” Avery head coach Darrell Brewer said after the win. “Owen hurt us a little on their sweep plays, but overall I was very pleased with the defense. They stood up and we had two big fourth down stops, which is awesome for a defense.”

Colton Blackburn led an Avery attack that compiled 214 yards on 51 rush attempts. The junior ran 18 times for 148 yards. Avery committed no turnovers in the game

“We came out and executed very well. The line did a heck of a job,” Blackburn said after the Avery victory. “Our defense did excellent and the long drive to start the half kept the ball out of Owen’s hands. I think it’s a great accomplishment.”

Avery has already exceeded its win total from a season ago, and will look to extend its win streak to three games on Friday when it hosts Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy.

“What we’ve done so far is a credit to our kids,” Coach Brewer said. “We have a great group of kids who come to work every day and play hard. I’m proud to be their coach.”

Avery Tennis Sweeps Gryphons, Falls to Lady Cougars in Conference Play

Last week the Avery tennis team played a pair of matches as Western Highlands Conference action kicks into full gear.

On September 21^st, inclement weather forced the home match with Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy inside to the indoor courts at Lees-McRae College. With only a pair of hard courts available, the teams agreed to play only five matches, rather than the normal nine matches. Avery was dominant in sweeping TJCA by a 5-0 final match score.

In singles action, Lady Viking Anna Melton defeated Kasey Owen 8-6, while Avery teammate Hayden Blackburn upended Claire McCurry 8-1. In doubles play the team of Melton and Blackburn defeated the team of Owen/Claire McCurry 8-6. Avery’s Lauren Avery and Leah Powell defeated the team of Maimane/Gracie McCurry 8-0, while the duo of Morgan Stout and Haley Shell defeated the team of Folk/Sisk by an 8-0 margin.

“I didn't know what to expect with Thomas Jefferson. This is the first year we are playing them, and as we prepared for the match I told the girls to expect the unexpected and be ready to battle,” Avery head tennis coach Rhiannon Manis said after the win. “I feel like we played like we should, considering we were coming off a weekend, had never played this team before, and had to play indoors. Thomas Jefferson is a good team whom I expect will be even better the next time we see them towards the end of our season.”

The following afternoon, the Lady Vikings journeyed to Yancey County to take on a tough Mountain Heritage Lady Cougars tennis squad. The matchup was a battle throughout singles play, with the teams battling to a 3-3 deadlock, but Heritage took two of the three doubles matches to take the narrow 5-4 match win..

Anna Melton was defeated by Heritage’s Penny Lane Buckner 6-10, while Lady Viking teammate Hayden Blackburn fell to Alecia Babb 8-10. Leah Powell (A) fell to Lauren Street (MH) 9-10 (4-7 tiebreaker), but Lauren Avery (A) won over Alex Brost (MH) 10-3, Morgan Stout (A) defeated Brianne McFee (MH) 10-0, and Haley Shell (A) downed Lauren Reeler (MH) by a 10-4 final match score.

“We had some very close matches in the top three positions in singles that were tight all through the match,” Coach Manis said. “The games were close and the points were long and intense. We sometimes just let unforced errors occur on game points.”

In doubles play, the Avery team of Melton/Blackburn lost to the team of Buckner/Street 7-9, Avery’s tandem of Powel/Avery lost 6-8 to Heritage’s Babb/Brost, and the Avery team of Stout Shell earned a shutout 8-0 win over the team of McFee/Reeler.

“Mountain Heritage is a strong team, however I feel like we competed very well. I am very proud how the girls battled through and made their opponents earn each point and game,” Coach Manis said. “Haley and Morgan secured a win for us only needing one more. The number one and two doubles were also great matches played by both teams. They were also close from the beginning to end. Again I am pleased how we competed against Mountain Heritage in singles and doubles. Even though it is a loss, I don't feel like the team has anything to be ashamed of regarding how they all performed in the match.”

Despite the loss, the Lady Vikings are confident that they are still players in the conference title hunt.

“I know that the girls wanted the win over Mountain Heritage. I could see it in there body language and how they performed in each point. I believe that the match supports what I tell the girls, and that is that they are talented and are able to compete with every team that we play,” Coach Manis stated. “We have played each team once and I feel confident about how we have played thus this far, win or lose. However, the teams always improve throughout the season and when we start for round two against each one we are going to have to be ready. With the type of hard work and determination that I have seen the girls put forth so far in the season, I believe that we could be in the playoffs again this year in addition to individuals and doubles teams competing in the regional tournament.”

Avery takes the court this week in matches at Polk County on September 29^th, and a home match at Lees-McRae against Owen on Thursday, October 1^st.

Edwards Play Recognized by ESPN

Appalachian Sports Information has released the following regarding a play that took place during Saturday's ASU football win over Samford. It was a truly remarkable play to see. More magic from the 2008 Walter Payton Award Winner.

BOONE, N.C. — Perhaps the most spectacular play in the illustrious career of Appalachian State University quarterback Armanti Edwards (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) has been recognized by ESPN’s SportsCenter as the weekend’s No. 2 play in all of sports.

On a second-and-11 play early in the second quarter of Appalachian’s 20-7 win over Samford on Saturday at rain-soaked Kidd Brewer Stadium, Edwards escaped a sack, lost control of the slick ball, corralled the loose ball, escaped another sack and, while being dragged to the ground, completed a pass to Cedric Baker (Wilmington, N.C./New Hanover) for a 16-yard gain. The effort set up a field goal that gave ASU a 10-0 lead.

On Monday morning, SportsCenter’s “Top 10 Plays of the Weekend” segment tabbed the play as No. 2, behind only Brett Favre’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Greg Lewis on the final play of the Minnesota Vikings’ 27-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Fans can vote for the play as the weekend’s top moment in the Gatorade “G Moments” poll at the bottom of the front page at ESPN.com.

Here is a link to the video of the recognized play (courtesy Appalachian ISP Sports Network)