Bearcats Bury Vikings to Take Sole Possession of Conference Lead

The rain came during halftime, but the Bearcats firepower rained down long before the clouds opened up as fourth-ranked Hendersonville upended the Avery Vikings 40-7 Friday night.

Hendersonville opened the scoring on a 35-yard touchdown run by quarterback Ben Walgenbach for an early 7-0 lead.

As the Bearcats defense remained strong throughout the half, the special teams made its mark on the scoreboard. Desmond Whiteside fielded a long punt at the 18-yard line, jostled his way through a number of defenders, and broke free down the sideline for an 82-yard touchdown return.

Later in the first half, Hendersonville return man Daniel Orr tried to prove to his teammate Whiteside "Anything you can do, I can do better" when he fielded a punt that rolled back to the Hendersonville 30. Orr skirted through the Avery tacklers and darted 70 yards to pay dirt.

The Vikings had difficulty holding on to the football in the second quarter, as the Big Red gave the football away four times in the second quarter on a pair of fumbles and two intercepted passes. Hendersonville was turned away on one drive by an Avery goal-line stand inside the red zone, but the Bearcats managed to score a pair of touchdowns, capitalizing on a pair of the Avery gaffes. Whiteside scored his second touchdown of the game on a touchdown run, while teammate James Foster got into the act with a TD run of his own to help Hendersonville to a commanding 33-0 halftime lead.

With the skies graying throughout the first half, the rain began to pour in buckets upon the fans and Homecoming festivities at halftime. The rain continued through much of the second half, causing the grass surface to become muddy and puddle-riddled.

In the second half Avery came out of the locker room focused on winning the quarters ahead of them. The Vikings prevented the shutout as quarterback Alex Villanueva scampered through the raindrops and the Hendersonville defense for a 36-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. Villanueva accounted for 50 yards rushing during the 5-play 68-yard scoring drive, cutting the Bearcats lead to 33-7 at the 9:28 mark.

Hendersonville answered the Avery score with its longest drive of the evening, an 11-play, 78-yard scoring march. A five-yard touchdown pass from Walgenbach to Marquis Johnson capped the drive and closed the scoring for the contest.

Avery falls to 4-3 on the season, with a 2-1 mark in conference play. Hendersonville improves to 7-0 this season, with a perfect 3-0 conference record. Avery will return to MacDonald Stadium next Friday night to host Polk County, while the Bearcats travel to Ledger to take on the Mitchell Mountaineers.

Vikings Sports Active on Busy Thursday

Avery athletics was abuzz with action throughout Thursday afternoon.

In golf, the Lady Vikings hosted McDowell and Mountain Heritage in a nine-hole event at Sugar Mountain Golf Club in a final tune-up before the conference tournament next week.

Mountain Heritage continued its strong play this season in shooting a team score of 143. McDowell placed second with a 153 team score, while Avery finished with a 166 team score.

Jerica Ledford of Mountain Heritage shot the low score as the teams only tackled the back nine holes of the mountain course. The low score registered by an Avery golfer was 53 by Kendra Puckett.

The Lady Vikings compete in a two-day conference tournament next week, on Monday at Black Mountain Golf Course, and on Tuesday at Mountain Glen in Newland.

Meanwhile, the Avery tennis closed out the home portion of its regular season in style, first in beating Hendersonville Tuesday on Senior night, then by avenging a loss suffered earlier this season at the hands of Mountain Heritage on Thursday.

In singles action, the Lady Vikings got strong play from senior teammates Lauren Avery and Morgan Stout, the latter playing a dominant match in winning by a 10-3 match score. Haley Shell was victorious in her singles match, while senior Anna Melton beat Heritage's #1 Penny Lane Buckner by the final score of 10-6 in a great display of tennis between two strong and talented competitors.

The singles match victories put the Big Red ahead by a 4-2 overall scores going into doubles play, where Avery captured two out of the three doubles matches to earn a hard-fought 6-3 team victory.

The victories this week improves the Lady Vikings to 6-3 this season, and will look to pick up its seventh victory overall when they travel to Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy for a 4 p.m. match coming up on Tuesday.

The Avery volleyball teams squared off with conference foe Polk County at Viking Gym on Thursday evening. Avery's JV team fought a tough match with the Lady Wolverines in taking the first game by a 26-24 score, but was unable to hold off the visiting Polk club, who won the final two games for a comeback victory.

In varsity action, the Polk County club brought a tall and talented team into Big Red Country. Polk pulled away late in game one to take a 25-17 win. In set two the Lady Wolverines jumped out to an early 12-5 advantage using its solid defense and big hitters. Following an Avery timeout, the Lady Wolverines continued to play tough, taking 7 of the next 9 points to lead 19-7 en route to a 25-10 win in set two.

Avery fell behind early to Polk in the third final set of the match, as the Lady Wolverines scored the first eight points of the set. The Lady Vikings refused to give up, but the Polk club proved too much to overcome, using its strong kills and athletic blocks and digs on defense to close out the match with a 25-13 victory.

Avery travels to Madison this Tuesday in Western Highlands Conference volleyball action, and returns home to Viking Gym on Thursday, October 15th for Senior Night against Mountain Heritage.

On Wednesday night, the Avery soccer team hosted rival Owen in a conference battle at a cool and breezy MacDonald Stadium. The Vikings drew first blood in the match when Dillon Gentry sent a pass ahead to Kyle Griewisch, leaving Avery scorer for the season, slipped through the Warhorse defense and planted a low shot into the lower left-hand corner of the goal to spot the Big Red a 1-0 lead.

Owen managed to answer with a goal late in the half, however, when a long throw-in by Tony Halvorson was headed in by Owen's Pedro Jose Bernio Bernio to tie the match at 1-1 which was the score at halftime.

The first half was physical as the teams combined for 14 fouls, while both defenses were strong, allowing only three shots apiece through the opening 40 minutes.

In the second half, the Warhorses managed a pair of goals which served as the difference in the 3-1 final score.

Avery soccer played its second match in two days on Thursday when it traveled to Johnson City for a non-conference match against Providence Academy. The teams battled to a 1-1 tie in their earlier matchup in Newland. On Thursday Providence took advantage of a non-call inside the box, scoring a goal that proved the difference in a 1-0 Avery defeat.

The clubs brought a powerful defensive effort to the pitch, as neither team could crack the scoreboard through the opening 40 minutes of play. Providence was the beneficiary of a non-call which should have stopped play. Providence took advantage of the situation by scoring a goal that ended up being the game-winner.

Avery's record falls to 8-5-2 overall on the season and will make the journey to Rutherford County to take on Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy this Monday.

Finally on Thursday the Avery JV football squad fell to the Hendersonville Bearcats by the final score of 36-0 at MacDonald Stadium. Hendersonville led by only a 14-0 score at intermission thanks to a goal-line stand by the Big Red defense. The Bearcats pulled away in the final two quarters, however, outscoring the Vikings 22-0 in the second half.

The Bearcats returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns to help capture the victory. Avery's JV football team will travel to Columbus to play Polk County next week.

NEW LOOK FOR THE BLOG!

We've decided to mix things up a bit and give a face-lift to the AJ-T Sports Blog. We'll still have the same great coverage, but hopefully in an easier-to-view format. We'd love to get your feedback. Just send an email to us at sports@averyjournal.com

Thanks for reading the Sports Blog of Record from Avery County's original and oldest circulating newspaper, the Avery Journal-Times!

Avery Tennis Routs Hendersonville on Senior Night

Avery tennis easily handled the Hendersonville Lady Bearcats on Senior Night at Lees-McRae College by a 7-2 score on Tuesday afternoon. The team continued its streak of strong play, winning five singles matches and a pair of doubles matches to secure the conference win and improve to a 6-2 record on the season.

Avery hosts Mountain Heritage on Thursday at Lees-McRae in Banner Elk

Avery Golf Competes in Home Match at Mountain Glen

Avery girls golf competed on Tuesday in a conference match at Mountain Glen Golf Club in Newland against the Mountain Heritage Cougars and Owen Warlassies.

The teams faced tough conditions as wind and rain factored into play in the latter portion of the round. The Vikings finished third as a team in the event. The low Avery scorer was freshman Arden Stanley, who fired a 113 for the 18-hole round.

Avery hosts another match on Thursday afternoon at Sugar Mountain Golf Club near Banner Elk.

Vikings Travel for Western Highlands Conference Showdown with Bearcats

This Friday night, the Avery Vikings (4-2, 2-0 WHC) make the trip off the mountain to Dietz Field to take on the Hendersonville Bearcats (6-0, 2-0 WHC). Both teams are coming off impressive shutout victories last week. Hendersonville upended the Madison Patriots 28-0 last Friday in Marshall, while the Big Red blanked the Thomas Jefferson Gryphons 51-0 at MacDonald Stadium Friday night.

Avery fell in two games to the Bearcats a season ago, losing 35-6 in the regular season and 56-6 in the first round of the state playoffs last year.

Scouting the Bearcats
The Hendersonville Bearcats are coached by veteran head coach B.J. Laughter, who earlier this season picked up his 100^th career victory at the high school. The Bearcats finished the season with a 13-2 mark and an undefeated 6-0 conference record, losing in the fourth round of the state playoffs to perennial 1A championship contender Thomasville.

Hendersonville experienced back-to-back losing seasons in 2005 and 2006 before bouncing back with a strong 2008 campaign. The Bearcats return 15 lettermen, including seven offensive and six defensive starters from last year’s team. Offensively the Bearcats employ a spread option offense, and defensively rely on a 5-3 base formation.

Much of the nucleus of the team remains from 2008’s success, including most notably senior quarterback Ben Walgenbach.

Walgenbach was All-Conference and All-Western North Carolina in 2008, as he passed for 2,099 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also added 663 yards and ten touchdowns as a runner, making him the ultimate dual threat. This season Walgenbach missed multiple games with a separated shoulder injury, but returned at the beginning of the conference season two weeks ago showing no ill effects while posting back-to-back wins.

Joining Walgenbach on the offensive side of the football is senior running back Jonathan Simmons (383 yards rushing, 3 TD) as well as junior Desmond Whiteside (75 rushes, 451 yards, 5 TD), who filled in at quarterback during Walgenbach’s injury. Daniel Orr (3 TD in 2009) helps anchor the Hendersonville receiving corps.

Senior James Foster anchors the Hendersonville five-man defensive front, along with a pair of players in juniors Whiteside and Laquan Young who each registered over 100 tackles last year.

The Low Down
This week’s showdown in Hendersonville is crucial for both teams on multiple fronts. The winner will have first place all to itself, as well as an inside track for the conference championship, emerging from the game with a 3-0 conference record. A win would bolster either club’s potential seeding in the 1-AA football playoffs come November.

For the Vikings to earn the victory this week, they must use the playoff game last season as fuel to energize and motivate themselves. As is the case many times in this contest, Avery must negate the speed of Hendersonville and the Bearcats’ desire to utilize its speed by running on the edges and spreading the field with the likes of Whiteside, Simmons, and Walgenbach.

If there was anything for the Vikings coaching staff to be disappointed about in last week’s win, it would be penalties. Avery was assessed 12 penalties for 142 yards. If Avery can play with more discipline and cut down those numbers, the team’s fortunes will vastly improve. To win on Friday, the Vikings must control the clock, make sure tackles, and effectively run the football to give Avery head coach Darrell Brewer one of the biggest victories in the six-year tenure.

By the Numbers
0- points allowed by both the Avery and Hendersonville defenses in conference victories last week.
4- sacks by the Avery defense in last week’s win over Thomas Jefferson.
11- points per game allowed by the Hendersonville defense thus far this season.
21- average points per game scored by Avery in 2009.
79- yards gained by Trent Mitchell when he scored on the opening kickoff of Friday’s romp over Thomas Jefferson.
187- combined rushing yards for the duo of Jonathan Simmons and Desmond Whiteside in Hendersonville’s 28-0 win Friday over Madison.
293- yards of total offense gained by Avery in last week’s win over the Gryphons.

Read the Avery Journal-Times for a full recap of this week’s game against Hendersonville, as well as a preview of next Friday’s home game against Polk County.

VIkings Ground Gryphons for Third Straight Win

The Avery Vikings used a kickoff return touchdown to ignite a 37-point first half scoring outburst and bury the visiting Thomas Jefferson Gryphons 51-0 on a wet, cool Friday night at MacDonald Stadium.

It was the Big Red’s first encounter on the gridiron against the newest member of the Western Highlands Conference, but the Vikings ensured the first time would be long remembered as a dominant performance by the hometown club.

Trent Mitchell started the scoreboard fireworks, fielding the Gryphon opening kickoff at his own 21-yard line and weaving through blocks to race 79 yards for the first points of the night.

The Gryphons witnessed many black jerseys crossing the goal line over the course of the four quarters of play. On TJCA’s first offensive series, the Viking defense got into the scoring act early when the Gryphons long-snapper overshot the snap to punter Aaron Conner. Avery was denied the touchdown when Thomas Jefferson recovered the football in the end zone, but the safety pushed the Vikings ahead by a 9-0 score.

After free kicking the ball back to Avery, the offense had its turn at the Gryphons defense. Quarterback Alex Villanueva made it look easy as he found wide receiver Andy Gonzalez on a 35-yard touchdown pass, upping the Avery advantage to 16-0.

Following a TJCA punt, Avery’s offensive machine was poised to score once again. The Thomas Jefferson defense experienced one of its few bright spots of the game, as safety Will Beam intercepted a long pass attempt from Villanueva.

The turnover seemed to energize the Gryphons, as the visitors moved the football across midfield with its spread offense. Avery helped the TJCA cause by committing 25 yards in penalties on the drive. Despite the assistance, however, the Vikings defense made amends as John Masters forced a fumble from Jefferson’s quarterback Beam. Defensive back Tyler Long scooped up the loose pigskin, but fumbled the ball at the Gryphons 35-yard line, only for teammate Hunter Shields to fortuitously grab the ball and tote it to the TJCA six-yard line.

Avery’s offense experienced little resistance throughout the course of the night, proved once again as Villanueva took advantage of good blocking and his own athleticism to jaunt six yards to pay dirt. With just over a quarter expired, Avery led 23-0.

Thomas Jefferson again punted after another three-and-out, giving the football back to the Avery offense. The Vikings did not need possession for long, as a two-play drive was capped by a 29-yard touchdown strike from Villanueva to wide receiver Taylor Potter. The PAT pushed Avery’s lead to 20-0 with half the second quarter remaining on the clock.

Already facing a huge deficit, Thomas Jefferson head coach Tony Helton chose to go for a fourth down conversion on its own 26-yard line. The gamble failed, Avery regained possession, and scored another touchdown on its longest drive of the half (four plays, 26 yards) as Villanueva found Gonzalez with a 13-yard scoring pass.

The Vikings lead could have been greater as Tyler Long intercepted a Gryphon pass in its final series of the half and raced 38 yards to the end zone. A penalty against the Big Red negated the score, however, and Avery had to settle for a 37-0 lead at halftime.

The second half was a showcase for Avery junior Colton Blackburn, as he scored touchdowns on both sides of the football.

Blackburn intercepted a Gryphon pass attempt deep in its own territory, going into the end zone untouched for a 13-yard interception return touchdown. Avery’s final touchdown of the night came by virtue of Blackburn. Following a TJCA punt, Avery ran its first and only offensive play of the third quarter: a 91-yard touchdown run by Blackburn. One of the longest runs in school history, the score put the Vikings over the half-century mark on the scoreboard for the third time this season. Kicker Andres Castaneda converted his seventh PAT in seven attempts to close the scoring.

The ballgame took around an hour and a half to complete as a running clock was utilized for the final three quarters of play to speed up the game.

Avery held the Gryphons to negative net yardage for the game while forcing a pair of turnovers and recording four sacks.

“The game gave us an opportunity to work on our passing game as well as our pass defense. The biggest thing is it gives us confidence as we go into next week 2-0 in conference sitting there tied with Hendersonville,” Avery head coach Darrell Brewer said after the win. “Anytime you get a win, it’s good. I’m a firm believer that teams learn how to win, and I think that’s big to teach our kids. We preached to our team all week the importance of being prepared to play and spent time in practice working on both the opponent as well as on Avery. We didn’t take them lightly and the kids came out to play.”

The win sets up a showdown with the Hendersonville Bearcats on the road next week with sole possession of first place in the Western Highlands Conference on the line. Avery hopes to rinse out the taste of its last trip to Hendersonville, a 56-6 defeat in the opening round of last season’s playoffs.

“I think we’re confident going down there. These kids play hard and I can’t imagine going to Hendersonville and them not playing hard,” Coach Brewer said. “Much like preparing for the game against Owen, we’ve got to do the job controlling the clock and be very good tacklers on defense. I hope we have a little chip on our shoulder after what happened down there last year. The kids may not think much about it, but I’m sure the coaches might mention it this week in practice.”

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Dietz Field in Hendersonville. Avery will return to MacDonald Stadium the following week to tangle with the Polk County Wolverines.

Congrats to Weekly Winner; This Week's Football Contest Games

Congratulations to Lisa Whorten of Bakersville, who is now a two-time winner in our weekly picks contest.

There are still several weeks left to pick games in hopes of being entered into our end-of-season drawings for a number of fabulous prizes.

Entrants are asked to email their picks, as well as a combined total of points for the week's Tie Breaker Game to the Avery Journal sports desk at sports@averyjournal.com by NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY OF EACH WEEK. Entries may also be dropped off at the Avery Journal-Times offices on Linville Street in Newland by Friday afternoon at 5 p.m.

Here re this week's Games:

1. Avery @ Hendersonville
2. Johnson County @ Cloudland
3. Watauga @ Hibriten
4. Mitchell @ Polk Co.
5. Freedom @ RS Central
6. Owen @ Mt. Heritage
7. Thomas Jefferson @ Madison
8. McDowell @ Erwin
9. Georgia Tech @ Florida State
10. Florida @ LSU
11. Georgia @ Tennessee
12. Duke @ N.C. State
13. Georgia Southern @ North Carolina
14. Maryland @ Wake Forest
15. Boston College @ Virginia Tech
16. NC Central @ Appalachian State
17. Mars Hill College @ Newberry
18. NFL: Washington @ Carolina
19. NFL: Atlanta @ San Francisco
20. NFL: Indianapolis @ Tennessee

Tie Breaker: Johnson County @ Cloudland

Total # of points scored: ______________

Best of luck to all!!

Avery Alum Wins Conference Runner of the Week for Fourth Time this Season

Rock Hill, S.C. – Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Kate Griewisch has been named the South Atlantic Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner Of The Week for the fourth time this year, league officials announced today. The Banner Elk, N.C., native was the top NCAA Division II runner this past Friday at the Charlotte Invitational.

Griewisch finished ninth out of 209 runners after running a personal-best 17:44 on the 5K course. Griewisch also helped the Bears finish 14th out of 23 teams against mostly NCAA Division I competition.

Griewisch earned First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference honors last season after placing second in the league championship and was named the conference freshman of the year. The Avery County High School graduate was also named to the NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region Team.

Lenoir-Rhyne next competes in the Winthrop Fall Classic on Saturday, October 17, in Rock Hill, S.C.

Vols 4th Quarter Rally Falls Short

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

For Tennessee, it took the offense a long time to get going. Unfortunately by the time they did, it was almost too late. The Volunteers lost 26-22 to the Auburn Tigers in Neyland Stadium after scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter.

“So I thought we lost in all three phases of the game,” UT Coach Lane Kiffin said. “Which is very disappointing, especially for our SEC home opener."

Tennessee continued to have offensive issues in the early going as it seemed if quarterback Jonathon Crompton and the rest of the offense wasn’t on the same page.

"It was a tough first half,” Kiffin said. “Luckily, we had the 2-minute series to go down there to end the first half. That was about as poorly as an offensive half you could play all-around. There was no rhythm, there were drops. It was bad.”

Auburn built a six point lead on two field goals after UT missed a field goal on their opening drive after moving to the Tiger 22-yard line. Auburn got back on the board after they drove 87 yards, and Ben Tate capped it off with an 11-yard touchdown run.

Tennessee was able to get clicking on their final possession of the drive as they went no huddle and marched seventy yards in 1:02. Montario Hardesty capped it off with a one yard dive. Daniel Lincoln’s extra point was blocked as the Vols entered the locker room trailing 13 to 6.

In the second half, the Volunteer offense continued to struggle as the defense battled with the Auburn offense. The lone score of the quarter belonged to Auburn as they hit a 19-yard field goal. The Tigers started the scoring in the fourth when Chris Todd hit Terrell Zachary for an 11-yard touchdown that put the Tigers up 23-6 with 13:41 remaining.

With that score, the Volunteers went to a no huddle offense that seemed to suddenly set the offense off.

"We were going to in that series we went to it, even if they didn't score,” Kiffin said. “It worked well to end the second quarter. We needed a tempo change. There was no rhythm today to our offense. There were some big plays, but there was no rhythm. There was no six yards, six yards. We never really got into a rhythm in our run game, and play-action was kind of all over the place today. They did a good job."

Crompton hit Hardesty on a 31-yard screen play that pulled the Volunteers within a touchdown. The UT defense forced a punt and the Vol offense once again took advantage as they got a Lincoln field goal to cut the gap to four points. Auburn benefited from a 52-yard kickoff return and managed to get a field goal to secure the win.

The Vols managed to get back on the board as time expired as Crompton hit Denarius Moore for a 32-yard touchdown to make the score closer.

For the Vols, the problems seemed to be most visible on offensive third downs.

“From the beginning in the first half, I thought our offense really put our defense in a number of bad situations by not converting on third down,” Kiffin said. “When you have an offense that's as hard to play as that [Auburn's] offense, the last thing you need to do is afford three-and-outs and put eight times. We were [4]-of-17 on third downs. I don't know that you can ever win a game like that. I think that's a big storyline for the game.”

Despite the rough start, Crompton ended the game 20 of 43 for 259 yards and two touchdowns in part because of the two minute offense.

"It was good to see him in no-huddle,” Kiffin said of Crompton. “Last week we had a big series before the half to score a field goal, and this week as well in no-huddle to score at the end of the first half and in the second half.
That was good to see."

Hardesty continued to be the backbone of the offense as he had 90 yards on 21 carries, while Gerald Jones has 75 yards on seven catches.

For Tennessee, they must rebound in a hurry as Georgia comes into Neyland on Saturday after falling in a heartbreaker to LSU. The kickoff is slated for 12:21.

AJ-T Sports LIVE FROM... Mars Hill College

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon we're at Meares Stadium on the campus of Mars Hill College for college football between the Mars Hill Lions (3-1) and the Eagles of Carson-Newman College (3-2).

Former Avery Vikings standouts Zach Johnson and Josh Johnson are in action today for the Lions against the Eagles. Live statistics of the game as it happens can be found following this link. We'll be following the action throughout today's game and provide intermittent updates throughout the contest. Thanks for reading!

Update #1: The two teams have exchanged punts to open today's game. Carson-Newman's second drive ends with a pair of sacks before kicking the ball for a second time. Mars Hill muffs the punt and the Eagles recover at the MH 11. Two plays later Eagles running back Buck Wakefield takes an option pitch seven yards for the touchdown. The Carlos Lopez PAT is good as the Eagles draw first blood, leading 7-0 with 6:02 left in the opening quarter.

Mars Hill is stuffed as a clipping penalty helps kill its ensuing series. Following the punt, C-N goes on the march again inside the Mars Hill 25. A long run by quarterback Alex Good moves Carson-Newman to the Lions 3 yard line as time expires in the first quarter. Carson-Newman leads Mars Hill 7-0 after one quarter of play.

Update #2: QB Alex Good finishes the drive with a two-yard sneak for a touchdown. Lopez's PAT increases the Eagles lead to 14-0 early in the second period. Mars Hill managed only one first down through the first quarter as the Eagles defense has been stout thus far.

Update #3: The Lions are on the board. A play-action fake sets up a 49-yard touchdown pass from Cruz to Josh Johnson. The PAT is good and the Lions have cut the lead to 14-7 with 9:42 left to play in the first half.

Carson Newman answers quickly on a reception by Reggie Hubbard, covering 75 yards to the Mars Hill 2-yard line. Good is back in for his second touchdown, a one-yard tote. The PAT is good and C-N leads 21-7 with 7:30 left in the half.

Update #4: Lots of big hits out on the field this afternoon. Mars Hill has switched quarterbacks, bringing in Luis Cruz to replace Jon Richt. The Lions appear invigorated as they have marched inside the red zone. A clipping penalty bites the Mars Hill offense again, pushing the Lions outside the 30 yard line. Two plays later and the Lions are faced with a fourth down decision whether to try a long field goal or go for a first down. A big sack by Carson-Newman's Ryan Helton quells the drive and turns the ball over on downs with under four minutes to play.

Update #5: The Lions defense rises up to force a punt from the Eagles. Trailing 21-7, Mars Hill will look to cut the C-N lead before intermission. A run play for a loss, a sack, and a personal foul penalty assessed against Mars Hill pins the Lions inside its own 10-yard line. The Eagles take a time out following third down to force a Lions punt from their own end zone with 51 seconds left to play.

Carson Newman receives a punt and starts a drive from the Mars Hill 31 yard line. A pair of penalties push the Eagles back to the 41, but a pass from Good to Charles Dobson covers the real estate for a touchdown with 38 seconds left. The PAT is good and Carson Newman pads its lead to 28-7.

Mars Hill's first play following the touchdown is an interception thrown by Cruz to Jermel Demps of Carson Newman. The Eagles run out the clock to end the first half with Carson Newman leading 28-7 over Mars Hill. We'll bring more action from Mars Hill coming up.

Update #6: Back for second half action at Mars Hill as the Lions look to dig out of a 28-7 hole. Mars Hill gets the first offensive possession of the third quarter. A long run play (65 yards) by Jonas Randolph moves the Lions inside the ten-yard line. The Lions punch it into the end zone on a Garrison McDowell one-yard run. The PAT is successful to cut the Carson-Newman lead to 28-14 with 12:43 left in the third period.

Carson Newman answers yet another Lions score with its own scoring drive. A Buck Wakefield one-yard tote to cap a 9-play, 81-yard drive extends the Eagles lead to 35-14 with 9:22 to play in the third quarter.

Update #7: A Richt pass was intercepted by P.J. Woods of Carson Newman. The return is brought back into Mars Hill territory where the Eagles take over possession leading by 21. Two plays later, however, the Eagles cough up the football and Mars Hill recovers to get the ball back.

On second down, a double reverse play was ran by Mars Hill with Josh Johnson set to pass on the play. Tricky play call was sniffed out by the Eagles, however, forcing Josh to throw the ball out of bounds rather than take a loss or risk an interception. The Lions are held on third down and punt the football back to the Carson Newman 36-yard line.

Update #8: Mars Hill's defense forces a punt by the Eagles. Mars Hill looks to kick the offense back into gear as the third quarter winds down under two minutes to play.

Update #9: A 36-yard pass completion moves the Eagles to the Mars Hill 13-yard line. Carson Newman looks poised to put this game out of reach as the third quarter expires. 35-14 Eagles lead it.

Update #10: Eagles strike again on a Wakefield nine-yard run to the corner pylon. The PAT is good and Carson Newman is up 42-14 with 14:16 left to play.

Update #11: Mars Hill adds a touchdown immediately after the Eagles score when Demetrius Smedley returns the kickoff 95 yards to pay dirt. The PAT closes the game to 42-21. Mars Hill will need to make multiple stops on defense to narrow the gap.

It's over in Charleston. A Jason Vitaris field goal wins it for the Mountaineers over The Citadel. Final Score: ASU 30, Citadel 27.

Update #12: Jonas Randolph breaks off a huge run for the Lions to set them up quickly inside the red zone. Randolph has 175 yards on 20 rushes so far. A quick touchdown can make things interesting. Mars Hill scores on a two-yard pass to Josh Crumpton. The PAT is good and the Lions cut the lead to 42-28 with the six play, 60 yard scoring drive. 9:12 remains in the contest and Mars Hill looks to make another defensive stand to draw closer.

Update #13: Buck Wakefield is chewing up yardage for the Eagles. Wakefield breaks away for a 41-yard rush inside the Mars Hill 10. Two plays later Alex Good slides into the end zone for another touchdown run. With 4:54 left on the clock, the Eagles lead has been increased to 49-28. The touchdown caps a 9-play, 83-yard drive that chewed up over four minutes off the clock.

For the Lions, Zach Johnson has tallied nine tackles, good for second on the club today behind ten from teammate Josh Baker.

Update #14: A Mars Hill fumble is picked up by Ellitte Jackson, who rumbles 40 yards for another Carson Newman touchdown. The PAT was blocked by the Lions, but the Eagles appeared headed for a win, leading 55-28 with 2:51 left to play.

Josh Johnson picks up his second reception of the day on Mars Hill's next drive, a 16-yarder to pick up a first down. A fourth down pass play is incomplete as the Lions turn the football over on downs back to Carson Newman. 1:19 remains to play and the Eagles will advance to 4-2 on the season, while Mars Hill drops to 3-2. The final score from Meares Stadium in Mars Hill, NC: Carson Newman 55, Mars Hill 28.

We'll post a couple of more photos momentarily. Thanks for reading the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog!

Avery Wins, Cloudland Falls in High School Action

The Avery Vikings defeated the Thomas Jefferson Gryphons 51-0 at MacDonald Stadium Friday night, while the Cloudland Highlanders fell to Cosby 13-6 on the road on Friday night.

Avery held a 37-0 halftime lead, which began with a 79 yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Trent Mitchell. Avery held TJCA to a grand total of three yards for the night.

Other scores from tonight in the Western Highlands Conference:

Owen 35, Mitchell 20
Mountain Heritage 27, Polk County 7
Hendersonville 28, Madison 0

Battle of the Cats in Brad King Bowl Produces Fan Excitement, Funds for Local Family

On Tuesday, September 29th at MacDonald Stadium, Avery's two middle school programs met for the 27th annual showdown in what has become one of the greatest and longest-lasting fundraisers in the area, the Brad King Bowl.

The contest between the Avery Middle School Panthers and the Cranberry Middle School Wildcats closed out the regular season in Toe River Conference football, but more importantly, it allowed local folks to give back financially to assist people in need. This year's annual benefit, began 26 years ago to both raise funds locally and to honor the life and legacy of former youth football player Brad King. Since that time, the football game has raised tens of thousands of dollars to assist terminally ill children and others in great need.

This season the proceeds from the Brad King Bowl was donated to a college trust fund set up for Ciara and Carrie Laws, the daughters of Avery County Schools employee Chris Laws who passed away suddenly in early September. By the end of the evening, an announced amount of $2,530 was raised to help the family.

As for the game itself, the two teams played a competitive contest that didn't disappoint the huge crowd in attendance to root the teams on. The Panthers started the game with a fortunate break as an intended sky kick rolled along the ground. Avery's Chase Buchanan fell on the loose football to give the Panthers the first offensive possession.

Avery took advantage of the break and pieced together a 38-yard scoring march that elapsed nearly half the first quarter clock. Buchanan finished what he started with a 13-yard ramble to pay dirt. The two-point conversion failed, but the Panthers led 6-0.

Cranberry looked to get its offense with is punishing rushing game. The team found success moving the football with its wishbone offense, behind the running of the tandem of Jonah Tenge, Tyler Pittman, and Cody Clawson. Avery's defense bent but would not break, however, keeping the Wildcats from making a serious scoring threat for the first two quarters. Cranberry's defense also buckled down, keeping the Panthers out of the end zone for the remainder of the half. Statistically the contest was as close as the score indicated, as a single yard of total offense separated the clubs.

As was the case in the first half, the Panthers scored on its first offensive series, eating up most of the third quarter clock to march 46 yards for a second touchdown. Avery quarterback Ty Polsgrove capped the drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone. The two-point conversion quick pass from Polsgrove to wide receiver Wade Smith was successful and staked the Panthers to a 14-0 advantage with 2:05 left to play in the third period.

Cranberry's first series ended horrendously as the team fumbled. Avery recovered the ball, then proceeded to add an insurance touchdown as Chase Buchanan, who rushed for 98 yards on nine carries, split the Wildcats defense on a 48-yard touchdown dash. The score and subsequent two-point conversion pass from Polsgrove to wideout Daniel Childress, increased the Avery lead to 22-0 as the third period expired.

As has been the case throughout the season, the Cranberry Wildcats continued to display great heart and the will to win. The offensive line opened holes for the Green Machine of running backs to take turns netting chunks of yardage. Cranberry made the work pay off for six points as running back Jonah Tenge scored on an 11-yard tote to put the Cats on the board. The two-point try was unsuccessful, but the Panthers lead was cut to 22-6 midway through the fourth period.

The teams exchanged turnovers late in the contest, but the Wildcats could mount no further offensive attack to claw closer in the contest, as Avery garnered the victory by the 22-6 final score.

Chase Buchanan was named the Avery Panther Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year, collecting 158 yards in total offense and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Jonah Tenge captured Most Outstanding Player honors for the Cranberry club, with 10 rushes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

“I thought we played really well tonight and closed the season strong. We’ve been improving a bit in each game and it looked like tonight we’ve come full circle,” Avery Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said after the win. “With Chance going down last week, we had to approach the game differently. We made them honor Ty with the option from the quarterback position, and along with Chase Buchanan in the backfield you have multiple threats on the edges. We wanted to hit them on the perimeter to set up running up the middle, and we were really more run-oriented.”

The Panthers defense played a solid contest against a potent Wildcats rushing game, making big plays when needed. “”We bent but didn’t break today. Holding them from scoring on the big drive at the end of the half was huge,” Coach Johnson added. “They had hit the double-reverse on us, but we were able to bounce back and get the stops when we needed them. They had big boys who just kept coming, but we kept fighting and clawing back.”

Although the Wildcats were on the short end of the scoreboard, the team has many positive points to build uponleading into its final game of the season and next year’s club.

“I’m excited about being a part of this game. It is exciting to be an Avery County coach. We told all the eighth grade kids from both teams after the game that they will no longer be Wildcats and Panthers after this season, but they’ll all be Vikings,” Cranberry head coach Richard Sheppard said following the contest. “We weren’t able to win a game during the season, but we’ve been improving with every game. With just a few breaks here and there, we could have won a couple of ballgames. Still, we’re just working to make these kids better players and better people.”

Toe River Conference playoff action begins tonight with semifinal action. Avery travels to East Yancey in a battle of Panthers for the right to play in the Tri-County Bowl. Cranberry takes on Bowman Tuesday night in Bakersville. Congratulations to both teams for terrific seasons! seasons!

Lady Vikings Volleyball Tangle with Lady Cougars, Lady Titans, Sweep Mitchell in Home Match

The Avery Lady Vikings found themselves on the court during three days last week. On Monday, September 21^st, Avery traveled to Burnsville to take on Mountain Heritage, falling by scores of 18-25, 22-25, 18-25 in varsity action, while dropping two games in junior varsity play.

Avery played Monday’s match without the leadership of head coach Kim Hayes, who was not able to attend due to sickness.

“(Assistants) Caroline (Turner) and Libby (Wit) said the girls played hard. We had the lead several times and just couldn't finish,” head coach Kim Hayes remarked regarding the match. “We were hitting the ball hard, but we had some defensive let downs. They felt like we could have beaten them.”

After a day’s practice, Avery returned to the floor at Viking Gym on Wednesday, September 23^rd to host McDowell in a non-conference tilt. The Lady Vikings played a tight first set and prevailed by a 26-24 score. Avery carried momentum into the second set, but McDowell regrouped quickly to seize control, capturing the last three sets by scores of 19-25, 14-25, and 12-25, respectively. The junior varsity was unable to overcome the JV Lady Titans, falling in two games.

Cassie Bumgarner had 23 assists against McDowell, with 12 digs and six kills from Johanna Pittman. Jennie Elrod added nine digs, Savannah Dellinger had 8 digs and 8 kills, with six kills from Megan Tennant.

“McDowell played an incredible defensive game, probably the best I have seen all year. They made some unbelievable saves on the ball, and that just makes a team play harder and harder,” Coach Hayes said. “It was very frustrating watching balls hit the floor on our side over and over. Savannah Dellinger and Megan Tennant were hitting the ball great, and Savannah had a lot of power on her hits that night. We just could not do anything defensively.”

On Thursday evening, Avery played like they were on a mission for victory and would not be denied as it hosted the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers. The junior varsity club set the pace in picking up a conference win in two games over the Mitchell JV club.

As the varsity match was set to begin, Coach Hayes had a specific message for her club.

“I told the girls before the match that I was sorry about the McDowell game, that I did not give 100 percent coaching, but tonight I am,” the coach said. “I challenged the team to go out there, fight and do not quit no matter what, give 100 percent and meet me half way and WE WILL WIN.”

Avery grabbed early momentum in the varsity match, taking the first set by a final score of 25-17. The teams stayed close throughout each of the remaining two sets, but Avery put together a mini-scoring run to build a workable lead which helped the team take the second set 25-19. The Lady Vikings gained control of the third set only to see Mitchell rally to draw within four points. Avery slammed the door with a pair of points at the end to secure the third set 25-19 and a sweep for the match.

Bumgarner posted 23 assists in the match, while Pittman tallied seven kills and four digs. Elrod added five digs and three service aces, in addition to five kills and three service aces from Dellinger, six kills and two blocks from Tennant and five kills with six digs from Megan Robbins.

“Both the junior varsity and varsity teams played great. They were consistent throughout the game. I was very proud and so happy for them. They deserved it,” Coach Hayes said after the win. “I was pretty hard on them during the McDowell game. They stayed strong throughout each set. Even if Mitchell got a few points they stopped them quickly.”

Avery Lady Vikings Volleyball will play three times this week: at home against Owen on September 29, hosting West Wilkes September 30^th, and at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy on October 1^st.

Vols Weather Ohio to Get Back on Track

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

The Tennessee Vols needed to get their season back on track, and Saturday night was the perfect place to start. The Volunteers held off a pesky Ohio Bobcat squad to take a 34-23 victory to snap a two game losing streak and build confidence entering next week’s game when Auburn comes to town.

“It's good to get a win,” Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin said. “We haven't won since the opener. We talked about it. You can't get to 3-2 or 4-2 until you get to 2-2. So it's good to see the win.”

Kiffin and the rest of coaching staff brought in a game plan where they looked to build the confidence of beleaguered quarterback Jonathon Crompton. The result wasn’t the game that Kiffin had hoped to see.

"We're a long ways away from being a championship team, as you saw today,” Kiffin said. “You saw a different game plan. You saw us try to throw it around, I think, 28 times in the first half and we got back to what we do and threw it, I think, eight times in the second half. We've got a long ways to go."

The Vols started the game with an impressive drive that was capped off when Montario Hardesty dived in from 11 yards out in the Wild Vol formation. However, the Bobcats evened it up 13 seconds later as Chris Garrett took the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

Crompton was intercepted on the next UT drive, and Ohio took advantage as Theo Scott found LaVon Brazil to take the early 14-7 lead.

The Vols got back on the board when Crompton hit Brandon Warren for a three yard pass, and when Chris Walker made an acrobatic interception on a screen play and ran seven yards into the end zone to give the Vols a 21-14 lead. Both squads added field goals in the closing minutes of the first half as UT took a 24-17 lead into the locker room.

Crompton found freshman sensation Bryce Brown for a 26-yard touchdown play that gave the Vols an 11 point lead entering the final frame.

The fourth quarter nearly saw the tables turn on UT as an Ohio touchdown off a Crompton fumble was wiped off the board after officials ruled that Noah Keller was out of bounds when he picked up the fumble. However, the Volunteers couldn’t take advantage as they were forced to punt.

The Bobcats managed to close the gap back to a one possession game halfway through the quarter, but that was as close as they could get as Daniel Lincoln added another field goal to secure the 34-23 victory.

Crompton ended the game with 17 of 34 passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns. The workhorse Hardesty had 140 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries while Brown added 56 yards on 11 carries plus the receiving touchdown.

Ohio ended the game with 319 passing yards on a Tennessee defense that is considered to be one of the best in the nation.

"We looked like a different defense today than what you're used to seeing.” Kiffin said. “We've got to make plays, it doesn't matter who's in there. There's no excuses. We've got to play better.

The victory didn’t come without a cost for the Vols however. Nick Reveiz was injured and most likely lost for the season adding to the injuries on the defensive side of the ball that saw Walker unable to play in the second half along with LaMarcus Thompson, Herman Lathers, and Wes Brown being banged up.

“We're pretty beat up over there, but we've got to get better,” Kiffin said. “We've got to improve our depth. That's why we have competition so that our depth is improving and our backups aren't sitting there."

Dennis Rogan was also unable to go on Saturday, but not because of injury as he was suspended.

The Vols host undefeated Auburn in their SEC home opener on Saturday night.