NEWLAND, N.C. - The Lees-McRae College Bobcats used four first half goals to advance to the finals of the NCAA men' soccer Southeast Regional hosted by Lees-McRae with a 6-3 win over the Wingate University Bulldogs Friday at Avery High School.
With the win, Lees-McRae is 16-2-1 overall and will play Anderson in the regional finals Sunday at 2 p.m. back at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk. Wingate's season ends with a 13-5-1 record.
Wingate scored the first goal of the match when Jack Vundum scored in ninth minute to give the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead. Jamie McKenna served a cross that Vundum headed the ball into the net past the Bobcat keeper.
Jamie Bladen answered for Lees-McRae in the 13th minute to tie the match. Jamie Price played a cross that was brought down by Richard Guffens to the feet of Bladen, who struck it for the volley and the goal.
In the 14th minute, Lees-McRae got a break on a Wingate own goal to make it 2-1, but scored again in the 38th when Luke Perry found David Palmer on the back post. Palmer slammed home the goal to give the Bobcats, 3-1 lead.
Three minutes later Bladen scored his second goal of the match on a broken play off a corner kick. Bladen corralled the ball put it away for the game to give Lees-McRae a 4-1 lead heading into the half.
The Bobcats tallied their fifth goal 46 seconds into the second half when Wingate scored another own to make it 5-1, and tallied their sixth and final goal of the match in 47th minute when Lee Squires knock home a penalty kick.
Wingate fought back and scored three minutes later when Corey McCollom scored on a Felippe Imperatriz assists.
The Bulldogs scored the final goal of the match in the 56 minute when Luke Mulholland collected a blasted a shot from just outside the 18-yard box for the goal to give the game the final of 6-3.
Sean Paradise earned the win between the pipes for the Bobcats with four saves, and Joey Calandra made four saves for the Bulldogs.
Wingate outshot Lees-McRae 17-14, but Lees-McRae ten shots on goal compared to Wingate's seven.
11:45 a.m. -- It's a special edition of LIVE FROM..... today, as we are live at Wake Forest University's BB&T Field for coverage of today's Senior Day ACC Atlantic Division matchup between the Florida State Seminoles and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Both teams need to win to keep their dim postseason hopes alive going down the stretch in the regular season. Following the injury last week to quarterback Christian Ponder, the Seminoles will rely on E.J. Manuel as signal-caller in his first collegiate start.
Wake lost an overtime heartbreaker to Avery County native Paul Johnson and his Georgia Tech squad 30-27 last week and hopes to take some frustration out on the 'Noles this afternoon. Added intrigue to today's game is the job status of legendary Seminoles head football coach Bobby Bowden. The icon has roamed the FSU sideline since 1976, and rumors have swirled that this may very well be his last season as head coach, hence his final trip to North Carolina as head coach.
We'll be bringing periodic updates throughout the afternoon here on the Blog! Thanks for reading! Below is a brief video of Jamie interrupting Matt Laws' pregame meal to offer a quick preview of today's contest.
Update #1: The teams are preparing to come out onto the field. Wake Forest wins the coin toss and defers. FSU will receive the opening kickoff as we prepare to get underway from Winston-Salem!
Update #2: Florida State strikes first, utilizing a strong running game and a short pass attack to compile an 81-yard drive that consumed 12 plays in 5:36 of clock time. Ty Jones rushes 9 yards for a touchdown to stake FSU the early 7-0 advantage with 9:24 left in the first period. Wake will look to knot it up on its next series.
Update #3: Wake Forest answers the Florida State score with its own long touchdown-scoring drive. Wake took 6:41 off the clock to drive 70 yards over 13 plays. QB Riley Skinner kept the drive alive with a great duck of a FSU rusher on third down and scrambled for a first down. A short time later the Deacons decided to go for it on fourth and 1 from the FSU 3, and Josh Adams rambled in off an option pitch right, crossing the ball over the plane of the goal line. The Jimmy Newman PAT was good, and the score is tied at 7-7 with 2:43 left in the first period.
Update #4: Florida State is deep in WFU territory with its second offensive series of the game. A big third down pitch and catch from Manuel to #80 Jarmon Fortson covers 30 yards to the WFU 6. On the next play, halfback Jermaine Thomas runs it in off the left side from six yards out to help FSU regain the lead. The 6 play, 68-yard scoring drive takes only 2:24 off the clock, and the Seminoles lead it 14-7 with 0:19 left in the first quarter. Wake runs one final play to close out the quarter on offense before time expires. One quarter in the books and FSU leads 14-7!
Update #5: Wake QB Riley Skinner is picked off by Florida State, who returns it back to the WFU 27. Great chance for the Seminoles to pad their lead. FSU capitalizes as Manuel and Fortson connect on a 23-yd pass play to set up first and goal at the Wake 1. EJ Manuel dives over the pile for a one-yard touchdown run. 12:48 remains in the quarter, and the Seminoles have upped the advantage to 21-7.
Update #6: Wake drives to the FSU 41, but its drive stalls and the Demon Deacons have to punt. The kick pins Florida State at its own 4-yard line. 10:17 to go in the half and the Seminoles still lead it 21-7.
Update #7. FSU drives 10 plays and 68 yards over 5:25. The drive stalls, but a 47 yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins further adds to the Seminole lead as FSU now leads 24-7. Update #8: Wake is held to a three-and-out and punt the football away. The ball is caught at the 32-yard line by FSU's Greg Reid, who totes it 68 yards through the Wake special teams for a touchdown. FSU leads it big 31-7 with 3:40 left before halftime.
Update #9: Josh Adams caps a much-needed touchdown drive for the Demon Deacons with a 20-yard TD run to cap a 5-play, 79-yard scoring drive. The PAT is good and Wake now trails 31-14 with 2:12 to play in the second quarter.
Update #10: FSU's short passing game is a thing of beauty in this half. A slip screen to Bert Reed gains around 40 yards up to the Wake 10-yard line as the clock ticks down to 35 seconds to play in the half. EJ Manuel's pass play on second and goal was intercepted by Kyle Quarrels at the tw0-yard line. Quarrles had his bell rung on the return and was down on the field for a short time. Wake turns Florida State away with 0:07 left in the half. Wake takes a knee to close the half. Temperatures rose a bit on both sides after that last vicious hit, but the Seminoles lead it nonetheless 31-14 at halftime.
The 31 first-half points are the most that FSU has scored in a half against Wake Forest since 42 in teh 2001 game in Tallahassee, and the most in Winston-Salem since hanging 42 on the Demon Deacons at the half in 1994. The 31 is the most this season since a 35 point first-half effort against Georgia Tech.
Update #11: Wake's first drive of the third quarter consumes, but stalls as the Deacons boot an eight-yard punt to the FSU 29. 10:17 left in the third quarter and the Seminoles still lead it by 17. The Deacon defense makes its best stand of the game so far as FSU is forced to punt.
Update #12: WFU marches 79 yards over four plays and get on the scoreboard with a 13 yard touchdown run by Kevin Harris, set up by a 48-yard scamper by Brandon Pendergrass. Wake Forest has narrowed the margin to 31-21 with 6:57 left in the third quarter.
Update #13: FSU hits the upright on a 42-yard field goal attempt by Hopkins and it ricochets in to complete a 6-play, 43-yard drive that consumed 2:56. Lights are on in the stadium as shadows begin to encapsulate the playing field. FSU boosts its lead back to 13 points at 34-21 with 4:01 to play in the third quarter.
Update #14: Wake is stopped inside its own territory and punts the ball back to FSU. The Seminoles run for a first down to close out the final seconds of the third period of play. One quarter left to go from BB&T Field and and Florida State leads Wake Forest 34-21.
Update #15: FSU appears to have taken control as a 7-yard pass from Manuel to Fortson adds to the Seminole lead. The PAT caps the 10 play, 79 yard drive that elapsed 4:41 off the clock. 11:04 remains in the game and Wake Forest trails Florida State 41-21. Florida State has looked strong today offensively. Wake has also looked good at times, but with the exception of a couple of possessions, FSU has executed its game plan very well today in Winston-Salem.
Update #16: Wake Forest refuses to fold as it drives 59 yards to the 1-yard line, but s Skinner pass in intercepted by Florida State in the end zone to stall the drive. The visitors stands are rocking with the Tomahawk Chop as Florida State gets the ball at its own 20-yard line. 41-21 Wake Forest trails with 7:57 left to play.
Update #17: Wake puts together another scoring drive after FSU had to punt the ball away. A pass from Skinner to Chris Givens that covers 4 yards caps a 9 play, 79 yard scoring drive that took 2:37 off the clock. Exactly 3:01 remains to play and the Demon Deacons have narrowed its deficit to 41-28.
FSU recovers the onside kick, forces Wake to burn all its timeouts, and gets a first down before running out the clock. Florida State wins it 41-28.
Wake Forest falls to 4-7 on the season, while Florida State improves to an even 5-5 on the year. The Seminoles can become bowl eligible with a win against Maryland next week or against #1 Florida in two weeks in Gainesville.
Thanks for reading the Blog! We'll be posting photos in the next while. Thanks again to the gracious staff at BB&T Field for their hospitality. Our next Live Blogcast will likely be ASU basketball, and you're invited to follow along with us then!
BANNER ELK, N.C. -- The Lees-McRae College men's soccer team will host the NCAA Tournament's Southeast Regional at Avery High School Friday, November 13th and Sunday, November 15th. The matches have been moved due to field conditions caused by the amount of rain in the area.
The Bobcats earned the top seed in the region with a 15-2-1 overall record and will play fourth seed Wingate, who defeated Flagler, 4-0 Wednesday. The match will be at 7 p.m. at Avery High School in Newland, N.C.
On the other side of the bracket, Conference Carolinas foe, Anderson, will play Carson-Newman Friday at 4 p.m. at Avery High School
The final round location is to be determined at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The following story written by CBS Sports' Tony Barnhart discusses the great season had by Avery County native and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head football coach Paul Johnson, whose team is ranked #7 in this week's BCS Standings. A good read that we thought was worth passing along. Enjoy!
It was Saturday night at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium and, as they say down South, it was gettin' late. Georgia Tech was in overtime with WakeForest and everything -- and I do mean everything -- was on the line.
WakeForest had scored first in the overtime to take a 27-24 lead. A Georgia Tech loss would have been beyond devastating. It would have probably cost the Yellow Jackets a Coastal Division championship, a shot at the ACC championship and the opportunity to at least be in the BCS title discussion come late November.
Georgia Tech faced fourth down and a little less than a yard. The ball was straining to reach the 5-yard line. The Coaching 101 manual for this situation reads as follows: "You're at home. Your offense is playing well. Be smart. Be conservative. Kick the field goal and go to the second overtime."
Paul Johnson has never read that coaching manual. He doesn't even own one. He sent his offense back on the field and first tried to draw WakeForest into an offside penalty. Didn't work. Johnson called timeout.
During the timeout, Johnson looked at his quarterback, Josh Nesbitt.
"Whaddaya think?" asked the coach.
"I can make it, coach," said the player.
"I know you can," said the coach.
So Johnson sent his quarterback onto the field. Nesbitt ran for the first down. On the next play he ran for the touchdown. Ballgame.
"I really didn't think it was that tough a call," Johnson said Sunday afternoon. "You have a bunch of options on a play like that. I just thought our offense against the defense they were running was our best option."
Because Johnson dared to fail, a trait not often seen in the coaching fraternity, Georgia Tech has won big. The Yellow Jackets are 9-1, ranked No. 7 in the BCS, and are one win (Saturday at Duke) from locking up the ACC's Coastal Division championship. Georgia Tech has not won an ACC championship since 1990, when Bobby Ross led the Yellow Jackets to the UPI national title.
But understand that Johnson didn't just win a big game with his boldness last Saturday. He sent a message to his current players and to those who will come to play for Georgia Tech from this point forward.
"If I expect my players to play to win, then I have to be willing to play to win," Johnson said. "The easiest thing to do in that situation is to kick the field goal. If he misses it, you can just blame the player. My job is to put our guys into the best position to win every week."
The message has been received by the Georgia Tech players, who are now feeding off Johnson's confidence.
"He believes in us," said running back Jonathan Dwyer, the 2008 ACC Player of the Year. "Who doesn't want to play for a coach like that? It makes us go out there and play harder for him and harder for each other."
Georgia Tech's players are not the only ones who have bought in to the boldness of their second-year head coach. The Georgia Tech fans are absolutely giddy.
"Our fans love the guy because he is confident in his ability. In that respect he has some Steve Spurrier and some Barry Switzer in him," said Wes Durham, the longtime radio voice at Georgia Tech. "He doesn't need a script. He doesn't need a play sheet. He sees the game and makes the adjustments he needs to make. And he is competitive. Man is this guy competitive."
To understand Paul Johnson you have to go all the way back to his home in Newland, N.C. He didn't play college football but looked at the game and had the audacity to think he could coach it. More than once he heard that he needed to limit his vision and his ambition.
"When somebody told me I couldn't do something, that made me want to do it more," he said.
Johnson began his coaching career at his alma mater, AveryCountyHigh School, as the offensive coordinator and line coach. Johnson got his first college job at Lees-McRaeJunior College in Banner Elk, N.C. When Erk Russell began building his Division I-AA national championship program at Georgia Southern, he hired Paul Johnson in 1983 as the defensive line coach.
Russell saw something he liked in the kid from western North Carolina. Johnson was coaching the defense, but he was also watching and learning the Georgia Southern offensive attack. It was a version of the wishbone/option and, from time to time, Johnson would offer some good ideas. In 1985 Russell promoted Johnson to offensive coordinator. In 1985 and 1986 Georgia Southern averaged 435 yards and 36 points per game and won a pair of Division I-AA national championships.
After stints at Hawaii (1987-94) and Navy as an assistant coach (1995-96), Johnson came back to Georgia Southern as head coach in 1997. The program had struggled since Russell's retirement after the 1989 season. Don't go there, people said. You can never match what Erk did.
Johnson immediately turned Georgia Southern around, winning 62 games and making three trips to the Division I-AA national championship game (two titles) in only five years.
Then he answered the call from Navy, which had just gone through the worst two-year period (1-20) in the history of the academy. Don't go there, Johnson's coaching friends told him. It's a graveyard. You can't get enough players. Too many restrictions.
"Call me dumb, but I thought our offense would work there," Johnson said.
It did. After a 2-10 record his first season (2002), Johnson's Navy teams won 43 games and made five consecutive bowl trips.
When Georgia Tech began looking for a coach to replace Chan Gailey, the thought of bringing Johnson's option offense to the ACC was considered to be a huge gamble. Don't go there, people told Johnson. The option may work at Georgia Southern and at Navy, but it will never work in a BCS conference. Too much speed.
"We played fast teams at Navy," Johnson said. "We didn't win every game but I knew if the offense was run correctly, it would work."
Georgia Tech went 9-4 in Johnson's first season, which included a memorable 45-42 win over archrival Georgia in Athens. The game was memorable because of the way Georgia Tech won it. Georgia led 28-12 at halftime and appeared to have total control of the game behind quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno. In the Georgia Tech locker room, Johnson didn't scream. He didn't implore his team to do something extraordinary.
"He just showed us a couple of adjustments he thought would help," Nesbitt said last summer. "He just told us that if we settled down and executed the offense just a little bit better, we'd be fine."
In the span of just over seven minutes in the third quarter, Georgia Tech wiped out the deficit and took a 35-28 lead.
Since then Johnson has earned a reputation as the King of Adjustments. After Georgia Tech lost at Miami on Sept. 17, he simplified the defense and changed a couple of things on offense.
"We were terrible at Miami. We basically didn't block anybody on the perimeter all night long," Johnson said. "But we changed a couple of things and started having some success. Then the kids really bought in."
Now Georgia Tech has a chance to win its 10th game, something it has not done since 1998. The Yellow Jackets have a chance to go to their second ACC Championship Game. (The first was in 2006, a most forgettable 9-6 loss to WakeForest). They have a chance to beat Georgia for the second straight year, which hasn't been done at Georgia Tech since George O'Leary beat the Bulldogs three straight from 1998 to 2000. And with Georgia struggling at 5-4, there are rumblings that the balance of power has shifted in the state, an unthinkable thing just a few years ago when Mark Richt's Bulldogs were winning SEC championships.
In short, life is good at Georgia Tech and the rest of the country is finally starting to discover that Johnson isn't a pretty good coach with a gimmick offense. This guy is a helluva coach with an offense, when run correctly, is just about impossible to stop.
"He's a ball coach," Durham said. "He's won every where he's ever been. That is not a coincidence."
Mars Hill Lions linebacker and former Avery Vikings standout Zach Johnson talks about what the support of Avery County coaches and fans means to he and his his team on the field.
We had a chance to sit down and speak last Saturday with former Avery standout and current Mars Hill College wide receiver Josh Johnson following his final game for the Lions on Senior Day.
Check out the video below for our pre-game interview with Avery Vikings head coach Darrell Brewer regarding Friday's opening round playoff game at Bessemer City.
Melinda Eggers (Volleyball) and Lucas Lecka (Football) are the Edward Jones Scholar Athletes of the Week. Each student currently participates in a varsity sport at AveryHigh School and maintains an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or better.
The Scholar Athlete Award is given for their outstanding performance – not only on the playing field, but also in the game of life. Congratulations to this week’s winners!
Coming off the heels of an emotional last-second win over conference rival Mitchell last week, the Avery Vikings (5-6, #12 seed 1AA West) are slotted to travel to Gaston County to square off against the Bessemer City Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets (7-4, #5 seed 1AA West) finished the regular season with a 14-6 loss to perennial conference power Lincolnton. Avery and BessemerCity have never met prior to this week in gridiron action.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets: The Bessemer City Yellow Jackets are coached by sixth-year head coach Larry Boone (28-43 coaching record at school) and are members of the Southern Piedmont Conference. The Yellow Jackets hold a 10-14 all-time playoff record.
BessemerCity has built its success this season on the foundation of its defense, which returned eight starters from a nine-win season in 2008 in which the team allowed the fewest points in the Southern Piedmont Conference.
Offensively the Yellow Jackets utilize a double wing formation and run the football with a variety of athletic players. Triggering the attack is quarterback Xavier Logan (151 rushes, 743 yards, 10 TD rushing; 62 of 144 passing for 884 yards, 9 TD, 8 INT). A quick runner who excels in eluding tacklers, Logan broke school records for career passing yardage and touchdowns this season.
Aside from Logan, the Yellow Jackets will rely on running backs Jhalen Adams (95 rushes, 423 yards, 4 TD), and J.C. Conner (33 rushes, 275 yards, 2 TD) to tote the football. When BessemerCity throws the football, catching passes from Logan include Brandon Corry (23 receptions, 316 yards, 3 TD) and Jesper Mackey (7 receptions, 120 yards, 3 TD).
The defense of BessemerCity has been stingy again in 2009. Leading the way for the Yellow Jackets is senior DL/LB Reggie Williams. Williams led the club in tackles a season ago and does so again in 2009. Jordan Coleman, a junior who’s already drawing recruiting interest from South Carolina, and Kameron Wilson join Williams as defensive line veterans.
Two-time all-conference pick Robbie Gehring, a senior linebacker, returned after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the third game of last season to provide leadership to the team. Senior Arkevius Thomas provides speed at linebacker, while the secondary trio of Jasper “Jap” Mackey, Raheem McMiller, and Travis Blake provide a mixture of speed, savvy, and playmaking ability.
BessemerCity has found ways to score other than on offense throughout the season. On five separate occasions, defensive players have returned fumbles or interceptions for touchdowns, while the Yellow Jackets have scored three special teams touchdowns, two on kick returns from McMiller.
The Low Down: For the Vikings to advance to the second round and keep their season alive, the team must concentrate its efforts on slowing down Xavier Logan. The senior has ran the ball more times than he has thrown it this season (151 to 144), so he is adept and finding running lanes and taking advantage of them.
During summer 7-on-7s, Asheville’s Danny Wilkens complemented Avery head coach Darrell Brewer on how his team played with no fear regardless of the team lined up in front of them. Avery must live up to that statement this week, playing with confidence and emotion without being “caught up in the moment”.
Avery, although young, got a taste of playoff action a season ago and would like to rinse the taste of last year’s lopsided loss to Hendersonville out of its collective mouth.
The Vikings offense will face a stiff test from BessemerCity, a team which prides itself on stopping the opponent’s offense.
It will take a standout game from the Big Red defense to pull out the victory on Friday. Avery must play as error-free as possible, plus generate enough offense with its rejuvenated rushing attack and potent passing threats to keep the Yellow Jackets defense guessing and uncomfortable. The winner of the West Wilkes/Swain County game awaits the winner of Friday’s tilt.
By the Numbers: 2 – touchdown runs by Colton Blackburn of at least 49 yards last week against the Mountaineers.
13.5 – average points per game surrendered this season by the BessemerCity defense.
28 – distance in yards of BessemerCity’s lone score in last week’s 14-6 loss to Lincolnton, a pass play from Xavier Logan to Jayquan Mackey.
65 – number of yards in penalties that BessemerCity averaged per game through the regular season.
69 – passing yards by Avery QB Alex Villanueva in last week’s win (only the third time this season Alex has thrown for less than 100 yards—Avery has a 2-1 record in the games.)
150 – when the Yellow Jackets rush as a team for over 150 yards, the team is 6-0. When they rush for under 150 yards, the team is only 1-4 this season.
271 – rushing yards gained by Avery in last week’s 42-38 win over Mitchell.
4951 – career combined rushing and passing yards accumulated by BessemerCity senior QB Xavier Logan.
For a full recap of this week’s playoff game, as well as all things Avery sports, read next week’s print edition of the Avery Journal-Times or visit the newspaper’s online sports presence at: www.ajtsports.blogspot.com
Congratulations to Sam Burleson for winning last week's Football Pick'em Contest.
Sam 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.
Only THREE WEEKS remain in this year's picks contest! Below is the slate of games for this week:
1. Avery at Bessemer City
2. Watauga at Ragsdale
3. Owen at Pisgah
4. Mitchell at Hendersonville
5. Madison at Mountain Heritage
6. Brevard at Polk County
7. Appalachian State at Elon
8. Virginia Tech at Maryland
9. Georgia Tech at Duke
10. Clemson at N.C. State
11. Miami (FL) at North Carolina
12. Florida State at Wake Forest
13. Boston College at Virginia
14. Washington at Oregon State
15. Tennessee at Mississippi
16. Utah at TCU
17. NFL: Buffalo at Tennessee
18. NFL: Atlanta at Carolina
19. NFL: Dallas at Green Bay
20. NFL: New England at Indianapolis
Tie-Breaker: Miami (FL) at North Carolina
Total # of Points: ________
Andy Gonzalez hauls in a TD pass with seven seconds left in last Friday night's win over Mitchell. (Skip Sickler photo)
In 2009, Avery football has experienced a myriad of peaks and valleys. From the low points of losing to Madison and falling hard to 1A opponents Hendersonville and Robbinsville to the heights of defeating border rival Cloudland and emotion of defeating Owen on Homecoming, the Vikings have never stopped giving everything they had on the football field.
Friday night at Memorial Stadium in Ledger was no better example of the tenacity and resilience of the young and hungry Vikings. Avery led for much of Friday’s contest, only see a Mountaineer rally leave the Big Red down three points in the final two minutes.
Avery regrouped, orchestrated a game-winning two minute drive culminating in a 22-yard touchdown strike from Alex Villanueva to Andy Gonzalez to take a thrilling 42-38 victory.
The Mountaineers were forced to punt with their opening possession of the game, and Avery’s spread offense clicked in its first series. A 25-yard pass from Villanueva to receiver Taylor Potter highlighted a drive that running back Colton Blackburn ended with a 49-yard gallop through the Mitchell defense to the end zone. The PAT gave the visitors an early 7-0 edge.
Disaster hit Mitchell on its ensuing series. On its first play, Mountaineer running back Shawn Jackson fumbled the football, which bounced toward the hands of defensive back Tyler Long at the MHS 32 yard line. Long scooped up the pigskin and raced to pay dirt. The Castanedas point after try gave the Vikings 14 points in nine seconds and a two touchdown bulge midway through the opening quarter.
Mitchell still was unable to get out of its own way on its next possession, as quarterback Logan Jensen was stripped of the football by Taylor Potter on a carry. Viking teammate Dylan Aldridge came out of the pile with the football to turn the ball over again to the Avery offense. Mitchell intercepted an Avery pass inside the red zone to turn the Vikings away and prevent a near-insurmountable 21-0 deficit.
Mitchell took advantage of the turnover with a 10 play, 81-yard scoring drive, ending when Jensen found wide receiver Billy Bomar in the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown pass. A two-point conversion attempt failed after Mitchell opted for two following an Avery encroachment penalty on the extra point kick. The Vikings lead dwindled to eight points at 14-6 with 9:52 to play in the first half.
The Mountaineer defense forced an Avery three-and-out following the touchdown, and Jensen and Co. went back to work. Starting a drive in Viking territory, the Mountaineers drove the football inside the Avery red zone, but the defense forced Mitchell to settle for a 30-yard field goal from kicker Matt Sutton, cutting the Avery advantage to 14-9.
Needing to regain momentum, the Avery offense went to its ground game and found success moving the football. Fullback Kenny Hicks benefited from holes opened by the Viking offensive line, pounding the Mitchell defense five times for 44 yards as part of a 7-play, 62 yard drive. Villanueva ran the final yard on a sneak across the goal line, helping the Vikes push its lead back to double digits at 21-9.
Mitchell could not manage a scoring drive on its ensuing series and punted the ball back to Avery. After getting positive results running the football on its previous series, the Vikings continued to go with what worked. Hicks gained 23 yards on a running play to the Mitchell 43-yard line. On the next play, Blackburn blasted through the Mountaineer secondary for a 57-yard touchdown run.. After the PAT, the Vikings held a comfortable 28-9 lead with 1:15 left before halftime.
Mitchell quickly answered Avery’s score with one of its own, an eight-yard jaunt by Jensen to cut the Avery lead back to 28-16 with 18 seconds left.
Avery turned the ball over in the waning seconds of the half when the Vikings chose to pass the football rather than run out the clock. Mitchell’s Dylan Forbes intercepted the Avery throw and was tackled at the Viking 20 with only one second left in the half.
On its final snap of the half, Mitchell went to the locker room on a high note as Jensen connected with teammate Thomas Buchanan on a 20-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the Avery lead to 28-23 at halftime.
As the second half began, the Vikings made a concerted effort to keep possession of the football and keep the suddenly-hot Mitchell offense off the field. Starting its first and only series of the third quarter at the Mountaineer 42-yard line, Avery methodically marched 12 plays, consuming over seven minutes off the game clock.
The Vikings were successful on two separate fourth down conversions to keep the drive alive, and Hicks capped the impressive drive with a 2-yard plunge across the goal line. The PAT boosted Avery to a 35-23 margin.
Not to be undone, the Mountaineers proved they also had the ability to run a ball-possession offense. Mitchell answered the Avery score with an 80-yard drive that took 13 plays to complete. A Jensen 20-yard run highlighted the drive, with Jackson finishing things on the second play of the fourth quarter with a two-yard touchdown scamper. The extra point attempt failed, leaving Avery with a 35-29 edge.
With time slipping away, Mitchell head coach Russell Barnett opted to try an onside kick in hopes of getting his offense the football back. The kick was successful as Mitchell recovered the ball in Avery territory. Mitchell moved the football to the Avery 5-yard line, but a delay of game penalty on 3rd and 1, followed by a defensive stop forced Mitchell to settle for a 25 yard Sutton field goal, drawing the Mountaineers to within a field goal at 35-32.
The Mountaineer defense adjusted to the Viking running game, forcing an Avery punt on its ensuing series. Avery punter Dylan Aldridge pinned the Mountaineers back inside its own 20-yard line with a strong kick, but return man Josh Bennett brought the punt back 37 yards, setting the Mitchell offense up with field position at the Avery 45-yard line. From that point, Jensen put his team on his shoulders, completing a pass to Bomar for 14 yards and running the football three straight times before connecting with receiver Zach Stamey on a 23-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. The PAT was blocked, but Mitchell had its first lead of the game at 38-35 with 1:18 to play in the game.
Avery had one final shot to either tie or win the contest. The Vikings packed nine plays into less than a minute of time. Perhaps the biggest play of the game occurred when Avery chose to go for a fourth down conversion from the Mitchell 25-yard line with 30 seconds left. Following a timeout, Alex Villanueva called his own number of a quarterback keeper and with second effort gained three yards to keep Avery’s hopes to win alive.
“During the timeout, Alex came to huddle and called that play. He said “Coach, I’ll get the first down.” When you have special football players, you want them to want the ball, and that’s what he did,” Coach Brewer said regarding the play.
After three incomplete passes, Villanueva completed the touchdown pass to Gonzalez for the winning score.
“When we scored there were seven seconds on the clock. If we don’t score or don’t get out of bounds we might not have the chance to reset and we run out of time, so we felt like we had to go for it right there,” Coach Brewer added. “It was a great call by Coach Laws who had thought it through and suggested it in the huddle. We had not run that quad set by throwing back side with the post corner to the single receiver side all season.”
Mitchell had one final play following the Avery kickoff, but a hail mary pass from Jensen was completed 25 yards short of the goal line, securing the 42-38 Avery triumph.
Mitchell outgained Avery 483-340 in total yardage, while the Vikings were a perfect 4 for 4 on fourth down conversion attempts.
Colton Blackburn rushed 10 times for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Kenny Hicks rushed 15 times for 97 yards and a score. Mitchell was led by Logan Jensen’s 190 yards on 29 carries, with 106 yards on 22 carries by Shawn Jackson.
The win was a huge one for the Vikings. “I told the kids how proud I was of them. They fought hard all year, and I told them that when you keep battling good things will happen,” Coach Brewer said. “We told them to enjoy it tonight, because next week it’s a new season. We’re 0-0 and everybody’s back to square one, so to speak.”
Avery improved to 5-6, finishing with a 3-4 conference record. The Vikings earned a #12 seed in the 1-AA state playoffs and travel to BessemerCity Friday night to take on the fifth-seeded Bessemer City Yellow Jackets. Read the Journal-Times Sports in print as well as online at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com for news, previews, information, and recaps on this week’s game.
courtesy LMC Sports Information BANNER ELK, N.C. - Megan Epperson had ten kills and Whitney Justices added eight kills as the No. 1 seeded Lees-McRae College Lady Bobcats advanced to the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-22)win over the St. Andrews Presbyterian College Lady Knights Tuesday night in Williams Gymnasium.
With the win, Lees-McRae improves to 27-5 overall, while St. Andrews' season ends at 12-20. Lees-McRae will advance to host No. 5 seeded Mount Olive College Friday, at 6:30 p.m. in William Gymnasium. Mount Olive upset No. 4 seeded Anderson 3-1 to advance.
In the first set against St. Andrews, with Lees-McRae down 9-10, Justice added a kill to spark the Lady Bobcats on a 10-0 run to give them a 19-10 lead. St. Andrew's Heather Bolwerk added a kill to make it 19-11, before Luana Rocha's only kill of the match sent the Lady Bobcats on a 6-0 run to end the match 25-11.
The second set saw a similar start before added back-to-back kills to give Lees-McRae a 12-11 lead, and they extended the lead to 16-12. But, the Knights came back to tie the match on three consecutive attack errors by the Lady Bobcats to give the Knights a 17-16 lead. But, two Megan Mitchell service aces proved to be too much as Lees-McRae closed out he second set, 25-19.
In the third set, the two teams alternated points until a Justine Congdon kill gave Lees-McRae a 21-19 lead. Leah Davison pulled the Knights back with one, but Mitchell kills kept the Knights at bay. Two Epperson kills around a Lady Bobcats service error secured the set win, 25-22, and the match sweep for Lees-McRae.
Taylor Clendenin and Katie-Marie Legg added five kills apiece to go along with the efforts of Epperson and Justice for the Lady Bobcats. Mitchell passed out 29 assists, and Congdon collected 12 digs. Luana Rocha had four service aces and eight digs, and Justice had three total blocks, one solo and two block assists.
For the Knights, Jessica Himalstein led the team with nine kills and Kelly Stine and Bolwerk followed with five kills apiece. Bolwerk also led the team with 11 digs, and Courtney McDonald led the Lady Knights with two service aces.
As a team Lees-McRae had a .209 hitting percentage, 34 kills, 16 errors on 86 attempts, while St. Andrews had a .054 hitting percentage, 26 kills, 21 errors on 92 attempts.
The Mars Hill College Lions lost their regular season finale to SAC rival Wingate University, 56-35 Saturday afternoon at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium. The Lions dropped to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the SAC with the loss. Wingate improved to 7-3 on the year and 5-2 in the league.
Prior to the game, MHC recognized their 11 senior players. Avery High School alumnus Josh Johnson (WR), Antonio Lyerly (DB), Dominique Moore (DL), Kadeem Morgan (LB), Antwon Murchinson (DL), Deshun Nesbitt (DB), Jeff Pell (DL), Keadran Pinckney (DB), Joe Sims (OL), Josh Sims (OL) and Jake Walsh (DB) were honored for their contributions to the program.
The teams combined for 972 yards of total offense. Wingate accumulated 520 yards while MHC tallied 452 total yards. Wingate recorded 293 in the air and 227 on the ground. MHC threw for 263 yards and rushed for 189. While Wingate took good care of the ball, Mars Hill fumbled the ball five times and lost possession on four of those miscues.
Wingate quarterback Cody Haffly completed 18-30 passes to account for Wingate's passing yardage. He had five touchdown passes in the victory. Delric Ellington was Haffly's favorite target catching five passes for 114 yards and one score. Vince Jordan ran for 123 yards and two scores averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Luis Alvarez and Robert Fletcher led the Bulldog defense with nine tackles apiece. Alvarez forced a fumble while Fletcher recovered a Lion fumble.
Jonas Randolph had another stellar day rushing for the Lions. Already Mars Hill's single season rushing leader, Randolph ran for 186 yards and three scores, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt. Randolph closed his season with 1,804 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns, both school records.
Josh Johnson caught six passes for 64 yards to lead the Lions' air attack. Mars Hill quarterback Jon Richt threw for 209 yards completing 16-28 pass attempts. Josh Baker led the MHC defense with nine stops. Jeff Pell followed with seven tackles, a tackle-for-loss and a sack.
Wingate came out of the gates scoring 21 unanswered points in the first quarter and never looked back. Haffly hit Ellington and Philip Thomas on touchdown strikes at the 14:11 and 11:02 mark before Jordan dove in from two yards out with 6:50 left in the first frame. Randolph finally put the Lions on the board with 2:39 left in the first quarter on a six-yard scamper.
Richt scored on a quarterback sneak with 14:56 left in the half to bring the Lions within 21-14 of the Bulldogs, but that was as close as MHC would get. Haffly responded by finding Antonio Cotton on a 12 yard scoring pass, and then ran the ball in from a yard out to give Wingate a 35-14 halftime advantage.
Wingate scored the only points in the third stanza. Haffly hit Chris Bowden with exactly eight minutes left in the period and then he threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Ryan Webber with 6:57 left in the third quarter to push the Bulldogs lead to 49-14.
MHC won the final quarter 21-7, but the damage was already done. Randolph ran in from five yards out before Richt had another one-yard rushing score to make the score 49-28. Jordan answered for Wingate with a 35 yard run with 5:35 left in regulation to end the Bulldogs scoring at 56 points on the day. Randolph ended the Lions scoring on another five-yard rush with 2:58 on the clock to make the final tally 56-35.
For Johnson, the journey to Mars Hill has been a winding one. Recruited by Appalachian State University, Johnson played three seasons as a wide receiver and occasional punt returner for the Mountaineers, winning two national championships and was part of one of the greatest upsets in sports history with ASU upended the University of Michigan in 2007.
Following last season in Boone, Johnson chose to transfer to play at Mars Hill College and found a second family and an atmosphere that he learned to appreciate and care for deeply.
“I can’t say enough about this place. It’s such a family atmosphere. You don’t ever think about this day until it gets here. I can’t say enough about the coaches here and the players and teachers. Mars Hill is beyond words,” an emotional Josh Johnson said after the game. “In four years of football, I have never felt the appreciation and understanding with the players and the coaches all being on the same page with the same goals as I have this season. I am so grateful for the opportunity to finish my career here.”
Josh was joined by his parents, Gary and Annette Johnson, as well as his sister, grandparents, and uncle. A number of well-wishers from Avery County made the trek to Madison County to support him and his teammates.
“I don’t know if anyone has a family like I have. Life is full of adversity and it seems like every one of them has been through something I’ve been through and been available to offer me advice,” Johnson said. “From my parents, my grandma and grandpa, my sister, my aunts and cousins, I appreciate and love them all so much.”
Josh was joined on this season’s team by fellow Avery Viking standout player Zach Johnson. Zach enjoyed having his former Viking offensive teammate back on the same team for a final season together.
“It was great having Josh on the team this season. The coaches purposely put our lockers next to each other and he fit right in with us,” Zach said of his teammate. “We’ve known each other since babies, and from the get-go everyone got along with him because he’s such a great guy. I’m gonna miss him a lot. It will be tough to lose him and all the seniors from our team.” Special thanks to Avery County native and Mars Hill College Sports Information Director Rick Baker for content used in this story.
It was a hectic start to the middle school basketball season, as the two county middle school basketball programs each played a total of four games over the course of seven days.
On Monday, November 2nd, both schools were on the road for conference contests. AveryMiddle School traveled to take on CaneRiver, while CranberryMiddle School traveled to Bakersville to play Bowman.
Avery’s Lady Panthers came away with a 38-29 road victory as Lauren Burleson and Haley Woody each reached double figures with 12 points. Woody added 10 rebounds.
The ladies opened the game on a 10-2 spurt thanks to strong offense and a smothering 1-3-1 defense.
Avery’s boys team trailed CaneRiver throughout much of Monday’s contest, but took their first and only lead in the final minute at 36-35, but a three-pointer with only four seconds left lifted CaneRiver to a 38-36 win over the Panthers.
Chance Watson led Avery with 12 points, while Ty Polsgrove added nine and James Steward scored six points.
Cranberry’s Lady Wildcats were dominant in a 47-11 win over an overmatched and undermanned Lady Bulldogs squad from Bowman. CMS led 12-2 after one period and used a 13-2 second quarter run to put the game out of reach.
Katie Rigdon led Lady Panthers scorers with 17 points. Abby Thompson scored eight points as a total of nine Cranberry players put points on the scoreboard.
In a nip-and-tuck contest throughout, Cranberry’s boys led at the half but Bowman’s boys team came back to capture a 36-35 win over Cranberry. Chandler Austin led Cranberry with nine points, with seven points from Stetson Stafford and five from Zach Guy.
The following day both teams journeyed to Carter County, Tennessee for middle school action. Avery took on the Hampton Bulldogs, while Cranberry tangled with the Highlanders from Cloudland.
Avery’s girls met up with a buzzsaw from Hampton, falling by a final score of 40-15. An 11-0 first period in favor of Hampton paced the way. Burleson led Avery with six points in the contest.
The Avery Panthers boys team played a more competitive contest with their Bulldog counterparts, but Hampton managed to pick up a 44-32 win. Avery led 13-10 after one quarter, but Hampton regained the lead 20-19 at the half. A 13-4 fourth quarter run by Hampton proved to be the difference.
In RoanMountain, the Cranberry Wildcats fell in a pair of games with the Highlanders. Cloudland emerged victorious in the girls game 46-34. Rigdon led Cranberry with 14 points, while Kendal Mull scored 12 of her game-high 15 points for the Lady Landers in the second half.
Cloudland’s boys team earned a 34-25 win over Cranberry. Tyler Pittman was the only Cranberry player to reach double-figures with 10 points, while Logan Russell hit four 3-pointers for 12 points to lead the Landers in the win.
On Thursday, November 5th the Wildcats completed its third straight road contest with games at CaneRiver. The Lady Wildcats picked up a thrilling 39-38 win over CaneRiver behind 15 points from Rigdon as well as 10 points from Bethany Burleson and eight points from Sierra Jones. Cranberry trailed 25-17 at halftime but rallied to within two points at 31-29 by the end of the third quarter.
In the night cap, the boys teams took the floor, with CaneRiver taking a 51-37 victory. The first half was tight as the Rebels only led Cranberry 22-19 at halftime. A 19-8 third quarter margin gave the Rebels the breathing room to hold the Wildcats off over the final period for the win.
Pittman led all Cranberry scorers with nine points, with seven points apiece from Stafford and Hunter Guinn, along with six points from Zach Guy.
Meanwhile at AveryHigh School the same evening, the Panthers were playing host to the Harris Blue Devils. The Lady Panthers were in a tough battle with the Lady Devils through the first half of play, with the game knotted at six after one quarter and the Panthers held a slim one-point lead at intermission.
A 10-0 third quarter run by the Lady Panthers spotted the Avery club a double-digit lead which they extended into a 33-22 victory.
“We made some halftime adjustments as they were taking advantage of us around the free throw area. Offensively we didn’t look great, but we played good defense and rebounded the ball,” Avery girls head coach Donnie Johnson said after the win. “Their height bothered us a little bit, but we seemed to have position and put bodies on them in the second half to prevent their second chance shots.”
The boys contest was a tough defensive battle that saw few points scored by either club. Like in the girls game, the teams were tied after one quarter. Avery held Harris scoreless in the second quarter, but managed to only score four themselves en route to a 9-5 halftime lead.
Avery built its advantage to 17-11 after three periods and went on to a 24-17 win. Kobe Pittman and Chance Watson scored six points apiece to pace the Panthers.
Finally this past Monday, the Wildcats returned to the friendly confines of CranberryMiddle School to themselves host the Harris club.
The first quarter was a close affair, with Harris leading 8-7, but the Lady Devils created scoring opportunities off its defense to take a 22-15 halftime lead. The Lady Wildcats could only muster three points in the third period as Harris extended its edge to 30-18 and went on to the 40-27 triumph. Rigdon paced the Lady Wildcats with 21 of the team’s 27 points, including five 3-pointers.
In the boys contest the Wildcats led Harris 11-9 after one period, but an 8-0 second quarter advantage pushed the Harris club ahead 17-11 at halftime. The Devils slowly extended its margin with an 11-5 third quarter advantage to lead by double-figures at 28-16 after three quarters and eventually took the 38-26 win. Hunter Guinn scored 11 points, with ten points from Chandler Austin.
The same evening, AveryMiddle School traveled to take on East Yancey and came away with a pair of victories. In a battle for first place in the conference, the Lady Panthers remained undefeated in Toe River Conference play with a 32-17 victory. Lauren Burleson scored 11 points, with eight points from Breanna Heaton.
Avery’s boys team also walked away with a closely fought 48-47 victory in the battle of the Panthers.
Avery and Cranberry will square off at Avery this Thursday.
Courtesy LMC Sports Information BANNER ELK, N.C. -- The Lees-McRae College men's soccer team will host the NCAA Tournament's Southeast Regional at Tate Field Friday, November 13th and Sunday, November 15th.The Bobcats earned the top seed in the region with a 15-2-1 overall record.
Wingate and Flagler will player Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the quarter final round at Wingate for a chance to play Lees-McRae Friday at 7 p.m. at Tate Field in the semifinal round.
On the other side of the bracket, Conference Carolinas foe, Anderson, has bye and will await the winner of Carson-Newman and Lander. Carson-Newman will host the Lander match Wednesday at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to play Anderson at 4 p.m. Friday.
The final round will be held at Tate Field at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
This past week, the Volunteer coaching staff made sure the Vols wouldn’t come out without intensity for the homecoming game against Memphis. Saturday night, the players didn’t disappoint.
The Volunteers came out and scored early and often in the first half, then let the backups get playing time as UT cruised to a 56-28 victory.
“Toward the end of the week it came to me that I had to make sure the team felt my intensity and that the team felt how much we were going after this thing,” UT Coach Lane Kiffin said. “Obviously, they were very motivated throughout the week from the (Memphis) coach's comments. I had to really make sure they knew we were going after this thing. So I told them there would be fourth downs where we will go for it. We're going to throw a halfback pass. We're going to try an onside kick. It was so they felt the coaches were being very aggressive so we didn't come out and have a letdown game after we had such a big game last week."
Part of the intensity came from a joke Memphis Coach Tommy West made before the season about Kiffin selling a talking dog that lied. The comments didn’t sit well with Vol players, even if the punch line missed the mark. Tennessee, however, got their revenge on the field.
Jonathon Crompton, who has overcame his slow start, had a career night passing as he went 21 of 27 for 331 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. With the performance, Crompton went to 21 passing touchdowns on the season, a stat that he currently leads the SEC in. Crompton also added a rushing touchdown on a QB sneak.
For Memphis, their night started bad on the opening kickoff and never improved.
After David Oku returned the opening kickoff 69 yards, Bryce Brown jumped into the end zone from a yard out to give UT the early 7-0 lead. Crompton hit Gerald Jones, Luke Stocker, Quentin Hancock, and Nu’Keese Richardson for touchdowns in the first half, and ended the half with the QB sneak.
Memphis managed to get on the board right before the break, but by then it was too little too late as Tennessee led 42-7 at the half. Crompton added another touchdown when he hit Denarius Moore for a touchdown in the third before the second and third strings got playing time.
Moore also caught a touchdown from Stephens.
Montario Hardesty had 13 carries for 60 yards for the Vols, while Bryce Brown added 55 yards on 11 carries. Stephens ended the game 5 of 9 for 98 yards and a touchdown and interception. All together the Vols gained 566 yards.
Eric Berry recorded an interception and inched closer to the NCAA career interception return record. He is five yards away from that record.
Despite the lopsided score, Kiffin was not happy with his team’s effort in the fourth quarter.
“We lost the fourth quarter for the first time, I think, all season, and that was depressing to see,” Kiffin said. “It doesn't matter who is in there. We need to play better, and obviously we need to go recruit. We're a little down after the game because of the way we finished. We need to finish better, it does not matter who is in there." The Volunteers look for their first road victory over the year when they head to Oxford to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. UT needs more one more victory to become bowl eligible.
Note: On Monday morning, the Commercial Appeal out of Memphis first reported that Memphis Coach Tommy West had been fired. It was later confirmed by the Memphis Athletic Department. The Tigers are 2-7 on the season.
LMC Sports Information
