Errors Sink Vikings Ship on the Baseball Diamond against Polk

In a rematch of a game just 7 days earlier, the Avery Vikings played host to the Polk County Wolverines. Avery grabbed an advantage early in the game, but costly mistakes proved the difference as Polk took a 13-8 victory.

The Wolverines drew first blood when a passed ball allowed a runner from third to scamper home with the game's opening run. Avery rallied back quickly, however, as a towering two-run home run by senior pitcher Seth Phillips off Wolverines starter Brandon Jolley highlighted a four-run frame for the Big Red, staking the Vikings to a 4-1 edge after one inning.

Avery maintained its lead until the top of the third inning, where a one-out, three run home run by catcher Nick Jolley spearheaded a four-run Polk rally, helping the Wolverines regain the lead at 5-4. Following a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the frame, Polk added three runs on only one hit as a pair of Avery errors allowed the Wolverines to build an 8-4 margin.

Avery got a run back in the bottom half of the inning as second baseman Pedro Benavides singled and eventually came around to score on a Chris Childress RBI single. Polk negated the Avery run in the next half inning as a solo home run to right centerfield by second baseman J.P. Ruth off starter Seth Phillips made the score 9-5.

Over the next two innings, leadoff hitters got on base for the Vikings, but Avery could not bring any runners around to cross home.

Polk added a tenth run in the top of the sixth inning off Vikings reliever Chris Childress to lead 10-5, then tacked on three additional runs of insurance in the seventh to take a 13-5 edge. Childress struck out five Wolverines over his two innings of work, but also surrendered four walks and hit a batter.

In the bottom of the seventh and final frame, Avery rallied to score three runs off Polk reliever Nick Jolley, as pinch hitters Jack Buchanan and Luke Pittman each reached base, followed by a three-run home run down the right field line by Brooks Oakley. Unfortunately, the comeback bid ended as Jolley retired the next three hitters in order to close the contest.

"We made some errors, but we were able to take advantage of some of their early errors and score a few runs. The biggest thing for us right now is that we had a mental letdown out there tonight," Avery head coach Benny Wellborn said after the game. "We had bases loaded once and had runners trying to run when they shouldn't have, but that wasn't the only thing. We had some mental breakdowns all around and we have to do a better job with that."

Avery starter Seth Phillips threw 110 pitches over five innings, struck out seven hitters while surrendering only six hits. Avery has a home game scheduled on Thursday with Ashe County, but rain in the forecast may force change. The Vikings will travel to Marshall on Friday for a conference game against Madison.

Fierce Second Half Sparks Lady Vikings to 3-1 Win at Madison

The Avery Lady Vikings ran their record to 8-2-1 and proved why they are worthy of the #8 ranking in the latest 1A state poll in defeating the Madison Lady Patriots 3-1 in Marshall Monday night.

In the opening 40 minutes the Avery squad battled a drizzling rain and cool temperatures at O.E. Roberts Stadium, as well as a determined Lady Patriots team hungry for its first win of the year.

A handball called inside the penalty box area resulted in the only tally of the opening half, as Madison's Michelle LaFountain scored on the kick in the upper right corner of the goal in the 32nd minute, giving the Lady Patriots the lead at intermission.

A lackluster first half of play for the Big Red made a 180-degree turn in the second half, as the Lady Vikings played one of its strongest halves of soccer in the season thus far. Avery scored the equalizer just 35 seconds into the half as Katie Peters took a picture perfect through pass and blazed a shot past the Madison goalkeeper to knot the score at one apiece.

Avery took the lead at the 52 minute mark as Elyse Perry continued her offensive surge with a goal, chipping a shot just over the head and outstretched arms of the Madison goalie. The shot squeezed just under the crossbar on the left side to put the Vikings up 2-1.

As the half continued, the Lady Vikings found themselves with a number of additional opportunities to score, but were unable to add an all-important insurance goal. Avery was finally able to score for a third time in the half at 69:00 as a solid header from 10 yards out by Katie Peters off a Perry assist sailed over the top of the keeper and nestled its way into the back of the net for the 3-1 advantage. The senior scored two goals in the contest and performed admirably despite suffering throughout the day from flu-like symptoms.

At the 77 minute mark, Madison benefitted from a questionable takedown call inside the penalty box, affording the Lady Patriots a second penalty shot in the game. This time, however, Avery keeper Cailan Calloway was equal to the task, extending left to successfully turn away the Madison shot attempt. The Vikings keeper was strong in goal, continuing her stretch of solid play in net as Calloway has surrendered only one goal (the first half penalty goal) over the past four contests.

"Last year in a game like tonight, Coach Lou and I would have been screaming and yelling at halftime. But we were able to keep our composure tonight and the girls kept theirs as well," head coach Tom Evaul said after the win. "We told the girls the ball didn't bounce our ways and that they needed to stay calm and cool. In the second half the ball bounced our way. We told the girls if we scored early we would win this game, and Katie came out in the first 30 seconds and did just that. Their keeper didn't move as we caught them off guard quickly, which pushed some wind out of their sails and into ours."

Avery plays a pair of additional home matches this week, a game Wednesday against Mountain Heritage, and a duel of top-10 ranked 1A teams as Polk County comes to town on Friday evening, a change from the original schedule.

Come out and support this talented group of young ladies and watch some exciting soccer action!

Wednesday Prep Roundup

Avery baseball scored three first-inning runs, then staved off a late Hampton rally to hold on for a 5-4 win on Wednesday in Carter County, TN.

Preston Jennings got the starting pitching nod and threw well in his season debut. The senior right hander went three innings+. Avery built a 4-0 lead, but Hampton rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the third on five straight base hits to cut the lead to one. Jon Hensley came on in relief of Jennings in the third, but was unable to retire a batter. Coach Benny Wellborn then called on Brooks Oakley to pitch, and the right hander struck out two of the next three batters and went the distance to secure the win.

Avery plays at Wilkes Central in a non-conference game on Friday.

In soccer action Wednesday evening the Avery Lady Vikings extended its non-losing streak to three games with a 1-0 win at MacDonald Stadium against the Pisgah Lady Bears. The game winning goal occurred in the 67th minute as Brianna Strange assisted on a goal by Mary Chesnut Smith. Avery plays this evening in a non-conference match at North Wilkes High School.

Vikings Outdueled by Wolverines in Polk County

The Avery JV and varsity baseball teams traveled to Columbus this evening for a 1A conference match against Polk County. The junior varsity squad had difficulty against the strong pitching of the Polk southpaw starter, only mustering a single walk in five innings of play.

Avery starter Daniel Huff gave a solid pitching effort to the Big Red, surrendering only three runs through the first three innings of play. Polk used timely hitting and took advantage of walks issued by the Avery relief corps to extend the lead to an eventual 10-0 victory.

Tuesday's varsity action set up to be an exciting pitcher's matchup between Avery's Seth Phillips and Polk's Brandon Jolley. The two did not disappoint, combining for 18 strikeouts in the contest. Despite the strong performances on the mound, both teams were able to generate offense at the plate and on the base paths.

Polk took advantage of a walk, two errors, and a balk (all with two outs) to score four runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Avery surrendered a fifth run in the third inning to lead 5-0, but the Vikings pieced together four straight singles off Jolley in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 5-3. This, Avery's final and best offensive threat of the game, ended with the bases loaded. Jolley helped his own cause with a solo home run to right field for an insurance run to provide for the final 6-3 margin as Brandon's brother Nick came on in the top of the seventh for a 1-2-3 inning to pick up the save.

Phillips pitched a complete game of six innings, throwing 115 pitches and striking out 10 hitters while giving up only eight hits. Avery takes on Hampton and Wilkes Central in non-confernece games later this week.

Lady Bucs Already Looking For Next Seaon

The ETSU Lady Bucs made history last Saturday night in, of all places, Des Moines, Iowa. When the Lady Bucs took the floor at the Wells Fargo Center, one of the most successful seasons in the program’s history reached a historic milestone as the Lady Bucs squared off against Oklahoma State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

“I’m very proud of my teammates, we did something that no other team has done before at East Tennessee State,” Michelle DeVault said in an NCAA interview. “We proved that we not only belonged in this tournament, but that we could play with the best and we hung in there with a really good team, so I’m really proud of my teammates.”

“It feels good just to make history and get into the history books,” TaRonda Wiles said at a postgame press conference. “We want to go farther next year.”

Wiles’ teammates echoed her thoughts of next year, and for good reason. While the Lady Bucs fell to Oklahoma State, the Lady Bucs finished what is arguably the best season in program history. In addition to the program’s first NCAA bid, the Lady Buccaneers tied a school record 21 wins, including winning 15 of their last 17 games, capturing both the regular season and tournament Atlantic Sun Conference championships. The Lady Bucs also scored 2,478 points, the most team points scored in a single season in program history. While they lose four talented seniors, DeVault, Jenny Norman, Nichelle Akers and Kelly Truman, the Lady Bucs return nine players including Siarre Evans, who was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.

“To be apart of this team with such great chemistry, it felt like we should have gone farther in the tournament,” Latisha Belcher said. “But that will have to wait until next year.”

Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke even praised the Lady Bucs in his postgame press conference for the heart and dedication they showed.

“Credit East Tennessee State, they outcoached and outplayed us tonight,” Budke said. “They believe in themselves and they believe they can play with anybody.”

While this season did not end like a fairy tale, the Lady Bucs have every intention of playing the part of Cinderella next season.

Lady Vikings Drop Match at Hendersonville & Tie Burns; Bounce Back with Rout at Mitchell

Despite a rainout which postponed Wednesday’s conference match with Polk County, the Avery High women’s soccer team competed in a pair of physical road matches, dropping a 3-0 decision in Hendersonville to the top-5 ranked Lady Bearcats, but rebounded to finish with a 2-2 overtime tie at Burns High School on Good Friday afternoon.

In Monday’s match, Avery held the Lady Bearcats to a goal for most of the first half. However, Hendersonville was able to take advantage of Lady Viking mental miscues to bury an additional two goals in net in the final two minutes of the half to get its three-goal advantage. The second half was a stalemate as the Lady Vikings were held scoreless for a second straight match. The defense remained dedicated to the effort, however, holding the Bearcats scoreless in the final 40 minutes.

“Mentally we didn’t come prepared to play the match, especially in the first half, and they just took it to us,” Avery head coach Tom Evaul said following the defeat.

On Friday the Lady Vikings made the trek to Lawndale in Cleveland County for a non-conference match with the 3A Burns Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Vikings struck early in the contest for a goal, as freshman Emily Banner scored in the first four minutes off an assist by Brianna Strange. The goal held up as the Lady Vikings led 1-0 at intermission.

Burns came out with renewed intensity to open the second half, as the Lady Bulldogs took advantage of a defensive miscommunication to split the defense for a goal in the opening minutes, knotting the match at 1-1. At approximately the sixth minute mark, Avery again retook the lead at 2-1 as Melinda Eggers assisted on a goal inside the box by senior Katie Peters. With around 23 minutes remaining, Burns found a way to escape a scrambling Vikings back line to score the equalizer to tie the match 2-2.

The score remained unchanged through the remainder of regulation, and the teams made the decision to play two-10 minute overtime sessions. The squads remained scoreless through the first session. In the second ten minutes, Burns kept the ball in the Avery defensive half of the field for the overwhelming majority of the period, but the Vikings were stingy, turning away an indirect kick as well as a pair of corner kick opportunities to conclude the match in a tie.

“Burns has a couple of good girls up front and a good sweeper. We scored early, but the match did not play out as easily as perhaps we might have thought it might,” Coach Evaul stated. “We did a lot of standing around, and we need to work on being a little more aggressive and going to the ball a little more than we did in this match.”

This evening Avery traveled to Ledger to play a conference match at Mitchell. Through brutal cold and snowy conditions, the Lady Vikings took a 4-0 lead on the Lady Mountaineers into halftime. Avery continued pouring it on with six additional goals in the first 40 minutes of the second half for a commanding 10-0 win.

Emily Banner tallied a hat trick by midway through the second half for the Lady Vikings as Avery prepares for a home match on Wednesday and a match at North Wilkes on Thursday.

Avery Baseball Rescheduled

The baseball game between Avery and Hampton has been rescheduled for Wednesday at 4:30pm.

ETSU Lady Bucs Fall In NCAA Tournament

The ETSU women’s basketball team saw their outstanding season come to an end on Saturday night after giving Oklahoma State everything they could handle as the Cowgirls advanced to the second round of the NCAA Women’s tournament 85-73.

“There are really no words to describe how proud I am of this team,” Lady Buc coach Karen Kemp said. “They came out and played very hard. My biggest fear going into this game was that we would just be in awe of everything because we were in our first NCAA Tournament. We played really focused. We knew Oklahoma State was a good basketball team. I felt like we came out and gave it everything we had and played a good basketball game.”

The Lady Bucs and Cowgirls traded shots to open the contest as the Lady Bucs took an early 14-11 lead thanks to two Michelle DeVault 3-pointers. However, the Cowgirls went on a 20-7 run to take a 29-17 lead with 7:54 remaining in the half. DeVault hit another 3-pointer to close the gap to 31-22, but the Lady Bucs were unable to gain anymore on Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls took a 41-29 lead at the break.

The Lady Bucs, however, did not give up in the second half. ETSU responded to an Oklahoma State 3-pointer with a 6-0 run to open up the second half. However, the Cowgirls went on a 9-0 run to push their lead to 52-35. Siarre Evans and DeVault 3-pointers gave the Lady Bucs momentum as ETSU pulled within seven points with less than nine minutes remaining. However, the clock worked against the Lady Bucs as they could not get closer to the Cowgirls.

“Credit East Tennessee State, they outcoached and outplayed us tonight,” Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke. “I tried to stress that midmajors such as East Tennessee are very dangerous. ETSU believe in themselves and they believe they can play with anybody. They came out playing very relaxed.”

The Lady Bucs were led by DeVault’s 22 points as she tied a career-high six 3-pointers. Latisha Belcher scored 14 points, while Evans scored 12 points. TaRonda Wiles added 10 points for the Lady Bucs. Oklahoma State was led by All-American Andrea Riley’s 26 points and Maria Cordero added 23 points. The Cowgirls and Lady Bucs were nearly even in rebounding as the Cowgirls won the battle in the paint 46-45. The Lady Bucs also had 17 assists.

The Lady Bucs finished the season by winning 15 of its last 17 games. The team tied a Lady Buc record of 21 victories and captured the first NCAA berth in the program history.

Avery Soccer Match with Polk Postponed

This afternoon's home ladies soccer match with Polk County has been postponed to a later date due to weather.

From the Student Section...I'm Back!

Well, after a few weeks after disappering from the newspaper scene, I am back at it. Here are a few things going on in the world of sports:

• Don't forget to enter the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog's Bracket challenge. Details are listed in yesterday's post.


• It's Tourney Time! The brackets are out, and the matchups are set. There are some really interesting things in this year's bracket. Of course, I want to offer my take on a few of the things that caught my eye.


• The Charlotte Region is probably one of the toughest regions in my opinion. North Carolina got a huge reward by not having to leave the state for their first four games. Tennessee, on the other hand, probably feels like they got a bad deal. Their loss to Arkansas (yes, the same Arkansas that saw Appalachian State beat them in Little Rock) cost them more then they imagined. Most brackets had the Vols as a one seed until that lost. The committee must have taken the Arkansas lost more seriously than expectedas they knocked UT from a one to a weak two seed. Add in Louisville, George Mason, Winthrop and Butler, this region will have some tough games. (However, I do not think that the Vols will suffer a first round defeat at the hand of American University.)


• Some of the lower seeded teams got an unexpected reward on Sunday. There a few lower teams who will play in their home state for the first two rounds. Davidson, a ten seed, faces off against seven seed Gonzaga in North Carolina. In another 7-10 matchup, Butler faces South Alabama in Birmingham. There are examples of that for games in the Sweet 16 that have the same issues if the teams win out. Take the South Region if both Memphis and Texas win out. They will play for the right to advance to the Final Four in Houston. Is it fair?


• Most intriguing games: USC-Kansas State and Drake and Western Kentucky. These two games have the potential to be upsets, but are they really? USC and K-State have the two super freshman, and Drake and WK are two of the top mid-majors this year.


• The past weekend, I was in Bristol enjoying the racing atmosphere. I am hoping to have something posted on my experience later on this week!


• Have a safe and Happy Easter!

Scoreboard Widget added

Keep your brackets updated to-the-second with our newest addition... the NCAA Tournament Scoreboard, from CBS.

The Avery Journal-Times "Mountain Challenge"

The Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog has started a group on ESPN.com for our first ever NCAA Bracket Challenge. All you have to do is open an ESPN.com account (it's free!) and then search for the public group "The Mountain Challenge". The group motto is "The official Group of the Avery Journal-Times." That may help you find it. The winner will get bragging rights and maybe their name and picture in the paper. Invite any and everyone that you want to,no matter where they are at. Good luck to all!

Big Red Women's Soccer Drops First Two Contests of Season at Watauga, Hendersonville

The Avery Lady Vikings tasted the bitterness of defeat for the first time this season on Saturday at Jack Groce Stadium in Boone, as Avery fell by a final score of 3-0.

The Pioneers (2-2, 1-1 NWC) took a 2-0 lead on Avery by halftime and added two goals 10 minutes into the second half in a steady rain. The game was stopped after thunder was heard in the area with about 10 minutes left in the game. Macy Johnson got the Pioneers started against with a goal in the first half. The Pioneers struck quickly in the second half with two goals from Ashlyn Baird and another by Lucy Binning. Both of Baird’s goals were scored off of corner kicks. Binning also had two assists, while Anna Lisa Hart had another.

Avery played shorthanded with only two subs to call upon in the match, but the girls played much improved soccer from the 9-0 shutout against the Lady Pioneers a season ago.

On Monday night, Avery was unable to return to its winning ways in a matchup of top-10 ranked 1A schools in Hendersonville, as the 5th ranked Lady Bearcats handed the 8th ranked Lady Vikings a 3-0 defeat. Avery returns to the pitch on Wednesday when it hosts the 4th ranked Polk Lady Wolverines.

Avery Journal-Times LIVE from... the Girls 1A State Basketball Championship

We're live and Courtside from the Smith Center in Chapel Hill for the 1A girls basketball championship betweeen Pender High School and Bishop McGuinness. We'll be keeping a running tally throughout this afternoon's contest.

12:05 pm - Tip-off. Bishop holds an 8-2 lead early in the first quarter. The Villains are the West Regional champs and are two-time defending state champs.

12:08 pm - Pender scores the last two buckets and trails 8-6 midway through the opening period.

12:15 pm - Pender went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 10 apiece, doing a good job crashing the boards, especially on the offensive end. Bishop's height, particularly Erin Thompson in the middle for the Villains, started making its presence felt late in the quarter. Great fan contingent for both schools, but Pender looks to have a few more fans. End first period... 16-14 Bishop McGuinness.

12:25 pm - Bishop opens the quarter on a 8-2 run to take a 24-16 lead with just under 5:00 left in the half. On a side note, members of both the UNC and Duke women's coaching staff are sitting about five feet behind me on press row carrying on an entertaining conversation.

12:30 pm - Bishop leads 27-17 with 2:26 left in the half. Using its height and press, Bishop has forced a number of Pender turnovers. Bishop has also gotten to the foul line on several occasions in the period

12:35 pm - at halftime its 30-22 Bishop McGuinness, as the teams traded 3's to end the half. On a side note, much thanks to John Rendleman formerly of MTN-TV and now of WWAY-TV in Wilmington for hooking a fella up with a seat on press row to blog from as the NCHSAA neglected to reserve a spot as they'd earlier promised.

HALFTIME STATS

SCORE BISHOP 30 PENDER 22

POINTS BISHOP: RONAN 12 PTs PENDER ROBINSON 12 REBOUNDS

BISHOP: THOMPSON 8

PENDER: SEABROOKS 6 BLAND 6

FG% BISHOP 34.5% PENDER 27.3%

TURNOVERS: BISHOP 6 PENDER 7

12:55 pm - Pender has come out on a run to open the third period, cutting the lead to 33-29 with 4 min. left in the third. Of note, Whitney Knight of Bishop has had at least 4 blocked shots in the game. She is a 6'1" freshman who runs the point and, if Avery folks watched their earlier game with Robbinsville, is very quick and lanky for her size.

12:58 pm - 34-31 Bishop leads by 3 and takes a timeout with 3:01 remaining in the third. Pender has taken momentum in the game and has made every shot difficult for the Villains in the quarter thus far.

1:05 pm -- Bishop gets a break on a call on a loose basketball when a foul is called on Pender. Patriots head coach Gary Battle gets a technical when he slaps the scorers table at disgust over the call. Bishop hits two free throws just prior to the end of the quarter. End 3rd quarter: Bishop 38, Pender 33. Of note: the three officials calling this title game are from WESTERN North Carolina's officiating association, all three of which Avery teams have seen this season.

1:15 pm - 5:41 remaining in the contest. Bishop leads 41-35. The intensity and physicality has picked up here in the final period and it's still anyone's game. Both teams are in a bit of foul trouble as Thompson has 3 fouls and Rembielak has 4 for Bishop, while Seabrooks has 4 for the Lady Patriots.

1:25 pm - Bishop on a 6-0 run has taken a double-digit lead at 47-35 lead with 3:42 to go, earning points at the charity stripe. Pender hs gone cold shooting in the quarter, but have gotten plenty of opportunities to score.

1:32 pm - Pender cuts the lead to 49-41 with a minute left to go. Pender is fouling to try to extend the ballgame.

1:40 pm - Bishop lead by 9 with 30 seconds left, and it appears they will win their third straight 1A state girls title.

1:50 pm - Bishop wins it 56-43. Maggie Ronan led the Lady Villains with 16 points. Erinn Thompson was named MVP after adding 14 points and 19 rebounds. For Pender, Janetta Robinson scored 18 points. Muriel Seabrooks grabbed 18 rebounds. Sequoya Bland scored 10 rebounds and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Avery Middle Takes First Round of Spring Sports Bragging Rights

Avery Middle School and Cranberry Middle School squared off on the diamond for baseball and softball matchups, with the Avery Panthers coming out on top in both contests.

In the softball matchup in Newland, the Lady Panthers pitching staff held the Lady Wildcats bats at bay en route to a win, while starting pitcher AJ Masters went the seven-inning distance in Cranberry, striking out nine hitters while giving up only three runs in a 13-3 victory.

"A.J. throws the ball really well. He has spots where most pitchers might falter, but he bounces back to throw strike after strike. I believe he is one of the league's best," Avery Panthers manager Donnie Johnson said after the win. "We were conservative on the bases on Monday, but I noticed we were more aggressive with our leads. We sent more guys home from third with the ball just getting into the infielders' hands, and the guys did a good job watching the ball come in and getting across. Our kids really gave all they had out there tonight."

Dustin Clark smacked a deep home run over the center field fence as part of a three-run second inning to give Avery the lead for good at 3-2.

Landon Powell pitched five innings for the Wildcats and threw well, giving up very few earned runs in the loss. "Landon pitched pretty well. I believe we just struggled fielding the ball tonight, not knowing where to go with the ball and making some errors and bad throws," Cranberry manager Kent Hayes remarked following the contest.

"Avery Middle put the ball in play, and we didn't do quite as good a job putting the ball in play."

On Monday the Panthers lost a pair of games to East Yancey by scores of 7-0 and 17-9, while Cranberry fell in two contests to Bowman by scores of 7-3 and 9-3 the same evening.

Avery Middle baseball hosts Bowman and Harris next week, while Cranberry travels to Cane River and East Yancey for conference contests.

Lady Vikings Hand Loss to West Wilkes to Remain Perfect

Avery improved its unblemished record to 4-0 on Wednesday evening with a 3-1 victory over the #9 ranked West Wilkes Lady Blackhawks in Millers Creek.

Avery scored each of its goals in the first half of play. The first tally of the evening came on a goal from Katie Peters in the 12th minute coming off an Elyse Perry assist. A second goal came five minutes later courtesy of Mary Chesnut Smith with help from Emily Banner and Melinda Eggers. Following a change in net for West, Peters netted a second goal at the 27-minute mark off an Emily Banner assist, giving Avery a commanding 3-0 halftime lead.

In the second half the Lady Vikings were not able to connect again offensively, but Avery keeper Cailan Calloway had several saves in net. West managed a penalty kick opportunity when a handball was called in the box, but the shot hit the crossbar and rebounded, eventually being cleared by the Big Red.

The Lady Vikings were able to see the entire roster garner minutes on the pitch, particularly in the second half. West scored its only goal of the night at the 70 minute mark to account for the 3-1 final. The match was a physical contest as one Avery player received a yellow card following inadvertent contact with a West player going for a ball, while in a separate incident a Lady Hawks keeper was injured and received medical care.

"Our offense looked really good tonight," Lady Vikings head coach Tom Evaul said after the win. "Our defense was a little off, giving us some scares including the missed PK."

With the win Avery will likely improve on its current #15 ranking. The Lady Vikings travel to Watauga for a match against the neighboring Lady Pioneers on Saturday.

Gragg to Participate in Blue/White All-Star Game

Avery Lady Vikings basketball senior forward Kimberley Gragg has been selected to play in the annual Blue/White Classic. Gragg averaged 12 points and and 9 rebounds a contest this season in helping to lead the Lady Vikings to its first 1A Western Regional in program history.

Gragg is the fourth Lady Viking player to participate in the game over the past three seasons. Former Avery standout Charity Austin was MVP of the 2006 contest, while teammates Kimberly Pitman and Brittney Burleson played in last year's game.

The games are set for Thursday, March 20 at T.C. Roberson High in Skyland. The girls' game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be followed by the boys' game at 9. Below are the full rosters for all four teams for the two contests:

Boys Blue: Chris Vanlandingham (North Henderson), D.J. Clement (Reynolds), Petey Hausley (McDowell), Terrance Kincaid (McDowell), Cole Huskins (Mountain Heritage), Josh Twitty (Polk County), Ian McVay (Owen), Josh Harris (Chase), Brandon Young (R-S Central), Patrick Crouch (Roberson), coach Ken Hines (Chase).

White: Ben Williams (Enka), Jon Brown (Smoky Mountain), C.J. Fortner (Smoky Mountain), Koty Drake (Franklin), Dominique Whiteside (Hendersonville), Caleb Hedden (Erwin), Travis Garrison (Robbinsville), Austin Moore (Pisgah), Zach Hollifield (Pisgah), Jarrod Conard (Pisgah), coach Brian Carver (Enka).

Girls Blue: Kelsea Greene (McDowell), Kurie Washington (McDowell), Morgan McMinn (North Henderson), Stephanie Chapman (Roberson), Gentry Manley (Roberson), Ebonique Hamilton (McDowell), Kim Gragg (Avery County), Samantha Blevins (Mitchell), Latwyella Maxwell (East Rutherford), Areyshea Dunbar (Roberson), coach Larry Ross (East Rutherford).

White: Brandy Deddo (Robbinsville), Emily Raper (Hiwassee Dam), Kristen Cook (Swain County), Rachel Olivo (Enka), Shermia Forney (Asheville), Jena Cabe (Franklin), Evan Moffitt (Franklin), Stephanie Nichols (Blue Ridge), Cayla Cucumber (Smoky Mountain), Brittney Clark (Pisgah), coach Jay Brooks (Franklin).

Tough Night on Diamond for Vikings; Soccer Time Change

The Avery baseball and softball teams played their respective conference openers yesterday evening at Owen High School.

In softball, the Lady Vikings held the talented Owen club scoreless through two innings before the Warlassie bats woke up with a pair of runs in the third and a four-spot in the fourth on the way to a 12-0 victory.

Owen pitcher Allie Brandon struck out nine Vikings and allowed only one hit to give the Warlassies the victory.
Brandon is 3-0 on the year for Owen. Morgan Yackey started the contest for the Big Red on the mound and also pitched in at the plate with a triple.

In baseball, the Avery junior varsity team, in what amounted to basically its second practice of the season which happened to be a regular-season game, was defeated 11-0. Jared Clark and Daniel Huff took the mound in the contest and Avery was able to see live pitching at the plate and get field work that has been scarce through a wet and white winter.

In the varsity contest, Avery's conference opener was an improvement from its 15-0 whitewash against Wilkes Central a week earlier, losing only by a 7-1 final score. Catcher Zac Hall had a single and a double at the plate for two of Avery's four hits in the contest, and scored Avery's lone run on an Owen wild pitch in the top of the fifth. Senior Seth Phillips pitched five innings on the mound, with Chris Childress pitching one inning of relief.

Owen used a four-run fourth inning to put away the game. Warhorse hurler Lewis Fraser (2-1) struck out 12 Vikings and went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Michael Harvin drove in a pair of Owen runs.

Avery had five different runners on base through three innings, but squandered the opportunities as none of the runners crossed the plate. Defense was much improved from the opening contest, as Avery was able to wriggle out of trouble in multiple innings with solid infield play. The Vikings will travel to Hampton on Friday for a non-conference contest against the Bulldogs.

The Avery track and field team was also in action on Tuesday at Owen High School. A number of athletes took part in various running, jumping, and throwing events, and the team will be traveling across the region all spring long in preparation for the season-ending conference, regional, and state meets.

NOTE: The Avery girls soccer team's game this afternoon against #9 ranked West Wilkes WILL BEGIN AT 5:30 p.m., rather than the original 6 pm start time. Avery will be looking to improve to 4-0 with a victory in Miller's Creek.

Lady Vikings Remain Perfect with 1-0 Shutout at Owen

Avery maintained its undefeated record at 3-0 on the young season in winning its conference opener on Monday night against Owen by a 1-0 final score.

The teams played to a scoreless first half, and the contest appeared headed to overtime. But senior Katie Peters picked up the lone goal of the match on a picture-perfect crossing blast from 15 yards out with five minutes remaining.

"We controlled the whole ballgame. They may have had only 2 or 3 shots on goal. We told the team at halftime that the way Owen would beat us would be if we made mistakes, and that we needed to make sure to not make mistakes, and that we would beat them by attacking the goal as we had done throughout the first half," Avery coach Tom Evaul said after the win. "We got the one goal we needed from Katie, who often seems to turn and shoot a ball that goes about anywhere but where she wants it to go. When she turned to shoot I thought it might go over toward the activity bus or somewhere, but she must have turned herself just perfectly as she shot a beautiful shot into the goal. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of shot, but we're thrilled with the goal and for the win."

Avery's young squad continues to show great talent and chemistry should do nothing but continue to improve as the season goes on.

"The young girls have stepped up and that has made our experienced players feel comfortable with what we have on the field and confident with them," the coach added. "We didn't have this chemistry last year or the year before. We're adding a couple of more players Tuesday which should really help us offensively, and I'm really pleased with how the girls are communicating and enjoying playing the game together."

The win gives the Lady Vikings its second-best start to a season in program history, and the team looks to keep up its winning ways going with two more matches this week, on Wednesday at West Wilkes and on Saturday at Watauga. (NOTE: The scheduled time for the West Wilkes match is currently set at 6 pm, but the time MAY be changed to 5 p.m. We'll try to pass along the correct time for the start of that match as soon as we get confirmation on it).

Carolina at Duke- The Showdown

To get everyone pumped up more about the Carolina-Duke game, I thought I would share a video from ESPN that I found on Youtube. Enjoy!

2A Basketball Playoff Update - Mitchell Girls Eliminated by East Davidson

The final Western Highlands Conference team alive in playoff action, the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers, were defeated tonight by East Davidson by a final of 63-55. Laken Norris scored 18 points for the Lady Mountaineers, while WHC Player of the Year Samantha Blevins added 16 and Corie Peterson added 13 points. Anna Freeman led East Davidson with 27 points. East Davidson will advance to take on Salisbury in the Regional Final on Saturday.

Lady Vikings Soccer Improves to 2-0

(JEFFERSON) The Avery Lady Vikings soccer team remained undefeated with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Ashe County in Jefferson Thursday evening.

Ashe County scored in the latter stages of the opening half on a clear but cool evening to lead 1-0 at halftime. After making adjustments at the half, Avery came out more determined and active on the offensive half of the field, putting pressure on an Ashe squad. Around the 65th minute of the match, Avery freshman Mary Chesnut Smith slipped a shot to the right of the Huskies keeper for the equalizer to tie up the match.

With 8:20 remaining in the match, a Brianna Strange shot deflected off the Ashe keeper. Freshman Melinda Eggers alertly was on the spot to blast the rebound into the back of the net for the eventual game winning goal.

"We talked at halftime about not backing down against the bigger, more experienced girls from Ashe," head coach Tom Evaul said after the win. "We told the girls to not back down in the second half and to take the game to them. We made a couple of changes and changed our frontline to a 3-3 instead of a 2-4 which gave us a little more offense, and that seemed to work for us. We've asked Mary Chesnut to take shots for us when they are available to her, and she took a shot which worked well. We're really proud of the girls' effort tonight."

Although Avery is a relatively young squad with around 8 freshman players, the club shows experience and savvy which belies its age. Meanwhile, a number of returning players provide leadership which as the season continues will gel the Lady Vikings into a dangerous team on the pitch.

"I remember when the sisters of Melinda, Mary Chesnut, and Emily (Banner) were playing. In no way do I mean to upset those former players who may read this, but this group of freshmen is by far the best group of freshmen we've had come in as far as knowledge of the ball, knowledge of the field, the way they play the field, passing the ball," Coach Evaul commented. "I'm just really pleased with this group of freshmen. Our younger girls who are inexperienced have done a really good job considering they really haven't played. The past two games have helped us a lot but we still have a ways to go, but we'll also be mixing in the basketball players who we'll soon have joining us full-time and I believe we'll be ahead of schedule in terms of where we want to be as a team."

NOTE: The Avery home match against Owen originally scheduled for this Monday has been changed to a road game, as the team will instead now travel to Swannanoa for their conference opener next week.

Avery Journal Times Live from...Regional Semifinal

7:45: Greetings! The Avery Journal-Times is in Winston-Salem to cover the Lady Vikings showdown with Chatham Central. Due to lack of wireless internet at the game site, Jamie will be unable to blog from Winston. However, I will be updating and blogging during this game from Avery County. We have worked out a system where I will be able to blog and will have updated information here as soon as it comes in to me from Jamie. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at averysports@yahoo.com

The Lady Vikings are scheduled to tip off at 8:30pm. The game before pitted Bishop McGuinness and Robbinsville. Bishop is leading at the half 42-18 as they have shot an impressive 51% (19 of 37) from the floor. Robbinsville shot 25% (5 of 20) in the half. Brittany Cox is leading the way for Bishop with 11 pts. while Brandy Deddo has 12 pts. and 10 rebounds for Robbinsville. Check back for more details from this game and the updates on the Avery-Chatham Central Contest!

The contest by the Numbers:
24 - number of points Chatham Central defeated East Surry to reach Wednesday's contest.
25.3 - the average # of points Avery has defeated opponents by in its first three rounds of playoff competition.
30 - rebounds for the combination of Gragg and Ellis in Friday's Sectional final victory.
57- combined point total for triple-threat tandem of Bolton (25), Courie (14) and Varkey (18) in the Lady Bears' Friday night sectional win over East Surry.
79.6 - points per game generated by the Avery offense over the past three contests.

8:02: End of the third quarter Bishop is continuing to control the contest as they lead 58-24 at the end of the third quarter.

8:30: Bishop has taken the victory as they cruised past Robbinsville 69-35. Bishop was led by Erin Thompson's 16 points and Brittany Cox's 13 points. Bishop shot 28 of 55 (50%) while Robbinsville shot 12 of 43 (28%). Robbinsville was led by Brandy Deddo's 12 points and 11 rebounds. UP NEXT: The Lady Vikings take on Chatham Central!

AVERY vs. CHATHAM CENTRAL
9:00: The first quarter is in the books and the Avery Lady Vikings are leading Chatham Central 12-8. They are just now heading into the second quarter and will keep you updated as the game rolls along.
9:20: Chatham Central used a 19-6 run in the second quarter to erase a five point Avery lead, and Chatham Central leads 31-23 at the half. Avery is led by Kim Gragg who has 9 points and 8 rebounds so far. Becca Fulton has 18 of Chatham's 31 points. We will have some offical numbers in a minute from Winston-Salem.
9:25: Some offical stats. Avery shot 8 of 35 (23%) from the floor, while Chatham Central shot 13 of 29 (45%). Joy Jennings is Avery's second leading scorer as she has 7 points. Sapna Varkey has 9 pts. and 5 rebounds for Chatham. A huge stat for the Lady Vikings are Chatham Central has outscored Avery in the paint 14-6. We will keep you updated during the second half.
9:45: Chatham opened the second half on a 14-4 run to lead by as many as 20. Avery's Samantha Shook hit a 3-pointer to close the gap to 14 points and the Lady Vikings trail 52-38 going into the fourth quarter.
10:00: Avery trails 60-45 with 4:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.
10:15: The Lady Vikings fell 68-53 in a hard fought battle. We will have offical stats and some more info from Winston-Salem in just a few minutes.
10:30: The Avery Lady Vikings were led by Kim Gragg's 17 points, Joy Jennings 13 points, and Hayley Pyatte's 11 points. They cut the Chatham Central led to 63-53 late in the contest, but Chatham was able to shoot free throws down the stretch. Chatham was led by Becca Bolton's season high 33 points, and Sapne Varkey had 21 points.
10:45: That is a wrap for my blogging tonight. Jamie will have a recap of the game in next week's print paper and also on here later this week. I hope you enjoyed our coverage and hope you keep checking back. -Matt
Congratulations to the Avery Lady Vikings for an excellent season.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Breakdown of Wednesday's Regional Semifinal: Avery v. Chatham Central

In football-esque style, I thought it might be of interest to preview Wednesday's Regional Semifinal contest. Hopefully these notes will be informative and insightful.

On Wednesday night Avery (23-7) travels to Winston-Salem to take on the Chatham Central Lady Bears (26-2). The game marks Avery's first trip to the 1A Girls Western Regional, while Chatham Central has been regional champions on three occasions (1986, 1999, and 2000). Avery defeated Swain and Hiwassee Dam in Sectional Semis and Final contests to reach Regionals, while Chatham defeated East Surry and River Mill to earn a berth to Wednesday's showdown.

Scouting the Lady Bears:

The Chatham Central Lady Bears are members of the Yadkin Valley 1A Conference and are located at Bear Creek, just southeast of Siler City. The team is coached by Gerald Binkley and team colors are red and white. The team finished as co-champions in the YVC and are paced by a trio of players in Becca Bolton (17.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 5.5 apg), Sienna Courie (11.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg), and Sapna Varkey (10.3 ppg, 4.2 apg).

Chatham Central will use a mixture of defenses, but the coach explained at Monday's press luncheon that the team has relied greatly upon a zone defense the past 3-4 years.

The Low Down:

Avery's task will not be a simple one in upending the Lady Bears on Wednesday, but this team would not have it any other way. The Lady Vikings are well coached and boast five players that average over 8 points per contest, with Kimberley Gragg averaging double figures in both scoring and rebounding.

For Avery to win Wednesday, they must play sharply for much of the contest. The team missed a number of easy shots (admittedly due to nerves) to open the Hiwassee Dam contest, a feat which they will need to avoid repeating against the Lady Bears.

Chatham Central has faced pressure defenses from Thomasville, a conference foe which they played three times this season. However, the Lady Bears will likely not have faced a team with the depth, team speed, and defensive discipline that this year's Avery team possesses. Avery's defense MUST generate turnovers and easy scoring opportunities to earn a spot in Saturday's regional final. Expect senior leaders Gragg, Laura Lacey, and Joy Jennings to each continue playing key roles as they have throughout this year's playoff run.

By the Numbers:

24 - number of points Chatham Central defeated East Surry to reach Wednesday's contest.

25.3 - the average # of points Avery has defeated opponents by in its first three rounds of playoff competition.

30 - rebounds for the combination of Gragg and Ellis in Friday's Sectional final victory.

57- combined point total for triple-threat tandem of Bolton (25), Courie (14) and Varkey (18) in the Lady Bears' Friday night sectional win over East Surry.

79.6 - points per game generated by the Avery offense over the past three contests.

A full recap and details of Wednesday's Regional Semifinal will be posted shortly following Wednesday night's contest.

Lady Vikings take on Lady Bears of Chatham Central in Regional Semis, Special Broadcast to Air on WECR-AM

The Avery Lady Vikings will be playing the Lady Bears of Chatham Central High School on Wednesday night at 8:30 pm in the second of 2 regional semifinals held at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem. The first contest will pit the Robbinsville Black Knights and the 2-time defending state champion Bishop McGuinness Lady Villains at 7 p.m.

Chatham Central enters Wednesday's contest with a 26-2 record overall and were co-champions of the Yadkin Valley 1A conference.

In other news, WECR-AM 1130 will be airing a special entitled "Viking Pride", a 15-minute show previewing this week's regional semifinals, hosted by Yours Truly, with coaches interviews conducted at today's Coaches Press Conference and Luncheon held at Lawrence Joel Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem.

Keep checking in with the blog for full coverage of this week's Western Regionals!