Lady Vikings Improve to 2-0 with Shutout at Chase

The Avery Lady Vikings soccer team showed no ill effects from lack of practice time as a full squad, blitzing the Chase Lady Trojans 8-0 in Forest City Wednesday night.

Avery got on the board early and often in its non-conference affair. Avery scored in the first minute with Mary Chesnut Smith sending the ball through to forward Melinda Eggers who scored for her second goal of the season, as she also scored the first goal in the first game.

In the 8^th minute, Smith got her second assist in the game when Katelynn Eudy scored from about 20 yards out, off a throw-in by Smith. Just three minutes later Elyse Perry connected with Emily Banner who scored the third goal of the game.

Just 12 minutes later , Mary Chesnut earned her third assist when she crossed the ball from the sideline to the face of the goal where Arden Stanley got her head on the ball to make the score 4-0. Avery tallied a fifth goal for the half in the 28th minute as Banner assisted Perry on a score, reversing roles from an earlier score.

Avery scored a sixth goal in the half, but the tally was called back due to an offsides call. Chase struggled the entire half to even get the ball into Avery's defensive half of the field, managing to do so on only a couple of occasions despite Coach Tom Evaul experimenting with various combinations of players and trying the newer players out in a variety of positions.

The second half began with a scare for the Chase fans as a strong shot by Smith took out the keeper. Perry was able to get to the loose ball and score for a 6-0 lead before the keeper recovered. She was aided off the field but did return later in the game.

Seven minutes later in the 50^th minute, Banner assisted Smith on the seventh goal of the game. Smith returned the favor in the 60^th minute, assisting Banner for the eighth and final Avery goal of the evening.

Although Coach Evaul had substituted freely throughout the evening, he had kept the defense solid. After the eighth goal, the coach took out most of the starters and those who stayed in played different positions.

Junior net minder Mercedes Bentley earned her first career high school shutout, earning the clean sheet with a pair of saves. In all, Chase had only four shots on goal while Avery took 30.

Six different Lady Vikings scored on the evening, with senior Elyse Perry and junior Emily Banner each scoring a pair. Juniors Melinda Eggers, Katelynn Eudy and Mary Chesnut Smith each scored one goal as did sophomore Arden Stanley. Smith also provided helpers on five goals, Banner finished with two assists and Perry with one.

Coach Evaul expressed happiness with seeing so many different players scoring, but still would like to see better shots taken and stronger finishes overall. The defense needs to work on their communication and their touches on the ball, according to the coach.

Although the team has had no practices on a full-field, and only a very few outside at all, Coach Evaul is very pleased with the progress the team has made. Until the first game, the whole team had never been together for a practice because 6 starters, 4 basketball players and 2 cheerleaders , were involved with basketball until two days before the first soccer game.

Avery returns to the pitch on Friday afternoon with a match in Miller's Creek against West Wilkes.

Avery Sports News & Notes

Lady Vikings Soccer Kicks off 2010 with Road Victory

The Avery Lady Vikings soccer team began its season Monday night with a 6-1 victory in Ronda against East Wilkes.

A number of the players transitioning from the recent basketball season completion did not start the contest, but eventually entered the contest and played a major role in the outcome.

In the 11^th minute Mary Chesnut Smith passed up the sideline to Emily Banner, who crossed the ball to Melinda Eggers who placed the ball behind the keeper for the first goal. Three minutes later Smith passed to Elyse Perry who was in front of the goal and powered the ball in past the keeper for a 2-0 margin.

In the 36th minute of the first half East Wilkes managed to push past the midfield and backline, and slipped a goal past junior Mercedes Bentley, who this season is back in goal and on the soccer field for the first time in several years.

Avery answered the Cardinal goal with another of their own before half, with Banner passing to another newcomer Cassie Bumgarner. The junior fired a shot at the keeper, who got her hands on it but fumbled the ball before losing it in the goal, making the score 3-1 at the half.

Just short of ten minutes into the second half, Jennie Elrod, another former soccer player playing in her first high school game, passed the ball to Banner for her first of two goals. In the 56th minute, Smith connected with Banner for Banner’s second goal, and in the 67th minute Smith herself got in the scoring column with a goal off an assist from Katelynn Eudy.

East Wilkes had two shots on goal for the match with one score. Avery keeper Bentley had one save. The Lady Vikings took 10 shots on goal in the first half and 12 in the second. East Wilkes keeper had many saves.

Avery travels to Chase High School on Wednesday, March 10^th and to West Wilkes the Friday the 12^th before opening conference play next Monday at Mountain Heritage.

Avery Middle School Baseball and Softball Opens Season with Wins

Avery Middle School Panthers baseball got off to a great start in Toe River Conference action as they defeated the Bowman Bulldogs 2-1 in Mine Creek Monday night.

The game turned out to be a pitcher’s duel with each hurler pitching two scoreless innings.

Bowman got on the board in the bottom of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead, but Avery would answer in the top of the fourth when Ty Polsgrove led off with a single. Ty stole both second and third base to move into scoring position, where teammate Daniel Childress hit a deep ball to left field. The fly ball drove Polsgrove home knotting the score at 1-1.

In the top of the fifth inning, Avery’s Wesley Hobbs started the Panther rally with two outs, getting on base with a walk. Back-to-back singles by Wade Smith and Maverick Austin loaded the bases for Polsgrove. Ty pushed the count to full, and with all the Panthers on the move, drew the walk that put the Panthers up for good.

Avery starts the season off with a win and sits atop the conference standings. Chance Watson picked up the win with a complete game six-inning effort on the mound, surrendering only one run on six hits while striking out five and walked only one batter.

The Avery Lady Panthers softball squad traveled to Bowman Middle School for Toe River Conference action. Avery rode a complete game pitching effort from Shannon Smith and gave the hurler plenty off offensive support in picking up an impressive 13-3 win.

The contest was close through the first three innings of play, but the tide turned in the top of the fourth frame. With Avery leading by a 5-3 score, the Lady Panthers loaded the bases and Jenny Lehmann hit a double to clear the bases and give the visitors an 8-3 edge.

Avery added a pair of runs in the sixth inning and three in the seventh, while the right-hander Smith held the Lady Bulldogs scoreless over the final four innings.

The Lady Panthers will play at Cane River on Thursday, while the Cranberry Wildcats teams are scheduled to play at Bowman on Thursday. Avery plays at Cane River on Thursday, while the Cranberry Middle School baseball team opens the season at Bowman on the same evening.

Western Highlands Conference Tabs Dustin Clarke Player of the Year, Bo Manis Coach of the Year Honors

Avery junior guard Dustin Clarke was named the Western Highlands Conference Player of the Year by the league’s coaches and officials.

Dustin had an outstanding season that placed him among the state’s leaders in scoring at 23.1 points per game. Clarke also averaged three steals a game to go with five assists and over six rebounds per game.

Clarke was integral part of the Vikings’ turnaround season in 2009-10 that witnessed the team’s improvement from a three-win squad in ’08-’09 to an 11-win team and state playoff qualifier this past season.

“I’m so proud to see Dustin receive the Player of the Year award for his hard work,” Avery head basketball coach Bo Manis said after the announcement. “He’s put in a lot of time and effort, and I’m glad to see it paying off for him.”

In addition to Clarke’s award, Avery Vikings head men’s basketball coach Bo Manis was named by his peers as the Western Highlands Conference Coach of the Year. Manis took over a squad with three wins in the season before his arrival and has won 14 games over the past two seasons.

Manis’ Vikings club qualified for the state playoffs and won a state playoff game for the first time since 2006.

“It’s great to have the respect from the other coaches. There were plenty of other guys who probably deserved it more than me, but to be recognized by your peers for our accomplishments is special,” Coach Manis said regarding the award. “None of it is possible if not for the players. As soon as I found out, I thanked my parents. They have been such a positive influence in my life and taught me the ropes about coaching. They deserve a lot of credit for this."

Both Clarke and Manis will be honored with awards during Avery's athletics banquet this spring.

Vikings Varsity Teams Boast Six All-Conference Selections

With the elimination of its final team from the regional playoffs, the Western Highlands Conference has released its All-Conference selections in both boys and girls basketball.

The Avery varsity girls basketball team, who finished with a school-record 24 victories, boasts three players on the squad.

Seniors Lauren Avery (Regular Season: 12.9 points/game, 6.2 rebounds/game, 2.4 steals/game, 3.3 assists/game) and Sara Wiseman (Regular Season: 11.3 points/game, 8.6 rebounds/game, 1.7 steals/game, 1.4 assists/game) garnered All-Conference recognition, in addition to junior Katelynn Eudy, who averaged 9.3 points/game, 8 rebounds/game, 2.2 steals/game, 1.8 assists/game during the regular season.

Avery’s varsity boys basketball team finished with an impressive 11 wins in 2009-10 and had three players tabbed for this year’s All-Conference roster.

Junior Dustin Clarke (23.1 points/game, 4.8 assists/game, 6.4 rebounds/game, 3 steals/game), senior Dylan Eppley (10.4 points/game, 5.9 rebounds/game, 1.8 assists/game), and junior Kody Hughes (8.7 points/game, 3.6 rebounds/game, 1.1 assists/game) represent Avery on this year’s squad.

Congratulations to all these fine student-athletes on a terrific season on the court!

Vikings Baseball Opens 2010 Season with Visits to Wilkes County

The Avery varsity baseball team journey three times to Wilkes County to take on Wilkes Central on two occasions, sandwiched between by a trip to North Wilkes.

Avery began last Monday with a trip to state-ranked 2A team Wilkes Central. The Eagles shut out the Vikings in the first game by a final score of 19-0, but the young Avery team still found positives out of the contest.

“We’ve had zero practices on any type of playing surface other than a gym floor. We have spent half our practices in the cafeteria and have only taken batting practice in the cage one time, which is why we schedule games off the mountain this early in the season. I know we’re going to play when we travel there,” Avery varsity baseball head coach Benny Wellborn said.

“Each game we have made improvement. We’re making fewer errors and throwing more strikes. I make sure to tell our players that right now we want to leave a game a better ball club than we were when we took the field. Although it doesn’t reflect it in the score, I believe we did that.”

Last Saturday afternoon the Vikings traveled to Hays to take on North Wilkes. In the battle of the Vikings the North club built an early lead, but Avery battled back into the game.

Danny Ray Cole and Ethan Sluder both reach base to open the game and came around to score for an early 2-0 lead before North rallied in the bottom of the first with a pair to tie the game.

Following a scoreless second inning, Avery struck for two additional runs in the top of the third frame. Sluder led off with a double and scored on an RBI single by Daniel Huff. Huff also scored on a Jack Buchanan RBI base hit to put the visiting Vikings up 4-2.

North’s bats also woke up in the bottom of the frame for three runs to take its first lead at 5-4.

Danny Ray Cole reached base for the second time in three at-bats with a walk in the top of the fourth, and later scored his third run of the game on an RBI groundout from Steven Daniels to knot the game at 5-5.

North erupted for its largest offensive flurry in the bottom of the fourth, however. The home team plated six runs on four hits in the inning, giving them a commanding 11-5 advantage after four innings.

Following the North Wilkes spurt, Avery held the Vikings to only three hits and no runs over the final three innings. The effort afforded the Big Red the chance to claw back into the game.

Avery plated four runs in the top of the fifth, immediately answering the North scoring spree. Jack Buchanan and C.J. Vance both reached on walks, while pinch hitter Joe Buchanan rapped a single to reach safely, while Jack Buchanan came around to score the first run of the inning, With two outs in the frame, Sluder came through for the third straight time with a two-RBI double to left field, scoring Buchanan and Vance to cut the deficit to 11-9.

One inning later the Avery club drew to within a single run when Jared Clark led off the frame with a solo home run to right field. Clark battled the Wilkes pitcher through a long at-bat before getting the best of the hurler.

Unfortunately Avery could not score a tying run in the top of the seventh inning, falling short in an 11-10 loss.

“We made improvements from the Wilkes Central game to the North game. I told the guys that it was like we were a Little League team on Monday and played more like a high school team on Saturday. We made that big of a step,” Coach Wellborn stated. “We put the ball in play for ten runs, we ran the bases well, we only made two errors. We continue to improve, and that’s all you can ask of your players.”

This past Monday Avery again ventured to take on Wilkes Central. Avery began the contest scoring a run in the top of the first inning when Danny Ray Cole singled to left field and scored for an early 1-0 lead.

The single run was all the scoring Avery could get for the contest. Wilkes Central answered with 14 runs on 14 hits to bury the Big Red in a hole they could not climb out of as the Eagles earned a 22-1 victory in four innings.

“Wilkes Central is one of the best one-through-nine hitting teams in the state. Although the score doesn’t indicate it, we played better against them the second time than we did the first,” Coach Wellborn said. “We pitched better and threw more strikes. We put the ball in play, and cut down our errors. We’re progressing right now, and our main focus is to take the opportunities we get in game situations to get better.”

Avery will take to the diamond looking for its first win this Friday when they travel for a rematch with North Wilkes. The Viking junior varsity squad, who lost its only contest this season thus far at North, will have its own rematch with North’s JV club that same evening.

Bishop McGuinness Keeps Lady Vikings in Check to End Storybook Avery Season

In books and the movies the hero overcomes adversity to defeat the bad guy, riding off triumphantly into the sunset.

The Avery Lady Vikings hoped to repeat that script with a victory in the Western Regional semifinal over four-time defending state 1A girls champion Bishop McGuinness High School.

Unfortunately for the Big Red, the game did not go according to plan. A tough Bishop zone defense and a second half scoring run by the Lady Villains opened a double-digit lead that Avery could not overcome. Despite a valiant effort to the bitter end, the Lady Vikings saw their season come to an end as Bishop captured a 57-42 win Friday night at Fleming Gym on the campus of UNC-Greensboro.

The two squads battled through a low-scoring first quarter as neither team consistently found its range. Avery made only two of its first 14 shots in the opening quarter as Bishop took a narrow 9-8 lead after one period. The tall and athletic Lady Villains made it difficult for Avery to effectively press on defense or run its fast-tempo offense. Four Avery players each scored a pair of points in the stanza.

As the second quarter unfolded, the Lady Vikings made life difficult for the Bishop squad, as the Lady Villains went over four minutes without a single point and saw one of its strongest players in senior Erin Fitzgerald saddled with two fouls. In the meantime the Avery offense got untracked with a 10-2 scoring spurt for its strongest stretch of the game. Baskets by Sara Wiseman, Lauren Avery, and Katelynn Eudy, as well as a short jump shot by Hayley Pyatte propelled the Big Red into its largest lead of the game at 16-13 with 3:31 left before halftime.

Bishop remained poised, drawing fouls inside to score from the free throw line. Lady Villains coach Brian Robinson also rolled the dice by inserting Fitzgerald back into the lineup despite her two personal fouls. The gamble paid off as the duo of Fitzgerald and junior Megan Buckland paced the Lady Villains with six points in the final two and a half minutes to regain the lead. A driving layup by Buckland in the closing seconds gave Bishop a 25-20 lead going to halftime.

Buckland, the Lady Villains’ leading scorer at 19.5 points per contest, was held to just eight points in the first half on 3 of 8 shooting. Avery was led by seven points and three blocked shots in the half by junior forward Katelynn Eudy.

Avery shot 33 percent from the field in the first two periods, hile holding Bishop to under 31 percent. Scoring inside the paint, an area normally dominated by Avery, was 14-8 in favor of the Lady Villains through one half of play, and the running Lady Vikings surprisingly had no fast break points at halftime.

Despite being down on the scoreboard, the Big Red felt good about its play in the first two periods.

“I thought we had a great first half. They knew we came to play and could compete with them,” Avery girls head basketball coach Missy Lyons stated after the game. “When we were staying close and missing as many shots as we did, we were feeling pretty good. To be as close as we were, considering how poorly we shot the ball in the first half was a credit to how good we were playing defensively.”

As the second half began, the Lady Villains decided to divert away from its traditional man-to-man defense and switched to a 3-2 zone defense, congesting the paint area to entice Avery to win by hitting the perimeter shot.

“Avery was very good with its cutting and setting screens. We were having a lot of trouble with that so we went zone to try to settle us down. We played zone very little this year, but we did what we had to out of necessity,” Bishop McGuinness head coach Brian Robinson said after the game.

The decision paid off as the Lady Vikings found it hard to pass the basketball inside and struggled to consistently hit the outside shot. Bishop McGuinness heated up from the field to spark a 13-2 scoring run in the first 3:35 of the second half to push its lead to double figures at 38-22.

“It (the defensive switch) bothered us a little. We rushed a few shots, but the biggest thing was that they crashed the boards and boxed out better in the zone defense,” Coach Lyons said. “We were only getting one shot and that was it.”

Although trailing, the Lady Vikings put together another surge with an 8-2 scoring rally in the late stages of the third period, highlighted by a jumper from Wiseman and a three-pointer from Bentley. Bishop’s Buckland was covered all game by Viking shutdown defender Lauren Avery.

After being held in check by Lauren in the first half, Buckland heated up with nine points in the third quarter which helped stake the Lady Villains to a 42-30 lead after three periods.
A three-pointer from Wiseman in the opening minute of the final period drew Avery to within single-digits at 42-33, but that would be as close as the Lady Vikings would get for the remainder of the contest.

The Lady Villains shot 8 of 13 from the free throw line in the final period to protect its lead. Avery had a hard time getting open looks all evening on offense, making just 16 of 57 shots (28 percent) for the game.

Senior Lauren Avery led the Lady Vikings with 14 points and five rebounds, with 11 points and 8 rebounds from fellow senior Sara Wiseman. Katelynn Eudy scored just two points but hauled in a team-high ten rebounds.

Buckland paced the Lady Villains with 24 points on 8 of 15 shooting with 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Point guard Marie Petrangeli was the only other Bishop player in double figures with 11 points.

Bishop outscored Avery 30-14 in the paint for the contest, and 16-5 off turnovers. The Lady Vikings generated more second-chance points, but Bishop held a decisive 16-0 advantage in fast-break points. Both teams committed 13 turnovers in the contest.

“They hit some good shots in the third quarter to pull away. We kept working hard but didn’t shoot well tonight,” Coach Lyons said in the post-game press conference. “We have personal goals we set for ourselves as a team, and it was hard to reach those tonight. Offensively we struggled a bit and that that hurt us down the stretch.”

The Lady Vikings finish its season with a school record 24 wins, with only four losses. Bishop McGuinness improved to 21-7, and went on to defeat fellow Western Highlands Conference member Mitchell 68-48 in Saturday’s regional final to advance to this weekend’s 1A girls state title game.

Bishop McGuinness vs. Avery Box Score At Greensboro, N.C. / Fleming Gymnasium BISHOP MCGUINNESS 57, AVERY 42 BISHOP MCGUINNESS (21-7) Buckland, Megan 8-15 6-10 24; Petrangeli, Marie 4-5 3-4 11; Fitzgerald, Erin 3-4 0-0 6; Liebal, Erin 2-4 2-2 6; Goldsmith, Sammi 2-8 0-0 4; Coon, Sarah 0-4 4-6 4; Cushing, Lauren 1-1 0-0 2; Elder, Kelly 0-1 0-0 0; Mortis, Gabby 0-3 0-0 0; Mason, Jeanine 0-0 0-0 0; Burske, Katie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-45 15-22 57. AVERY (24-4) Avery, Lauren 4-15 4-6 14; Wiseman, Sara 5-12 0-0 11; Bentley, Mercedes 2-6 0-0 5; Pyatte, Hayley 1-3 2-2 4; Perry, Elyse 2-7 0-0 4; Eudy, Katelynn 1-9 0-2 2; Smith, Mary Chesnut 1-1 0-0 2; Tennant, Megan 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 16-57 6-10 42. Bishop McGuinness................ 9 16 17 15 - 57 Avery ........................... 8 12 10 12 - 42 3-point goals—B. McGuinness 2-8 (Buckland, Megan 2-4; Goldsmith, Sammi 0-2; Mortis, Gabby 0-2), Avery 4-12 (Avery, Lauren 2-6; Bentley, Mercedes 1-3; Wiseman, Sara 1-2; Pyatte, Hayley 0-1). Fouled out—B. McGuinness-None, Avery -Avery, Lauren; Eudy, Katelynn. Rebounds—B. McGuinness 37 (Buckland, Megan 10), Avery 37 (Eudy, Katelynn 10). Assists—B. McGuinness 12 (Buckland, Megan 5), Avery 9 (Perry, Elyse 3). Total fouls—B. McGuinness 10, Avery 17. Technical fouls—B. McGuinness-None, Avery-None. Attendance-1290