AJ-T Sports Musings, Ramblings, News & Notes

Hometown Johnson Quietly Makes Noise in ACC

noreply@blogger.com (Matt L.) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:56:00 +0000

By: Matt Laws (matt.laws@averyjournal.com)

Avery County native Paul Johnson is making waves in the ACC as his Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets claimed the ACC Championship. However, Johnson didn’t always see himself as a coach when he was growing up in Newland.

“I don’t know if I ever really thought about it,” Johnson said on if he thought of being a coach when he was a child. “That is something that you don’t really ever think about. I think when you’re growing up and you’re smaller, you probably just think about playing all the time, because that is what you want to think about as opposed to coaching. As I got older and progressed, I realized I wanted to be a coach.”

That transition to coaching couldn’t have gone any better for Johnson. After stops at Avery County High School, Lees-McRae College, Georgia Southern, Hawaii, and Navy as an assistant coach, Johnson finally got his chance to be a head coach in 1997 when he went to Georgia Southern. There, the Eagles marched to a 62-10 record in Johnson’s tenure that included two straight national titles as well as five straight Southern Conference titles. In 2002, Johnson took over a Navy program where his reign saw the Midshipmen beat Notre Dame for the first time since 1963 as well as five straight bowl bids and Commander-in-Chief’s trophies. The success along the way led to Johnson being selected just the 12^th coach in Georgia Tech history.

“Once my coaching career started, I was fortunate to work around some good people and had some great players and had some success fairly early and moved up the ladder pretty quickly,” Johnson said. “So it worked out.”

At Georgia Tech, Johnson has led the Ramblin’ Wreck to two straight bowl games including an Orange Bowl berth this season as a result of an 11-2 season and being ACC champions. However, an ACC title was not unexpected for Johnson or his team.

“That is the ultimate goal,” Johnson said. “I think that is what you are shooting for. We were disappointed we tied for our division the first year with Virginia Tech and lost on the tie breaker. This year, we were fortunate enough to win the division and championship game. Certainly, that is what you are trying to do when the season starts.”

In the Orange Bowl, Georgia Tech will face a stiff challenge from the Big 10 in Iowa. The Hawkeyes were in early national title contention until a couple of late season losses when quarterback Ricky Stanzi fell to injury. The Hawkeyes are currently ranked 10^th in the AP poll, a spot behind the Ramblin’ Wreck.

“We know that they are going to be a good team,” Johnson said. “Anytime you play a team in the top ten, all of them are pretty good. We have to get ready to play and it will be a challenge to get ready for them.”

The Orange Bowl is on January 5th. As a winner of two national championships at Georgia Southern, Johnson has had experience on both sides of the BCS debate, and he made it clear which of the two systems he preferred.

“I’d like to have a playoff system if they could figure out how to do it,” Johnson said. “I think that is the best way to do it. We are the only sport in the NCAA that doesn’t have one so I think they will eventually have one rather it be a plus-one or a four or eight team playoff. I think they will eventually have one. It’s coming; it’s just a matter of time.”

Overall, Johnson looks to the build the Yellow Jackets into a national champion, regardless of what playoff system is used.

“We are just in the progress of trying to build a program that can compete for a national championship,” Johnson said. “We still got some work to do, but we have made a lot of progress in year two. Hopefully we can remain consistent and keep getting better.”

Despite the coaching success, Johnson hasn’t forgotten his hometown roots. The Georgia Tech coaching staff hosted Avery High School’s football coaches.

“It’s always fun,” Johnson said. “They came down to a clinic and came down to practice. You want to try and help them anyway you can, and certainly they are welcome to come here and we will share whatever we got.

You always pull for your hometown school and I hope they do well.”

In addition to the Avery staff, Georgia Tech also hosted Appalachian coach Jerry Moore and staff for a couple of days in the spring. Even though Johnson is coaching in a BCS conference, it doesn’t mean he has forgotten about Avery County.

“I think you always have a soft spot for the place that you grew up,” Johnson said. “There are a lot of great people there, and we enjoy getting back there whenever we can.”

The Avery Journal-Times would like to thank Coach Johnson for granting us a phone interview as well as Dean Buchan in the Georgia Tech Sports Information for all of his assistance.

AJ-T Sports LIVE from..... THE MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:03:00 +0000

2:40 PM -- We are LIVE at Bank of America Stadium in the queen city of Charlotte for2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl game between the 9-3 Pittsburgh Panthers and the 8-4 University of North Carolina Tar Heels!

Matt will be down on the field getting the photos from field level, while Jamie will be providing updates on-site from the BOA Press Box. Game time is slated for 4:30 p.m. and pregame festivities are underway as we countdown to kickoff.

Special thanks to Frank Kay and his staff with the Meineke Car Care Bowl for helping to make this coverage possible today.

This afternoon's contest features a pair of tough defenses. The Pitt Panthers surrender 20 points per contest, while the Tar Heels allow only 16.9 points per contest. Pittsburgh holds a decisive offensive advantage, averaging 33.2 points per contest, while Carolina only averages 24.3 points per game.

Today's contest features a number of players to watch. For Carolina, players who will look to make an impact include Marvin Austin (6'3", 305 lb. Jr.), as well as 6-3, 230 lb. junior Bruce Carter. The Panthers will feature an offensive dynamic duo of quarterback Bill Stull (6-3, 215 lb. Sr.) and tailback Dion Lewis (5-8, 195 lb. Fr.)

Carolina is making its second consecutive trip to the Meineke Car Care Bowl. UNC fell to West Virginia 31-30 last December before a crowd of 73,712 at Bank of America Stadium. The Tar Heels are looking for their first win in three attempts at this particular bowl contest, as the Heels fell 37-24 in 2004 to future ACC member Boston College, then a member of the Big East Conference.

Both Carolina and Pitt are coming off hard-luck losses. UNC lost 28-27 to North Carolina State in its regular season finale, while Pitt fell 45-44 to Cincinnati in the Big East Conference title game.

We'll have information, stats, and who knows what else along the way this afternoon. Thanks for reading!

Update #1: The teams have warmed up and returned to their respective locker rooms about 20 minutes before opening kickoff. The crowd is somewhat sparse here at the stadium. The lowest total attendance in the history of the Meineke Car Care Bowl has been around 51,000, but it may be a strain to get 35000-40000 for this afternoon's game.

Kickoff coming up soon!

Update #2: UNC has won the opening coin toss and deferred. Pitt will be receiving the opening kickoff on an overcast and chilly evening as game temperature is a balmy 47 degrees. UNC is in their home blue jerseys and Pitt is in road white. Pitt starts its first drive of the game from its own 35-yard line.

The Panthers move the football inside Carolina territory, where a pass interference call against the Heels pushes the ball inside the UNC 30. The drive stalls at the UNC 23, where a field goal attempt of 40 yards by Dan Hutchins in no good, wide right. Carolina takes over for its first offensive series at its own 23 yard line. 11:20 left in the opening period and there is no score.

Update #3: UNC opens with a reverse to Greg Little that picks up huge yardage to the Pitt 46. Carolina is also utilizing a no-huddle shotgun offense to keep the Pitt defense guessing. Two additional pass plays and a facemask penalty on Pitt puts UNC at the Pitt 5-yard line first and goal.

Carolina connects on a TD pass from Yates to Zack Pianalto, but an illegal formation against the Heels called the score back. A pass completion put UNC at the Pitt 7-yard line. On 2nd and goal, Tar Heels quarterback TJ Yates is called for a penalty. Greg Little makes a SportsCenter Highlight catch for a touchdown. Little then kicked the football into the stands, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The touchdown covered 15 yards, and the PAT gives the Heels the first score of the game. Heels lead 7-0 with 6:57 left in the first quarter. UNC takes seven plays to move 77 yards over 4:23 of clock time.

Update #4: Pitt takes over possession at its own 37 yard line and drives to the UNC 26-yard line. On 3rd and 3, Dion Lewis breaks through to the UNC 2-yard line, but fumbled the football out of the end zone, giving Carolina the football on the turnover.

Lewis is seeking to break Tony Dorsett's all-time freshman rushing record at Pitt, needing only 47 yards in today's game. Lewis took care of the record early, as his last run breaks the mark.

Yates completes a pass to wide receiver Highsmith, who fumbles the football which Pitt recovers. UNC's first turnover of the ballgame gives Pitt the football at the UNC 40 yard line.

Update #5: A 22-yard completion from Stull to Shanahan moves Pitt to the Carolina 14-yard line. A final rushing play nets one yard as time expires in the first period. UNC leads 7-0 after 15 minutes of play.

As second quarter action begins UNC holds and forces a 31-yard field goal by Dan Hutchins, which narrows the UNC lead to 7-3 with 14:11 to go in the first half. The score culminated a 7 play, 26-yard drive over 2:21.

Update #6: Pittsburgh holds UNC to -12 yards over three plays, forcing a punt. Panthers punt returner brings the kick back to Carolina territory to open its next drive.

Two Lewis runs two times for 34 yards to the UNC 11. Lewis makes it easy on a run along the left side, jogging untouched across the goal line for a Panthers touchdown. The PAT by Hutchins is good, giving Pitt its first lead of the game at 10-7 with 11:08 to play in the second period.

Update #7: UNC uses its rushing attack with Ryan Houston to control the football and march downfield. Houston carries the football inside the Pitt 30-yard line as the Heels look to tie or take back the lead. Carolina converts on a pass play from Yates to Highsmith on third down to get inside the red zone.

Carolina looks to pound the ball in the end zone with the running of Houston, who advances the ball inside the Pitt 5-yard line. On third and goal, Yates throws an interception to linebacker Dan Mason at the goal line. The second UNC turnover gives the Panthers the football with 4:00 to play before halftime.

Update #8: Casey Barth caps a 5-play, 18 yard drive with a 37-yard field goal, but Pitt answers with a 31 yard field goal from Hutchins as time expires. Pittsburgh leads it 13-10 at halftime. Dion Lewis of Pitt has rushed for 101 yards, his 10th 100-yard rushing game of the season.

Update #9: UNC is held to a three-and-out and punts to Pitt. The Panthers benefit from a personal foul penalty against Carolina and have advanced the football inside the UNC 25-yard line. The Tar Heels defense stiffens to force a 42-yard field goal try. The kick is good, staking Pittsburgh to a 16-10 lead with 9:11 left in the third quarter.

Update #10: UNC moves the football on its ensuing possession and drove inside the red zone. Yates finds little for a 18-yard touchdown pass on a seam route to tie the game. The Barth point after gives the Tar Heels back the lead at 17-16 with 4:00 left in the third quarter.

The UNC defense forces back Pitt on its next possession with a sack and tackle for loss, forcing a Pittsburgh punt as the third period expires. UNC leads it 17-16.

On a side note...the press box has received the news that Florida's Urban Meyer is resigning from his post as head football coach at the Univ. of Florida due to health reasons.

Update #11: UNC gets the football following the Pitt punt and has moved into Panther territory. Back-to-back sacks forces the Tar Heels to punt the ball back to Pitt, and punter Schallock's kick is downed at the Pitt 5-yard line. 9:39 remains in the game and the Tar Heels lead by a point at 17-16.

Update #12: Pitt has maintained possession of the football, moving the pigskin to the UNC 30-yard line. Faced with a fourth down and 2, Pitt takes a timeout to talk it over. 1:55 remaining in the game and Pitt is looking at a 47-yard field goal attempt from Hutchins, who is 3 of 4 for the game.

Hutchins' kick attempt is not attempted...because the Panthers draw UNC offsides with a hard count, picking up the first down. Ouch for Tar Heel Nation.

50,389 was the announced paid attendance for today's game, but actual people in the stands were considerably less. Still a loud crowd and a great game as this one unfolds.

Update #13: UNC holds Pitt for three plays and the Panthers again line up for a field goal, this time a 33-yard attempt from Hutchins. The kick is GOOD! The Panthers take the lead at 19-17 on Hutchins' fourth field goal of the game. Carolina has 52 seconds and one timeout to try to come up with the winning points. Pitt used a 17-play, 79-yard drive that elapsed 8:47 off the fourth quarter clock to regain the advantage. High drama in Charlotte tonight!

Update #14: Carolina advances to its own 41, but are faced with a fourth and 7 at the UNC 41-yard line. Pass complete to Pianalto gets the first down at midfield with 24 seconds left. Three straight incompletions leave Carolina with a fourth and 10 at the 49 yard line with 12 seconds left. Yates' pass attempt falls incomplete and the Panthers take over on downs. Pitt takes the knees and ends it as the Panthers defeat the Tar Heels 19-17. Great effort from both teams.

The Jerry Richardson MVP of the game is Pitt's Dion Lewis, who had 28 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown.

Thanks for following along with today's action!

Avery Wrestling Schedule Changes

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:15:00 +0000

The recent inclement weather has wreaked havoc on the winter sports schedules at Avery High School. With multiple postponements due to the weather, the Avery wrestling program has made the following changes to the upcoming schedule.

Avery has rescheduled its dual meet at Mitchell originally scheduled for last week to January 6th. Avery's dual meet at Madison on January 8th is as scheduled, but the Vikings will be hitting the road the next morning, Saturday, January 9th, to take part in the Tigerland Classic Tournament at Fred T. Foard High School.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the sports staff at the Avery Journal-Times!

Vikings Basketball Downs Black Hawks for Non-Conference Victories

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:00:00 +0000

In a dominating night on the hardwood last Thursday evening at Viking Gym, Avery’s varsity girls and boys basketball squads cruised to double-digit victories over their counterparts from West Wilkes High School.

During the opening quarter of the varsity girls contest, the Lady Vikings grabbed an early advantage. Many of Avery’s offensive opportunities came by virtue of its defense, as the team forced the Lady Black Hawks into numerous turnovers throughout the contest. Avery took a 22-10 lead after one quarter and roared to a 34-13 halftime bulge..

The second half was anti-climactic as the entire Avery roster saw extended minutes on the playing floor. After three quarters, the Lady Vikings maintained a comfortable 52-23 lead and went on to capture its sixth straight victory with a 68-31 win.

Lauren Avery and Hayley Pyatte each scored 16 points in the Big Red triumph. Lauren added seven rebounds, while Hayley added four rebounds and three steals. Sara Wiseman chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds, with six points apiece from Megan Tennant and Katelynn Eudy.

The Vikings shot just under 46 percent from the field in the win, while holding West to only 31 percent shooting. West was paced by Laura Cantrell's double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. along with seven points from Jessica Bumgarner.

In the nightcap, the Avery varsity boys were white hot on the offensive end to start its contest with the Black Hawks. The Vikings scorched the nets in the first eight minutes by hitting on 10 of its 19 shots, including a Dustin Clarke dunk, en route to taking a 23-8 lead after one quarter.

The snowball continued to roll downhill and consume the blitzed Black Hawks. West had difficulty keeping up with Avery’s speed, while the Vikings were converting on inside shot attempts that they have been missing in previous contests.

Although Avery suited up only eight players for the game due to injury, seven Vikings scored in the first half. The Vikings stretched their lead to 21 points at 35-14 by halftime.

As the game continued, it became apparent that the evening’s top story was not only the dominant team performance by the Vikings, but the individual effort of Dustin Clarke.

The talented 6’3” junior guard who has averaged around 20 points per game electrified the crowd in Viking Gym with three slam dunks on the night. The final two dunks, the second one an athletic 360-degree spin and slam, earned Clarke technical fouls for hanging on the rim. The two fouls disqualified Avery's leading scorer midway through the fourth quarter. Clarke ended the night with 26 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and six steals.

“I emphasize that great players should make others around them better, and Dustin has been doing a lot of that this season. I ask a lot from Dustin, but he’s taking it in full stride,” Avery varsity boys head coach Bo Manis said after the game. “I encouraged him to relax out there on the floor and let the game come to him.”

The entire Avery team enjoyed a great night on the court, leading 59-20 after three quarters on the way to a 73-35 victory. Joey Potter poured in 18 points for the Vikings, with eight points and six rebounds from Dylan Eppley.

“Joey had a good night because he was able to find the open space in their defense and move without the basketball. Doing that really allowed him to score a quiet 18 points. We emphasized that all week, and he wasn’t the only player to step up and do that,” Coach Manis added.

Luke Foster and Garrett Hamby scored eight points apiece for the Black Hawks, with seven points from Lucas Stinson.

“I could never be any prouder of the guys than tonight. This team is better than the results we have had on the scoreboard,” Coach Bo Manis said following the win. “The team played hard defensively and we came out firing on all cylinders. Not to take anything away from West Wilkes, but we played good basketball. We were focused and played Team Avery basketball, which is pretty fun to watch.”

Avery shot 61 percent from the field in the second half and 53 percent for the game. The Vikings nearly matched West's total of 12 field goals for the game in just one quarter, when the Vikes drained 11 shots in the third quarter. West shot only 23 percent from the field for the night.

The Vikings played with a renewed focus and intensity, and showed great selflessness throughout the contest.

“Before the game I reminded the players about focusing on what was important at that time. I asked the players that they commit themselves to concentrating only about what matters at this moment they put their uniforms on, and that one thing to consider is team,” Coach Manis said. “When the players realize that concept, I believe we will be clicking as a team.”

Avery’s varsity basketball games last Friday night against Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy as well as Monday against Hendersonville were cancelled. Avery’s girls are scheduled to participate in a holiday tournament at Draughn High School on December 28-29, while the men’s team will return to action on January 5^th at Polk County.

Western Highlands Conference Releases Fall All-Conference Selections

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Last week the Western Highlands Conference recognized a number of student-athletes as All-Conference selections in its respective fall sports. A host of Avery Vikings were tabbed with the All-Conference or Honorable Mention All-Conference moniker. Below is a listing of the Viking honorees in each sport.

In cross country, junior runner Mary Chesnut Smith received All-Conference recognition as she finished fifth overall at the Western Highlands Conference meet in October. Smith had a strong showing in regional competition and qualified for the state cross country meet.

In varsity football, three Vikings, Dylan Aldridge, Andy Gonzalez, and Taylor Potter were recognized as All-Conference, while teammates Colton Blackburn, Nathaniel Buchanan, Kenny Hicks, Tyler Long, and Alex Villanueva were honored as Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Aldridge served as a punter, tight end, defensive linebacker and lineman, as well as saw plays in the offensive backfield and on the offensive line. He recorded 60 tackles (including 10 TFL) and registered two and a half sacks for the season. He also caught a touchdown on four passes as a tight end.

Potter was the defensive heart and soul for the Vikings in 2009, as he led the team in tackles with 88 stops. He scored a touchdown rushing the football, as well as caught 18 receptions for 228 yards and a pair of scores. Potter also made an impact on special teams, leading the squad with a 19.1 yards/return average on 20 kickoff returns.

Gonzalez led Avery in receptions with 39 for a team-high 746 yards. The sophomore caught seven touchdowns, including the game-winner in the regular season finale against Mitchell, as well as a team-long 95 yard touchdown in the season opener at Robbinsville.

In women’s golf, Catalina Lehmann was the lone Lady Viking selected All-Conference. Lehmann consistently improved throughout the season and represented Avery in the regional golf tournament when she captured a sixth place finish at the conference golf tournament in October.

Men’s soccer saw two Avery players, Kyle Griewisch and Brock Yackey, tabbed All-Conference as the Vikings experienced one of its best seasons in school history and a ranking as high as fifth in the NC state soccer 1A poll.

Griewisch led the Avery team in goals scored as the Vikings finished 13-8-2 for the season. Yackey was a valuable asset on the defensive side of the pitch, as he saw increased action with the injury suffered by senior Daniel Huff.

Senior Morgan Bounds was selected as Co-Goalkeeper of the Year in the conference, as he pitched seven shutouts between the pipes during the season, including an impressive four straight during the month of October.

In women’s tennis, Anna Melton, Lauren Avery, and Morgan Stout were tabbed All-Conference during the fall. Avery and Stout experienced individual successes, but worked well together in doubles play. The duo advanced out of the conference to regional competition.

Senior Melton had a great season which saw her as one of the top singles players in the conference. Anna competed at Regionals and qualified for a berth in the state tennis tournament.

In volleyball, Savannah Dellinger was the only Lady Viking to be named to the All-Conference squad. Dellinger served as hitter for the Big Red, and became a team leader in her first season of varsity action. Dellinger was active offensively as the team’s kills leader, and more then held her own defensively on the floor with a numerous variety of digs and blocks.

Great job to the Vikings on a brilliant 2009 fall sports season!

Middle School Fall and Winters Sports All-Conference Selections Announced

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:50:00 +0000

With the fall and winter sports completed, the Toe River Conference has named its middle school All-Conference squads for the school year’s sports thus far.

In football, the Avery Middle School Panthers placed six student-athletes on the squad. Quarterbacks/wide receivers Chance Watson and Ty Polsgrove, as well as Luke Price, Harley Rash, Hunter Johnson, and Chase Buchanan were named to the team.

Cranberry Middle School named a trio of players to the football All-Conference team, as Stetson Stafford, Harley Foster, and Jonah Tenge were named to the squad.

In girls volleyball, the conference tournament champion Avery Middle School Lady Panthers were well represented on the All-Conference team as Haley Woody, Juanita Guzman, and Shannon Smith were named All-Conference, while Ciara Laws, Breanna Heaton, and Lauren Burleson were selected as All-Tournament.

The Cranberry Lady Wildcats also placed multiple players on the All-Conference and All-Tournament teams. Katie Rigdon and Bethany Burleson were tabbed All-Conference for the Lady Wildcats, while McKenzie Hayes and Dani Carpenter were honored as All-Tournament.

Cranberry and Avery both achieved success on the basketball floor this past season, as noted by the number of players named to the respective post-season teams.

For the Wildcats, Tyler Pittman was named All-Conference in boys basketball, while the girls’ team was represented by Katie Rigdon and Bethany Burleson. Abby Thompson was named to the girls All-Tournament team, while Stetson Stafford was selected for the boys All-Tournament squad.

The Avery Middle School basketball teams also placed a number of players to the teams. Chance Watson and Chase Buchanan were named to the boys All-Conference team, while Buchanan and Ty Polsgrove made the All-Tournament team.

The Toe River Conference regular season and tournament champion Lady Panthers from Avery were well represented with postseason honors. Shannon Smith, Lauren Burleson, and Breanna Heaton got the All-Conference nod, while Haley Woody joined Burleson and Heaton on the ladies All-Tournament team.

Congratulations to the county’s middle school athletics programs on a terrific 2009 fall and winter sports season!

Vikings Junior Varsity Dominates Black Hawks

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:45:00 +0000

It was a clean sweep on Thursday night in Viking Gym as the Avery basketball teams won both junior varsity contest and won decisively in each varsity contest.

In the early going of the game, Avery freshman guard Kelsie Clark helped Avery take command, scoring nine points in the frame to help the home team break out to a 10-0 scoring run to start the game and an eventual 12-2 after one quarter.

West Wilkes rallied but only cut its deficit to seven at 19-12 by halftime. The Viking offense cooled from its fast start, as it could only muster two field goals in the second period.

As the second half began, the Lady Vikings came out of the locker room on fire, utilizing a 19-5 scoring run in just over four minutes to put the contest out of reach. Seven different Lady Vikings scored in the third quarter alone, led by Clarke who tallied 13 of her game-high 26 points in the stanza.

In addition to the scoring punch, the Lady Vikings ramped up the intensity defensively, prohibiting the Lady Black Hawks from advancing the ball past the half court line on multiple occasions with steals and forced turnovers. Avery took a 45-27 lead after three quarters and cruised to the 61-32 victory.

In addition to her scoring prowess, Kelsie Clarke exploded for the Big Red with six steals and four assists. Shayna Vance added nine points, with eight points from Megan Dellinger and five points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and four assists from Monica Estep. Makayla Nichols tallied 20 points to lead West Wilkes.

“We were very passive on our defense in the first half, so I talked to the girls at halftime and we switched from a zone press to a full-court man-to-man defense, which made everybody responsible,” Lady Vikings head coach Pat Daniels said after the win. “With the man-to-man defense, every player had to use pressure rather than standing and watching them bring the ball up the court. I told the girls if they didn’t play defense during the second half that they’d be sitting with me at the bench, so they responded and did exactly what they were supposed to do.”

Avery worked hard on the glass during the contest for a decided rebounding advantage. The duo of Brooke Buchanan and Danielle Byrd combined to haul in 13 rebounds from the post position.

“Using both players in the post has been our plan all season. We’ll start Brooke one game and Danielle the next, and they both work so well together. Both Brooke and Danielle are awesome defensive players,” Coach Daniels said.

The junior varsity boys team followed the ladies action with a strong performance in capturing a 39-26 win over the JV Black Hawks.

Avery raced out to an early lead of 8-0 and led 8-1 after the first quarter. The Vikings received balanced scoring in the first half, led by Lane Smith’s six points which helped Avery hold an 18-9 halftime advantage.

In the second half, Avery used its pressure defense and patient offense to distance itself from the Black Hawks. Austin Lyons scorched West for seven points in the frame, while a smothering defensive effort boosted the Big Red to a 33-18 lead through three quarters.

The Vikings eased the pressure slightly in the final minutes of the contest and West slightly cut into the Avery advantage. The Vikings were too much in the end, however, as they earned their second victory of the season.

Lane Smith led Avery with 13 points, with 11 points by Austin Lyons.

“The boys gave great effort tonight. I thought the kids played hard. Shea Buchanan showed great court vision and did a solid job at the point tonight.,” JV boys head coach Reggie Oakes said after the win. “We made some shots and did a good job boxing out. We’re still struggling a little bit in that area, but we’re improving. We changed up our defense, and we’re still working on boxing out on a shot and getting to our assignments. Nonetheless we played a good game and it was a good win.”

Avery’s JV clubs are off for the holidays and will return to action on January 5^th at Polk County.

Avery Basketball vs. Hendersonville Postponed

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:00:00 +0000

The scheduled basketball games between Hendersonville and Avery that were slated for Monday evening have been postponed due to the weather conditions. The games will be rescheduled for a date yet to be determined.

Avery will next be in basketball action with the varsity girls traveling next week to Draughn High School in a Christmas tournament, while both teams will return to conference action on Tuesday, January 5th at Polk and Wednesday, January 6th at Owen.

Avery County Schools are also closed on Tuesday for students.

Avery Wrestling Schedule Affected by Weekend Snowstorm

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:19:00 +0000

The Avery High School wrestling team's scheduled dual meet at Mitchell High School was postponed on Friday, December 18th. Avery was also forced to cancel its scheduled trip to Fred T. Foard High School in Hickory for the Tigerland Classic Tournament.

The Vikings plan on returning to the mat at Cherokee High School for the Cherokee Invitational Tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday. Any changes to the schedule or any other Avery sports changes can be found here at the Blog!

Men's Basketball Hits Late Free Throws to Down Robert Morris

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:09:00 +0000

(courtesy Appalachian Sports Information)
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - The Mountaineers scored their final 12 points from the free throw line over the last three minutes to ice a 65-52 win over defending Northeast Conference champion Robert Morris on Saturday night.

Donald Sims was 6-of-6 from the stripe, with all six attempts coming in the final stretch, and led the team with 17 points. The junior connected on 3-of-6 three-pointers as the Mountaineers made 10-of-23 on the night.

The Colonials (4-6) looked to extend their 13-game home winning streak early on, as the squad jumped out to an early 9-3 lead. The Mountaineers tied it up three times before taking the lead for good on a 7-0 run to push the advantage to 21-14 midway through the first half.

ASU then extended the advantage to as many as 12 points before the intermission and took a 33-24 lead into the locker room. Sims scored 11 points in the frame, including all three of his treys.

The Appalachian (7-4) lead remained steady through the first 10 minutes of the second half, before the Colonials made their move.

A Marcus Wright three-pointer gave the Apps a 48-35 lead with eight minutes to play and then RMU embarked on a 14-2 run to pull within 50-49 with five minutes to play.

Jeremi Booth snapped the streak with his third three-pointer of the night. It turned out to be ASU’s final field goal of the night, however, as the Mountaineers went to the free throw line on seven consecutive possessions and drained 12-of-14 free throws to provide the final margin.

Over the same stretch, Robert Morris made just one of its last nine field goal attempts, en route to a dismal 26.1 percentage from the floor for the night.

The Mountaineers made 44.7 percent of their field goals and made 10-of-23 from downtown.

Josh Hunter and Isaac Butts combined for 21 of ASU’s 44 rebounds while Booth scored 11 points and Kellen Brand added 10. Brand and Wright had four assists each as the Mountaineers dished out 17 on the evening.

Karon Abraham led the Colonials with 15 points while Russell Johnson came off the bench to secure 12 of RMU’s 40 rebounds.

RMU’s last home loss came on December 28, 2008 against Duquesne and stands at 16-2 in the Sewall Center dating back to the beginning of last season. The win was just the second on the road for ASU for the season in five attempts.

The Mountaineers continue the current three-game road swing at Dayton on Monday night at 8 p.m.

Avery Basketball Games Postponed for This Evening

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Avery's junior varsity and varsity basketball schedule home games for Friday evening have been postponed due to inclement weather. No reschedule date has been released at this time.

The Vikings will now open conference play on Monday, December 21st against Hendersonville.

Edwards Captures Walter Payton Award for Second Straight Year

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:35:00 +0000

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Appalachian State University quarterback Armanti Edwards cemented his standing as the most decorated player in NCAA Division I FCS history when he became the first two-time winner of the Walter Payton Award on Thursday evening at the Chattanooga Marriott. The Payton Award has been presented annually to the nation’s top FCS player since 1987.

Edwards became the first two-time winner in the 23-year history of the award by out-distancing Southern Illinois running back Deji Karim and Elon wide receiver in voting by national media and sports information directors.

Edwards threw for a school-record 3,291 yards and ran for 679 more in 2009, good for an average of 330.8 yards of total offense per game, which ranked third nationally. He also ranked among the nation’s top 20 in rushing touchdowns (t-3rd - 18), completion percentage (4th - .680), passing yards (8th), scoring (10th - 108 pts.), passing efficiency (12th - 147.90 rating), completions (13th - 257) and touchdowns responsible for (16th - 30).

For his career, Edwards ranks second in FCS history behind only Steve McNair with 14,753 yards of total offense (McNair amassed 16,823 at Alcorn State from 1991-94). With 10,392 passing yards and 4,361 rushing yards, he is the only player in Division I history (FCS or FBS) with at least 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career and the only FCS player to reach the 8,000 passing/4,000 rushing plateau. He was responsible for 139 touchdowns in his career (74 passing, 65 rushing), highlighting his 64 ASU and 14 Southern Conference records.

ARMANTI EDWARDS’ SCHOOL RECORDS
Single-Game Rushing – 313 vs. Richmond, 2007*
Rushing Yards Per Attempts – 10.1 vs. Richmond, 2007
Rushing Yards by a Quarterback – 313 vs. Richmond, 2007*
Passing Yards – 433 vs. South Carolina State, 2008
Completion Percentage (min. 10 comp.) - .895 (17-19) vs. Wofford, 2008
Touchdown Passes – 5 vs. Wofford, 2008
Touchdowns Responsible For – 7 vs. Richmond, 2007

Single-Season
Rushing Yards by a Quarterback – 1,588, 2007
Rushing Yards by a Freshman – 1,153, 2006
Rushing Yards by a Sophomore – 1,588, 2007
Passing Yards – 3,291, 2009
Pass Attempts – 378, 2009
Pass Completions – 257, 2009
Completion Percentage (min. 100 comp.) - .680 (257-378), 2009
Passing Efficiency – 170.2, 2008
Touchdown Passes – 30, 2008
200-Yard Passing Games – 10, 2009
Consecutive 200-Yard Passing Games – 5, 2009
Passing Yards by a Freshman – 2,251, 2006
Passing Yards by a Sophomore – 1,948, 2007
Passing Yards by a Senior – 3,291, 2009
Total Offense – 3,970, 2009*
Touchdowns Responsible For – 41, 2008*
250-Yard Total Offense Games – 10, 2008*
Consecutive 250-Yard Total Offense Games – 5 (four times)
300-Yard Total Offense Games – 8, 2009*
400-Yard Total Offense Games – 4, 2009
Wins By a Starting Quarterback – 13, 2006

Postseason
Single-Game Rushing Yards – 313 vs. Richmond, 2007
Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns – 4 vs. Richmond, 2007
Single-Game Pass Attempts – 54 vs. Montana, 2009
Career Pass Attempts – 342
Single-Game Completions – 29 vs. South Carolina State, 2008
Career Completions – 216
Single-Game Passing Yards – 433 vs. South Carolina State, 2008
Career Passing Yards – 2,885
Single-Game Touchdown Passes – 4 vs. South Carolina State, 2008
Career Touchdown Passes – 19
Single-Game Total Offense Attempts – 69 vs. Montana, 2009
Career Total Offense Attempts – 564
Single-Game Total Offense Yards – 495 vs. Richmond, 2007
Career Total Offense Yards – 4,186
Single-Game Touchdowns Responsible For – 7 vs. Richmond, 2007
Career Touchdowns Responsible For – 37
Single-Game Touchdowns Scored – 4 vs. Richmond, 2007
Single-Game Points Scored – 24 vs. Richmond, 2007
Postseason Wins By a Starting Quarterback – 11

Career
Rushing Yards by a Quarterback – 4,361*
Passing Yards – 10,392*
Pass Attempts – 1,180
Pass Completions – 768
Completion Percentage (min. 250 comp.) - .651 (768-1,180)*
Passing Efficiency – 154.2
Touchdown Passes – 74
Passing Yards per Game – 203.8
200-Yard Passing Games – 24
Total Offense Attempts – 1,935*
Total Offense – 14,753*
Total Offense Per Game – 289.3
Touchdowns Responsible For – 139*
250-Yard Total Offense Games – 35*
300-Yard Total Offense Games – 24*
400-Yard Total Offense Games – 8
Wins By a Starting Quarterback – 42
* Denotes Southern Conference Records

2009 Walter Payton Award Voting
NAME
Armanti Edwards Appalachian State 431
Terrell Hudgins Elon 268
Deji Karim Southern Illinois 259
Matt Nichols Eastern Washington 178
Dominic Randolph Holy Cross 174
Ryan Perrilloux Jacksonville State 142
Jeremy Moses Stephen F. Austin 109
William Ford South Carolina State 39
Michael Herrick Northern Arizona 31
Cameron Higgins Weber State 30
Toddrick Penland McNeese State 29
Curtis Pulley Florida A&M 26
Chase Reynolds Montana 24
Bryant Lee Southern 20
Pat Grace Northern Iowa 18
David Sinisi Monmouth 17
Pat Devlin Delaware 16
Andre Roberts The Citadel 13
Trevyn Smith Weber State 12
James Mallory Central Connecticut St. 10
*Matt Szczur Villanova 9
*Eric Ward Richmond 6
*Scott Riddle Elon 3
*Tim Toone Weber State 1

Vikings Sweep West Wilkes in Hoops Action

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:05:00 +0000

It was a clean sweep on Thursday night in Viking Gym as the Avery basketball teams won both junior varsity contest and won decisively in each varsity contest.

The Avery Lady Vikings junior varsity club opened its game with a 10-0 scoring run and led 12-2 after one quarter. West Wilkes rallied to cut the lead to 19-12 at the half, but the Lady Vikings came out of the locker room on fire, utilizing a 19-5 scoring run in just over four minutes to put the contest out of reach. Avery took a 45-27 lead after three quarters and cruised to the 61-32 victory.

Kelsie Clarke exploded offensively for the Big Red with 26 points, six steals, and four assists. Shayna Vance added nine points, with eight points from Megan Dellinger as well as five points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and four assists from Monica Estep. Makayla Nichols tallied 20 to lead West Wilkes.

In JV boys action, Avery jumped on top early and took a 39-26 win. The Vikings led 8-1 after the first quarter and held an 18-9 halftime advantage. In the second half, Avery used its pressure defense and patient offense to distance itself from the Black Hawks, taking a 33-18 lead through three quarters before taking the 13-point victory. Lane Smith led Avery with 13 points, with 11 points by Austin Lyons.

In varsity action, both Avery teams were dominant in winning by large margins. The Lady Vikings varsity girls grabbed an early advantage and forced the Lady Black Hawks into numerous turnovers throughout the contest. Avery took a 22-10 lead after one quarter and roared to a 34-13 halftime bulge.

The second half was anti-climactic as the entire Avery roster saw extended minutes on the playing floor. After three quarters, the Lady Vikings maintained a comfortable 52-23 lead and went on to capture its sixth straight victory with a 68-31 win.

Lauren Avery and Hayley Pyatte each scored 16 points in the Big Red triumph. Lauren added seven rebounds, while Hayley added four rebounds and three steals. Sara Wiseman chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds, with six points apiece from Megan Tennant and Katelynn Eudy.

The Vikings shot just under 46 percent from the field in the win, while holding West to only 31 percent shooting.

West was paced by Laura Cantrell's double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. along with seven points from Jessica Bumgarner.

In the nightcap, the Avery varsity boys were white hot on the offensive end to start its contest with the Black Hawks. The Vikings scorched the nets in the first eight minutes by hitting on 10 of its 19 shots, including a Dustin Clarke dunk, en route to taking a 23-8 lead after one quarter.

The snowball continued to roll downhill over the Black Hawks. West had difficulty keeping up with the Avery speed, while the Vikings were converting on inside shot attempts that they had been missing in previous contests. Although Avery suited up only eight players for the game due to injury, seven Vikings scored in the first half. The Vikings stretched their lead to 21 points at 35-14 by halftime.

As the game continued, it became apparent that the theme was not only the dominant team performance by the Vikings, but the individual effort of Dustin Clarke. The talented junior guard wowed the crowd in Viking Gym with three slam dunks on the night. The final two jams, the second of which an athletic 360-degree spin and slam, earned Clarke technical fouls for hanging on the rim, disqualifying Avery's leading scorer midway through the fourth quarter. Clarke ended the night with 26 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and six steals.

The entire Avery team enjoyed a great night on the court, leading 59-20 after three quarters on the way to a 73-35 victory. Joey Potter poured in 18 points for the Vikings, with eight points and six rebounds from Dylan Eppley.

Luke Foster and Garrett Hamby scored eight points apiece for the Black Hawks, with seven points from Lucas Stinson.

Avery shot 61 percent from the field in the second half and 53 percent for the game. The Vikings nearly matched West's total of 12 field goals for the game in just one quarter, when the Vikes drained 11 shots in the third quarter. West shot only 23 percent from the field for the night.

Weather permitting, the Vikings JV girls are scheduled to host Cloudland on Friday, with the JV boys hosting Crossnore Academy. The Avery varsity teams will host Thomas Jefferson Academy in their Western Highlands Conference opener Friday night.

Live from App State: Mountaineers host Milligan

noreply@blogger.com (Matt L.) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:00:00 +0000

6:00: Good afternoon from Holmes Center in Boone as we are here to watch the Mountaineers host the Milligan Buffs. The Lady Mountaineers are tied with ETSU just after halftime in the opening game tonight. We will also have updates as we get them from Avery as they are playing at home tonight. Hope you have a great evening, and are ready for the snow that is suppose to come this weekend! We will be back in just a little bit with some more updates.

6:35: With 6:00 left in the game, ETSU leads 80-77 over the Lady Mountaineers.

7:00 With free throws down the stretch, the Lady Mountaineers overcame a Lady Buc lead to take a 92-86 victory. Up next: the Mountaineer men host the Milligan Buffs.

8:25: At the break, App State leads Milligan 56-41.

8:58: With 12:36 remaining, the Mountaineers led 81-63, but the Buffs are making them earn their points in a well played game.

9:16: With 3:44 remaining, the Mountaineers continue to lead as they have broken the century mark 105-84.

9:28: We are final in Boone as App takes a 113-91 victory. Thanks and hope you enjoyed!

9:30: Armanti Edwards has won the Walter Payton award in Chattanooga. We will have more information on that has it becomes available.

Third Time’s the Charm! Lady Panthers Rally Late to Capture First Toe River Conference Tournament Title

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:02:00 +0000

The ultimate elation of any championship basketball team is realized with the cutting down of a net symbolic of the accomplishment of winning a title.

Following a regular season championship with only two losses in conference play, the Avery Middle School Lady Panthers entered the postseason conference tournament as the odds-on favorite to capture the tournament title.

Although the Lady Panthers encountered a pair of determined and worthy opponents in Cane River during Thursday’s semifinal round and Harris in Saturday’s championship game, the Silver and Black of Avery walked out of East Yancey Middle School Saturday night toting regular season and postseason tournament championship trophy hardware and a newly-snipped cotton basketball net.

Saturday’s championship appeared to be in doubt as early as Thursday night when the Lady Panthers met a surprisingly tough Cane River Lady Rebels club. Avery took a 9-4 lead after one period and led comfortably at 19-11 at halftime.

Cane River made a game of it during the second half, slicing the Avery lead to 27-22 after three quarters. Avery caught its second wind during the final six minutes as Lauren Burleson scored four of her 13 points in the final stanza. Cane River cut the lead to two points with 45 seconds left to play, but a Haley Woody basket in the paint helped propel the Lady Panthers to a 34-29 win over the Lady Rebels.

Woody paced the Avery attack, dominating the paint as she scored a game-high 16 points in the win. Only four players in all scored for the Lady Panthers, but the club survived and advanced to Saturday’s final.

“If you watched us last Thursday, we’ve made major progression to our game. We’ve gotten back on track to where we were during the regular season. Our shot selection tonight was so much better and we hit more shots than we did in our last game with Cranberry. We cut down on our three-point shots and concentrated on working our offense from the inside out,” Lady Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said immediately following the win. “I thought overall we played a great game, particularly in the second half when we did a good job to answer their baskets by throwing the ball inside.”

In Saturday’s championship game Avery met a familiar foe in Harris, the team who upset the Lady Panthers in their last meeting in Spruce Pine. It was the third meeting of the season between the teams, as well as Avery’s third straight tournament championship game appearance.

Harris held the advantage for much of the first half of play before a late flurry propelled the Lady Panthers into a slim 14-13 halftime lead. The Lady Blue Devils did not wilt under the championship pressure, answering the Avery rally to lead by two scores for a portion of the third quarter.

With 50 seconds left to play, Harris seemed on the cusp of winning the championship as it held a 30-26 lead and Avery’s strongest force inside in Haley Woody had fouled out of the contest.

Avery displayed the true heart of a champion to rewrite the ending to the tournament story. Jodi Poore scored her only points for the game when she drained a clutch three-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 30-29. Avery’s trademark defensive pressure forced a Harris turnover in the backcourt.
Following a timeout, Avery’s Lauren Burleson took advantage of an opening to hit a ten-footer from the baseline, putting the Lady Panthers in front 31-30 with 20 seconds left to play. Avery forced one final turnover in the final five seconds as Shannon Smith intercepted an outlet pass to seal the Lady Panther triumph.

Lauren Burleson led six Avery scorers with 12 points, including six of the team’s final nine points in the fourth quarter. Teammate Breanna Heaton poured in eight and both Shannon Smith and Haley Woody added four points in the win. Kennedi Grindstaff of Harris led all scorers with 14 points in a losing effort.

“I was thinking “Finally!” after the buzzer sounded. This is our third year in a row to make the tournament championship, and you start doubting yourself after dominating the regular season. Every year we made the tournament championship we would lose, so it’s good to finally get the monkey off my back,” a jubilant Lady Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said after the win. “I felt like our guards were crucial and the catalyst in our team not falling apart. Our press gave Harris some problems but they were able to beat us downcourt in the times they beat our press. I was a little worried that they were going to go coast-to-coast on us to win the game, then Shannon came up with the big steal at the end.”

The victory is a great accomplishment for a team that played throughout the season with a never-say-die attitude, and is also a rare double feat, as the Lady Panthers also captured the conference volleyball tournament title earlier in the fall.

“We just never give up. Give the girls all the credit in the world because they just kept playing,” Coach Johnson said. “This is a special group who has won championships, and this eighth grade class has witnessed us winning a championship every year they were at Avery Middle. They’ve etched their names in the history books, so to speak, having won the school’s first-ever basketball tournament championship. It says a lot about the character of this team. They’re a close and confident group and they’ll truly be missed.”

Burleson, Heaton, and Smith were each named to the All-Conference team, while Burleson, Heaton, and Woody were recognized as All-Tournament for their efforts.

In the boys tournament, Harris scored on two free throws following a technical foul call against Cane River with three seconds left to provide the final margin in a 41-39 Blue Devils victory.

Congratulations to the Lady Panthers and to all the local middle school teams on a great hoops season!

JV Basketball Splits Pair with Watauga

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:46:00 +0000

A week following their first encounter with the Watauga Pioneers in Viking Gym, the Avery junior varsity basketball squads traveled to Lentz-Eggers Gym in Boone for a rematch with Watauga.

In the JV girls contest, Avery fell behind early to the Lady Pioneers, trailing by a 14-4 score after one quarter. The Big Red sliced into the lead ever so slightly, but still found itself on the short end of a 24-17 halftime deficit.

Avery managed to rally behind the outside shooting of Kelsie Clark, who drained three-pointers that helped the Lady Vikings come all the way back to take a lead at 30-29 late in the third quarter. Watauga scored the final bucket in the quarter to leave the home team with a slim 31-30 lead going into the final seven minutes.

Watauga built its lead to four points early in the final frame, but Avery reeled the Lady Pioneers in to stay within a single possession at 38-35 in the game’s final minute. Watauga’s matchup zone defense was strong throughout the night and did not allow Avery to score the game-tying basket as Watauga took a 39-37 win on its home floor.

Kelsie Clark led Avery with 17 points, with ten points from Shayna Vance and seven points and ten rebounds from Brooke Buchanan.

“The girls played well, but we missed chances at the free throw line down the stretch and we also just ran out of time,” Avery Lady Vikings JV girls coach Pat Daniels remarked. ”I told the girls I was proud of them, but that we need to be able to finish games But I believe the tough non-conference schedule we’ve faced will benefit us when we get into conference play.”

The boys contest was a close affair. Dustin Clark scored four of Avery’s seven first quarter points as the Vikings held a 7-5 advantage after one quarter. The Vikings continued to play well on both ends of the floor, as Shea Buchanan bolstered Avery’s cause with seven points in the second period to help the Big Red maintain a slim 19-18 halftime lead.

Both clubs found their shooting stroke and offensive rhythm in the third period, almost matching the output from the entire first half. Watauga displayed resiliency in outpacing Avery 16-13 in the quarter to hold a 34-32 lead after three stanzas.

Although Avery committed 27 turnovers and was hampered by foul trouble, the Vikings found themselves with an opportunity to tie the game in the closing seconds. Trailing by three with time running out, Avery had a good look on a three-pointer to send the game to overtime. The shot did not fall, however, as Avery fell in a heartbreaking 45-41 loss.

“I thought we played great defense tonight. I felt like we executed well, but Watauga is tough to play on their floor,” Avery boys junior varsity head coach Reggie Oakes said following the game. “I thought we had a chance to win and probably should have won. “

Dustin Clark and Shea Buchanan led Avery with 11 points apiece, with eight points from Austin Lyons.

“Shea played a good game. He stepped up and made some big shots late. Dustin was a monster on the boards and Austin shot the ball well,” Coach Oakes said. “All the kids really executed well.”

Avery’s JV squads will be in action on Thursday against West Wilkes at Viking Gym. Since Thomas Jefferson Academy does not field JV basketball teams, Avery’s JV girls team will instead play Cloudland on Friday afternoon.

Game Notes: Mountaineers, Montana

noreply@blogger.com (Matt L.) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

The decade’s winningest NCAA Division I FCS programs meet on the subdivision’s second-biggest stage on Saturday when No. 5 Appalachian State University travels to top-seeded Montana for an NCAA Division I Football Championship semifinal. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont.

The game will be televised nationally on ESPN, ESPN HD and ESPN360.com (Todd Harris — play-by-play; Charles Arbuckle — analyst).

NOTING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
• Appalachian (11-2) advanced to its fourth national semifinal in five years with a heart-stopping 35-31 victory at fourth-seeded Richmond last Saturday.

• Montana (13-0) is in the semifinals for the third time in five years thanks to a 51-0 shutout win over Stephen F. Austin in last Saturday’s quarterfinals.

• ASU has won 11-consecutive games since opening the season with back-to-back five-point losses to Conference USA champion East Carolina and Southland Conference co-champion McNeese State.

• Despite posting its second undefeated regular season in three years, Montana’s campaign was on the brink when it trailed South Dakota State, 48-21, with just over five minutes to go in the third quarter of a first-round playoff matchup on Nov. 28. However, the Grizzlies roared back to score 40 unanswered points in the final 20:25 of the ballgame and claim an improbable 61-48 win.

• All told, UM has scored 91 unanswered points over its last 80:25 of game play.

• With this year’s semifinal berths, ASU and Montana have combined to make 11 semifinal appearances since 2000. The schools’ first final-four appearances of the decade came against each other in 2000, when the Griz edged the Mountaineers, 19-16, in overtime at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

• The programs are the only two in Division I FCS with 100 victories this decade. Montana is 118-22 since the beginning of the 2000 season while Appalachian is 101-32. Since the beginning of the 2005 season, ASU leads all Division I programs (FCS or FBS) with 61 wins. Montana is second with 58.

• Appalachian is 3-2 all-time in the national semifinal round. It lost in its first two semifinal appearances (1987 and 2000) but won its last three (2005, 2006 and 2007). ASU’s only semifinal road game was its 19-16 overtime loss at Montana in 2000.

• ASU is 4-7 all-time in NCAA Division I FCS/I-AA playoff road games. Last week’s triumph at Richmond marked the Mountaineers first playoff road game since 2001 (quarterfinals at Georgia Southern) and first playoff road win since 2000 (quarterfinals at Western Kentucky).

• A win would be the 12th that Mountaineer quarterback Armanti Edwards has engineered in the NCAA Division I Football Championship, which would move him into a tie with Georgia Southern's Raymond Gross winningest signal-callers in FCS postseason history.

For more on Saturday's matchup, including links to live audio and stats, both teams' stats, rosters, depth charts, game notes and much more, click HERE to visit GoASU.com's official Gameday Central page.

Johnson Among Finalists for Eddie Robinson Award

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:48:00 +0000

DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America has announced seven finalists for the 2009 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award to be voted upon by the entire membership. The list features coaches from five undefeated teams as well as last season's recipient.

With the 2009 regular season completed, the FWAA, in conjunction with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, has tabbed the following coaches as finalists: Texas' Mack Brown, Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson, Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, Oregon's Chip Kelly, TCU's Gary Patterson, Boise State's Chris Petersen and Alabama's Nick Saban.

The finalists will be placed on a ballot which will be distributed electronically to the entire FWAA membership.

The FWAA coaching award is named after the late Robinson, a coaching legend at Grambling State University for 55 years. He has more Division I victories (408) than any other coach in the history of college football.

The winner of the FWAA/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award will be announced and honored at a reception on Jan. 5 in Newport Beach, Calif., in conjunction with the Citi BCS National Championship Game.

Texas' Brown has the Longhorns in a national title game for the second time in five seasons. Texas defeated Nebraska, 13-12, in the Big 12 title game in Dallas to extend its record to 13-0. Only Alabama on Jan. 7 stands between Texas and a fourth national championship.

Georgia Tech's Johnson took the Yellow Jackets to the ACC title with a victory over Clemson in the conference title game. At 11-2, Georgia Tech will meet Iowa in the Orange Bowl and seek to dominate with its grinding spread option offense.

Brian Kelly's Cincinnati Bearcats claimed the Big East Conference title with a 12-0 record. They defeated Pittsburgh by a point in dramatic fashion in the regular-season finale to wrap up the title and gain a berth in the Sugar Bowl opposite Florida.

Oregon's first-year head coach Chip Kelly has the Ducks (10-2) in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1995. From an season-opening loss to Boise State - after which he had to suspend one of his star players for throwing a punch - Kelly has done a masterful job of holding the season together and winning the Pac-10 title.

Patterson led TCU to its first unbeaten regular season (12-0) since the 1938 Horned Frogs won the national championship. TCU, the Mountain West Conference champion, will be going to a BCS bowl for the first time this season and is currently riding a 14-game winning streak.

Petersen keeps doing it at Boise State with another WAC title. This season the Broncos are 13-0 and headed to another BCS game, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against TCU. The Broncos will be seeking another victory in the BCS after a memorable win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Saban has directed the top-ranked Crimson Tide to the Citi BCS National Championship Game with a perfect 13-0 record. Alabama defeated Florida in the SEC title game in Atlanta to cap its perfect regular season.

Of the finalists, only Saban has previously won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. He won last season as the Alabama head coach and also in 2003 when he was the head coach at LSU.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,100 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.

The Eddie Robinson Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official Web site, ncfaa.org.

Cranberry Teams Fall in Opening Round of TRC Tournament; Avery Plays in Semis Today

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:15:00 +0000

Cranberry Middle School's boys and girls basketball teams were defeated in Wednesday's opening round of the Toe River Conference Basketball Tournaments.

In boys action, the Wildcats hung tough with tournament host East Yancey, trailing by only two points at halftime. East turned on the pressure to start the second half, sparking a huge scoring run to put the Wildcats down by as many as 23 as the Panthers went on to a 49-27 victory.

In the girls' contest earlier in the evening, the Lady Wildcats and Cane River squared off. Neither team was able to generate much offense, as Cane River led after two quarters by a 13-7 score. Cranberry was only able to muster a Katie Rigdon three-pointer in the second half, as Cane River went on to pull off the upset by the final score of 19-10.

The top-seeded Avery Middle School Lady Panthers begins tournament play this afternoon with a girls semifinal against Cane River at 4 p.m. The Avery boys team will be in action in the evening's final semifinal, taking on the Harris Blue Devils at 7:45 pm.

Updated Toe River Conference Brackets

Middle School Hoops Wrap Regular Season Play

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:10:00 +0000

In the final week of the regular season, the basketball teams of both Cranberry Middle and Avery Middle Schools were looking for wins to build positive momentum heading into this week’s Toe River Conference Basketball Tournaments.

Last Tuesday, December 1^st Avery Middle School swept the girls/boys doubleheader over Hunter (TN) Middle School. Avery’s girls took a decisive 36-22 win, using a 15-0 run in the third quarter to open up a game which was tied at halftime. Lauren Burleson led Avery with 12 points, with eight from Breanna Heaton and seven from Haley Woody.

In boys action, the Avery Middle School Panthers were dominant against an overmatched Hunter squad, winning by a final score of 52-13. Hunter brought only seventh graders to the contest, and the Panthers capitalized with its experience and depth. The Panthers outscored Hunter 18-2 to open the game. Eleven different players scored for Avery, led by eight points from Ty Polsgrove and six points from four separate Panthers.

Cranberry and Avery played its final contest of the regular season last Thursday night against one another in an exciting pair of competitive contests.

The Lady Wildcats played inspired basketball, using changes on defense and offense from the teams’ first meeting to take a 29-19 victory.

“For the previous two days we changed up our defense from a 2-1-2 to a 1-2-2 and we moved well in it,” Cranberry head coach Amber Young said after the game. “We were concerned about Avery getting the ball inside on us, but we collapsed well inside and played awesome.”

Cranberry led 9-4 after one period and took a 16-6 lead into halftime. Avery shot only 2 for 20 from the field in the first half and ended the game making only 15 percent of its shots (6 of 40 FG).

“We had open looks and weren’t taking that many bad shots. Our offense wasn’t moving and we didn’t move the ball around. I thought our defense kept us in the game allowing only 29 points,” Avery head coach Donnie Johnson said after the game.

The Lady Panthers scratched back into the game with its defense, drawing to within 19-17 late in the third quarter. Avery missed a layup in the quarter’s waning seconds, while Cranberry scored just prior to the end of the period to build a 22-17 lead after three periods.

“I thought that was a key moment when we didn’t score on the layup,” Coach Johnson added. “We have no excuses. We had our chances, but just didn’t take advantage of them.”

The Lady Wildcats outscored Avery 7-2 to close the contest and earn the victory before a vociferous and supportive home crowd. “We switched our positions some during practice and that helped us get multiple players scoring,” Coach Young stated. “We worked hard on blocking out the past couple of days, as every team that has beaten us has gotten multiple shots. We did a good job of giving them only one chance to score and blocking out.”

Bethany Burleson led Cranberry with 10 points, with seven from Katie Rigdon and six from Karmen Gragg. Avery was paced by 11 points from Breanna Heaton and six from Lauren Burleson.

Avery finishes with an 8-2 conference mark, while the Lady Wildcats complete the regular season at 6-4. Cranberry is a #4 seed and will take on #5 Cane River in a first round conference tournament contest on Wednesday evening at 6:30 at East Yancey Middle School, while Avery as the top seed will take on the Cane River/Cranberry winner in a Thursday semifinal contest at 4 p.m.

In the second half of the evening’s doubleheader, the Avery boys earned a split for the night when they defeated Cranberry 50-41. The Panthers led 12-6 after one quarter and carried a 27-17 lead into the locker room at halftime. Chance Watson scored all 12 of his points during the first half, while Cranberry countered with ten points by Chandler Austin.

Cranberry put together a quick scoring run in the opening minutes of the third quarter to cut the Panther lead to only a pair, but five straight points from Avery’s Chase Buchanan scored five consecutive points to rebuild the lead for good. Avery led 38-29 after the third stanza before capturing the nine-point win.

“We can play with any team in the conference, and I believe any of the top four teams can win the conference tournament,” Avery head coach Gordon Polsgrove said after the win. “Having three starters back from last year has been important. Chase, Ty, and Chance have led the team this season, and we have enjoyed a lot of depth with James and Dalton starting, along with players like Peyton and Kobe off the bench.”

Despite the loss, Cranberry continues to take positives from the contest going into the postseason.

“We had a great effort for the most part, much better than we have seen the previous few games. Our kids starting believing in themselves tonight and it showed,” Cranberry associate coach Kenny Gouge said after the game. “We made a good run in the third quarter, but they made a couple of key baskets which helped them pull away.”

Avery’s Chase Buchanan led all scorers with 14 points, with 12 from Watson and eight from Polsgrove. Cranberry was paced by Austin’s ten, along with nine points from Zach Guy and eight from Tyler Pittman.

Cranberry is a #5 seed in the conference tournament and will play #4 seed East Yancey on the Panthers’ home floor Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. Avery enters the tournament as the #2 seed and will play the winner of #3 Harris and #6 Bowman on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. Championship games will take place on Saturday at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at East Yancey.

Lady Vikings Snap Losing Streak in Win over Watauga

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Through one quarter of Friday night’s varsity girls game, the winless Lady Pioneers held a one-point edge over the Avery Lady Vikings. The Big Red seized control of the game midway through the second quarter, as four players reached double figures in a 61-53 Avery win.

Watauga took a surprising 14-13 lead after one quarter with the help of a pair of three-pointers from Shelby Gilliam. Avery shot only 3 of 17 from the field in the first quarter, but was dominant throughout the night from inside the paint. Sara Wiseman scored five of her 13 points in the first quarter and pulled down eight rebounds overall in the contest.

Avery took the lead for good in the second period with a 12-3 scoring run, as Mercedes Bentley hit a pair of three-pointers off the bench and the Vikings shot 7 of 13 from the field. Katelynn Eudy and Elyse Perry each added a pair of baskets in the quarter to stake Avery to a 32-24 halftime advantage.

“We knew they had big post players, but I felt like my big girls were able to outplay them. We owned the boards in the first half. We out-hustled them, Sara played great and Eudy went in and played well,” Lady Vikings head coach Missy Lyons said. “We might have over-passed the ball some, but we still distributed the ball well. I was pleased with how unselfish the team was and impressed with how they just want to go out there and win ballgames.”

As the third quarter began, the Lady Vikings used three baskets from Lauren Avery to race out to a double-figure advantage. A 14-2 run to open the half extended the Viking bulge to 20 points at 46-26. The Pioneers responded with its own 14-2 run by quarter’s end. Christina Rees tallied 10 of her team-high 18 points in the stanza to bring the Avery lead to within eight at 48-40 through three periods.

The Vikings maintained its lead to pick up the victory as Perry was 5 of 6 from the free throw line in the quarter. As a team, the Lady Vikings were 17 of 31 from the charity stripe, while Watauga was only 3 of 12 from the free throw line.

Avery shot 43 percent from the field in the game, while holding the Lady Pioneers to 36 percent shooting.

The Lady Vikings (4-1) had four players score in double figures led by Sara Wiseman's 13 points and eight rebounds. Elyse Perry also scored 13 points with five assists, three steals, and three rebounds. Lauren Avery scored 12 points with seven rebounds and five assists, while Katelynn Eudy had a double-double with ten points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Bentley and Hayley Pyatte added six points apiece in the win.

Avery’s triumph snapped a four-game losing skid to the Lady Pioneers.

“It felt great to get the win. The girls have worked hard and they’re always competitive with Watauga. We’ve let the last few slip through our fingers, and it was good for us to pick up this win,” Coach Lyons added.

Avery and Watauga will meet in a rematch this Friday night at Watauga High School.

App-Montana Gametime Set for Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Matt L.) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:03:00 +0000

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

INDIANAPOLIS — Next weekend’s NCAA Division I Football Championship semifinal between No. 5 Appalachian State University and top-seeded Montana has been set for Saturday, Dec. 12, at 4 p.m. ET, the NCAA announced on Sunday. The game will be played at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont. and televised nationally on ESPN.

Appalachian (11-2) and Montana (13-0) are meeting for the second time ever. Their previous matchup also came in the national semifinals, with Montana eeking out a 19-16 overtime victory in Missoula on Dec. 9, 2000. ASU and UM are the winningest NCAA Division I FCS programs of the decade, with the Grizzlies sporting a 118-22 record and the Mountaineers coming in at 101-32 since the beginning of the 2000 season. The Apps are making their fourth semifinal appearance in five years while the Griz are in the final four for the third time in five seasons.

ASU is 15-0 all-time when playing on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, including a 2-0 mark on the Worldwide Leader of Sports’ flagship network.

***TICKET UPDATE*** (Sunday, 4:45 p.m.)
Mountaineer fans can purchase tickets from Appalachian's allotment beginning on Monday at 9 a.m. Tickets cost $29 apiece and can be purchased by phone at (828) 262-2079 or in person at the ASU athletics ticket office, located in the Holmes Center. ASU-UM tickets will be on sale between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and 9 a.m.-noon on Thursday.

The Quest Continues!!! App Wins Thriller in Richmond

noreply@blogger.com (Matt L.) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:08:00 +0000

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

RICHMOND, Va. - Trailing by three points with 3:26 to play, Appalachian State University football drove 70 yards in 12 plays to score the winning touchdown with 10 seconds to play to defeat Richmond, 35-31, to advance to the NCAA Division I FCS semifinal against Montana.

On third and goal, Armanti Edwards found Matt Cline in the end zone for the score to take the second lead of the game.

Two drives earlier, ASU drove 73 yards to take its first lead of the game at 28-24 on a three-yard Edwards run. The Apps then stopped Richmond and forced the Spiders to punt with three and a half minutes on the clock.

On the punt return, UR's Eric McBride forced a fumble and returned it eight yards to regain the lead at 31-28.

Edwards rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries and two scores and threw for 216 more on 21 completions. Devon Moore also had two scores on the ground.

In addition to his game-winning catch, Cline was the leading receiver with 87 yards on nine grabs.

Linebackers Jacque Roman and D.J. Smith had 10 tackles each for the defense.

Appalachian travels to Montana next weekend for the national semifinal game.

Stay tuned to www.goasu.com as well as the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog as we look

Title Denied: Lees-McRae Falls 1-0 to Fort Lewis in Men's Soccer Division II National Championship

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:22:00 +0000

The national championship dream for Lees-McRae College was dashed by a goal from Fort Lewis' David Barden, his fifth game-winning goal of the season, in the 78th minute as the Skyhawks outlasted the Bobcats 1-0 in Saturday's NCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Championship contest.

The match was scoreless through the first half of play in a defensive affair. Fort Lewis scored the lone goal of the afternoon when Kyle Wood assisted on the Barden tally. Lees McRae managed 11 shots on goal compared to 14 for the Skyhawks, and keeper Sean Paradise made six saves in goal.

Lees-McRae enjoyed a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks for the match, and were whistled for 14 fouls in the match, while Fort Lewis was whistled 12 times. Neither team managed a clean sheet for the match, as the Bobcats were carded on three occasions, while the Skyhawks received a pair of yellow cards.

The Bobcats end their terrific and historic men's soccer season as national runners-up with a sterling 18-3-2 record.

Bobcats Advance on PKs: Paradise Lifts Lees-McRae to NCAA DII National Championship

noreply@blogger.com (shELLdOg) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:11:00 +0000

12/3/2009

Courtesy Lees-McRae Sports Information

TAMPA, FLA. -- Senior Florida native, Sean Paradise, had five saves, including a penalty kick in regulation and a save in the shootout, to take the Lees-McRae College Bobcats to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Championship with a shootout win over the Lewis University Flyers Thursday afternoon.

Paradise came up big for the big for the Bobcats at the end of the first half when Lewis' Acxer Eduardo attempted a near post shot, but Paradise turned it away to keep the game scoreless at the half.

In the second half in the 58th minute, a Bobcat hand ball gave the Flyers a penalty kick, but Paradise made a diving save to his right on Robert McGowan's attempt to keep the game scoreless. The penalty kick saved turned out to be the second biggest save of Paradise's career as a Bobcat - his biggest save was yet to come.

In the 79th minute, Nestor Hernandez collected a punt and scored to put the Flyers up 1-0, and one minute later, Hernandez received a pass from Charlie Bucio and buried his second goal of the game to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead.

But the Bobcats didn't give up and rallied in the 85th minute when Grant Elder, who came off the five minutes before, took a pass from Sam Kennedy and beat the Flyers' keeper high to the far post to cut the lead to 2-1.

Two minutes later, Lee Squires, a two-time All-American who missed all but seven matches, buried the game tying goal. Squires found himself on the back post one-on-one after a Jamie Bladen shot was blocked by a Flyer defender.

In the overtime periods neither team was able to end the match on a golden goal forcing a shootout.

The Bobcats went first in the shootout and Richard Guffens buried his attempt, and Paradise made the save on McGowan's attempt for Lewis' first attempt for the biggest save in his four year career for the Bobcats.

"It was the same guy that attempted the penalty kick on me in regulation," Paradise said. "I knew he wouldn't try to go the same way on me, and I saw him open his hips and go to his left my right."

David Palmer buried his attempt and was followed by Squires, Berin Boracic and Jamie Bladen how sealed the win on his attempt that he tucked in the left corner. Bladen's game-winning goal lifted the Bobcats to the Final Four in the team's 1-0 win over Tampa.

Lees-McRae outshot Lewis, 19-11, and held a 9-8 corner kick advantage.

Paradise's five saves earned his 15th win of the season. Going back to last season he has saved seven of the last 15 penalty kicks against him.

For a school of 670 students, one of the smallest in the NCAA Division II, the Bobcats have put themselves in the title game. One-hundred plus people packed into Williams Gymnasium in Banner Elk on the campus to watch the game.

The Bobcats will face Fort Lewis Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Pepin Field in Tampa! This is the first time in the history of the school in NCAA competition a team has competed for a national title!

Related Item: Box Score

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