JV Football: Balanced Wolverine Attack Smothers Vikings
The Polk Wolverines junior varsity team gained almost 250 yards in total offense while holding the Avery JVs to slightly more than 100 yards in a 35-13 Polk win Thursday, October 14, at a chilly MacDonald Stadium in Newland.
Fortunes started well for the Vikings as it recovered a Wolverine fumble on the opening kickoff. Unfortunately the Big Red coughed up the football just three plays later to give the Wolverines the football near midfield.
Polk drove downfield inside the Avery 5-yard line, but the Viking defense tightened and held as a fourth down pass from Wolverine quarterback Reece Schlabach fell incomplete to turn the football over on downs.
On Avery’s first play following the change of possession disaster struck as Wolverine defensive back Matthew Darden picked off a pass from Viking quarterback Stetson Stafford. The turnover set Polk up with possession inside the Avery red zone. One play later Schlabach scurried 11 yards for the first points of the game. The extra point kick failed but Polk led 6-0 after one quarter of play.
Early in the second quarter following an Avery punt, the Wolverines marched downfield and found the end zone for a second score as Schlabach completed a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lucas Williams. A two-point conversion pass was successful and the Wolverines held a 14-0 advantage with 8:25 left before halftime.
Avery’s offense continued to struggle against a stout Polk defense, as again it was held to a three-and-out and was forced to punt. On its ensuing series the Wolverines used a mix of run and pass to complete a seven-play, 59-yard drive that culminated with a Schlabach 10-yard run. The point after touchdown (PAT) was good for a 21-0 Polk County halftime lead.
After being held to just 18 yards in total offense for the first half, the Vikings looked to get the offense jump-started with the first possession of the third quarter. Polk continued to play stingy defense, however. The Vikings rolled the dice on fourth down from its own territory, but Ty Polsgrove was held three yards short on a 4th-and-9 running play to turn the ball over on downs.
Polk kept the offensive pressure on, and three plays later was back in the end zone when T.J. Fincher scored on a two-yard plunge. The Schlabach PAT boosted the lead to 28-0 midway through the third quarter.
Later in the quarter the Wolverines added a final touchdown to lead by 35, but the Vikings refused to quit and was determined to prevent the shutout.
On the ensuing possession following Polk’s last score, Avery marched 57 yards in seven plays to hit pay dirt. Viking running back Bryce Pittman capped the scoring drive with a three-yard run to put Avery on the scoreboard. Heraclio Flores converted the PAT to narrow the margin to 35-7 early in the final quarter.
In the final half-minute of the contest, Avery put the final touchdown on the scoreboard when Pittman connected with Polsgrove on a halfback pass for a 26-yard touchdown. The extra point kick failed, providing for the final margin of victory.
Pittman led Avery with 85 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown, as well as a passing score. Harley Foster led the Avery defense with six tackles, and Logan Corrai recorded three tackles and a quarterback sack.
The Viking junior varsity will travel to Madison this Thursday, October 21, for another conference clash.
Tennis: Lady Vikings Complete Season of Growth and Development with Win over Gryphons
The Polk Wolverines junior varsity team gained almost 250 yards in total offense while holding the Avery JVs to slightly more than 100 yards in a 35-13 Polk win Thursday, October 14, at a chilly MacDonald Stadium in Newland.
Fortunes started well for the Vikings as it recovered a Wolverine fumble on the opening kickoff. Unfortunately the Big Red coughed up the football just three plays later to give the Wolverines the football near midfield.
Polk drove downfield inside the Avery 5-yard line, but the Viking defense tightened and held as a fourth down pass from Wolverine quarterback Reece Schlabach fell incomplete to turn the football over on downs.
On Avery’s first play following the change of possession disaster struck as Wolverine defensive back Matthew Darden picked off a pass from Viking quarterback Stetson Stafford. The turnover set Polk up with possession inside the Avery red zone. One play later Schlabach scurried 11 yards for the first points of the game. The extra point kick failed but Polk led 6-0 after one quarter of play.
Early in the second quarter following an Avery punt, the Wolverines marched downfield and found the end zone for a second score as Schlabach completed a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lucas Williams. A two-point conversion pass was successful and the Wolverines held a 14-0 advantage with 8:25 left before halftime.
Avery’s offense continued to struggle against a stout Polk defense, as again it was held to a three-and-out and was forced to punt. On its ensuing series the Wolverines used a mix of run and pass to complete a seven-play, 59-yard drive that culminated with a Schlabach 10-yard run. The point after touchdown (PAT) was good for a 21-0 Polk County halftime lead.
After being held to just 18 yards in total offense for the first half, the Vikings looked to get the offense jump-started with the first possession of the third quarter. Polk continued to play stingy defense, however. The Vikings rolled the dice on fourth down from its own territory, but Ty Polsgrove was held three yards short on a 4th-and-9 running play to turn the ball over on downs.
Polk kept the offensive pressure on, and three plays later was back in the end zone when T.J. Fincher scored on a two-yard plunge. The Schlabach PAT boosted the lead to 28-0 midway through the third quarter.
Later in the quarter the Wolverines added a final touchdown to lead by 35, but the Vikings refused to quit and was determined to prevent the shutout.
On the ensuing possession following Polk’s last score, Avery marched 57 yards in seven plays to hit pay dirt. Viking running back Bryce Pittman capped the scoring drive with a three-yard run to put Avery on the scoreboard. Heraclio Flores converted the PAT to narrow the margin to 35-7 early in the final quarter.
In the final half-minute of the contest, Avery put the final touchdown on the scoreboard when Pittman connected with Polsgrove on a halfback pass for a 26-yard touchdown. The extra point kick failed, providing for the final margin of victory.
Pittman led Avery with 85 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown, as well as a passing score. Harley Foster led the Avery defense with six tackles, and Logan Corrai recorded three tackles and a quarterback sack.
The Viking junior varsity will travel to Madison this Thursday, October 21, for another conference clash.
Tennis: Lady Vikings Complete Season of Growth and Development with Win over Gryphons
Last week the Avery Lady Viking tennis squad wrapped up its 2010 season with an impressive 8-1 victory over Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy on Tuesday, October 12, at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk.
Avery No. 1 player Haley Shell returned to action from a tendon injury and picked up a decisive 10-4 victory in her singles match, while No. 2 Taylor Hobbs earned a 10-6 win. No. 4 seed Michelle Cuthbertson shut out her singles opponent 10-0, while No. 5 seed Carrie Hamby won 10-2 in her singles match and No. 6 Savannah Perry earned a 10-1 match win. No. 3 Chelsea Hoffman was the only Lady Viking player unable to earn a win in singles action, but still played extremely well in a 10-6 match.
The Lady Vikings swept the doubles matches, as the No. 1 seeded Shell/Hobbs team overcame a 7-5 deficit to tie the match and win 8-4 in a tie-breaker No. 2 team Hoffman/Hamby won easily in its doubles match, while the team of Cuthbertson and Kota Turbyfill won its match by an 8-2 score to close out the match.
“I was really proud of the girls and how they came back in this match after winning 5-4 the first time we played Thomas Jefferson,” Coach Pat Daniels said following the win.
Since Hendersonville finished the 1A portion of the conference season unbeaten, the Lady Bearcats will represent the Western Highlands Conference in the upcoming state dual tournament.
The 2010 Lady Viking team is comprised mainly of sophomores and juniors, with no senior players on the roster, meaning every player is eligible to return to a team that has the potential to be a conference contender in the 2011 season.
Daniels, who filled in for head coach Rhiannon Manis who recently gave birth to her and husband Bo’s first child, saw great improvement with the team in the time he spent with the club.
“I enjoyed working with the team. It is so much different from coaching other sports, as you have to wait for certain times to talk to the players with it being a quiet game,” Daniels said. “I had a bunch of good girls who played hard through the season and they gained a lot of experience this season. I was proud of how the girls finished as it was a positive experience that motivated the girls to want to work during the off-season on their game and help each other improve.”
Manis had the opportunity to see the team practice and compete during the final couple weeks of the season and is excited about the team’s progress this year and its prospects for next season.
“In both practice and match play I saw huge improvements with all the players. I was out for about two weeks, and over the course of those two weeks the girls gained so much confidence, experience and skill. I really feel like just playing matches after matches is what helped the girls learn more about the game and their ability. With the amount of improvement that I saw from the beginning of the season to the end, if the girls will get out during the off season and work on improving even more then next year will have a great start,” Manis said. “For some this was another year under their belt that just adds to the experience even more. And for the girls that this was their first season, it's always the hardest, so next year should be better and less overwhelming for them. Tennis already isn't an easy sport to just start playing when you are in high school, and with all the extra adversities that the girls faced this season, they did an excellent job representing Avery County High School tennis.”
The Lady Vikings swept the doubles matches, as the No. 1 seeded Shell/Hobbs team overcame a 7-5 deficit to tie the match and win 8-4 in a tie-breaker No. 2 team Hoffman/Hamby won easily in its doubles match, while the team of Cuthbertson and Kota Turbyfill won its match by an 8-2 score to close out the match.
“I was really proud of the girls and how they came back in this match after winning 5-4 the first time we played Thomas Jefferson,” Coach Pat Daniels said following the win.
Since Hendersonville finished the 1A portion of the conference season unbeaten, the Lady Bearcats will represent the Western Highlands Conference in the upcoming state dual tournament.
The 2010 Lady Viking team is comprised mainly of sophomores and juniors, with no senior players on the roster, meaning every player is eligible to return to a team that has the potential to be a conference contender in the 2011 season.
Daniels, who filled in for head coach Rhiannon Manis who recently gave birth to her and husband Bo’s first child, saw great improvement with the team in the time he spent with the club.
“I enjoyed working with the team. It is so much different from coaching other sports, as you have to wait for certain times to talk to the players with it being a quiet game,” Daniels said. “I had a bunch of good girls who played hard through the season and they gained a lot of experience this season. I was proud of how the girls finished as it was a positive experience that motivated the girls to want to work during the off-season on their game and help each other improve.”
Manis had the opportunity to see the team practice and compete during the final couple weeks of the season and is excited about the team’s progress this year and its prospects for next season.
“In both practice and match play I saw huge improvements with all the players. I was out for about two weeks, and over the course of those two weeks the girls gained so much confidence, experience and skill. I really feel like just playing matches after matches is what helped the girls learn more about the game and their ability. With the amount of improvement that I saw from the beginning of the season to the end, if the girls will get out during the off season and work on improving even more then next year will have a great start,” Manis said. “For some this was another year under their belt that just adds to the experience even more. And for the girls that this was their first season, it's always the hardest, so next year should be better and less overwhelming for them. Tennis already isn't an easy sport to just start playing when you are in high school, and with all the extra adversities that the girls faced this season, they did an excellent job representing Avery County High School tennis.”
