Pigskin Prelude: High School Football Preview (Part One)

The following is the first in a three-part series previewing Avery football opponents in 2010. This week’s story profiles Western Highlands Conference foes Owen, Hendersonville, and Polk County. Next week’s piece will feature conference rivals Mitchell, Madison, Mountain Heritage, and Thomas Jefferson. The third and final installment will preview Robbinsville, Avery’s Week One opponent to open the 2010 high school football season.

With the turning of the calendar to August, it’s obvious around high schools in our region that the 2010 prep football season has arrived. The Avery Vikings look to build upon a 5-7 season in 2009, a three-win improvement from the previous season, and contend for the school’s first conference title since 2005.

The 2010 edition of the Western Highlands Conference appears to be as competitive as it has been in the past three to four seasons, with at least five schools having a viable opportunity to claim conference supremacy come November.

Before tangling with the competition in the WHC, Avery opens its 2010 season with four non-conference tilts, hosting Robbinsville on August 20^th and West Wilkes on August 27^th. The Vikings then hit the road, albeit not long distances, for a pair of games, at Watauga on September 3^rd and at Cloudland for the fourth renewal of The Avery Journal-Times Border Battle Classic on Friday, September 10^th.

Let’s take a moment and breakdown a trio of teams who have often found their way to the top of the Western Highlands Conference standings over the past four seasons.

OWEN WARHORSES (2009 record: 4-3 in conference, 6-6 overall)
The Owen Warhorses bounced back from its first losing season in eight years to finish with a .500 overall mark in 2009. Veteran head coach Kenny Ford is chomping at the bit for his group of Warhorses to again rise to its perch atop the conference that it held for so many seasons in the 90s and early portion of the last decade.

Owen will have to restock its arsenal quickly from a club which had a blend of youth and experience a season ago. Graduated from the club is former all-conference running back Andy Coleman, but the team returns a veteran starting quarterback in Kaleb Fowler, who bounced back from a broken collarbone in 2008 to run for almost 500 yards and threw for 900 yards in 2009.

“Our starting quarterback returns with an experienced backfield due to playing time,” the coach said during summer workouts. “We have a group of kids returning that did get a lot of playing time last season at a number of positions on offense and defense.”

The Warhorses return only 10 lettermen from last year’s club, and will return just three starters on offense and four on defense.

“A couple of strong JV seasons showed that these kids know how to win and that’s what is expected of them,” the coach added. “If everyone does their job and understands both sides of the ball, good things could happen to this team.”

Two-year starter Jay Banks will anchor the offensive lines for the club from Swannanoa, and the team will look to runners like Austin Davis (500 yards rushing in 2009) to step up early and take pressure off Fowler.

Avery defeated Owen 14-7 on a rainy Homecoming night in 2009. The Vikings will travel to Owen on September 24^th.

POLK COUNTY WOLVERINES (2009 record: 6-1 in conference, 10-3 overall)
Each season it seems that any conversation regarding the best teams in the Western Highlands Conference has to include Coach Bruce Ollis’s Polk County Wolverines.

Polk improved on a 7-win season in 2008 to earn a 10-win 2009 campaign and tie Mountain Heritage for top record in the WHC.

The cupboard in Columbus appears far from bare for the Wolverines in 2010, as the squad returns 21 lettermen this fall. Polk will have nine starters returning this season on both sides of the football, giving the squad the most starters returning to the field in the conference leading into the season.

Polk’s Hybrid I-formation offensive attack served it well in its first season as a 2A member of the Western Highlands Conference.

The Wolverines return Conference Offensive Player of the Year Andre Overholt at quarterback and defensive back. The 5’10”, 160-pound senior ran for over 1,000 yards last season and 15 touchdowns. Overholt threw for over 500 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2009, while snagging six interceptions on defense.

Senior linebacker J.J. Maxwell will again anchor the Wolverine defense. Maxwell was named 2A All-State by North Carolina Prep Football News and registered 154 tackles to lead the team last season.

The Wolverines have amassed 69 victories and three conference championships over the past seven seasons, and could very well add another ten-win season in 2010, as well as a deep run in the state playoffs.

If the Wolverines have any Achilles’ heel it may be depth. The club has multiple players who play both offense and defense, so health will be key. The team will also need to complement Overholt by having an additional running back emerge to take pressure off the signal-caller from time to time.

Polk County defeated Avery 46-20 at MacDonald Stadium last season and will host Avery on October 15^th.

HENDERSONVILLE BEARCATS (2009 record: 5-2 in conference, 11-3 overall)
The Hendersonville Bearcats answered its fourth round playoff push in 2008 with an 11-win season in 2009, falling to West Montgomery by a field goal in the third round of the state playoffs.

Hendersonville’s quest for a state title in 2009 was derailed when team leader and quarterback Ben Walgenbach suffered a season-ending injury.

If there was any silver lining to the loss of its best player, the Bearcats saw a number of other players step up to the plate and assume leadership positions that will even greater benefit the team in 2010.

Western Highlands Conference Special Teams Player of the Year Desmond Whiteside returns for his senior season. The speedster will likely play at various offensive positions, but may see extended time behind center triggering the Bearcat offensive attack. Whiteside ran for 12 touchdowns and over 1,000 a season ago, while returning three kickoffs for touchdowns and adding six interceptions on defense.

Anchoring the defense will be senior LeQuan Young, who was named 1A All-State by NC Prep Football News and was the 2009 Western Highlands Defensive Player of the Year. Young tallied over 100 tackles for the second straight season and amassed 14 sacks last year to lead the conference.

Hendersonville will be a team noted for its speed, as over a dozen players run the 40-yard dash in under five seconds. The Bearcats defeated Avery 40-7 at Dietz Field in Hendersonville in 2009. Avery will host Hendersonville on October 8^th.

Read next week’s edition of The Avery Journal-Times as we preview the four remaining teams in the Western Highlands Conference.

Musings and Ramblings: Avery Top Ten Games of 2009-10 (Part Two)

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. Last week we highlighted five of the games that were chosen as tops for the school year. This week concludes the list with the final five…er, six games that shaped the year in prep sports.

Cardiac Vikes Strike Again: Avery Rallies for Win in Black Mountain over Warhorses (Boys Basketball)
Second half comebacks became the hallmark for the Avery varsity boys basketball team in ’09-’10. No game better showcased the theme than a 67-63 win in February over Owen.

Dustin Clarke scored 23 of Avery’s first 24 points as the Warhorses led 24-14 after one quarter and held a 39-30 halftime lead.

The Viking defense came out strong to start the second half and gained its first lead at 45-44 midway through the third quarter. An Owen run built its lead to 55-45 in the first minute of the fourth quarter all but buried the Avery squad’s hopes for victory.

Avery rose off the deck to score a dozen straight points to retake the lead by two late in the game. A pair of key free throws in the closing minute from Kody Hughes helped the Big Red take the win.

Clarke scored a whopping 36 points, along with 12 rebounds, 8 steals, and 5 assists to cement his place among the best players in the Western Highlands Conference.

Back-To-Back Playoff Thrillers: Lauren Avery Jumper Eliminates Hiwassee Dam, Wiseman Put Back Beats Knights in OT (Girls Basketball)
After a sterling regular season that included a top-ten ranking in 1A polls, the Avery Lady Viking varsity girls basketball team played the two most thrilling game of the 2009-10 school year, winning a 60-58 nail-biter at Hiwassee Dam, then two days later scored at the buzzer in overtime to earn a 68-67 win at Robbinsville and advance to the school’s second regional appearance in three seasons.

Avery led by as many as 16 points in the second half of its game with the Lady Eagles of Hiwassee Dam, only to see the Lady Eagles rally to lead by a pair with just over two minutes to play.

With possession and planning to take the last shot, Hiwassee Dam tried to inbound the basketball, but senior guard Lauren Avery leaped to tip the inbound pass in the air, grabbed the loose basketball with 4.8 seconds left, dribbled the length of the court and swished a pull-up jump shot from the left elbow as time expired to give Avery the win.

The basket capped an impressive overall evening as Lauren scored 22 points to go with 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 steals.

As if the Hiwassee thriller wasn’t enough, Avery played perhaps its most complete game two days later on the road again, this time at Robbinsville.

The Lady Vikings rallied from an early 7-0 deficit to tie the game after a period, but trailed by a pair at 34-32 at intermission.

Despite a difficult night at the free throw line, Avery rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game at 61 and send the game to overtime.

With its season on the brink and Avery down a point, the Lady Vikings rose to the occasion for the second time in as many games when Sara Wiseman rebounded a Lauren Avery jump shot in the closing seconds and made a game-winning layup with 0.4 seconds left to play to pull out the victory and sectional championship.

Feels like the First Time: Lady Vikings Kicks Hendersonville for First-Ever Win in Series (Girls Soccer)

A mid-March home match between Avery and Hendersonville signaled a changing-of-the-guard in Western Highlands Conference girls soccer. A goal with 20 seconds in the match from Emily Banner unlocked a 1-1 tie to give the Big Red a 2-1 victory over the Lady Bearcats.

Hendersonville scored the first and its only goal of the match in the game’s seventh minute, but Avery equalized with a goal in the final minute of the first half by senior Elyse Perry to knot the match at halftime.

For Avery it was the first win against Hendersonville since the squad joined the Western Highlands Conference in 2005. The Lady Vikings went on to move up the 1A polls to the top spot a couple of weeks later. In an historic season, Avery went on to capture the Western Highlands Conference championship, sectional and regional titles, and finished as state runner-up in 1A girls soccer by season’s end.

Extra Inning Drama: Vance Joins Home Run Derby to Send Vikings to Third Round of Playoffs (Baseball)

Late in the 2010 season, the Avery baseball team seemed to bring everything together, riding a streak of hot hitting and strong defense and pitching into the 1A state playoffs. Avery opened the postseason with a home win over Swain County, then traveled to Hiwassee Dam to take on the Eagles from the Little Smoky Mountain Conference.

Avery used the long ball to take an early advantage. Steven Daniels belted 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 inning. Hiwassee Dam answered with two runs on a home run to cut the lead to 7-2 after one inning.

In 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. The Big Red tallied a single run to build its largest lead of the game at 14-2.

Hiwassee Dam refused to die in its home park and was determined to go down swinging. From the third inning on, the Eagles scored 12 unanswered runs, eventually tying the contest at 14-14 on an infield hit in the bottom of the seventh frame.

Avery senior relief pitcher Steven Daniels worked out of trouble to record a strikeout and leave Hiwassee’s winning run stranded at third base and send the game to extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, senior Jared Clark worked a walk, which was followed by a towering home run to right field, his first home run of the year that proved to be the game-winning hit.

The victory proved to be the final win of the 2010 campaign for the Vikings and also the final win as Avery skipper for Benny Wellborn, who resigned as head coach at the end of the school year for family reasons. Championship

Kickin’ it in Raleigh: Lady Vikings Play for Program’s First State Championship (Girls Soccer)

An odyssey of a soccer season brought smiles to the faces of countless Lady Vikings fans as the Avery girls team made a magical run all the way to the 1A girls state soccer championship contest against Southwest Onslow High School. The match marked just the second time that an Avery High School team played in a state championship contest, equaling the feat of the 1992 Avery wrestling team’s dual team state finals appearance against Dixon High School.

The soccer match pitted the top two ranked squads in the state, and the game lived to its billing through the first half as the teams played to a scoreless tie through scorching temperatures at Dail Soccer Stadium on the campus of N.C. State University in Raleigh.

Southwest Onslow drew first blood with a pair of goals within two minutes of one another for a commanding 2-0 advantage that proved to be the final margin.

Despite a thin bench and injuries both prior to and during the match itself, the Lady Vikings battled with pride and determination throughout the 80 minutes of action.

The 2010 Lady Vikings set school records with its 20 wins during the season, 96 goals scored, and 10 goals scored against.

Avery head coach Tom Evaul was named 1A State Coach of the Year, while seven players were placed on the All-Western Highlands Conference team, junior Mercedes Bentley was named Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, and junior Mary Chesnut Smith earned Conference Player of the Year honors.

Best of luck to Avery’s student-athletes for even greater achievements in the 2010-11 sports seasons!

Knights Open Southern American Football League Schedule

The Carolina Golden Knights semi-pro football team opened season play in the Southern American Football League with a home game Saturday night in Cranberry against the Carolina Crusaders.

The Crusaders, a second-year club like the Knights, made the trip from Monroe to the High Country for the season opener on an unseasonably cool and overcast evening. Early turnovers proved fatal to the Knights’ chance for victory as the Crusaders shut out the home team by a 42-0 final score.

Fortunes turned sour for the Golden Knights on its opening series as the offense fumbled the football on its second play from scrimmage. The Crusaders recovered the ball at the Knights 40 yard line and wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. A scoring drive culminated in a three-yard fullback dive for a touchdown. A successful two-point conversion gave the visitors an early 8-0 lead with 9:37 to play in the opening period.

On its ensuing series, the turnover bug bit the Knights again, as a hit forced another fumble which the Crusaders recovered deep in Golden Knight territory. A touchdown pass of seven yards gave the Crusaders a 14-0 lead.

On its third offensive series a third down pass from the Knights was intercepted by the Crusaders and returned to the Golden Knights 40-yard line. Before long the Crusaders had pulled away with its third score of the quarter, a 22-yard touchdown pass. A successful two-point conversion increased the Knights deficit to 22-0 after one quarter.

The Knights settled down and maintained possession of the football on its offensive drives in the second quarter, but was unable to advance the pigskin downfield. The team was forced into a pair of three-and-outs, while the Crusaders put together a sizable 59-yard scoring drive and a 67-yard scoring drive before halftime to open up a commanding 36-0 halftime advantage.

In the second half the Knights defense showed great pride. Playing with just 16 players total, the Knights dug deep to hold their ground, as they held the Crusaders to only six points for the final two stanzas. The Knights offense also began moving the football effectively. Early in the fourth quarter the Knights marched the football inside the Crusaders 20-yard line, but a field goal attempt sailed just wide of the right upright to quell the Knights’ best scoring opportunity for the night.

“The Crusaders were a very athletic team tonight, and we were out here playing for fun. We have a lot of guys who have a hard time making practices because of family and job obligations, but we’re continuing to work on getting better,” Knights head coach Mark Beach said after the game. “If we’re able to get together and practice together, it will make a big difference. We played much better in the second half and our offensive line is coming together, but we have to get better at being able to play more than just three or four series on offense which starts with practicing more and playing a little less backyard football.”

In addition to playing for the love of the game, the Knights are also working to help local people in the community who are in need. The team is working on putting together a football fund raiser with charity walk, and is also making plans for a charity motorcycle ride and cookout to benefit local children and groups. The team has also donated items to help local school groups raise funds for worthwhile projects.

“We’re glad to help people out in the community. We’ve donated a couple of motorcycle helmets and about $400 worth of items to Newland Elementary School to help them with an auction to help their fifth graders raise money for a trip to Washington, D.C.,” Coach Beach stated. “We’ve had some things given to us to help sell and make money for our team, but we wanted to help others out as well that we see are in financial need or have other needs.”

The Golden Knights are back in action this Saturday at 7 p.m. at historic Cranberry High School field