Vikings Look to End Regular Season with Senior Night Victory

On Friday, November 5, the Avery Vikings hope to erase the disappointment of last week’s 42-34 loss at Mountain Heritage and bounce back on Senior Night with a triumph over the rival Mitchell Mountaineers.

Avery (7-3, 3-3 WHC) enters this week’s tilt tied in the conference with Mitchell (5-5, 3-3 WHC) as well as Hendersonville. The Mountaineers evened its mark last week with a 28-0 shutout of the Madison Patriots in Marshall.

Last season the Vikings needed a last minute touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal from Alex Villanueva to Andy Gonzalez to defeat Mitchell 42-38 in Ledger.

Scouting the Mountaineers
On the field, the Mountaineers are coached by Russell Barnett and offensively will utilize a spread attack, as well as an I formation. Both Justin Hughes (25-of-51 passing, 478 yards, 3 TD) and Troy Self have seen time at the quarterback position, with senior running back Shawn Jackson anchoring the Mountaineer running attack.

Jackson leads the team in rushing as he has ran 137 times for 909 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Teammates Hughes (94 rushes, 448 yards, 10 TD), Self (66 rushes, 465 yards, 7 TD), and Michael Styles (57 rushes, 399 yards, 6TD) provide the rest of the Mitchell rushing firepower.

Mitchell has attempted only 81 passes all season, but when the team throws the football, the target has usually been Ryan Sparks, who leads the squad with 268 yards. Corey Greene is the only other receiver with over 100 yards for the season (101 yards on four catches), reinforcing the desire that the Mountaineers look to the ground game to generate yards and points on opponents.

On the defensive side of the football, Ben Smith leads the club with 71 tackles, with 58 from Styles and 50 from Jackson. Josh McClellan has pulled down 44 tackles for the Mountaineers, with 40 tackles from teammate Dayshawn Blackmon and 39 from Hughes. Styles leads the Mitchell defense with 5.5 sacks this season.

Beyond the game of football, if any school, community, or team knows something about the ability to exhibit grace and dignity through adversity, it has been Mitchell. The football team was rocked shortly before the season began when a truck accident affected six of the team’s players. A couple of months later, the loss of two students in an automobile crash further tested the resolve of the community.

Through it all, the football team of around 22 players and the community has rallied together. The Mountaineers continued to play with great heart and determination while representing their school and community, despite doing so at times with heavy hearts. For that alone, those who take the field in purple this week deserve to be commended and applauded by fans at MacDonald Stadium who support home and visiting teams alike.

The Low Down
The old adage about throwing the records out when rivals play each other always seems to apply to the Mitchell/Avery series. There is usually no team that the other one wishes to defeat more than the opponent across the field this week.

The formula for the Vikings to pick up a victory begins with the defense stopping the rushing attack of Mitchell. As a whole this season, Avery has fared well in stopping the run defensively, while the team has shown a little weakness defending good passing squads.

Unless Mitchell veers away sharply from its general weekly game plan this week, don’t expect the Mountaineers to be flinging the football around the yard on Friday. Offensively, Avery has to limit penalties and take care of the football. Avery amassed over 70 yards in penalties last week, while a pair of interceptions were turned into points at Mountain Heritage, putting the Big Red in a hole it could not escape from.

Mitchell must be prepared for both the Avery running and passing game this week, something the team has seen before in the Polk Wolverines and handled to the tune of a 24-23 upset win in Ledger just a few short weeks ago.

Two players may well reflect the fortunes of their respective teams this week. If Shawn Jackson finds success running the football on the Viking defense, Mitchell will be primed to spring what some would call an upset on the road in Newland.

On the Avery side of the ledger, quarterback Alex Villanueva must find receivers with the efficiency he showed in the fourth quarter of last week’s game against the Cougars, where he and the Viking offense were within a possession of overcoming a 21-point deficit.

The formula is boring and simple, yet continues to ring true. Teams that take care of the football win games. Whichever squad forces the most turnovers should walk off the turf this week with a victory and, maybe more importantly, much needed momentum into next Friday’s first round of the state 1-AA football playoffs.

By the Numbers:
0 – points surrendered by Mitchell in a 28-point win over the Madison Patriots last week.
2 – touchdown receptions from Avery wide receiver Hunter Shields in last week’s contest against Mountain Heritage.
50 – number of times the Mountaineers ran the football in last Friday’s win, good for 287 rushing yards.
95- rushing yards gained by Madison on 22 attempts in last Friday’s 28-0 Mitchell victory.
106 – yards rushing on 22 attempts by Mitchell running back Shawn Jackson in last season’s 42-38 loss.
132 – rushing yards by Colton Blackburn (on just 10 carries) in last year’s meeting in Ledger.
1,412 – passing yards by Avery quarterback Alex Villanueva in six games this season, with 16 touchdowns.

For a full recap of this week’s Mitchell/Avery contest, as well as a preview of Avery’s first round opponent in the NCHSAA 1-AA state football playoffs which begin on Friday, November 12, read next week’s edition of The Avery Journal-Times

Avery Fourth Quarter Rally Comes Up Short against Cougars

In a crucial game to Avery’s Western Highlands Conference championship hopes, the Mountain Heritage Cougars scored 21 unanswered points over the late-second and early- third periods to blow open a tight contest on Friday, October 29, in Burnsville.

Avery rallied with 20 of the game’s final 27 points on three touchdown passes from quarterback Alex Villanueva to three different receivers, but the charge was for naught as the Cougars held on to upend the Big Red 42-34 on Homecoming night at E.L. Briggs Stadium.

The Cougars took the first possession of the ballgame and chewed four and a half minutes off the clock with a 12-play, 79-yard scoring drive. A 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyson Tomberlin to wide receiver Drew Letterman allowed Heritage to draw first blood. The extra point kick was blocked, but the Cougars led 6-0.

A surprise short kick from the Cougars was recovered by the Vikings to give them a short field to work with during its first offensive series. Avery’s offense clicked quickly as a pass from Villanueva to teammate Colton Blackburn netted 25 yards and moved the Vikings near the red zone. Avery ran the football seven consecutive times and scored on its final attempt, a one-yard plunge by Blackburn. Avery’s extra point, like the earlier Cougar kick, was blocked, leaving the contest tied at 6-6 with 3:30 remaining in the first period.

The Cougars possessed the football for the remainder of the quarter, but turned the football over on downs on the Avery 28-yard line after stopping Heritage on fourth down in the opening minute of the second quarter.

After an Avery three-and-out, the Heritage offense ran seven times and passed on three occasions to forge a second touchdown drive to take the lead. Tomberlin found tight end Trenton Burleson on a 15-yard seam pass play for a touchdown. A two-point conversion pass to Eli Buckner put the Cougars up 14-6 midway through the second quarter.

With its ensuing possession Avery wasted little time to strike pay dirt. A 37-yard pass completion from Villanueva to wide receiver Andy Gonzalez advanced the Vikings offense to the Cougar red zone. Three plays later, Villanueva connected with wide receiver Hunter Shields for a 14-yard touchdown. Blackburn ran in a two-point conversion to again tie the score, this time at 14-14 with exactly four minutes to play before halftime.

Mountain Heritage found confidence in hitting big pass plays at key moments in the contest. The second such play came on Heritage’s last offensive series which followed the Viking equalizing score.

Facing a 3^rd-and-12 from the Avery 47-yard line, Tomberlin fired a deep pass which found the hands of teammate Letterman for a touchdown with just 58 seconds left in the half. The extra point kick gave the Cougars a 21-14 lead.

Avery had a final chance to tie the game in the waning seconds of the half and drove to the Heritage 31-yard line, but an incomplete pass on the final play of the half preserved the Cougars’ seven-point cushion at intermission.

Heritage had amassed roughly double the total yardage as Avery in the first half, but Avery’s offensive efficiency kept them within striking distance as the third quarter began.

The Vikings began the first offensive series of the second half with good field position near the Heritage 40-yard line, but the Vikings turned the football over in its own territory as a Villanueva pass was picked off by Mountain Heritage defensive back Austin Rice. Heritage quickly exploited the miscue by posting another touchdown as Tomberlin and Letterman connected for their third touchdown strike of the game, a 43-yard play to boost the Cougar bulge to 28-14 with just two minutes elapsed in the third period.

The turnover bug bit the Vikings yet again on its next series, when on second down at the Avery 35, Villanueva’s pass across the middle was intercepted by Burleson to start another Heritage on the Viking side of the field. At the conclusion of a six-play, 39-yard drive, Burleson was rewarded for his efforts by catching an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tomberlin. Within six minutes of game time, Avery found itself staring at a 21-point deficit as the Cougars held a commanding 35-14 lead.

Although the team trailed, Avery continued to find success moving the football on offense. Using a mix of run and pass, the Vikings moved inside the Heritage 30, but could not convert a fourth down play and turned the ball over on downs.

Desperately needing to make a play, the Viking defense rose to the challenge as it forced Heritage running back Eli Buckner to fumble. Avery recovered at the Mountain Heritage 45-yard line, but the Cougars held as the Vikings could not muster a first down to move the chains after regaining possession.

As the final period began, the Viking defense forced a turnover by the Cougars offense for a second consecutive possession. Avery again forced Buckner to cough up the pigskin, and Kenny Hicks scooped up the loose football and returned it 16 yards to the Heritage 24-yard line.

Unlike the previous fumble, Avery quickly capitalized. On the first offensive play upon regaining possession, Villanueva completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Gonzalez. The conversion attempt failed, but the touchdown drew the Vikings to within 35-20.

Following the score, Avery recovered an onside kick to give the football back to the offense at midfield. A completion to wideout Lane Smith netted 12 yards on 3^rd-and-10 to keep the drive alive, and two plays later Villanueva fired a 33-yard scoring strike to Shields. Villanueva ran in the two-point conversion, and in less than two minutes of clock time the Vikings had shaved a 21-point deficit to just one possession, trailing 35-28 with more than eight minutes left to play in the game.

The Vikings opted not to kick onside following the score and the Cougars regained possession at its own 29-yard line. To the team’s credit, Mountain Heritage needed to answer with a score to steal away Avery’s momentum and did so. A 52-yard touchdown run by running back Rice was negated by a holding penalty, but two plays later Rice rambled from 19 yards out for what proved to be the winning score. Kicker Israel Mayone converted the extra point kick to extend the Cougar lead to 42-28 with 5:20 remaining on the clock.

On its ensuing possession Avery scored on its third straight series. The Vikings marched 82 yards over nine plays, crossing the goal line when Villanueva fired his third touchdown pass of the period, this time a 53-yarder to wide receiver Kody Hughes. The conversion attempt failed, but Avery cut the margin to 42-34 with 2:12 to play.

Avery tried another onside kick, but the team’s good fortune appeared to run out as the Cougars recovered the kick. After Avery called its last timeout to stop the clock, Mountain Heritage sealed the victory when on 3^rd-and-2, the Avery defense jumped offsides to give the Cougars a first down. Heritage ran the remaining seconds off the clock to hand the Vikings its third loss of 2010.

Villanueva was 18-of-37 for 275 yards with four touchdowns in his first start at quarterback since being sidelined with a broken collarbone the week after Labor Day. Blackburn led the Viking ground attack with 14 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown before being helped off the field with an apparent injury late in the second half.

Three different Avery players amassed more than 65 receiving yards, led by Gonzalez with 86 yards on six catches.

Tomberlin was an efficient 11-of-17 passing for 216 yards with five touchdown passes for Mountain Heritage. Heritage outgained Avery 262 to 83 in rushing yards and had 478 total yards while Avery amassed 358 total yards.

With the defeat, Avery falls to 7-3 for the season, with a 3-3 conference record.

The Vikings close out the 2010 regular season this Friday, November 5, for Senior Night, when it hosts the Mitchell Mountaineers.

At the contest, will hold a special Veteran’s Day commemoration at halftime, honoring veterans of all military branches from both Avery and Mitchell Counties.

Avery Soccer Concludes Regular Season with Wins; Victorious in Playoff Opener

The Avery soccer team capped off one of its most successful regular seasons in school history last week with a 4-1 victory on Monday, October 25, in Burnsville over Western Highlands Conference (WHC) foe Mountain Heritage, and played a strong second half of soccer to blank the Mitchell Mountaineers 5-0 on Wednesday, October 27, as Avery celebrated Senior Night at MacDonald Stadium.

In the squad’s first match of the week, the Vikings had a measure of revenge on its mind, as the team remembered a loss from a season ago that knocked Avery out of third place in conference in 2009. The Vikings were determined to not let history repeat itself this time around.

“Our situation with Heritage dates back to when our juniors and sophomores played in the recreation league and middle school. It was an intense rivalry back then, and has carried through to the high school. Heritage lost their head coach to Watauga, and any time there is a coaching change teams struggle to find their chemistry,” Avery head coach Tom Evaul said after the win. “I believe that is what happened to them this year, because they still had many of their good players.”

Avery netted its goal from Isauro Estrada off a cross from Jorge Arreola to put the Vikings ahead by a 1-0 margin. Later in the half, Estrada scored unassisted on a free kick that was perfectly placed over the head of the Cougar keeper to double Avery’s margin to 2-0.

Not to be outdone, Avery’s leading scorer senior Daniel Lusk got into the act with a pair of goals, as he scored off a through pass from Estrada, then scored a second tally off an assist by Arreola on a through pass that forced a one-on-one with the goalie, an unenviable position for any goalkeeper in the Western Highlands Conference this season.

Heritage scored on a free kick that sailed just over the hands of Viking keeper Alex Magner which provided the final margin of the contest.

Avery out-shot the Cougars 30-4 for the match as the Viking defense stifled the Mountain Heritage offense throughout the contest.

“The guys played a really great game with their passing, winning the ball, intensity and aggression. It's almost like everything we had practiced so hard at getting them to do in games finally came together for a complete 80 minutes, even more so than with the 2-4 loss to Hendersonville. The subs that went in continued with that style of game,” Evaul said.

On Wednesday, October 27, Avery High School honored its six soccer seniors prior to kickoff. Seniors Javier Bravo, Daniel Lusk, Casey Mitchell, Forrest Sickler, Zack Strange and Brock Yackey were recognized at midfield along with their families to a rousing ovation from the MacDonald Stadium crowd. Coach Evaul had many great complements regarding the sextet of seniors both collectively and individually.

“The seniors have really developed well this season, and I believe the last few games have proven that. With each game as the season end approached, these guys pushed themselves harder and improved tremendously,” Evaul said of the group.

“Daniel's scoring threat has caused havoc with defenses, especially the second time around in the conference. He finished the regular season with a total of 26 goals and 19 assists, and has proven to not only be a scoring threat because of his speed, but also dishes out the ball pretty good for others to score.

“These last three games, Forrest has been like the sleeping giant who has suddenly come alive, and has made a great impact in the midfield. The coaching staff has tried all season to get him to up his game, and now, just in time for playoffs, it appears he has. We hope he will carry this intensity into the playoffs and be a force to reckon with in the middle,” he said.

“Zack is probably our most improved player coming back from last year's group of players and has taken on the responsibility of playing his outside midfield effectively on both the offensive and defensive side of the field. His passing and touches are a difference between night and day from not only last season, but the beginning of this season.

“Javier has remained a constant threat on offense, plus we have given him an added responsibility of switching with Heraclio [Flores] on defense every now and then, giving us another offensive threat without losing anything on defense. His passing has gotten much better and more versatile,” he continued.

“For someone who has never played soccer before, Casey’s senior night was phenomenal. Nothing got by him, and the usual shanks, missed headers, touches and passes that come with first-year players disappeared against Mitchell. He was right on target and accurate with everything he did. It’s a shame he's a senior.

“Last but not least is Brock, our defensive leader and soul of the team. Without taking away anything from anybody else on the team, Brock is the anchor of the team. When he has a bad game, or is not on the field, we struggle. He has had a fantastic senior year, and he will be sorely missed next year,” Evaul concluded.

As for the game itself, the Vikings started sluggishly but eventually came to life. In the 28th minute Estrada scored the first goal with an assist from Sickler to give the Big Red a 1-0 advantage. Four minutes later, Sickler scored himself off an assist from Flores to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead which held up until halftime.

During intermission Avery High School honored the NCHSAA 1A state runner-up Avery Lady Vikings soccer team.

In the second 40 minutes of action the Vikings tallied a trio of goals. In the 45th minute, Lusk found the back of the net on a shot assisted by Strange for a 3-0 bulge. In the 72nd minute, Arreola scored a goal assisted by Lusk that went through the hands of the Mountaineer keeper and trickled across the goal line for the fourth goal of the contest. Finally in the 76th minute, Flores capped the scoring with a goal off another Lusk assist to close the shutout.

“We did come out a little flat due to the emotions raging with the final home game of the season, but they eventually came alive and never looked back,” Evaul said.
“Halftime was pretty much left up to the players to talk over the first half and how to approach the second. They realized that against Mitchell the first time we had a 3-0 lead at half and they shut us down and scored in the second half. The team didn’t want to repeat that scenario on Senior Night, and that was all the motivation they needed.”

Five different players scored goals for the Vikings, who improved to 14-6-2 for the season.

“We started this season with the goal of finishing better than we finished last year and that each player would improve as the season progressed. I feel that the players have improved, as well as our record,” Evaul said of this year’s squad. “We didn’t finish higher in the WHC which was one of our goals, but maybe we can make that up in the playoffs. This team is ready for the playoffs. We have worked hard in practice especially towards the end of regular season to get to the playoffs and do better than last year, and these guys have learned the difference between coming out ready to play hard and coming out slow. Hopefully the lesson will stick and they will come out ready to play hard in as many games as we can play in.”

Avery qualified for the NCHSAA 1A state playoffs as a wild card and traveled to Hayesville on Tuesday, November 2, to play the Hayesville Yellow Jackets, who finished as the No. 2 seed out of the Smoky Mountain Conference with a 10-3 overall record.

In that matchup, Hayesville struck first, taking advantage of a foul in the penalty area to convert a penalty kick for an early 1-0 lead.

From that point, it was all Avery, as the Vikings scored next five unanswered goals to take a 5-1 win. Lusk tallied four goals in the win, with a goal from Estrada.

With the win, Avery’s first playoff victory in at least a dozen years, the Vikings move on to the second round, where it travels Saturday, November 6, to Hendersonville to take on the top-ranked Bearcats. Hendersonville defeated Monroe 8-0 in round one, and has defeated Avery twice this season in conference play.

A full recap of Avery’s playoff run can be found in next week’s The Avery Journal-Times or can be found online by clicking to: www.ajtsports.blogspot.com

Smith Takes Third at Regional Meet, Qualifies for State Cross Country Championships

Avery senior runner Mary Chesnut Smith has hit her stride at the right time as she finished third on Saturday, October 30, at the NCHSAA 1A Western Regional Cross Country Championship at Jackson Park in Hendersonville.

Smith, who had earned All-Conference honors the week before at the same Jackson Park during the Western Highlands Conference championships, completed the course in a time of 20 minutes, 42.93 seconds. Smith finished behind a pair of familiar competitors, as Robbinsville senior Tacey Trammel came home first in a time of 19 minutes, 13 seconds, followed by Hendersonville senior Kristen Stout with a time of 19 minutes, 57 seconds.

Western Highlands Conference female runners captured four of the top 10 spots and six out of the top 13 finishes overall.

In the boys race, junior teammates Justin Gragg and Gary McFee represented the Big Red at the regional competition. Gragg finished the course with a time of 19 minutes, 35.34 seconds, while McFee less than a minute later at a time of 20 minutes, 14.16 seconds. Runners from Robbinsville High School captured five of the top seven finishes for the race.

Smith will go on to compete at the NCHSAA 1A state cross country meet this Saturday, November 6, at Beeson Park in Kernersville.

Rosman Tops Lady Vikings in Second Round of Volleyball Playoffs

In an atmosphere more reminiscent of a Friday night football game than a volleyball contest, the Avery Lady Vikings traveled to Transylvania County on Tuesday, October 26, to take on 2009 state 1A volleyball runner-up Rosman in the second round of the 2010 state 1A volleyball playoffs.

The Lady Tigers, pumped up by its frenzied home crowd complete with Tiger mascot, made things difficult on Avery throughout the match and pulled away in each game for a straight-set victory by scores of 25-10, 25-11 and 25-10.

Rosman netted five of the first six points in game one to seize an early lead, but Avery played even with the Lady Tigers to stick to within four points. Rosman began to feed off its strong service game and frontline hitters, building a 6-1 scoring run to lead by nine. Despite Avery head coach Kim Hayes’ efforts to stem momentum with timeouts to continue to encourage and instruct her club, the Lady Tigers finished the set with a 9-3 scoring spurt to close out the first set.

Avery played at its most competitive level during the second game. The Lady Vikings started strong against the Rosman serve and held its only lead of the contest with a narrow 6-5 lead. However, the Lady Tigers found its groove with a 16-4 scoring run that built another double-digit lead and finished out the game with four of the last five points to take a commanding 2-0 set lead.

“Rosman is a very consistent team. They make very little errors,” Coach Hayes said after the match. “They didn’t have big, tall hitters, just very consistent hitters. Their serving game was unreal! We couldn’t get anything going off their serve.”

In the third and final game, the Lady Vikings feel behind early and could not recover. Rosman went on a 12-1 scoring run behind its strong serve, then substituted a number of players as the final set moved forward, getting younger players and junior varsity members an opportunity to experience playoff action.

For the Lady Vikings, however, they refused to fold. Avery continued to battle in the final set, but Rosman proved why it is among the favorites to win a 1A state championship by eliminating the Big Red in the third and final game.

The atmosphere of the gym was unique for a volleyball setting, and was something that the Lady Vikings were not accustomed to, a fact the coach felt may have contributed to the team’s early struggles.

“The atmosphere was definitely intimidating,” Hayes said. “I will say, the town of Rosman loves some volleyball. The team was intimidating, as well as the music and their fans.”

Avery concludes its season with a 10-12 overall record, a season that included wins over Hendersonville on the road, as well as a win over West Wilkes, the team that faced Rosman in the 1A regional final earlier this week for the right to play in the state championship game.

“I wish we could have played better, but my girls have accomplished a lot this season,” Hayes said. “I am very proud of how these girls worked in the off-season. They stayed in shape and they played volleyball. They were very accepting of my situation while on maternity leave. I appreciate all their hard work and look forward to another season. These girls have every reason to hold their heads up high and be proud of Avery volleyball. I know I am!”

Congratulations to the Lady Vikings on another successful season!

Soccer Playoffs Set for Tuesday at Hayesville

The Avery soccer team will be traveling to Hayesville for the first round of the NCHSAA state 1A soccer playoffs.
Game day and time has been moved up for the contest. Since Hayesville does not have lights on its soccer field, the game will start at 4 p.m., and the match will be played TOMORROW (TUESDAY) rather than on Wednesday afternoon.

Please note the change in schedule, and GO VIKINGS!

AJ-T Sports LIVE FROM... Kidd Brewer Stadium (ASU Black Saturday)

6:50 PM -  Tavaris Cadet eclipses the 100-yard mark with 26 carries for 106 yards thus far. Furman has taken a pair of timeouts with just over one minute to play, but the Mountaineers appear poised to keep a perfect record for 2010. One more first down should help the Black and Gold seal the victory.  Appalachian gets a first down on a Cadet carry on fourth and short to seal the win. Black and Gold go 8-0 with a hard-fought 37-26 victory. ASU travels to Statesboro to take on Georgia Southern next Saturday afternoon!

6:45 PM -- Paladins working with urgency now trying to get the football into the end zone and do so with a five-yard touchdown pass from Worley to Daniel McFadden with 2:38 left to play.

The PAT attempt, however, is BLOCKED by ASU, and Troy Sanders scoops up the blocked kick and dashes to Purple paydirt for the two points! Shades of the "Miracle on the Mountain" as ASU gets the two and makes the score 37-26, still a two-score contest. Big momentum swinger and perhaps the final dagger to help the Mountaineers move to 8-0.


6:35 PM -- Following another stop on defense, the Mountaineer offense trots back out on the field with 8:09 to play and a 15-point advantage. ASU kept the game on the ground to run some time off the clock. The Black and Gold march past midfield. Today's attendance: 29,093 (the 8th largest crowd in stadium history). Half of the top ten largest crowds in stadium history have come this season.

As the attendance is announced, Cadet fumbles and Furman recovers to turn the ball over near midfield, giving the Paladins new life. Furman takes timeout and is currently at the ASU 32-yard line with 4:03 left in the game. 

6:30 PM - ASU holds Furman to a three-and-out and the offense gets the football back with 12:21 to play in the game. The Mountaineers drive the field and move inside the Furman 5-yard line, but Cadet is stripped of the football just as he is about to cross the goal line.

The ball is slapped out of the end zone by Furman, but the touch is a penalty against the Paladins, giving ASU the football at the Furman 1. From there Cadet scores on the next play to give ASU another score. Furman head coach Bobby Lamb is irate at the officials over the call, but the score remains and the Mountaineers lead 35-20 with 9:27 left in the game.

Appalachian has had 10 penalties for 106 yards thus far in the game, but a huge call goes for ASU as the Black and Gold lead by 15.

6:08 PM -- A pass connection from Pressley to Brian Quick makes the wide receiver only the fourth player in ASU history to eclipse the 2,000 yard mark in a career. Appalachian is near midfield on offense as the third quarter closes. Mountaineers lead 28-13.

6:02 PM -- A six-yard pass play from quarterback Cody Worley to running back Jerry Williams puts the Paladins back in the scoring column. The extra point is successful to cap an 8 play, 70 yard drive elapsing 3:05 off the clock. With 1:45 left in the third period, the new score is 28-20 in favor of ASU.

5:55 PM -- The ASU defense surrenders one first down but the Paladins are shut down at its own 39 to force a punt. Appalachian takes over 1st and 10 at its own 29-yard line.

Shadows have fallen over Kidd Brewer Stadium as the Mountaineers must kick the ball away after a three-and-out. On the punt, Sam Martin has a Paladin collide into him, and the officials after a conference they signal running into the kicker for a five-yard penalty and not the personal foul, automatic first-down variety. The Mountaineers kick the ball away a second time and the Paladins will take over at its own 30 yard line with 4:50 left in the third quarter trailing 28-13.

5:45 PM -- Appalachian answers the Furman score with a touchdown drive of its own capped by a TD pass of 5 yards to tight end Ben Jorden. The drive took 11 plays, 64 yards, and used a little over four minutes off the third quarter clock. Mountaineer lead back to double digits at 28-13 with 8:44 left in the third period.

5:40 PM-- The Mountaineers kick off from its 25 yard line, then a personal foul facemask adds 15 yards at the end of the Furman return, setting up the Paladins at the App 41. A pass connection is complete to the ASU 2-yard line and Furman scores one play later on a two-yard run by Tersoo Uhaa. The PAT makes teh score 21-13 with 13:36 left in the third quarter.

5:30 PM -- A fumble by the Furman quarterback is picked up by Jabari Fletcher, who picks up the pigskin and rumbles 40 yards for an ASU score, his first in his ASU career. The Mountaineers are assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for somersaulting into the end zone. The extra point by Vitaris clangs off the upright and through for the point, giving the Apps a 21-6 lead with 14:14 left in the third period.

5:00 PM -- ASU pins its ears back and sacks Furman QB Cody Worley on third down, then takes a timeout as it will force a Paladin punt with 1:17 left to play in the half. ASU hopes for one final shot to add to its lead before intermission.

A pass to Matt Cline nets a first down, but the Mountaineers are eventually forced to punt the ball away with 35 seconds left. Furman is content to run the football and go into halftime down by 8 points. Halftime at the Rock, and the Mountaineers lead it 14-6. We'll be back with second half action in a few minutes!

4:50 PM -- On Appalachian's ensuing series, a long running play by Cadet, followed by a pass from Pressley to Coco Hillary sets up the Mountaineers inside the Furman 5-yard line. A defensive hold call against Furman makes it first-and-goal at the two-yard line. Cadet scores from a yard out and the Vitaris PAT is good as the Mountaineers lead 14-6 with 3:28 left in the half. The scoring drive takes 6 plays, 60 yards, and elapses just over three minutes off the clock.

4:42 PM -- DeAndre Pressley is intercpted for the first time in 189 attempts and Furman eventually cashes in with a 21-yard Early field goal. 6:35 to play before halftime and ASU's lead is cut to one at 7-6. Appalachian also snaps a string of passes where it had not thrown an interception vs. Furman since 2002.

4:25 PM -- ASU picks up one first down, but Furman holds and the Mountaineers punt the football again. Furman starts at its own 35-yard line. A roughing the passer call on ASU's defense on Furman's first offensive play of the series moves the football to midfield. Running back Jerry Williams then breaks off a 40-yard run to the ASU 10 yard line to set up first-and-goal. The Mountaineers keep Furman out of the end zone on three plays and Furman must settle for a 20-yard field goal from kicker Ray Early, capping a 6-play, 62-yard drive that takes 2:39 off the clock. 10:21 left to play in the second period and Furman cuts the ASU lead to 7-3.

4:15 PM - ASU shoots itself with a couple of penalties on its series and has to punt the ball back to the Paladins. The APP defense forces another three-and-out, but the Furman punt pins ASU back inside the 10-yard line to start another drive. Appalachian runs one play before the first period clock expires. One quarter in the books and the Mountaineers lead 7-0 on Black Saturday!

4:05 PM -- ASU's Tavaris Washington puts a big hit on special teams and forced a fumble on the ensuing kick return, but Furman retains possession inside of its own 15-yard line. Mountaineers defense forces a three-and-out, and Furman punts the ball away, where it gets a favorable roll, 62 yards in all to the Appalachian 21-yard line. A personal foul facemask penalty pushes App back to its own 10-yard line to start offensive series #3.

4:00 PM -- ASU kept the football on the ground to the Furman red zone, and Tavaris Cadet finds the end zone on a 20-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, a holding call negated the score. No worries for the Black and Gold, however. A few plays later, ASU's Cadet scores on a 9-yard run. The score caps off a 8-play, 37-yard scoring drive that elapsed 3:06 off the first quarter clock. Mountaineers draw first blood and leads it 7-0 with 6:34 to play in the period.

3:50 PM -- The Mountaineer defense surrenders just two yards on three plays, and the Paladins are forced to punt in the shadow of its own goal post. ASU starts its second drive inside Furman territory at the 37-yard line.

3:34 PM -- ASU gets the football on offense to start the game as Furman won the toss and elected to defer.
ASU starts its opening drive at its own 24-yard line. Paladins getting a heavy dose of DeAndre Pressley to start the drive.

Three first downs so far for the Mountaineers as they move inside Paladin territory. The Furman defense stiffens and forces incomplete passes on 2nd and 3rd down to force a Sam Martin punt. Great job by the special teams of ASU to down the 46-yard punt at the 1-yard line as Furman opens its first offensive series.

3:30 PM - Ready for football from a rockin' Kidd Brewer! The teams have made it out on the field and it is youth football day today at The Rock as well. North Avery and South Avery 's youth football teams are among several who are on the field to welcome the Mountaineers as they come out of the tunnel to tangle with the Paladins this afternoon! Congrats to these young players on a one-of-a-kind experience! Kickoff coming up in minutes from Kidd Brewer!

We're live at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone for this afternoon's Southern Conference donnybrook between the Furman Paladins and the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Furman enters this afternoon's game with a 4-3 mark, while the top-ranked ASU club stands at a perfect 7-0.

Furman is coming off a heartbreaking 36-28 loss to Chattanooga last week, while the Mountaineers defeated Western Carolina 37-14 in Cullowee last Saturday. Appalachian has won five consecutive games in the series with Furman, and home to keep the streak alive this evening.

Today is Black Saturday at The Rock, and it is an absolutely beautiful afternoon for football in the High Country. We'll be updating from the press box throughout the game with scores and informational tidbits. Thanks for reading and we'll be back around 3:30 pm with the opening kickoff from Boone!

Vikings Enter Cougar Den for Road Test

With a 42-0 shellacking of Madison in its rear-view mirror, the Avery Vikings (7-2, 3-2 WHC) venture to Burnsville this Friday night, October 29th for a Homecoming encounter with the Mountain Heritage Cougars. The Cougars (7-2, 4-1 WHC) used three third-quarter touchdowns to break open a close game last week at Mitchell and earn a 28-7 win in Ledger.

Avery lost 35-14 at MacDonald Stadium in Newland in the last meeting between the schools a season ago.

Scouting the Cougars
The most inspirational story of the 2009 Western Highlands Conference football season was the success of the Mountain Heritage Cougars. Normally perennial doormats in the conference that battle with Madison to stay out of the conference cellar, everything clicked for the Cougars one season ago.

Heritage, who won only 15 games from the year 2000 through 2007, had the second of back-to-back season of 11 wins or more and earned a conference championship. The team showed it could compete with any team in the state, with a playoff run that took the Burnsville team all the way to the 2A state championship game in Chapel Hill, where the team’s Cinderella run ended with a 28-3 loss to state champion Tarboro. The success earned Heritage head coach Joey Robinson state 2A Coach of the Year honors in 2009.

Mountain Heritage utilizes a spread offense and has the capability of passing and running effectively out of the same formation. Triggering the passing attack for Heritage is 6’3”, 175 lb. senior Tyson Tomberlin (48 of 112 passing, 865 yards, 11 TD, 2 INT), while Matthew Kardulis (101 carries, 847 yards, 7 TD) leads a Cougars running game that boasts four running backs who have amassed over 275 yards rushing thus far in 2010 (Austin Rice (455), Eli Buckner (373), and Nick Ray (277) are the other three).

Catching passes from Tomberlin is the team’s leading receiver Drew Letterman (19 receptions, 436 yards, 7 TD), tight end Dalton Woody who caught a touchdown in last week’s win over Mitchell, and Trenton Burleson. Also catching footballs out of the backfield is Kardulis (11 receptions, 208 yards, 2 TD).

Rice (61 tackles) is the leader of a Mountain Heritage 4-3 defense that returned only four starters from last year’s Western Regional championship club. Xander Silvers (65 tackles) and Ray (30.5 tackles) also pace the active Cougar defense.

The Low Down
This week’s foe is among the strongest opponents Avery has faced this season. Mountain Heritage, like Avery, defeated Hendersonville at home earlier in the conference schedule. The Cougars have done something Avery could not, however: defeat conference co-leader Owen in Swannanoa. Avery dropped a three-point decision to the Warhorses, while the Cougars defeated Owen 21-14 three weeks ago.

With the exception of the Polk loss, the Avery defense has been stern for most every game in 2010. The defense imposed its will on Madison in last week’s win, but faces a slightly more difficult assignment in containing, Tomberlin, Kardulis, and the Heritage offense.

In a continuation of similarities between the two opponents, the Cougars, like Avery, have the luxury of a quarterback who can run when necessary but throws the football effectively.

Like Avery, the identity of the Mountain Heritage offense is forged around its ability to run the football. As Viking fans have seen with its own club throughout 2010, when the Cougars can dominate the line of scrimmage and run the football with success, the team is difficult to contain.

Similarly, the Avery running game is at its most lethal when it has the two-headed backfield monster of Taylor Potter and Colton Blackburn running at full strength. Potter has missed the past two games with a groin injury and is questionable for this week’s game. His presence will provide a definite lift to the Viking offense.

Meanwhile Blackburn is coming off one of his strongest performances in an Avery uniform, and will need to again be strong for Avery to control the football and its chances for a win.

Avery’s hope for a conference championship likely disappeared with Owen’s win over Hendersonville last week. However, the Vikings are still playing for a high seed and home games in the upcoming 1A state playoffs, which begin two weeks from Friday.

The Vikings welcomed quarterback Alex Villanueva back last week from a broken collarbone suffered just four weeks ago. The junior signal-caller knocked the rust off last Friday night, and will need to be sharp to give the Vikings its best chance to defeat the Cougars.

By the Numbers
0 – points allowed in Avery’s shutout win over Madison last week
2- turnovers forced by the Cougar defense, which translated into 14 points in last week’s 28-7 win over Mitchell
54 – yards in total offense surrendered by the Avery defense last week in its win over Madison (Heritage surrendered only 133 total yards against Mitchell)
90 – yards rushing by Matthew Kardulis in last year’s 35-14 win over Avery. Also the number of penalty yards assessed to Heritage in its win over Mitchell
174 – all-purpose yards gained by Colton Blackburn, including four touchdowns, in Avery’s 42-0 win over Madison last week
320- rushing yards amassed by Mountain Heritage on 56 carries in last week’s win
1,131 – passing yards gained this season by Avery quarterback Alex Villanueva, including 188 yards in last week’s victorious return to the field against Madison

Read next week’s edition of The Avery Journal-Times for a full recap of this week’s game against Mountain Heritage, as well as a preview of next week’s Senior Night regular season finale against the Mitchell Mountaineers. For the latest in Avery athletics, visit the AJ-T Sports Blog by clicking: http://www.ajtsports.blogspot.com/

Defense Reigns, Offense Rolls as Vikings Pulverize Patriots

The Avery varsity football team used a dominant defensive display and amassed close to 400 yards of total offense to bounce back from its loss at Polk County and manhandle the overmatched Madison Patriots 42-0 last Friday, October 22 at MacDonald Stadium.

Avery set the tone early as on Madison’s first offensive series, linebacker Ethan Hagie sacked Patriots quarterback Robbie Shelton to force a punt.

On its first offensive drive, the Vikings were held to a three-and-out, but the Big Red reached into its bag of tricks as punter Alex Villanueva, returning from a broken collarbone and filling in with punting duties for the evening, faked a punt and threw a pass which fell incomplete, turning the football over on downs deep in Avery territory.

The Viking defense rose up to prevent any advance from Madison on the first play after the fake punt, however. Avery forced a fumble from Patriot running back Craig Mace, which linebacker Nathaniel Buchanan recovered for the game’s first turnover.

Avery cashed in on the miscue with an 11-play, 72-yard scoring drive that featured ten running plays. Colton Blackburn capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown carry for the first of many Viking points. Heraclio Flores added a successful extra point kick and the Big Red led 7-0 with 1:51 to play in the opening period.

Madison’s ensuing possession was another disaster, as the Viking defense forced a second turnover. A Shelton pass attempt was intercepted by Colton Blackburn at the Avery 47-yard line and returned 36 yards inside the Madison red zone just seconds before the first quarter clock expired.

With the football, the Avery offense again capitalized on a Patriot gaffe, as quarterback Dustin Childress connected with wide receiver Andy Gonzalez in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The extra point forged Avery ahead by a 14-0 score early in the second quarter.

Madison’s longest drive of the half came after Avery’s second touchdown. The Patriots marched 34 yards over eight plays, but the drive stalled as Madison attempted to convert a fourth down near midfield.

Following Avery’s defensive stop to turn the football over on downs, the Avery coaching staff inserted Villanueva into the lineup at quarterback for his first snaps since suffering his injury during practice the week of the Owen game in mid-September. The junior signal-caller missed just four games as Avery went 2-2 during that stretch.

On his first series, Villanueva connected with Lane Smith on a pass for a first down, and also found his good friend and teammate Gonzalez on a 15-yard pass play to convert a third down. Two plays later Colton Blackburn received a handoff and found an opening provided by the Avery offensive line. The senior galloped down the sideline 27 yards for a Viking touchdown. The point after by Flores staked the Big Red to a commanding 21-0 with 5:53 to play before halftime.

The teams traded punts until Avery regained possession at its own 40-yard line with 1:16 to play before intermission. Villanueva and the Avery offense composed its most impressive drive of the contest with its two-minute drill, using just three pass plays to cover the 60 yards and again find itself in the end zone. Villanueva fired a 30-yard touchdown strike to Gonzalez with 39 seconds on the clock to put the Vikings out in front by a 28-0 halftime score.

During halftime festivities, Avery High School recognized the 2010 NCHSAA 1A runner-up Avery Lady Vikings soccer players and coaches for their outstanding season last spring. The players and coaches received a rousing ovation from the MacDonald Stadium crowd.

As the second half began, the Avery offense proceeded to put the finishing touches on its seventh victory of the 2010 season.

The Vikings broke the spirit of the Patriots with a 9-play, 72-yard drive. Villanueva found targets across the field, from tight end Remington Austin for 12 yards to Gonzalez for 27 yards to wide receiver Kody Hughes which brought Avery to the doorstep of another score. Villanueva target Blackburn for a 14-yard touchdown pass to push the Avery lead to 35-0 with nine minutes to play in the third period.

On its ensuing series, the futility of the Madison offense was summarized on a single play as quarterback Shelton fumbled the football near his own team’s goal line. The ball rolled into the end zone, where it was eventually covered by Avery’s Colton Blackburn for the sixth and final Avery touchdown of the evening with over 20 minutes left to play in the game.

Madison made one final offensive surge into Viking territory in the second half, but was stopped on a fourth down run to turn the football over on downs. Avery did not attempt another pass play for the remainder of the contest as it ran the football to eventually run out the clock and earn its seventh victory in nine games.

Avery ran the football 40 times for 161 yards, and completed 14 of 23 pass attempts for 221 yards, outgaining Madison in total yards by a 382 to 54 margin.

Villanueva played roughly two periods in his first action in over a month at quarterback, and was 12 of 21 for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Childress finished a perfect 2 of 2 passing for 33 yards and a score.

Colton Blackburn had arguably his finest contest as a Viking, as he gained 103 yards rushing on 11 rushes with two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 35 yards and a score, recovered a fumble for a touchdown, and intercepted a pass on defense.

Wide receiver Gonzalez hauled in five passes for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Avery junior varsity team visited Madison on Thursday, October 21 to take on the Patriots. The Vikings played valiantly throughout the contest, but was unable to overcome a strong Patriot offensive attack as Madison emerged victorious by a 42-6 final score.

Avery’s JVs return to action this Thursday, October 28 for its home finale against the Mountain Heritage JV Cougars.

The Avery varsity football team returns to the gridiron this Friday, October 29, when it travels to E.H. Briggs Stadium in Burnsville to take on Mountain Heritage in the Vikings’ final road contest of the 2010 regular season.

Viking Soccer Drops Rematch with Polk; Blanks Madison

The Avery soccer team continues to make its push toward the postseason. On Monday, October 18, the Vikings traveled to Columbus for its second contest against the Polk County Wolverines in the past month. The teams played to a scoreless tie at MacDonald Stadium earlier this season, but the Wolverines took a narrow 3-2 win in the encore.

The Vikings played without the services of injured defender Heraclio Flores, but drew first blood offensively in the match as Jorge Arreola scored off an assist by Daniel Lusk just two minutes into the contest.

Avery continued to find itself with opportunities to add to its lead, but struggled to finish at the Wolverine net. Polk County scored the equalizer 26 minutes into the first half of play as the force of a shot ricocheted the ball off the hands of Viking keeper Alex Magner and momentum carried the ball into the net to knot the score at 1-1. On the play defender Brock Yackey turned an ankle and was forced to come off the field, leaving Avery down a pair of defenders.

Shortly after the goal, Polk stole a ball from Avery and scored a quick second goal. Despite the team trailing in the half, Avery head soccer coach Tom Evaul was pleased with how his shorthanded team continued to battle.

“I was proud of the guys because here we find ourselves without two key defenders playing a good team and we are down 2-1, but we are fighting hard for every ball and denying them any more threatening runs on goal,” Evaul said after the match.

At the 37-minute mark, Avery’s Zack Stranged crossed a ball to the weak side of the Polk goal, where teammate Justin Gragg’s foot met the ball to send it in goal for his first goal of the season to tie the match at 2-2 at intermission.

Avery made defensive adjustments during the halftime break, but the Wolverines quickly scored a third goal to take a 3-2 lead.

"We had to adjust at halftime with Brock and Heraclio out which hurt our offense because we had to move Javier back and Daniel back to defense,” Evaul explained. “On the kickoff, Polk puts in their third goal of the game.”

Avery had chances to tie the match in the second half, but the Vikings couldn’t find the goal to equal the match.

“It was a tough loss, but easier to swallow considering our lack of two key defenders, and the fact that the guys played their hearts out during the whole game and refused to give in to Polk,” Evaul said.

On Wednesday, October 20, the Vikings returned home to face the Madison Patriots. Avery got off to a slow start against the visitors from Marshall, and the two teams ended the first half scoreless.

“We came out not mentally focused. We were doing some good things both on offense and defense, but nothing sustainable,” Evaul said of the first half of the contest. “Madison came at us with more intensity than they did at their place. We were leading 6-0 at halftime when we played them there, and all of a sudden we find ourselves 0-0 at half. I told them at halftime that it was a mental thing, and they were not focused enough to accomplish the things we needed to accomplish in order to not only score, but to keep them from scoring as well.

The second half proved to be a matter of “different half, different story” as the Vikings took charge in dominant fashion. At the 44 minute mark, Isauro Estrada took a cross pass from Arreola and placed a shot in the right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead. Six minutes later, Estrada left a through pass for Lusk, who used his speed to outrun the defense and tally his first of three goals for the night.

At the 65 minute mark, Lusk crossed the ball to the right side of the field, where Strange lobbed the ball over the keeper’s hands for a goal. In the 78th minute Lusk doubled his pleasure as he tallied a pair of breakaway goals, one assisted by Flores and he other by Javier Bravo.

Avery outshot Madison 27-5 in the match, while Viking keeper Magner made three saves

“The coaching staff was pleased with the way the team came out to play the second half, but again were frustrated with the inconsistency of mentally preparing for each game and playing soccer to the high level from the start that they are capable of playing, which we emphasized at the end of the game and in practice the rest of the week.” Evaul added. “Hopefully they will have learned, and come out ready to play the final two games of the season.”

Notes: The Vikings recognized youth soccer players and coaches at halftime of the Madison match. Avery will hold Senior Night this Wednesday, October 27th. Senior players will be honored prior to the match, while the Avery 2010 NCHSAA 1A runner-up girls soccer team will be recognized at halftime of the Mitchell match.

Strong Third Quarter Lifts Cougars over Mitchell

A 21-point third period was the difference as the Mountain Heritage Cougars defeated the Mitchell Mountaineers 28-7 on an emotional Senior Night last Friday, October 22, at Memorial Stadium in Ledger.

Prior to the contest, the Mountaineers honored their senior football players, as well as held a moment of silence in remembrance of two students who a week earlier had been killed in an automobile accident.

With emotions running high, the Mountaineers played step-for-step with Heritage through the first half of action. It was the Cougars who drew first blood in the game when a 10-play, 80-yard drive was capped by an Austin Rice one-yard touchdown plunge. The extra point kick was successful to give Mountain Heritage a 7-0 lead with 1:57 to play in the opening stanza.

Mitchell answered the Cougar touchdown with its own sustained offensive drive. A ten-play possession that covered 63 yards culminated in a two-yard sneak by quarterback Justin Hughes. Isaac Edwards connected on the extra point kick which knotted the game at 7-7 with 10:47 remaining in the second period.

The Mountaineer defense bent but refused to break as Heritage drove inside the Mitchell 20-yard line on its ensuing possession. A 13-play drive was snuffed out on downs by the Mitchell defense to turn the football over on downs.

After a Mountaineer punt, Heritage again moved the football into Mitchell territory, but again were turned away on fourth down late in the quarter when a reverse pass play fell incomplete. The second quarter clock expired and the teams went to the locker room at halftime tied at 7-7.

In the second half, the Mountain Heritage defense clamped down tightly, surrendering only 28 total yards in shutting out Mitchell over the final two periods. Mitchell was forced to punt on its first possession from deep in its own territory, giving Heritage starting field position in Mountaineer territory. A 14-play, 47-yard scoring drive which included 12 running plays was capped off by a two-yard pass from quarterback Tyson Tomberlin to tight end Dalton Woody. The extra point put Mountain Heritage on top by a 14-7 margin with 3:54 left in the third period.

Momentum swung solidly in the Cougars’ corner with Mitchell’s next offensive possession, as a Cougar defender put a helmet on the football to force a fumble by Mountaineer running back Michael Styles. Heritage recovered the pigskin inside the Mitchell 30-yard line, and on the first play from scrimmage after the turnover reached purple paydirt again as Eli Buckner broke loose for a 34-yard touchdown tote to give the Cougars a commanding 21-7 lead.

Mitchell’s fortunes on the field turned from bad to worse as it attempted to mount a comeback. Four consecutive offensive penalties pushed the Mountaineers inside its own 10-yard line, and the opportunistic Cougars picked off a Justin Hughes pass at the Mitchell 15-yard line. Two plays later Buckner broke several tackles to gallop 15 yards for his second score of the quarter. The extra point provided the final 28-7 margin of victory as neither club scored in the game’s final period.

The Mountaineers ran the football 25 times for 133 yards, and completed just 2 of 4 passes for 16 yards. Mountain Heritage chewed up 320 yards rushing on 56 carries, and completed 6 of 11 passes for 69 yards.

Hughes led the Mountaineer rushing attack with 12 carries for 72 yards and a score, while Styles ran six times for 45 yards. Ben Smith led the way defensively with 11 tackles to raise his team-leading total to 66 for the season, while Josh McClellan added ten tackles in the contest.

Mitchell will travel to take on Madison this Friday, October 29, in Marshall.

Mountaineers Thump Western, Retain Old Mountain Jug

Top-ranked Appalachian State University (ASU) took advantage of terrific field position to jump out to a 20-point first-quarter lead and never looked back en route to a 37-14 win over archrival Western Carolina (WCU) last Saturday, October 23, at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

ASU’s 24th win in its last 26 meetings with WCU was also its 25th-straight Southern Conference (SoCon) victory. ASU (7-0, 5-0 SoCon) is just five wins short of the SoCon record of 30-consecutive league triumphs, set by West Virginia from 1952-59.

ASU’s latest win in the Battle for the Old Mountain Jug had far less drama than the last two, which were both decided in the second half, because for all intents and purposes, Saturday’s game was over in the first quarter. ASU scored on 3-of-4 first-quarter possessions, all of which started in WCU territory, to grab a commanding 20-0 lead.

Travaris Cadet set the tone for the dominating first period by returning the opening kickoff 56 yards to the WCU 44. Eight plays later, DeAndre Presley scored on an 11-yard run to make it 7-0 just 3:22 into the game.

WCU (2-6, 1-4 SoCon) pulled out all the stops early in the game in hopes of an upset, beginning with its opening play when it picked up 50 yards on a flea-flicker. However, the trickery backfired for the rest of the period, which was a big factor in ASU building what proved to be an insurmountable lead.

After an ill-fated fourth-down attempt left WCU empty-handed following the big gain on their first play, WCU coach Dennis Wagner went into the bag of tricks again on the Cats’ next possession, calling for a fake punt on fourth-and-eight from their own 20 yard line. Demery Brewer easily snuffed out the fake and ASU quickly took advantage of the great field possession, with Presley scoring his second touchdown of the afternoon from four yards out to cap a five-play, 22-yard drive and make it 13-0.

On its ensuing possession, WCU gave ASU impeccable field position again when tailback Michael Johnson muffed a handoff and Gordy Witte, Jr. recovered at the WCU 26. ASU once again made quick work of the short field and stretched the lead to 20-0 on Cedric Baker’s two-yard touchdown run with 1:22 still left to play in the opening period.

After out-gaining the Catamounts 122-66 in the opening period, ASU’s offense sputtered in the second quarter and WCU appeared to grab momentum when Zac Brindise found Marquel Pittman for a 32-yard touchdown pass that cut the ASU lead to 20-7 with 2:56 to go before halftime.

However, Presley and Co. squashed any thoughts of a WCU comeback by answering the Cats’ touchdown with an eight-play, 91-yard drive, capped by Presley’s third touchdown run of the half from seven yards out. It took ASU just 2:12 to carve WCU up on the 91-yard drive, which started with a 31-yard run by Presley and a 21-yard pass to Brian Quick, and ASU took a comfortable 27-7 lead into the halftime break.

ASU tacked on a 10-yard touchdown run by Cadet in the third quarter and a 33-yard field goal by Jason Vitaris in the fourth to close out its seventh-straight game with 30-plus points.

As has been the case all year, Presley led the offensive charge, accounting for 272 total yards. The Walter Payton Award and SoCon Offensive Player of the Year candidate torched WCU for 185 yards on 21-of-26 passing and added 87 yards to go along with the three scores on just nine carries (9.7 avg.).

Presley completed passes to seven different receivers, led by Matt Cline, who hauled in seven receptions for 60 yards. Cadet added 153 all-purpose yards (80 rushing, 10 receiving and 63 on kickoff returns).

After not allowing The Citadel to complete a pass a week ago, ASU’s run defense stepped up on Saturday, limiting WCU to just 88 rushing yards. Buck Buchanan Award candidate D.J. Smith led the effort with a game-high 13 tackles, good for his fifth-straight double-digit-tackle performance.

Against the pass, ASU registered a season-high five sacks, led by two from Buchanan Award candidate Jabari Fletcher, and broke up nine passes, paced by three by Ed Gainey.

At 7-0 for just the second time since 1954 and only the fourth time in school history, ASU returns to action this Saturday, October 30 when it hosts longtime rival Furman. ASU’s annual Black Saturday game kicks off at 3:30 p.m.

Avery Volleyball Sweeps Jackets on Senior Day

Last Saturday, October 23, Avery High School hosted Bessemer City High School (BCHS) in the first round of the NCHSAA 1A state volleyball playoffs. Following a slow start, the Lady Vikings controlled the match at key times to win three straight sets and advance to take on Rosman in the second round of the state playoffs.

Because the cancellation of the Mitchell match earlier in the week prevented Senior Night activities from being held, Lady Viking seniors Cassie Bumgarner, Melinda Eggers, Jennie Elrod, and Megan Robbins were honored alongside their parents prior to the start of the match.

Once the match got underway, the 2-18 Bessemer City club played with precision belying their poor season record and snatched an early lead over Avery. Early in the first set, BCHS took a lead and forged ahead by three at 11-8.

Bessemer City used a 6-1 run to build a 17-9 lead and force Avery head coach Kim Hayes to take a time out to regroup her club. The tactic worked to perfection, as the Lady Vikings surrendered the first point after the stoppage, and reeled off nine of the next 12 points to cut the deficit to 21-18.

Avery seized control of the set behind the service of Savannah Dellinger, as the Lady Yellow Jackets had difficulty returning the jump serve and eventually lost both its lead and the set. The Big Red rolled with seven consecutive points to capture the first set by a 25-21 final score.

In the second set the two teams played even volleyball over the first four points, but Avery began to solve the Bessemer City defensive alignment and took advantage of open areas of the floor. A pair of kills by Robbins and an ace serve from Johanna Pittman paced the Lady Vikes to a 10-6 lead. The Lady Yellow Jackets roared back to tie the set at 12-12, prompting an Avery timeout.

The consultation with the Lady Viking coaches recharged and refocused the home team, but BCHS continued to score to keep the score close. With the teams tied at 16, Avery used a 5-2 scoring run to build a 21-18 lead and forced a Bessemer timeout. The Big Red dominated the set after the break in the action, scoring the final four points in succession to take a 25-18 win and a 2-0 set lead in the best-three-out-of-five set match.

In the third and final set the Bessemer City club appeared addled as Avery began to impose its will on them. The Lady Vikings won seven of the first eight points of the set to build a comfortable margin. Bessemer then used a 7-3 scoring streak of its own to pull to within 10-8 and compel Avery to call timeout to slow the momentum and discuss strategy.

The pesky Lady Yellow Jackets continued to hang around following the break, keeping to within a couple of points of Avery midway through the set. With the score at 15-13 in favor of the Lady Vikings, a kill from Robbins began a change of momentum that swung in Avery’s favor for good.

The Lady Vikings gained the service and refused to give it up. Kills on the front line from Megan Tennant, as well as strong service points from Robbins helped the Lady Vikings to score the final ten points of the match, securing a 25-13 win and advancing Avery into the next round of the state playoffs.

Robbins finished the win with 11 kills, with five kills, and three ace serves and nine service points from Dellinger, nine kills from Lauren Burleson, and a team-high 12 kills from Tennant. Bumgarner added 31 assists, with five service points and five digs from Pittman and three digs by Eggers.

“Once we got our offense going and getting our passes to Megan Tennant and Megan Robbins, we started snapping out of it. Those girls played a very strong middle game which brought us this win,” Hayes said after the match. “I’ll be totally honest. I was scared about this match because I’ve seen teams like Bessemer City frustrate and upset a team, so this was a big win for us. Bessemer played a different style defensively than what we’re used to, but the girls in the third game really started finding the holes and serving to their weaker players.”

Following the win, the coach shared the highest complements regarding her four senior players who had played their final volleyball match at Viking Gym.

“I’ve only been back for my third season with the seniors, but they are definitely strong leaders of the team,” Hayes said. “Cassie is our quarterback on the floor and Melinda is our libero who runs the show defensively. Megan Robbins is really our mouthpiece, so to speak. She’s the emotional spark and she really lightens the mood. Jennie was turning out to be a really strong hitter, but she suffered the stress fracture that has kept her out the entire season. She really shouldn’t be playing, but I had to let her play and get her in, playing some back row and serving. These are good hearted, sweet kids and you couldn’t ask for a better group to coach.”

With the victory, Avery improved to 10-11 for the season and advanced to play the Lady Tigers of Rosman on Tuesday, October 26 at Rosman High School. Rosman was the state 1A volleyball runner-up last season and defeated Lake Norman Charter in straight sets to improve to 23-1 for the season. During a preseason scrimmage, the Lady Vikings defeated Rosman.

“They are a hungry team for a state championship, but the good thing about our girls is that we saw Rosman in a scrimmage earlier this season,” Hayes said. “If we can upset them defensively, we may be able to control the game. Our middle players are going to have to have another good night, but the only way that can happen is if we’re passing the ball well.”

A full report on Avery’s second round match with Rosman can be found in next week’s print edition of The Avery Journal-Times, and online at the AJ-T Sports Blog by clicking at: http://www.ajtsports.blogspot.com/

LMC Bobcat Sports Roundup

Women’s Volleyball: Lenoir-Rhyne snaps Lady Bobcats' win streak; LMC Sweeps Lander

The Lenoir-Rhyne University (LRU) volleyball team rallied to defeat the Lees-McRae College (LMC) women's volleyball team in a five-set thriller on Friday, October 22 in Shufford Gymnasium, tallying the final 10 points of the fifth frame to end the LMC’s 13-match winning streak.

LRU (10-11) won the match by scores of 25-14, 17-25, 22-25, 25-23 and 15-10, tallying 18 blocks and holding the LMC (16-7) to a .129 hitting percentage. The Bears posted a .125 hitting percentage in what was a decidedly defensive match, as the teams combined for 28 blocks and 144 digs.

Megan Epperson turned in a double-double with 18 kills and 19 digs, and Megan Mitchell tallied a double-double of her own with 12 digs and a match-high 48 assists. Lauren Fox chipped in 11 kills, while Whitney Justice posted nine kills and 13 digs. Taylor Clendenin added seven kills and a match-high 19 digs.

Chelsea Hill tallied 13 kills and 11 blocks to pace the Bears. Cayla Crawley posted 10 kills and nine digs, while Kaitlyn Burton tallied a double-double with 34 assists and 17 digs. Brooke Christenbury just missed a double-double with nine kills and 11 digs for the Bears.

LRU jumped out to an early lead in the first set, tallying the first eight points of the frame before extending the margin to 13-2 with a 5-2 spurt. After LRU pushed the margin to 16-3, LMC battled back, tallying the next four points to trim the advantage to 16-8. LRU then closed out the 25-14 set win with a 9-6 run.

LMC responded in the second set, opening an early 7-1 lead on a solo block by Mitchell before LRU rallied, cutting the margin to 14-11 with a 10-7 run of their own. LMC countered with a 5-0 spurt, stretching the lead to 19-11 on a kill by Fox before closing out the 25-17 second-set win to even the match at 1-1.

LRU came out strong in the third set, opening an early 7-1 lead before the LMC rallied to trim the margin to 9-7. LRU continued to dictate the flow of play, responding with a 7-1 run to open a 16-8 advantage on an LMC attack error. LMC cut the margin to 20-19 with an 11-4 spurt, and later fought off three set points before LRU tallied the final marker to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

LMC battled back in the fourth set, rallying from an early deficit to even the score at 10-10 on a service ace by Taylor Stice. LMC battled through seemingly countless tie scores, tallying three of the set's final four points to send the match to a decisive fifth frame with a 25-23 win.

LMC took control early in the fifth set, opening the frame with an 8-3 spurt that was capped by a kill from Epperson. LRU battled back, and with LMC holding a 10-5 lead, launched a decisive 10-0 run to complete the upset with a 15-10 fifth-set win.

Last Saturday, October 23, Megan Epperson posted her second straight double-double, notching match-highs of 13 kills and 12 digs, to pace the LMC to a three-set sweep of visiting Lander University in Williams Gymnasium.

LMC (17-7) won the match in straight sets by scores of 26-24, 25-18 and 25-13, while holding Lander (9-12) to a .027 hitting percentage on the day. LMC posted a .237 hitting percentage of their own, while notching 52 digs and five blocks en route to their 14th win in their last 15 matches.

Epperson led the way for LMC, posting the match-high in kills for the second day in a row, while Justice notched 11 kills and a scorching .455 hitting percentage. Mitchell tallied a match-high 36 assists, as Fox and Stice tallied 11 and nine digs, respectively. Clendenin chipped in with eight kills and eight digs.

Melissa McCracken paced Lander with six kills, while Courtney Simmons and Magi Nottingham each tallied five kills. McCracken and Nottingham also led the way for Lander with seven and six digs, respectively, as Madison Kubal chipped in six digs.

Lander jumped out to an early lead in the first set, opening the frame with a 9-5 run and extending the margin to 12-7 on a block by Jordan Rix and Hannah Dederick. LMC battled back, launching a 9-3 spurt to take a 16-15 lead before Justice pushed the margin to 21-18 with an emphatic kill.

Lander fought back later in the set, reeling off three straight points while facing a 24-21 deficit to even the score at 24-24. LMC then closed out the frame with back-to-back points to take a 1-0 lead in the match with a 26-24 first-set win.

LMC carried momentum into the second set, surging to an early 6-2 lead on a pair of kills from Fox before stretching the lead to 12-6 with a 6-4 spurt. Lander scored three of the next four points, trimming the margin to 13-10 before LMC went on a 6-3 spurt of its own to push the advantage to 19-13. LMC closed out the stanza with five of the final seven points to notch a 25-18 second-set win, and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

LMC started the third set in much the same way as the second, opening an early 9-2 lead before extending the margin to 12-3 on a pair of Lander errors. LMC continued to dictate play, launching a 10-5 run to take a 22-8 lead on Epperson's 13th kill of the match. Lander trimmed the margin to 23-12 with a 4-1 spurt, before LMC closed out the set and the match with two of the frame's final three points.

LMC returns to the court this Wednesday, October 27, when they host Belmont Abbey College. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. in Williams Gymnasium.

Cross Country: LMC Places at Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational

Craig Simpkins finished fourth to lead a trio of Bobcats in the top 10, as the LMC men's cross country team posted a second-place finish at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational on Saturday.

Simpkins posted his third top-five finish of the season, crossing the finish line with a time of 26:05.6, while Michael Davis and Sondre Thorbergsen placed ninth and 10th, respectively. Austin High finished 20th, while Will McCoy and Jordan Gillespie placed 26th and 31st respectively, to help LMC to its best showing of the season.

Mars Hill College finished first overall in the team competition, placing five runners in the top-20 to capture the team crown with 40 points. LMC finished second with 64 points, followed by host Lenoir-Rhyne (68), Belmont Abbey College (101), and Brevard College (149). Pfeiffer University (180) placed sixth, followed by Limestone College (184), Newberry College (191), and Tusculum College (213).

On the women’s side, Hannah Henderson posted her third top-10 finish of the season at the Lenoir-Rhyne University Invitational, leading LMC to a fifth-place showing.

Henderson paced LMC with a fifth-place finish, crossing the line with a time of 19:43.3 while Kira Shomaker turned in a time of 20:39.7 en route to an 18th-place showing. Crystal Fischer and Erica Zaveta finished 37th and 40th respectively, while Cinthia Lehner placed 42nd. Heather Peterman and Rayne Delutis finished 52nd and 53rd respectively, to round out the top performers for LMC.

Host Lenoir-Rhyne tallied 48 points to take first place in the team competition, while Belmont Abbey College (108), University of Charleston (112), Mars Hill College (113), and LMC (142) rounded out the top five. USC Aiken finished sixth with 145 points, followed by Limestone College (146), Erskine College (160), Brevard College (202), Pfeiffer University (206), and Newberry College (271).

LMC returns to the course on Nov. 5 when the Bobcats travel to Charlotte, N.C. to take part in the Conference Carolinas Championship.

The Lees-McRae College women’s basketball team is picked to finish eighth in the race for the 2010-11 Conference Carolinas championship, announced league officials with the release of the preseason coaches’ poll.

Basketball: Women Tapped Eighth, Men Tenth in Preseason Polls

LMC returns eight letter-winners from last year’s squad, including senior Erin Thompson. LMC received 34 points in this year’s poll, placing them eighth in the league coaches’ prediction of the season’s final standings.

Barton College is picked first in this year’s poll, having received five first-place votes and 93 total points after capturing the program’s second straight conference title last season. Mount Olive is predicted to finish second, garnering three first-place votes and 79 total points. Queens University of Charlotte is tied for second with Mount Olive, receiving 79 total points and two first-place votes, while Limestone College is fourth with two first-place votes and 76 total points. Belmont Abbey College is tabbed fifth in the poll with 73 points, followed by Pfeiffer University (61), Erskine College (48), and LMC (34). Coker College and Converse College are picked to finish tied for ninth with 23 points each, while St. Andrews is tabbed 11th with 16 points.

LMC opens its exhibition schedule on Saturday, Oct. 30 when the Lady Bobcats make the short trip to Boone, N.C. to take the floor against ASU. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. LMC will open their 2010-11 campaign on Nov. 18 when they host Tennessee Wesleyan University at 6 p.m. in Williams Gymnasium.

The LMC men’s basketball team is picked to finish 10th in the race for the 2010-11 Conference Carolinas championship, announced league officials.

LMC returns nine student-athletes from last season’s squad, including senior Sam Youse, who led the Bobcats in scoring last year. Also returning to the hardwood for the Bobcats are seniors Adam McFerran, Dairl Scott, Reshon Benjamin, and Stephen Haymer.

Limestone College is picked to finish first in the race for the 2010-11 Conference Carolinas title, receiving five first-place votes and 74 total points. Barton College garnered three first-place votes and 69 points to earn the second spot in the poll, followed by defending league champion Mount Olive College, who received two first-place votes and 68 points.

Queens University of Charlotte is tabbed fourth in the poll with 53 points, followed by Belmont Abbey College (48), Pfeiffer University (47), and Coker College (29). St. Andrews Presbyterian College is picked to finish eighth with 26 points, followed by Erskine College (22), and LMC (14).

The Bobcats open the 2010-11 season on Nov. 4 when they travel to Boone, N.C. for a 7 p.m. exhibition against ASU. LMC will open the campaign on Nov. 15 when the Bobcats travel to take on Mars Hill College at 7 p.m.

Soccer Defeats Heritage; Avery Volleyball Second Round Match at Rosman

The Avery boys soccer team improved its record to 13-6-2 for the season with a 4-1 win on Monday evening, October 25, in Burnsville. Avery hosts the Mitchell Mountaineers on Wedensday, October 27, for Senior Day. Avery's senior players will be honored prior to the start of the match, and the 2010 state runner-up Avery Lady Viking soccer team will be recognized at halftime.

This evening the Avery Lady Vikings volleyball team (10-11) travels to Transvylvania County to take on the Rosman Lady Tigers (23-1). The Lady Vikings swept the Bessemer City Lady Yellow Jackets last Saturday, October 23, on Senior Day, while the Lady Tigers, 2009 1A state runner-up, swept Lake Norman Charter to set up this evening's matchup.

We'll have match updates throughout the evening in the Twitter posts section of our website.

Fletcher Adds to ASU’s Player-of-the-Week Streak

courtesy ASU Sports Information
Defensive end Jabari Fletcher became the latest Appalachian State University football player honored by the Southern Conference when the league tabbed him as its Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. At least one Mountaineer has earned SoCon Player-of-the-Week recognition following each of Appalachian’s seven games this season.

Fletcher led an ASU defense that limited Western Carolina to just 88 rushing yards in Saturday’s 37-14 win. The senior racked up a career-high 11 tackles, including 3.5 for loss (for minus-19 yards) and two sacks. He also recovered a fumble and hurried the quarterback twice to help Appalachian move to 7-0 for the first time in 15 years and only the second time since 1954.

For the season, the Buck Buchanan Award candidate is tied for 11th nationally with 6.5 sacks and 15th nationally with 11 tackles for loss. The SoCon award is the first of his career.

The SoCon has honored Mountaineers a total of eight times this season, led by quarterback DeAndre Presley, who has been the league’s Offensive Player of the Week four times.

Top-ranked ASU (7-0, 5-0 SoCon) returns to action this Saturday, October 30, when it hosts longtime rival Furman (4-3, 2-2 SoCon). Kickoff for ASU’s annual Black Saturday affair is set for 3:30 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The game will be televised across North Carolina on WMYA (Asheville), WMYV (Triad) and WLFL (Triangle).