Junior Varsity Football: Last Thursday evening the Avery Vikings junior varsity football team hosted the Elizabethton Cyclones freshman team in a non-conference matchup. In an exciting game that thrilled to the finish, the Vikings fell behind but mounted a huge fourth quarter comeback. Avery had one final opportunity in the final two minutes to win the game, but the Cyclones defense held stout as the Vikings came up just short in a 19-13 loss.
Elizabethton struck first with its opening possession of the contest, when quarterback Caleb Bailey found fullback Jacob Woodby for a 10-yard touchdown pass play. The extra point by kicker Cody Guess gave the Cyclones a 7-0 lead at the 4:00 mark of the opening stanza.
The Vikings wasted little time answering the Elizabethton score, marching downfield with the running game and behind the arm of quarterback Stetson Stafford. The key play of the Avery scoring drive came on a 18-yard pass completion which moved the Vikings inside the Cyclones 10-yard line.
Stafford completed the drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak. An extra point by Heraclio Flores was good, tying the game at 7-7 with 2:56 remaining in the first period.
As the first half transpired, both teams worked to move the pigskin downfield, but both defenses turned away offensive drives.
In the final minute of the half, Elizabethton used a hook-and-lateral pass play to advance the football to the Avery 3-yard line. On the next play Bailey put the Cyclones ahead with a three-yard run. The extra point kick failed, but Elizabethton held a 13-7 lead over the Vikings at halftime.
During the third quarter Elizabethton used a time-consuming drive after starting a possession deep in its own territory. The possession ended with a three-yard touchdown tote by Cyclones running back Landon Pearson. The two-point conversion pass play failed, but the Cyclones increased its lead to 19-7 with 3:19 left in the period.
Following the touchdown, Avery continued to show flashes of its ability to move the football on the Elizabethton defense. The Vikings advanced one series into Cyclone territory, but turned the football over on downs.
As the fourth quarter clock ticked away, Avery’s defense was faced with the task of needing to stop the Cyclones to get the football back into the hands of the offense. The defense did its job and forced an Elizabethton punt.
Having already hit one big play earlier through the air, the Vikings struck pay dirt in a hurry when Stafford connected with wide receiver Lane Smith on a 70-yard touchdown pass down the Avery sideline. The point after kick was unsuccessful, but Avery drew to within 19-13 with 3:19 to play in the contest.
Needing one final stop, Avery held the Cyclones to a three-and-out on its next series, forcing a punt with under two minutes remaining. Avery marched from its own 38-yard line to the Elizabethton 41, but could get no closer as Jacob Woodby intercepted a pass in the final 30 seconds of play to preserve the Cyclone win.
The Avery junior varsity football team will open Western Highlands Conference action this Thursday evening at MacDonald Stadium when it hosts the Owen Warhorses. Kickoff time is slated for 7 p.m.
Cross Country:
The Avery boys and girls cross country runners ventured to Buncombe County last week to race in the Owen Invitational.
A total of three Viking ladies competed at last week’s race, with Avery senior runner Mary Chesnut Smith setting the pace for the team in the girls event, completing the course in 13th place overall with a time of 22:00. Catalina Adams (29:32) and Teddi Jablonski (30:56) also represented the Lady Vikings running at the event.
A large number of Vikings ran in the boys race. Some of which, including Justin Gragg (boys soccer), Mark Polsgrove (basketball, baseball) Dustin Clarke (basketball), and Joey Potter (basketball) are running on the boys team and hope to excel as they have in other sports for the Big Red.
Gragg was the first Viking to cross the finish line as all the male runners ran better times than the team’s opening meet, cutting anywhere from a minute to two and a half minutes off their times.
With a strong turnout of runners, head coach Reggie Oakes is excited about the potential for the team, and is also impressed with the effort of the student-athletes.
“The cross country kids have been working really hard in preparing for the season,” Coach Oakes said following last week’s event. “We have some work to do, but the kids are committed to getting better, and I expect to see the runners continue to improve their times as the season goes on.”
Ladies Golf:
The Avery High School girls golf team is just 
beginning to tee off for the 2010 fall season. The team, in just its second year of existence, opened its season last week in Black Mountain.
This year’s club has a new head coach, as Kaitlyn Mattox takes over the helm from Coach Boe Barinowski, who is still helping to advise the team. The squad lost a number of talented players from last season, but returns a number of returning experienced players in Kelli Burleson, Noelle Henline, Kendra Puckett, and Nikki Wright.
The Lady Vikings will host the team’s first home match on September 27th at Sugar Mountain Golf Course in Banner Elk. The team will also host a match in Newland at Mountain Glen Golf Club in early October, with the season concluding with the state tournament in early November.
