Richardson Sets School Record in Win over Mocs; Apps Host James Madison in FCS Opening Round

Appalachian State revved the offensive engine early and often as it dialed up an early 14-0 first quarter lead behind a 10-yard Armanti Edwards touchdown run on the Mountaineers' opening drive. The Apps' second drive resulted in a score as Armanti Edwards used a Josh Johnson block to scamper 28 yards to give ASU a 14-0 lead.

Late in the period Chattanooga capped a 10 play, 78-yard drive with a Joseph Pitman 3-yard touchdown reception, cutting the Mountaineer lead to 14-7 at the 1:39 mark of the opening period.

Appalachian immediately answered on its next drive using only three plays, as Edwards raced 40 yards on an option keeper to stake the Black and Gold to a 21-7 advantage with only seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Chattanooga continued to hang in the game midway through the second quarter as Spencer Nolan booted a 35-yard field goal to cut the Mocs deficit to 21-10.

Chattanooga had an opportunity to cut further into ASU's lead around the four minute mark of the half, but a Nolan 34-yard FG attempt was partially deflected, turning the Mocs away.

The Moc defense forced a three-and-out and looked to again dent the App deficit. A two-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left at the half made it a ballgame at 21-17. The Mountaineers managed to move into field goal range in the final dozen seconds of the half, but a Julian Rauch 52-yard attempt was wide right, keeping the Mocs in the contest.

The majority of the third period was a jockeying for field position between the two clubs, as the teams exchanged punts. A key Chattanooga fumble was recovered by ASU at the Chattanooga 30 yard line. A reverse to Dexter Jackson moved App to the UT-C 10 yard line as the third quarter expired with no further scoring by either club.

Appalachian converted the turnover into points as the fourth period began, with Edwards capping the drive with a two-yard run for his fourth TD of the day. The PAT was blocked, leaving athe Mountaineers with a ten-point bulge at 27-17 with 13:52 remaining.

A shanked Chattanooga punt gave the Mountaineers favorable position inside the UTC 30. Appalachian cashed in on the good fortune to the tune of a 23-yard Rauch field goal to up the ASU lead to 30-17 at the 8:54 mark.

The Black and Gold defense put the finishing touches on the victory with 36 seconds remaining, when Buck Buchanan Award candidate Corey Lynch drilled Moc receiver Clint Woods as he caught a pass and Justin Woazeah scooped up the loose ball and returned it 32 yards for his first-career touchdown to close out the scoring.

Offensively, Edwards and Richardson both went over the 100-yard rushing mark for the fifth time in the last 11 games they’ve played in together, with Edward rolling up a game-high 157 yards on the ground and Richardson chipping in with 103. Richardson’s record rushing total now stands at 4,486 yards while Edwards became the fastest player in school history to reach the 2,000-yard rushing plateau. In just 22 career games, Edwards has rushed for 2,081 yards, already the ninth-highest mark in school history and most ever by an ASU quarterback.

Appalachian State University’s defense of its back-to-back NCAA Division I football national championships begins on Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium versus James Madison. Appalachian (9-2, 5-2 SoCon) is not one of the four seeded teams in the 16-team Division I Championship field, despite winning its third-consecutive Southern Conference championship and looking to become the first team to ever claim three-straight national titles at the Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision — formerly Division I-AA) level. James Madison comes into the postseason with an 8-3 overall record and finished 6-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association’s South Division, a game behind Richmond. Between them, the Mountaineers and Dukes have won the last three national titles (JMU in 2004, ASU in ‘05 and ‘06). “James Madison is one of the best teams in the 16,” ASU head coach Jerry Moore said. “We’ll start off against a great football team.”

Information from Appalachian State University Sports Information was used in compiling this report.

Vikings Look to Build on Successful Past in 2007-08

The 2006-07 Avery Vikings men’s basketball season was one of highs and lows. The low point perhaps came in a pair of contests at Madison in regular season play and at Mountain Heritage in the postseason conference tournament, as Avery struggled in a pair of defeats.

The high points came late at the most welcome time: the end of the season. Avery made an impressive run into the third round of the NCHSAA 1A basketball playoffs with a pair of home wins, then took the third-ranked (and preseason 2007-08 top five) Cherryville Ironmen to the limit on their home floor in a 102-92 thriller in the season finale.

Many components of last season’s Cinderella run are gone, but enough firepower remains to consider the Vikings to be a player in this year’s Western Highlands Conference race.
Avery returns a pair of senior sharpshooters in all-conference player Kyle Cable and swingman Seth Phillips, each of whom showed ability to both slash to the bucket and drain the long bombs a season ago.

In addition, Avery returns senior Pedro Benavides, a key contributor off the bench who may be called upon this season to increase productivity. The Vikings will have a number of newcomers this season whose performance will likely determine how good this year’s squad can be. A number of senior football players transition from the gridiron to the hardwood, including Preston Jennings, who is recovering from a collar bone injury, Logan Lecka, and Michael Pittman, who was unable to play basketball a season ago due to a broken bone in his leg suffered in last season’s football playoffs.

A number of junior varsity players will move up to contribute this season as well, including guards Chris Childress, Jared Ward, and Tyler Blalock.

“The biggest thing we’re trying to do is get into basketball shape. We’ve played more summer basketball this year than we have in the past, but it takes a little time to get the wrinkles out. We’ve had to practice with what we’ve had, but having the football players come out a little later does put us a step behind,” Vikings head coach Art Williamson said during a recent practice.

Early practices before the end of football season have resulted in a good number of players who are trying out for roster spots and helping to round up the shape of this year’s version of the Big Red. “We’ve had 16 to 18 kids come out to practice and we have only two upperclassmen, senior Kyle Cable and junior Jared Ward. We have a lot of young kids. Cole Blackburn has looked good off the hoof, Dustin Clark Cody Hughes, and Joey Potter have played with a lot of enthusiasm and energy. It’s exciting to work with those young guys who are excited and want to be here,” Coach Williamson added. “It has impressed me to have the turnout of young players. When we get the eight or so varsity players come back to join us in the coming days, it will be interesting.”
The infusion of young talent and how quickly they will be able to adjust to the varsity system will be important to how long it takes this year’s team to gel. “People thought we shot the ball fast in the past, and we’re probably gonna have to shoot it faster this season,” the coach explained. “You look at teams like Mountain Heritage with their height and talent, Mitchell has a couple of big kids, Madison has had a great JV program moving up, Owen has been notorious for having big players, and Hendersonville returns most everybody back. Polk County only lost one player off their team, which means our conference will be deep, big, and talented this year. Knowing that, we’re going to focus a lot on defense, probably more than I’ve ever spent in the past. We’ll hope to create some shots off our defense in transition and make some of these bigger teams tired.”

Avery starts out of the gate quickly with regular season play at a Thanksgiving tournament at Mitchell, and a non-conference schedule featuring Watauga, Ashe, North Buncombe, and a Christmas tournament at Freedom High School before conference season starts full-force after New Year’s.

“The early season will be a learning experience. We’ll have so many kids who haven’t played basketball in a while, so we’re going to work on getting some games under our belts. Watauga is loaded, Ashe County is playing the likes of Oak Hill, so we’re going to have to come out and play hard with our defense and intensity,” Coach Williamson added. “I’ve been a strong believer in ‘it’s not how you start, but how you finish’. Hopefully we can use those three games from the playoffs last year as building blocks, instilling in our kids the confidence that we gained going into Cherryville’s gym last year and playing with them.”

Lady Vikings Title Quest Begins This Monday

As hoops season tips off, one thing is certain: The Lady Vikings will be off and running.

For a team that was the quickest in the conference a season ago at pushing the basketball up and down the floor, the Lady Vikings offense of 2007-08 look to accomplish the feat from frenetic pace to breakneck speed. Meanwhile, the stifling defense that sparked many a fast break last season hopes to be new and improved with the infusion of several faces who have helped lead the junior varsity squad to three straight conference tournament championships.

“We’re real excited about this season, and we know the Western Highlands will be strong as ever,” Lady Vikings head coach Missy Lyons commented during a recent practice. “We know Mountain Heritage, Mitchell, Polk, and Owen are stronger. We have a lot of girls participating and we’re trying to start out very intense.”

A lot of girls may be an understatement as practices have been loaded with talent from over 30 girls who are taking part in the opening weeks of practice as the teams get ready for the junior varsity and varsity campaigns.

“We have a lot of girls who can play basketball, and we want to give them the opportunity,” Coach Lyons remarked. “A lot of the girls have worked hard this summer and attended camp. We got a good start, and as soon as we got some of our girls from cross country to join us, we began working hard in practice just trying to get into basketball shape with sprints, shooting a lot, and are beginning to work on offensive and defensive sets.”

Avery lost three starters from last season’s sectional runner-up team, but boasts the return of a number of key contributors and new additions. Six-foot senior Kim Gragg has led the squad in scoring the past two seasons and will anchor the inside for the Lady Vikings. Gragg is already generating interest from several colleges in her basketball services after graduation.

Fellow seniors Laura Lacey and Katie Peters will provide leadership at the forward positions, as the girls will be part of Coach Lyons’ system for their third season. Also working down low this season at the forward and center positions will be senior Andrea McFee and junior Katie Ellis, the junior varsity team’s leading rebounder a season ago.

The guard spots will be manned by a number of talented returning players, including Tasha Buchanan, Samantha Shook, Sara Singleton, and Allison Vance, along with players such as Hayley Pyatte who contributed to Avery’s junior varsity success. One of the most welcome returnees to the Avery team is senior guard Joy Jennings, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last season at Alleghany and whose leadership on the court was sorely missed for much of last season.

“We’re not going to have the big inside power players this season but we’re going to be very fast. We have some great shooters back, and we have several girls who did a great job playing YBOA together over the summer. The girls are really meshing together and I’m just amazed at how much teaching I don’t have to do anymore because these girls play year round and have really bought into our program,” Coach Lyons added. “Every year we just seem to be better when we get started.”

Avery came within nine points of claiming a berth in the regional tournament in Winston-Salem a season ago. While that loss continues to sting, it also motivates this year’s club to push harder and beyond even their own limitations this year.

“We’ve already talked about last year’s loss, and the seniors came up with the theme of ‘The Will to Win’, and sometimes that’s what it’s about, the will to win over teams that might be more talented, to just want it more. The girls saw that last season and saw what one single player can do on a certain night, and you have to be up every night or someone can knock you down,” Coach Lyons added. “It was a great learning experience for us and it fuels our desire to win. The girls just don’t want to lose, and I think it will take them a long way this year.”

Appalachian Notebook: Mountaineers Dismantle Catamounts; WCU Fires Coach Following Defeat

Appalachian State scored the second-most points in a single game in school history Saturday, running up a 79-35 victory over rival Western Carolina to capture the Old Mountain Jug for the 21st time in the last 23 meetings.
On a Saturday when Nebraska posted 73 points and Navy got 74, the Mountaineers (8-2, 4-2 Southern Conference) produced the most points in a game since a 115-0 beating of Piedmont in 1936.
The final score was also the most points in the series by a big margin. In 1966, Western Carolina took a 35-33 victory.
At the half, Appalachian State held a 45-21 edge, matching the most points it has scored in the opening two quarters since 2001.

Kevin Richardson had 230 all-purpose yards for Appalachian State, including a career-high 215 yards rushing on 22 carries and three touchdowns. Armanti Edwards completed a career-high 26 passes in 31 attempts for 295 yards and two scores, and he also ran for three more touchdowns.
Corey Lynch collected his 21st career interception, which he turned into Appalachian State's last score on a 65-yard return with 4:10 left to play.

Western Carolina (1-9, 0-6 SoCon) actually led 7-3 when Adam Hearns scored on a 5-yard run with 7:21 left in the first quarter to cap an 80-yard drive. Richardson scored on a 4-yard run on the ensuing possession to put the Mountaineers up for good.
Mike Malone rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns for the Catamounts.
Appalachian State finished with 743 yards of offense, including 347 yards passing on 32-of-40 attempts. The defense intercepted four Western Carolina passes, three of which were thrown by Hearns.
Following the loss, Western Carolina University announced on Monday that head football coach Kent Briggs will not return to lead the team next season.
Athletic director Chip Smith said the search for a replacement for Briggs would begin immediately. Smith said in a prepared statement that Briggs, who will coach the season finale against Furman on Saturday, would be reassigned to a position within the university.
Briggs has a career-mark of 22-42, with a Southern Conference mark of 12-31. The Catamounts have lost their last 14 conference games dating back to 2005.
Last season, Briggs received a three-year contract extension to lead the Catamounts after the team challenged for the conference title in 2005. He finished 2006 with a 2-9 record, including an 0-7 finish in the conference. It marked the first time Western Carolina had gone winless in the Southern Conference since 1977, when it joined the league.
After last Saturday's 79-35 loss to the Mountaineers, Western Carolina fell to 1-9 with an 0-6 conference mark.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Avery Journal Covers ................. Tennessee Football

This past Saturday, the Tennessee Vols took control and kept Heisman Candidate Darren McFadden to just 117 yards rushing in a 34-13 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks in Neyland Stadium. The stingent Vol defense held the highly touted Razorback running attack to just 127 yards, 117 of which Darren McFadden, SEC's leading rusher, accounted for. The Vols also had 3 interceptions. The Vol offense was led by Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty rushing for 158 yards combined. Senior Quarterback Eric Ainge had a steller day as he was 12 of 25 for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns. "The first thing I want to tell you is never doubt the heart of a Volunteer. I’m really, really proud of this football team. It was a great team win. And the game was won in the preparation. Regardless what else happens in the Southeastern Conference, we are still in control of our own destiny. Our focus is now on Vanderbilt and improving as a football team,” Volunteer Coach Phillip Fulmer stated.

Fulmer also thought the home crowd was a key part in the victory. “I think our young team feeds off the home crowd a lot. It’s exciting. We’ve been a very good road team too. It’s been incredible. I didn’t think there would be anybody at all this morning on the Vol Walk, but it was packed. The people were so supportive.”

The Volunteers host Vanderbilt for Senior Day on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:00 pm.

Vikings Fall to Maroon Devils in Opening Round

The Avery Vikings lost a tight contest to the Swain County Maroon Devils by a final score of 15-8 at MacDonald Stadium Friday night.

Swain took a 15-0 lead with the help of a generous Avery defense, who fumbled three times in the opening half while throwing a pair of interceptions. Avery suffered an additional setback late in the first half when starting quarterback Adam Pate suffered a leg injury and did not return to the contest.

The only Viking touchdown in the game came courtesy of a 79-yard Chris Childress punt return in the third quarter. Avery drove deep into Swain territory midway through the fourth quarter, but Avery could not capitalize.

Swain will travel to Mount Airy next week to take on the undefeated Granite Bears, who pasted North Moore by the final score of 79-0 last night. Avery closes its season with an overall record of 5-7, and a tie for second place in Western Highlands Conference play.

HIGHLANDER GAMEDAY

Who: Harriman Blue Devils (5-5) vs. Cloudland Highlanders (7-3)

Where: Cloudland is looking for the home crowd advantage as the contest is being played at Orr Field.

Weather: Partly Cloudy around 46 degrees with a feel like temp of 41 degrees. Winds from the west around 6 mph. (weather.com)

What’s at Stake: A trip to the second round of the TSSAA playoffs to face the winner of Grace Christian and Midway

What to watch: Both teams love to run the ball. The battle of the lines in the trenches could be the difference. Also with both teams running, turnovers could be magnified.

The Highlanders will host the Harriman Blue Devils on Friday night for the first round of TSSAA playoffs. The ‘Landers enter the playoffs as the #2 seed from Region 1, while the Blue Devils enter the contest as the #3 seed from Region 2. The Blue Devils are 5-5 and are coming off a 35-13 win over Oakdale, who went 0-10 this season. The Highlanders did not make the playoffs last season and Harriman’s road to Murfreesboro ended with a second round loss to Hampton 42-7. The two teams have met once before in the playoffs. In 1999 when both teams were in 2-A, the Blue Devils got the best of the ‘Landers winning 28-14 before losing in the state semifinals 35-8 to eventual state champion Goodpasture. Harriman has notable victories over Coalfield 28-20 and at Greenback 31-14. The Highlanders were 7-1 in the state of Tennessee including the last second victories over Grace Christian, Jellico, and rival Unaka. Kickoff is 7:00 at Orr Field. (The regular season games had been at 7:30)

Keep Checking the Avery Journal Times for updates on the playoffs.

Avery native Paul Johnson leads Navy to historic win over Notre Dame

It was an historic day for the Navy Midshipmen football program last Saturday as they defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the first time since 1963. Congratulations to Avery County native Paul Johnson in leading his team to the win!

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -It took 44 years and three overtimes for Navy to beat Notre Dame again.
The Midshipmen snapped an NCAA-record 43-game losing streak to the Fighting Irish on Saturday with a 46-44 victory in triple overtime.
Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada threw a 25-yard TD pass to Reggie Campbell on the first play of the third overtime, then found him again in the end zone for the 2-point conversion.
Notre Dame (1-8) cut the lead to two on a 5-yard TD run by Travis Thomas. But after a pass interference call gave Notre Dame a second-chance at the 2-point conversion, defensive lineman Michael Walsh and linebacker Irv Spencer tackled Thomas well short of the end zone.
It was the first time Navy (5-4) beat Notre Dame since a 35-14 win in 1963 when Roger Staubach was quarterback for the Midshipmen. The Midshipmen celebrated the long-awaited victory at midfield, jumping on top of each other.
"Wow, what a game," Navy coach Paul Johnson said. "I'm so happy for our players. Now they will have that they are the class that broke the streak and they won't have to hear any more about it."
For Notre Dame, it was its school-record fifth straight home loss, another low point in a season of lows.
"We lost the game. The streak doesn't mean anything to me," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said.
The Irish, who could do little to slow Navy's offense, held the Midshipmen to three-and-out late in the fourth quarter with the score tied at 28. Greg Veteto had the first punt of the game, and Tom Zbikowski returned it 32 yards to the Navy 38.
The Irish drove to the 24, but on fourth-and-8 Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis decided to go for it rather than attempt a field goal. Chris Kuhar-Pitters, who earlier returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown, sacked Evan Sharpley with 45 seconds left.
It was the fourth sack for Navy, which entered the game with five.
Notre Dame, which hadn't scored more than 20 points all season, led 21-14 at halftime, the first halftime lead for the Irish all season.
The two teams traded touchdowns most of the day and had just traded missed field goals when Kuhar-Pitters came up with his big play early in the fourth quarter. Sharpley dropped back to pass and was wrapped up by nose guard Nate Frazier and defensive end Michael Walsh knocked the ball loose. Kuhar-Pitters scooped up the loose ball and rumbled into the end zone.
Kaheaku-Enhada scored the 2-point conversion to give the Midshipmen a 28-21 lead.
The Irish responded, though, with a touchdown of their own as Thomas went in from 3 yards out with 3:25 remaining to tie it.

Ramblings on Playoffs

Since Jamie has already posted his first column on here, I thought I would join in on the fun. The fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and on Friday night that is even more so. Friday night begins the high school football playoffs, and there are some interesting matchups in Tennessee and North Carolina. A win means you come closer to your dream of a state championship, but a loss means that you can start practicing basketball earlier. There is never a team playing on any given Friday night that wants to lose, and that is even more so this week. I thought I would offer my take on some of the most interesting games on Friday Night.

Tennessee:

Harriman (5-5) vs. Cloudland (7-3)- On paper, this looks to be the most interesting matchup. Both teams are very solid and have great players. Neither team has a clear cut advantage on paper. This one may just come down to pride, and there is not shortage of that. The 'Landers have been the cardiac kids this season and that may serve them well in the playoffs. This is a game you don't want to miss if your a 'Lander fan. A cold Orr Field (The Weather Channel is calling for some snow showers Thursday Night and Friday Morning and a low around freezing for kickoff) will be rocking on Friday Night. (A preview of this matchup will be posted later on this week with the Highlander Gameday post!)

Trousdale County (7-3) vs. South Pitt. (10-0)- When I was working on projected brackets Friday Night, this matchup as a first round game blew my mind. I honestly thought I had made a mistake since it was so late, but it was the case. There was not a single seed set in Trousdale's region until Friday night. Many felt this would be a third round matchup this season, including myself. There may not be 2 other schools with so much football success. Honestly, this may be one of the most anticipated first round games. This is another pretty even matchup that will probably result in a lot of action.

Oak Ridge (9-1) at Dobyns Bennett (7-3)- From 1A to 5A, this game is a rematch from early in the season. Both teams have improved tremendously from when Oak Ridge left DB with a 14-7 win. This looks like another game to be a lot of fun.

North Carolina:

Swain (4-7) at Avery (5-6)- This game has to be the most intriguing. These two teams actually mirror each other on several aspects. The teams are almost equal. Jamie will have a better take on this game which is featured in today's Journal and may be in a later post.

Some other North Carolina games that will be quite interesting. Jamie may have more to add on these games:

Mitchell at Lincolnton: Mitchell controlled its own destiny after Avery upset Owen, but losses to Mountain Heritage and Avery last week have put the Mountaineers in a pretty even matchup with Lincolnton.

Independence vs. Page- This may not even be a close game, but it grabbed my attention because of the issues surronding Independence's coach. Independence boasted the nation's longest winning streak coming into the year, but have lost two games this season. One was last week to rival Butler after Coach Tom Knotts was suspended. If the Patriots let the off field issues affect them, Page will be more then delighted to move into the second round.

On Friday Night, the Avery Journal Times will have you covered for the football playoffs. We will have updates posted as soon as possible after the games. Friday night is a big night for the Avery Journal Times as both Avery and Cloudland will be at home. Since, you can only be at one place we will have you covered. Jamie will be in his usual perch high above MacDonald Stadium working on the radio. I will be at the Cloudland game as usual, so if you see me walking around don't be afraid to say hey. Enjoy the Playoffs!!

Avery County Parks and Recreation Named 2007 NRPA/NFL Local Agency Grant Recipient

Newland, NC, Oct 31, 2007 – This year over 200 agencies from parks and recreation, schools, and leagues applied for the 2007 National Football League (NFL) Youth Fund Local Agency Grant in partnership with the National Recreation & Park Association (NRPA). Each applicant submitted detailed information concerning the state of youth football within their community in order to qualify for funding through this competitive process. Both tackle and flag programs were considered for support across the country.
Avery County Parks and Recreation received funding support for local youth flag and tackle football in order to provide new equipment and volunteer background checks. These programs will effect over 160 youth every fall season.
Over 100 agencies received funding to enhance programs and create stability for the future of youth football at the grassroots level. Avery County Parks and Recreation was awarded a grant in the amount of $4,000. Director Robbie Willis stated “the award will go toward unifying our services in the area of youth football. A portion of these funds will be used to pay a one-time fee to a NRPA network provider of volunteer background checks, while another portion will be used as seed money for flag football and yet another portion will go toward tackle football equipment.” Willis concluded the department was very excited to be recognized by both the NFL and NRPA through this grant.

Edwards has Record Setting Day, Apps Dominate Citadel 45-24

The Appalachian State Mountaineers used the legs of Armanti Edwards, who was named National Offensive Player of the Week from The Sports Network and Southern Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week, to defeat the Citadel Bulldogs. Edwards had a career day with 291 rushing yards and had touchdown runs of 80 and 25 yards. The 291 yards fell just 18 yards short of the national record of quarterback rushing yards (either division). The Apps took a 31-14 lead at the half as Edwards amassed a total offensive production of 341 yards in the first half alone and a total of 439. The Citadel made a charge as the second half started, scoring the first ten points of the half, but Kevin Richardson took control of the contest. The App defense stood up to the second half challenge to secure the win. The Apps return to "The Rock" on Saturday as they host Western Carolina for the Battle for the Old Mountain Jug.

For continuing coverage of the Appalachian State Mountaineers, continue to check out the Avery Journal Times Sports Blog.

Vikings Upset Mitchell; Host Maroon Devils in Playoffs Opening Round

On Friday night the Avery Vikings used a key fourth quarter drive and a blocked field goal to hold off the Mitchell Mountaineers 28-27 in Ledger. A Travis Thomas one-yard run that just cleared the pylon in the corner of the end zone drew Avery to within one point with 52 seconds remaining. An Adam Pate QB draw on the ensuing two-point conversion proved to be the difference.

The Mountaineers had one final opportunity with a 27-yard field goal attempt by Jesse Mimkin with 3.2 seconds remaining in the game, but the Vikings special teams rose up to block the kick and preserve the win.

Avery finishes the regular season with a 5-6 overall record, and hosts the Swain County Maroon Devils (4-7) out of the Smoky Mountain Conference.

Avery's portion of the 1-AA playoff bracket:

#8 Avery Co. vs. 9 Swain
#1 Mt. Airy vs. 16 North Moore
#5 Cherryville vs. 12 East Surry
#4 Albemarle vs. 13 East Montgomery







Swain County Maroon Devils (4-7, 4-2 SMC)
2007 Schedule:
08/17 @ Polk Co. L 0-20
08/24 Smoky Mountain L 0-9
08/31 Saint Stephens L 0-19
09/07 @ Franklin L 6-24
09/15 North Buncombe L 12-15
09/21 @ Robbinsville* L 25-33
10/05 @ Hayesville* L 20-21
10/12 Cherokee* W 20-16
10/19 Andrews* W 32-13
10/26 @ Rosman* W 24-14
11/02 Murphy* W 21-13

Much more on this week's playoff matchup in this week's edition of the Avery Journal-Times and here on the Blog!

Highlanders fall to Hampton; Official TSSAA Playoff Bracket for Regions 1 and 2

The Cloudland Highlanders fell to the Hampton Bulldogs 48-13 at Orr Field on Friday night. The loss sets the 'Landers up with a #2 seed and a game against Harriman in the first round of playoffs. The Bulldogs captured the Mountain East Conference Crown with a perfect 10-0 overall record and a 5-0 conference record. The Highlanders finished the regular season with a 7-3 record and a 4-1 conference record.

For the complete a recap and preview of the playoffs, keep checking the Avery Journal Times next week and the Avery Journal Sports Blog.

OFFICIAL TSSAA BRACKET (www.tssaa.org)

(No Changes were neccessary from our projected bracket)

Region 1 vs. Region 2 *H-Home team

#1 Hampton (H) vs. #4 Coalfield
#2 Cloudland (H) vs. #3 Harriman
#3 Unaka vs. #2 Oneida (H)
#4 Grace Christian vs. #1 Midway (H)

Region 3 vs. Region 4
#1 South Pitt (H) vs. #4 Trousdale County
#2 Lookout Valley (H) vs. #3 Watertown
#3 Chattanoga Grace vs #2 Friendship Christian (H)
#4 Silverdale vs. #1 Gordansville (H)

Second Round
Game 3) Winner of Hampton-Coalfield vs. Winner of Oneida-Unaka
Game 4) Winner of Cloudland-Harriman vs. Winner of Midway-Grace Christian

Game 1) Winner of South Pitt-Trousdale County vs. Winner of Chatt. Grace-Friendship Christ.
Game 2) Winner of Lookout Valley-Watertown vs. Winner of Silverdale-Gordansville

Third Round
1)Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
2)Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

The Avery Journal Times Border Battle Pick'em

The Avery Journal Times Sports Staff's

Border Battle College Football Pick'em

The Games
(21) Wisconsin at (1) Ohio St.
Florida St. at (2) Boston College
(3) LSU at (17) Alabama

(4) Arizona St. at (5) Oregon

Rutgers at (13) Connecticut

Vanderbilt at (20) Florida

(24) Wake Forest at (23) Virginia

Matt

Cloudland Highlander's Beat Writer Picks

Wisconsin

Boston College

LSU

Oregon

Rutgers

Florida

Wake Forest

Shelldog

Avery Viking Beat Writer's Picks

Ohio State
Boston College
Alabama
Oregon
Connecticut
Florida
Virginia

Last Week: Matt 4-3, Jamie 3-4

MUSINGS & RAMBLINGS on..... Rivalries

Finally.... time for an opinion piece here on the blog!

There's nothing like a good ole' fashion backyard rivalry game to get a high school football team ready for playoff football. This Friday local high school teams get to add another 'W' in the column while taking bragging rights away at the expense of one of their most disliked opponents on the schedule.

Here are my two cents worth on a few of these matchups:

1. Avery at Mitchell

Avery enters Friday's border war in Ledger off a 21-20 win over an improved Mountain Heritage Cougars team. Mitchell pasted Madison 40-7 a week ago. Avery has won four straight in this series, last losing 16-7 on a cold, foggy night in Newland in 2002.

Mitchell boasts arguably the most explosive offense in the mountains with QB Joe Hoilman pulling the trigger and a complement of weapons in Jarrett, Bomar, Miller, Jensen, Jones, and company. The Mountaineers lit up Cloudland 72-21 earlier this season and hope to do the same to its bitter rival.

Avery meanwhile is still in a sense looking for its identity, especially on the defensive side of the football where the coaching staff has had to be creative to fill in holes left by injuries and lost players. The defense must play at its best this week in hopes of making Friday's contest a low-scoring affair. The higher the score, the more the game will favor the Mountaineers. And, oh yeah, the winner of this one might share a piece of the conference championship should Polk County lose this week to Hendersonville.

2. Hampton at Cloudland

My associate Matt is better suited to give a complete lowdown on this matchup across the TN border (which I understand is coming in a post prior to Friday's contest). Nevertheless, here is my take:

The 'Landers have been impressive in their ability to bounce back from losses to their two North Carolina rivals. Many felt that Cloudland might have been a year away, seeing that they were installing a new offense with a new coaching staff. But credit the team from Roan Mountain in putting the pieces together quickly with QB Jordan Hughes and company leading the way, and they are having a solid season to date.

The Bulldogs will ride into Orr Field Friday night as Cloudland's stiffest test since their loss at Mitchell. Hampton has a number of weapons offensively and a good-sized offensive line to protect senior QB Michael Lunsford. These two teams respect one another, but don't expect to see much love out on the field Friday night. Add the fact that a conference title is on the line between these intra-county schools, and there's a recipe for a potential barnburner this week.

3. Hendersonville at Polk

I add this matchup into the discussion because of its implications in reference to the Western Highlands Conference championship. Polk is in the driver's seat, already having clinched a share of the crown. A number of teams could add their names to the trophy, however, should the Wolverines stumble to the Bearcats Friday night.

These two teams know one another well and have played a number of close contests. Hendersonville, being one of the teams (in addition to Owen, Mitchell, & Avery) who currently have two conference losses, still have much to play for. On paper, Polk looks to be the better team on both sides of the football, but Hendersonville's team speed and its ability to run the football may keep the Bearcats in this one.

Enjoy these rivalry games this week!

NOTE: NCHSAA playoff football brackets are released on Saturday afternoon from the state office in Chapel Hill. TSSAA brackets should be released around the same time.

Where each of the teams discussed will be playing next week can be found right here at the blog on Saturday night (once the respective associations have the opportunity to correct any mistakes and finalize where teams are playing next week).

Thursday Night Treat: Highlanders Survive Wild Finish

On Thursday Night, the Cloudland Highlanders (7-2, 4-0) escaped a wild final two minutes and overtime to defeat the Grace Christian Rams (5-4, 1-3) 41-35. The Rams used every trick they had, but Cloudland enjoyed the treat as the victory ensured the Highlanders at least a second place finish with a chance to capture the conference title against Hampton next Friday.

However, Grace Christian had other plans. The Rams blocked a ‘Lander punt with 1:22 left in the game. The Rams would score with :23 left on an Amos two yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked giving the Highlanders 35-27 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, the Rams kicked an onside kick and recovered at the ‘Lander 45. The next play saw Self lateral to Williams who found Amos for a 45 yard touchdown with :11 left in the game. Amos ran in the two point conversion to send the game into overtime.
The Rams won the overtime toss and elected to go on offense first. However, they could not capitalize as the ‘Lander defense held on fourth down. Cloudland started and ended their possession and game on the same play. Hughes ran in from ten yards out to score and to give the ‘Landers the 41-35 victory.

For the complete review of the game against Grace Christian, check this week's Avery Journal Times. The Avery Journal Sports Blog will have a preview of Hampton beginning on Thursday.

Vikings Ladies Cross Country Team Advances to State Competition

Congratulations to the Avery girls cross country team, who qualified this past weekend for the state meet.

Two of Avery's team earned All Conference Honors the week prior: Kate Griewisch with her 4th place finish and Mary Chesnut Smith, with her 6th place finish. Their times were 21:33 and 21:54, respectively. If they could finish in the top four teams, the whole team would earn a spot in the NCHSAA state cross country meet; if not, two of the team stood a good chance of earning one of the 5 spots for individuals not on the top 4 teams. There were twelve schools represented at the meet, but not all had a full team.

The Avery girls got off to a strong start with Caroline Crenshaw, Smith and Griewisch in the early front group. At about the half-way point, Smith was in the lead for Avery with Griewisch close behind. When they came around the second time with 400 meters left, Griewisch was leading Smith. They both finished strong, earning 4th and 5th place finishes, and All-West Region honors. Griewisch finished in 20:55.67 and Smith in 21:06.34. Kristen Stout of Hendersonville had the winning time of 20:21.48. Teddy Jablonski finished 3rd for Avery, with Caroline Crenshaw on her heels; they finished 24th and 26th respectively. Katelynn Eudy finished 44th and Debra Anderson 52nd.

Two teams were clearly front runners but 3 others were close. Assistant Coach Helms felt like Avery had just missed the cut, as one of the teams in question had 3 finish in the top 15, and the other had all 5 of their runners in before Avery. After announcing the All Region Team, the MC announced the 5 runners whose teams didn’t qualify who qualified as individuals for the state meet. The first runner had finished below Avery’s top two girls, and then a runners from one of the teams which might have beat Avery, made parents, coaches and team realize that the whole team had qualified, long before their fourth place finish was made official by the MC.

Hayesville finished in first place with 53 points; Hendersonville in second with 61 points, Robbinsville was third with 84 points and Avery fourth with 89 points. It turned out not to be as close as feared because Murphy finished fifth with 104 points. In the latest poll of NC coaches, Avery girls were ranked #9 in the state. They may move up one or two spots after their regional finish.

Congratulations again to the Lady Vikings, and thanks to Serena Smith for photos and information about the competition.

Vikings Hold Off Late Cougar Surge 21-20

Avery picked up its fourth win of the season Saturday night, turning the Mountain Heritage Cougars away on a two-point conversion pass play with 1:38 remaining to win 21-20.

Adam Pate accounted for all three Avery touchdowns, with three separate touchdown runs. The Cougars outgained Avery on the evening by over 100 yards, but five Mountain Heritage turnovers were too much for the visitors from Burnsville to overcome at MacDonald Stadium.

Heritage quarterback Kirk Burnette was 9 for 13 passing for 170 yards with a TD and 2 interceptions. The Cougars fumbled five times on the evening, losing three.

Avery improves to 4-6 overall, and 3-2 in conference play, while Mountain Heritage falls to 3-7, with a 1-4 mark in conference. The Vikings travel to Ledger Friday night to take on the Mitchell Mountaineers.

Edwards, Lynch Lead Way for App State Victory

The Appalachian State Mountaineers traveled to Greenville, SC and escaped Paladin Stadium with a narrow 34-27 victory over Furman. The Mountaineers were led by Armanti Edwards, who had 334 total offensive yards, and Corey Lynch, who had 12 tackles and the game saving interception. App State looked to repeat last year’s 40-7 beat down of the Paladins as they jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead. Edwards had 251 total offensive yards in the first half. However, neither Furman nor the Apps gave up. Both teams would trade touchdowns at the start of the second half. The Paladins used two Scott Beckler field goals to pull within 31-20 as the fourth quarter began. The Mountaineers would stretch their led to 14, but the Paladins’ Jerome Felton scored for a yard out to pull the Paladins within a score. The Paladins caught a break as Julian Rauch’s field goal attempt was blocked with 1:11 left in the game. Furman drove but Corey Lynch intercepted a pass in the end zone to preserve the Mountaineers 34-27 victory. App moves to 6-2 overall on the year and 2-2 in the SoCon. The Mountaineers travel to Charleston, SC to face the Citadel on Saturday. Kick off is set for 2:00pm.

For continuing coverage of the Appalachian State Mountaineers, continue to check out the Avery Journal Times Sports Blog.

WOW, WHAT A GAME! Cloudland Defeats Grace In Wild Last Minute Scramble

The Cloudland Highlanders won a wild game at Orr Field against Grace Christian 41-35 in OT. With 1:28 left in the contest, the Rams of Grace Christian were down 35-21. At that point, the Rams blocked a Cloudland punt and scored twice within the last :22 of the game. The Rams also got a two point conversion to tie the game at 35 with 11 seconds. Grace got the ball first in overtime and Jordan Hughes and Johnathon Moore stopped the Rams on fourth down. Hughes would run 1o yards on the Highlanders's first play in overtime to win the game. Hughes would end the night with 4 touchdowns rushing and 1 through the air. Matthew Tipton added a 72 yard score for the Highlanders and also went over a 1,000 yards rushing on the season.

The Highlander victory guarantees a #2 seed in the playoffs with a shot at the conference title when Hampton visits Orr Field next Friday. For more information on tonight's victory and the Hampton game, keep checking the Avery Journal Times Sports Blog this weekend and Avery Journal Times next week.

Viking Soccer Wins Season Finale

Avery defeated Mitchell tonight by a 4-2 final score to win on Senior Night. Sam Brown, Lucas Carver, & John Hensley were honored along with their families prior to kickoff.

The Vikings took a 2-0 halftime lead as a drizzling rain evolved into a downpour during the half. Despite the slick conditions, Avery played solid defense in shutting out the Mountaineers in the opening half. The seniors led the way as Hensley and Brown tallied for the Big Red in the opening 40 minutes.

Francisco Robles scored on a skilled shot from 20 yards out early in the second half to put the Vikings up 3-0 before Mitchell rallied with a pair of goals within a 7 minute stretch to narrow the score to 3-2. Kyle Griewisch added an insurance goal late for Avery as they took the win.

Avery finishes the season with a 5-14-2 overall mark, and a 2-9-1 mark in Western Highlands Conference play.

Vikings Take on Cougars in Home Finale

A pair of teams with momentum will square off on Friday night in MacDonald Stadium as the Avery Vikings (3-6, 2-2 WHC) host the Mountain Heritage Cougars (3-6, 1-3 WHC). It will be the final home game for a number of seniors who have been witness to some of the highest points in the history of Big Red football.

A season ago the Vikings rolled through Heritage in a rare Monday night game by a 55-6 final score. The last time the teams met in Newland was a convincing win for Avery, a 49-28 victory over their Yancey County opponent.

Avery defeated Madison 30-6 in action last Friday night, while the Cougars upset the Mitchell Mountaineers 22-14 in Burnsville last week.

Scouting the Cougars:

The Mountain Heritage Cougars are coached by Joey Robinson and return 29 lettermen from a team that finished with a winless mark of 0-11 in 2006. The team remains one of the youngest squads in the Western Highlands Conference, with only ten seniors anchoring the squad. However, youth should not be mistaken for inexperience, as ten starters returned this season on both sides of the football from a year ago.

Heritage employs a spread offensive formation and will base its defensive packages primarily off the 4-3 scheme. The squad has greatly improved in areas of speed and depth from previous seasons, as evidenced by their increased victory total this season.

The undisputed leader on the field for Heritage is junior quarterback Kirk Burnette. The 5’11”, 170 pound signal-caller has taken control of the Cougar offense and has emerged as an offensive threat with 758 yards passing and 9 touchdown passes on the season. Helping Burnette in the backfield is junior RB Jessie Ballew (94 rushes, 283 yards, 3 TD this season), with Dylan McMahan (6’0, 155 lb. junior) serving as wide receiver and key passing target. Anchoring the defense for the Cougars is 6’3”, 210 lb. lineman Sean Swick, who is a potential college prospect.

The Low Down:
Avery came off the deck Friday night thanks in large part to a ball-hawking defense that turned in one of its best performances of the year last week. With several forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown to its credit in last Friday’s win, the defense will again have to stand tall, as it will be tested early and often by a Mountain Heritage running game that dominated the line of scrimmage last week against Mitchell.

Speaking of Mountain Heritage, the Cougars’ might be able to fly to Newland, considering the high they are on following last week’s huge upset over the Mountaineers. For a repeat performance, the Cougars will have to find a way to slow down Avery junior QB Adam Pate, who ran and threw for over 100 yards last week.

For Avery to win, they will have to slow the Cougars offense down beginning with the source, last week’s Asheville Citizen-Times Player of the Week Kirk Burnette. They must also keep their emotions in check and distractions to a minimum as they deal with the festivities surrounding Senior Night this week.

A win for the Vikings this week would set up an interesting encounter with the Mitchell Mountaineers next Friday night in Ledger.

By The Numbers:

0 – passing yards allowed by Avery’s defense in last week’s win over Madison.
4 – total possessions allowed by the Mountain Heritage Cougars to their opponent Mitchell last week, holding the Mountaineer offense to only 14 points.
5- turnovers forced by the Big Red defense in defeating the Patriots 30-6 last Friday night.
68- yardage total in Avery’s defensive touchdown last week, a fumble return by Hunter Robbins.
205- yards gained by Avery QB Adam Pate (combined rushing and passing) in last week’s win.
228 – yards of total offense from Mountain Heritage QB Kirk Burnette in last week’s victory over Mitchell.
644- yards of total offense rolled up by Avery in last year’s 55-6 win over Mountain Heritage.

App State Falls to Georgia Southern

The Appalachain State Mountaineers fell to Georgia Southern last Saturday 38-35. The loss was their first loss since the 2002 NCAA 1-AA Playoffs when Maine defeated the Apps 14-13. The Mountaineers had 557 total offensive yards and made a serious comeback attempt, but it was not enough as the Eagles held on. Armanti Edwards started at quarterback for the Mountaineers and had a career day of it. Edwards had 398 yards of total offense, and became the first quarterback in school history to rush for over 200 yard. Edwards had 220 yards on 29 carries and threw for 178 yards. The Mountaineers move to 5-2 overall and a SoCon record of 2-2. App begins a two week South Carolina road trip at Furman this Saturday. The game begins at 3:00 pm and will be televised on SportsSouth.

Notes/Observations from the game:

• The Black Saturday crowd was 28,202 and was the second largest in Kidd Brewer Stadium history.


• Kevin Richardson scored both of ASU’s first-half touchdowns, marking the 19th time in his career and fourth time in the last five games that Richardson has scored multiple touchdowns in a game.


• Offensive tackle Mario Acitelli injured his leg in the first quarter. He will most likely miss several games.


• Senior Hans Batichon went over the 1,000 yard career mark. Bantichon caught four passes for 95 yards to go over the 1,000-yard career receiving mark with 1,061.

For continuing coverage of the Appalachain State Mountaineers, continue to check out the Avery Journal Times Sports Blog.

Avery Cross Country Competes at Conference championships

Avery High's girls and guys teams traveled to Black Mountain for the Western Highlands Conference Championship Cross Country meet on Thursday October 18th .

Coach Anne Avery had recruited a number of players from the boys soccer team, and so the guys had a full team for the first time this season. Running for the guys were: Mark Polsgrove, Jarred Clark and Thomas Anderson, joined by soccer players Dillon Gentry, Kyle Griewisch, Francisco Robles, JC Steinbaugh and John Ray Benfield. Avery finished 6th of 7 teams, thanks to the willing and very able soccer players joining the other guys.

Girls running in the meet included Kate Griewisch, Caroline Crenshaw, Katelynn Eudy, Debra Anderson, Teddie Jablonski, and Mary Chesnut Smith. The girls finished 3rd as a team in conference competition, even with only 6 runners. Several teams had twice that many girls running. The top five finishers are the ones which constitute the team score, but in a case of a tie, runner/finisher #6 and breaks the tie.

Kate Griewisch was the top girls’ finisher for Avery, finishing 4th. She was joined on the All Conference team by Mary Chesnut Smith, who finished 6th. Caroline Crenshaw finished 3rd for the Avery girls. The team next races this Saturday at Jackson Park in Hendersonville for Regionals.

Update: The Avery girls cross country team is ranked #9 in the most recent state 1A cross country rankings. Congrats Ladies!

WELCOME, plus HS Sports Musings & Ramblings

BLOG

Welcome to the Official Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog!!!

This blog has been created as a complement to the weekly local sports coverage provided by the Avery Journal-Times newspaper, located in Newland, North Carolina and is Avery County's oldest newspaper, serving as the newspaper of record since 1959!

Jamie "The shELLdOg" Shell and Matt Laws will offer commentary, news, notes, musings and ramblings, plus whatever else might be of interest in the local sports scene in Avery County, NC, with some additional coverage 'across the border' in Cloudland Highlanders sports territory as well.

We hope this space will be of service to you, the sports fan, and we welcome comments or thoughts. Just shoot us an email at: sportsaj@xtn.net

Without further ado, our maiden voyage in the vast sea of Blog-dom!

10-22-07

Soccer News...

The Vikings soccer team lost 3-0 to Mountain Heritage earlier this evening in Burnsville. Two goals in the match's first 90 seconds were too much for the Vikes to overcome.

Avery will try to end its losing skid in its home finale, Senior Night on Wednesday against Mitchell. The Vikings fall to 4-14-2 and 1-9-1 in conference play.

Congratulations to the Avery volleyball team who qualified for the NCHSAA 1A playoffs. The team unfortunately was defeated in three games at East Surry on Saturday 25-20, 25-15, and 25-11. Avery ends their season with a 9-10 record.

From the Gridiron...

Vikings 30 Madison 6

Avery used a fake field goal-turned-touchdown and a Hunter Robbins 68-yard fumble recovery to down the Patriots in Marshall Friday night. Avery led 17-0 at halftime after its offense, particularly the running game, was highly effective. Adam Pate both threw and ran for 100 yards in the win, and the Vikes advance to 3-6 overall with a 2-2 Western Highlands Conference mark.

The Vikings take on the Cougars of Mountain Heritage for SENIOR NIGHT at MacDonald Stadium. Festivities will begin around 7 pm with kickoff at 7:30 pm.