Wingate University Travels to Mars Hill College for Senior Day

It's Senior Day at Mars Hill College as Wingate and Mars Hill tangle in South Atlantic Conference football action. The two clubs share identical 6-3 records, with 4-2 marks in SAC play.

Avery County's Josh Johnson is one of the seniors recognized this afternoon in his final home game for the Lions.

We'll be providing action throughout the afternoon from Meares Stadium in Mars Hill!

Update 1: Wingate is on the board quickly, taking the opening kickoff and taking only two plays to score. A 59-yard touchdown pass gives the Bulldogs the early 7-0 lead just 49 seconds into the contest.

Update 2: After a Mars Hill punt, Wingate gets on the board again on a four-yard pass play from Cody Haffley to Phillip Thomas. The PAT makes it 14-0 Bulldogs. Mars Hill drives into Bulldog territory, but Jonas Randolph is stripped of the football and Wingate recovers. Bulldogs looking to get firm control of this game early on.

Update 3: Vince Jordan rushes into the end zone from a yard out, taking advantage of the Mars Hill turnover to take a commanding 21-0 lead over Mars Hill with 6:50 left in the first quarter.

Mars Hill answers the third score with a six-yard touchd0wn run by RB Jonas Randolph, capping a strong 8 play, 77 yard drive to stem the Wingate momentum. With 2:31 to play in the first period, Mars Hill cuts it to 21-7.

The Mars Hill defense picks up a huge break when a Wingate pass is tipped at the line and intercepted at the Wingate 30-yard line. On the first play following the turnover, Josh Johnson completes a wide receiver pass for one yard to the quarterback Jon Richt. Randolph rushes to the one yard line as the first quarter clock expires. Mars Hill trails 21-7 after one quarter, and scores on a Richt touchdown run of a yard on the first play of the second quarter. The PAT cuts the lead to 21-14 Wingate.

Update #4: Wingate answers the Mars Hill TD with its own score, a TD pass from Haffley to Antonio Cotton to cap a 9 play, 70 yard drive. Wingate again takes a 14-point advantage at 28-14 with 11:12 to play in the second quarter.

Mars Hill takes advantage of a pair of pass interference penalties to march into Wingate territory, but the Lions were denied on a fourth down pass play to turn the ball over on downs back to the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs kick back to Mars Hill and Randolph breaks off a long run for the Lions, only to be stripped again of the football. Wingate recovers the loose pigskin to again gain possession. The Bulldogs again cash in on the turnover when quarterback Cody Haffly sneaks across from a yard out. With 32.8 seconds left before halftime, Wingate leads it 35-14 at halftime. Josh Johnson has a single first half reception for 7 yards, while Zach Johnson has four tackles in the first half.

Update #5: Following a Mars Hill punt on its first drive, Wingate scores on a touchdown pass to Chris Bowden. The eight-yard touchdown pulls the Bulldogs ahead 42-14 with exactly 8:00 left in the third period. Mars Hill coughs up the ensuing kickoff and Wingate recovers at the Mars Hill 15-yard line. Wingate scores three plays later on an 11-yard pass to receiver Ryan Webber. The PAT gives the Bulldogs a 49-14 lead with 6:57 to play in the third quarter.

Update #6: Mars Hill moves downfield with the ensuing kickoff, but a fumble after a completed pass is recovered again by Wingate. Turnovers are absolutely killing the Lions this afternoon, fumbling four times and losing each one of them. Wingate has done a great job at capitalizing on the mistakes. This time the Mars Hill defense holds at the four-yard line to turn the football over on downs.

Update #7: End of the third quarter and the Lions trail Wingate 49-14. Looking more and more like the Lions' playoff hopes in Division II play have been dashed by the Bulldogs today. One more quarter left to play.

Update #8: Josh Johnson has two catches on Mars Hill's first drive of the fourth period as the Lions drive into Wingate territory. Jonas Randolph scores on a five-yard run with 9:52 left in the fourth quarter to give the Lions their third TD of the day. Wingate leads it 49-21.

Update #9: Mars Hill recovers an onside kick to get the offense the football back. Jon Richt scores on a one-yard sneak to cut the Bulldogs lead to 49-28 with 5:52 left in the game. Following an unsuccessful onside kick, Wingate running back Vince Jordan dashes through the Mars Hill defense for 33 yards to put the Bulldogs over the half-century mark. 5:35 remains in the game and the Bulldogs double up the score, leading Mars Hill 56-28.

Update #10: Mars Hill's Jonas Randolph breaks off a couple of gains to get inside the Wingate 5-yard line. Randolph has gained 180 yards on 27 carries, sitting within 70 yards of the South Atlantic Conference single-season rushing record. Randolph caps the drive with a five-yard touchdown run to draw the Lions to within 56-35 with 2:58 left in the final quarter.

Update #11: The Lions recover their second onside kick of the half, and Richt hits Johnson for his fifth catch of the day, a 20-yard completion to move inside WU territory. Another Johnson catch nets six yards to put Mars Hill at a fourth and inches. A QB sneak was unsuccessful on fourth down, turning the ball back over to Wingate to essentially seal the Bulldogs win.

Mars Hill falls 56-35 in a shootout to the Bulldogs at Meares Stadium. Josh Johnson finishes his Senior Day home finale unofficially with a team-leading 6 receptions for 64 yards. Zach Johnson caps the day with four tackles. Mars Hill finishes its regular season at 6-4, with a 4-3 South Atlantic Conference mark. Wingate improves to 7-3, and 5-2 in conference play.

UT UPDATE: Here in Knoxville, the Volunteers are dominating the Tigers of Memphis 42-7 behind the arm of Johnathon Crompton has had a hand in 5 touchdowns, 4 passing and 1 rushing. The Avery-Journal Times Sports Blog will have a full recap later this weekend. Thanks for reading!

Vikings Slated as #12 seed in Preliminary 1-AA Playoff Brackets

The Avery Vikings are slated to play as a #12 seed at #5 seed Bessemer City next Friday night. The brackets are subject to change from the NCHSAA, and we will update any changes if they occur.

Appalachian State vs Chattanooga

It is a wonderful day here at Kidd Brewer Stadium "The Rock" in Boone, NC. The weather has turned out perfect for today's matchup between the Appalachian State Mountaineers and the Chattanooga Mocs. The pregame music is playing and there is tailgating all over campus. People are slowly trickling into the stadium and it is still about 70 minutes until kickoff. I will be keeping you updated as this ball game gets started. Unfortunately I do not have a photographer or a camera so we wont have any pictures of this game with the updates.

After Appalachian's two 5 point losses to East Carolina and McNeese State they have won six straight games. The Mountaineers have won 21 out of the last 24 matchups with Chattanooga. Appalachian holds 12 straight victories over the Mocs at home. The total record is 22-10 since their yearly battles started in 1977. This is the first season for the Mocs head coach Russ Huesman. The Mocs record this year is 5-3 after winning six games total in their past three seasons combined.

Update 1: Appalachian won the toss and defered. Chattanooga will be first up to receive. Buster Skrine received the ball for the Mocs getting to about the 21 yard line to start the first drive of the game. The ball was intercepted by Appalachians number 9 DJ Smith and returned to the 2 yard line. Devon Moore plows through to the inzone putting the Neer's up on the board 6-0. The kick is good bringing the score to 7-0.

Update 2: The Mocs are getting penalties left and right with a false start and a delay of game. Appalachian has intercepted the ball again to regain possession of the football with 11:17 to go in this 1st quarter.

Update #3: Armanti Edwards runs the ball into the end zone putting up six more points. The kick is good bringing the score up to 14-0. 5:58 to go in the first quarter.

Update #4: The Mocs give Appalachian more yardage with a pass interference penalty. The Mountaineers use this advantage to get Devin Radford into the end zone for another touchdown. The extra point kick is good once again bringing the score to 21-0. 2:01 left in the first quarter.

Update 5: Devon Moore fumbled the ball and it was recovered by the Moc's 11:51 to go in the 2nd quarter. Demery Brewer doing a great job on defense for Appalachian so far in this game leading with 4 tackles in the first quarter. BJ Coleman on the carry for the Mocs first touchdown of the game. The kick is good bringing the score to 21-7 with 8:37 left in the 2nd quarter.

Update 6: Jordan Tippit intercepted Armanti's pass giving the Moc's the football on their own 27 yard line. 6:47 to go in the 2nd. This breaks Armanti's streak of 144 passes with no interceptions. Appalachian stops the Mocs drive and forces them to punt. Armanti throws another interception picked off by Joel Bradford. The Mocs turn over the ball to Appalachian with a fumble on a carry. That will end the first half the score 21-7.

Update 7: The Mocs start out this second half with a drive up to the Appalachian 13 yard line where Craig Camay kicked a field goal putting three points up making the score 21-10. The Mocs do an onside kick and recover it at the 43 yard line. The Mocs throw deep into Appalachian territory setting them up in position for another touchdown. Appalachian pulls out a big defensive stop on 4th and 1 to regain control of the ball on the Appalachian 5 yard line.

Update 8: The Mocs have made their way back to the Appalachian 2 yard line with 1st and goal. The Mocs QB BJ Coleman passed the ball to Blue Cooper and it was caught in the inzone making the score 21-17. 3:34 left in the 3rd quarter. The 3rd quarter ends with the Mocs pushing back up the field into Appalachian territory.

Update 9: The Mocs kick another field goal putting up another three points bringing the score to 21-20 Appalachian. A carry by Appalachians Devon Moore gives them great field position at the Mocs 16 yard line. Devon Moore slides through the defenders into the inzone to put another 6 points up for the Mountaineers. The kick is good making the score 28-20 with 7:10 to go in this ball game. The Mocs throw an interception caught by App on the 39 yard line. The Mountaineer fans are going crazy as they move the ball deep into Moc territory. The ball carried into the inzone once again by Devon Moore. The extra point is good bringing the score to 35-20. 5:38 left on the clock.

Update 10: The final score is Appalachian 35 Chattanooga 20. The Mountaineers will be going to Elon next Saturday.

Basketball: Appalachian State vs Mars Hill (Exhibition)

Appalachian State is starting of the 2009-2010 season with an exhibition match with Mars Hill. Buzz Peterson the coach that led the Mountaineers to three Southern Conference championships and an appearance in the NCAA tournament from 96-2000 has returned to Appalachian as the head coach. Both teams are looking great during warm ups. I will keep you updated.

Update 1: 1st Half 15:45 remaining. Appalachian leads 14-9. Jeremi Booth and Donald Sims putting points up on the board for the Mountaineers. So far in the half the Appalachian FG% is 83.3% and Mars Hill is at 44.4%.

Update 2: 1st Half 3:56 remaining. Appalachian leads 35-27. Booth hit 3/4 of this three throws. Stoney Polite hit a great 3 pointer for Mars Hill trying to close the gap.

Update 3: At halftime Appalachian is still leading this ball game 46-32. Some half time Stats:
Mars Hill
FG% 14-34 41.2%
3FG% 3-14 21.4%
FT% 1-2 50.0%

Stoney Polite FG 4-8 3ptr 1-5
Dion Malachi FG 3-5
Danny Sanders FG 2-8 3ptr 1-5 Rebounds 3

Appalachian
FG% 14-26 53.8%
3FG% 8-13 61.5%
FT% 10-11 90.9%

Donald Sims FG 6-6 3ptr 5-5 Rebounds 1
Jeremi Booth FG 2-4 3ptr 1-2 FT 3-4 Rebounds 2

Update 4: 2nd half 11:35 remaining. ASU leads 67-49. Stoney Polite put 6 points up so far for Mars Hill this second Half with big 3 pointers. Jeremi Booth answering with two 3-pointers of his own.

Update 5: 2nd half 5:42 remaining. App is leading 87-63.

Update 6: Appalachian wins with a final score of 94-81. The regular season begins next friday night when they take on UNC-W.

Interview with Buzz Peterson:
"The main thing the we need to work on are our turnovers," Mr. Peterson stated. Appalachian had 26 turnovers tonight and Mars Hill had 22. "We have a lot of health problems on the team right now. Five guys have the flu and another three or four are out with injuries." Mr Peterson said that the team would be watching some game film and getting some time to rest up and hopefully improve the teams overall health status.

Don't forget to come out tomorrow and support your college football team.
Appalachian State Mountaineers take on the Chattanooga Mocs @ Boone, NC
Mars Hill Lions take on the Wingate Bull Dogs for senior day @ Mars Hill, NC
University of Tennessee Vols take on the Memphis Tigers @ Knoxville, TN

Pre-game Interview with Avery Football Head Coach Darrell Brewer

Click the post title above for this week's pregame interview with Avery High School head varsity football coach Darrell Brewer discussing the Vikings' season finale against the Mitchell Mountaineers.

Lees-McRae Sweeps Conference Carolinas Awards: Boracic Player of the Year, Perry Earns Freshman of the Year and Whalley Gets Coach of the Year

courtesy LMC Sports Information
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Berin Boracic earned Conference Player of the Year, Luke Perry earned Freshman of the Year and head coach Chris Whalley earned Conference Coach of the Year as the Conference Carolinas released the 2009 Men’s Soccer All-Conference Teams.

Head Coaches from conference member institutions nominate and then vote upon the award winners who represent the best of the best for the conference.

Boracic, the Conference Player of the Year, led the conference with 20 total points in nine conference games. He had seven goals and six assists.

Perry earned Freshman of the Year with two goals and six assists for ten total points in the nine conference games.

Whalley took Coach of the Year for the team’s third regular season title. They went 8-1-1 in the conference and 14-1-1 overall. They Bobcats are also number one in the Southeast Region and have held that ranking since the second week of the season. They also spent four weeks as the No. 1 ranked team in the NCAA.

The Bobcats also had four First Team members -- Boracic, Dale Parker, Luke Duffy and Sean Paradise – two Second Team members – Richard Guffens and David Palmer—and two Third Team members – Perry and Jamie Bladen.

“I am very proud of the lads it is good to see them get recognition for their hard work, “ Whalley said. “The most important thing to us is the conference championship and tournament championship that are team awards.”

Men’s All-Conference 1st-Team

Berin Boracic, Lees-McRae - Forward

Emmanual Yamson, Belmont Abbey - Forward

Paulo Passini, Anderson - Forward

Alistair Benson, Limestone - Forward

Lasse Sohrweide, Anderson - Midfielder

Kash Knight, Pfeiffer - Midfielder

Renato Barbosa, Pfeiffer - Midfielder

Dale Parker, Lees-McRae - Defender

Luke Duffy, Lees-McRae - Defender

Dominic Casciato, Limestone - Defender

Sean Paradise, Lees-McRae - Goalkeeper

Men’s All-Conference 2nd-Team

Richard Guffens, Lees-McRae - Forward

Alex Landim, Pfeiffer - Forward

Eric Stiefield, Coker - Forward

David Palmer, Lees-McRae - Midfielder

Keegan Ziada, Limestone - Midfielder

Lee Smyth, Limestone - Midfielder

James Moseley, Anderson - Defender

Marc Mergena, Coker - Defender

Jack Reid, Belmont Abbey - Defender

Wilver Menacho, Pfeiffer - Defender

Alex Moreno, Pfeiffer - Goalkeeper

Men’s All-Conference 3rd-Team

Daniel Shrizad, Coker - Forward

Junior Ellis, Limestone - Forward

Daniel Montero, St. Andrews - Forward

Luke Perry, Lees-McRae - Midfielder

Jack Kimber, Erskine - Midfielder

Nick Brindley, Pfeiffer - Midfielder

Jamie Bladen, Lees-McRae - Midfielder

Rayon Markland, Anderson - Defender

James Burke, Limestone - Defender

Luke Vernon, Pfeiffer - Defender

James Sweeney, Coker - Goalkeeper

Freshman of the Year

Luke Perry, Lees-McRae

Player of the Year

Berin Boracic, Lees-McRae

Coach of the Year

Chris Whalley, Lees-McRae

Regular Season Champions

Lees-McRae

Rich Earns First Team All-Conference and Lopez Earns Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year

courtesy LMC Sports Information
11/5/2009

HIGHT POINT, N.C. - Conference Carolinas announced their 2009 Women's Soccer All-Conference teams with Lees-McRae's Vickie Rich earning First Team All-Conference, head coach Renee Lopez earning Coach of the Year and three other Lady Bobcats earning second and third team honors.

Head coaches from conference member institutions nominate and then vote upon the award winners who represent the best of the best for the conference.

Rich had a break out season with eight goals and had three assists for 19 total points in 11 conference games. Overall in 2009 she has 15 goals, seven assists and 37 points to lead the Lady Bobcats.

Lopez earned the 2009 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year by taking the team to 11-7-1 overall record and 7-4 conference record. The team earned a fifth seed in the conference tournament - the highest seed since joining the league. They also advanced to semifinal round of the conference tournament.

Sophomore Mary Dorn earned Second Team All-Conference and midfield tandem Aerial Gregston and Maribeth Novak earned Third Team All-Conference.

Women's All-Conference 1st-Team

Connie Axiotis, Belmont Abbey - Forward

Kristen Wright, Queens - Forward

Jessica Kleinberg, Anderson - Forward

Vickie Rich, Lees-McRae - Forward

Alyssa Wombwell, Pfeiffer - Midfielder

Celene Molera, Belmont Abbey - Midfielder

Nicole Voets, Belmont Abbey - Midfielder

Sara McCormack, Pfeiffer - Defender

Amanda Maddock, Belmont Abbey - Defender

Katherine Johnson, Queens - Defender

Kristen Kornacki, Queens - Goalkeeper

Women's All-Conference 2nd-Team

Kirsten Bartsch, Pfeiffer - Forward

Samantha Brown, Pfeiffer - Forward

Hilary Peterson, Barton - Forward

Ashley Cotton, Anderson - Midfielder

Megan Reaves, Pfeiffer - Midfielder

Madi Dulisse, Limestone - Midfielder

Mary Dorn, Lees-McRae - Defender

Lindsay Palm, Belmont Abbey - Defender

Katelyn Conover, Anderson - Defender

Hilary Parkin, Converse - Defender

Suzie Hinman, Pfeiffer - Goalkeeper

Women's All-Conference 3rd-Team

Tia Rose, Mount Olive - Forward

Molly Harpe, Erskine - Forward

Rebekka Hagarman, Limestone - Forward

Aerial Gregston, Lees-McRae - Midfielder

Lindsay Patterson, Erskine - Midfielder

Maribeth Novak, Lees-McRae - Midfielder

Krystal Hedderman, St. Andrews - Midfielder

Patrice Clarke, Mount Olive - Defender

Caroline Smith, Mount Olive - Defender

Tiffany Caudle, Pfeiffer - Defender

Si' Ara Washington, Erskine - Goalkeeper

Freshman of the Year

Kristen Wright, Queens

Player of the Year

Connie Axiotis, Belmont Abbey

Coach of the Year

Renee Lopez, Lees-McRae

Regular Season Champions

Belmont Abbey

Visit lmcbobcats.com for the latest news and info on Lees-McRae College Athletics.

Vikings Soccer Season Ends with OT Defeat

The Avery Vikings boys soccer team traveled the 140+ mile trip to Highlands High School Wednesday night for the opening round of the NCHSAA 1A soccer playoffs, and was unable to pick up the road victory, losing by the final score of 4-3 in overtime.

Avery finishes its season with a record of 13-8-2. Congratulations on a great year!

Familiar Rivals Avery and Mitchell Meet in Border Clash

The Avery Vikings will try to snap a four-game losing streak and end its regular season on a high note at the expense of neighboring Mitchell High School this Friday night. The Vikings (4-6, 2-4 WHC) lost 35-14 to Mountain Heritage last week, while the Mountaineers (4-6, 2-4 WHC) shut out Madison 35-0 at home last week. Mitchell defeated Avery 38-14 in Newland a season ago.

Scouting the Mountaineers:
Mitchell head coach Russell Barnett has the luxury of one of the leading dual threat rushers and passers in Western North Carolina behind center in senior quarterback Logan Jensen. The signal-caller threw for over 1,200 yards while rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2008. This season Jensen is 52 of 117 passing for 1,087 yards and 13 touchdowns, and has rushed the football198 times for 1,402 yards and 11 additional scores.

The Mountaineers returned seven starters on offense and eight players on the defense from last season’s 3-9 club. Offensively, Mitchell employs the spread offense to take greatest advantage of their talented players in Jensen, as well as fellow senior wide receiver Billy Bomar, who gained 529 receiving yards last season and has 25 receptions for 735 yards and eight touchdowns this season.

An area of need entering the season for Mitchell was at running back. Aside from Jensen, the Mountaineers have filled the gap with talented playmakers like junior Shawn Jackson (107 rushes, 666 yards, 8 TD) and sophomore Dylan Forbes (22 rushes, 148 yards, 2 TD).

On the defensive side of the football, Mitchell relies upon a 4-4 base, but will show multiple formations as game scenarios warrant.

Filling in gaps to provide leadership to the club will be Blake Boone a senior linebacker who registered 87 tackles a season ago. Stalwarts for the Mountaineers on defense also include defensive ends Jarrett Roberts and Hunter Cornett who anchor the front line, as well as safeties Jensen and Josh Bennett, with defensive back Zach Stamey patrolling the secondary.

The Low Down:
Both the Mountaineers and the Vikings have a lot to play for this week. The teams hold identical season and conference records, giving the winner of this game a leg up in the seeding process for the state 1A football playoffs which begin next week.

Avery has had great success playing in Ledger, winning two years ago as a heavy underdog by a 28-27 score on a daring two-point conversion call. For history to repeat itself, the Vikings must find a way defensively to contain Logan Jensen and force one or more of his teammates to make enough plays to win the ballgame.

A question mark for Avery entering Friday’s game will be the health and availability of Vikings sophomore quarterback Alex Villanueva, who sustained an injury in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss to Mountain Heritage and did not return to the contest. If Villanueva is unable to play, Avery’s pass offense will be more limited, forcing the Vikings running backs such as Colton Blackburn, Kenny Hicks, Nathaniel Buchanan, and Taylor Potter to shoulder a greater burden.

The Vikings defense did not play poorly last week against a juggernaut in Mountain Heritage, but it did surrender over 400 yards on the ground. Look for Avery to try to control the clock and try to keep the Mitchell offense off the field as much as possible this week.

By the Numbers:
4- highest conference finish by the Mitchell Mountaineers this decade (’00,’02-’03, ’06-’07)
20- points scored in the first quarter of Mitchell’s shutout of Madison last Friday night.
28 – touchdowns accounted for by Avery quarterback Alex Villanueva (11 rushing, 17 passing)
161 – yards rushing on 20 carries with three touchdowns by Mitchell QB Logan Jensen in last season’s meeting.
402 – yards gained by Avery leading rusher Colton Blackburn this season.
616 – receiving yards by Vikings wide receiver Andy Gonzalez to lead all receivers in Western North Carolina.

Read next week’s edition of the Journal-Times for a full recap of Friday’s game against the Mountaineers, as well as a preview of Avery’s potential first-round state playoff contest.

Weekly Contest Winner and This Week's Picks

Congratulations to Thomas Jackson for winning last week's Football Pick'em Contest.

Thomas is 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 is the slate of games for this week:

Week 12 (week of November 6)

1. Avery @ Mitchell
2. Watauga @ St. Stephens
3. Freedom @ Patton
4. Owen @ Thomas Jefferson
5. Hendersonville @ Polk County
6. Mtn. Heritage @ Madison
7. Cloudland v. Playoff opponent
8. Chattanooga @ Appalachian St.
9. Wingate @ Mars Hill College
10. Wake Forest @ Georgia Tech
11. Maryland @ N.C. State
12. Florida State @ Clemson
13. Duke @ North Carolina
14. Virginia @ Miami (FL)
15. Memphis @ Tennessee
16. Ohio State @ Penn State
17. NFL: Washington @ Atlanta
18. NFL: Carolina @ New Orleans
19. NFL: Tennessee @ San Francisco
20. NFL: Dallas @ Philadelphia

Tie Breaker: Avery @ Mitchell

Total # of points: ___________________

LMC Lady Bobcats Season Ends with Tourney Loss

BELMONT, N.C. - The fifth seeded Lees-McRae College Lady Bobcats women's soccer team season ended Thursday in the Conference Carolinas Tournament Semifinals in a 3-0 loss to top seeded Belmont Abbey.

Lees-McRae ends its season with a record of 11-8-1.

Belmont Abbey controlled the game from the start as Celene Molera opened the scoring in the 25th minute. After a Kristin Foster corner kick was partially cleared out, the volley came right to Molera who left footed a shot from a tough angle on the left side past goalkeeper Brittany Bolton for the goal.

Shortly after the second half began, Rebecca Mateo widened the gap to 2-0 at the 57:08 mark. After she got behind the Bobcats defense and fired a low shot. Bolton made the initial save, but Mateo got the rebound and scored.

Alana Ryczek closed the scoring at exactly 75:00 in a goal that was similar to Mateo's. After a Foster shot that was saved by Bolton, the rebound came right to Ryczek, who steadied the ball and fired in a shot into the upper right corner of the net.

Bolton made three saves between the pipes for the Lady Bobcats.

Belmont Abbey outshot Lees-McRae 14-0 and held a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks.

Related Item: Box Score

Vols Spook South Carolina, Grab 31-13 Victory

By: Matt Laws (matt.laws@averyjournal.com)

The Tennessee Vols started their Halloween celebration in a new style on rainy Saturday night. When the night was over, they left with a treat for themselves and the fans.

The Vols took advantage of early Gamecock miscues as they took a 31-13 victory in Knoxville on Saturday. Tennessee surprised the fans in attendance as well as a national TV audience as they spilt the traditional “T” with black jerseys after warming up with the traditional orange.

“It's a players game, and our players had been begging for them for a while,” Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin said. “It was a night game and it was Halloween night. A couple of our players went over to Mike Hamilton and asked him about it. It was unbelievable to get them done that fast. I think it gave us some energy. I think you saw that in the way they came out and played early.”

The Vols responded to the treat with an inspired performance. The Vols took advantage of two early Gamecock fumbles as they rushed out to a 14-0 lead four minutes into the contest.

"It was really good for us to get some excitement right away in the game and to capitalize on a turnover,” Kiffin said. “It gives our players a lot of momentum, and we did it again today. I think we capitalized on it every time on the four turnovers. It was huge. We've played great defense lately, but we have not been an explosive defense. To come out and get four turnovers today was a credit to the players.”

Jonathon Crompton showed he may have finally turned the corner. Crompton hit Austin Johnson for a 38-yard touchdown on UT’s second offensive play after the first South Carolina fumble, then found Kevin Cooper for a two-yard pass on a fourth and goal in the early stages of the second quarter.

"I thought Jonathan played great today,” Kiffin said. “I didn't think we played great around him. But, if you throw two touchdowns, don't turn the ball over and manage the game well, you put yourself in position to win.”

Crompton finished the game 12 of 24 for 142 yards and the two touchdowns.

Montario Hardesty also got back on track. Hardesty scored the Vols second touchdown of the night with his 14-yard run, and also found the endzone from seven yards out in the third quarter. Hardesty had 121 yards on 23 carries. Bryce Brown added 60 yards on nine carries.

For the Vols, the victory over South Carolina was a great way to celebrate Halloween. Not only did they get an important win, they showed they can keep from turning the ball over.

"This was a very good win for our program to beat a top 25 team in front of a national TV audience,” Kiffin said. “We're really excited about that. Obviously, it was kind of sloppy at times because of the weather and both teams completed 50 percent of the balls. The whole game was going to be about turnovers, and we talked about that at the start of the game when it started to rain. So it was going to be about protecting the ball, and we pride ourselves on that. We have done a very good job on that of late. Last week we had 74 plays and didn't put the ball on the ground, and then to pitch a shutout (on turnovers) today was great. I think that's the story of the game.”

The Vols will entertain Memphis on Saturday as they celebrate Homecoming 2009. The game is to be televised on ESPNU and will kickoff at 7:00.

Avery Soccer Downs Mitchell, Falls at Polk to Close Regular Season

The Avery men’s soccer team, ranked fifth in the latest 1A soccer poll, continued a busy week of soccer last week with a road match at Mitchell on Wednesday, October 28^th, followed by a match at Polk County the following evening.

Avery’s match on a cool, brisk evening at Memorial Stadium in Ledger against Mitchell was a tougher battle than the teams’ first meeting, a 6-1 Avery victory in Newland on September 30^th. On Senior Night, the Mountaineers put up a tough challenge before Avery took control in the second half of a physical match for a 3-1 victory.

The first half was dominated by the Vikings as they kept the ball on the Mitchell defensive half of the field for much of the first 40 minutes, but had no goals to show for their efforts as the teams went to halftime in a scoreless tie.

The Vikings first half drought came to a quick end in the second half. In the 47^th minute, Kyle Griewisch sent a shot in the box, where Jorge Arreola blasted the ball past the lower left side of the Mitchell keeper for the game’s first goal.

Avery picked up a second goal when senior Cody Shadoin chipped a ball over the front line of Mitchell’s defense. The ball set up teammate Isauro Estrada who ran down the ball, dribbled by the back line of defense, and scored above the outreached arms of the goalie for a 2-0 Avery advantage in the 49^th minute.

The Big Red had its third goal in less than 20 minutes as Arreola connected for his second tally of the night, slipping a shot just inside the left post by the sprawling defense, staking Avery to a 3-0 edge in the 60^th minute.

Mitchell benefited from a non-call of offsides by the official, as Matthew Sutton took advantage of the opportunity to prevent the shutout, scoring a goal in the 78^th minute. The goal was too little, too late as the Vikings held on for the two-goal victory.

Last Thursday evening Avery traveled to Columbus for its final match of the 2009 regular season against the Polk County Wolverines. Despite a strong effort, the Vikings came up short in a 3-0 defeat.

Coming off a 3-1 win at Mitchell Wednesday night, the Avery soccer team trekked to Columbus in hopes of finishing the regular season on a winning note at the expense of the Polk Wolverines. The victory was not to be, however, as Polk avenged its loss earlier in the season to Avery with a 3-0 win Thursday night.

Avery was outshot by Polk 23-6 for the match, as Wolverine Cole Weicker had a pair of goals and an assist for the home squad. David Abril tallied the other goal as the Wolverines dropped the Vikings to 13-7-2 overall, and a 9-5 finish in the Western Highlands Conference. By virtue of its victory, Polk and Hendersonville ended the season as co-champions of the Western Highlands Conference.

The Vikings have scored 63 total goals on the season, while the Big Red defense surrendered less than half of that total (31).

Avery’s men’s soccer team competes in postseason play with the 1A state soccer playoffs opening round on Wednesday, November 4^th at Highlands High School, the top seed from the Smoky Mountain Conference with a 14-4-1 overall record..

A full recap on Avery’s performance in the state tournament can be found online at the Journal-Times Sports Blog at: www.ajtsports.blogspot.com or read in next week’s print edition.

Cougars Claw Vikings on Senior Night

Halloween weekend was not much of a treat for Avery football fans. The high-octane ground game of the Mountain Heritage Cougars amassed over 450 yards rushing en route to handing the Vikings their fourth consecutive defeat in a 35-14 loss at cloudy and misty MacDonald Stadium Friday night.

The evening began with a celebration of eight Avery High School senior football players, as well as a number of senior cheerleaders and band members. Once the game began, however, the Cougars offense took center stage.

Heritage took the opening kickoff of the game and drove 77 yards in just six plays. The visitors set the tone on the game’s first play, a 30-yard scamper by Western North Carolina’s leading rusher Casey Randolph. Quarterback Josh Laws scored on a two-yard run to put the Cougars up 7-0.

Avery’s offense was forced into a three-and-out on its first series, but a Dylan Aldridge punt was fumbled by return man Josh Laws. Remington Austin recovered the loose football to give the Vikings a new set of downs. Avery found success running the football into Cougar territory, but turned the ball over when an Alex Villanueva pass was picked off by defensive back Matthew Kardulis at the Mountain Heritage 19 yard line.

The opportunistic Cougars capitalized on the Avery turnover, marching 81 yards over four plays. A Josh Laws 57-yard quarterback keeper brought Heritage inside the Avery red zone, and Randolph ran into the end zone from six yards out to take a 14-0 advantage with 3:35 left in the opening period.

As the opening period wound down the Vikings offense clicked into motion. Villanueva bounced back from the earlier turnover to hit receivers Keith McKinney and Andy Gonzalez on back-to-back plays for a total of 43 yards. The drive culminated in a Villanueva six-yard run to pay dirt on the opening play of the second quarter. The extra point cut Heritage’s lead in half at 14-7.

The Avery defense made a stand on the first Mountain Heritage possession of the quarter. Vikings defensive back Tyler Long picked off his fourth pass of the season to give the ball back to the Big Red. Avery was unable to move the football, but a 61-yard punt by Aldridge pinned the Cougars at their own 11-yard line.

Momentum swung in the direction of Heritage as the Cougars offense methodically pushed the ball downfield behind its mammoth offensive line. Twelve straight times the Cougars ran the football, while the thirteenth play, a 17-yard touchdown pass from Laws to receiver Eli Buckner, capped the drive with only 14 seconds left in the half. The six minute possession staked the Cougars to a 21-7 lead at halftime.

Avery received the kickoff to begin the third quarter, but the Vikings committed another turnover as Kardulis picked off a second Villanueva pass in Avery territory. The Cougars were on the board three running plays later, as Randolph scored from a yard out to push the Heritage advantage to 28-7.

Down but not out, the Vikings showed its strong will and heart as they tried to make a comeback. A 34-yard kickoff return by Taylor Potter gave Avery good field position. The Vikings raced 56 yards in just five plays to score its second touchdown of the night. A 29-yard pass connection from Villanueva to Gonzalez advanced the offense into Cougar territory, and Avery scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Villanueva to McKinney. The PAT narrowed the lead to 28-14 with eight minutes to play in the third quarter.

Vikings head coach Darrell Brewer reached into his bag of tricks following the score, as the Avery special teams successfully recovered an onside kick attempt. Seizing momentum, the Avery offense returned to the field and again moved the football on the Heritage defense.

Villanueva completed passes to Gonzalez and running back Colton Blackburn to bring up a first down and goal at the Cougar 5-yard line. A first down run lost two yards, while a second down pass fell incomplete. Villanueva completed a swing pass to Blackburn on third down, but the receiver was tackled at the three-yard line to set up fourth down and goal. An encroachment penalty against the Cougars moved the ball to the two-yard line for the pivotal fourth down play.

The game’s tipping point came when Villanueva attempted a quarterback sneak and appeared to cross the goal line. The quarterback appeared to stretch the football across the goal line, but he was ruled down by the official within inches of the end zone, turning the ball over on downs to the Cougars.

“From what we saw on the sideline, we thought Alex had gotten in,” Vikings head coach Darrell Brewer said after the game. “It appeared that he was able to stretch the football out across the goal line. The call there was huge.”

Mountain Heritage put the game out of reach on its ensuing drive, going 99 yards over seven plays in just over two minutes of clock time. A 50-yard run by Randolph was sandwiched between runs of 17 and 14 yards by Matthew Kardulis, the latter of which ended in the end zone for a touchdown and a 35-14 margin.

In need of points in a hurry, Avery was unable to move the football with its final drive of the third period, turning the football over on downs to the Cougars. The Vikings made a break for themselves, however, when Taylor Potter forced a Randolph fumble which Tyler Long recovered.

Avery worked to move the ball after the turnover, but the Cougars defense added injury to insult when Alex Villanueva was shaken up on a third down sack. The sophomore signal-caller walked off the field under his own power but did not return to the contest and status for this week’s game at Mitchell is uncertain.

Mountain Heritage made one final offensive surge to add points on the board, but the Viking Cole Blackburn forced and recovered a Cougar fumble to quell the threat inside the Avery 10-yard line.

With its starting quarterback out, Viking quarterback Samson Jennings, himself playing through a torn knee ligament, moved Avery into Heritage territory before a pass attempt was intercepted by Kardulis for his third theft of the contest, sealing the 35-14 final score.

Despite the loss, the Vikings played with determination and passion from opening kickoff to final whistle.

“The boys played really hard, and I was proud of them,” Avery coach Darrell Brewer said after the game. “Mountain Heritage is a good football team. We had the momentum a couple of times, but we couldn’t make the plays we needed to make.”

The loss dropped Avery’s record to 4-6 overall, with a 2-4 mark in conference play. The Vikings will close out the regular season this Friday night in Ledger when they take on the Mitchell Mountaineers in a 1A conference clash.

Edwards Earns National, SoCon Recognition After Record-Setting Performance

(courtesy Appalachian Sports Information)
BOONE, N.C. - A pair of national news services and the Southern Conference honored Appalachian State University quarterback Armanti Edwards (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) on Monday for his 461-yard, six-touchdown performance in Saturday’s 52-27 win at Furman. The Sports Network and College Sporting News tabbed Edwards as the National Offensive Player of the Week while the SoCon recognized the senior as the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week.

Edwards passed for 355 yards and rushed for 106 more in just three quarters of action to lead Appalachian to its sixth-straight win. In the process, he became the first player in NCAA Division I history (FCS or FBS) to amass 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career. He achieved the historic feat when he broke the 9,000-yard passing barrier with a 14-yard completion to CoCo Hillary (Edgefield, S.C./Strom Thurmond) midway through the second quarter.

Despite watching the final period from the sideline, Edwards completed 25-of-36 passes, including touchdowns of 16 and 21 yards, and matched a career high with four scoring runs that covered three, four, one and five yards. With 9,184 passing yards and 4,132 rushing yards in his career, Edwards vaulted to fourth in NCAA Division I FCS history with 13,616 yards of total
offense. His 461-yard performance against Furman ranks fourth in school history.

Edwards was also named National and SoCon Player of the Week following his 415-yard passing effort versus Wofford on Oct. 17. In all, Edwards has earned national weekly honors six times and SoCon weekly recognition 13 times in his illustrious career.

Appalachian (6-2, 5-0 SoCon) hosts upstart Chattanooga (5-3, 3-3 SoCon) for a pivotal conference battle on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Lady Bobcats Advance to Semifinals with 1-0 Upset Win

11/2/2009
courtesy LMC Sports Information

BANNER ELK, N.C. -- Brittany Bolton made six saves and Maribeth Novak scored the game winning-goal as the fifth seeded Lees-McRae College Lady Bobcats upset the fourth seeded Queens University of Charlotte Royals in the first round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament the Queens University Sports Complex.

With the win, the Lady Bobcats improve to 11-7-1 overall and advance to the semifinal round to face the number one seed Belmont Abbey Thursday at 2 p.m. at The Abbey.
In the first half, Bolton turned away two Queens shots to keep it a 0-0 match heading into the intermission.

In the 60th minute, Tiffany Coleman drew a free kick from a Queens' defender to set up Novak's game winner. Novak took the free kick from 30-yards out and put the shot over the keepers head.

Bolton made three more saves following the goal, all one-on-one, to secure the win. She made a total of five second half saves to earn the shutout.

Queens outshot Lees-McRae 10-9 and held a 7-4 corner kick advantage.

The Lady Bobcats advance to the semifinals for the first time under head coach Renee Lopez and the first time since joining the Conference Carolinas.

Related Item: Box Score

Visit lmcbobcats.com for the latest news and info on Lees-McRae College Athletics.

Vikings Soccer Faces Highlands in Opening Round of State Soccer Playoffs

The Avery boys soccer team received a wild card entry into the state 1A soccer playoffs on Monday, and learned that they will be playing at Highlands, the #1 seed out of the Smoky Mountain Conference.

Highlands is 14-4-1 on the season. The winner of the match will take on the winner of the first round match between Hendersonville and Lake Norman Charter.

Lady Bobcats Fall in Final Regular Season Match 1-0 to Lady Falcons

courtesy LMC Sports Information
10/31/2009

MISENHEIMER, N.C. - Pfeiffer's Megan Reaves converted a free kick from 20-yards out in the 12th minute to give the Pfeiffer University Lady Falcons a 1-0 win over the Lees-McRae Lady Bobcats in Conference Carolinas women's soccer action on Saturday afternoon at N.E. Lefko Field.

Lees-McRae drops to 10-7-1, 7-4 and will be the #5 seed next week in opening round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament. It is the highest ranking under head coach Renee Lopez.

A Lady Bobcat foul just outside the 18-yard box in the 12th minute gave the Lady Falcons the all-important free kick. Taking the shot, Reaves fired just to the right of the Bobcats defensive wall and past the keeper for the lone goal of the match.

Pfeiffer outshot Lees-McRae 24-3 on the afternoon.

The Lady Bobcats open the tournament as they travel to Queens Monday at 7p.m for their match.

Related Item: Box Score

Visit lmcbobcats.com for the latest news and info on Lees-McRae College Athletics.

No. 1 Lees-McRae Suffers First Loss in Final Match of the Regular Season to Pfeiffer, 1-0

Courtesy LMC Sports Information
10/31/2009

MISENHEIMER, N.C. -- Pfeiffer University Falcons upset the No. 1 Lees-McRae College Bobcats in men's Conference Carolinas soccer action Saturday afternoon at N.E. Lefko Field on a Jeff Cannon header in the fourth minute.

The Bobcats, who clinched the conference title on Wednesday, suffered their first blemish of the season falling to 14-1-1 overall and 8-1-1 in the Conference Carolinas.

Cannon's strike was set up by a Lees-McRae foul just outside the 18-yard box in the fourth minute of play.. Wilver Menacho took the free kick and delivered a cross to Cannon who found the back right post.

Bobcat goalie Sean Paradise made seven saves while, Falcon goalkeeper Alex Moreno stopped three Bobcats shots in the win.

Pfeiffer outshot Lees-McRae 13-9. Six of the Falcons 13 shots came in the first half, while Lees-McRae only had one first half shot.

The Bobcats were called offsides nine times in the match.

The Bobcats hold home-field advantage with the #1 seed in the Conference Carolinas Tournament, which begin Tuesday as they face St. Andrews at 7 p.m.

Related Item: Box Score