Haitian Relief Efforts in Avery County

(Courtesy of Nancy Morrison, Publisher, Avery Journal-Times)

Each year in March, Dr. Steve Cook of Banner Elk leads a medical team that travels to Haiti to help with much needed medical treatment for the vast numbers of Haitian citizens living in abject poverty. His team also takes supplies, toys, educational material, Bibles, and anything else useful that can be carried or shipped. Dr. Cook is using his medical expertise and his knowledge of the area to help with the Avery County part of the worldwide relief effort being mounted. The current crisis in Haiti was generated by the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck on January 12 near Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital city.

Cook's team is affiliated with Grace Mission, based in Florida. For the latest news postings from Grace Mission to Haiti, go to gracemissionpage.org. Grace Mission supports 29 churches, 20 schools, a medical program and medical clinic, a food distribution program, and a Bible Institute.

At present, Cook said, checks can be sent to Banner Elk Presbyterian Church in Banner Elk at P. O. Box 158, Banner Elk, NC 28604 and please clearly mark them "Haitian Relief Fund," as the church has a number of other missions. Church office administrator Rob Clemmer will be overseeing donations. The phone number is 828-898-5406.

Cook also recommends sending monetary donations through Samaritan's Purse in Boone. You can donate online at samaritanspurse.org. Samaritan's Purse already has a team on the ground working in Haiti and, according to Cook, the organization has excellent resources and contacts in Haiti.

Please be generous. Monetary donations are so important right now, and as soon as safe channels for goods can be ascertained, dry goods donations will be needed desperately. Suggested goods are: white rice, dried beans (especially red, black, and pintos), pasta, oatmeal, and other dried goods.

Drop off points for the dried goods in Avery County are:

Newland – The Avery Journal-Times (335 Linville Street beside Avery Tire) and Medi-Home Care (located in the old Newland fire department building).

Banner Elk – Dr. Steve Cook's office (110 Park Avenue, Banner Elk beside the Banner Elk Pharmacy) and Dr. David Kimmel's office (150 Park Avenue, Banner Elk).

A doctor and his wife affiliated with Cook's team flew into Haiti and landed about an hour before the quake hit. No one had been able to contact the couple for most of the first 24 hours. On Thursday, Cook was quite relieved because he had gotten word that his friends were safe.

"You just won't believe how I heard," Cook said. "A friend of the couple managed to get word out on Facebook!"

Cook said there was a team of 10 people on a mission trip to Haiti from Georgia and he had just heard that all ten were fine.

(Updates will be posted on our Web sites as we receive new information.)

Appalachian Announces 2010 Football Slate

(courtesy Appalachian Sports Information) BOONE, N.C. — Six home games, including two in September and three in October, highlight Appalachian State University’s 2010 football schedule, announced on Tuesday by director of athletics Charlie Cobb.

For the first time in 19 years, Appalachian opens the season with a Southern Conference matchup when it travels to Chattanooga on Sept. 4. ASU is 5-0 all-time when playing a SoCon game in the season opener but has not done so since topping former conference rival Marshall, 9-3, on Aug. 31, 1991.

Following the opener at UTC, the Mountaineers play back-to-back home games versus Jacksonville (Sept. 11) and North Carolina Central (Sept. 18). Both opponents are familiar to ASU, as the Apps defeated Jacksonville, 56-7, in 2008 and downed N.C. Central, 55-21, last season at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Both are up-and-coming NCAA Division I FCS programs, as JU won the Pioneer League in 2008 and finished 7-4 in 2009 while NCCU will play its first season as a member of the traditionally strong Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2010.

Following an open date on Sept. 25, Appalachian begins conference play in earnest, with home dates versus Elon (Oct. 9), The Citadel (Oct. 16), Furman (Oct. 30) and Wofford (Nov. 13) and road tilts at Samford (Oct. 2), Western Carolina (Oct. 23) and Georgia Southern (Nov. 6).

Appalachian closes the regular season with a huge test at national power Florida on Nov. 20. In all, ASU and UF have combined to win five of the last 10 Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) and FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) national titles with the Mountaineers earning FCS titles in 2005, ‘06 and ‘07 and the Gators claiming Bowl Championship Series crowns in 2006 and ‘08.

“I am pleased that we once again have a football schedule that is fan-friendly and hopefully gives our coaches and student-athletes the opportunity to make a run at a sixth-straight Southern Conference championship and continued postseason success,” Cobb said. “We are committed to doing everything in our power to play an all-Division I schedule while also giving our great fans the opportunity to see six regular-season games at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Obtaining both objectives is a very difficult task and I commend (associate athletics director) Jay Sutton for his hard work in making it happen.”

For the second year in a row, ticket prices will not be raised in 2010 for home games at The Rock, where Appalachian has led FCS in regular-season attendance for each of the last three years, including in 2009 when ASU averaged 25,969 fans per game during a rain-soaked regular season. Complete 2010 ticket information will be available in the coming weeks.

Vikings Basketball Fades Late versus Polk; Holds Off Patriots to Win Conference Home Opener

Despite a layoff since December 17th, the Avery varsity boys basketball team turned in one of its best quarters of the season to begin Saturday’s game at Polk County. Avery hit 11 of its first 14 shots to build a commanding 28-11 advantage, only to see the Wolverines come back to take a third quarter lead and hold off an Avery rally in a 74-68 win.

Timmy Stewart helped the Vikings get off to its blistering start as he scored all 12 of his points for the contest during the opening period. Everything went Avery’s way in the quarter, including a half-court heave to close the quarter that was caught out of the air and shot in one acrobatic motion by Luke Pittman for two points as time expired.

The two teams played virtually even in the second stanza as Avery picked up a pair of baskets off the bench from Spencer Blackburn and two field goals from leading scorer Dustin Clarke. Polk was paced by Andre Overholt with 11 points in the first half, but Avery held on to a double-digit lead at 41-30 at halftime.

Once the teams took the floor for the second half, Avery’s offensive firepower suddenly dried up. The Vikings managed only two points in the third quarter while the Wolverines reeled off 19 for the frame, erasing the Avery lead and pulling Polk ahead 49-43 as the final period began.

In the final eight minutes Avery regained its shooting stroke, but the Wolverines remained warm from the field. Polk hit eight of its 12 field goal attempts in the final stanza, while the Vikings converted on eight of its 14 shots from the field. Avery’s Clarke looked to bring the Big Red back as he drained three 3-point baskets in the quarter, but the Wolverines countered with a pair of three-pointers from Landon Schlabach and seven points from forward Bryant Twitty to stave off the Viking comeback and escape with the win.

Clarke led Avery with 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Stewart (12 points), Blackburn (11 points), and Dylan Eppley (10 points) all reached double figures in the defeat. Four players scored double figures for Polk, led by 17 from Overholt and 16 apiece from Twitty and Chandler Miller.

“The biggest problem we had was our consistency. We weren’t able to carry the same offensive intensity through four quarters,” Avery Vikings head varsity boys basketball coach Bo Manis said following the game. “We started off really well and shot the ball well, but we couldn’t score once the second half began. We had trouble rebounding the basketball with only one offensive rebound for the entire game. But I was proud of how the guys came back at the end. We still have to consistently play at a high level to be successful, though.”

On Monday night the Vikings hosted Madison in the Western Highlands Conference home opener. In a game that went down to the wire, Avery emerged victorious in a 56-54 thriller.
The teams played to a slow pace with numerous fouls in the first period as Avery trailed 11-6 after the first eight minutes of play.

The pace of the game picked up in the second quarter as Avery was buoyed by the play of junior Dustin Clarke, who netted 12 first-half points to keep the Vikings close. Madison answered Avery’s leading scorer with their own go-to player, forward Anthony Swann, who tallied 13 first-half points which allowed the Patriots to push ahead 27-22 at halftime.

Avery managed only two points in the third quarter of Saturday’s contest, but history did not repeat itself against the Patriots. Rather than take the floor tentatively, the Vikings were purposefully aggressive and took the action to Madison. Avery went on a 10-2 scoring spurt over the first 2:20 of the third quarter, highlighted by a dazzling alley-oop pass and dunk from Joey Potter to Dustin Clarke.

Although shaken by the Avery flurry, Madison answered the bell to rally itself behind Swann and guard Brennan Eggleton to stay within four points at 43-39 at third quarter’s end.

Madison’s offense quickly became “The Anthony Swann Show” in the final stanza as the Patriots offense ran virtually every offensive set through his hands. Swann 13 of Madison’s final 15 points. Avery weathered the Patriot comeback as Clarke, Dylan Eppley, and Timmy Stewart each scored field goals in the final quarter.

In the final two minutes the Patriots shaved away a four-point Avery advantage to tie the game at 54 apiece. With 1:04 left to play, Avery’s Luke Pittman netted his only basket of the night on a shot inside the paint to stake the Vikings to a two-point lead. Avery made a final defensive stand in the closing seconds, forcing a turnover that sealed the Vikings’ first conference victory of the season.

Clarke led the Big Red in scoring with 22 points, to go with five rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Timmy Stewart added seven points, four rebounds, two steals, and three assists. Joey Potter and Dylan Eppley tallied six points each.

Swann led Madison with a game-high 30 points, in addition to nine rebounds and three steals.

“I think we learned in the first half a lot about what things we had success with and what we were not succeeding at. We talked at halftime about bringing consistency, and rebounding the basketball was a major point of emphasis before the second half,” Avery head coach Bo Manis said after the win. “We scored only two points against Polk which changed that game. This time we made sure to impress on the players the need to rebound and box out, that we couldn’t have that same Polk effort tonight.”

Avery shot an efficient 13 for 20 from the field (65 percent) to keep pressure on the Patriots, while Madison made only 9 of 33 shots over the final two periods.

“We took high percentage shots and that really brought us back into the game in the third quarter. We realized last weekend that we can’t make up a large deficit in one trip down the floor,” Coach Manis said. “I thought the alley-oop helped energize the players, yet we still took smart shots and took better care of the basketball. I was really pleased with how we played to win tonight rather than playing tentatively and not to lose.”

Avery hosts Mountain Heritage Wednesday night (1/13) in another conference tilt, then travel to Ledger on Friday to take on rival Mitchell. A full report on both games can be found online at the Journal-Times Sports Blog at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com as well as in next week’s print edition.

Lyons Nets 100th Career Coaching Victory as Avery Blasts Polk, Madison

Following a week and a half layoff between games, the Avery Lady Vikings looked to continue its recent trend of stellar basketball as they traveled to Columbus to take on the Polk County Lady Wolverines. Avery not only netted a decisive 60-42 win over Polk, but also gave head coach Missy Lyons her 100th career victory as Lady Vikings head coach.

Avery hit on seven of its 19 shots in the first period as the Lady Vikings took a 14-10 lead after one quarter of action.

Polk continued to hang around through the first half as the Lady Wolverines outscored Avery 7-1 at the free throw line. Nevertheless, Avery used its press defense to force turnovers and additional scoring opportunities, as the Vikings took 18 more shots than Polk through the first two periods.

The Vikings were paced early by Katelynn Eudy who scored six points in the opening stanza. Avery leading scorer Sara Wiseman scored nine of her team-high 15 points in the first half and Mercedes Bentley chipped in with five off the bench in helping Avery to a 32-25 halftime edge.

As the second half ensued, it became obvious which was the better team, as Polk struggled to bring the basketball downcourt and was cold shooting from the floor. Avery kept its steady offensive stream flowing as Wiseman and Lauren Avery scored six points apiece in the third quarter to extend the Lady Viking advantage to 48-32 after three quarters.

In the final eight minutes, Avery kept Polk from any hope of clawing back into the contest. Megan Tennant scored seven of her total of nine points in the last stanza to help the Big Red to the 18-point victory.

The Vikings shot 37 percent from the floor in the win and forced 28 Lady Wolverines turnovers.
Sara Wiseman finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Lauren Avery added 12 points and seven rebounds. Tennant added nine points and seven rebounds, with nine from Mercedes Bentley and eight points in addition to nine rebounds by Katelynn Eudy. Elyse Perry also had a solid all-around game, as the senior dished 10 assists in addition to three points, five rebounds, and three steals.

The win was especially sweet for Coach Lyons, who earned win #100 as the ladies varsity head coach at Avery High School.

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

“The girls played really hard and especially are working really hard. We went deeper in our bench tonight as Hayley (Pyatte) wasn’t available and Lauren (Avery) got in a little foul trouble. Everybody played and when they were in the game every one of them worked hard. The girls have putting the effort in during practice and that has carried over and paid off for us game in and game out.”

The win is the ninth in a row for the Lady Vikings, who brought its 9-1 record into its conference home opener on Monday night against the Madison Lady Patriots. Avery faced a stiff test as Madison rallied from a double-digit deficit on two separate occasions. In the end, however, Avery’s offensive firepower and stifling defense was too strong for the Lady Patriots as Avery defeated Madison by an 83-62 final score.

The Lady Vikings scorched the nets offensively to the tune of an 8-0 scoring run to begin the game and a 10-0 run late in the quarter as part of a 23 point first-quarter effort. Madison tied the score at 10-10 midway through the quarter but trailed 23-13 by quarter’s end.

Senior guard Lauren Avery led the Lady Viking surge as she scored seven points in the frame, with a pair of three-pointers from Mercedes Bentley and six points from Elyse Perry.

Madison used its own version of the press defense in the second period to get back into the game. The Lady Patriots appeared to make the Avery offense uncomfortable, forcing a number of turnovers which Madison converted into points. The Patriots made 11 of its 16 shots in the quarter to cut the Avery lead from ten points to a single point at 45-44 at halftime.

The first half score was indicative of many final scores in high school basketball. Both Avery and Madison shot 50 percent or greater from the field for the half, with the Lady Vikings paced by Lauren Avery’s 13 points. Kaitlyn Huff also tallied 13 points to lead the Lady Patriots.

In the third quarter the Big Red made a statement defensively, holding the Lady Patriots to only five points for the quarter on 2 of 13 shooting from the field. Avery kept up its hot shooting by converting 8 of 15 shot attempts. Both the senior guard Avery and teammate Sara Wiseman scored six points each as the Vikings pulled away to a 66-49 lead after three stanzas.

Madison looked to mount a comeback early in the final period behind the duo of Huff and Hannah Burnett, but the deep Avery bench and a consistent, impressive shooting effort propelled the Lady Vikings to its tenth consecutive victory.

Lauren Avery played perhaps her best game of the season as she scored 23 points, pulled down nine rebounds, and dished out six assists. Elyse Perry scored 14 points to go with eight assists, five steals and four rebounds. Fellow senior Sara Wiseman registered a double-double with 11 points and ten blocked shots. Hayley Pyatte chipped in with six points and nine rebounds.
Madison was led by Hannah Burnett with 18 points and seven rebounds, along with 17 points, four assists, and three steals from Kaitlyn Huff.

The Lady Vikings will play a pair of additional conference games this week. Avery hosted Mountain Heritage this evening and will travel to Ledger on Friday to take on Mitchell for the first meeting of the season between the perennial powers.

Avery Vikings Junior Varsity Basketball Roundup

Despite a long layoff due to the holidays and bad weather, the Avery junior varsity basketball squads finally returned to action with rare Saturday games at Polk County and home games on Monday afternoon against fellow conference member Madison.

JV Girls:
The Avery Lady Vikings snapped a recent streak of bad luck on the court at the expense of the Lady Wolverines, routing Polk by a 49-21 score for the team’s first conference victory of the season.

Avery came out strong defensively but showed a little rust on the offensive end during the opening quarter in taking a four-point edge at 6-2 after one quarter of play.

The team found its offensive groove to match its defensive intensity in the second stanza. Megan Dellinger and Kelsie Clarke each needed five points in the second quarter as part of a 13-0 second quarter spurt. The defense clamped down as well, holding Polk scoreless for the second quarter en route to a 19-2 halftime lead.

The Lady Vikings opened the third period with a 9-3 scoring run to effectively put the game out of reach. Shayna Vance netted a pair of three-pointers in the frame and eight of her team-high 12 points in the stanza as Avery led 31-10 after three quarters on the way to the road win.
Monica Estep added 11 points, seven rebounds, and six steals in the Avery victory, with nine points and five steals from Kelsie Clark.

“We were just hungry to play ball more than anything else today since we haven’t played in such a while. If we keep our heads about us, I don’t think we will lose a game the rest of the year,” head coach Pat Daniels said following the win.

The win was a complete team effort with the entire roster contributing to the triumph. “It wasn’t necessarily our best defensive effort this season, considering the competition being a little weaker than some we’ve faced. We played good defense at times against Watauga, Cloudland, and West Wilkes,” Coach Daniels added. “Even though this Polk team beat Mitchell by 12 points earlier this season, we could have beaten them by a larger margin. But we made an effort to give everybody the opportunity to play and I was happy to see the contributions off the bench. Paige Henderson scored four points which was good for her, and Abigail Vance also came in and played well.”

Avery did not play a junior varsity girls game on Monday against Madison as the Patriots do not field a JV girls team this season.

JV Boys:
Avery’s junior varsity boys team played a tight first half against the host Polk Wolverines Saturday afternoon, trailing by only three points at intermission. A scoring run by the Wolverines stole momentum from Avery in the third quarter as Polk went on to garner a 42-29 conference victory.

The Viking offense in the first quarter came courtesy of Dustin Clark, who scored all eight points on four field goals as the Big Red led 8-7 after one quarter of action.

Five different players scored for Polk in the second quarter, but a three-pointer from Austin Lyons helped the Vikings stay within 17-14 at halftime.

Polk County came out like gangbusters to start the second half. Avery on the other hand was unable to find the basket and had difficulty rebounding against the taller Polk club. The Wolverines outscored Avery 19-3 in the third quarter to take a commanding 36-17 advantage.

Avery refused to give in as it outscored Polk 12-6 in the final stanza, but the third quarter proved the downfall as Polk took the 13-point win.

Clark’s eight points paced the Vikings, with five from Dylan Greene and four points from Shea Buchanan.

On Monday night the junior varsity boys picked up its second win in three games, winning an exciting contest by a 35-34 final score.

The first period was nip-and-tuck as the teams played to a virtual standstill. Avery received two baskets from Dustin Clark to help take a narrow 10-9 lead after the first quarter of play. Madison bounced back to regain the lead at 17-15 at halftime despite the second of two 3-point baskets in the half by Austin Lyons.

Indicative of the back-and-forth nature of the contest, the Vikings worked to regain the advantage, outscoring Madison 8-4 in the third period to again pull in front by the score of 23-21. Avery made the only significant scoring run early in the fourth quarter with a 7-1 margin over the first four minutes of the final frame to take a commanding 30-22.

Much to the Patriots’ credit, Madison rallied late to draw even with the Vikings at 32-32 in the final minute of play. The teams traded baskets to tie the game again at 34.

Late in the contest Avery guard Lane Smith collected a Madison turnover and was fouled on a layup attempt with 0.1 second left on the clock. Smith hit the first of two free throws to provide for the final margin of victory.

“Watching the game if felt like déjà vu all over again from last year,” Avery head coach Reggie Oakes said after the win. “I thought defensively we played great. We had a little trouble with boxing out and we got away from our game and remaining aggressive late, but the kids played really hard considering the layoff and having played only one game. We had kids contribute off the bench also. Our offense is doing a better job of taking the ball to the basket, but we still need to work on being ready for the pass when a player penetrates.”

Shea Buchanan led Avery with eight points in the victory, with seven points from Austin Lyons and six apiece from Bryce Pittman and Dustin Clark.

The Vikings returned to action earlier this week with a home game against Mountain Heritage and travel this Friday night to Ledger to take on rival Mitchell. Reports on these contests can be found in next week’s print edition, as well as the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com.

Kiffin resigns as UT Coach

Courtesy of Tennessee Sports Information

The University of Tennessee Athletics Department announced Tuesday night that first-year head football coach Lane Kiffin has resigned his post effective immediately. Kiffin, hired Dec. 1, 2008, has accepted the position of head football coach at the University of Southern California, where he served as an assistant coach from 2001-06.

"I want to thank Coach Kiffin for his work with our program this past year," said Men's Athletics Director Mike Hamilton. "We have already begun a search for the new head football coach of the Tennessee Volunteers and we'll complete this process as quickly as possible to put the right person in place to lead our great football program forward in the months and years ahead.

"Kippy Brown, who has been a critical piece of our success in years past, will serve as interim head coach until this process is completed."

Brown, who most recently served as assistant head coach and passing game coordinator for the Detroit Lions, brings an extensive amount of experience to the Vols -- including 13 years in the college ranks and 13 years in the NFL.

Brown began his coaching career at Memphis State University (now University of Memphis), where he served as running backs coach and wide receivers coach. He has also served as wide receivers coach at the University of Louisville. Brown joined the Vols under head coach Johnny Majors in 1982 as wide receivers coach. During his first stint with the Vols, Brown helped Tennessee acquire the nickname "Wide Receiver U," coaching numerous pass catchers to greatness, including Anthony Miller, Tim McGee, Alvin Harper and Carl Pickens.

He left the Vols in 1990 to serve as running backs coach for the New York Jets from 1990-92, before returning to Rocky Top in 1993 as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach for Phillip Fulmer. During his second stint with the Vols (1993-94), UT compiled an 18-6 record and outscored their opponents 847-383 over the course of those two years. Peyton Manning also benefited from Brown's guidance during his freshman campaign as the Vols' signal caller.

Sims' Career Day leads App past Davidson

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Donald Sims scored a career-high 44 points as Appalachian State University men’s basketball overcame an early 12-point deficit to defeat Davidson, 78-68, at Belk Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The Mountaineers (8-7, 2-2 SoCon) shot 53.2 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from downtown in the win.

Sims scored 21 points in the first half as the Mountaineers closed the opening period on a 14-3 run to take a 37-35 advantage to the locker room.

The Apps extended the advantage to seven points at 57-50 before the Wildcats (7-9, 2-2) made their move and regained a one-point lead with seven minutes left on the clock.

From there, ASU went on a 17-3 run to put the game away at 78-65 before a Davidson trey closed the margin to 10 points in the waning seconds of the game.

Isaac Butts returned to form down low, as the big man scored 13 points and added 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. He was 6-of-7 from the field and swatted both of the team’s blocks.

Accompanying Butts in the post, Josh Hunter pulled in seven rebounds and scored one point, while holding DC’s starting forwards to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting for the game.

Sims’ total was the fourth-highest in school history and the most since Stan Davis set the record with 56 points against Carson-Newman in 1974.

He sank 13-of-19 field goal attempts and 5-of-7 threes. The junior guard also found his way to the free throw a career-best 13 times, where he was perfect.

Once Davidson began to bear down on the sharp-shooter, the floor opened up for Kellen Brand to score 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting. Brand came off the bench after starting 46-consecutive games and added three rebounds and a steal in 29 minutes on the floor.

Starting in his place, Marcus Wright contributed four points with an assist and a steal.

The Appalachian defense held Bob McKillop’s squad to 38.7 percent shooting and 11-of-30 from downtown. DC hurt its own cause by sinking just 9-of-18 free throws.

JP Kuhlman led the Wildcats with 18 points and four rebounds, while three other starters also reached double-figure points. Appalachian held a 39-25 advantage on the boards to snap a four-game losing streak against Davidson.

The loss was just the second of the season at home for DC, who is 42-6 at home over the last four seasons. Appalachian dealt DC its only home loss in the 2006-07 season.

Appalachian returns home to host Elon on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Basketball and Wrestling again Victims of Inclement Weather

Recent weather continues to cause headaches to the athletics schedules of teams across Western North Carolina.

This evening's home basketball game scheduled against Madison has been postponed and rescheduled for this Monday, January 11th, starting at 5 p.m. with junior varsity boys action (Madison has no JV girls team this season).

Avery's next scheduled contest is tomorrow (Saturday, January 9th) at Polk County.

Avery's wrestling team was also unable to make the trip to Madison for today's dual meet. A rescheduled date has not been announced at this time.

Cloudland vs. North Greene Rescheduled

In order to beat the snow, the Highlanders announced on Wednesday night that they were going to flop dates with North Greene and travel to Baileyton on Thursday with the varsity girls to start at 5:00 and the boys contest at 6:30. However, they were not able to get the game this evening as the games have been postponed. The Highlanders will try to travel to North Greene tomorrow evening (Friday) with the girls at 5 and boys at 6:30. The February 5 game that was supposed to be in Baileyton has been moved to Cloudland for now. Keep checking the Avery Journal-Times as well as the AJT-Sports Facebook and Twitter for more updates.

Avery at Polk Postponed...again

The Avery at Polk basketball games that were rescheduled from Tuesday night to take place this evening have been postponed a second time due to inclement weather. Avery High School has announced that the games will be made up this Saturday, January 9th, with junior varsity girls action beginning at 1 p.m., weather permitting.

Below is an updated version of the Vikings Basketball Schedule after the postponements and reschedulings:

VIKINGS BASKETBALL:
Jan. 8 #Madison* Home 5:00pm
Jan. 9 Polk* Away 1:00pm
Jan. 12 Mtn. Heritage* Home 4:00pm
Jan. 15 Mitchell* Away 4:00pm
Jan. 19 Owen* Home 4:00pm
Jan. 20 Freedom(JV Girls only) Away 6:00pm
Jan. 21 West Wilkes Away 4:00pm
Jan. 22 #Thomas Jefferson*(Vars. Only) Away 6:00pm
Jan. 25 #Thomas Jefferson*(Vars. Only) Home 5:00pm
Jan. 26 Hendersonville* Away 4:00pm
Jan. 29 Polk* Home 4:00pm
Feb. 2 #Madison* Away 5:00pm
Feb. 3 Owen* Away 4:00pm
Feb. 5 Mtn. Heritage* Away 4:00pm
Feb. 8 Hendersonville* Home 4:00pm
Feb. 9 Mitchell* Home 4:00pm
Feb. 15-->19 Conference Tournament @ Owen TBA
# No JV Girls Game, JV Boys Start @ 5:00
* denotes Conference game

Morrill Takes the Helm of Lady Bobcats Soccer Program

BANNER ELK, N.C. - Athletic Director Craig McPhail has announced the hiring of Cally Morrill as the new women's soccer coach for the Lees-McRae College Bobcats. Morrill will resume all responsibilities as the head coach affective immediately.

"I think Cally is going to be a great women's soccer coach, her playing experience at Alabama as well as coaching, recruiting, developing players at Lenior -Rhyne were some of the key factors the search committee found very crucial to our job," McPhail said.

Morrill has spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at nearby Lenoir-Rhyne University where they went 14-7-2 in the 2009 season. Prior to her post at LR, Morrill was a four-year starter at the University of Alabama. During he senior season, she was named the team's captain and Most Valuable Player. She also spent time as the strength and conditioning coach for the Alabama women's volleyball and women's soccer programs, and is currently an assistant coach for the 93' girls' Olympic Development team in North Carolina.

"She is ready to lead a program," said Morrill's former head coach at Lenior-Rhyne, Adrian Blewitt. She knows how to develop a program, players and how to recruit."

"With the progress we have made with our women's soccer program, I feel we are close to getting to the next level as our men's soccer program has shown over the past several years," McPhail said. "With Cally, I feel good about where we are headed and who we have leading the way."

"I would like to thank Craig and the Lees-McRae family for taking me on board and welcoming me to the Bobcat family, Morrill said. "I am very excited to get started with the program and to meet all of our current players. The spring season will be a great time for our players to develop and prepare for the 2010 season."

Visit lmcbobcats.com for the latest news and info on Lees-McRae College Athletics.

Dawson Only Player to Get Call to Enter Baseball's Hall

Andre Dawson was elected to the Hall of Fame, while Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar fell just short of earning baseball's highest honor.

Dawson, nicknamed "The Hawk," received 420 of 539 votes in voting announced Wednesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, 15 more than the 75 percent necessary to gain election.

Five of the ballots sent in were blank.

The eight-time All-Star, appearing on the ballot for the ninth time, had fallen 44 votes short last year.

"It was well worth the wait. I can't really describe the elation," Dawson said during a telephone conference call. "If you're a Hall of Famer, eventually you're going to get in, no matter how long it takes."

Dawson, on his ninth try, got in with 77.9 percent of the vote (539 votes were cast; 405 were needed for induction). Mark McGwire, in his fourth year of eligibility, received 10 more votes than last year, and matched the total from his first two times on the ballot.

Blyleven had 400 votes, up from 338 last year, and likely will get in, what with two more tries on the BBWAA ballot. The highest percentage for a player who wasn't elected in a later year was 63.4 by Gil Hodges in 1983, his final time on the ballot.

"Hopefully, next year will be my time," Blyleven said in an interview on the MLB Network.

Alomar received 397 votes (73.7 percent) in the second baseman's first appearance, and was followed by pitcher Jack Morris with 282 (52.3 percent), a big increase from the 237 votes he got last year.

"I feel disappointed, but next year hopefully I make it in," Alomar said at his home in New York. "At least I was close."

Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin, also making his first appearance, was on 278 ballots (51.6 percent), followed by reliever Lee Smith at 255 (47.3 percent) and Edgar Martinez at 195 (36.2 percent).

Martinez, on the ballot for the first time, is viewed as an early test of how voters will receive players who were primarily designated hitters.

Mark McGwire received 128 votes (23.7 percent), 10 more than last year and matching the total from his first two times on the ballot. Eighth on the career list with 583 homers, he has been stigmatized since evading questions from Congress in 2005 about the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Dawson, who won eight Gold Gloves and four Silver Slugger awards, had a 21-year career with the now-defunct Montreal Expos (11 seasons), Chicago Cubs (six seasons), Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins.

He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 25 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, who were elected last month by the Hall's Veterans Committee.

A victim of the owners' conspiracy against free agents after he left the Expos, Dawson signed a blank contract with the Cubs during spring training. Then-general manager Dallas Green filled in the dollar amount of $500,000, making Dawson the second-lowest paid regular on the team.

Dawson stayed with the Cubs through 1992, then spent two seasons apiece with Boston and Florida. He had a .279 career average with 1,591 RBIs and 314 steals, playing through 12 knee operations.

He is one of only three players with at least 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases, joining Barry Bonds and Willie Mays.

The close calls for Blyleven and Alomar marked the first time in BBWAA balloting that two players fell fewer than 10 votes short in one year.

Below is the complete list of votes and percentages of players on this year's Hall of Fame Ballot cast by the Baseball Writers of America (BBWAA):

Player	Votes	Pct.
Andre Dawson	420	77.9
Bert Blyleven	400	74.2
Roberto Alomar	397	73.7
Jack Morris	282	52.3
Barry Larkin	278	51.6
Lee Smith	255	47.3
Edgar Martinez	195	36.2
Tim Raines	164	30.4
Mark McGwire	128	23.7
Alan Trammell	121	22.4
Fred McGriff	116	21.5
Don Mattingly	87	16.1
Dave Parker	82	15.2
Dale Murphy	63	11.7
Harold Baines	33	6.1
Andres Galarraga	22	4.1

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Moore Wins Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Appalachian State University head coach Jerry Moore is the winner of the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award for the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Liberty Mutual announced on Wednesday morning. In recognition of Moore’s contributions on and off the field, Liberty Mutual will donate $50,000 to charities of Moore’s choosing and $20,000 to the ASU Alumni Association scholarship fund.

The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award recognizes coaches who best display the following four tenets: sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, on and off the field. The winners are selected through fan voting (20 percent) and ballots from selection committees made up of national media (25 percent) and College Football Hall of Famers (55 percent). Moore beat out South Dakota State’s John Stiegelmeier, Holy Cross’s Tom Gilmore, Eastern Illinois’ Bob Spoo and Liberty’s Danny Rocco for the award. Moore especially excelled in the fan voting portion of the selection process, picking up nearly 19,000 votes in 15 days, more than twice as many as the next finalist.

In 2009, Moore led the Mountaineers to a fifth-straight Southern Conference title and NCAA Division I Football Championship appearance, where they advanced to the national semifinals. Appalachian finished with an 11-3 record and No. 3 final national ranking while Moore was named the SoCon Coach of the Year for a record seventh time and the American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year for the fourth time in five years and sixth time overall.

The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Awards will be presented to Moore, TCU’s Gary Patterson (Division I Football Bowl Subdivision), Northwest Missouri State’s Mel Tjeerdsma (Division II) and Coe College’s Steve Staker (Division III) during a luncheon hosted by College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning on Wednesday at the Daily Grill in Newport Beach, Calif.

Coach Moore’s Selected Charities

KIDS ACROSS AMERICA
Based in Branson, Missouri, Kids Across America operates a number of summer camps with a mission of building Christian leaders by encouraging, equipping and empowering urban youth and their mentors through sports. Coach Moore’s grandchildren have been campers at KAA’s Kamp Kanakuk and several ASU players have served as counselors at the camps.

SAMARITAN’S PURSE
Based in Boone, N.C., Samaritan’s Purse has provided aid to the world’s poor, sick and suffering for over 35 years. Coach Moore and ASU football have been particularly active in Samaritan’s Purse’s World Medical Mission over the years, which provides medical assistance to many of the less-developed countries of the world.

ASU WALKER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
The mission of the John A. Walker College of Business is to offer high quality educational experiences preparing our students for life-long learning and leadership responsibilities in a dynamic, global environment. The college has an enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and 50 graduate students and was included in the Princeton Review’s 2008 edition of Best Business Schools.

ASU YOSEF CLUB
For over 35 years, the Yosef Club has provided scholarship support for Appalachian’s student-athletes. Today, it continues that tradition as well as providing essential facility-enhancement support. On average, 35 percent of ASU’s 450-plus student-athletes are members of Appalachian’s academic honor roll with a 3.25 grade point average or higher.

Owen/Avery Basketball Postponed

Avery's scheduled basketball games at Owen this afternoon has been postponed due to bad weather. A make-up date has not been rescheduled at this time.

The Vikings are scheduled to travel to Polk County on Thursday to make up Tuesday's postponed games. If any changes occur, the Blog will post them as soon as it is made available.

Johnson, Jackets Fall to Iowa in Orange Bowl

MIAMI (AP) - No. 10 Iowa solved Tech's explosive triple option and Ricky Stanzi threw two early touchdown passes for a 24-14 victory Tuesday night in the coldest Orange Bowl ever.

Temperature at kickoff was 49 degrees, and Tech's offense was slow to warm up. The ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets averaged 35 points during the regular season, but their only score in the first three quarters came on Jerrard Tarrant's 40-yard interception return.

"This was Hawkeye weather," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "We feel right at home right now."

The Hawkeyes (11-2) earned their first Bowl Championship Series bowl win, matched the school record for victories and could claim their highest final ranking since finishing No. 3 in 1960.

Georgia Tech (11-3) totaled nine first downs and a season-low 155 yards.

The Yellow Jackets were first in the nation in time of possession, second in rushing and 11th in scoring at 35 points per game. But they sputtered against an Iowa defense that held four bowl-bound teams to 10 points or less during the regular season.

End Adrian Clayborn led Iowa's defensive charge. He had two sacks and nine tackles, including two for a loss, and was chosen the game's most valuable player.

The Hawkeyes had never faced the triple option in Ferentz's 11 seasons as coach, but his staff had a month to prepare for Tech, and it showed. The Yellow Jackets had only 14 three-and-outs during the regular season, fewest in the nation, but they failed to pick up a first down on their first four possessions.

"It's just a good thing we had a month to prepare because it was difficult," Clayborn said.

Georgia Tech finally made a first down midway through the second quarter. The Yellow Jackets' first pass completion came 43 minutes into the game with Iowa leading 17-7.

Quarterback Josh Nesbitt went only 2 for 9 for 12 yards for Tech, which had a season-high seven punts.

By comparison, Stanzi went 17 for 29 for 231 yards in his return from a sprained ankle that sidelined him in the season's 10th game. Iowa true freshman Brandon Wegher rushed for 113 yards and one score in 16 carries.

"It was great having Rick back. It was tough when he got injured," Ferentz said. "He did a great job leading us tonight - and what can I say about that defense?"

Tech's first scoring drive covered 71 yards, with Anthony Allen's 1-yard touchdown run making it 17-14 with 12:30 left.

Iowa drove 63 yards for the clincher. Wegher ran for 23 yards on one carry, followed by a 32-yard touchdown run with 1:56 to go.

The Hawkeyes had a 185-18 advantage in yards in the first quarter. Stanzi, playing his first game in two months, started 8 for 8 for 138 yards and two scores for a 14-0 lead. Then came Tarrant's interception to keep Tech in the game.

Iowa lost a fumble at midfield on the game's opening possession, but Tech was quickly forced to punt for the first time in three games. Stanzi hit Tony Moeaki for a 54-yard gain, then threw to Marvin McNutt for a 4-yard score.

Tech again went three and out, and Iowa moved 83 yards to score in four plays. Stanzi threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Colin Sandeman.

The Yellow Jackets finally got their offense going to start the second half and drove 43 yards before missing a 41-yard field goal. Iowa then moved 59 yards, and Daniel Murray kicked a 33-yard field goal for a 17-7 lea

Mountaineer Football Notebook: Edwards Invited to NFL Combine

(courtesy ASU Sports Information)

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University quarterback Armanti Edwards (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) has received an invitation to participate in the 2010 National Football League Scouting Combine, which will be held Feb. 24-March 2 in Indianapolis.

The NFL Combine is the annual job fair for prospective new NFL players. For six days at Lucas Oil Stadium, players are put through a series of drills, tests and interviews in front of more than 600 NFL personnel including head coaches, general managers and scouts.

Edwards was the most decorated player in NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision — formerly Division I-AA) history as Appalachian’s record-setting signal-caller from 2006-09. The 6-0, 184-pound Edwards ranks second in FCS history with 14,753 yards of total offense (behind only Steve McNair, who amassed 16,823 at Alcorn State from 1991-94). With 10,392 passing yards and 4,361 rushing yards, Edwards is the only player in Division I history (FCS or FBS) with at least 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career and the only FCS player to reach the 8,000 passing/4,000 rushing plateau. He was responsible for 139 touchdowns in his career (74 passing, 65 rushing), highlighting his 64 ASU and 14 Southern Conference records.

Edwards is the only two-time winner of the Walter Payton Award — presented to the nation’s top FCS player — and the only four-time all-American in Appalachian history. He compiled a 42-7 record as a starter and led the Mountaineers to back-to-back national championships (2006 and ‘07) and four-straight SoCon titles.

He is the second Mountaineer in three years to earn an invitation to the NFL Combine. In 2008, wide receiver Dexter Jackson matched the fastest hand-timed 40-yard dash at the combine (4.27 seconds) to vault himself up most draft boards. He went on to be a second-round selection of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in that April’s NFL Draft.

THREE APPS RECEIVE ALL-AMERICA RECOGNITION FROM CSN: Headlined by Offensive Player of the Year Edwards, College Sporting News selected three Appalachian State University players to its 2009 Fabulous 50 All-America team. Joining Edwards on the CSN team are linebacker D.J. Smith (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) and safety Mark LeGree (Columbus, Ga./Pacelli Catholic).

In addition to the three Fab 50 selections, two Mountaineers — offensive lineman Mario Acitelli (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic) and wide receiver Matt Cline (Thomasville, N.C./Glenn) — received honorable-mention status.

DT SIGNS WITH ASU, ENROLLS FOR SPRING SEMESTER: Defensive tackle Chris Aiken officially became the first member of Appalachian class of 2010 newcomers when he signed a National Letter of Intent to attend ASU on Monday. Aiken, a defensive tackle who spent the past two seasons at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, will begin classes at ASU when the new semester begins next Monday and will participate in spring practice drills with the Mountaineers beginning in late February or early March. He has two years of athletic eligibility remaining.

The 6-1, 300-pounder highlighted his two-year stint at Blinn by helping lead the Buccaneers to the 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association national championship. Aiken registered 27 tackles and a sack in eight games as a sophomore in ‘09.

Prior to his arrival at Blinn, Aiken spent five years in the United States Army and served two tours of duty in Iraq. The 25-year-old graduated from Regan High School in Austin, Texas when he was 17 and enlisted in the Army on his 18th birthday. He is the third Iraq war veteran to join the ASU football program following his military service, joining Marine Corps vets Wayne Norman (2005) and Brian Stokes (2005-06).

ELLIOTT LEAVES FOR SOUTH CAROLINA: Appalachian lost one of the longest-tenured and most valuable members of its coaching staff on Sunday when offensive line coach Shawn Elliott accepted a position as o-line coach and running game coordinator at the University of South Carolina.

Elliott, a Camden, S.C. native, spent 18 of the previous 19 years at ASU. He was a defensive end for the Mountaineers from 1991-95, earning all-conference recognition as a senior, and joined the coaching staff as a defensive assistant in 1997. After two years on the defensive side of the ball, he moved to offense as tight ends coach in 1999 and took over as offensive line coach in 2001.

ASU will begin a search for Elliott’s replacement immediately.

LMC Basketball Roundup: Bobcats Fall in Home Doubleheader to Anderson

courtesy Lees-McRae College Sports Information
BANNER ELK, N.C. - The Lees-McRae College women's basketball team fell to 1-2 in the Conference Carolinas and 1-6 overall in a 70-51 loss to the Anderson University Lady Trojans, who improved to 3-0 in the conference and 4-4 overall, in Williams Gymnasium Monday night

Anderson jumped out to an early 8-0 lead four minutes into the game on a Alissa Diaz made basket, but the Lady Bobcats quickly tied the game up at eight on a Lauren Casey three with 13:53 remaining in the half.

After four points from Anderson's Shanice Wilson, two on free-throws and a layup, and Lees-McRae basket by Casey to make the score 12-10 Anderson, the Lady Trojans went on a 17-2 run over a span of the next ten minutes to take a 29-12 lead. Jazzmin Tate ended the run with a three right before the half to cut into the Lady Trojan lead at half making it 29-15 at the half.

Coming out of the locker rooms, Anderson quickly pushed the lead to 20, 42-22, with 13:57 left to play. Anderson took a 26-point lead, their largest lead of the game twice in the second half. Once was on a Diaz jumper with 8:16 on the clock and the second on a Alexa Neal three with 4:41 to play. Lees-McRae would battle to cut the lead to 17 points, 68-51, on Candace Flowers three, but Maci Siniard would hit the game's final shot to give the Lady Trojans the 70-51 win.

Anderson outshot Lees-McRae from the floor hitting 41 percent, 23-of-56, of their shots, while Lees-McRae hit 36 percent 18-of-49, of their shots. However, the Lady Bobcats hit 50 percent of their threes, 7-14, while Anderson was 4-of-13 behind the arc for 30 percent.

Casey paced the Lady Bobcats with 12 points, and Flowers added 11 points and was the only other Lady Bobcat in double digits. Tate grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Anderson put four scorers in double-digit. Ashley Abed led the Lady Trojans with 15 points, Wilson and Neal scored 14 points apiece, and Diaz added 11 points. Wilson led the team with four steals and four assists, while Siniard grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

Anderson scored 20 points from the charity strip compared to eight for Lees-McRae, and the Lady Trojans used 28 Lady Bobcat turnovers to score 30 points. Lees-McRae scored six points off of 20 Anderson turnovers.

The Lady Bobcats will travel to Erskine College to take on the Flying Fleet of Erskine College January 7th.

Lees-McRae's Daniel Sepokas had a career-high 25 points to lead all scorers as the Bobcats fell to the Anderson University Trojans, 85-53, Monday night in a Conference Carolinas men's basketball game at Williams Gymnasium.

Sepokas led the Bobcats with his 25 points on by going 10-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-5 from behind the arc. He also led the team with five rebounds and four assists without turning the ball over. Sean Hardin was the only other Bobcat in double-digits with ten points.

For Anderson, Taylor Shugart paved the way with 19 points going 9-of-10 from the floor and hitting one of his four free throw attempts. Shugart and Trey Britton grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Oskars Ernsteins and Nick Trull scored 14 points apiece. Both players were 5-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three. Brandon Young had a game-high seven assists with zero turnovers, and Kevis Cornwell had five steals.

Anderson took an early 7-1 lead less than five minutes into the game and extended it to 12-3 at the 12 minute mark, but Lees-McRae would rally with a 7-2 run to cut the Trojan lead to 14-10 with just under ten minutes remaining in the could. From there, Anderson used a 13-2 run to take a 27-12 lead with just over five minutes to play in the half. Anderson would use an Ernsteins three push the lead to 22 points, 41-19, at the half.

Six minutes into the second half the Trojans had a 26-point lead, 55-27, and seven minutes later had their largest lead of the game, 36 points, to hold a 75-39 lead. The Trojans would finish the game up 85-53 for the win.

Lees-McRae will travel to Erskine College for their next game on January 7th.

Appalachian Football Assistant Coach Leaving Boone

Appalachian State offensive line coach Shawn Elliott has been named the offensive line coach at the University of South Carolina, according to a report Sunday on the University of South Carolina's official athletics website. Elliott replaces Eric Wolford, who accepted the head coaching position at Youngstown State University in December.

Elliott, 36, has coached his entire career at Appalachian State, where he helped the Mountaineers to three-straight national championships (2005-07). After earning his bachelor's degree from Appalachian State in 1996, he worked for two seasons as a defensive assistant, then two seasons as the tight ends coach before taking over the offensive line in 2001. Over the past nine seasons as the offensive line coach, Elliott's players have earned All-America distinction on 12 occasions. From 2005-07, he coached three-consecutive SoCon Jacobs Blocking Trophy recipients.

"We're thrilled to have Shawn Elliott join our coaching staff at South Carolina," said South Carolina Head Football Coach Steve Spurrier. "Shawn is a native of South Carolina and is excited about the opportunity to coach here. He has an outstanding record coaching the O-line and winning championships. He is ready for the next challenge and is excited about coaching in the SEC and in Division I football."

Elliott was the first player in Appalachian State history to appear in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs four separate seasons. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Black and Gold, helping the squad to two Southern Conference titles. He was a co-captain on the Mountaineer's 1995 squad that finished 12-1 while earning all-league distinction as a defensive end.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to coach at South Carolina," said Elliott. "It will be a challenging job and one that I am looking forward to and embracing. I'm excited about getting there on Monday and hitting the ground running."

Avery Basketball at Polk Postponed; Weather Again Alters Wrestling Schedule

Due to the inclement weather in the area, Tuesday's basketball game in Columbus between Avery and Polk County has been postponed. A make-up date has been set for Thursday, January 7th. The Vikings are scheduled to travel to Swannanoa on Wednesday to play Owen, but weather may also affect this contest, and are scheduled to host Madison on Friday night, January 9th. Check here at the Blog for the very latest scheduling information.

In a related note, the recent trend of cold, snowy, and icy weather has prompted Avery High School's wrestling team to make further changes to its already edited schedule.

The dual meet with Mitchell that had been rescheduled to Wednssday, January 6th has been moved to January 14th. Avery's dual meet against Madison on January 8th is still on as scheduled, but Avery will not be making the trip to Fred T. Foard High School for the Tigerland Classic which had been rescheduled to Saturday, January 9th.

Musings and Ramblings: The Search for Character

As we close another decade in the sporting world, there seems to be an intertwining theme from athlete to athlete and from sport to sport. Over the past ten years, our favorite sports have been inundated with the specter of illegitimacy, lies, cheating, and other transgressions that shake the very foundational pillars of integrity among teams and players.

Across the wide gulf of the sports landscape, one need not look far to find examples of the sort of behavior from athletes that threaten what makes sports so enjoyable to watch and pleasurable to cover as a profession.

In American sports which pride themselves on honesty, integrity, and fair play, a plethora of bad press involving athletes plastered the headlines of both sports magazines and mainstream publications.

The BALCO doping affair in San Francisco which led to the demise of Marion Jones also shed negative light on the accomplishments of legendary slugger Barry Bonds, who broke records for single-season and career home runs under a cloud of controversy.

Bonds proved to be just one high-profile athlete whose name was connected with drug use. Stories became commonplace during the decade of additional baseball players allegedly using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in a storm of negative publicity for America’s Pastime. Well-known stars such as Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, and Alex Rodriguez each at one time either admitted to or was alleged to have used performance enhancements to bolster their statistics or prolong their careers.

The National Basketball Association was rocked to its core when it was revealed that one of its own officials, Tim Donaghy, was entangled in a gambling ring and used his inside access for personal gain. The move cost Donaghy his freedom before his release from jail earlier this fall. The Association’s brightest star, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was involved in a court case when he was accused of and ultimately acquitted of sexual assault in Eagle, Colorado in 2003.

Even the National Football League has had to deal with off-the-field issues such as the Michael Vick dogfighting ring and the Plaxico Burress gun saga which brought a black eye to a league that puts great value upon its public image.

The decade ended with perhaps its most surprising character blow when Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer on the planet, drove his image deep into the woods when he was enveloped in a car accident on Thanksgiving night that bizarrely unraveled into a web of alleged multiple infidelities and marital strife.

Character compromise was not restricted to solely professional sports over the last decade. Marion Jones, who at the top of her game was a multiple gold medal winner in track and field at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, ended the decade in disgrace as allegations of doping were denied by Jones but later found to be accurate. The perjury cost Jones both her freedom for a time and her medals, which were stripped by the International Olympic Committee.

In 2002 another shot to the integrity of the Olympic Games, was fired. The 2002 bribery scandal and judging controversy in figure skating at Salt Lake City turned the Winter Games into a circus that eventually led to a new scoring system as well as a duplicate set of gold medals for Canadian pairs skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.

The Little League World Series was not immune to the problem. Phenom pitcher Danny Almonte led his Bronx team to third place in the 2001 Little League World Series. For weeks rumors abounded that he was in fact much older than the required 12 years old. With a command of the mound well beyond his years and a blistering 70 miles per hour fastball, everyone everywhere was astounded by his ability, until it was revealed following private investigation that Almonte was actually 14 years old.

For all the stories of strife and blows to the integrity of sports through this past decade, there have thankfully been stories of triumph and character depth that instill hope that all has not been lost.

One of my favorite incidences from the past decade did not involve a Super Bowl player or a high-profile athlete. Instead it was the story of a girl who hit a home run but couldn’t run around the bases.

Western Oregon University softball player Sara Tucholsky hit her first home run during a college postseason game in 2008, but collapsed with shredded knee ligaments while tagging first base. If Tucholsky was unable to make it around the bases, she would be ruled out. If she was substituted, the hit would have only counted for a single, and receiving any physical assistance from teammates was against the rules.

Members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned their home crowd in Ellensburg by carrying Tucholsky around the bases so the three-run homer would count - an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.

Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky. The umpire said there was no rule against it.

So Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky's legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg. "It was the right thing to do," Holtman said in an interview later. "She'd hit it over the fence. She deserved the home run."

"It's kind of a big blur at the moment," Tucholsky said. "I didn't really realize what was going on until I actually had time to reflect on it. The only thing I remember is that Mallory asked me which leg was the one that hurt. I told her it was my right leg and she said, `OK, we're going to drop you down gently and you need to touch it with your left leg,' and I said `OK, thank you very much.' "

"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman said. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."

This kind of story restores my hope that character is not lost in the games and sports we enjoy. My hope is that over the next ten years the inspiring and positive stories of character will far outweigh the scandals and negative indiscretions.