Wellborn Steps Down as Avery Baseball Coach

Avery High School varsity baseball head coach Benny Wellborn resigned following the end of the 2009-10 school year. A successor has not been named by the school.

Wellborn spent seven seasons in all with the Avery baseball program, the first two as an assistant coach under former head coach Zack Wigstrom, and five seasons as the Vikings head coach. The coach will be moving from the high school to teach at Banner Elk and Riverside schools next school year

Wellborn cited the desire to spend more time with his family as the reason for his decision to step away from the position.

“For seven years I put baseball in front of family for six or seven months out of the year. With the new addition to our family, it helped me to realize that there comes a point in time where you have to put your family first, and I made that decision to do so,” Coach Wellborn said in an interview from his home last week.

The coach began seriously considering the option during last regular season when the team had some down time during the school’s week off for spring break.

“What got the ball rolling was a trip our family took up to Grandfather Mountain for a day. My son said to me “Dad, I really like having you around,” and that opened my eyes a little bit as to what was going on. The week after the season I had to stay home to keep the kids for a day alone for a day, and during that time I finally had the first real chance to spend time with my baby daughter and really bond with her for the first time since she had been born,” Coach Wellborn stated. “That time helped me to put things in perspective. My son will be turning five years old soon and he’ll be starting to play different sports, and I want to be the one who takes him to practice and games and that sort of thing.”

Wellborn admitted that he may miss some of the coaching aspects but that the benefit of family time exceeds the time would spend on the diamond.

“I will miss developing the relationships with kids through the game. As crazy as the kids might think I am sometimes, you hope that along the way you can touch the life of a kid through your coaching experience,” Wellborn added. “I’ll also miss the relationships I shared with the fellow coaches. As a group we developed a close-knit bond and have been able to confide in them. I’m a competitor, so of course I’ll miss the preparing and game planning for a game with them, but that will always be with me. I felt like I surrounded myself with good people and formed close bonds with those guys as we went through the day-to-day grind together.”

Winning in high school athletics at a consistent level takes enormous time and dedication, something the coach had exerted for a number of seasons. According to the coach, the point came that he could no longer give that amount of dedication at the expense of those closest to him.

“I always said that family comes first, even though for a few years I didn’t quite put them first, especially during the season,” Wellborn said. “I felt that I had to give the baseball program 100 percent to be successful, which took months of work, so I felt torn between two places and felt that I was no longer able to give that amount of dedication to the program, which wasn’t fair to the kids or the school.”

Coach Wellborn, who led the Vikings to multiple playoff berths that included a run to the state quarterfinals in 2007, leaves with a standing among the most successful baseball coaches in school history.

“Hopefully people will see a person who put everything they had into the baseball program while he was there. I demanded a lot from my players, but at the same time I demanded a lot from myself,” Coach Wellborn said. “I was never satisfied with mediocrity and wanted our school and our program to be represented in a classy manner. I wanted our to be a program that worked hard and didn’t care about getting their hands dirty and just believed that hard work pays off. All things were possible because of the players, the coaches, and the support of the parents and families as well as the school.”

Coach Wellborn expressed deep appreciation to those people who were seen every day during his tenure working as coach, as well as those folks who worked behind the scenes to help the team succeed.

“We had success as a program because of a lot of people that I appreciate who have been such a help. I first and foremost appreciate my wife who put up with me being away for so long. I appreciate Jay Smith who has really been a crutch to lean on and has been awesome, in addition to all my coaches. I appreciate folks like Dwayne Krege, who was always willing to help me with getting the fields ready and playable and everyone who was instrumental worked alongside me day in and day out,” the coach stated.

Wellborn hopes that the next head coach will remain steadfast to continuing to build up the program and build on successes the team has experienced.

“Of course I wish the best of luck to the next coach, and I hope they take what we tried to do the last few years and build on it to be even more successful and have people take pride in it,” Wellborn said. “I hope a person who comes in will look at baseball first and won’t have interest in coaching a lot of different sports because it’s hard to do one sport, much less two or three. To have a successful program you need to have someone willing to commit to giving 100 percent to the program not only during the season but in the summer and off-season as well.”

Musings and Ramblings: Avery Top Games of 2010 (Part One)

The 2009-10 school year was a remarkable one for athletics in Avery County. Records were set, champions were crowned, and heights were achieved that surpassed any in recent memory.
To select only ten games or performances from the 2009-10 sports calendar was a difficult task.

There were quite a few noteworthy efforts that deserved mentioning, such as three high school state track qualifiers in Caroline Crenshaw, Mary Chesnut Smith, and Alex Villanueva or the regional wrestling championship won by Avery wrestler Brock Yackey. The Avery Lady Vikings volleyball squad earned another state playoff berth, while the Lady Viking JV basketball squad claimed yet another conference championship. Avery’s Morgan Stout and Lauren Avery qualified for regional tennis competition, while senior teammate Anna Melton advanced to the state singles tennis tournament. C.J. Vance joined Yackey as state wrestling tournament qualifiers.

From the inaugural season of the Avery women’s golf program and the regional qualifying efforts of golfers Catalina Lehmann and Arden Stanley to middle school girls tournament championships by the Avery Lady Panthers in basketball and volleyball, it was a banner year for sports.

With the dawn of the 2010-11 sports seasons approaching, the AJ-T sports department wanted to look back at ten memorable contests that shaped the year in sports. The game selections are listed in chronological order, starting last August and advancing through the end of the recent school year. This week’s piece highlights the first five games to remember, with five (technically six) games revealed in next week’s edition.

Breakthrough: Avery Blanks Second-Ranked Hendersonville 3-0 for First Win in Series (Boys Soccer)
The Avery boys soccer team experienced perhaps its best season ever in 2009. The team won 13 contests in all and qualified for the state playoffs for the first time in several seasons.

A highlight of the year came in early October when the state’s second-ranked 1A team the Hendersonville Bearcats come calling at MacDonald Stadium. On a wet and dreary evening, the Vikings struck in the first minute on a goal from Zack Strange and an early lead.

Kyle Griewisch scored in the 60th and 67th minutes to boost the lead to 3-0. Avery played one of its strongest defensive matches all season without the services of strong defensive stopper Daniel Huff. Conference Keeper of the Year Morgan Bounds kept a clean sheet as Avery used the win as a springboard to a strong finish and successful season.

Foggy Mountain Homecoming: Vikings Upend Owen 14-7 on Rainy Homecoming Night (Football)
Riding a 148-yard rushing performance and an interception by junior Colton Blackburn, Avery held off the Owen Warhorses in a deluge on Homecoming night at MacDonald Stadium.

Owen struck first with a touchdown to cap a long drive for the 7-0 advantage. Avery knotted the game with just under six minutes left in the half on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Alex Villanueva.

After Hunter Gossett and Hayden Blackburn were named Homecoming King and Queen, respectively at halftime, the Vikings seized control of the game with a drive that elapsed nearly nine minutes off the clock and culminated in a four-yard Villanueva touchdown run for a 14-7 lead.

As the fourth quarter began, the rain lightened and a heavy fog beset MacDonald Stadium. It was impossible to see players from the stands or press box, adding another element to an already unique evening.

Owen’s last serious threat to score was quelled by a Blackburn interception which helped seal the Avery win.

Spoiled Senior Night: Last-Minute Touchdown Lifts Vikings to 42-38 Shootout Win (Football)
In another classic contest for the storied history of the Avery/Mitchell football series, the 2009 edition was a night to remember.

Avery led much of the game in the regular season finale, only see a Mountaineer rally leave the Big Red down three points in the final two minutes.

Avery regrouped, orchestrated a game-winning two minute drive culminating in a 22-yard touchdown strike from Alex Villanueva to Andy Gonzalez to take the come-from-behind triumph.

Villanueva converted a daring quarterback sneak on fourth down from the Mitchell 25 yard line to keep the drive alive to set the stage for the theatrics to come.

“I told the kids how proud I was of them. They fought hard all year, and I told them that when you keep battling good things will happen,” Avery head coach Darrell Brewer told the players after their fifth and likely sweetest win of the 2009 campaign.

Coming Out Party: Clarke Torches Mountaineers for 30 in Basketball Road Triumph (Boys Basketball)
The Avery boys varsity basketball team trailed the Mitchell Mountaineers after each of the first three quarters in Ledger in a mid-January matchup between the rivals. In the final eight minutes, Viking junior and eventual Conference Player of the Year Dustin Clarke heated up after battling a box-and-one defense throughout the night. Clarke tallied only 13 points through three quarters, but lit the nets for 17 in the fourth quarter on 4 of 5 shooting and a perfect 8 of 8 from the free throw line.

Clarke finished the night with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists in the 69-66 win, while teammates Joey Potter scored 12 points and Dylan Eppley emerged as an inside presence with 8 points and 11 rebounds.

Lyons Reaches Milestone: Avery Pummels Polk to Give Coach 100th Career Win (Girls Basketball)
The past several seasons have been halcyon times of success for the Avery Lady Vikings girls basketball program. Perhaps no sign greater pointed out the fact than the team’s 60-42 at Polk County in early January 2010.

Avery led by only seven points at halftime, but turned on the defensive pressure and the offensive afterburners to lead by 16 points after three quarters en route to the record victory.

“We’ve worked really hard at building this program up. The first few years were a little rocky and we didn’t get a lot of victories, but it took a little while to get to where we are. It was really special to get the win tonight, especially here at Polk where we haven’t always had a lot of luck,” Coach Lyons remarked after reaching the milestone victory mark.

Avery swept Polk in the season series and went on to another historic postseason basketball performance… which I have a feeling might be part of the remaining games in the conclusion of our “Best of” feature in next week’s edition.

Sickler Plays Soccer Overseas in Gothia Cup

Avery High School student and soccer player Forrest Sickler has spent the past several weeks in Sweden playing for the U.S. youth soccer team in the Gothia Cup. The Gothia Cup is a youth association soccer tournament held annually in Gothenburg, Sweden, open for both boys and girls of ages 11 to 19 years. With respect to the number of participants, it is the world's largest soccer tournament. The Cup was started in 1975 with 275 participating teams.

In 2009, the tournament witnessed 1,547 participating teams and 35,200 players representing 71 different countries. Since the tournament’s inception, 133 nations have sent teams to the event. The Gothia Cup involves over 4,500 matches played on at least 110 soccer fields. And annually brings over 295,000 visitors to the town of Gothenburg.

Sickler played as a member of the USA Revolution U-18 squad organized by 365 Sports in Durham, NC. The team lost a close 2-1 match to a team from Laos to begin tournament play and fell to a strong team from nearby Norway. Sickler was the lone player from North Carolina, with teammates from states as far away as California, New York, and Ohio, in addition to players from Virginia and South Carolina.

Forrest’s team was one of 93 U-18 teams in this year’s tournament. Similar to the World Cup, teams play three group games with the top two teams advancing into a knockout round.

“The opening ceremonies were very impressive and inspiriting. There were 70,000 people in attendance as a great stage show and fireworks highlighted the presentation of teams from all over the world,” Forrest’s father Skip stated regarding witnessing the tournament firsthand. “Lots of chanting and cheers radiated from the stadium. A strong theme of friendship and interconnectedness was present, as well as a celebration of different cultures.”

Avery County Quarterback Club Promoting Football at All Levels

From a young age, numerous kids in the Avery County area dream of one day playing football in the National Football League, college, or the high school level. One organization, the Avery County Quarterback Club, has been formed locally by concerned citizens and parents who want to make a difference in the lives of kids regardless of age who are excited about, wish to play, or are already playing the game at the local level.

“We’re not associated with the high school in any way. We’re just trying to raise funds while promoting football and helping kids play football in all of Avery County,” Club President Cale Smith said at the group’s meeting last week. “We are committed to helping the littler kids any way we can, as well as working with the middle schools and high school groups as well.”

Avery County Quarterback Club is laying the foundation to raise funds for various needs of football teams in the county. The group wants to help teams with needs ranging to t-shirts for players to assisting with purchasing football equipment and even the provision of meals for the high school football teams on game days. The group is also assisting the Avery High football teams with the sale of discount cards, a reusable card offering discounts at 17 High Country area restaurants and businesses. The cards cost only $20 and are available from players and parents, as well as at the front desk area at The Avery Journal-Times newspaper.

The Quarterback Club will be on hand at Avery football events and will have a plethora of items available for parents and die-hard fans to purchase to show their school spirit and support the sport in the county.

“We’ve been able to help out our local teams some already this summer. We’ve purchased shirts for the high school players who have went to camps earlier in the summer and we’ve raised money by doing a couple of road blocks, by selling doughnuts, and helping with the discount cards that are sold each year,” Smith stated.

The A.C.Q.C. is open for anyone to attend and join, as the group hopes to expand with additional parents and individuals who care about the game of football, as well as about making the game as safe, fun, and worthwhile to kids playing the sport locally as possible.

“Any funds that will be raised by the club will be used toward the kids,” Smith added. “We are a non-profit organization that meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, and we will be raising funds for the fall football teams as well as cheerleading during that season. We have a small group, and we want to get all the parents involved that we possibly can.”

The Avery County Quarterback Club is selling Avery apparel, such as hats, t-shirts, and sweatshirts, and is also helping with sponsorship of “Avery Fanfest”, a pigskin prelude cookout and program that will be held on the high school baseball field on Friday, August 6^th beginning at 7:30 p.m. to officially serve as a springboard to kickoff the coming season.

Avery County Quarterback Club meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Ugly Mugg Coffee and Creamery in Newland. Anyone with an interest in football and in helping to give young people the resources to play the game is welcome to attend. For more information on the club, please email club president Cale Smith at gstrees@att.net.

50,000 Visitors and Counting!

The Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog, the online sports compliment to our weekly print edition, had its 50,000^th visitor this past weekend.

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ASU Favored to Win SoCon Again

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Appalachian State University is a near unanimous choice of the Southern Conference’s coaches to win the 2010 SoCon football championship, the conference announced on Monday.

Appalachian received first-place votes from 7-of-9 SoCon coaches in the conference’s preseason poll. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own teams, meaning that only one of eight possible votes was cast for a team other than ASU.

The Mountaineers are in search of their sixth-straight SoCon title, which would match the conference record for consecutive championships set by Georgia Southern from 1997-2002. The Apps return 20 starters (nine on offense, seven on defense and four specialists) from last year’s squad that went 11-3 overall, including a second-straight perfect 8-0 SoCon record, and finished ranked No. 3 in the major national polls.

Appalachian also had a league-high 13 representatives on the SoCon’s preseason all-conference squads, nearly twice as many as Samford, which landed the second-most players on the squad with seven.

Ten of ASU’s 13 preseason all-conference honorees are first-team selections, led by Walter Payton Award candidate Devon Moore (Mebane, N.C./Cedar Ridge) at running back and its trio of Buck Buchanan Award candidates on defense: end Jabari Fletcher (Atlanta, Ga./Grady), linebacker D.J. Smith (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) and defensive back Mark LeGree (Columbus, Ga./Pacelli Catholic).

Joining Moore, Fletcher, LeGree and Smith on the first team are offensive linemen Brett Irvin (Gaffney, S.C./Gaffney) and Pat Mills (Charlotte, N.C./Providence), tight end Ben Jorden (Weddington, N.C./Charlotte Latin), wide receiver Brian Quick (Columbia, S.C./Ridge View), defensive end Lanston Tanyi (Shelby, N.C./Shelby) and place kicker Jason Vitaris (Seneca, S.C./Seneca). ASU’s second-team selections include offensive linemen Daniel Kilgore (Kingsport, Tenn./Dobyns-Bennett) and Matt Ruff (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) and defensive back Ed Gainey (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mt. Tabor).

Appalachian officially begins preparations for the 2010 campaign on Friday, Aug. 6 when it opens fall practices. The season opener is Sept. 4 at SoCon-rival Chattanooga. The opener will be televised regionally on SportSouth and kicks off at 3 p.m.