Saturday Gameday

8:00am: Good Morning! We hope all is well on what is going to be a beautiful Saturday. It is second day of a very busy weekend for us at the Journal Sports. It is going to be hard to top last night's Avery victory, but we are going to try that today. The Mountaineers and Volunteers both have home games today, and we are going to have you covered. Jamie is going to be in Boone as the #2 Apps host #12 Citadel for Homecoming. That kickoff is at 3:00, and is going to be on Sportsouth. Jamie may have his famous game blog here. After that game, the Volunteers of Tennessee host the Huskies of Northern Illinois with kickoff at 7:07pm. That game is Pay Per View, but I will be there to bring you the story (an Avery Journal-Times Blog Exclusive). Due to NCAA and SEC regulations, we will be limited to how many times I can update, but I will do my best. Keep checking back for more analysis and updates. Thanks!

Some Notes:
Johnathon Crompton has been replaced as the starter for the Vols. The embattled quarterback will be the second string QB tonight as Nick Stephens got the nod. Coach Phillip Fulmer would not rule out that both QBs would see action, but stated it would be ideal if Stephens fit in nicely and they never look back. UT enters the contest 1-3 and 0-2 in SEC play.

CHS Update: A Look at the Stats Through Week Five

The Highlanders have hit the midway point of the season, and with that brings their bye week. Below are Stats of the Highlanders through last Friday's North Greene game. Thanks to the Cloudland coaching staff for the statistics.
Rushing

Matthew Tipton has 622 yards on 82 carries with 14 touchdowns. Randall Johnson has just under 100 carries with 99 and has 675 yards and 12 touchdowns. Lucas Clawson, who sat out of the North Greene game due to injury, has 95 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown. Logan Morgan has 102 yards on six touches with three touchdowns. WR/CB Nick Sluder has carried the ball three times for a gain of seven yards. Tony Chambers has two carries for 15 yards, while Seth Miller has 12 yards on three carries. Trey Hitechew had a breakout gain against North Greene as he had his only touchdown of the year, and has 49 yards on five carries. Matt Cole has 32 yards and Pritchard has 25 yards from the North Greene Contest.

Passing

Johnson has made the leap from wide receiver to quarterback successfully as he is 49 of 72 for 839 yards with eight interceptions and five touchdowns, in addition to his rushing statistics. Miller has two attempts with one completion for 12 yards.

Receiving

Seth Houtsma has been the favorite target of the season as he as 16 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Houtsma has a long of 79 yards. Sluder has an impressive 134 yards on six catches with one touchdown, while Jacob Julian has 55 yards on four catches. Morgan is three yards short of 100 on the season with 97 yards on six catches and has added two touchdowns. Tipton has 86 yards on six catches. Oliver has 29 yards and Jacob McKinney has 26 yards so far this season.

The Highlanders are averaging 18 first downs per game, and have 90 so far this season. They have fumbled 12 times and lost them six times. Penalties has been a major problem Coach Turbyfill has had to address as the 'Landers have 46 penalties for 485 yards.

Defensive Stats

The 'Lander defense has allowed 925 yards on 181 carries and 97 points and 67 first downs. They have caused five fumbles and recovered two. The 'Lander secondary has forced seven interceptions including touchdowns by Johnson, Morgan and Sluder. Houtsma has four sacks, while Stevens and Tipton have 1 ½ sacks. Julian has two sacks while Chambers and Cody Presnell each have added one sack. Cloudland has 10 sacks so far this season.

Wildcats Defeat Panthers in Brad King Bowl Shootout

Tuesday night's 26th annual Brad King Bowl football contest between the Avery Middle School Panthers and the Cranberry Wildcats was an offensive showcase.

The two teams combined for the highest scoring game in Bowl history, lighting up the scoreboard at MacDonald Stadium for a whopping 102 points. Cranberry took the lead first and never surrendered it for the remainder of the evening as they upended the Panthers by the final score of 60-42.

Tuesday's game, the 26th game honoring the memory of former Avery County football player Brad King whose young life was claimed by cancer as a youth, was a showcase for the game's Most Valuable Players in Cranberry's Bryce Pittman and Avery's Chase Buchanan. Pittman scored a game record seven touchdowns in the contest, ranging from 11 yards to 47 yards and also had an interception on defense. The Wildcat running back gained 183 yards on touchdown carries alone. Avery's Buchanan found the end zone on four separate occasions with pass completions from quarterback Chance Watson.

Cranberry led 14-0 after the first quarter of action and 22-6 at halftime. Following the intermission highlighted by performances from the cheerleading squads of both schools, teams resumed play for the second half.

Avery cut the lead to 22-12 on its first drive of the third quarter as Watson connected with Buchanan for a five yard screen pass score. Cranberry's Dustin Ruppard added his name to the scoring column with a 12 yard touchdown run. A Jonah Tenge conversion run gave the Wildcats a 30-12 advantage.

The Panthers refused to fold as the Watson/Buchanan combo struck for a 54-yard touchdown strike. A conversion run was successful to reduce the lead to 30-20 at the end of three quarters.

For an already high scoring contest, the offensive fireworks were only beginning. A total of 52 points were scored in the final eight minutes of action. Bryce Pittman saved his best for last, racing for four touchdowns over the final quarter of play. After a 15-yard Pittman scamper to give the Wildcats a 36-20 lead, Avery's Rob Wood took the ensuing kickoff 68 yards for a score to narrow the lead back to one possession at 36-28.

The teams traded scores three additional times in the period before a 42-yard touchdown from Pittman and a Tenge conversion run accounted for the 60th and final points of the evening.

Both coaches were proud of their teams for continuing to play hard from the opening kickoff to the final whistle, and they hope the game will serve as a springboard as playoffs begin next week.

"I knew this would be a tough ballgame. This Avery team would be putting the ball in the air, and our pass defense wasn't the best in the world," Cranberry head coach Richard Sheppard said following his team's victory. "Bryce is an exceptional player for us and teams are keying on him, but he keeps running hard. We challenged him before the game to give us a great performance and he did so. Of course he couldn't have had the success without the line up front, and they did a great job opening holes. We look forward to seeing these eighth graders next year in high school. It is a special win to say that Cranberry won the Brad King Bowl, and I'm awfully proud of these kids."

"It was exciting to the end. Both teams played really hard," Avery head coach Donnie Johnson remarked after the game. "This was the best our boys played all season, and I believed they could do this all year. Tonight I think they did a good job, and I don't think they could have played any better than they played tonight. We need to do better defensively, and we made some plays, but they just seemed to outlast us."

The best part of the game Tuesday night was how players and fans were able to support a pair of local families. The Brad Jones family and the Cody Buchanan family have faced difficult medical predicaments, and a total of $2,389 from the game was split between the two families to assist with their ongoing medical expenses.

Cranberry travels to take on Cane River in the first round of the Toe River Conference playoffs next Tuesday, while Avery travels to take on Bowman Middle School.

Vols Start Open Quarterback Competition

Courtesy of utsports.com

Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer said Sunday that competition for the starting quarterback position is open.

The Vols are coming off a 14-12 loss at Auburn in which they completed 8-of-24 passes for 67 yards and fell to 1-3 overall, 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference.

"We are disappointed in the loss," Fulmer said after Sunday night's brief workout inside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center. "Watching the tape, our guys laid it on the line and gave great effort. We just couldn't find a way to get 10-20 yards closer to kick a field goal.

"Daniel (Lincoln) was kicking the ball well and I'm just certain if we'd gotten it down there we would have had a chance to win that thing at the end."

The eight completions were the fewest by the Vols since completing eight in the 2004 SEC Championship Game against Auburn, and the 67 passing yards were the fewest since UT threw for only 64 in a 20-17 overtime win against Florida in 1998.

In addition, Tennessee gained only 191 total offensive yards for the program's lowest output since tallying 170 in a 10-6 win at Miami in 2003.

Fulmer said Jonathan Crompton is responding well to the renewed competition.

"The only way I know for sure is what they do on the practice field. He came out tonight, did just fine and operated very well. We've just got to be a lot better than 8-for-24 (as a team).

"We expect Nick (Stephens) to compete and he did fine. Both of them have their strengths and both of them need to use those strengths and minimize their weaknesses everywhere they can."

Tennessee hosts Northern Illinois (2-2) this Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m., with the Vol Network carrying the radio broadcast and VideoSeat providing the pay-per-view telecast.

There's a lot of good football left to be played and certainly a good season yet to be had," Fulmer said. "If tonight's practice, and especially the two-minute drill, was any example of their concentration and focus, we'll be just fine. They got after it pretty good tonight."

Big Half Propels Mountaineers

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

BOONE, N.C. — No. 3 Appalachian State University rolled up 407 yards of offense in the second half en route to 31 unanswered points and a 48-14 triumph over visiting Presbyterian at rainy Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Four dropped passes and lapses in all three phases of the game punctuated a sloppy first half for Appalachian (2-2), as it led just 17-14 at halftime. Walter Payton Award candidate Armanti Edwards was perhaps the lone bright spot for ASU in the first half as he surpassed his season high for passing yards midway through the second quarter on his way to 220 yards through the air before the break. His yardage total and completion percentage (12-of-21) would have been even higher if not for the four costly drops.

Despite the inefficient play throughout much of the first half, the Mountaineers rebounded from a 7-0 deficit less than two minutes into the game to take a 17-7 lead early in the second period. It appeared as though the Apps would take the 10-point advantage into the locker room, but the Blue Hose marched 80 yards in six plays, capped by a 31-yard touchdown connection from Tim Webb to Terrance Butler with 49 seconds remaining in the half that brought PC within three points.

In the second half, it was all Appalachian. Three-hundred-and-sixty-seven of ASU’s 407 yards after the break came on the ground, highlighted by two touchdown runs apiece by running back Devin Radford and backup quarterback DeAndre Presley.

Radford was especially impressive, torching the Blue Hose for 251 all-purpose yards (179 rushing, 72 receiving) and three total touchdowns (a 72-yard pass from Edwards and runs of two and one yards).

The Mountaineer defense held up its end of the bargain by keeping the Hose off the scoreboard in the second half. The Apps limited PC’s high-octane offense to just 151 yards in the second half and intercepted four passes on the evening, including two by cornerback Cortez Gilbert. Middle linebacker Jacque Roman also picked off a pass and led all players with 12 tackles.

Butler paced Presbyterian’s offensive attack with 12 catches for 164 yards while Webb completed 35-of-57 passes for 372 yards.

Appalachian opens Southern Conference play next Saturday with a huge league tilt versus 13th-ranked The Citadel (3-1, 1-0 SoCon). ASU’s homecoming kickoff is set for 3 p.m. and will be televised live on SportSouth.

NOTES: Appalachian won for the 37th time in its last 38 home games ... the win was ASU’s 16th-straight in games immediately following a loss ... the Mountaineers have not lost back-to-back games since setbacks to Hawaii and Eastern Kentucky to open the 2003 season and have played 69 games since it last dropped two-in-a-row ... Appalachian finished 2-2 in the non-conference portion of its schedule, avoiding its first losing record versus non-conference opponents since it went 1-2 in non-conference action in ‘03 ... the 72-yard connection from Edwards to Radford matched ASU’s longest play of the season ... with 256 yards of total offense, Edwards became only the fifth player in Southern Conference history with 7,500 yards of total offense in a career ... only a junior, Edwards already ranks third on the SoCon’s all-time total offense list with 7,747 total yards for his career ... Edwards’ 220 first-half passing yards were the fourth-most in a single half in his career ... Radford’s three-touchdown performance marked the 10th three-touchdown effort by a Mountaineer in the past 15 games ... kicker Jason Vitaris booted two field goals, including a career-long 46-yarder in the third quarter ... RB Robert Welton, LDE Lanston Tanyi and RCB Jared Reine all made their first-career starts.

Tennessee Falls to Auburn- Coach Fulmer Postgame Quotes

Tennessee Volunteer Coach Phillip Fulmer spoke to the media after his team's 14-12 loss to #12 Auburn on Saturday. Quotes are courtesy of utsports.com.

"It goes without saying that it was a very disappointing loss. I congratulate Auburn on their win. I think the defense played outstanding for most of the afternoon. Offensively, we were stuck. The second half, the defense gave us good field position and opportunities, especially with the punts and punt returns, and we didn't get anything out of it. To play offense, you have to execute and that is first and foremost. I don't think this team has lost its spirit at all. I think we have good leadership and its growing all the time. Adversity will challenge us and we will see where we really stand.

"It is very disappointing to get that kind of effort out of our defense and our kicking game and not get a win. Auburn has an outstanding football team and we need to do much better to win."

On Tennessee's possible quarterback changes
"It is something that we have to look at in every position on the field. Tomorrow, and as the week goes on, we will break down film. Eight-for-24 is unacceptable. We need to be sure that he [Jonathan Crompton] is finding the receivers and getting the ball to the people who make plays for us."

On his frustrations with Crompton
"I don't want to put a loss on any one particular guy. We play as a team, win as a team and lose as a team. On the same token, we have to look at everything we can do to make the team feel better when it's not. That's where I'll leave that until we get a chance to look at the tape and see."

On the goal line fumble
"Until I really see the film, I can't really answer that. From what the guys saw on TV, they said Arian [Foster] had his elbow up too high. I'll have to look at it on tape. Obviously that is a huge play in the game."

On making improvements
"We played a better defensive team than we did last week and that is not to take anything away from Florida. We played on the road [today]. We handled ourselves, in a lot of ways, better in regards to mistakes. That one mistake is enough to get you beat by a good team. We have to keep working, burn the midnight oil as coaches, and get it across to the players what needs to be done. If changes need to be made, I'm not afraid to make them."

AJ-T SPORTS LIVE FROM.... KIDD BREWER STADIUM

Tonight the Appalachian State Mountaineers look to bounce back from last week's difficult 35-32 loss to James Madison as they host the Presbyterian Blue Hose. We'll be providing in-game updates throughout this evening's contest, also throwing out some random thoughts, musings, and ramblings along the way.

6:55 PM -- The National Anthem has been played and players are preparing to take the field. The game time temp is around 63 degrees, and there is a steady rain falling on the turf, which might make for a fumble or two this evening.

A couple of quick notes: Mountaineer starting running back Devon Moore and defensive lineman Tony Robertson are both out for tonight's game as well as the foreseeable future (at least six weeks) according to ASU SID Mike Flynn. Both players may be seeking a medical redshirt, which indicates the seriousness of their injuries from last week's loss.

7:10 PM -- Presbyterian took the opening kickoff to the ASU 45, picked up two additional big plays. a 7 play, 43 yard scoring drive resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Chetyuane Reeder. The successful PAT puts the Blue Hose surprisingly ahead 7-0 at the 13:07 mark of the first period.

7:15 PM - App begins its first drive around its own 40-yard line. Former Avery WR Josh Johnson caught a pass on the first play of a drive which moved downfield 59 yards over six plays and took just 1:41. A three yard run by running back Robert Welton ties the game at 7-7 with 11:19 on the clock. A player familiar to Avery fans, former Polk County QB/WR Derrick Overholt, is on the Presbyterian roster.

7:30 PM - Presbyterian picked up a couple of first downs but were forced to punt. Appalachian's next drive featured a pair of catches by tight end Ben Jorden which put the Mountaineers in the Blue Hose red zone. A pair of runs by QB Armanti Edwards moved App inside the 5-yard line. A third down pass to BJ Frazier was dropped in the end zone. A field goal attempt sailed wide right no good, negating a strong 10 play, 69 yard drive. Score still stands at 7-7.

Presbyterian has been impressive thus far offensively in the early going, using a five-wideout spread offense to open up the field. A third down sack by ASU DE Lanston Tanyi stalled a P.C. drive, forcing the Hose to punt again. The Blue Hose defense stands tall in forcing a 3-and-out from ASU. After one quarter, score tied at 7-7.

7:45 PM - An amazing scramble results in a 72-yard touchdown pass to Devin Radford, capping a 3 play, 77 yard drive. 14:04 left in the half. ASU leads for the first time, 14-7. Presbyterian's first play following the touchdown results in an interception by App defender Cortez Gilbert, setting up the Mountainers with the football at the PC 26 yard line. The Mountaineers were forced by the Presbyterian defense to settle for a 37-yard Jason Vitaris field goal. Appalachian 17, Presbyterian 7, 12:30 remaining in the half.

8:00 PM -- Presbyterian punts on its next series, giving ASU field position near midfield. Appalachian again is unable to move the football on the Presbyterian defense and has to punt. PC takes over at their own 20 yard line. 6:28 left before halftime, ASU leads 17-7.

8:15 PM - Presyberterian moves the football to near ths ASU 30, but fails on a fourth down pass play, giving the ball back to the Mountaineers. Appalachian has definitely looked off-kilter for much of the first half. Credit the Blue Hose defense for playing a quality half thus far. Other than the 72-yard touchdown pass, this is a one field goal game. App will need to get all pistons firing in sync to pull away from Presbyterian in what has to thus far be labeled a major surprise. App is unable to do anything with its possession and kicks back to the Blue Hose. 2:15 left in the 2nd qtr.

8:20 PM -- With 49.3 seconds left in the half, Presbyterian gets on the board with a 6 play 80 yard drive. A 31 yard touchdown pass from Tim Webb to Terrance Butler with the extra point cuts the ASU lead to 17-14.

8:25 PM - Armanti Edwards completes a pass for 25 or so yards to Josh Johnson, but he fumbles on the tackle and the Blue Hose recovers with 8 seconds left. A big pass play goes down to the App 30, but time runs out. Halftime score 17-14 Appalachian State.

8:50 PM -- Back for second half action at Kidd Brewer. Appalachian has marched with its first drive to the Presbyterian 29 yard line. The drive stalls, but Jason Vitaris adds a second field goal for the game, a career-long 46-yard kick to put the Mountaineers ahead 20-14 with 11:33 left in the period.

9:10 PM -- Presbyterian drove 60 yards on its ensuing drive and was eventually stalled at the 18 yard line. The Blue Hose attempted a fake field goal, but the Mountaineers snuffed out the play and a pass play fell incomplete, giving the ball back to the Black and Gold with 6:41 left in the third and leading 20-14.

The Mountaineers are on the scoreboard again. A 51-yard run by Radford set up a two yard plunge on the next play by Radford. The drive took less than a minute and covered 82 yards. Radford has over 100 yards rushing for the game as the Black and Gold leads by a 27-14 score with 5:43 remaining in the third quarter.

Presbyterian was pinned deep in its own territory on its ensuing possession and held to a three-and-out. Following the punt, Armanti Edwards scrambled for a 25-yard gain to the PC 24-yard line, but was taken down on a hard tackle, shaking up Edwards on the play. Trainers had to help tote the quarterback off who was favoring a leg, bringing in backup freshman QB DeAndre Presley.

9:20 PM -- Appalachian is back in the end zone. Sophomore RB Devin Radford pushes across from one yard out to push the lead up to 34-14 with 2:56 left in the quarter. A 4-play, 51 yard drive consumed 1:03 off the clock.

INJURY UPDATE: QB Armanti Edwards suffered an ankle injury but is likely to return to the game, according to the press box. Good news for the Black and Gold that nothing serious occurred on the earlier tackle.

Presbyterian's next offensive drive moved 55 yards, but a fourth down play came up inches short, giving the ball back to the ASU offense. A 12-yard carry by Radford ends the quarter with ASU leading 34-14 after three.

Two plays into the fourth quarter, DeAndre Presley runs in another touchdown, a five-yard jaunt to boost the App lead to 41-14 with 14:04 left in the game.

Presbyterian's next offensive series ends with a Cortez Gilbert interception. App's defense has pitched a shutout thus far in the second half, as it appears that the coaching staff will keep Edwards on the sideline for the remainder of this one, given the score of the game. The Mountaineers fumble the football back to the Blue Hose near its own 40-yard line. but get it back three plays later on a Jacque Roman interception with 11:19 left.

On a weekend that has seen its fair share of upsets (Florida, Miami, USC, Georgia, and so forth), Appalachian did not number themselves among that group, using a strong second half to pull away from a pesky Presbyterian team. Appalachian will hope to keep its winning ways going with next week's home game to open conference play against The Citadel.

9:55 PM -- Icing on the cake for the Mountaineers as Presley sails across the goal line from three yards out for the touchdown. The PAT puts ASU ahead 48-14 with 7:59 left in the contest.
10:05 PM -- ASU's Mark LeGree intercepts a pass near the goal line to again deny a Presbyterian score. 5:47 remains in this one, with the score 48-14. The pick is ASU's fourth in the game, a season-high. The attendance of the game this evening: 28,405. A good turnout for a rainy and cool Saturday night.

Presbyterian's latest possession saw former all-state Polk County player Derrick Overholt get action. One pass was thrown his way, but was incomplete. Final update on Armanti Edwards is that the all-conference quarterback is officially listed as day-to-day and will be re-evaluated on Sunday.

10:10 PM -- And this game is in the books! Mountaineers win 48-14. After a slow start the Apps get back on the winning track. Thanks for following along and reading the Blog!

Vikings Lead Early, Falter Late in Loss to Warhorses

The Avery Vikings dropped Friday's conference opener against the Owen Warhorses in Swannanoa by a final score of 23-14.

Avery led 14-0 until midway through the second quarter and 14-6 at halftime. Three turnovers via fumble in the second half and 17 unanswered Owen points spelled defeat for the Big Red, who currently stand at 0-5 overall, with an 0-1 mark in conference play.

The Big Red returns to the gridiron on October 3rd for its annual Homecoming game against the West Henderson Falcons. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Vikings Open Conference Play against Resurgent Warhorses

Following an open week to heal bumps and bruises and regroup, the Avery Vikings (0-4) open conference play Friday night in Swannanoa against the rival Owen Warhorses (1-3). While Avery rested during its off week, Owen hosted Enka on Friday night, winning its first game of the season by a final score of 41-14. Avery won last year’s meeting on Homecoming in a thriller at MacDonald Stadium by the final score of 28-21.

Scouting the Warhorses:
The Owen Warhorses are coached by long-time head coach Ken Ford and is coming off a 7-4 record in 2007, with a 4-2 mark in conference play. The team just missed a sixth straight conference championship a season ago. Only eight lettermen returned to this year’s club, with only three starters on offense and defense, likely a key contributor to the team’s slow start.

Owen runs a Pro-I style offense and uses a base 4-4 defense to stop opponents. The Warhorses are young at many of its skill positions, but its offensive line returns the majority of its experience and has been relied upon to carry the rest of the club in the early season.
The Warhorses had a successful 9-1 junior varsity team a season ago and leans greatly upon a number of those athletes, hoping they mature quickly to continue the winning tradition established in the Black Mountain area.

Owen is led by a small core of seniors, including Josh Leake (6’2”, 315 lb. OL/DL) who was second team All-Conference, honorable mention All-Conference linebacker Adam Greenspan, All-Conference linebacker Seth Blankenship (5’11”, 175 lbs.), and wide receiver Robert Barker.
Senior Cody Craig (6’2”, 195 lbs.; 10 of 52 passing, 149 yards, 2 TD, 1INT in 2008) has emerged as the starting quarterback after battling with sophomore Kaleb Fowler in summer camp for the position.

A junior who has emerged as the offensive juggernaut for the Warhorses is RB/LB Adam Coleman (5’10”, 155 lb.). Coleman has rushed for 330 yards and five touchdowns thus far this season. Others running out of the Warhorse backfield include Cedric Johnson, Logan Newhouse, and Austin Myers.

The Low Down:
Avery demonstrated in its last game against Johnson County that it can have success running the football. The defense has been improving steadily with each game, but a handful of big plays have crippled chances for victory.

For the Vikings to leave Swannanoa with a victory this week, they will need a healthy Adam Pate, who pulled a hamstring in the fourth play of the game two weeks ago against the Johnson County Longhorns. Pate rested during much of the bye week to heal up for the Warhorses.
If Avery can limit the Warhorse running game keyed by the Owen backfield of Coleman and Myers, it will give itself an opportunity to start the conference season on a positive note and earn its first win of 2008.

By the Numbers:
3- rushing touchdowns by Owen’s Andy Coleman in last Friday’s 41-14 win over Enka.
7- pass receptions by Johnson County receiver Christian Prudhomme for 113 yards in Avery’s 27-14 loss to the Longhorns on September 12th.
83- yards rushing by Ethan Sluder in Avery’s last contest against Johnson County.
195- yards rushing by the Vikings in their last game against Johnson County.
216- yards in total offense gained by Avery QB Adam Pate in last season’s win over the Warhorses.
263- yards rushing on 40 attempts by Owen in last week’s win over Enka.

Read the Journal-Times next week for a recap of this week’s game with Owen, as well as a preview of next Friday’s home game against West Henderson.

Interview with Owen head coach Kenny Ford

Click the link above for a brief interview with Owen head coach Kenny Ford discussing tonight's game with Avery.

Exclusive Interview with Vikings head coach Darrell Brewer prior to Owen game

Click the blog post title above for our exclusive interview leading up to Friday night's game against the Owen Warhorses to open up the conference season.

Former Bobcat Troy Brown Announces Retirement from NFL

On Thursday morning, New England Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown and the New England Patriots held a press conference to announce Brown's retirement from the National Football League.

Brown retired after 15 seasons with the New England Patriots in which he set a team record for most receptions (557), punt returns (252) and punt return yardage (2,625), and second in reception yardage (6,366) and seasons (16) with the team, behind former quarterback Steve Grogan.

Brown has a Division I-AA championship ring from his senior season at Marshall University, where he made All-America twice and had his jersey number retired.
He helped Blackville-Hilda High School in South Carolina win the Class A title his senior season, in 1988, earning all-state honors. His jersey is retired there, too.

The wide receiver, who hasn't played this season, made the announcement at a news conference Thursday attended by team owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick.

Brown spent his entire NFL career with the Patriots after they drafted him in the eighth round in 1993 out of Marshall. Brown was "discovered" by a Marshall scout while he played in college locally at Lees-McRae. The story is told that the scout was actually making the trip to scout another player, but Brown's skills on the field were impressive enough for the Thundering Herd to take a chance on the receiver.

Brown was not recruited out of high school, and he only landed at Lees-McRae Junior College in Banner Elk, N.C., on the recommendation of Mike Pope, his coach at Blackville-Hilda.

“He went up there and made All-American in junior college, and then Marshall came to scout another kid and saw Troy,” Pope said. “Marshall took a chance.”

It paid off. Brown helped the Thundering Herd win the I-AA national title his senior season. Brown took the next improbable step in his career when he was drafted by the Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL draft.

Brown did not catch on immediately in Foxboro, Mass. He was drafted 198th overall and was waived and re-signed in 1994. His breakout season didn’t occur until 2000, when he had 944 receiving yards on 83 catches, the seventh-highest single-season reception total in franchise history.

“It was hard work just getting my foot in the door, and even tougher staying there and getting some playing time,” Brown said. “ ... When money’s involved, a lot of politics get into it. You kind of get playing time based on where you’re drafted and not by what you do, unless you really stand out and shine.

“That’s kind of what I had to do: make myself noticeable in practice by doing some things some of the other guys weren’t doing — working harder in practice than they were, and when it came time to get on the field, just making the plays they couldn’t make.

“And at the end of the day, it earned me more playing time and more respect from my teammates.”

Brown played in one Pro Bowl, after the 2001 season, and is the owner of three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots. He also played defensive back late in his career. In 2007, he played in one game.

Information from the Associated Press and TheState.com contributed to this post.

Mountaineer Football Notebook

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University has announced parking regulations for this Saturday (Sept. 27) as the University hosts both Open House and Appalachian’s football duel versus Presbyterian.

All parking lots will be reserved for Open House patrons until 2 p.m. Beginning at 2 p.m., those with Yosef Club parking permits may begin accessing their assigned lots. Due to the unprecedented demand for ASU’s Open House activities, tailgating will not be permitted in any lots until after 2 p.m.

For more information on football parking and gameday activities, visit GoASU.com’s Gameday Central page and TailgateAtTheRock.com.

LIMITED NUMBER OF GRASS SEATS REMAIN FOR SATURDAY’S GAME: A limited number of general admission grass seats for Saturday’s ASU-PC contest are still available and can be purchased online at GoASU.com, by phone at (828) 262-2079 or in person at the ASU athletics ticket office in the Holmes Center.

Three weeks ago, a record crowd of 30,718 turned out to see the Mountaineers rout Jacksonville, 56-7, in the home opener at newly expanded Kidd Brewer Stadium. All of KBS’s 20,150 reserved seats are sold out for each of ASU’s five remaining home dates, but a limited number of grass seats remain for each game.

VOLLEYBALL-FOOTBALL DOUBLEHEADER ON TAP: Before heading to The Rock for Saturday night’s football showdown, Mountaineer fans are encouraged to stop by the Holmes Center to see ASU volleyball take on Southern Conference rival Elon at 4 p.m. In an effort to pack the house for the volleyball clash, admission to Saturday’s match is FREE.

APPS SLIP TO NOS. 3, 4 IN NATIONAL POLLS: Following last Saturday’s narrow 35-32 loss at No. 5 James Madison, Appalachian dropped from the top spot in both of the major NCAA Division I FCS national polls this week. ASU dropped to No. 3 in The Sports Network media poll and No. 4 in the American Football Coaches Association poll.

JMU vaulted to No. 1 in the coaches’ poll by virtue of its first win over the Mountaineers since 1991. Richmond, which the Apps defeated, 55-35, to advance to last year’s national title game, rose to the top of the media poll, where JMU is ranked second.

Appalachian is one of five SoCon teams ranked in the top 16 of The Sports Network poll. ASU opens conference play versus on Saturday, Oct. 4 versus No. 13 The Citadel. The game is set to be televised live on SportSouth at 3 p.m.

INJURY UPDATE: Mountaineer running back Devon Moore (ankle) and defensive end Tony Robertson (foot) are both expected to miss approximately six weeks due to their respective injuries suffered in Saturday’s setback at James Madison.

Sophomore Robert Welton, who leads the Apps with 256 rushing yards, a sterling 9.1 yards per rush average and six total touchdowns on the season, is in line to make his first-career start on Saturday versus Presbyterian. Sophomore Jabari Fletcher and true freshman Lanston Tanyi are both expected to see increased playing time in Robertson’s absence.

FORMER MOUNTAINEER HERO’S JERSEYS STOLEN: Former Appalachian quarterback Richie Williams, who led the Mountaineers to their first national title in 2005 and is the school’s all-time leader in passing yards and total offense, was the victim of a theft at his Charlotte-area apartment last week. Williams, who spends much of the year in Canada as a member of the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, lost many possessions in the theft, including both of his ASU jerseys from the 2005 championship season.

ASU fans are encouraged to be on the lookout for the stolen jerseys, especially around the Charlotte area or on online auction sites such as Ebay. Anyone with any information on the theft is asked to call the University City Patrol Division of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police at (704) 432-3900.

Former Vikings Shine in Mars Hill Football Win over West Liberty State

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. - Tyrea Allen (Murphy, N.C.) caught a 73-yard touchdown strike from Ricky Spradling (Roan Mountain, Tenn.) with 13:17 left in the fourth quarter to propel the Lions to a 38-35 road victory at West Liberty State College Saturday afternoon. MHC improved to 3-1 on the year while WLSC fell to an even 2-2 on the season.

WLSC scored the only points in the first frame before the offensive onslaught began in the second quarter. The Lions won the second frame 21-14 to send the teams into the locker room at the intermission tied at 21-all. Jonas Randolph (Daleville, Ala.), Spradling and George Washington (Warner Robbins, Ga.) all had rushing touchdowns in the first half of play. Michael Pinkerton (Bogart, Ga.) connected on all three PAT kick attempts.

The Hilltoppers took a 28-21 lead with 5:46 left in the third stanza before Allen caught a 71-yard touchdown pass from Spradling on the Lions' first play from scrimmage on the ensuing possession to tie the game again at 28-all. Pinkerton then nailed an important 37-yard field goal at the 1:08 mark in the third quarter. Those three points would later prove to be the difference in the game.

Eddie Hills caught a four-yard pass from Zach Amedro with 14:14 left in regulation to give the Hilltoppers a 35-31 advantage but just over a minute later, Allen's game-winning reception led the Lions to victory. Allen finished the day with six catches for 195 yards and two scores.

Spradling was 10-18 for 322 yards passing while Washington rushed for 84 yards on 25 carries. Zach Johnson (Newland, N.C.) led the Lions' defense with eight tackles (7 solo), four tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Brandon Edmond (East Dublin, Ga.) followed with seven stops, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Pinkerton was a perfect 5-5 in PAT kicks plus the 37-yard field goal.

Mars Hill will host SAC rival Catawba College in the Lions' conference opener next Saturday, September 27. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

Lady Vikings Volleyball Downs Owen in five-game match

The Lady Vikings volleyball team dispatched of the Owen Warlassies in a tough five-game match on Tuesday night.

Avery took a 15-9 lead in the opening game, but Owen rallied to cut the deficit to 22-21. The Big Red regrouped to take the game's final three points to win game one by a 25-21 final score.

Game two was another back and forth contest. Avery took a 10-7 lead before Owen came back to take a 13-11 lead. The resilient Warlassies team showed great resolve while playing good defense in keeping rallies alive.

Avery regained momentum to have an opportunity to win the second game at 24-21, but Owen staved off defeat and won take a 25-24 lead and eventually win the game by a 27-25 score.

Owen opened the third game with a 4-0 run and looked poised to seize control of the match, but the Lady Vikings bounced back to tie the match at 5 points each. A 7-1 Avery run midway through the game gave the Lady Vikings 16-12 lead. Avery maintained a slim two-point lead for much of the remainder of the game before Owen tied the match at 23-23. The Lady Vikings regrouped after a time out and took the game by a 26-24 score.

A scrappy Warlassies club won by a 25-14 final score in game four to force a tie-breaking fifth game. Avery was strong in the final contest, winning by the final of 15-7. Senior Brittney Hagie had six serve aces in the deciding game and Katie Ellis had six kills and five digs as part of a 39-kill effort overall in the match. Sara Singleton added 36 assists in the win.

Avery returns to the court next Tuesday in a match at Hendersonville.

Avery Soccer Plays Madison to 1-1 Tie

The Avery soccer team battled through 100 minutes of soccer on Monday night with the Madison Patriots at MacDonald Stadium, but could not hold a lead as the teams played to a 1-1 tie.

Avery struck first in the match as Kyle Griewisch took a free kick and in quick fashion sent a ball sailing over the Madison defense. Andrew Ingram stayed onside, ran down the loose ball, then dribbled to to the Madison goal and slipped a shot over the head of the Patriots keeper in the match's 28th minute for a 1-0 lead which the Big Red took into the locker room at halftime.

Shots were hard to come by in the opening half as both clubs managed only three shots on goal. Avery keeper Morgan Bounds made a total of five saves in the half and the Vikings took four corner kicks in the half while the Patriots failed to earn a corner kick.

Madison found the equalizer in the 55th minute as a foul was whistled against the Vikings. The foul occurred inside the penalty area, giving the Patriots the opportunity for a penalty kick that they successfully converted to knot the match at a goal apiece.

The match was a rough and tumble affair for both clubs. Avery's goal scorer and constant offensive threat Andrew Ingram was forced out of the game with around 12 minutes remaining in regulation with a leg injury and did not return to the match. The loss hampered the Vikings' offensive production, but Avery still managed to get opportunities on the Madison end of the field. Unfortunately the club was unable to capitalize in the form of a go-ahead goal as the teams remained tied after regulation play.

Both squads had scoring opportunities in the pair of 10-minute overtime sessions, but neither team could push a goal across as the teams were forced to settle for the tie.

Avery returns to action on Wednesday with a match at Mountain Heritage, and return to MacDonald Stadium on Monday night for a match against Mitchell.

Mountaineers Drop in Poll as Richmond Gains Top Spot

Following Appalachian State's 35-32 loss last Saturday at James Madison, the Mountaineers fell out of the top spot in the latest Sports Network FCS poll, dropping to third overall. The Dukes vaulted above the Mountaineers to second in this week's rankings as the Richmond Spiders were crowned the new top team in the land. A total of six Southern Conference teams are ranked in this week's top 25. The complete poll is as follows, with first place votes in parentheses:

1. Richmond Spiders (49)
2. James Madison Dukes (37)
3. Appalachian State Mountaineers
4. Montana Grizzlies (12)
5. Northern Iowa Panthers (2)
6. McNeese State Cowboys
7. New Hampshire Wildcats (1)
8. Elon Phoenix
9. Cal Poly Mustangs
10. North Dakota State Bison
11. Eastern Washington Eagles
12. Central Arkansas Bears
13. The Citadel Bulldogs
14. Wofford Terriers
15. Southern Illinois Salukis
16. Furman Paladins
17. Delaware Blue Hens
18. Massachusetts Minutemen
19. Villanova Wildcats
20. South Dakota State Jackrabbits
21. Eastern Illinois Panthers
22. Western Illinois Leathernecks
23. Tennessee State Tigers (1)
24. Georgia Southern Eagles
25. Liberty Flames

The Mountaineers fell to fourth in the latest FCS coaches poll, with James Madison taking the top spot overall.

Vols Begin to Move On after Florida Loss

Courtesy of utsports.com

The Tennessee football team did its best to move on from Saturday's loss to Florida with an hour-long workout Sunday night inside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center. The Sunday practice is reserved in part for making corrections from the previous game, and Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer noted that the Vols had plenty of mistakes to choose from on this Sunday night.

"It's really important that we eliminate the mistakes that we made," Fulmer said. "You can't beat an average football team with nine penalties and two turnovers; you especially can't beat a good football team like Florida or like Auburn. We need to play a more consistent brand of football."

One area where the Vols did not need too many corrections was on defense. Tennessee allowed the Gators just 243 yards of total offense Saturday, Florida's lowest total offensive output vs. the Vols since 1990. The discrepancy between the stat sheet and the scoreboard was due to turnovers and special teams miscues. But a few small successes on defense are not enough to sway the spirits of the Vols heading into another big SEC game.

"I don't think anybody is going to be upbeat right now," Fulmer said. "It's a tough loss. We had a fighting chance if we had played well, but we did not play well in certain phases consistently enough.

"When we get to Tuesday, I expect to see a team that's ready to go to work to improve. I want to see a bunch of guys around here tomorrow watching tape of Auburn and getting themselves ready."

Tennessee travels to Auburn for its SEC road opener Saturday. The game is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and air nationally on CBS.

Second Half Rally Stuns ASU

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Saturday’s meeting between FCS powerhouses Appalachian State and James Madison lived up to the billing with No. 5 JMU overcoming a 21-point halftime deficit to upend No. 1 Appalachian, 35-32, in a thrilling contest at soldout Bridgeforth Stadium.

The Mountaineers (1-2) built up their 21-0 halftime advantage by winning the field position battle and outgaining the Dukes 223-66 in the half. However, the tide quickly turned after halftime with JMU’s Scotty McGee returning the opening kick of the half 99 yards for the first six of 14-straight points for the Dukes.

Armanti Edwards led ASU with 109 yards rushing and 142 yards through the air with a touchdown pass and a scramble for a late two-point conversion. His counterpart, Rodney Landers, answered with 113 yards on the ground and 96 passing yards for the victorious Dukes. Robert Welton took over for an injured Devon Moore in the ASU backfield and rushed 17 times for 92 yards in the loss.

After McGee’s kickoff return rejuvenated the previously silent hometown crowd, Landers ripped off a 62-yard jaunt to the endzone to make the score 21-14 less than three minutes into the third quarter.The Apps tried to quell the rally on JMU’s next possession when Leonard Love intercepted a Landers’ pass, giving ASU the ball on the JMU 34-yard line. ASU’s drive stalled out but Jason Vitaris was able to boot a 30-yard field goal through the uprights to make the score 24-14 with 6:09 left in the quarter.

Unfortunately, the three points did little to strip the Dukes of their momentum as a perfect Landers pump fake made for a wide open Griff Yancey up the middle of the field. Landers completed the play for a 35-yard touchdown to cap the two-play strike. JMU took their first lead of the evening to open up the fourth quarter scoring with 4-yard Eugene Holloman carry off left tackle to make the score 28-24 with 10:48 remaining in the contest.The Apps appeared poised to answer and drove the ball down to the JMU 24-yard line before the JMU defense managed to strip Welton of the ball after a hard-fought 11-yard run. JMU recovered the loose ball on their own 13-yard line and 10 plays later Landers carried the ball in from the 1-yard line put JMU up 35-24 with less than three minutes to play.

ASU kept fighting as Edwards pulled a few more tricks out of his bag, engineering a 49-second drive that ended with a Welton 1-yard carry to the endzone. The Apps elected to go for two and Edwards, unable to find an open receiver, carried the ball across the goaline to put ASU within a field goal at 35-32 with 1:42 left in the contest.The Mountaineers had two chances to recover the onside kick as JMU was whistled for an offsides infraction on the first attempt. However, the Dukes managed to recover the second attempt and a Landers quick kick on fourth down ran out the clock and ASU’s comeback hopes.ASU scored first on a 6-yard run from Devon Moore that was set up by a Mark LeGree interception. In the second quarter, Edwards found Josh Johnson on the endline for an 11-yard strike. Welton added ASU’s third first-half touchdown with a 2-yard score with 31 seconds left in the half.

Former Avery High School alumnus and Appalachian junior WR Josh Johnson had 4 receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown in the loss, while fellow Avery graduate and redshirt freshman K Dixon Wright handled kickoff duties for James Madison, kicking six times for 333 yards and a 55.5 yard average. (Photos courtesy GoASU.com and JMUsports.com)

The Mountaineers will return home next weekend to host Presbyterian in a night game at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Kickoff at The Rock is scheduled for 7 p.m.

CHS Homecoming 2008

We are live at Orr Field tonight as the 'Landers host Tri-Cities Christian for Homecoming 2008. We will have updates as time permits.

8:00: The end of the first quarter is already among us, and it finds the 'Landers leading 14-0. Randall Johnson and Matthew Tipton have scores for the 'Landers.

Quick Notes: This is the first 11-man football game in Tri-Cities Christian. The 'Landers are 1-1 at home this season. They are 2-2 overall after defeating Chuckey-Doak last week.

8:15: Johnson finds Seth Houtsma from 12 yards out for the 'Lander touchdown. The extra point was short as the 'Landers lead 20-0 with 5:53 remaining in the second.

8:45: We are at the half in Roan Mountain. The 'Landers lead 20-0. The 'Landers have two turnovers on fumbled punts, but Morgan has an interception for the Big Blue. Cloudland has also had two touchdowns negated by flags.

Homecoming festivities are complete. This year's homecoming queen ia Holly Hughes. 7th grade princess was Jessica Miller, 8th grade was Hunter McKinney, 9th grade princess was Summer Hughes, 10th grade princess was Rebekah Greer, and the 11th grade princess was Megan Burleson.

9:05: The second half is started and the Cloudland defense rose to the occasion and held the Eagles to a 3 and out. On the first offensive possession, Morgan took a direct snap 20 yards for the score as the 'Landers lead 27-0.

9:12: 'Landers get back on the board to push the lead to 34-0 after Matthew Tipton rushes for a 40 yard touchdown.

9:30: It is the end of third quarter and the 'Landers are cruising after having some key mistakes in the first half. The 'Landers are up 34-0.

9:45: With five minutes remaining, the 'Landers are in full of control of this contest as they lead 34-0. For more details on this game including quotes and stats, remember to check the Avery Journal-Times and the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog. Thanks for reading!

Lady Bobcats Get Sixth Straight Win in 3-0 Shutout of Converse

BANNER ELK, N.C. -- Senior captain Christine Calvert had two assists to propel the Lees-McRae Lady Bobcats to a 3-0 Conference Carolinas win over the Converse College Valkyries for their sixth straight win to begin the 2008 season.

In the 32nd minute, Calvert (Dallas, Texas) took a corner kick which was then poorly cleared by the Valkyries backline and served a ball that found Brooke Santerre's (Port Republic, Md.) foot and the back of the net to give the Lady Bobcats a 1-0 lead.With time running out in the first half, co-captain Maribeth Novak (Homer Glen, Ill.) received a through pass from Calvert and ripped a one-timer that was saved by the Valkyries' keeper. Novak collected the rebound and put it in the back of the net to make it 2-0.

The final goal came when Tiffany Rodman headed a corner kick from Calvert off the keeper's hands into the goal to make it 3-0.The Lady Bobcats out shot the Valkyries 24-5 in the contest.Marissa Middleton (Olathe, Kan.) had three saves to earn the shutout in the goal for the Bobcats.With the win, the Lady Bobcats climb to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference while the Valkyries fall to 0-7 overall and 0-2 in the conference.

The Lady Bobcats' next match is Saturday, September 20th at 1:00 p.m. at Tate Field against conference foe Coker College. Saturday is also Parents' Day for the Lady Bobcats.

Lady Vikings Volleyball Split Pair of Conference Matches with Polk, Madison

Avery’s volleyball squad battled through two grueling five-game matches last week, taking on Polk County in Columbus on Tuesday evening, then repeated the effort against Madison in Viking Gym on Thursday evening. Although the Polk game did not end on a winning note, the Big Red learned from the match and emerged victorious against the Lady Patriots two nights later.

In junior varsity action prior to Tuesday’s match, the Lady Vikings squad took the first game in a best-of-three games match by the final score of 27-25, but was unable to clinch the match win as the Polk team came back to take the second game 25-21 and the rubber game of the match by a 25-17 final score.

The varsity match between the two clubs was a thriller as the two 1A schools battled it out on the court. Polk won the first game of the match 28-26, but Avery rallied to tie the match at one game each with a 25-20 victory. Polk regrouped to capture game three by a score of 25-14, but, faced with a do-or-die situation, the Vikings fended off a four-game defeat by roaring back to tie the match with a 25-17 win in game four.

The fifth and deciding game of the match was a duel to the finish, but the home-standing Lady Wolverines proved too strong to overcome as Polk County won the final game by a 15-11 score.
“I felt like we matched up with Polk pretty well,” Avery head coach Kim Hayes said after the match. “They had one good, strong hitter, and definitely were not as good as Hendersonville. We just were not in the game like we should have been.”

Katie Ellis had 22 kills, eight digs, six service points and a service ace in the match, with 20 service points, five service aces and three digs by Savannah Dellinger. Rachel Buchanan had ten digs, six service points and a service ace in the contest, with 12 assists in the third game of the match alone by sophomore Cassie Bumgarner.

On Thursday evening Avery looked to hold serve at home against the visiting Lady Patriots from Madison High School. The junior varsity team set the pace for the evening as they defeated the Lady Patriot JVs by the scores of 25-18, 15-25, and 27-25.

In varsity action Avery captured the first two games of the match by scores of 25-19 and 25-20, respectively, but ran into difficulty as the Lady Patriots rallied to not only take game three by a 25-19 score, but came from behind in the fourth game of the match to win by a 25-22 score to force a fifth and deciding game.

In the tiebreaker game to determine the match winner the teams traded points early before Madison took a 4-2 lead. A 6-1 run by the Lady Vikings forced Madison to take a time out trailing 10-3. The Lady Patriots drew to within three points at 10-7, but Avery forged ahead with a 4-1 rally to have match point at 14-8. Refusing to quit, the Lady Patriots cut the lead to 14-11. Avery struck a winning kill for the final point of the match to take the final game by the score of 15-11, giving the Lady Vikings their first conference match win of the season.

Katie Ellis again led the way for the Big Red, as the senior had 32 kills, 21 digs, and three blocks in the match. Sara Singleton had 33 assists, nine service points, and five digs, while freshman Savannah Dellinger had 12 digs and 12 service points to go with three kills. Fellow freshman Megan Tennant chipped in with three kills and three blocks in the win.

“We won the first two games, then kind of lost it mentally as we dropped the next two games,” Coach Hayes said. “I told the girls in the middle of the fifth game that they lost to Hendersonville 11-15, then lost to Polk 11-15, so let’s make it our turn to win in the fifth, and they did in beating them with the ironic score of 15-11. I told them they needed to dig deep in their hearts and guts and go for it.”

Avery Soccer Ties Owen, Shuts Out Pisgah

The Avery soccer team traveled last week to Owen High School for a conference match with the Warhorses. The two teams played a physical contest which featured a number of fouls and a fair share of yellow cards, but neither team could leave Warhorse Stadium claiming victory as the clubs settled for a 1-1 tie.

Both clubs played with passion and intensity throughout the first half of action, but defenses were strong as the game was scoreless through the first 40 minutes of play. Avery finally put a score on the board in the 52nd minute as Andrew Ingram took a send from Andreas Castanedas and blasted a laser shot past the Owen keeper to stake the Big Red to a 1-0 lead.

The score held up for much of the remainder of the second half. As the time slipped away, the Warhorses became more desperate, playing with an intensity that rose tempers on both teams. In the final minute of the half, Owen was awarded a questionable penalty kick. Coach Brancourt of Avery pleaded with the officials concerning a foul on the previous Avery possession that was more deserving of a penalty kick while disputing the official’s decision. Owen capitalized on the break and scored the equalizer to knot the game at one goal apiece.

Throughout overtime the teams hustled and dug deep within themselves to find the golden goal, but neither defense budged as twenty additional minutes of soccer failed to change the score.

“We did a good job at Owen. Our defense is still playing hard and clean, but we still make too many fouls near the box,” Vikings head coach Lou Brancourt stated after the match. “Sutton (Stanley) is our leader, Andres and Daniel Huff are doing the dirty work and Morgan is back on track, which is really good news.”

Coach Brancourt was also frank about his feelings regarding the penalty kick that in the end took away what would have been an important victory for the Vikings.“The referee we had does not know how to handle games of that physical nature. It was just a good old Owen/Avery soccer match like the old days,” Coach Lou Brancourt stated after the match. “I am disappointed of course, but also pleased and confident that we can play like that again.”

On a rainy, cool, and foggy Wednesday evening, Avery played like a team on a mission of redemption following the events from Monday night, blanking the visiting Pisgah Bears by a 2-0 final score.

Avery put the first goal on the board with a kick from Kyle Griewisch in the final minute of the first half, The Vikings had other opportunities to score in the opening minutes of the second half of play, but the Bears keeper was strong in net for most of the evening. Avery scored a second goal off a throw-in as Kyle tallied his second tally at the 56 minute mark to provide for the final margin.

Despite getting the win, Coach Brancourt knows that the team needs to capitalize on more opportunities to be successful during the conference season.

“We are getting ready for Hendersonville who just killed Madison 9-1. Our training sessions are going very well, as I am in charge of our defense, and Daniel Jimenez and Chris Logel are doing a great job with our offense,” the coach added. “The game against Pisgah was a nightmare for our offense, and we need to finish our opportunities against teams like Polk and Hendersonville.”

Avery dropped a narrow 4-3 loss against Hendersonville on Monday evening at MacDonald Stadium. Kyle Griewisch put Avery on the scoreboard first with a goal to take a 1-0 lead. Hendersonville responded with three unanswered goals to close the half. Brayan Aguirre scored at the 18-minute and 30-minute marks, respectively, with a goal by Eddie Hernandez at the 24-minute mark.

Avery was down but not out, however, Andrew Ingram heated up on offense for the Big Red, as Griewisch assisted on Ingram’s first goal at the 65-minute mark. Ingram laced the equalizing goal past the Bearcats keeper to tie the match at 3-3 in the 66th minute. Fate was cruel to the Vikings as the close of the match neared, however. An own goal by the Vikings on an awkward-angled Hendersonville shot attempt in the 76th minute proved to be the game-winner for the Bearcats, who improved to 7-0 on the season.

Strong Second Half Stampedes Longhorns over Vikings

Prior to Friday night’s contest between the Avery Vikings and Johnson County (TN) Longhorns, a bright rainbow shone over the landscape surrounding MacDonald Stadium. Unfortunately for the Big Red, it was the visitors from Mountain City who found the pot of gold in the form of a gridiron victory, handing Avery its fourth consecutive loss in a 27-14 final score.

The game started with a bang as Johnson County’s Brian Swayne took the opening kickoff 85 yards for an apparent touchdown. The score was negated due to a penalty, however, forcing the Longhorns to settle with beginning its first offensive series of the game at the Avery 30 yard line. The Big Red defense kept the Longhorns out of the end zone, so Johnson County all-everything senior athlete Christian Prudhomme scored the first points of the night with a 39-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.

Avery opened up the evening with a change of offense, as the wide open spread attack was replaced by a run-oriented single back offense formation featuring seldom used junior running back Ethan Sluder.

“Ethan was a heck of a runner last year. He hasn’t been running as hard as I expected him to do earlier in the season, but it seems like something just clicked in practice as he was running hard each and every practice the past week or so,” Coach Brewer said. “I told him that what he was showing us recently was what we expected out of him on Friday night and that he would have opportunities, and he did a heck of a job with the opportunities he had.”

The new offense was a promising change as Sluder ran for 83 yards on 16 carries to lead the team and the Vikings ran the ball with more effectiveness than at any point throughout the season. However, the offense was unable to reach its full potential on the evening as senior quarterback Adam Pate pulled his hamstring during a scramble on Avery’s fourth offensive play of the game, limiting his mobility and his effectiveness in rolling out of the pocket. Pate gutted out the injury for most of the contest, splitting snaps at times with backup Chris Childress and eventually sat out the closing minutes of the contest. Pate’s availability for Avery’s next game at Owen on September 26th is currently unknown.

“I felt like the offensive line did one of its best jobs all season in blocking, but we became really limited offensively when Adam got hurt. He had a hard time even getting back to make handoffs and we tried to use him in shotgun to help with the injury. It threw a big kink in what we wanted to do because we had tailored a lot of our offense during the week on his ability to roll out and throw on the run or carry the football,” Coach Brewer explained. “Adam wanted to stay in the game and I admire that he wanted to do that despite the pain he was in.”

In spite of the obvious setback to the Avery attack, the Big Red moved the football 49 yards on nine plays with its opening possession until the drive stalled at the JCHS 31-yard line. A long Avery field goal attempt floated a couple of yards short of the crossbar to give the football back
to the Longhorns.

Johnson County committed the first turnover of the contest shortly after regaining possession when quarterback Austin Phipps threw his first of three interceptions for the game, a ball picked off by Taylor Potter at the Avery 36-yard line.

With its newfound opportunity the Vikings offense capitalized as a drive aided by a pass interference penalty against the Longhorns moved inside the Johnson County 30. Two plays following the infraction Chase Arrowood used his brute strength to bull his way through a set of Longhorn tackle attempts for a 25-yard touchdown run. A Sutton Stanley extra point gave Avery a 7-3 lead with under a minute left in the opening quarter.

Another long kick return on the ensuing kickoff gave Johnson County excellent field position in Viking territory, where eight plays later the Longhorns regained the lead on the scoreboard at 10-7 with an Adam Shelton two-yard touchdown plunge and Prudhomme PAT.

Avery continued to show it was able to run the football on the Longhorn defense, driving inside the red zone to the Johnson County 17-yard line. Faced with a difficult fourth and short decision, Vikings head coach Darrell Brewer opted to attempt a 34-yard field goal which was wide right to quell the drive.

Johnson County quickly moved downfield in the half’s closing minutes, managing another Prudhomme field goal with under a minute remaining to increase the Longhorn lead to 13-7 at halftime.

Avery received the kickoff to begin the third quarter, but a fumble on the third play from scrimmage was recovered by the Longhorns, giving them field position inside the Vikings 30-yard line. Four plays later Johnson County was back in the end zone as Phipps fired a four-yard touchdown pass to Prudhomme, giving the Longhorns a commanding 20-7 lead.

The Vikings caught a break on its next series when they were forced to punt. Kick returner Prudhomme dropped the punt by Avery’s Dylan Aldridge, and Paul Townsend recovered the ball for the Big Red at the Johnson County 17-yard line. But, in a common theme throughout a large portion of the night, Avery could not score when it failed on a fourth down conversion attempt.

Johnson County committed turnovers on two of its next four offensive series, both by way of intercepted passes by Avery’s Chris Childress. The Longhorns were forced to punt on its other two drives. Much to the home crowd’s chagrin, the Vikings could not muster a serious scoring threat with its possession opportunities. Avery’s offense stalled for much of the second half and the team was forced to punt at the conclusion of three separate drives.

A final Longhorn touchdown came on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Phipps to wide receiver Ian Bellamy with 4:29 left in the game. Avery bounced back to answer the touchdown with one of its own as Childress, subbing for the injured Pate, scrambled 17 yards to cross the goal line. The Stanley extra point kick with only 58 seconds left in the contest closed out the scoring for the night as Avery dropped to 0-4 on the season.

“Johnson County wants to pound you on offense, but they weren’t able to do that against us. They hit a few long passes on us, but we didn’t let them do everything they wanted to do,” Coach Brewer said after the contest. “I feel like we’ve gotten better every week, and as long as we continue to do that I think we’ll be all right in conference play. Our team has a good attitude and we will not go winless this season. We’ll win some ballgames. We could have hung our heads against Johnson County, but we fought, we scraped, and clawed. I was proud of them for that.”

Avery has a bye this Friday night and returns to action on September 26th at Owen.

Tennessee Defeats UAB 35-3

By: Matt Laws- Avery Journal-Times Sports
(matt.laws@averyjournal.com)

Knoxville, TN- The Tennessee Volunteers needed to a victory to bounce back from their defeat at UCLA and get in a groove before Florida came to town. On Saturday, they got that as they defeated University of Alabama- Birmingham 35-3.

I'm just really glad to get the win,” Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer said. “I do think we made improvements in some areas that we really had worked hard on.”

The Vols got on the board midway through the first quarter as quarterback Jonathon Crompton found Gerald Jones in the corner of the end zone from 20 yards out. The duo struck again before the first quarter ended, this time from 14 yards out.

Neither team could get any offense going in the second quarter. UAB got a field goal in the third quarter, before the Volunteer running backs took over the contest. Arian Foster’s 31 yard run set up a Montario Hardesty’s six yard run into the endzone. Lennon Creer added two scores before the games end.

Crompton finished the game 19 of 31 for 240 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Foster led the way for the Vols rushing with 100 yards on 12 carries. Creer added 93 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns. Lucas Taylor had 132 yards receiving on nine catches.

“We didn't have any injuries, which was a plus for us,” Fulmer said. “I was really glad to see us run the ball as effectively as we did. I thought we wore down UAB as the game went along. We'll continue offensively to keep working to find our complete personality.”

The Volunteers host Florida next week for their SEC opener. Keep checking the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog for more information on the victory over UAB and other features on the Volunteers.