AJ-T Sports LIVE FROM... HOLMES CONVOCATION CENTER

We are LIVE on a cloudy Saturday afternoon on campus at Appalachian State University in Boone for a key Southern Conference basketball matchup between the ASU Mountaineers and the Western Carolina Catamounts.

There may not be an Old Mountain Jug on the line today, but that doesn't mean there aren't ramifications tied into the outcome of today's contest. ASU stands at 10-8 overall, with 1-3 record in conference play, while Western Carolina is 15-3, with a 5-1 conference record.

Among WCU's highlights of their tremendous season thus far was a 91-83 win at Louisville, with its only losses this season coming at Texas, at Clemson, and at Georgia Southern. Appalachian is 3-1 in its last four games, with wins at Davidson and wins at home over Elon and UNC-Greensboro.

Some further tidbits on this afternoon's game:

• Western Carolina's seniors have never won at the Holmes Center in their collegiate careers. including team's leading scorer and former Pisgah HS standout Jake Robinson who averages a team-high 12.9 points per game and scored a team-high 20 points off the bench in Western's last game Wednesday at Davidson.

• Appalachian is 7-2 at home this season, and head coach Buzz Peterson is a perfect 10-0 against Western.
  
  
• WCU and ASU are the top two scoring teams in the Southern Conference. Western averages 75.4 ppg, while ASU is just behind them at 72.9 points per contest.
  
  
• Appalachian had won 10 straight games in the series prior to an 89-84 loss in Cullowee last season. The Mountaineers have won more games over Western (108) than they have against any other opponent.

We'll be tipping off from Holmes around 3:30 pm this afternoon. Today's game is not being televised, so we'll be providing updates throughout today's game.

Appalachian State's women's team is hosting Davidson prior to this afternoon's men's game, and the ASU football team is featured today with autograph sessions and special recognitions throughout the afternoon in Boone. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

Update #1: Appalachian's women's team just defeated Davidson 72-61 in the precursor to this afternoon's men's contest. Four Lady Mountaineers scored in double figures as ASU improves to 10-9 overall and 6-4 in the SoCon.

Update #2: Western starts the game on an 8-0 run before an ASU timeout. 17:13 left in the opening half and the Catamounts have the early 8-0 advantage.

Update #3: We've reached the first media timeout and the Mountaineers have cut into the Western lead. At the 15:25 mark the Catamounts hold a 10-6 edge. Four minutes have elapsed and with 11:39 left in the half the Catamounts lead it 16-9. A pair of WCU players have a pair of fouls trying to battle ASU's Ike Butts on the block. It may become a greater issue as the game progresses.

Update #4: Neither team shoots well for a stretch of a couple of minutes. Lots of physical play and the refs are letting the players play. Western maintains a five point edge at 21-16 with 6:55 to play in the half. Kellen Brand leads the Mountaineers with nine points thus far, while Brandon Giles has 10 to lead the Catamounts.

Update #5: 3:50 left in the first half and Western leads App 25-22. Western has hit the offensive glass hard thus far in the half with a 9-2 edge, but the team also has two players with three fouls and another frontcourt player with a pair of fouls. ASU comes out of the media timeout with five straight points from Donald Sims to take its first lead of the game at 27-25, prompting a Western time out. 2:59 to play in the first half of action.

Update #6: At halftime the Mountaineers hold a 35-33 lead. A Donald Sims drive-and-dish to Marcus Wright for a three-pointer as time expired gave App the edge at intermission. Donald Sims and Kellen Brand lead the Mountaineers with 11 points apiece, with 13 points by Brandon Giles to lead the Catamounts.

At halftime the ASU athletics department recognized of the greatest all-time ASU players from its football history, dating back from the early 90s to the team's most recent run of 3 national titles and five consecutive Southern Conference championships.

Western Carolina shot 33% from the field for the first half, while ASU shot the basketball at 42.9% from the field. Western holds a 23-18 rebounding advantage through 20 minutes.

Second half coming up!

Update #7: The game is tied at 41-41 with 15:44 left in the game. The game continues to be physical and Western continues to generate multiple shots on the offensive end of the floor. ASU has done a good job with creating turnovers, but have not been as effective at getting second-chance opportunities at the basket.

Update #8: Appalachian has shot the basketball well in the second half but only lead by a single point at 51-50 with 11:59 to play. Western has done a superb job of crashing the offensive glass, holding a 13-3 advantage on the offensive boards. Marcus Wright has scored 9 points off the bench for the Mountaineers, while Donald Sims leads ASU with 18 for the game thus far.

Update #9: A 9-2 Mountaineer scoring run gives ASU its largest lead of the game at 60-52, forcing a Western time out with 9:42 to play.

Update #10: ASU leads 62-56 with 7:39 left in the game. Both teams have multiple players with three or more fouls. Crunch time coming up in this Southern Conference showdown!

Update #11: Final media timeout of the game comes with 3:13 to play. Appalachian leads 75-69 and Donald Sims has heated up offensively, leading all scorers with 25 points. Marcus Wright has 13 off the bench, with 17 points from Kellen Brand. Richie Gordon has 12 points for Western, but also has four fouls. Both Josh Hunter and Ike Butts have four fouls apiece for the Mountaineers.

Update #12: A Jake Robinson three-pointer cuts the deficit to 81-74 Appalachian with 1:21 to play. ASU missed a pair of free throws and have also committed an offensive foul to give Western the basketball back on offense. 1:02 left to play and ASU holds a seven-point lead. High drama in Boone!

Update #13: Appalachian's defense comes up big in the end, as 28 points from Donald Sims leads the Apps to an 87-74 win over Western Carolina. Brand finishes with 19 points, with 15 from Wright. Jake Robinson scores 11 for the Catamounts, with 18 from Giles. ASU improves to 11-8 overall, 5-3 in SoCon play, while Western falls to 15-4, 5-2 in SoCon play. That'll do it from Boone. Thanks for reading!

Avery Vikings Sports ON for This Evening

Avery High School's basketball games at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy are ON for this evening (Friday). Since TJCA has no junior varsity basketball program, the night will tip off with varsity girls action beginning at 6 p.m. from Mooresboro. Varsity boys action will take place following the girls' contest.

Also Avery's home wrestling match against Thomas Jefferson will take place as scheduled this evening at Viking Gymnasium. Mat action begins at 6 p.m.

Avery Basketball at West Wilkes POSTPONED TODAY

According to word from Avery men's basketball head coach Bo Manis, the scheduled basketball games this afternoon in Miller's Creek between Avery and West Wilkes have been POSTPONED for this afternoon (1/21) due to freezing rain and icy conditions in the High Country. No reschedule date has been set. It is possible that since the games are non-conference, they may not be made up.

We'll have reschedule info as we get it.

Trotman Named SoCon Wrestler of the Week

(courtesy Appalachian Sports Information)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Appalachian State University wrestler Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) was named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for all events from Jan. 13-19, the conference office announced Wednesday.

Trotman went 4-0 on the week with a pin and defeated the No. 21 ranked wrestler in the country. Trotman wrestled two matches each on Thursday and Sunday, beating UNC Greensboro’s Andrew Saunders 15-8 in his first match on Thursday before defeating No. 21 Mike Salopek 10-6. Trotman continued his domination on Sunday when he earned his second pin of the year with a first period triumph over Franklin & Marshall’s Matt Latessa. Trotman finished the week with a forfeit victory over Belmont Abbey.

Since moving up a weight class to 184 on Jan. 4, the Winston-Salem native is 5-1 and recorded his first two pins of the season. He is currently on a five-match winning streak.

It is the second time in his career that Trotman has won Wrestler of the Week, winning it last year. With his 4-0 week, Trotman catapulted into the national ranking at No. 19 in the latest Amateur Wrestling News poll.

Trotman and the Mountaineers are back in action tonight as they travel to Gardner-Webb to take on the Bulldogs and NC State.

Middle School Grapplers Return to Mat for Wrestling Action

The Avery Middle School wrestling team shook off a long period of inactivity following the holidays and inclement weather with conference and regional matches.

Avery Middle School journeyed to Mitchell High School last Thursday for a dual meet with the combined Mitchell County middle school squad. Avery had only had one full practice within the past three weeks due to inclement weather as well as the holidays, but the team still wrestled hard as Mitchell captured a 63-18 win.

Three Panthers were victorious with pins in three matches during the night’s action. Harley Rash won at 112 pounds, while Zack Freeman captured the win at 119 pounds and Colby Flynn pinned his opponent at 160 pounds to take care of business.

“The guys have come to practice and take it seriously. We had only one day to prepare for this match. We lost the match but we did well,” Avery Middle School wrestling coach Daniel Jimenez said after the evening’s bouts. “We’re progressing well despite having such a long time without wrestling. We had some kids get pinned, but many of the matches went to the third period.”

Avery’s wrestling squad, comprised of student-athletes from both Avery Middle and Cranberry Middle School, offers a precursor of the teamwork that is expected once those students advance into the high school ranks.

“The team has worked on its moves and has really stepped up,” Coach Jimenez added. “These kids will be excellent contributors and have a lot of potential toward the high school level. The kids are green but they continue to learn and work extremely hard.”

An excitement over the potential of today’s middle school student-athletes is shared among all the members of the coaching staff.

“We’ve impressed quite a bit during the year, and a lot of the guys have progressed and improved from practice to practice,” Panthers coach Jesse Pope said of the squad. “Technically, they’re wrestling as well as any other middle school team we’ve wrestled, but I believe they’re a strong group of wrestlers and we’re excited to send our eighth graders up to compete at the high school next season.”

Avery Junior Varsity Basketball Roundup

Avery’s junior varsity squads played its first full week of action since prior to the holidays. The Vikings took on long-time rivals in Western Highlands Conference play in the Mountain Heritage Cougars and Mitchell Mountaineers renewed acquaintances with the Big Red.

JV Girls:
The Avery Lady Vikings enjoyed a successful week on the hardwood, building a win streak, evening its season record, and seizing control of first place in the Western Highlands Conference.

On Wednesday evening Avery hosted Mountain Heritage in a snow-delayed makeup contest, defeating the Lady Cougars going away by a 60-28 final score.

Avery built a 13-3 lead after one period, only to see the pesky Lady Cougars cut the deficit to four points at 20-16 at halftime. After intermission the Lady Viking defense surrendered only 12 points, while the Big Red offense shifted into high gear with 40 points over the final two quarters.

The Viking defense and the shooting of guard Kelsie Clarke sparked the rout as she tallied 33 points in the win (20 in the second half) to go with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Monica Estep added nine points, three rebounds and three steals. Brooke Buchanan chipped in with six points and six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.

“We played as badly the first half as we’ve played all year. We changed some things up and switched from a zone defense to a full court, man-to-man defense. I was upset after the first half effort and the team responded,” JV head girls coach Pat Daniels said after the game. “We had three girls in foul trouble, but we moved our feet on defense and they responded well. We played a little uptight and rushed some shots, but we loosened up after halftime.”

On Friday night the Lady Vikings traveled to nearby Ledger to take on border rival Mitchell. Avery built a double-digit lead over the Lady Mountaineers in the first quarter and dominated the balance of the game as the Lady Vikings cruised to a 68-36 victory.

The duo of Kelsie Clarke and Brooke Buchanan shredded the Mitchell defense for a combined 19 of Avery’s 22 first-period points. Avery led 22-10 after one quarter and took a 38-18 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

Clarke continued to score in bunches through the second half and was aided by contributions from teammates Buchanan and Megan Dellinger. Avery led 51-26 after three quarters and won going away.

Clarke tallied 28 points to lead the Big Red, to go with four assists and a pair of steals. Dellinger scored 12 points, with a double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds, five blocked shots, three assists, and two steals from Brooke Buchanan. Shayna Vance narrowly missed being a fourth player in double-figures as she scored eight.

“Brooke had an absolutely awesome game and Kelsie continues to shoot the ball well,” Coach Daniels said after the win. “We have switched up a couple of things defensively and have gone to a man-to-man press which our girls are better with. They had nine sophomores which worried me, but we truly have a solid team from top to bottom. I was really proud of how the girls stepped up tonight through their hustle and play.”

Avery’s girls evened its mark at 4-4 with the win, and sit in first place in conference play with a 3-0 record.

JV Boys:
The Avery junior varsity boys team tried to build off its recent victory over Madison, but met a pair of tough opponents in Mountain Heritage and Mitchell.

On Wednesday Avery hosted Heritage in Viking Gym but was unable to claim victory as the Cougars upended the Vikings by a 45-25 final margin.

Both teams started the game slow as the Vikings could manage only two points in the first quarter. Heritage fared little better but held an 8-2 advantage after the opening stanza.

The Cougars managed to extend their lead slightly in the second quarter. Only three Avery players, Dustin Clark, Bryce Pittman, and Lane Smith, scored in the first half as the Big Red trailed 16-8 at halftime.

Once both coaches made adjustments at halftime, the offenses for both teams picked up. Smith sparked Avery with seven of his team-high nine points in the third quarter. Unfortunately for the home team, Mountain Heritage outscored Avery 14-11 in the stanza to increase its margin yet again to 30-19. The Vikings could not forge a rally to cut the Cougar cushion as Mountain Heritage escaped Newland with the win.

Smith added six rebounds to his point total. No other Avery player scored over four points in the loss, and 23 turnovers hampered Avery’s hopes for a win over the Cougars.

“We need to box out better. Offensively we have to do a better job of running the floor and looking up the floor,” junior varsity boys head coach Reggie Oakes said after the game. “Patience in the half-court set is important as well. Those were three points of emphasis that we need to improve on.”

On Friday night the Vikings traveled to Ledger to take on the Mitchell Mountaineers. The two teams played a tight, low-scoring first half as neither team could build a lead of more than two or three possessions.

Mitchell slowly pushed its lead forward in the third quarter to build a lead of eight to ten points. The Vikings worked to narrow the gap but second-chance opportunities on the offensive end and a tough Mountaineer defense repelled any chance for a come-from-behind victory as Mitchell took a 38-30 victory.

“Defensively I thought we played good team defense. Offensively we had some good looks but they just didn’t fall,” Coach Oakes said following the loss. “We need to work on crashing the boards. I’d like to see us run the floor a little better and have better spacing on our secondary break.

Avery hosted Owen earlier this week in conference action with both junior varsity clubs picking up victories. The teams travel to West Wilkes to play this Thursday.

Lady Vikings Crush Cougars; Winning Streak Snapped at Mitchell

The Avery Lady Vikings completed a busy week of round ball action with two games against rival schools.

On Wednesday, January 13^th, the Lady Vikings took a close game with Mountain Heritage and used a 23-14 second period scoring differential as a springboard to a rout, downing the Lady Cougars 71-49.

The win with the 11^th in a row for the Lady Vikings, but the victorious roll came to an abrupt end in Ledger Friday night. The state-ranked Mitchell Lady Mountaineers used smothering defense to hold the Lady Vikings to half its season scoring average, holding Avery to 16 percent shooting in a 47-32 loss.

In the contest at Viking Gym against the Cougars, Avery had a distinct height advantage, using its tall frontline and rebounding ability to generate second shots and score from inside. Heritage kept the pressure on early, however, as the game was tied at 13 after one quarter.

In the second stanza the Avery offense fired on all cylinders. The Vikings were hitting shots, which in turn triggered their full-court press defense that generated numerous turnovers on the young Cougars backcourt. Nine baskets in the second quarter, led by ten points from senior guard Elyse Perry helped Avery pull out to a 36-27 lead at halftime.

As the second half ensued, Avery cooled somewhat shooting from the field, but worked inside to score or get to the foul line. The Lady Vikings were a perfect 8 for 8 from the free throw line in the third stanza and further extended its lead to double figures at 52-36 after three quarters.
An otherwise dominant night for Avery was tempered somewhat when guard Hayley Pyatte was helped off the floor in the third quarter with an apparent knee injury. Pyatte was unable to return against the Cougars and missed Friday’s game at Mitchell. According to head coach Missy Lyons, Pyatte may return to action within a week.

The Lady Cougars struggled to score with any consistency on Avery for the balance of the night. Katelynn Eudy was dominant in the paint on the offensive end of the floor for the Big Red, scoring 11 points in the second half to spark the Avery offensive juggernaut en route to a 71-49 win.

Avery shot 44 percent from the field for the game, while the defense held Mountain Heritage to just 30 percent shooting. Four Lady Vikings scored double-figures, led by 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists from Katelynn Eudy. Sara Wiseman added 17 points, 17 rebounds, and eight blocked shots. Elyse Perry scored a season-high 16 points with six assists and four steals, while Lauren Avery added a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Brittany Frye led Mountain Heritage with 11 points and five rebounds.

“Heritage came and shoot the ball well, and we felt like we had to keep pressuring them and keep running them which we were able to do. We scored with the ball and we made them work pretty hard by the end of the game,” Avery varsity girls head coach Missy Lyons said after the win. “Katelynn played an awesome game and was really aggressive. We had great balance scoring which was an awesome job. It was a rough and physical game, as both Hayley and Mercedes Bentley were banged up.”

Friday’s much-anticipated showdown in Ledger against the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers was a defensive duel. Mitchell jumped out to an early lead and established its presence in the paint. All-conference performer Laken Norris tallied a pair of baskets in the period, along with six points from 5’7” junior Emily Glenn. Avery was able to find its shot offensively, knocking down just two of its first 11 shots and 5 of its 27 shots in the entire first half.

Mitchell led 16-7 after the first period, but the Avery defense did not allow the Lady Mountaineers the luxury of a large lead. The Lady Vikings held Mitchell to 3 of 15 shooting in the second quarter, which gave Avery an opportunity to get the offense untracked. Unfortunately the Big Red was just 3 for 16 shooting themselves, and Mitchell held a 24-14 lead at halftime.

Mary Chesnut Smith led Avery with four points off the bench in the first half as the team struggled to put points on the scoreboard.

“We set a team goal of 15 points per quarter and didn’t meet that. Scoring was an issue and our shooting was just terrible,” Coach Lyons said after the game. “A couple of our leading scorers didn’t even have a basket in the game. Missing a lot of shots around the basket early on became frustrating to us.”

Avery made a total of nine shots for the entire contest, while Mitchell almost doubled the total with 17 made field goals. The Lady Mountaineers extended its lead to 37-21 after three quarters behind a combined ten points from Glenn and Norris.

The Vikings tried to rally in the fourth quarter with 11 points, but Mitchell was content with its large lead to run time off the clock with long possessions. The Lady Mountaineers were 8 of 11 from the free throw line in the final quarter to hold Avery at bay and hand the Lady Vikings their first conference loss of the season.

Lauren Avery led the Lady Vikes with eight points and six rebounds, while Mary Chesnut Smith and Mercedes Bentley each poured in six points off the bench. Sara Wiseman scored five points with nine rebounds and three assists.

“I felt like we did a good job defensively in holding Mitchell to just 47 points and Laken Norris to 12 points. On our end we executed well and got shots and looks we wanted, but not scoring took us out of our press a bit,” Coach Lyons stated. “Laken played great defense and took away our long pass, and we did play shorthanded without Hayley. I think we played out of our tempo and we just weren’t ready for it.”

Emily Glenn led the Lady Mountaineers with 18 points and four rebounds. Norris added 12 points, six rebounds, and eight steals, with seven points, five assists and five steals from Autumn Thompson.

“We played four games within a week, and I think that took out part of our preparation time. Four big conference games in the week may have played a factor in what happened,” Coach Lyons said. “I felt our post players would be our advantage, and their post players just outplayed us. I told the girls we played so well against Watauga that I felt like we could be competitive against Mitchell’s, but we just didn’t rise to the occasion. Hopefully we can learn from it and do a much better job against them next time. I still feel like that is our best advantage there in the post area. We took care of the basketball, but just missed too many shots.”

Avery hosted Owen on Tuesday night and sneaked out a narrow 54-52 win over the Warlassies to improve to 12-2 on the season. The Lady Vikings will travel to take on West Wilkes this Thursday and make a road trip to Thomas Jefferson Academy on Friday.

Viking Step onto Mat for Busy Week of Competition

Following an extended period of inactivity aside from practices between weather events, the Avery wrestling team returned to the gym to begin in earnest the 2010 portion of its schedule.

On Wednesday evening Avery journeyed to Burnsville to take on the Mountain Heritage Cougars, falling by a respectable score of 48-30 in dual meet action. Avery surrendered six forfeits in the fourteen bout event, but captured more pinfall wins during the match.

Victors in the Wednesday tangle included Lucas Lecka, who started the evening at 215 pounds and pinned Marcus DiCristino. In addition, Brock Yackey (119 pounds), Devin Buchanan (125 pounds), and Nick Malgadey (130 pounds) each earned wins by pin over their Cougar counterparts.

“Experience and forfeits is still a major deal for us. Our upper weights suffered a little bit but our lower weights came through with pins, and there’s not much more you can ask for,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said after the dual meet. “

On Thursday evening Avery traveled to Ledger to make up a previously scheduled wrestling match with Mitchell. It was a rough go of it for the Big Red, as the squad fell 66-9 to a strong 1A Mountaineers.

The Vikings gained only two victories for the match, as Colton Blackburn won his match by second period pin at the heavyweight class and Brock Yackey defeated Colton McKinney by a 7-4 decision in the evening’s final bout at 125 pounds. Winners for the Mountaineers included Andrew Renfro, Serjio Littleton, Nate Brooks, Max Glenn, Steve Bomar, Jubal Church, Dayshawn Blackmon, Shawn Jackson, Kevin Hall, Matthew Sullins and Logan McKinney.

“We didn’t match up well personnel-wise against Mitchell. Having Nick (Malgadey) wrestling at 125 pounds would have been a bigger advantage opposed to 130 pounds,” Coach Clark said after the matches. “I thought Colton wrestled well. Brock wrestled really well on his feet but struggled a little on bottom, but we’ve continued to work on that and he’s improving in that area.”

On Friday evening the wrestling squad took six grapplers to Robbinsville for the following day’s James Orr Memorial Invitational Tournament, also traditionally called the Far West Invitational.

Around a dozen schools of varying sizes sent teams to the southwestern corner of North Carolina to test themselves in the day-long event.

Each Avery wrestler had the opportunity to wrestle a minimum of two matches during the tournament. Colton Blackburn wrestled hard in a pair of matches on Saturday morning, but came up short in the matches via pinfall, while teammate Kyle Greene finished with a 1-2 mark for the day, winning one match by forfeit and losing a narrow 7-4 decision in his final match of the tournament.

Each of the remaining four Vikings wrestlers competed in at least three matches and managed to gain at least a fourth-place finish. Devin Buchanan captured fourth place at 128 pounds, winning matches over Hayesville’s Paul Roach and Cherokee’s Billy Brady each by pin.

Viking senior Brock Yackey brought home a third place finish at the 122 pound weight class as he won three of his four matches on the day, the first by pinfall and the latter two by decision.

Avery placed a pair of grapplers in the Saturday evening championship matches. Nick Malgadey defeated Murphy’s Samuel McCoy to start the day and won by pin, then defeated McDowell’s Tyrell Burel by a 14-2 major decision. Nick was unable to capture the first-place medallion in the 133 pound classification, however, losing a hard fought bout to tournament champion Devin Nichols from West Wilkes.

Lucas Lecka also reached the championship match in the Orr Invitational, earning a second-place ribbon at the 218 pound class.

Lecka advanced to the championship semis with a forfeit victory and punched his ticket to the championship by pinning West Wilkes’ Cody Lefler. Lecka squared off with Colby White from host Robbinsville and wrestled a hotly contested match.

Lecka and White battled for three long periods and were tied at 3-3 with just five seconds left in the bout. White managed a takedown just before time expired to win by the bout score of 5-3.

“We brought the kids to the Robbinsville tournament as we continue to work on both team and individual successes in spite of not having a large number of wrestlers on the team,” Coach Clark said after the tournament. “The Far West let us get a good look at our regional competition and see what areas we need to work on. After three conference duals coming up this week, we’ll get some time between now and regionals to work on things we need to. I felt most of our guys wrestled to their ability to this point. I thought both of our guys wrestling in the finals made a couple of mistakes in their matches, but overall they wrestled to their ability and did well.”

The Vikings traveled to Owen on Tuesday for a dual meet, will journey to Madison for a dual match on Thursday, then will host Thomas Jefferson this Friday evening for a dual meet.

Watauga High School to Host 2010 Shrine Bowl Combine

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Watauga High School will be one of the host schools for the 2010 Shrine Bowl Combines. Details are listed below:

2010 NORTH CAROLINA SHRINE BOWL COMBINES

Purpose: To provide opportunity for high school football players demonstrate skills needed for athletic scholarships and possible Shrine Bowl selection.

Rising seniors should bring videos for the Shrine Bowl Staff to evaluate.

Who: Rising 12th graders are eligible to attend.

Dates and Schools:
APRIL 17TH BUTLER HIGH SCHOOL (MATTHEWS NC)
APRIL 24TH WATAUGA HIGH SCHOOL (BOONE NC)
MAY 1ST EASTERN ALAMANCE HIGH SCHOOL (MEBANE NC)
MAY 8TH SOUTH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL (WINTERVILLE NC)

Times:
REGISTRATION FOR KICKERS, PUNTERS, AND LONG SNAPPERS 9:30 AM
REGISTRATION FOR POSITION PLAYERS 10:00 AM
KICKERS START TIME 10:00 AM
POSITION PLAYERS START TIME: 11:00 AM

Cost: $20.00 per player-High School Coaches and spectators will be admitted free. Each player will receive a T-shirt and unmatched exposure.

There will be no checks accepted at any of the combines, cash only please. There will be a responsible person at each combine to take up money.

To be measured:
1. Height
2. Weight

To be tested:
1. Vertical Jump
2. 40 Yard Dash
3. Pro Agility Shuttle
4. Bench Press Rep.
(All Position Players Will Rep 185 As Many Times As They Can.)

To be evaluated:
1. Each position player will work with coaches at his position and go through a series of football related drills.

Important Information:
2. Some events may change according to equipment available.
3. Please be on time: We are going to be on a tight schedule.

Shrine Bowl Combine Coordinator: Jim Bob Bryant (252) 717-8681

Avery Falls Victim to Late Heritage Surge, Rallies on Road to Defeat Rival Mitchell

The Avery varsity boys basketball team found itself in a pair of conference battles as it continues to gain respect from teams across the Western Highlands Conference. The Big Red hung tough with a talented and deep Mountain Heritage Cougars squad Wednesday night January 13^th, only to see the tandem of Steven Wilson and John Cannon carry Heritage to a 71-63 victory.

On Friday night in Ledger the Vikings fell behind Mitchell early and rallied to take a lead before halftime, but fell behind again by as many as seven points in the second half. A late surge, bolstered by a 30-point, 11 rebound, eight assist effort from junior Dustin Clarke was enough to erase a deficit and carry the Vikings to a 69-66 win over its southern rival.

In Wednesday night’s game it was the Cougars who pounced on an early lead. Junior 6’11” center John Cannon scored nine points in the quarter and Avery had difficulty finding answers for the Division I recruit’s size advantage. Cannon also blocked a number of shots defensively, helping the Cougars establish a 19-14 lead after eight minutes.

Mountain Heritage cooled off shooting from the field while the Vikings found their touch. Dustin Clarke netted ten points in the frame as Avery cut the Heritage lead to a single point at 35-34 at halftime.

The two teams remained close on the scoreboard through the entire third quarter. The duo of Cannon and senior Steven Wilson accounted for 15 of the Cougars’ 19 points in the stanza. Avery’s Joey Potter got free offensively during the period for six points and teammate Dylan Eppley pitched in with a couple of field goals to keep Avery within three points at 54-51 after three quarters.

Avery cut the Heritage lead to as little as two points at 57-55 with 4:45 left to play in the game, but eight points from Wilson and another six points from Cannon proved to be just enough. Avery was 0 for 6 from the three-point line in the final quarter, hampering any chance to draw close in the game’s final stages.

The Vikings were paced by 22 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and five assists from Dustin Clarke, with 11 points and four rebounds from Dylan Eppley and nine points from Joey Potter. Cannon finished with a game-high 28 points, 11 rebounds, and nine blocks for Heritage, with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists from Wilson.

“Was that not a fun game to watch?” Avery head coach Bo Manis said immediately after the game. “I was excited about the love the kids on the floor showed for the game of basketball. They gave everything they’ve got. The breakdowns and problems we had in crucial moments we can fix, but we played hard and played well against a good team tonight.

As the team matures together, it still seeks to iron out areas which still occasionally raise up during the course of a game.

“It’s like we discussed last week, we need to keep a consistent intensity on offense, especially in key moments of the game. Those things will get us over the hump,” Coach Manis stated.

In Friday’s showdown at Mitchell, the Vikings found themselves playing catch-up from the early moments. Avery fell behind early as it shot 4 of 17 from the field in the quarter. Mitchell meanwhile shot 60 percent from the field, leading by as many as nine points in the opening period.

Thomas Buchanan paced Mitchell with seven points, but Avery scored six of the final eight points of the frame, including a Dustin Clarke fadeaway jumper at the buzzer, to cut Mitchell’s advantage to 15-10 after one quarter.

Avery rallied early in the quarter as four points each from Dylan Eppley and Spencer Blackburn sparked an Avery run. Mark Polsgrove drained a jumper to tie the game at 24-24 with 1:34 to play in the first half. Mitchell showed its offensive prowess for the rest of the half, however, as a 6-0 run closed the quarter with the Mountaineers leading 30-24 at intermission.

The Vikings worked to narrow the gap as Joey Potter scored seven points in the third quarter. Mitchell’s Logan Jensen came to life in the second half as he tallied three field goals, including a thunderous alley-oop slam dunk which ignited the partisan Mountaineer crowd. By the start of the final period, Mitchell had momentum and a 46-41 advantage.

Despite the overwhelming odds, the Avery club refused to fold up the tent. Dustin Clarke, whom Mitchell keyed on defensively with a box-and-one setup, torched the Mountaineers defense over the final two periods and played as a man on a mission to spark the Big Red. The junior was a perfect 8 for 8 from the free throw line in the closing stanza and was 4 of 5 from the field as part of a 17-point fourth quarter.

Midway through the final quarter the Mountaineers extended a one point advantage into a seven-point lead at 60-53. Avery roared back to take the lead when two Clarke free throws with only 29 seconds remaining in the game put the Vikings on top 67-66.

Mitchell had a final possession to take the lead, but Avery’s Timmy Stewart rebounded a missed Mountaineer shot attempt, fired an outlet pass down the floor. Dylan Eppley could not convert the layup attempt, but an offensive rebound and put-back by Clarke gave the Big Red the three-point with 2.6 seconds on the clock. Mitchell came up short on its final desperation shot, sending the visitors from Newland home happy.

Clarke turned in his best overall performance to date this season, with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Potter added 12 points and three rebounds, while Eppley chipped in with eight points, 11 rebounds, and three steals. Thomas Buchanan paced Mitchell with 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

“Dustin stayed calm and didn’t force anything on Friday like I feel he did a little on Wednesday. He took what the defense gave us and worked from there,” head coach Bo Manis said after the win. “We saw some weaknesses in their box-and-one and we took advantage of them. A point of emphasis in practice has been for other players needing to step up. Joey hit some big shots in the second half and stepped up when we really needed him. Friday night was a great way to win on the road and get over the hump. Our team never gives up and I can’t say enough about the love for the game and the kind of character those guys have.”

Avery improves to 4-7, evening its record to 2-2 in conference play.

The Vikings upended Owen 58-54 on Tuesday night to move to 3-2 in conference play, and will hit the road for a pair of games later in the week, journeying to Miller’s Creek to take on West Wilkes on Thursday and going to Thomas Jefferson Academy on Friday evening. A full recap of all three games can be found in next week's print edition.