KICKING INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS! Avery Ladies Soccer Earns Berth in 1A State Championship with 3-0 win over Lake Norman Charter

Avery will take on 14-2-2 Southwest Onslow at the Curtis and Jackie Dail Soccer Stadium at the Track Facility at NC State University in Raleigh. Game time is yet to be determined, as conflicts with other championship classifications have to be worked out. As soon as we get a definitive time, we will publish and send that along. This will mark Avery's second venture into a state championship match, as the Avery wrestling team in the early 90s wrestled Dixon High School for a dual team state championship.

And now.... one match to go!

UPDATE #10 (8:40 PM) -- Avery defeats Lake Norman Charter High School 3-0 AND WILL PLAY NEXT SATURDAY IN RALEIGH FOR A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!!! A great effort on offense and defense throughout the match and this postseason! Congratulations to the ladies, and we'll see you next weekend at the state title game!

UPDATE #9 (8:33 PM) GOAL AVERY in the 74th minute. Mary Chesnut Smith gets a long ball sent from Emily Banner, averts the goalkeeper who had pulled away from goal to get the ball, and pealed off a shot that found the empty net with 6:14 to play in the match. Avery leads 3-0!

UPDATE #8: (8:32 PM) -- Seven minutes from a state title berth. Avery has played one of its best defensive matches of the season and Lake Norman has been frustrated and neutralized.

UPDATE #7 (8:14 PM) -- Avery continues to turn away any advance by Lake Norman Charter as they continue to maintain a 2-0 lead with 23 minutes left in the match.

UPDATE #6 (7:59 PM)-- GOAL AVERY! Elyse Perry scores on an assist from Cassie Bumgarner to help the Big Red to a 2-0 lead on Lake Norman Charter. Continued strong defense from the Lady Vikings may allow this team to punch its ticket to Raleigh's Curtis and Jackie Dail Soccer Stadium at NC State next Saturday for the 1A girls soccer state championship against Southwest Onslow.

UPDATE #5 (7:48 PM) -- We are at the half and the Lady Vikings lead Lake Norman Charter High School 1-0 on the Mary Chesnut Smith goal in the 36th minute from 30 yards out. Avery had several opportunities to score but were unable to cash in on a good Knights defense. Avery's defense has been up to the task through 40 minutes, as keeper Mercedes Bentley has a clean sheet thus far.

UPDATE #4 (7:44 PM) -- GOAL AVERY!! Mary Chesnut Smith dribbles by three separate Lake Norman players, sets up at the 20 yard line and blasts a shot past the keeper for Avery to draw first blood in the 36th minute. Lady Vikings lead 1-0 over Lake Norman Charter!

UPDATE #3 (7:31 PM) - Avery has had a couple of runs at the net and Lake Norman has also had a corner, but neither team has been able to break through. It has been a physical affair thus far, as Mary Chesnut Smith, who was shaken up earlier in the match, has been played very aggressively by the Knights. A Lake Norman direct kick sails wide and the match stays 0-0 with 7:30 left in the half.

UPDATE #2 (7:20 PM) - Mary Chesnut Smith returns to the lineup and takes a direct kick that sails just over the crossbar. Still scoreless between Avery and Lake Norman Charter.

UPDATE #1 (6:55 PM) - Teams are finishing pre-game warmups and we're getting ready for action in this semifinal matchup. Kickoff is coming within minutes!

The Avery Lady Vikings are preparing to host the Lake Norman Charter Knights at 7 p.m. this evening for the right to play for a state championship in women's soccer next week.

Avery comes off a 3-0 shutout of North Moore, while Lake Norman Charter defeated Bishop McGuinness 1-0 last Wednesday night.

Lake Norman has won 18 games this season, Avery is a 19-game winner, and the Lady Vikings hope that this storybook season can continue with a journey to the NCHSAA 1A girls soccer championship game.

Tonight's winner will face SW Onslow, who defeated Raleigh Charter on Friday night to advance to Saturday's championship match at NC State University.

We'll be providing updates throughout the game from the stadium as Avery looks for win #20. Best of luck to the Lady Vikings!

AVERY BASEBALL UPDATES

Avery Baseball playoff update at Murphy:

Top 1st: Avery puts runners on 1st and 3rd, but leave the runners stranded to keep the game scoreless.

Bottom 1st: Murphy scores three runs. An error was followed by a two-out, two-run home run off the light standard in right field for a 2-0 Bulldog lead. A triple down the right field line was followed by an Avery error to account for the third run. Murphy leads 3-0 after one inning of play.

Top 2nd: Avery gets C.J. Vance on base with a walk but a fielder's choice and strikeout ends any threat. Avery trails 3-0 going to the bottom of the second inning at Murphy.

Bottom 2nd: Murphy with a pair of home runs, a solo homer and a three-run homer was helped by a couple of Avery miscues as the Bulldogs now lead 7-0 with nobody out in the second inning.

Avery pitching change as manager Benny Wellborn goes to Jared Clark in relieve and makes a number of defensive adjustments. Ethan Sluder, who started at catcher, moves to right field. C.J. Vance, who started in right field now moves to shortstop. Dustin Childress is moved from shortstop to second base. Mark Polsgrove adjusts from second base to first base, and Daniels moves behind the plate to catch.

Murphy picks up five additional runs as the plate is somewhat squeezed by the umpire. The Bulldogs up its lead to 12-0 after two innings of play. Top of the Avery order coming up as the Vikings try to mount a comeback against the undefeated Murphy club.

Top 3rd: Daniel Huff and Ethan Sluder score on a two-RBI base hit to cut the lead to 12-2 going to the bottom of the third. Another Avery error in the bottom of the third helps Murphy add a run to increase the lead to 13-2 as we continue in the third frame with two runners on base.

Murphy adds four more runs in the frame and Daniel Huff comes on in relief to close out the inning. Avery trails 17-2 going into the top of the fourth inning.

Top 5th: It's over from Murphy and the Bulldogs take a five-inning, 17-2 win. Murphy advances where they will travel to West Wilkes to take on the Blackhawks. The West Wilkes manager was in attendance at today's game scouting his next opponent. Murphy played well and got a little help from the Big Red, but the Vikings' season is over. Congratulations to the Avery baseball team on a great season and an even better postseason!

Avery Playoff Doubleheader on Tap for Saturday

We have a high school sports playoff doubleheader today at the Blog. We'll be providing updates throughout the day of Avery's third round baseball game at Murphy which was rained out on Friday. The action starts around 1 p.m.

Later today at 7 p.m. at MacDonald Stadium, the Avery Lady Vikings soccer team will try to earn its first-ever berth in a state championship game when it hosts the Lake Norman Charter Knights. Both teams have 19 wins and pitched nothing but shutouts this postseason.

Keep reading here for updates from all today's action!

VIking Sports Update

Soccer Corrals Mustangs, Meet Knights in State Semifinal Round
On Wednesday evening the Lady Vikings advanced to the state 1A soccer semifinals with a 3-0 win over North Moore. With the win, Avery improved to 19-1-2 overall for the season and set a program record with its third tournament victory.

Avery will return to the pitch on Saturday at 7 p.m. at MacDonald Stadium when it hosts Lake Norman Charter, who defeated Bishop McGuinness 1-0 Wednesday night and is 19-3 on the season. Like Avery, the Knights have not allowed a goal this postseason.

With a victory, Avery will play for its first-ever soccer state championship


Baseball Travels for Third Round Matchup at Murphy
The Avery baseball team travels to Murphy on Friday to take on the top-ranked Bulldogs in the third round of the 1A state baseball playoffs. The game is a rematch from last season's tournament, when Murphy defeated Avery 6-1 in a second round playoff game at Cherokee County.

Avery is coming off a wild 16-14, eight inning victory at Hiwassee Dam. The Bulldogs thus far in the tournament defeated Cherokee 18-0 and upended East Wilkes 9-1 on Tuesday night.

AJ-T Sports LIVE FROM...MacDonald Stadium (State Soccer 1A quarterfinal)

We're live at MacDonald Stadium as the Avery Lady Vikings look to keep their storybook season alive as they square off against the North Moore Lady Mustangs. Avery enters this evening's matchup ranked #2 in the state this week, while the Lady Mustangs come in ranked #4. Should be an exciting and highly competitive matchup, with a berth in the 1A soccer final four on the line.

We will be bringing updates throughout the match as the Big Red look to advance. Go Big Red!

Update #1 (6:25 PM) : The match has been defensive thus far with no score. Both Mary Chesnut Smith and Emily Banner have taken shots on goal. Avery received a corner at the 20-minute mark but could not convert. Midway through the first half and the match is scoreless.

Update #2 (6:28 PM): GOAL AVERY! Mary Chesnut Smith gets the ball on the front line, maneuvers by a pair of North Moore defenders, and rifles a shot past the left side of the keeper. Avery leads 1-0 in the 22nd minute!

Update #3 (6:32 PM) GOAL AVERY! Off an assist from Cassie Bumgarner, Elyse Perry finds the ball at the front of the net and blisters a shot that finds the back of the net! Avery leads North Moore 2-0 in the 26th minute.

Update #4 (6:42 PM) GOAL AVERY! A pair of North Moore players collide, and Emily Banner and the Lady Vikings take care of business. Emily dribbles into the penalty box and slips a shot that just trickles across the goal line for a third goal in the half. In the 34th minute the Big Red holds a 3-0 lead!

Update #5: Avery leads 3-0 at halftime. The Lady Vikings have dominated the first half, limiting North Moore to very few shots on goal, while the Avery offense has kept the pressure consistently on the Mustangs.

Second half coming up!

Update #6: An extended break in action due to a North Moore injured player, but back to action with 30 minutes left to play and Avery leading by three goals.

Update #7 (7:33 PM): Counting down to ten minutes left to play in regulation and Avery still holds a decisive 3-0 lead.

Update #8 (7:45 PM): THE AVERY LADY VIKINGS DEFEAT NORTH MOORE 3-0 AT MACDONALD STADIUM. Goals from Smith, Banner, and Perry lead the way as Avery advances to the semifinals of the NCHSAA 1A girls soccer state tournament. They will either host Lake Norman Charter or will travel to play Bishop McGuinness, depending on the winner of that quarterfinal match also held this evening. We will post information as soon as we get details regarding an opponent.

Update #9: (8:25 PM) Lake Norman Charter defeated Bishop McGuinness by a 1-0 final score in the other half of Avery's bracket. Lake Norman is not conference-affiliated, so there is a good possibility that the Lady Vikings may be HOSTING A STATE SEMIFINAL MATCH on SATURDAY AFTERNOON. We'll keep you posted when a definitive venue is finalized (likely sometime early Thursday).

High Drama at Hiwassee: Vikings Lead Big Early, Rally with 8th Inning Vance Blast to Bounce Eagles

The Avery Vikings baseball team made the five-hour trek to Cherokee County to face the Eagles in round two of the North Carolina 1A state baseball playoffs. Avery dominated early, getting off to a blistering start with 14 runs off four home runs in the first three innings to take a commanding 12-run advantage before Hiwassee roared back to tie the game in the 7th inning. In the end, a defensive stop that saved a run and a two-run home run at the plate from shortstop C.J. Vance proved to be the difference as the Big Red held on for a 16-14 win.

Steven Daniels hit a three-run home run to put Avery on the board, followed by a Joe Buchanan grand slam to lead 7-0 after the top of the first. Hiwassee Dam answered with two runs on a home run to cut the lead to 7-2 after one.

In the top of the second, Avery had a two-out, three-run home run by Jared Clark, as well as a three-run home run to dead center field from Luke Pittman to lead 13-2. Starting pitcher Jared Clark held Hiwassee Dam scoreless in the bottom of the second.

Avery scored a single run in the top of the third inning. A two-out single by Clark scored Daniel Huff to lead 14-2 going to bottom of the frame. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the Hiwassee Dam cleanup hitter hit a two-run homer to cut the lead back to 14-4.

Avery's bats went silent after the Hiwassee Dam manager replaced his left-handed starting pitcher with a righty, the team's #1 starter who came on in relief. From the fourth through the seventh, Avery put few runners on base and could not score a run.

As the Viking bats faltered, the Hiwassee lumber started on the comeback trail. Avery starter Clark was lifted before the bottom of the fourth due to a sore collar bone and was replaced by reliever Daniel Huff. Hiwassee Dam dialed in quickly on the senior reliever, as a RBI single pulled Hiwassee within 14-5, followed by a two-run single to make the score 14-7.

Avery stranded a pair of base runners in the top of the sixth, while in the bottom half the Eagles plated three runs on three base hits, a bases loaded walk, and a Fielder's Choice, which plated the third run and cut the lead to 14-10 going to the seventh.

After holding Avery scoreless in the top of the inning, Hiwassee rallied to tie the game. A base hit, accompanied by a two-run home run to left field cut the lead to a pair at 14-12 with one out. Vikings coach Benny Wellborn pulled his senior reliever in favor of fellow senior Steven Daniels.

On the first pitch after the pitching change, Hiwassee belted a solo home run to right field to cut the lead to 14-13. After a pair of additional base hits, an infield hit plated the tying run. A diving stop from shortstop CJ Vance on the play prevented the ball from going into the outfield and the potential winning run from scoring at third base. Daniels struck out the final batter with two Eagles stranded to send the game into extras tied at 14.

In the top of the eighth inning, Avery's first two batters were retired. Jared Clark worked a two-out walk, and Vance followed with his first home run of the year, a two-run shot over the right field fence to give the Vikings back the two-run edge at 16-14.

In the bottom of the frame, the lead-off hitter singled to left. The next two hitters struck out and flew out to center field, respectively. With the tying run at the plate, Daniels induced a ground out to second base to end the ballgame and send the Vikings to the third round for the first time since 2007.

"We hit the ball well early. Considering the size of the park you're either going to hit singles or home runs. I figured they would score some runs and make the game close and they did," Coach Wellborn said after the win. "They didn't throw their number one to start the game. That was obvious when they brought in the right-hander. He stuck it to us there for a while, but C.J. came up big with a big hit."

The coach expressed concern over the inconsistency of the calling of the game by the umpires, especially after the Vikings lit up the scoreboard for 14 runs after the third inning.

"It was inconsistently called from the third inning on. I'm not going to expect our kids to go up to the plate and swing at bad pitches, and I'm glad they didn't," the coach said. "But those are things you deal with. We battled and we were able to come out on top."

Following the win, the coach gave a lot of credit to his "Cardiac Kids", as he coined them, stating how proud he was that the team never gave up despite losing the lead.

"No matter what the situation is, our kids don't quit. C.J. made a good defensive play and had the big hit in the eighth inning. He could have let a number of things bother him, but he didn't. Steven's change-up was working like crazy in the eighth inning. Our kids are going against all odds right now. Nobody expected us to be advancing to the third round of the playoffs, and here we are. It's all about their heart and determination."

Avery will travel to Murphy Friday afternoon to take on the 22-0 and top-ranked Murphy Bulldogs, who defeated East Wilkes 9-0 in Murphy last evening

Avery and Western Highlands Conference News and Notes

A few quick tidbits on this Monday from around Avery High School and the Western Highlands Conference...

Avery sports playoff schedule this week:

- Avery baseball travels to take on Hiwassee Dam in round two of the state baseball playoffs tomorrow (Tuesday).

-Avery softball has also qualified for the state playoffs and will travel Tuesday to East Wilkes to take on the Lady Cardinals.

- On Wednesday at 6 p.m. the Avery Lady Vikings soccer team will host North Moore in a third-round matchup of ranked squads.

In news around the Western Highlands Conference:

There are a pair of coaching openings in men's basketball within the conference. Owen is still seeking a boys varsity coach to replace Roger Schnepp, who stepped down following the end of this past season. Also, in a surprising move, Hendersonville boys head basketball coach Rob Strong resigned last week to accept the position of Director of Athletics at North Wilkes High School.

There has also been a change at the Mitchell wrestling program as head coach James Owings recently resigned in Ledger, according to several sources and confirmed by an Asheville Citizen-Times report. The Mountaineers have commenced a search for his replacement, which may be announced within the next couple of weeks.