Musings and Ramblings: Invitation to State Games Latest Honor for Talented Lady Viking

It is hard to be a standout in one sport while in high school, let alone multiple sports over three seasons in a single school year. Add to that being able to balance time for academic pursuits and spare time for friends and family, and it quickly becomes obvious how uniquely talented an athlete that Avery High School junior student-athlete Mary Chesnut Smith truly is.

During the 2009-10 school year alone, Smith earned a long pedigree of accolades and achievements in multiple sports, including:

- Ladies Golf: competed on Avery’s first ladies golf team, participating in the Western Highlands Conference tournament.
- Varsity Cross Country: All-Conference (unable to further compete due to illness)
- Varsity Basketball: Sectional Champion and Regional Semi-finalist
- Varsity Track and Field: Conference Runner of the Year (won 800 and 1600 meter run events, finished second in 3200 meter run), State Meet Qualifier by finishing second in 800 and 1600 meter run at West Regional (inclement weather prevented Smith from competing in the 3200 meter event or other additional events), Finished second in 800 meter race and fourth in the 1600 meter run at 1A State Track Championships.
- Varsity Soccer: All-Conference, All-Region 10, All-State, Western Highlands Conference Player of the Year. Western Highlands regular season champion, 1A West Regional champion, NC 1A state soccer finalist, Avery team Most Valuable Player with 33 goals and 28 assists for the season.
- First-ever Avery athlete to be recognized as the Western Highlands Conference Female Athlete of the Year.

In addition to these honors, Mary Chesnut tried out and was selected to play for the West team at the North Carolina State Games on June 26^th and 27^th at Queens University in Charlotte. Smith is part of the West squad, and will play the South team at 10:00 a.m. on June 26^th.

Last week I had the privilege of sitting down to chat with Mary Chesnut Smith and her mother, long-time photographer, Avery soccer assistant coach and team publicist Serena Smith. Over the course of conversation we discussed a variety of subjects, both on and away from the field of play.

JS: Did winning the Western Highlands Conference Female Athlete of the Year award come as a surprise to you? What does it mean to you that out of all the female athletes out of our eight-school conference, your excellence was recognized as the best?

MCS: It did. I wasn’t even aware there was an award. I don’t know why they picked me, but it’s good and I’m glad I was chosen.

JS: You are so deeply involved in sports activities during a school year. Where do you find time to enjoy hobbies or interests outside of sports?

MCS: Basically the summer is my off-season, but kind-of not really.

SRS: For Chesnut, it can be hard for her to get up to attend a basketball camp or different things. She still trains, but isn’t able to do many of the scheduled events during the summer.

JS: What was your first thought when you received the call that you had been selected to play in the State Games?

MCS: I was kind of surprised, because I thought there were getting a lot more players from the Charlotte area that was very good. I thought I played well and that I might have made it, but I was really waiting to see.

SRS: They had three tryout locations for the team, and you only had to go to one. Mary Chesnut went to one tryout, but I know some of the other girls had been to multiple tryouts to be sure to have a good showing.

MCS: It was fun because it was such a high level of talent. The game is faster and cleaner, and everybody who is trying out or playing is really good.

JS: You just finished up the high school soccer season playing in a state championship game. What was the talent level of your opponent (SW Onslow) in that match compared to what you saw as a player during the rest of the season?

MCS: They were definitely better competition. They had people spaced out throughout the field rather than just one or two good players. That added more difficulty for us. I also think we weren’t as accustomed to the weather that day. I don’t want to use that as an excuse, but I believe it hindered us a little bit. We also didn’t have the depth to keep people fresh, then Hayden suffered her broken arm and Mercedes wasn’t feeling well either. I think once they scored the first goal that surprised us, and I think that and the second goal really brought us down a little.

JS: You’ve accomplished a lot in sports over the past three years. What keeps you motivated or what are other goals you hope to reach?

MCS: Going to college motivates me. I’m hoping to get a scholarship. I just love sports so I just go do them. If I do well, “yay”.

JS: I know you’re a well-versed student in the classroom and was part of the NCHSAA All-Academic Team. How do you balance your sports activities with the academic portion of being a high school student?

MCS: Staying up late.

SRS: She uses her time very wisely. If she is getting back late from a game and has energy, she’ll get what work she can done in the car. If not, she will sleep in the car and work on the homework at home. She isn’t staying up late as much as I’ve heard some student-athletes talk about staying up. She gives it all she can and is currently tied for second in her class, but she isn’t killing herself trying to be the top student in her class. She’s taking the courses she wants to take, taking courses in art and her areas of interest while still taking the required college level classes necessary.

JS: As parents and family, how do you juggle between sports, activities and personal lives?

SRS: We’ve had four children participate in sports, and each of them have been self-motivated about doing their schoolwork, which makes it easier to free up time because you’re not having to spend extra time and energy getting them to do their work, which obviously comes first. They’ve each fortunately inherited a good part of natural ability and a competitive spirit. I think for Chesnut to see how her older siblings have had to work to compete at a college level has helped her compete at a higher level. She’s willing to go out and run in spite of having games or practices throughout a week. As parents we try not to be pushy, but we encourage them to evaluate what they’re doing and where they want to go. Each of the kids has been such a joy and it’s great to see them succeed.

JS: Chesnut, what does it mean for you as a runner to have the family support system you have around you, including siblings who have been successful athletes both in high school and at the college level?

MCS: It’s definitely really nice having them there. It partially helps to keep me going, and it’s nice to not have to ride home on a bus. Nathaniel (brother and former collegiate runner) has taught me everything I know about running. I haven’t had a real running coach, so he’s been a great help. Katherine (sister and former ACHS and LMC soccer standout) got me interested in soccer going to watch all her games. So her getting to watch my games is pretty nice. I love them.

JS: So, would you call soccer your favorite sport? If soccer was not an option as a sport to play, what sport or activity would you most like to do or maybe try out?

MCS: I don’t know if I’d say that. I like all kinds of sports. I think I would want to try boys lacrosse.

JS: What was it like to see the crowd supporting you and the team in Raleigh at the state championship game?

MCS: It was awesome. I was so glad a lot of people came out. I think some of the people were excited just for the trip there. It felt like a football crowd a little. It’s good to see people are kind-of excited about soccer.

JS: Have you been able to enjoy the past three years and take in what you’ve accomplished?

MCS: I do. I hang out with friends when I can. I’ve enjoyed it. The only thing I wish I’d done was not played three sports in one season my freshman year. I think it was just getting used to high school and having different course work that made the transition rough.

JS: What do you feel has been your greatest accomplishment so far as a prep athlete? What are you most proud of?

MCS: What counts the most to me has been finishing as state runner-up this season in soccer. Also the running accomplishments have been nice.

JS: What are your hopes and expectations coming into the State Games?

MCS: Hopefully for our West teams to win. Also I hope it is a good opportunity to be seen by coaches and receive looks from bigger schools. I think it’s going to be fun to play with different teammates and opponents.

JS: How has playing sports at Avery helped you hone your abilities?

MCS: Working together as a team built unity. The soccer and basketball teams were close and also spiritual and helped draw us together as a team and helped us play together.

JS: Have you given thought to where you might like to attend college and perhaps attend on athletic scholarship?

MCS: I have several in mind, but I haven’t made a decision on any one school. Athletics might dictate where I go. Right now I would be interested in business, marketing, advertising or design, or maybe architecture. I haven’t figured all that out just yet. If I like a school and what they have to offer, and if they offer financial assistance with a scholarship, I might consider it. If all else fails, I’d like to go to Carolina.

JS: Is there a legacy that you hope after next season that you can leave at Avery High?

MCS: My name isn’t on a banner yet, which would be nice. It’s like the poems we read, about how we’re all just people in time and we won’t necessarily be remembered later on. I just hope that we can get a good soccer program going at Avery, and that would be my legacy.

JS: What advice might you give to youngsters who watch you play or hear about you and your athletic exploits?

MCS: PLAY SOCCER or simply play sports. I feel like sports is such a great thing for our county because there is so little else to do in our area. It helps you make friends, it teaches you teamwork, and it gives you experiences. I think it makes for a well-rounded person.

My deepest thanks to Mary Chesnut and Serena Smith for their time in helping with this column, and best wishes to Mary Chesnut at the State Games!

Little League Wraps Regular Season, Looks Toward World Series Tournaments

Avery County Little League wrapped up another successful regular season of youth baseball and softball action at Hodge Turbyfill Baseball Complex last week. The season has had few road bumps as the league has flourished with 23 teams across its various leagues and close to 300 children participating in the action.

“It’s been fantastic. The kids have stayed with it more this year, as the teams have had all their players here through the entire season and have seemed to enjoy it a lot,” said ACLL President Bill Daniels at the fields during action last week. “We have had a great group of coaches and an outstanding umpiring crew. We’ve not lost too many games to rain this year, and we’ve had very few incidents. It’s been a really good year.”

This past Tuesday evening the league chose its Tournament All-Stars for Major League and Minor League Softball and Baseball. The league also announced its end-of-season individual awards and drew the winners of its primary fund raising efforts through this year.

“The fund raisers this season have gone well. Mountain Jewelers generously provided a gift certificate, and The Personal Touch gun shop donated a certificate as well for us to raffle off. All the tickets were distributed for the raffle, and we’ve gotten most of them back,” Daniels stated.

Funds from this season’s efforts are already being invested in worthwhile projects. “Money that we raised has been used toward a new scoreboard which will be used on the girls softball field starting next season,” Daniels said. “We were also able to also repaint and repair the existing scoreboard on the Little League baseball field which hadn’t been operating in three years.”

Following the All-Star announcements, the teams began practicing this Wednesday and will open District 7 Tournament action in two weeks.

“We’re excited about the teams we’ll be fielding this year. We hope to go a long way in the tournament this year,” Daniels added.

As a 501c3 non-profit organization, Avery County Little League always is willing and desires to receive monetary donations to assist the league and provide equipment, uniforms, and other needs for the kids playing in the league.

“We accept donations of any sort as a 501c3,” Daniels said. “For anyone who loves the game of baseball, there is no better place to send money and invest than with this group of kids.”

For anyone wishing to assist Avery County Little League, donations may be sent to the league mailing address at P.O. Box 1618, Newland, NC 28657. A full report on the Tournament All-Star team members and league award winners can be found in next week’s edition.

Avery Football Promises Excitement in 2010

This fall, the Avery football team hopes to bring excitement to field, along with a tough-nosed game. The Big Red, who is seeking its first winning season since going 11-3 in 2005, has been working diligently in several areas and seeing marked results.

Fans following Avery football should notice some of these results shortly after the team takes the field.

“I think the casual fan has a lot to be excited about. We were very young last year, but we’re a year older now, a year stronger, and a year faster. I think overall team speed and strength are going to be much greater than they were at this time last year,” Avery head football coach Darrell Brewer said at a summer workout session last week. “The team has been working three days a week at school. We’re working with both the junior varsity and varsity players on weight lifting and outdoor work”

For the workout sessions, few players have been absent, and the coach expressed satisfaction with the players who committed this summer to improving themselves and the team.

“Participation has been really good. The only kids not at the workouts are gone for reasons I am aware of, rather than just skipping out,” Coach Brewer stated. “We’ve had good participation and the players are working really hard this week, so it’s been good.”

Later this week the team travels to Gardner Webb University for the third straight year to participate in an FCA summer football camp. During the three-day event the team has an opportunity to bond together as a single unit. They also get the chance to test their skills against several teams from various schools across Western North Carolina in 7-on-7 passing league contests.

The competition is a motivation to succeed for the Avery players, but the coaches also understand that winning 7-on-7s in the summer and hoisting a state championship in December are two entirely different goals.

“To be honest, we really focus at the 7 on 7s on ourselves. We play teams and have played teams in the past who were focused on winning games at those camps, so much that they do things that are totally against what they may normally do on offense and defense,” Coach Brewer said. “The things we do during the 7 on 7s are the same things that we will do during the season. Of course we want to win, but we’re going to run our offense and our defensive coverages that we will run in the fall. We pride ourselves on getting better on those things that we know we are going to do and know that we need to improve on.”

Avery spent time during spring practice in early May on specific 7-on-7 strategy and execution, but the team has placed greater emphasis in recent weeks on areas of need to benefit the club for the games that lie beyond the sweltering June and July heat.

“We did a lot of 7-on-7 and line work in the spring. We’ve caught a few footballs this spring, but right now we’re concentrating on getting stronger and faster. We’ll let the 7-on-7 take care of itself when we get there, but right now we’re focusing on us and on conditioning, speed, strength, and stamina,” Coach Brewer added. “We had some really good jumps in progress out of the spring and we home to make good jumps again before going into fall practice.

Aside from the physical preparation, the Vikings continue to employ a positive mental attitude and see a number of team leaders emerging. In turn, the group is confident that they can compete with and defeat any team that walks on the field come Friday nights.

“There has been so much leadership on this team in the classroom, on the football field, and in the weight room. If you have a team that’s got some leadership, then you have a team that’s headed in the right direction. I think mentally we’re a year older and more mature and these guys are hungry. They’re ready to get after it,” Brewer stated.

A couple of new faces have been present during the summer in helping Avery prepare for 2010. Trevor Shields and Lucas Pittman, a pair of former standout Vikings, especially on the defensive side of the football, have been working with the current players with physically and psychologically prepare themselves for the weeks and work that lies ahead.

“Trevor and Lucas both are going to be helping us in the fall. It’s awesome to have kids come back who have bled here and sweat here and worked hard in this program, and want to come back to give back and work with these guys,” Coach Brewer stated. “Having some younger guys come back too is great because they are full of fire and full of energy. It’s awesome having these guys around.”

2010 has the makings of a special season in the annals of Vikings football history, and the coach has a simple message for the fans.

“You better get ready, ‘cause football season is just around the corner,” the coach said. “I think you’re going to see some exciting things from Avery football this season!”

Mountaineers Tabbed Third in Preseason AGS Division I FCS football poll

Reigning National Champion Villanova landed the top spot garnering 81 first place votes in the seventh annual preseason AnyGivenSaturday.com (AGS) Poll of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) released today. The AGS Poll has been the first released national poll each year since it’s inception in 2004.

Following the Wildcats in the top ten were (in order): Montana, Appalachian State, William & Mary, Southern Illinois, New Hampshire, Elon, Richmond, South Dakota State, and South Carolina State.

The full results are listed below.

Four other teams received first place votes including Montana (7), William and Mary (3), Appalachian State (2), and Southern Illinois (1).

A total of 25 squads received more than the five votes required to receive mention outside of the top 25.

The Colonial Athletic Association lead the way with six teams in the Top 25; the Big Sky Conference had four; the Missouri Valley Football and Southern Conferences had three each; the Ohio Valley and Southland Conferences had two each; and the Big South, Great West Football and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conferences plus the Ivy and Patriot Leagues were each represented with one squad.

The pollsters also named Delaware as the biggest rising team from 2009 and Richmond as the biggest falling team.

In comparison to other polls, the AGS Poll had as many or more of it’s preseason top 25 on it’s final regular season poll than either of the other two polls (coaches and media) had on their’s since their inception five years ago. The AGS Poll also had as many or more of it’s preseason top 25 on it’s final regular season poll make the playoffs than either of the other two polls the past five years.

AGS is the world’s largest online community devoted to all of the FCS. The AGS Poll was created in 2004 to give distinguished members of the AGS community a place to voice their opinion, vote for the top 25 FCS programs in the nation, and provide the media and coaches of FCS a valuable resource to gauge general sentiment. In order to ensure that the poll is accurate and fair, a committee of AGS veteran members has established guidelines for voter eligibility and accountability.

The AGS Poll will be announced weekly throughout the season on Mondays and a final poll will be announced shortly after the National Championship game.

2010 Any Given Saturday Poll Preseason Top 25

(First place votes in parenthesis), Points

1. Villanova (81), 2344
2. Montana (7), 2106
3. Appalachian State (2), 1965
4. William & Mary (3), 1909
5. Southern Illinois (1), 1825
6. New Hampshire, 1644
7. Elon, 1578
8. Richmond, 1414
9. South Dakota State, 1359
10. South Carolina State, 1352
11. Stephen F. Austin, 1218
12. Northern Iowa, 1028
13. McNeese State, 1011
14. Eastern Washington, 1002
15. Delaware, 885
16. James Madison, 871
17. Jacksonville State, 720
18. Weber State, 639
19. Liberty, 582
20. Furman, 491
21. Eastern Illinois, 480
22. Montana State, 377
23. Cal Poly, 319
24. Pennsylvania, 277
25. Holy Cross, 262

Others receiving votes (minimum of 5 votes): Prairie View A&M (43), Texas State (41), Northern Arizona (36), Massachusetts (31), Maine (30), Colgate (25), Wofford (22), Eastern Kentucky (20), Lafayette (19), UC Davis (17), Chattanooga (15), Illinois State (15), Florida A&M (14), Georgia Southern (14), North Dakota State (13), Central Arkansas (11), Youngstown State (11), Harvard (10), Lehigh (10), Stony Brook (10), Southeastern Louisiana (9), Albany (8), Grambling State (7), Dayton (5), Missouri State (5)

Western Highlands Conference News and Notes

A couple of coaching vacancies have been filled at schools within the Western Highlands Conference.

- The Hendersonville Times-News reports that long-time Hendersonville Bearcats boys basketball assistant coach Marvin Featherstone has been hired to replace Robert Strong at the school. Strong left Hendersonville to accept a teaching and athletic director's position at North Wilkes High School.

“Marvin has been a Bearcat his entire life. He's been an assistant on the team for the past nine years, and we felt like it was his time to lead the team,” Hendersonville principal Bobby Wilkins said.

Wilkins and Featherstone have known each other most of their lives. Featherstone was the starting point guard for the Bearcats in 1987 when they were coached by Wilkins. That team went on to win the 1-A state title.

“He's always been a great leader. We seem to keep following each other. When I was at the middle school, I hired him there. We've known each other a long time,” Wilkins said.

Featherstone was an assistant first under Jay Merrill, then Rich Rookey and finally coach Strong, who gave Featherstone a strong endorsement when he announced his resignation.

Strong led the Bearcats to three straight appearances in the regionals. They fell in the state semifinals this year to Monroe and ended up with a 24-5 record.

“I told the kids that they would be in great hands with Marvin. That's who I feel like should lead this team,” Strong said on May 13.

HHS Athletic Director Todd Murphy said it was an easy decision for the staff.

“When we found out about coach Strong leaving, we all knew who should take over the program. We are all excited for Marvin. He has a great history with the school in winning a state title, and the students and players love him,” Murphy said.

Featherstone, 40, is a teacher's assistant in the OCS program at HHS.

- The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Owen High School has also named a new boys head basketball coach. After a lengthy search, the school has named David Pitts as its new leader.

He comes to Owen after five seasons at North Buncombe Middle and replaces former Warhorses coach Roger Schnepp, who resigned in March after nine seasons.

“First, I'm excited to be here at Owen,” Pitts said.

“I'm looking forward to playing these teams and meeting all the other coaches. I'm hungry to work with the boys. I know this program has a rich tradition, and I want to do everything I can to make these kids successful.”

Pitts, 30, graduated from North Buncombe in 1997 and this is his first high school coaching job. Pitts won't have to wonder what challenges await in his inaugural season with the Warhorses.

Defending WHC champion Mountain Heritage should be loaded again next season thanks to the presence of rising senior John Cannon. Cannon needs only 24 blocks to break the NCHSAA career record (435).

Hendersonville returns all but one player from its 1-A Western Regional runner-up team.

“David really did a great job in his interview, and we feel like this is the right fit for him,” Owen athletic director Darin Chaplain said. “Our administration feels like he can take our program in a great direction.”

The Warhorses went 5-18 in Schnepp's final season and should return four starters from that team.

“I like to push the ball and play pressure defense,” Pitts said. “But our style of play is going to depend on the personnel I have.”

NCHSAA Adjusts Football Playoff System

The often confusing and at times expensive N.C. High School Athletic Association football playoff system got a little more complex on Tuesday when a group of high school football coaches and NCHSAA staff developed a method to implement the 256-team football playoffs using a pod system.

The qualifying teams will be placed in eight brackets, then will be split into East and West regions, and then will be split into West, Midwest, Mideast and East pods.

The change is being made to cut costs. In recent years, some teams at the extreme ends of the state have played each other in the early rounds of the playoffs. The pod system is expected to reduce costs in each bracket.

The seeding process and bracketing has several steps:

• Teams will qualify just as they have in the past.

• The first, second and third finishers in most conferences will advance, along with enough other teams, selected based on overall records, to fill the 64-team bracket in each classification.

• Qualifying teams will be arranged within a class based on enrollment. The 64 qualifying 4-A schools, for example, will be listed by enrollment. The largest 16 qualifying schools will be assigned to the big school, or AA bracket, and the 16 smaller schools will go the to A, or smaller school, bracket. The small process will be done in each classification.

• The 32-teams in the AA playoff classification will be divided into East and West regions based on geography.

• The 16 teams in each region will be seeded according to conference finish (no conference champion can be ranked below a No. 2 finisher) and overall records. An undefeated league champion will be ranked ahead of a league champ with a loss, for example.

• After the teams are seeded by region, they will be placed in one of the four pods based entirely on geography. It is possible that the top three or more seeds from a region could be in the same pod. The No. 4 seed in the East region, for example, could be the No. 1 seed in the Mideast pod.

• Teams will be seeded in their pod, based on their initial seeding in the region. The pod seeding determines the pairings for the first three rounds. Regional finals will be played at the site of highest surviving seed from the regional seeding.

Ten head football coaches, representing each classification and region of the state, worked with the NCHSAA staff to develop the procedure.

"We tried to think of all the possibilities," said Que Tucker, the deputy NCHSAA commissioner. "It is an involved process, but you just take it step by step."

Catching Up With Commitments

A number of area senior student-athletes have committed to athletics in college this fall. Below is the list of athletes from local high schools who have signed to play sports at the collegiate level. We apologize for the inadvertent omission of student-athletes who have been left off the list below.

If there are other high school senior athletes signed to compete in collegiate sports who are not listed, please contact us at the Avery Journal-Times at sports@averyjournal.com to add them to our list.

Avery High School:
Steven Daniels – Catawba Valley Community College – Baseball
Kyle Griewisch – Catawba College – Soccer
Daniel Huff – Limestone College – Baseball
Sara Wiseman – Montreat College – Basketball

Cloudland High School:
Seth Houtsma - Emory and Henry – Football

Mitchell High School:
Thomas Buchanan – Lees McRae College – Golf
Logan Jensen – Mars Hill College – Football
Kevin Hall – St. Andrews - Wrestling

MUSINGS AND RAMBLINGS: Evaul’s Career a Testament of Character, Humility, Success

One of the first things people will tell you about Avery soccer coach Tom Evaul is how selfless he is and of his humility toward his significance to the game in this county. One of the last things the coach ever wants is to be edified or lifted up over his coaches, peers, or players. It simply isn’t in his makeup.

This past Sunday at the All-State Soccer Awards Ceremony in Greensboro, Coach Evaul was awarded the NC Region 10 Coach of the Year, as well as the prestigious 1A State Soccer Coach of the Year Award. Upon receiving the recognitions, the coach was quick to put the honors into perspective.

“The honors given to me are not that big a deal when you get my age. Like one coach told me, “It looks good on a resume.” Well, at my age who needs a resume? I'm here to stay with no plans of going anywhere, except eventually Heaven, Lord willing!” Evaul shared with me after winning the awards.

Now I know from my multiple conversations with Coach Evaul that the last thing he wants is for a spotlight to be cast upon him for any individual successes he has garnered. Numerous times he is quick to ask that I credit his fellow coaches and players for their hard work, dedication, and success, which as a writer I try to oblige.

With that said, I want to take just a couple of brief moments to hopefully not infuriate the coach, but highlight Coach Evaul as both a coach and the positive role model he has been to this writer, the countless students, coaches, players, co-workers, family, and friends who have been positively affected by his influence in their lives.

After taking three years of Spanish as a high school student with Coach Evaul and spending the better part of the past decade covering his teams and the sports scene at Avery High School, it is easy to see from a sportswriter’s perspective why the coach and the soccer program has garnered such a great amount of respect and success. The coaches and players all get along tremendously. No single player looks for the accolades that come with winning. Everyone involved practices humility and appreciation toward one another, all facets reflected from the coach.

Coach Evaul is an individual that throughout his tenure has modeled consistency and high Christian character. It doesn’t matter if he’s teaching a class, organizing a practice with fellow coaches, winning a soccer match over a conference rival, or coming up short in a hard-fought state championship match, he is always gracious and humble.

When I asked him what being named the State Coach of the Year, one of the few things Coach had not attained during his storied coaching career, meant to him and to his team, hr was quick to deflect credit to those around him for making it possible.

“The positive about me personally getting any type of award is that it acknowledges that Avery County is doing the right thing with the soccer programs here, or nobody would get any local, regional or state-wide recognition at all,” the coach told me. “What I do and the time I spend doing it is not for my own benefit or to make me feel good about myself. I do it because I love Avery County. This high school and the people associated with this school (students, staff, administration) are special to me. Had it not been for ACHS, I wouldn't have met the most important person in my life!”

What also sets the coach apart is his grasp of “the big picture” when it comes to the impact of his work and the team’s successes.

“Any positive recognition given to this county or school, whether from me or anybody else, is a positive for all of us,” the coach explained. “Just to give you an idea of how unimportant any of this is to me: I don’t even know what my overall coaching record is. The athletes that played while I was coaching who had a passion for the sport and gave their all could tell you what the records were for the years they played, and they are the ones for whom those memories are special.”

Coach Evaul’s significance to soccer and those who play in this county was witnessed throughout this past soccer season, as this area embraced the 2010 Lady Vikings soccer program as never before en route to its appearance in the 1A state championship match. One only needed to see the throng of fans at last month’s championship in Raleigh to verify that truth.

Despite plaques on a mantel and honors bestowed, I appreciate how the coach, unlike many coaches in high school, college, or professional ranks, places greater value and emphasis not on wins or losses or conference championships, but on the relationships he has built and sustained through the years with teachers, former students and players, and others he has encountered in the school halls and on the pitch.

“If I was a part of their memories then that is what God wanted,” Coach Evaul said. “I would hope that whatever impact I had on any athlete’s life that was positive involved the following:
-Be a classy person, win or lose.
-Treat your opponents with respect and dignity.
- Don't be a selfish person.
- A team is only successful if everybody gives all they can give.
- No one person on a team should feel that they are more privileged than anybody else.
- Focus on academics.
- Keep your grades up and respect your teachers and fellow students because it's your academic success, not your athletic success that will drive your future.
- Be kind to everybody regardless of who or what they are.
- Take the time to reach out to somebody that is a loner, or in need, or hurting. The rewards for being kind are unbelievable.
- Above all else, trust in God and put your faith in Him, and He will take care of all your needs. Give Him all the credit and the glory for who you are and what you accomplish.”

Coach Evaul continues to leave a legacy that few can boast at Avery High School. What the coach finds most valuable, however, is the loving influence others have meant to him and that he has served a higher purpose.

“If I want to be remembered, I don't want it to be because I was a soccer coach for several years at ACHS. I want to be remembered as a man who believed in God and that my life was lived according to His will, a man that loved his wife and family more than they will ever know, a teacher that hopefully had a positive impact on at least one person that I came in contact with, and a man that tried to live up to my parents' expectations based on the values and morals they instilled in me.”

Congratulations Coach Evaul, and thank you for the trailblazer you have been to Avery athletics and the people whose lives you’ve impacted.

Bentley Steps Down as Avery High School Director of Athletics

Avery High School Athletic Director Matthew Bentley has announced that he will not be returning in that capacity for the 2010-11 academic year. A replacement for Bentley has not been named at this time.

Bentley, who with his wife Penny just recently celebrated the birth of their third child, hopes to continue to work in Avery County as a principal in one of the schools within the county system.

“The average life span for an athletic director in this state is two and a half years, so I’m well over my life expectancy,” Bentley joked from his office during an interview last week.

During last week’s athletic awards ceremony held at Avery High School, Bentley’s longtime friend and wrestling supporter B.J. Beuttell arranged for a special presentation to be made to the former Vikings head wrestling coach. Matthew’s former coach at Avery, Hank Hardin, as well as several wrestlers who were students while Matthew himself served as head coach of the program, returned to Viking Gym to take part in the ceremony and present a couple of gifts to Bentley and his family.

“There is no one I would rather have speak to me than Hank Hardin. He means the world to me and he is awesome. I hope that I was as good a coach as he was,” Bentley said of the gesture. “It came as a total surprise to me. I had really hoped that I would just fade off into the sunset.”

Although the job often demands long hours and many stressful facets, Bentley admits that there will be a number of things he will miss about the position.

“I will miss the relationships I’ve built. I miss the competition back from when I coached wrestling, but it’s the relationships with the coaches and the students that I find I miss more than anything else in the world,” Bentley said. “Those former wrestlers I worked with who still come back or call me and stay in touch. Eight of my former wrestlers wrestled in Division I and some of them are now coaching. I miss those relationships with the wrestlers as much or more than anything else.”

Bentley was also quick to thank those in the community who have been supportive to him during his tenure working in athletics for the Vikings.

“I want to say a special thank-you to Jim Greene. He is an awesome man, and what he means to me and Avery athletics, I can’t put into words. He’s just a good man and is an awesome guy to talk to,” Bentley stated.

Many thanks to Coach Bentley for his service to Avery High School athletics, and best wishes in the future.

Calloway Tabbed as New Head Wrestling Coach at Alleghany

Former Avery High School and Appalachian State University wrestler Derrick Calloway has accepted the position of head wrestling coach at Alleghany High School in Sparta, NC.

Calloway, a 2004 Avery High graduate, was a standout heavyweight wrestler in high school for former Vikings head wrestling coach Matthew Bentley, and wrestled at ASU under the tutelage of fellow Avery alum and then-assistant wrestling coach John Mark Bentley, who has since taken over as head coach of the Mountaineer program.

A 2008 Appalachian graduate, Calloway has worked the last two school years in the Mitchell County school system as assistant coach at Mitchell High School and with the county’s youth recreational wrestling club.

Derrick takes over as head coach at Alleghany following the successful tenures of former head coach and current Alleghany principal Paul Crouse and, most recently, from former head coach Jimmy Rutherford. Calloway is just the sixth head coach in the illustrious history of the Trojan wrestling program, and will also have a teaching position working with the EC (Exceptional Children) program at the school.

“I am honored to have this position. People across the state were applying for it, and I feel really blessed to have this job to take over such a program,” Calloway said in an interview this week. “Alleghany has an amazing backing of support from the community. I feel right at home already, and people have been so supportive. I’ve had parents and coaches help me with finding a place to live in Sparta, and folks have introduced themselves to me and offered to help out in any way they can.”

The name “Alleghany” is synonymous with success around state high school wrestling circles. The school won state team championships in 1989, 1997, and 1998, while winning state dual team championships in 1997, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007, and 2008. The Trojans are also nine-time regional champions.

Coach Calloway is well aware of the historic pedigree at Alleghany and looks forward to embracing the traditions and continuing the train of success.

“The tradition and history of Alleghany wrestling is known throughout the state and the Southeast. There is such a great tradition of excellence. When the school doesn’t win a state championship it is a bad year, since the team was so dominant while winning state championships in the 1980s and on through the 1990s and into recent years,” Calloway stated. “The program is backed by a great community. At most home wrestling matches you’ll see 30 or 40 people attend at a school, where at Alleghany there are hundreds of folks who come out to support the team. Wrestling I have been told is the heart and soul of Alleghany, and that I shouldn’t be surprised when the town closes down during wrestling matches like you would see for football games in the movies.”

The process that led to Calloway’s hiring occurred over a period of several months and was unique.

“I was at a tournament with Mitchell at North Wilkes and former Alleghany head coach Paul Crouse was refereeing a match one of our kids was involved in. At a point during a match, I started yelling and pointing that a takedown should have been awarded, and Coach Crouse told me to step back from being on his mat or risk getting ejected. Immediately after that he came over and asked to speak to me after the matches,” Calloway explained. “I thought he was upset with me. He told me he loved my passion and enthusiasm, and how my style reminded him of him. He asked me if I might be interested in coaching at Alleghany."

Calloway continued, "At the state tournament he informed me that the head coaching position was opening up at Alleghany and if I was interested, which I was. We kept in touch via email over the past couple of months, and I interviewed a couple of weeks ago for a special education teaching position as well as the head wrestling coach’s position.”

It is obvious shortly into any conversation with Coach Calloway that he holds Avery County dear to his heart and is extremely grateful for the guidance he received from the coaches he wrestled for and learned his craft.

“Avery County has a great tradition of wrestling. One of the main things Coach Crouse liked when I interviewed was that I had been coached in high school by Matthew Bentley and in college by John Mark Bentley. People know what those guys did in wrestling, and the Bentley name is well-known in wrestling circles for success as both wrestlers and coaches. Not only is them, but their high school coach Hank Hardin is also beloved and greatly respected around the state,” Calloway said.

“When I was interviewing for the job and working in the wrestling room with Coach Crouse, I was showing him a wrestling move. He asked me “Who did you learn that move from?” and I told him that it was learned from John Mark Bentley. Coach Crouse then asked “Where did he learn it from?” and I said “From Matthew Bentley.” Then Coach Crouse asked, “Who did Matthew learn it from?” and I said “Coach Hardin.” Coach Crouse then said, “You are from a line of coaches that has made Avery known for its in-your-face, aggressive, six-minutes, non-stop style, and that’s what Alleghany is.”

“Each of the three Avery coaches were great wrestlers and have been great coaches who have had impressive results during their tenures. Learning from them and working with them has instilled in me a knowledge and technique that I needed to have to possibly reach that kind of success myself as a coach.”

Although his alma mater is special to Derrick, in no way does that mean he or his Trojan wrestlers will take it easy or let up should Alleghany meet the likes of Avery or his former employers at Mitchell.

“I believe the most respectful thing I can do as a coach is to give Alleghany everything I have as a coach to prepare our kids to beat anyone, no matter who it is on the mat. I believe you respect all your opponents. If it’s a kid from Avery we’re facing, I want to win,” Coach Calloway said.

“From whistle to whistle, if it’s a Brock Yackey or any of the other wrestlers from Avery or Mitchell, I’m going to give everything I have as a coach to help my wrestlers to beat that opponent. I respect both those schools, but I believe if you slack off or don’t give all I have to help our kids win, I’m doing a disservice to Avery and Mitchell, and even more so to Alleghany who has entrusted me to lead them to a championship.”

At age 23, Calloway is one of, if not the youngest head wrestling coach in North Carolina. Despite his relative youth, Derrick understands that there will bumps along the way that will help mature him as a coach and shape his stamp on the rich Alleghany tradition.

“I know that I’m an Alleghany Trojan now, but I still feel that I’m carrying on that Avery tradition that has been passed down from Coach Hardin to Matthew and John Mark. Coaching has been a dream for me since I was kicked off a recreation league basketball team in eighth grade,” Calloway stated. “I knew I wanted to take over a program one day. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but I like that people are going to be watching. We have some rebuilding to do as we lost a few wrestlers, but I think people will be supportive and that folks will like what they see.”

Congratulations to Coach Calloway and best wishes as he begins his head coaching career at Alleghany!

NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS INVITATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT BIG HIT FOR AVERY COUNTY

There are many traditions held around the Memorial Day Weekend; remembering our fallen heroes in service to their country, parades, family picnics, and the North Carolina Mountains Invitational Golf Tournament at Mountain Glen Golf Club. With a team score of 208 (8 under par), Wrenn Johnson and Stephen Scott won this year’s event.

In an exciting playoff, Johnson and Scott hit their tee shots in the fairway of the par 4 first hole, while Tom Dixon found his drive in the right rough and Parker Barnes’ tee shot took an unfortunate bounce near a tree. Both Dixon and Barnes had near impossible shots to the green and could not scramble for par. Scott hit a great shot to five feet of the cup to slam the door on the victory, and only needed Johnson’s two-putt par for the win.

Since 1982, Mountain Glen Golf Club in Newland, NC has hosted the North Carolina Mountains Invitational. The 54-hole event attracted 180 players from all over the southeast with proceeds given to Hospice of Avery County.

Joy Pittman, Office Manager of Hospice, was very appreciative of this year’s event. “We would like to thank the Tournament Committee and Avery Development Corporation for giving us this opportunity. It is one of our big fundraisers and we really appreciate everything the committee does to help make the services of Hospice and Palliative Care of Avery County possible to the people that need us.”

Sam Foster, Golf Pro at Mountain Glen, was also pleased with the Memorial Day tournament. “Everyone seemed pleased with the tournament, and thanks to the hard work of our grounds crew, led by William Costner and Charles McKinney, the course was in great shape,” said Foster.

Curtis Ward, tournament committee finance chair, indicated that the tournament would be able meet our obligations to Hospice of Avery County. “Every member of the committee has been touched by Hospice, which makes it personal and special to us,” said Ward.

The North Carolina Mountains Invitational Golf Tournament has a huge economic impact, not only for Hospice of Avery County but also for the restaurants, stores, and lodging establishments of the High Country. Golfers come to the High Country from all across the southeast. That means the Mountains Invitational not only serves Avery County Hospice, but also works as an economic engine for Avery County. The players are staying in area motels, hotels, condos, lodges and campgrounds, eating in area restaurants and shopping in local stores.

Look for updates and photos of the North Carolina Mountains Invitational Golf Tournament on Facebook.com.

Avery High School Recognizes Season of Excellence at Athletic Awards Ceremony

Avery High School celebrated one of its greatest seasons of prep athletics last week with its annual athletic awards banquet held in Viking Gym. The best and brightest student-athletes were recognized during the ceremony for their successes both on the field and in the classroom.
Athletic Director Matthew Bentley served as the Master of Ceremonies as team, individual, and coaching achievements were honored.

Over the course of the evening, a grand total of 219 varsity letters were awarded to Avery athletes, with many student-athletes taking home awards for multiple sports. An impressive 28 athletes were recognized by being named All-Conference selections in sports during the 2009-10 school year, a total ten greater than a season ago.

Below is the full list of special awards to athletes by sport:

Baseball
Defensive Player of the Year: Jared Clark; -Offensive Player of the Year: Steven Daniels; Most Valuable Player: Daniel Huff
Girls Basketball
(Western Sectional Champions; Regional Semi-finalists) JV: Western Highlands Conference champions Coach’s Award- Hayley Pyatte; Lady Viking Impact Award – Elyse Perry; Defensive Player of the Year: Katelynn Eudy; Offensive Player of the Year: Sara Wiseman; Most Outstanding Player: Lauren Avery
Women’s Tennis
Coach’s Award: Morgan Stout; Viking Awards: Leah Powell, Lauren Avery; MVP: Anna Melton
Volleyball
Offensive Player Award: Cassie Bumgarner; Most Valuable Defensive Player Award: Jennie Elrod; Coach’s Award-Melinda Eggers; Best All-Around- Savannah Dellinger
Men’s Soccer
Most Improved Player: Brock Yackey; Coach’s Award: Daniel Huff; Offensive Player Award: Isauro Estrada; Defensive Player Award: Morgan Bounds; Most Valuable Player: Kyle Griewisch
Cross Country
Coach’s Award (boys): Jared Clark; Coach’s Award (girls): Caroline Crenshaw Boys MVP: Mark Polsgrove; Girls MVP: Mary Chesnut Smith
Cheerleading
MVP (football): Ramona McGowan; MVP (basketball): Megan Robbins; Cheerleader of the Year: Meredith Condrey; Spirit Award: Jessica Wiseman
Men’s Basketball
Coach’s Award: Mark Polsgrove; Offensive Player Award: Dustin Clarke; Defensive Player Award: Luke Pittman
Track & Field
Men’s Team MVP: Alex Villanueva; Men’s Most Outstanding Runner: Kyle Griewisch; Girls MVP: Caroline Crenshaw; Girls Most Outstanding Runner: Mary Chesnut Smith
Men’s Golf
Most Improved Player: Shea Buchanan; Most Valuable Player: Chase Watson
Women’s Golf
Sportsmanship Award: Nikki Wright; Most Valuable Player: Catalina Lehmann
Wrestling
Coach’s Award: Lucas Lecka; Most Improved Wrestler: C.J. Vance; Most Outstanding Wrestler: Brock Yackey
Softball
Coach’s Award: Becca Biggerstaff; MVP: Amber Clark
Women’s Soccer
Most Improved Player: Kaley Faulkner; Coach’s Award: Melinda Eggers; Coach’s Award: Mercedes Bentley; Viking Award: Elyse Perry; Defensive Award: Megan Robbins; Defensive Award: Katelynn Eudy; Offensive Player of the Year: Emily Banner; Most Valuable Players: Mary Chesnut Smith & Hayden Blackburn
Football:
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Jacob Barnett; Offensive Back Players of the Year: Alex Villanueva and Andy Gonzalez; Defensive Back Player of the Year: Taylor Potter; Defensive Line/Linebacker Player of the Year: Dylan Aldridge; Coach’s Award: Cody Greene; Charles “Babe” Howell Award: Colton Blackburn; Elmer Aldridge Hard Hit Award: Nathaniel Buchanan

Not only did the Vikings excel on the field, but also were successful in the classroom. An astounding total of 54 athletes earned NCHSAA Scholar Athlete Awards, where athletes must maintain a 3.5 or higher unweighted grade point average for the school year.

During the evening a number of special awards were handed out recognizing special individual achievements. Mercedes Bentley (Western Highlands Conference Ladies Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year), Morgan Bounds (Western Highlands Conference Men’s Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year), Dustin Clarke (Western Highlands Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year), and Mary Chesnut Smith (Western Highlands Conference Women’s Soccer Player of the Year) were honored.

Smith was recognized later in the ceremony as she was named the Western Highlands Conference Athlete of the Year. Avery men’s basketball head coach Bo Manis also was recognized for receiving the Western Highlands Conference Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year.

Avery High School Assistant Coach and Head Coach of the Year Awards were also given during the evening’s festivities. Athletic trainer Susan Hawkins was named the Avery High School Assistant Coach of the Year for the time and tireless dedication to all the sports at Avery.

The Avery County Head Coach of the Year honor was awarded to soccer coach Tom Evaul, who received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd in Viking Gym. Evaul was applauded for the tremendous seasons his men’s and ladies soccer teams enjoyed in 2009-10. Coach Evaul’s résumé from this past season included being named the Western Highlands Conference Coach of the Year, the Region 10 Soccer Coach of the Year, as well as the NCHSAA 1A Women’s Soccer State Coach of the Year, leading the Avery Lady Vikings to their first-ever appearance in a state championship game and just the second championship game appearance by any Avery athletic team in the school’s history.

There were a number of emotional moments during the ceremony. Former Avery wrestling coach Hank Hardin surprised his former wrestler Matthew Bentley in making a special presentation upon Bentley’s announcement that he is not returning as athletic director next school year. A number of Bentley’s former wrestlers were also on hand to honor their former head coach and mentor.

Senior soccer player Kyle Griewisch presented a plaque to soccer coach Tom Evaul on behalf of the men’s soccer senior players thanking him for his commitment and relationships with them through their careers. Avery senior cheerleaders Ariel Byrd and Ariel Franklin also presented outgoing head cheerleading coach Cary Dominguez with a catalog and plaque.

A number of students were recipients of special individual awards. Director of Athletics Matthew Bentley doled out Sportsmanship Awards to seniors Elyse Perry and Luke Pittman for their displays of exemplary sportsmanship both on and off the field.

The Avery Athletic Boosters presented awards to seniors Jared Clark and Lauren Avery for their excellence this past season. Avery seniors Kyle Griewisch and Caroline Crenshaw were honored with the Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, respectively.

The final individual awards of the evening were the Avery Athletes of the Year. Kyle Griewisch was named the Male Athlete of the Year, while fellow senior Lauren Avery received the Female Athlete of the Year honor.

“This was an exceptional season for Avery athletics,” ACHS Athletic Director Matthew Bentley stated following the ceremony. “We had a very good group of kids this year who worked hard in the classroom and on the field.”

Congratulations to all Avery athletes on a tremendous 2009-2010 school year!

NCHSAA Deputy Executive Director Leads Seminar for Avery Coaches

On Tuesday, May 18^th, Avery County High School’s coaches attended a workshop at Mountain Glen Golf Club in Newland led by Que Tucker, Deputy Executive Director with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

During the workshop, Tucker led coaches through a number of exercises ranging from a “scavenger hunt” where coaches worked to fill in spaces on a sheet with signatures of other coaches who had a skill or other feature (such as could speak another language or traveled outside the United States) to more serious brainstorming sessions dealing with the positive and negative of coaches, parents, and student-athletes.

“The coaches were very honest and open about their positive working relationship as an athletic staff. It is obvious that they like and respect each other and genuinely care not only the program now, but about the future and how to make it the best it can possibly be,” Tucker remarked following the seminar. “The coaches talked openly with each other and participated fully in the activities designed to help them think about their individual philosophy and overall program at AHS.”

It is rare for a Deputy Executive Director to make a visit to a school, much less a school over three hours from the central office in Chapel Hill, to facilitate a workshop. As well, Tucker stopped actively teaching in a workshop setting a number of years ago. However, at the request of Avery athletics director Matthew Bentley (the pair have been good acquaintances for well over a decade), Tucker agreed to venture to the High Country to provide useful tools to over two dozen Avery coaches that attended the event.

“It was an awesome event. It’s great when you have someone who is basically the head of the NCHSAA come to work with our coaches. It’s great for the coaches to get to know her and vice versa to develop relationships,” Bentley said after the workshop. “That way coaches know her when they attend state championships and they can put a face to a name if they have to contact the athletic association with anything.”

The workshop took approximately six months of planning to arrange accommodating schedules.

“Que stopped doing seminars and workshops around 10 or 12 years ago. Interns normally do the seminars now, but she and I are pretty good acquaintances and I begged her and begged her and she finally gave in. She did a terrific job working with our coaches,” Bentley added. “By day’s end we had 25 coaches come in for the workshop.”

Although the training took place over the course of a single day, the effects of the training are sure to be lasting and impact the lives of the student-athletes in Avery County.

“The seminar gave the coaches a different perspective on dealing with parents and issues specifically dealing with athletes and interactions with them,’ Bentley added.

“It was a special session and I am grateful for the time to share,” Tucker said. “The leadership of Matthew Bentley and the general administration (at Avery) is to be commended.”

Wiseman Signs to Play Basketball with Montreat College

Avery Lady Vikings senior center Sara Wiseman, coming off a stellar season that saw her average a double-double in points and rebounds, as well as lead the team in blocked shots, has signed to play basketball for the Lady Cavaliers of Montreat College this fall.

Wiseman put pen to paper in a ceremony last week at Avery High School, joined by her parents Jack and Elizabeth, as well as Avery Lady Vikings head basketball coach Missy Lyons and Montreat College Lady Cavaliers head coach Craig Jackson.

“She’s got good size. Sara rebounds the ball really well, she shoots the ball well inside, and I believe she’s only going to get better,” Coach Jackson said of his newest recruit at last week’s signing. “We need some size and big players. It’s a good time to bring in some local freshmen to recruit.”

Wiseman was a perfect fit for a Lady Cavaliers program that prides itself in recruiting local student-athletes and developing them for the college game. “It’s great to see our local kids developing, especially as more and more schools recruit outside the state,” the coach stated.

Coach Jackson envisions Wiseman fitting in nicely as a Lady Cavalier competing in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

“She will fit in fine. She’ll have to get a little more skilled and in a little better shape, but she can be an excellent player,” the coach stated.

Sara’s parents were excited to share the proud day with their daughter.

“She’s worked really hard and we’re really proud of her. She’s had a lot of really good coaches who have worked with her through the years,” Sara’s mother Elizabeth said. “Sara is very active in the church, and the fact that Montreat is a Christian college is going to be very important to her, leaving Avery County going out into the world. I think being surrounded by Christians will help her make the adjustment.”

“She’s dedicated herself to basketball for years and years and had had a passion to play since second grade. She’s had some good coaches and done well. She just loves it, and that’s the important thing,” Sara’s father Jack stated at the signing. “We’re proud that she able to continue with playing and also to get an education while playing.”

Playing close to home will also serve as a plus for the Wiseman family.

“Knowing it has made seeing her last games in high school a lot easier. She had her last YBOA games a couple of weeks ago, and I don’t think I shed as many tears knowing that I’ll still be able to watch her play in college in the near future,” Elizabeth Wiseman said.

“It is nice to not have to travel so far to be able to watch Sara’s games. We’ve gone to some far places to watch games, so it’s good that a lot of the games will be nearby,” Jack Wiseman added.

Congratulations to Sara as she begins her collegiate career with the Lady Cavaliers.

Cranberry Middle School Holds Annual Athletic Banquet

On Tuesday, May 25^th, Cranberry Middle School held its annual awards banquet in the school cafeteria. Nearly 100 athletes, some in multiple sports, were recognized during the evening for their excellence both in the athletic arena and in the classroom.

Students, parents, and teachers enjoyed dinner together prior to the awards ceremony before a number of awards were doled out to the student-athletes.

Cranberry athletics director Kent Hayes and Principal Kim Davis emceed the festivities following the meal.The following students received special award plaques or recognition in respective sports:

Softball: Coach’s Award – Abby Thompson; Most Improved- Chelsey Kirkpatrick
Soccer: Offensive Award – Graham Avery; Defensive Award – Peter Tufts
Football: Coach’s Awards – Cody Clawson and Jonah Tenge
Cheerleading: Coach’s Award-Kayln Cable and Chelsey Kirkpatrick
Boys Basketball: Best All-Around: Tyler Pittman
Wrestling: Most Improved- Sam Acheson-Adams
Baseball: MVP: Jake Hinshaw; Most Improved-Michael Thomas
Golf: Best All-Around: Harley Foster
Volleyball: MVP: Katie Rigdon; Hustle Award: Bethany Burleson
Girls Basketball: Most Improved: Karmen Gragg; Hustle Award: Sierra Jones
Track: Female Track Athlete of the Year: Abby Roberts; Male Track Athlete of the Year: Tyler Pittman

The final awards given for the evening were the Robin Austin Scholar-Athletes of the Year. The female recipient was Karmen Gragg, while the male recipient was Zack Guy.

“It’s not so much about wins and losses, but how the kids are learning to be a team, building character, and learning fundamentals. Sure we’d like to have won more games through the year, but we’ve worked hard at helping the kids become total students,” Cranberry athletic director Kent Hayes said at the event. “If you ever were to ride a middle school bus with the kids after they lost a ballgame, it’s often hard to tell they lost. They’re a unique group who is always smiling and excited about having fun and enjoying the game, regardless of the result. We had a great group of coaches that worked hard this year with the kids and were committed to their teams. We had a good year.”

Congratulations to the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats on a great school year in sports!

AMS Honors Student-Athletes at Annual Athletics Banquet

­On Thursday evening, May 27^th Avery Middle School held its annual end-of-season athletics banquet for fall, winter, and spring sports.

The evening was a combination of celebration and reflection of the year that was in Panthers sports.

AMS students Holly Clark and Scott Wiseman offered an invocation, followed by a welcome and video presentation.

Avery Middle School Director of Athletics Marilynne Phillips addressed students and parents in attendance, thanking them for their participation and expressing appreciation for their sterling efforts both in the athletic and academic arenas.

The banquet was privileged to have as guest speaker Amanda Yates Delp, former standout athlete at Avery Middle School as well as Avery High School, who went on to run cross country at the collegiate level at UNC-Greensboro and is currently pursuing a nursing degree.

Athletes from a total of 11 sports were honored over the course of the banquet and recognized for their contributions to the Panthers athletic success in 2009-10. The Robin Carver Austin Scholar Awards were also presented in an unprecedented manner to three students who excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. This year’s award recipients included the following:

Football: MVP – Chase Buchanan; Big Hitter – Luke Price; Players Award- Hunter Johnson; Defensive – Scott Wiseman; Offensive – Ty Polsgrove
Cheerleading: MVP Football Season– Hannah Walrath; MVP Basketball Season – Tiffani Gibbs; Coach’s Award – Kristen Calloway; Coach’s Award – Jordan Thomason; Most Improved – Kasey Greene; Most Spirited – Laura Walters
Soccer: MVP – Carson Williams; Coach’s Award – Gerardo Urbina; Most Improved – Austin Robin; Defensive – Liamm Lafone; Offensive – Daniel Zartman
Volleyball: Coach’s Award – Ashlie Yoder; Most Improved – Juanita Guzman;
Defensive – Jessica Ramsey; Offensive – Lauren Burleson
Girls Basketball: Hustle Award – Jessica Ramsey; Rebounding Award- Haley Woody;
Defensive – Shannon Smith; Offensive – Breanna Heaton; MVP – Lauren Burleson
Boys Basketball: Hustle Award – Chase Buchanan; Coach’s Award – Kobe Pittman; Most Improved – Dalton Tennant; Defensive – Ty Polsgrove; Offensive – Chance Watson
Softball: MVP – Ashlie Yoder; Coach’s Award – Ginny Leaman; Most Improved – Kylie Polsgrove; Defensive – Ellie Lecka; Offensive – Shannon Smith
Baseball: MVP- Ty Polsgrove; Coach’s Award- Luke Wotell; Most Improved- Nick Wotell; Defensive- Chance Watson; Offensive- Daniel Childress
Golf: Best All Around- Daniel Childress
Track:Boys MVP- Carson Williams; Girls MVP- Shannon Smith; Coach’s Award – Ty Polsgrove; Coach’s Award – Lauren Burleson
Wrestling: Most Valuable Wrestler- Luke Price; Most Outstanding- Harley Rash;
Most Improved- Zack Freeman; Rookie of the Year- Preston Childress

The final awards given during the evening were the Robin Austin Scholar-Athlete Awards. The award is usually given to the boy and girl who has played in at least two sports and has the highest grade point average academically. The female recipient was Shannon Smith, who was named All-Conference in all four sports she participated in.

Since the race for the boy’s award was too close to call with almost identical GPAs between two students, Avery Middle School awarded two Scholar-Athlete Awards, one to Ty Polsgrove, a multiple sport award winner in track, basketball, baseball, and football, and another to Carson Williams, who was named the Toe River Conference Track Athlete of the Year and the MVP on the Avery soccer squad.

“I am excited to death with our school year. We were within two points of the Carolina Mountain Bank Trophy, awarded to the Toe River Conference school who receives the most points for the regular season contests in all sports besides soccer, wrestling, and golf,” AMS athletic director Marilynne Phillips said after the evening’s festivities. “Our coaches are some of the best, most upstanding citizens I’ve ever seen. They work so well with the kids. By looking at our slide show, all of our children were so happy and had such a great time playing sports this season.”

Panthers Laying Groundwork toward Successful Fall Football Season

Since early May the Avery Middle School football team has been meeting two days a week after school to work on fundamentals and skill development which will help the Panthers compete in the fall for a Toe River Conference championship.

Gone from last year’s team are 10 of the team’s 11 starters on offense, and only three returning players on the defensive side of the football. Despite the turnover, the coaching staff feels this year’s team is still destined to be a force in the conference championship picture.

“We’ve had quite a few players come out and participate with us, 11 of our players off last year’s team are returning as 8^th graders. Players like Tre Jackson, Austin Phillips, Kobe Pittman, Wade Smith, and Kyle Ward, who are multi-sport athletes, are helping us. We also have Austin Calloway who has come out to play this season and has been a huge plus for us. He didn’t play last season and will help us on the line,” Avery Middle School head football coach Donnie Johnson said during last week’s practices. “Hunter Dellinger is another athlete who came out to play this year. The 8^th grade group is smaller than last year’s, but we have a good core coming back. We’re not really rebuilding, but rather are reloading.”

The core of returning players is paying immediate dividends as they have matured into team leaders in the practice setting.

“Having a number of returning players helps with the little things, things like keeping things in order like the locker room and also on the field. We feel if we take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves,” the coach said. “Our practices are moving at a little faster pace than previously. Nobody is walking and everyone is hustling throughout practice. The 8^th graders are really stepping up to lead more then they were as 7^th graders last season.”

In spite of the great start the team has gotten off to in preparing for the Toe River Conference football season, Coach Johnson knows his team have a ways to go to reach the ultimate goal of a conference title.

“The biggest thing for us is to stay on course where we’re heading. As long as we keep getting better a conference championship this year certainly is not out of reach,” Coach Johnson stated. “Everybody’s looking at this year as a down year, as almost every team with the exception of Cranberry lost quite a few 8^th grade players. But we’re where we need to be and I believe we’re doing a good job of preparing for the fall. The returning kids are putting in the work and the 7^th graders are following their example, which I feel goes a long way in determining what it takes to be a championship-caliber team.”

Western Highlands Conference Spring Sports All-Conference Honorees

The following are the All-Western Highlands Conference selections for the spring sports season.

BASEBALL:
Daniel Huff (Avery County); Connor Cope, Paul Posthumus and Anthony Franco (Hendersonville); Matt McPeters and Cody Shook (Madison); Zach Wiseman (Mitchell); Jacob Neil, Josh Laws and Steven Wilson (Mountain Heritage); Kaleb Fowler, Brandon Spivey, Dylan Hensley, Jonathon Groce and J.D. Chaplain (Owen); Danny Fraga, Clint Harris, Brandon Jolley, Lucas Cash, Robert Taft and Joel Booker (Polk County).

Coach of the Year: Mark Cook (Hendersonville).
Player of the Year: Lucas Cash (Polk County).

MEN'S GOLF:

Chase Watson (Avery County); Wiekus Tolles and Grant Hahn (Hendersonville); Thomas Buchanan, Marcus Wood and Luke Stewart (Mitchell); Mickey McKeithan (Owen); Kyle Brown, Davis Horne and Dylan Jones (Polk County).

Coach of the Year: Quentin Buchanan (Mitchell).
Player of the Year: Thomas Buchanan (Mitchell).

WOMEN'S SOCCER:

Elyse Perry, Melinda Eggers, Mary Chesnut Smith, Emily Banner, Hayden Blackburn, Mercedes Bentley and Katelyn Eudy (Avery County); Alexandra Clark, Tori Haynes, Samantha Reeves and Kristen Stout (Hendersonville); Allison Yates (Madison); Caitlyn Blevins (Mitchell); Sarah Ludwig (Mountain Heritage); Caitlin Foreman and Mary Kendall (Owen); Anna Trakas, Peyton Habenicht, Katie Wilson and Emily Antonio (Polk County).

Coach of the Year: Brian Espinoza (Thomas Jefferson).
Goalkeeper of the Year: Mercedes Bentley (Avery County).
Player of the Year: Mary Chesnut Smith (Avery County).

SOFTBALL:

Kaylea Davis (Avery County); Chesnee Foster and Amber Patterson (Hendersonville); Sarah Smith, Carrie Gentry, Shelby Metcalf, Allie Leake and Kaitlin Huff (Madison); Autumn Thompson (Mitchell); Samm Chandler and Penny Lane Buckner (Mountain Heritage); Cyndal Patton, Bell Moss, Meghan Latak, Taylor Fisher, Sheena Twitty, Allie Brandon and Stephanie Jones (Owen); Alyssa Montgomery, Jamie Hrobak, Nikki Williams and Haley Champion (Polk County).

Coach of the Year: Don McGeary (Owen).
Co-Players of the Year: Sheena Twitty (Owen), Allie Brandon (Owen) and Stephanie Jones (Owen).

MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD:

Alex Villanueva (Avery County); Richmond Felton, Thomas O'Connell, Daniel Orr, Grant Rivers, 400-meter relay, 800-meter relay and 3,200-meter relay (Hendersonville); Ronnie Gosnell (Madison); Casey Peterson (Mountain Heritage); Bryan Lieberman, Valentin Santos, Kayce Martin, John Spencer Wolfe and 1,600-meter relay (Polk County).

WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD:

Hailey Cook and Kristen Stout (Hendersonville); Alesia Reece and Cynthia Griffin (Madison); Danica Huskins (Mitchell); Penny Lane Buckner (Mountain Heritage); 400-meter relay, 800-meter relay, 1,600-meter relay and 3,200-meter relay (Owen); Latoya Twitty, Cheyenne Miller, Maggie Conner, Savanna Mitchell (Polk County)

HCSA to host 3v3 tourney

The High Country Soccer Association will host the fifth round of the North Carolina Champions Cup 3v3 Tournament series July 17.

The Mountain Madness 3v3 Tournament is open to players age 6 through adult with the top three teams in each division earning points towards the North Carolina Champions Cup and qualifying for the 3v3 Finals in Myrtle Beach, S.C. in August.

This type of soccer is a unique competitive format focusing on speed, footwork, and solid teamwork. The small field lends itself to short, quick passing and a high speed format. Teams consist of no more than six players with three on the field at a time.

Team registration and more information is available through the High Country Soccer Association website at www.hcavalanche.org. Click on the Tournaments menu option. The tournament is open to anyone wanting to participate. No special membership is required.

National Honor Society Raises Funds through Powder Puff Football Exhibition

On Monday, May 31st the Avery High School chapter of the National Honor Society sponsored a powder puff football game as a fund raiser on behalf of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The game, originally to be played last week, was rescheduled to Monday from last week due to inclement weather and was a fun event for all.

Powder puff football involves two teams of ladies (cheerleaders, players from other sports, etc.) squaring off against one another in a game of flag football. The two squads were ladies representing the senior class versus a team of ladies representing the junior class. The juniors had the upper hand early with an interception return by Megan Robbins, and teammate Katelynn Eudy scored twice on interception returns en route to a 49-14 win.

The importance of the game was not the final score as much as the cause to come together. Avery’s students, players, and coaches raised $1,052 to help the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. The Foundation's mission reflects the life-changing impact that a Make-A-Wish experience has on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors and entire communities.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation was founded in 1980 after a little boy named Chris Greicius realized his heartfelt wish to become a police officer. Since its humble beginnings, the organization has blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon, reaching more than 193,000 children around the world.

Although it has become one of the world's most well-known charities, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has maintained the grassroots fulfillment of its mission.

A network of nearly 25,000 volunteers enables the Make-A-Wish Foundation to serve children with life-threatening medical conditions. Volunteers serve as wish granters, fundraisers, special events assistants and in numerous other capacities.

As the Foundation continues to mature, its mission will remain steadfast. Wish children of the past, present and future will have an opportunity to share the power of a wish.