JV Football Falls to Owen in Conference Opener
The Avery junior varsity football team fell 42-12 in its Western Highlands Conference opening contest last Thursday night, September 23rd at MacDonald Stadium.
Fortunes turned poorly for the Big Red from the opening kickoff, as Owen’s Drew Brown received the kick and returned it 90 yards for a Warhorse touchdown, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead just 15 seconds in the game.
Avery was forced to punt on its first two possessions of the contest. Owen on its third possession took advantage of good field position, using just two running plays to find the end zone. Dante Brown scored on a 14-yard gallop to put the Warhorses ahead by a 14-0 margin with 3:12 to play in the opening stanza.
After another Avery three-and-out, the Viking defense forced Owen to punt, but the Warhorse defense kept Avery from advancing the football past midfield. A great punt by Avery’s Bryce Pittman pinned Owen at its own 1-yard line with 3:30 to play in the first half, but Owen running back Bryan Johnson tied a state record when he took a handoff, broke through the Viking defensive line, and raced 99 yards for a touchdown. Avery blocked the extra point, but Owen led 20-0, a score which held up through the remainder of the half.
Entering the second half, the Vikings showed great pride and fortitude in mounting a 13-play, 57-yard drive that elapsed over seven minutes off the third quarter clock. A Stetson Stafford 18-yard quarterback run on third down, as well as a Stafford sneak on fourth down kept the drive alive. Stafford capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run off the left side of the offensive line to put the Vikings on the scoreboard. The extra point was blocked, but Avery cut its deficit to 20-6 with 2:32 to play in the third period.
Owen answered the Viking score with one of its own. Johnson opened the scoring drive with a 46-yard running play, and ended the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Johnson ran in a two-point conversion to extend the Warhorse lead to 28-6 at the end of the third period.
Midway through the final stanza Owen added a 24 yard touchdown run by Dante Brown to lead 35-6, and converted an Avery turnover into a four-play drive resulting in another touchdown run, a 28-yarder by Tyler White for a 42-6 Warhorse margin.
In the final two and a half minutes of the contest the Vikings forged ahead for a final scoring drive. Running back Chase Buchanan spearheaded the attempt with four carries for 47 yards, the final of which a 12-yard run on the final play of the game to provide for the final 42-12 score.
The Vikings JV football team is off this week, but returns to action on Thursday, October 7th when it travels to Hendersonville to take on the Bearcats.
Lady Viking Tennis Continues Regular Season Play
The Avery tennis team has been busy on the hardcourt with Western Highlands Conference matches. The squad lost its top five players to graduation from last year’s club, so the group is building with experience this season and look poised to surprise a number of schools by season’s end and could be an unstoppable force in the conference in 2011.
The team has also been playing without the tutelage of head coach Rhiannon Manis, who recently gave birth to her and husband Bo’s first child. Filling in with coaching duties has been Pat Daniels, who also works as head JV girls basketball coach and assistant coach with the men’s soccer and women’s soccer programs at Avery High.
“We won our last match 5-4 over Thomas Jefferson. The girls have been improving with every match we’ve played,” Coach Daniels said of the team’s progress and performance. “Our first three matches were really tough, as most teams have their high seeds back from last season. Basically we’re rebuilding a bit, but I think we will be a strong team next season. We played in 115-degree temperatures at Boiling Springs when we played Thomas Jefferson, but the girls held up and played really well.”
Haley Shell, the team’s most experienced returning player, is the team’s #1 player this season, but she suffered a tendon injury in her last match. The injury has forced Coach Daniels to rearrange his lineup. Taylor Hobbs has stepped in as the #1, with Chelsea Hoffman, Savannah Perry, Carrie Hamby, Michelle Cuthbertson, and Erica Hughes stepping up to round out the singles players for the Big Red.
Avery tennis hosted Polk this past Tuesday, September 28th in the team’s first home match of the season, held at Lees-McRae College. The team is also slated to host Owen on Thursday afternoon, September 30th. Highlights from those matches will be available in next week’s edition.
Viking Cross Country Races at Freedom Invitational
Avery was forced to punt on its first two possessions of the contest. Owen on its third possession took advantage of good field position, using just two running plays to find the end zone. Dante Brown scored on a 14-yard gallop to put the Warhorses ahead by a 14-0 margin with 3:12 to play in the opening stanza.
After another Avery three-and-out, the Viking defense forced Owen to punt, but the Warhorse defense kept Avery from advancing the football past midfield. A great punt by Avery’s Bryce Pittman pinned Owen at its own 1-yard line with 3:30 to play in the first half, but Owen running back Bryan Johnson tied a state record when he took a handoff, broke through the Viking defensive line, and raced 99 yards for a touchdown. Avery blocked the extra point, but Owen led 20-0, a score which held up through the remainder of the half.
Entering the second half, the Vikings showed great pride and fortitude in mounting a 13-play, 57-yard drive that elapsed over seven minutes off the third quarter clock. A Stetson Stafford 18-yard quarterback run on third down, as well as a Stafford sneak on fourth down kept the drive alive. Stafford capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run off the left side of the offensive line to put the Vikings on the scoreboard. The extra point was blocked, but Avery cut its deficit to 20-6 with 2:32 to play in the third period.
Owen answered the Viking score with one of its own. Johnson opened the scoring drive with a 46-yard running play, and ended the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Johnson ran in a two-point conversion to extend the Warhorse lead to 28-6 at the end of the third period.
Midway through the final stanza Owen added a 24 yard touchdown run by Dante Brown to lead 35-6, and converted an Avery turnover into a four-play drive resulting in another touchdown run, a 28-yarder by Tyler White for a 42-6 Warhorse margin.
In the final two and a half minutes of the contest the Vikings forged ahead for a final scoring drive. Running back Chase Buchanan spearheaded the attempt with four carries for 47 yards, the final of which a 12-yard run on the final play of the game to provide for the final 42-12 score.
The Vikings JV football team is off this week, but returns to action on Thursday, October 7th when it travels to Hendersonville to take on the Bearcats.
Lady Viking Tennis Continues Regular Season Play
The Avery tennis team has been busy on the hardcourt with Western Highlands Conference matches. The squad lost its top five players to graduation from last year’s club, so the group is building with experience this season and look poised to surprise a number of schools by season’s end and could be an unstoppable force in the conference in 2011.
The team has also been playing without the tutelage of head coach Rhiannon Manis, who recently gave birth to her and husband Bo’s first child. Filling in with coaching duties has been Pat Daniels, who also works as head JV girls basketball coach and assistant coach with the men’s soccer and women’s soccer programs at Avery High.
“We won our last match 5-4 over Thomas Jefferson. The girls have been improving with every match we’ve played,” Coach Daniels said of the team’s progress and performance. “Our first three matches were really tough, as most teams have their high seeds back from last season. Basically we’re rebuilding a bit, but I think we will be a strong team next season. We played in 115-degree temperatures at Boiling Springs when we played Thomas Jefferson, but the girls held up and played really well.”
Haley Shell, the team’s most experienced returning player, is the team’s #1 player this season, but she suffered a tendon injury in her last match. The injury has forced Coach Daniels to rearrange his lineup. Taylor Hobbs has stepped in as the #1, with Chelsea Hoffman, Savannah Perry, Carrie Hamby, Michelle Cuthbertson, and Erica Hughes stepping up to round out the singles players for the Big Red.
Avery tennis hosted Polk this past Tuesday, September 28th in the team’s first home match of the season, held at Lees-McRae College. The team is also slated to host Owen on Thursday afternoon, September 30th. Highlights from those matches will be available in next week’s edition.
Viking Cross Country Races at Freedom Invitational
The Avery cross country team was busy last Saturday, September 25th, running in Morganton at the Freedom Invitational Cross Country Meet.In the boys competition, Avery runner Justin Gragg led the pace for the Big Red, finishing 23rd overall with a time of 19 minutes, 9 seconds. Gary McFee ran 38th overall with a time of 20 minutes and 17 seconds. Dyllon Greene finished 58th with a time of 22 minutes, 45 seconds. Hunter Guinn came in just behind Greene with a time of 22 minutes, 46 seconds.
In the girls race, Teddi Jablonski paced the Avery contingent, completing the course in 55th overall with a time of 27 minutes, 46 seconds.
The team next races next Tuesday, October 5th at the Madison Invitational, the final meet before the upcoming Western Highlands Conference championships.
