Avery Basketball Games Postponed for This Evening

Avery's junior varsity and varsity basketball schedule home games for Friday evening have been postponed due to inclement weather. No reschedule date has been released at this time.

The Vikings will now open conference play on Monday, December 21st against Hendersonville.

Edwards Captures Walter Payton Award for Second Straight Year

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Appalachian State University quarterback Armanti Edwards cemented his standing as the most decorated player in NCAA Division I FCS history when he became the first two-time winner of the Walter Payton Award on Thursday evening at the Chattanooga Marriott. The Payton Award has been presented annually to the nation’s top FCS player since 1987.

Edwards became the first two-time winner in the 23-year history of the award by out-distancing Southern Illinois running back Deji Karim and Elon wide receiver in voting by national media and sports information directors.

Edwards threw for a school-record 3,291 yards and ran for 679 more in 2009, good for an average of 330.8 yards of total offense per game, which ranked third nationally. He also ranked among the nation’s top 20 in rushing touchdowns (t-3rd - 18), completion percentage (4th - .680), passing yards (8th), scoring (10th - 108 pts.), passing efficiency (12th - 147.90 rating), completions (13th - 257) and touchdowns responsible for (16th - 30).

For his career, Edwards ranks second in FCS history behind only Steve McNair with 14,753 yards of total offense (McNair amassed 16,823 at Alcorn State from 1991-94). With 10,392 passing yards and 4,361 rushing yards, he is the only player in Division I history (FCS or FBS) with at least 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career and the only FCS player to reach the 8,000 passing/4,000 rushing plateau. He was responsible for 139 touchdowns in his career (74 passing, 65 rushing), highlighting his 64 ASU and 14 Southern Conference records.

ARMANTI EDWARDS’ SCHOOL RECORDS
Single-Game Rushing – 313 vs. Richmond, 2007*
Rushing Yards Per Attempts – 10.1 vs. Richmond, 2007
Rushing Yards by a Quarterback – 313 vs. Richmond, 2007*
Passing Yards – 433 vs. South Carolina State, 2008
Completion Percentage (min. 10 comp.) - .895 (17-19) vs. Wofford, 2008
Touchdown Passes – 5 vs. Wofford, 2008
Touchdowns Responsible For – 7 vs. Richmond, 2007

Single-Season
Rushing Yards by a Quarterback – 1,588, 2007
Rushing Yards by a Freshman – 1,153, 2006
Rushing Yards by a Sophomore – 1,588, 2007
Passing Yards – 3,291, 2009
Pass Attempts – 378, 2009
Pass Completions – 257, 2009
Completion Percentage (min. 100 comp.) - .680 (257-378), 2009
Passing Efficiency – 170.2, 2008
Touchdown Passes – 30, 2008
200-Yard Passing Games – 10, 2009
Consecutive 200-Yard Passing Games – 5, 2009
Passing Yards by a Freshman – 2,251, 2006
Passing Yards by a Sophomore – 1,948, 2007
Passing Yards by a Senior – 3,291, 2009
Total Offense – 3,970, 2009*
Touchdowns Responsible For – 41, 2008*
250-Yard Total Offense Games – 10, 2008*
Consecutive 250-Yard Total Offense Games – 5 (four times)
300-Yard Total Offense Games – 8, 2009*
400-Yard Total Offense Games – 4, 2009
Wins By a Starting Quarterback – 13, 2006

Postseason
Single-Game Rushing Yards – 313 vs. Richmond, 2007
Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns – 4 vs. Richmond, 2007
Single-Game Pass Attempts – 54 vs. Montana, 2009
Career Pass Attempts – 342
Single-Game Completions – 29 vs. South Carolina State, 2008
Career Completions – 216
Single-Game Passing Yards – 433 vs. South Carolina State, 2008
Career Passing Yards – 2,885
Single-Game Touchdown Passes – 4 vs. South Carolina State, 2008
Career Touchdown Passes – 19
Single-Game Total Offense Attempts – 69 vs. Montana, 2009
Career Total Offense Attempts – 564
Single-Game Total Offense Yards – 495 vs. Richmond, 2007
Career Total Offense Yards – 4,186
Single-Game Touchdowns Responsible For – 7 vs. Richmond, 2007
Career Touchdowns Responsible For – 37
Single-Game Touchdowns Scored – 4 vs. Richmond, 2007
Single-Game Points Scored – 24 vs. Richmond, 2007
Postseason Wins By a Starting Quarterback – 11

Career
Rushing Yards by a Quarterback – 4,361*
Passing Yards – 10,392*
Pass Attempts – 1,180
Pass Completions – 768
Completion Percentage (min. 250 comp.) - .651 (768-1,180)*
Passing Efficiency – 154.2
Touchdown Passes – 74
Passing Yards per Game – 203.8
200-Yard Passing Games – 24
Total Offense Attempts – 1,935*
Total Offense – 14,753*
Total Offense Per Game – 289.3
Touchdowns Responsible For – 139*
250-Yard Total Offense Games – 35*
300-Yard Total Offense Games – 24*
400-Yard Total Offense Games – 8
Wins By a Starting Quarterback – 42
* Denotes Southern Conference Records

2009 Walter Payton Award Voting
NAME
Armanti Edwards Appalachian State 431
Terrell Hudgins Elon 268
Deji Karim Southern Illinois 259
Matt Nichols Eastern Washington 178
Dominic Randolph Holy Cross 174
Ryan Perrilloux Jacksonville State 142
Jeremy Moses Stephen F. Austin 109
William Ford South Carolina State 39
Michael Herrick Northern Arizona 31
Cameron Higgins Weber State 30
Toddrick Penland McNeese State 29
Curtis Pulley Florida A&M 26
Chase Reynolds Montana 24
Bryant Lee Southern 20
Pat Grace Northern Iowa 18
David Sinisi Monmouth 17
Pat Devlin Delaware 16
Andre Roberts The Citadel 13
Trevyn Smith Weber State 12
James Mallory Central Connecticut St. 10
*Matt Szczur Villanova 9
*Eric Ward Richmond 6
*Scott Riddle Elon 3
*Tim Toone Weber State 1

Vikings Sweep West Wilkes in Hoops Action

It was a clean sweep on Thursday night in Viking Gym as the Avery basketball teams won both junior varsity contest and won decisively in each varsity contest.

The Avery Lady Vikings junior varsity club opened its game with a 10-0 scoring run and led 12-2 after one quarter. West Wilkes rallied to cut the lead to 19-12 at the half, but the Lady Vikings came out of the locker room on fire, utilizing a 19-5 scoring run in just over four minutes to put the contest out of reach. Avery took a 45-27 lead after three quarters and cruised to the 61-32 victory.

Kelsie Clarke exploded offensively for the Big Red with 26 points, six steals, and four assists. Shayna Vance added nine points, with eight points from Megan Dellinger as well as five points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and four assists from Monica Estep. Makayla Nichols tallied 20 to lead West Wilkes.

In JV boys action, Avery jumped on top early and took a 39-26 win. The Vikings led 8-1 after the first quarter and held an 18-9 halftime advantage. In the second half, Avery used its pressure defense and patient offense to distance itself from the Black Hawks, taking a 33-18 lead through three quarters before taking the 13-point victory. Lane Smith led Avery with 13 points, with 11 points by Austin Lyons.

In varsity action, both Avery teams were dominant in winning by large margins. The Lady Vikings varsity girls grabbed an early advantage and forced the Lady Black Hawks into numerous turnovers throughout the contest. Avery took a 22-10 lead after one quarter and roared to a 34-13 halftime bulge.

The second half was anti-climactic as the entire Avery roster saw extended minutes on the playing floor. After three quarters, the Lady Vikings maintained a comfortable 52-23 lead and went on to capture its sixth straight victory with a 68-31 win.

Lauren Avery and Hayley Pyatte each scored 16 points in the Big Red triumph. Lauren added seven rebounds, while Hayley added four rebounds and three steals. Sara Wiseman chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds, with six points apiece from Megan Tennant and Katelynn Eudy.

The Vikings shot just under 46 percent from the field in the win, while holding West to only 31 percent shooting.

West was paced by Laura Cantrell's double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. along with seven points from Jessica Bumgarner.

In the nightcap, the Avery varsity boys were white hot on the offensive end to start its contest with the Black Hawks. The Vikings scorched the nets in the first eight minutes by hitting on 10 of its 19 shots, including a Dustin Clarke dunk, en route to taking a 23-8 lead after one quarter.

The snowball continued to roll downhill over the Black Hawks. West had difficulty keeping up with the Avery speed, while the Vikings were converting on inside shot attempts that they had been missing in previous contests. Although Avery suited up only eight players for the game due to injury, seven Vikings scored in the first half. The Vikings stretched their lead to 21 points at 35-14 by halftime.

As the game continued, it became apparent that the theme was not only the dominant team performance by the Vikings, but the individual effort of Dustin Clarke. The talented junior guard wowed the crowd in Viking Gym with three slam dunks on the night. The final two jams, the second of which an athletic 360-degree spin and slam, earned Clarke technical fouls for hanging on the rim, disqualifying Avery's leading scorer midway through the fourth quarter. Clarke ended the night with 26 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and six steals.

The entire Avery team enjoyed a great night on the court, leading 59-20 after three quarters on the way to a 73-35 victory. Joey Potter poured in 18 points for the Vikings, with eight points and six rebounds from Dylan Eppley.

Luke Foster and Garrett Hamby scored eight points apiece for the Black Hawks, with seven points from Lucas Stinson.

Avery shot 61 percent from the field in the second half and 53 percent for the game. The Vikings nearly matched West's total of 12 field goals for the game in just one quarter, when the Vikes drained 11 shots in the third quarter. West shot only 23 percent from the field for the night.

Weather permitting, the Vikings JV girls are scheduled to host Cloudland on Friday, with the JV boys hosting Crossnore Academy. The Avery varsity teams will host Thomas Jefferson Academy in their Western Highlands Conference opener Friday night.

Live from App State: Mountaineers host Milligan

6:00: Good afternoon from Holmes Center in Boone as we are here to watch the Mountaineers host the Milligan Buffs. The Lady Mountaineers are tied with ETSU just after halftime in the opening game tonight. We will also have updates as we get them from Avery as they are playing at home tonight. Hope you have a great evening, and are ready for the snow that is suppose to come this weekend! We will be back in just a little bit with some more updates.

6:35: With 6:00 left in the game, ETSU leads 80-77 over the Lady Mountaineers.

7:00 With free throws down the stretch, the Lady Mountaineers overcame a Lady Buc lead to take a 92-86 victory. Up next: the Mountaineer men host the Milligan Buffs.

8:25: At the break, App State leads Milligan 56-41.

8:58: With 12:36 remaining, the Mountaineers led 81-63, but the Buffs are making them earn their points in a well played game.

9:16: With 3:44 remaining, the Mountaineers continue to lead as they have broken the century mark 105-84.

9:28: We are final in Boone as App takes a 113-91 victory. Thanks and hope you enjoyed!

9:30: Armanti Edwards has won the Walter Payton award in Chattanooga. We will have more information on that has it becomes available.

Third Time’s the Charm! Lady Panthers Rally Late to Capture First Toe River Conference Tournament Title

The ultimate elation of any championship basketball team is realized with the cutting down of a net symbolic of the accomplishment of winning a title.

Following a regular season championship with only two losses in conference play, the Avery Middle School Lady Panthers entered the postseason conference tournament as the odds-on favorite to capture the tournament title.

Although the Lady Panthers encountered a pair of determined and worthy opponents in Cane River during Thursday’s semifinal round and Harris in Saturday’s championship game, the Silver and Black of Avery walked out of East Yancey Middle School Saturday night toting regular season and postseason tournament championship trophy hardware and a newly-snipped cotton basketball net.

Saturday’s championship appeared to be in doubt as early as Thursday night when the Lady Panthers met a surprisingly tough Cane River Lady Rebels club. Avery took a 9-4 lead after one period and led comfortably at 19-11 at halftime.

Cane River made a game of it during the second half, slicing the Avery lead to 27-22 after three quarters. Avery caught its second wind during the final six minutes as Lauren Burleson scored four of her 13 points in the final stanza. Cane River cut the lead to two points with 45 seconds left to play, but a Haley Woody basket in the paint helped propel the Lady Panthers to a 34-29 win over the Lady Rebels.

Woody paced the Avery attack, dominating the paint as she scored a game-high 16 points in the win. Only four players in all scored for the Lady Panthers, but the club survived and advanced to Saturday’s final.

“If you watched us last Thursday, we’ve made major progression to our game. We’ve gotten back on track to where we were during the regular season. Our shot selection tonight was so much better and we hit more shots than we did in our last game with Cranberry. We cut down on our three-point shots and concentrated on working our offense from the inside out,” Lady Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said immediately following the win. “I thought overall we played a great game, particularly in the second half when we did a good job to answer their baskets by throwing the ball inside.”

In Saturday’s championship game Avery met a familiar foe in Harris, the team who upset the Lady Panthers in their last meeting in Spruce Pine. It was the third meeting of the season between the teams, as well as Avery’s third straight tournament championship game appearance.

Harris held the advantage for much of the first half of play before a late flurry propelled the Lady Panthers into a slim 14-13 halftime lead. The Lady Blue Devils did not wilt under the championship pressure, answering the Avery rally to lead by two scores for a portion of the third quarter.

With 50 seconds left to play, Harris seemed on the cusp of winning the championship as it held a 30-26 lead and Avery’s strongest force inside in Haley Woody had fouled out of the contest.

Avery displayed the true heart of a champion to rewrite the ending to the tournament story. Jodi Poore scored her only points for the game when she drained a clutch three-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 30-29. Avery’s trademark defensive pressure forced a Harris turnover in the backcourt.
Following a timeout, Avery’s Lauren Burleson took advantage of an opening to hit a ten-footer from the baseline, putting the Lady Panthers in front 31-30 with 20 seconds left to play. Avery forced one final turnover in the final five seconds as Shannon Smith intercepted an outlet pass to seal the Lady Panther triumph.

Lauren Burleson led six Avery scorers with 12 points, including six of the team’s final nine points in the fourth quarter. Teammate Breanna Heaton poured in eight and both Shannon Smith and Haley Woody added four points in the win. Kennedi Grindstaff of Harris led all scorers with 14 points in a losing effort.

“I was thinking “Finally!” after the buzzer sounded. This is our third year in a row to make the tournament championship, and you start doubting yourself after dominating the regular season. Every year we made the tournament championship we would lose, so it’s good to finally get the monkey off my back,” a jubilant Lady Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said after the win. “I felt like our guards were crucial and the catalyst in our team not falling apart. Our press gave Harris some problems but they were able to beat us downcourt in the times they beat our press. I was a little worried that they were going to go coast-to-coast on us to win the game, then Shannon came up with the big steal at the end.”

The victory is a great accomplishment for a team that played throughout the season with a never-say-die attitude, and is also a rare double feat, as the Lady Panthers also captured the conference volleyball tournament title earlier in the fall.

“We just never give up. Give the girls all the credit in the world because they just kept playing,” Coach Johnson said. “This is a special group who has won championships, and this eighth grade class has witnessed us winning a championship every year they were at Avery Middle. They’ve etched their names in the history books, so to speak, having won the school’s first-ever basketball tournament championship. It says a lot about the character of this team. They’re a close and confident group and they’ll truly be missed.”

Burleson, Heaton, and Smith were each named to the All-Conference team, while Burleson, Heaton, and Woody were recognized as All-Tournament for their efforts.

In the boys tournament, Harris scored on two free throws following a technical foul call against Cane River with three seconds left to provide the final margin in a 41-39 Blue Devils victory.

Congratulations to the Lady Panthers and to all the local middle school teams on a great hoops season!

JV Basketball Splits Pair with Watauga

A week following their first encounter with the Watauga Pioneers in Viking Gym, the Avery junior varsity basketball squads traveled to Lentz-Eggers Gym in Boone for a rematch with Watauga.

In the JV girls contest, Avery fell behind early to the Lady Pioneers, trailing by a 14-4 score after one quarter. The Big Red sliced into the lead ever so slightly, but still found itself on the short end of a 24-17 halftime deficit.

Avery managed to rally behind the outside shooting of Kelsie Clark, who drained three-pointers that helped the Lady Vikings come all the way back to take a lead at 30-29 late in the third quarter. Watauga scored the final bucket in the quarter to leave the home team with a slim 31-30 lead going into the final seven minutes.

Watauga built its lead to four points early in the final frame, but Avery reeled the Lady Pioneers in to stay within a single possession at 38-35 in the game’s final minute. Watauga’s matchup zone defense was strong throughout the night and did not allow Avery to score the game-tying basket as Watauga took a 39-37 win on its home floor.

Kelsie Clark led Avery with 17 points, with ten points from Shayna Vance and seven points and ten rebounds from Brooke Buchanan.

“The girls played well, but we missed chances at the free throw line down the stretch and we also just ran out of time,” Avery Lady Vikings JV girls coach Pat Daniels remarked. ”I told the girls I was proud of them, but that we need to be able to finish games But I believe the tough non-conference schedule we’ve faced will benefit us when we get into conference play.”

The boys contest was a close affair. Dustin Clark scored four of Avery’s seven first quarter points as the Vikings held a 7-5 advantage after one quarter. The Vikings continued to play well on both ends of the floor, as Shea Buchanan bolstered Avery’s cause with seven points in the second period to help the Big Red maintain a slim 19-18 halftime lead.

Both clubs found their shooting stroke and offensive rhythm in the third period, almost matching the output from the entire first half. Watauga displayed resiliency in outpacing Avery 16-13 in the quarter to hold a 34-32 lead after three stanzas.

Although Avery committed 27 turnovers and was hampered by foul trouble, the Vikings found themselves with an opportunity to tie the game in the closing seconds. Trailing by three with time running out, Avery had a good look on a three-pointer to send the game to overtime. The shot did not fall, however, as Avery fell in a heartbreaking 45-41 loss.

“I thought we played great defense tonight. I felt like we executed well, but Watauga is tough to play on their floor,” Avery boys junior varsity head coach Reggie Oakes said following the game. “I thought we had a chance to win and probably should have won. “

Dustin Clark and Shea Buchanan led Avery with 11 points apiece, with eight points from Austin Lyons.

“Shea played a good game. He stepped up and made some big shots late. Dustin was a monster on the boards and Austin shot the ball well,” Coach Oakes said. “All the kids really executed well.”

Avery’s JV squads will be in action on Thursday against West Wilkes at Viking Gym. Since Thomas Jefferson Academy does not field JV basketball teams, Avery’s JV girls team will instead play Cloudland on Friday afternoon.

Game Notes: Mountaineers, Montana

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

The decade’s winningest NCAA Division I FCS programs meet on the subdivision’s second-biggest stage on Saturday when No. 5 Appalachian State University travels to top-seeded Montana for an NCAA Division I Football Championship semifinal. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont.

The game will be televised nationally on ESPN, ESPN HD and ESPN360.com (Todd Harris — play-by-play; Charles Arbuckle — analyst).

NOTING SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
• Appalachian (11-2) advanced to its fourth national semifinal in five years with a heart-stopping 35-31 victory at fourth-seeded Richmond last Saturday.

• Montana (13-0) is in the semifinals for the third time in five years thanks to a 51-0 shutout win over Stephen F. Austin in last Saturday’s quarterfinals.

• ASU has won 11-consecutive games since opening the season with back-to-back five-point losses to Conference USA champion East Carolina and Southland Conference co-champion McNeese State.

• Despite posting its second undefeated regular season in three years, Montana’s campaign was on the brink when it trailed South Dakota State, 48-21, with just over five minutes to go in the third quarter of a first-round playoff matchup on Nov. 28. However, the Grizzlies roared back to score 40 unanswered points in the final 20:25 of the ballgame and claim an improbable 61-48 win.

• All told, UM has scored 91 unanswered points over its last 80:25 of game play.

• With this year’s semifinal berths, ASU and Montana have combined to make 11 semifinal appearances since 2000. The schools’ first final-four appearances of the decade came against each other in 2000, when the Griz edged the Mountaineers, 19-16, in overtime at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

• The programs are the only two in Division I FCS with 100 victories this decade. Montana is 118-22 since the beginning of the 2000 season while Appalachian is 101-32. Since the beginning of the 2005 season, ASU leads all Division I programs (FCS or FBS) with 61 wins. Montana is second with 58.

• Appalachian is 3-2 all-time in the national semifinal round. It lost in its first two semifinal appearances (1987 and 2000) but won its last three (2005, 2006 and 2007). ASU’s only semifinal road game was its 19-16 overtime loss at Montana in 2000.

• ASU is 4-7 all-time in NCAA Division I FCS/I-AA playoff road games. Last week’s triumph at Richmond marked the Mountaineers first playoff road game since 2001 (quarterfinals at Georgia Southern) and first playoff road win since 2000 (quarterfinals at Western Kentucky).

• A win would be the 12th that Mountaineer quarterback Armanti Edwards has engineered in the NCAA Division I Football Championship, which would move him into a tie with Georgia Southern's Raymond Gross winningest signal-callers in FCS postseason history.

For more on Saturday's matchup, including links to live audio and stats, both teams' stats, rosters, depth charts, game notes and much more, click HERE to visit GoASU.com's official Gameday Central page.

Johnson Among Finalists for Eddie Robinson Award

DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America has announced seven finalists for the 2009 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award to be voted upon by the entire membership. The list features coaches from five undefeated teams as well as last season's recipient.

With the 2009 regular season completed, the FWAA, in conjunction with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, has tabbed the following coaches as finalists: Texas' Mack Brown, Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson, Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, Oregon's Chip Kelly, TCU's Gary Patterson, Boise State's Chris Petersen and Alabama's Nick Saban.

The finalists will be placed on a ballot which will be distributed electronically to the entire FWAA membership.

The FWAA coaching award is named after the late Robinson, a coaching legend at Grambling State University for 55 years. He has more Division I victories (408) than any other coach in the history of college football.

The winner of the FWAA/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award will be announced and honored at a reception on Jan. 5 in Newport Beach, Calif., in conjunction with the Citi BCS National Championship Game.

Texas' Brown has the Longhorns in a national title game for the second time in five seasons. Texas defeated Nebraska, 13-12, in the Big 12 title game in Dallas to extend its record to 13-0. Only Alabama on Jan. 7 stands between Texas and a fourth national championship.

Georgia Tech's Johnson took the Yellow Jackets to the ACC title with a victory over Clemson in the conference title game. At 11-2, Georgia Tech will meet Iowa in the Orange Bowl and seek to dominate with its grinding spread option offense.

Brian Kelly's Cincinnati Bearcats claimed the Big East Conference title with a 12-0 record. They defeated Pittsburgh by a point in dramatic fashion in the regular-season finale to wrap up the title and gain a berth in the Sugar Bowl opposite Florida.

Oregon's first-year head coach Chip Kelly has the Ducks (10-2) in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1995. From an season-opening loss to Boise State - after which he had to suspend one of his star players for throwing a punch - Kelly has done a masterful job of holding the season together and winning the Pac-10 title.

Patterson led TCU to its first unbeaten regular season (12-0) since the 1938 Horned Frogs won the national championship. TCU, the Mountain West Conference champion, will be going to a BCS bowl for the first time this season and is currently riding a 14-game winning streak.

Petersen keeps doing it at Boise State with another WAC title. This season the Broncos are 13-0 and headed to another BCS game, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against TCU. The Broncos will be seeking another victory in the BCS after a memorable win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Saban has directed the top-ranked Crimson Tide to the Citi BCS National Championship Game with a perfect 13-0 record. Alabama defeated Florida in the SEC title game in Atlanta to cap its perfect regular season.

Of the finalists, only Saban has previously won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. He won last season as the Alabama head coach and also in 2003 when he was the head coach at LSU.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,100 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.

The Eddie Robinson Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official Web site, ncfaa.org.

Cranberry Teams Fall in Opening Round of TRC Tournament; Avery Plays in Semis Today

Cranberry Middle School's boys and girls basketball teams were defeated in Wednesday's opening round of the Toe River Conference Basketball Tournaments.

In boys action, the Wildcats hung tough with tournament host East Yancey, trailing by only two points at halftime. East turned on the pressure to start the second half, sparking a huge scoring run to put the Wildcats down by as many as 23 as the Panthers went on to a 49-27 victory.

In the girls' contest earlier in the evening, the Lady Wildcats and Cane River squared off. Neither team was able to generate much offense, as Cane River led after two quarters by a 13-7 score. Cranberry was only able to muster a Katie Rigdon three-pointer in the second half, as Cane River went on to pull off the upset by the final score of 19-10.

The top-seeded Avery Middle School Lady Panthers begins tournament play this afternoon with a girls semifinal against Cane River at 4 p.m. The Avery boys team will be in action in the evening's final semifinal, taking on the Harris Blue Devils at 7:45 pm.

Updated Toe River Conference Brackets

Middle School Hoops Wrap Regular Season Play

In the final week of the regular season, the basketball teams of both Cranberry Middle and Avery Middle Schools were looking for wins to build positive momentum heading into this week’s Toe River Conference Basketball Tournaments.

Last Tuesday, December 1^st Avery Middle School swept the girls/boys doubleheader over Hunter (TN) Middle School. Avery’s girls took a decisive 36-22 win, using a 15-0 run in the third quarter to open up a game which was tied at halftime. Lauren Burleson led Avery with 12 points, with eight from Breanna Heaton and seven from Haley Woody.

In boys action, the Avery Middle School Panthers were dominant against an overmatched Hunter squad, winning by a final score of 52-13. Hunter brought only seventh graders to the contest, and the Panthers capitalized with its experience and depth. The Panthers outscored Hunter 18-2 to open the game. Eleven different players scored for Avery, led by eight points from Ty Polsgrove and six points from four separate Panthers.

Cranberry and Avery played its final contest of the regular season last Thursday night against one another in an exciting pair of competitive contests.

The Lady Wildcats played inspired basketball, using changes on defense and offense from the teams’ first meeting to take a 29-19 victory.

“For the previous two days we changed up our defense from a 2-1-2 to a 1-2-2 and we moved well in it,” Cranberry head coach Amber Young said after the game. “We were concerned about Avery getting the ball inside on us, but we collapsed well inside and played awesome.”

Cranberry led 9-4 after one period and took a 16-6 lead into halftime. Avery shot only 2 for 20 from the field in the first half and ended the game making only 15 percent of its shots (6 of 40 FG).

“We had open looks and weren’t taking that many bad shots. Our offense wasn’t moving and we didn’t move the ball around. I thought our defense kept us in the game allowing only 29 points,” Avery head coach Donnie Johnson said after the game.

The Lady Panthers scratched back into the game with its defense, drawing to within 19-17 late in the third quarter. Avery missed a layup in the quarter’s waning seconds, while Cranberry scored just prior to the end of the period to build a 22-17 lead after three periods.

“I thought that was a key moment when we didn’t score on the layup,” Coach Johnson added. “We have no excuses. We had our chances, but just didn’t take advantage of them.”

The Lady Wildcats outscored Avery 7-2 to close the contest and earn the victory before a vociferous and supportive home crowd. “We switched our positions some during practice and that helped us get multiple players scoring,” Coach Young stated. “We worked hard on blocking out the past couple of days, as every team that has beaten us has gotten multiple shots. We did a good job of giving them only one chance to score and blocking out.”

Bethany Burleson led Cranberry with 10 points, with seven from Katie Rigdon and six from Karmen Gragg. Avery was paced by 11 points from Breanna Heaton and six from Lauren Burleson.

Avery finishes with an 8-2 conference mark, while the Lady Wildcats complete the regular season at 6-4. Cranberry is a #4 seed and will take on #5 Cane River in a first round conference tournament contest on Wednesday evening at 6:30 at East Yancey Middle School, while Avery as the top seed will take on the Cane River/Cranberry winner in a Thursday semifinal contest at 4 p.m.

In the second half of the evening’s doubleheader, the Avery boys earned a split for the night when they defeated Cranberry 50-41. The Panthers led 12-6 after one quarter and carried a 27-17 lead into the locker room at halftime. Chance Watson scored all 12 of his points during the first half, while Cranberry countered with ten points by Chandler Austin.

Cranberry put together a quick scoring run in the opening minutes of the third quarter to cut the Panther lead to only a pair, but five straight points from Avery’s Chase Buchanan scored five consecutive points to rebuild the lead for good. Avery led 38-29 after the third stanza before capturing the nine-point win.

“We can play with any team in the conference, and I believe any of the top four teams can win the conference tournament,” Avery head coach Gordon Polsgrove said after the win. “Having three starters back from last year has been important. Chase, Ty, and Chance have led the team this season, and we have enjoyed a lot of depth with James and Dalton starting, along with players like Peyton and Kobe off the bench.”

Despite the loss, Cranberry continues to take positives from the contest going into the postseason.

“We had a great effort for the most part, much better than we have seen the previous few games. Our kids starting believing in themselves tonight and it showed,” Cranberry associate coach Kenny Gouge said after the game. “We made a good run in the third quarter, but they made a couple of key baskets which helped them pull away.”

Avery’s Chase Buchanan led all scorers with 14 points, with 12 from Watson and eight from Polsgrove. Cranberry was paced by Austin’s ten, along with nine points from Zach Guy and eight from Tyler Pittman.

Cranberry is a #5 seed in the conference tournament and will play #4 seed East Yancey on the Panthers’ home floor Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. Avery enters the tournament as the #2 seed and will play the winner of #3 Harris and #6 Bowman on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. Championship games will take place on Saturday at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at East Yancey.

Lady Vikings Snap Losing Streak in Win over Watauga

Through one quarter of Friday night’s varsity girls game, the winless Lady Pioneers held a one-point edge over the Avery Lady Vikings. The Big Red seized control of the game midway through the second quarter, as four players reached double figures in a 61-53 Avery win.

Watauga took a surprising 14-13 lead after one quarter with the help of a pair of three-pointers from Shelby Gilliam. Avery shot only 3 of 17 from the field in the first quarter, but was dominant throughout the night from inside the paint. Sara Wiseman scored five of her 13 points in the first quarter and pulled down eight rebounds overall in the contest.

Avery took the lead for good in the second period with a 12-3 scoring run, as Mercedes Bentley hit a pair of three-pointers off the bench and the Vikings shot 7 of 13 from the field. Katelynn Eudy and Elyse Perry each added a pair of baskets in the quarter to stake Avery to a 32-24 halftime advantage.

“We knew they had big post players, but I felt like my big girls were able to outplay them. We owned the boards in the first half. We out-hustled them, Sara played great and Eudy went in and played well,” Lady Vikings head coach Missy Lyons said. “We might have over-passed the ball some, but we still distributed the ball well. I was pleased with how unselfish the team was and impressed with how they just want to go out there and win ballgames.”

As the third quarter began, the Lady Vikings used three baskets from Lauren Avery to race out to a double-figure advantage. A 14-2 run to open the half extended the Viking bulge to 20 points at 46-26. The Pioneers responded with its own 14-2 run by quarter’s end. Christina Rees tallied 10 of her team-high 18 points in the stanza to bring the Avery lead to within eight at 48-40 through three periods.

The Vikings maintained its lead to pick up the victory as Perry was 5 of 6 from the free throw line in the quarter. As a team, the Lady Vikings were 17 of 31 from the charity stripe, while Watauga was only 3 of 12 from the free throw line.

Avery shot 43 percent from the field in the game, while holding the Lady Pioneers to 36 percent shooting.

The Lady Vikings (4-1) had four players score in double figures led by Sara Wiseman's 13 points and eight rebounds. Elyse Perry also scored 13 points with five assists, three steals, and three rebounds. Lauren Avery scored 12 points with seven rebounds and five assists, while Katelynn Eudy had a double-double with ten points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Bentley and Hayley Pyatte added six points apiece in the win.

Avery’s triumph snapped a four-game losing skid to the Lady Pioneers.

“It felt great to get the win. The girls have worked hard and they’re always competitive with Watauga. We’ve let the last few slip through our fingers, and it was good for us to pick up this win,” Coach Lyons added.

Avery and Watauga will meet in a rematch this Friday night at Watauga High School.

App-Montana Gametime Set for Saturday

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

INDIANAPOLIS — Next weekend’s NCAA Division I Football Championship semifinal between No. 5 Appalachian State University and top-seeded Montana has been set for Saturday, Dec. 12, at 4 p.m. ET, the NCAA announced on Sunday. The game will be played at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont. and televised nationally on ESPN.

Appalachian (11-2) and Montana (13-0) are meeting for the second time ever. Their previous matchup also came in the national semifinals, with Montana eeking out a 19-16 overtime victory in Missoula on Dec. 9, 2000. ASU and UM are the winningest NCAA Division I FCS programs of the decade, with the Grizzlies sporting a 118-22 record and the Mountaineers coming in at 101-32 since the beginning of the 2000 season. The Apps are making their fourth semifinal appearance in five years while the Griz are in the final four for the third time in five seasons.

ASU is 15-0 all-time when playing on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, including a 2-0 mark on the Worldwide Leader of Sports’ flagship network.

***TICKET UPDATE*** (Sunday, 4:45 p.m.)
Mountaineer fans can purchase tickets from Appalachian's allotment beginning on Monday at 9 a.m. Tickets cost $29 apiece and can be purchased by phone at (828) 262-2079 or in person at the ASU athletics ticket office, located in the Holmes Center. ASU-UM tickets will be on sale between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and 9 a.m.-noon on Thursday.

The Quest Continues!!! App Wins Thriller in Richmond

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

RICHMOND, Va. - Trailing by three points with 3:26 to play, Appalachian State University football drove 70 yards in 12 plays to score the winning touchdown with 10 seconds to play to defeat Richmond, 35-31, to advance to the NCAA Division I FCS semifinal against Montana.

On third and goal, Armanti Edwards found Matt Cline in the end zone for the score to take the second lead of the game.

Two drives earlier, ASU drove 73 yards to take its first lead of the game at 28-24 on a three-yard Edwards run. The Apps then stopped Richmond and forced the Spiders to punt with three and a half minutes on the clock.

On the punt return, UR's Eric McBride forced a fumble and returned it eight yards to regain the lead at 31-28.

Edwards rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries and two scores and threw for 216 more on 21 completions. Devon Moore also had two scores on the ground.

In addition to his game-winning catch, Cline was the leading receiver with 87 yards on nine grabs.

Linebackers Jacque Roman and D.J. Smith had 10 tackles each for the defense.

Appalachian travels to Montana next weekend for the national semifinal game.

Stay tuned to www.goasu.com as well as the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog as we look

Title Denied: Lees-McRae Falls 1-0 to Fort Lewis in Men's Soccer Division II National Championship

The national championship dream for Lees-McRae College was dashed by a goal from Fort Lewis' David Barden, his fifth game-winning goal of the season, in the 78th minute as the Skyhawks outlasted the Bobcats 1-0 in Saturday's NCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Championship contest.

The match was scoreless through the first half of play in a defensive affair. Fort Lewis scored the lone goal of the afternoon when Kyle Wood assisted on the Barden tally. Lees McRae managed 11 shots on goal compared to 14 for the Skyhawks, and keeper Sean Paradise made six saves in goal.

Lees-McRae enjoyed a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks for the match, and were whistled for 14 fouls in the match, while Fort Lewis was whistled 12 times. Neither team managed a clean sheet for the match, as the Bobcats were carded on three occasions, while the Skyhawks received a pair of yellow cards.

The Bobcats end their terrific and historic men's soccer season as national runners-up with a sterling 18-3-2 record.

Bobcats Advance on PKs: Paradise Lifts Lees-McRae to NCAA DII National Championship

12/3/2009

Courtesy Lees-McRae Sports Information

TAMPA, FLA. -- Senior Florida native, Sean Paradise, had five saves, including a penalty kick in regulation and a save in the shootout, to take the Lees-McRae College Bobcats to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Championship with a shootout win over the Lewis University Flyers Thursday afternoon.

Paradise came up big for the big for the Bobcats at the end of the first half when Lewis' Acxer Eduardo attempted a near post shot, but Paradise turned it away to keep the game scoreless at the half.

In the second half in the 58th minute, a Bobcat hand ball gave the Flyers a penalty kick, but Paradise made a diving save to his right on Robert McGowan's attempt to keep the game scoreless. The penalty kick saved turned out to be the second biggest save of Paradise's career as a Bobcat - his biggest save was yet to come.

In the 79th minute, Nestor Hernandez collected a punt and scored to put the Flyers up 1-0, and one minute later, Hernandez received a pass from Charlie Bucio and buried his second goal of the game to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead.

But the Bobcats didn't give up and rallied in the 85th minute when Grant Elder, who came off the five minutes before, took a pass from Sam Kennedy and beat the Flyers' keeper high to the far post to cut the lead to 2-1.

Two minutes later, Lee Squires, a two-time All-American who missed all but seven matches, buried the game tying goal. Squires found himself on the back post one-on-one after a Jamie Bladen shot was blocked by a Flyer defender.

In the overtime periods neither team was able to end the match on a golden goal forcing a shootout.

The Bobcats went first in the shootout and Richard Guffens buried his attempt, and Paradise made the save on McGowan's attempt for Lewis' first attempt for the biggest save in his four year career for the Bobcats.

"It was the same guy that attempted the penalty kick on me in regulation," Paradise said. "I knew he wouldn't try to go the same way on me, and I saw him open his hips and go to his left my right."

David Palmer buried his attempt and was followed by Squires, Berin Boracic and Jamie Bladen how sealed the win on his attempt that he tucked in the left corner. Bladen's game-winning goal lifted the Bobcats to the Final Four in the team's 1-0 win over Tampa.

Lees-McRae outshot Lewis, 19-11, and held a 9-8 corner kick advantage.

Paradise's five saves earned his 15th win of the season. Going back to last season he has saved seven of the last 15 penalty kicks against him.

For a school of 670 students, one of the smallest in the NCAA Division II, the Bobcats have put themselves in the title game. One-hundred plus people packed into Williams Gymnasium in Banner Elk on the campus to watch the game.

The Bobcats will face Fort Lewis Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Pepin Field in Tampa! This is the first time in the history of the school in NCAA competition a team has competed for a national title!

Related Item: Box Score

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

BOBCATS ADVANCE TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH WITH COME FROM BEHIND WIN OVER LEWIS

The LMC-Lewis National Semifinal NCAA Division II Soccer match is currently being streamed online by the NCAA. You can click the following link to access the live stream.

http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ncaa&media=155635

GO BOBCATS!

Update: With approximately 30 minutes to play in the second half LMC keeper Sean Paradise fends off the best scoring opportunity for either club thus far in the match, a penalty shot attempt from Lewis' Robert McGowan, diving left to deflect the ball away from goal. Match still scoreless midway through the second half.

Update #2: Lewis scores two goals (Dexter Hernandez) over a two-minute span to take a 2-0 lead over the Bobcats with under 20 minutes to play.

Lees-McRae answers with a goal to cut the Lewis lead to 2-1 in the waning minutes of the second half. With just three minutes left to play, Lees McRae scores on a Lee Squires goal to tie the match at 2-2. The semifinal match is headed to OVERTIME!

Update #3: Neither team is able to score in the overtime session. The match will now be decided by PENALTY KICKS (best of 5).

Lees-McRae converts its first PK to take a 1-0 lead. Paradise saves Lewis' first PK attempt. 1-0 LMC after round one. David Palmer attempts LMC's second PK and scores on the right side of the goal to take a 2-0 lead in penalty kicks. Lewis' Jose Lopez attempted the second kick for Lewis and scores to narrow the lead to 2-1 after round two. Lee Squires converts the team's third penalty kick attempt to boost LMC's advantage to 3-1. Paradise stops Lewis' next attempt, but the official orders a do-over due to the keeper being off line. Lewis capitalizes to keep Lewis within a goal at 3-2.

Lees McRae calls on Boracic to give the Bobcats a fourth goal. Boracic scores on the lower left side of goal to give the Bobcats a 4-2 lead. Lewis slips another PK past LMC's Paradise to narrow the gap to 4-3. A goal on LMC's final kick by Jamie Bladen will send the Bobcats to Saturday's title game.

Bladen puts the shot in the lower left side of net to win the match 5-3 in Penalty Kicks!!! The Bobcats will be playing for the Division II National Championship with a thrilling 3-2 win over Lewis. Congratulations Bobcats! Lees-McRae will take on Fort Lewis beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Bobcats Weekly Wrap

Men’s Soccer:
The Lees-McRae College men’s soccer team departed this past Monday for Tampa, FL and the Division II Final Four held at Pepin Stadium. The Bobcats will take on Fort Lewis in a national semifinal, with the winner playing the winner of the match between this evening. The Bobcats have been on a roll since a 1-0 upset loss at the hands of Coker College in the Conference Carolinas Tournament, defeating the University of Tampa 1-0 in Banner Elk on November 21^st as part of a three-game tourney win streak to punch its ticket into the Final Four.

Lees-McRae achieved its first-ever #1 ranking in NCAA Division II during the regular season and currently stands at 18-2-1 on the season.

Ladies Volleyball:
This past week Whitey Justice earned First Team All-Southeast Region according to the AVCA and Second Team All-Southeast Region according to Daktronics and Luana Rocha, earned First Team All-Southeast Region from the AVCA for the Lees-McRae College women’s volleyball team.

The AVCA is voted on by the Southeast Region coaches, while Daktronics is voted on by the SIDs of the Southeast Region.

Justice, who was named All-Conference Carolinas First Team and Player of the Year, had 386 kills in 125 sets for an average of 3.09 kills per set. She also had 116 total blocks, 17 solo blocks and 99 block assists, for an average of .93 blocks per set.

Rocha, who was named First Team All-Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year and First Team, had 675 digs in 125 sets for an average of 5.40 digs per set.

The Lady Bobcats finished first in the Conference Carolinas regular season and won the tournament to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the first round to Flagler.

Men’s Basketball:
The Pfeiffer University Falcons defeated Lees-McRae College, 124-65, in the Bobcats men’s basketball Conference Carolinas opener Tuesday, November 24^th.

Pfeiffer opened the game on a 19-0 run before Jeremy Helms hit a free throw and went on to score the first nine points and 13 of the team's first half 19 points. Pfeiffer took a 56-19 lead into the half time.

The Falcons were 59 percent from the floor and a whopping 70 percent from behind the arc, while the Bobcats were 25 percent from field goal range and 37 percent from three.

In the second half, the Bobcats offense scored 46 points, but Pfeiffer responded with 68 points to win the game 124-65.

Lees-McRae improved to 59 percent in the second half from the floor and 62 percent from three, and Pfeiffer was 68 percent from the floor and 57 percent from three-point range in the half.

Sam Youse scored 16 points to lead the Bobcats, and Helms added 15 points. Josh Kurtz and Stephen Haymer collected four rebounds, and Daniel Sepokas had five assists.

Sixty of Pfeiffer’s 124 points came from three-point range.

Lees-McRae will travel to St. Andrews Saturday, December 5th for their next game with tipoff set for 4 p.m.

Women’s Basketball:
The Lees-McRae College Lady Bobcats dropped their Conference Carolinas opener, 70-61, Tuesday night to the Pfeiffer University Lady Falcons in women’s basketball action.

Lees-McRae jumped out to an early 9-2 lead with 17:18 left to play in the half, but four minutes later Pfeiffer would give the game the first tie at 11.

The two teams would tie the game twice over the next two minutes before the Lady Bobcats would take an 18-15 lead on a Jessica Blair made three pointer. However, the Lady Falcons would battle back and take a 21-19 lead one-minute later and hold the lead for the remainder of the half.

Pfeiffer pushed the lead to seven on a field goal just before the half to take a 34-27 lead into the locker rooms.

In the second half, Lees-McRae closed the lead to three, 36-33, three minutes into the half on a Colette Montgomery layup, and again to three on two Icey Patterson free throws with 16:34 remaining in the half.

Pfeiffer would counter with an 11-2 run to take an 49-38 lead with 12:18 remaining, but again Lees-McRae would close the gap to three on Brittany Williams' layup with just over eight minutes remaining. After a defensive stop and a Blair field goal, the lead was one, 55-54, but the Lady Bobcats would not regain the lead as the Lady Falcon stayed just out of reach to win, 70-61.

The Lady Bobcats were 39 percent from the floor and 26 percent from three-point range, while Pfeiffer was 37 percent from the floor and 15 percent from behind the arc.

Lees-McRae was led by Montgomery, who had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Patterson just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine assists. Blair added nine points, and Lauren Casey collected eight rebounds.

Devona Knight had 14 points for the Lady Falcons and was followed by Jamila Harris, who had 11 points. Knight also had a double-double with 10 rebounds to go along with her 14 points.

The Lady Bobcats returned to action this past Monday when they hosted Milligan College. In a tight contest, the Lady Buffaloes held off the Lady Bobcats by a final score of 59-55.

Lees-McRae held a slim 29-27 edge at intermission, but the Lady Bobcats could not overcome 20 points from Heather Mandela. Lees-McRae was more accurate shooting the ball in the loss, hitting 38.5 percent of its shots compared to just 35.1 percent for the Lady Buffs.

Lady Bobcats guard Lauren Casey led the way with 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting to go with six rebounds. Icey Patterson chipped in 11 points off the bench for the only Lees-McRae players in double-figures scoring. Collette Montgomery added a team-high nine rebounds for the contest.

The team will host North Greenville on Thursday evening at 5 p.m. and travel to take on St. Andrews on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

For more on Lees-McRae athletics, visit the school’s site at www.lmcbobcats.com or visit www.ajtsports.blogspot.com, the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog.
Information from LMC and Milligan College Sports Information was used in compiling this report.

Avery Wrestling Opens Season with Home Match, Indian Duals Tourney

The Avery wrestling team got down to business last week by opening its regular season with lots of mat action.

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving the Vikings welcomed a strong Freedom High School wrestling team to Viking Gym. The Big Red ended the evening on the short end of a 67-6 loss.

Avery had to forfeit a total of six weight classes during the match as it was unable to field competitors for the respective bouts. A pair of Avery grapplers, CJ Vance at 189 pounds and Devin Buchanan at 125 pounds, was defeated by technical fall but were not pinned. The lone victor for the Vikings was returning state qualifier Brock Yackey, who pinned Freedom’s Austin Pearson with just four seconds left in the opening period.

“Not having a full lineup hurt us pretty badly,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said after the match. “Freedom has a good team. They had a level somewhat comparable to teams that we see at the Indian Duals.”

The next morning, the Vikings bussed to Hickory to compete in the annual Saint Stephen’s Indian Duals Tournament, an event featuring some of the best teams regardless of classification in the western portion of the state.

In its first match of the day, the Vikings took on East Mecklenburg High School. The day began on a good note as Avery came away with a 36-24 dual victory. However, as the day wore on, competition stiffened for the Vikings. Avery fell in the remainder of its dual meets against South Caldwell (27-54), Saint Stephens (9-68), Davie County (6-77), and Kernersville Glenn (18-60).

“We started off well and matched up well weight-wise with East Meck. After that, we didn’t match up well with many of the teams we faced,” Coach Clark explained. “Not having a full lineup hurt us pretty badly, as did the lack of experience.”

Despite the limited team success, a number of individual Viking wrestlers tasted success with victories on the mat. Buchanan picked up a win by pinfall over South Caldwell’s Nathan Potter. Jacob McKinney picked up back-to-back victories at the 119 lb. class by pinfall over opponents from East Mecklenburg and South Caldwell, respectively. At 130 pounds, Nick Malgadey earned a forfeit victory and won an 11-6 decision over South Caldwell’s Priceton Braswell, as well as a first period pinfall win over Glenn’s Aaron Hendricks.

Avery’s Brock Yackey won his first three matches of the day at 135 pounds, the first by forfeit and the next two via pinfall. At 160 pounds Cody Price earned a forfeit win as well as a pinfall over Davie County’s Jordan Hedricks. CJ Vance earned a forfeit victory at 171 pounds and also won a tight match by a 3-2 decision over Cory Seabock from Saint Stephen’s. Lucas Lecka competed at 215 pounds and earned a forfeit win as well as a pair of first-period pinfall victories over opponents from South Caldwell and Saint Stephen’s.

“When we had an opportunity to match up with opponents of like skill level and experience, I thought we wrestled well. Our guys wrestled to what they knew,” Coach Clark said. “We as coaches have a lot to do this upcoming week in getting ready for Ashe County this weekend. We’ll go over some things we’ve already covered. But for the first week and first event we had enough success to keep the kids interested and gave us as coaches a good look at what we need to work on.”

Avery will travel to Jefferson for a dual meet with Ashe County on Friday, and will compete in a tournament the following day at the same venue.

JV Basketball Opens 2009 Campaign with Defeats to ‘Landers

The 2009-10 edition of the Avery Vikings junior varsity basketball teams hit the hardwood on Tuesday, November 24^th with a matchup in Roan Mountain, TN against the Cloudland Highlanders.

Avery played hard and looked sharp at times, but the ‘Landers proved too much to handle in both junior varsity games, winning the girls game by the final score of 44-42 and the boys game by a final score of 67-38.

The Lady Vikings got off to a slow start with only four points in the first quarter while the Lady ‘Landers took an 11-4 advantage through one quarter. Avery rallied to cut the margin in the second quarter behind a pair of baskets from Monica Estep and three points from teammate Kelsie Clark. By half’s end the Lady Vikings found themselves down a single point at 17-16.

As the second half began Estep heated up offensively for the Big Red. She tallied six points in the quarter as part of a game-high 15-point output. Unfortunately for Avery, Sydney Miller also found the shooting touch for Cloudland, as she scored eight of her team-high 14 points in the third quarter to extend the ‘Landers advantage to 36-29 after three periods.

Cloudland extended its edge to 40-30 with just over five minutes to play, but Avery rallied behind the tandem of Clarke and Estep, who scored 12 of the team’s final 13 points, as well as by using its press defense. A pair of Bethany Chambers free throws put the Lady ‘Landers up by five points in the final 20 seconds of play, but a Clarke three-pointer for Avery narrowed the lead to two. Cloudland then ran out the remaining time to provide for the final margin. .

Summer Hughes was the only other Cloudland player in double figures with ten points, while Estep’s 15 was complimented by nine points from Clarke and four assists from Shayna Vance.

“This was our first game where we were able to let our starters play extended time. We started slowly but we made a comeback to cut the lead to two in the final quarter,” junior varsity girls head coach Pat Daniels said following the game. “I feel good about our girls and I think we will do well again this year. Monica really stepped up and all our sophomores are pretty solid for us. We were disappointed in the loss, but we’re pumped up to be able to play Cloudland at home this week.”

The junior varsity boys team followed up the girls contest and was unable to tame a tough Cloudland squad. Cloudland used a balanced scoring effort to take a 16-5 advantage after one period and led 35-19 at intermission.

Avery looked to get back into the contest behind the play of Dustin Clark, who scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half en route to a double-double for the game. Cloudland answered with the play of Taylor Whitehead, who tallied 13 of his game-high 17 points in the second half to keep Avery at bay. A 26-point third period by the ‘Landers dashed any hope for a Viking victory.

“You could tell we were young and still trying to work out some things defensively and offensively. I thought Cloudland’s pressure gave us some trouble early on and we didn’t respond well at first. Later on we seemed to play better,” JV boys head coach Reggie Oakes said after the game. “We worked to get to the line and shoot more free throws than our opponent, and I was pleased that we made it to the line as much as we did. We just have to do a better job of keeping the opponent off the line. Cloudland was very quick to the basketball and that gave us trouble, but it was a good early test that will help us when we play our conference opponents down the road.”

In addition to Clark’s scoring effort, Bryce Pittman scored seven points, with four points apiece from Austin Lyons and Brandon Huff.

The junior varsity squads returned to action Tuesday night with the rematch at Viking Gym against Cloudland, then will host Watauga this Friday night.

Vikings Basketball Competes at Harvest Hoops Invitational

This past Friday and Saturday the Avery Vikings men’s and women’s varsity basketball teams took part in the fourth annual Unimin Harvest Hoops Tournament held at neighboring Mitchell High School. Both teams played identical opponents over the two-day event, taking on R-S Central High School on Friday evening and Sullivan North (TN) High School on Saturday afternoon.

In the opening game of the tournament, the Avery Lady Vikings took on a tough opponent in the R-S Central Lady Hilltoppers. Despite the absence of starting guard Hayley Pyatte, the Big Red grabbed the early 12-8 lead after the first eight minutes of action paced by four points apiece from senior guard Lauren Avery and sophomore forward Megan Tennant.

Avery extended its advantage to five at 29-24 by halftime behind production from the Lady Viking bench. Junior forward Katelynn Eudy tallied five points in the frame, with four from junior guard Mercedes Bentley.

Early in the third period the Lady Hilltoppers rallied to take a 34-31 lead before an Avery timeout. After a conversation with head coach Missy Lyons, the Lady Vikings clicked on all cylinders. The Lady Vikings took advantage of nine points from Sara Wiseman to race out on an 18-6 scoring run over the next seven minutes to lead 49-40 with 5:19 left in the contest.

R-S Central showed its fighting spirit in refusing to fold. Shannon Hines scored nine points in the final stanza to help bring the Lady Hilltoppers with its own 12-5 scoring spurt to tie the game at 54 with only 30 seconds remaining.

On its final possession Avery found inspiration from one of its seniors, as Elyse Perry hit a short jump shot to break the tie and put the Lady Vikings ahead by a pair. Central had a chance to tie with two free throws, but could only hit one of two shots as the Lady Vikings held on to the narrow 56-55 win.

“We got off to a good start, but R-S Central was a decent and a fast team. We missed a ton of shots which was frustrating to the girls, but to hold on to win that close game after having lost the close game at Cloudland gave us confidence going into Saturday,” Avery head girls varsity coach Missy Lyons said following the win. “We played with much more confidence on Saturday, and I felt like we got over a hurdle in that game to finish strong. Sara played really tough in the post like I want her to do and she made her presence known inside. We didn’t hit our free throws as a team down the stretch, but we did some good things and were able to get the win.”

Wiseman led the Big Red with 19 points to go with nine rebounds and four blocks. Lauren Avery was the only other Lady Viking in double figures as she scored 12 points and hauled down ten rebounds. Perry added eight points and seven assists in the win.

The following day Avery had a quick turnaround with a rare noon start time against the Sullivan North Lady Raiders. Despite the early tip time, the Lady Vikings appeared fit and fresh in building a 19-9 advantage through one quarter and a commanding 35-19 lead at intermission.

Wiseman picked up where she left off from Friday, as she tallied ten of her 12 points for the game in the first half. Avery and Perry each scored seven through the first two periods to pace the Lady Vikings.

Avery put the contest away in the third quarter. The Lady Vikings blitzed the helpless Lady Raiders to the tune of a 24-6 scoring margin in the stanza. Eight different players scored baskets for Avery in the quarter en route to a 59-25 lead after three stanzas and an eventual 71-41 lopsided victory.

The Lady Vikings shot 43 percent from the field and their pressure defense forced numerous turnovers in the win.

Wiseman scored 12 points with eight rebounds as part of an All-Tournament weekend performance, while Elyse Perry’s seven points and ten assists earned her All-Tournament team member status as well. Hayley Pyatte scored 12 points with five rebounds and four steals, while Megan Tennant scored 11 points with eight rebounds.

“The girls wanted to play a good game, and we had everybody back together. Elyse was awesome with assists and we set the tone with our defense which created our offense,” Coach Lyons said. “Our press worked a lot better than in our other games and we came together on several things. All our players contributed in the game which boosts the overall spirit of the team. Sullivan North had played Cloudland tough the previous week, so I hope the tournament gives us some confidence going into this week’s games and going forward.”

The Avery varsity boys team contended with the same pair of opponents over the weekend in the Unimin Harvest Hoops Tournament. On Friday evening the Big Red took on an athletic R-S Central Hilltoppers squad.

Avery got off to a slow start against Central, falling behind 21-9 after one quarter of action. The Vikings picked themselves up offensively, however, as junior Dustin Clarke scored ten of his 14 points for the half in the second stanza. R-S Central picked up 16 combined points in the stanza from teammates Darrien Watkins and Kyle Holmstrom, many off offensive rebounds through their height advantage, to maintain a double-digit lead at 41-27 at halftime.

Central used an 18-point third quarter to boost the lead to 20 points at 58-38 with eight minutes to play.

In the final stanza the Vikings made a scoring run to get back to within as few as nine points. Kody Hughes scored five of his ten points in the game in the closing quarter and Clarke added six for a game-high 26 points, to go with a team-high in rebounding and steals for the contest. R-S Central withstood the late Viking rally, however, to take a 72-61 win.

“We gave up at least one quarter where we’re not scoring well and allowing our opponent to score. We’re still working on putting together a complete game. I thought we started out a little flat on Friday. We weren’t as sharp early as we were against Cloudland,” Avery varsity boys head basketball coach Bo Manis said following the tournament. “They were an athletic and good shooting team, but we learned as the game went on that we could play with them. Our effort was good at times, but can still be inconsistent. We want to work on consistent effort on both ends of the floor.”

The following afternoon Avery tangled with the Raiders of Sullivan North High. Dustin Clarke led five Viking players in double-figures scoring, but it was not enough as North took a 78-70 win.

Unlike its prior tournament game, Avery generated offense from the opening tip, putting up 20 points in taking a 20-12 lead after eight minutes. North answered the Viking flurry by finding its own scoring touch and using its size to generate second-chance baskets. The Raiders outscored Avery 22-9 in the second stanza, led by 14 points in the quarter from Mark Solyers to take 34-29 halftime lead.

As the third quarter began, the Vikings looked to spark a comeback. Junior Mark Polsgrove drained a pair of three-point baskets in the quarter, but North’s William White responded by accumulating 12 of his 25 total points in the stanza to push the Raider lead to eight points at 56-48.

Clarke’s jump shot heated up in the final eight minutes of play with nine of his team-high 17 points in the quarter, but foul trouble plagued him and his teammates. Clarke, as well as teammates Kody Hughes and Timmy Stewart ended up fouling out late in the contest. North took advantage of its opportunities from the free throw line with a 30 of 39 effort from the charity stripe to help seal the Avery fate.

In addition to Clarke’s 17, teammates Hughes, Stewart, and Spencer Blackburn each tallied 11 points, with ten points and six rebounds from Polsgrove. Luke Pittman added six points and six rebounds as he and Clarke were named to the All-Tournament Team.

“We played well offensively through the first three quarters, but we weren’t able to keep the pace in the fourth quarter which ended up being a big factor,” Coach Manis said. “I was not pleased with the effort on Saturday. I thought we could have given more. We also missed some shots inside that we have to make. We really needed to execute better, and as time goes on our execution has to improve.”

Avery returned to action Tuesday night with a rematch at Viking Gym against the Cloudland, with the varsity girls picking up a 60-36 victory, while the Cloudland boys got revenge for last week's loss with a 71-45 win. Avery hosts rival Watauga this Friday night. A full recap of both nights of varsity action can be found in next week’s edition, as well as here on the Blog!

Middle School Hoops Roundup

Both local middle schools were in action on the hardwood early last week, as well as immediately following the holiday weekend.

The Avery Middle School Lady Panthers traveled to Harris Middle School Monday, November 23^rd for a Toe River Conference game. Undefeated, Avery came in at 7-0 and held a two-game lead over Harris and East Yancey atop the Conference standings with three games remaining. A win over the Lady Blue Devils would clinch at least a tie for the regular season championship.

Harris relished in the role of spoiler as it held serve against the Lady Panthers through the first half of play, leading Avery 24-17 at the half. The Lady Devils enjoyed a height advantage inside which contributed to the halftime lead.

In the second half the Avery defense began to dominate as they have for much of the season, limiting Harris to only seven points for the quarter and a half following intermission while pulling to within two points.

Harris stretched the lead back to nine points with only two minutes left to play. The Lady Panthers put together a late charge to close to within three points with 38 seconds left. In need of a shot from behind the arc to tie the contest, Avery was unable to find the equalizer as three starters fouled out in the game’s final minute. Harris hit its free throws to clinch the win by the final score of 43-38.

Lauren Burleson led Avery with 17 points and Breanna Heaton added 14 points. The loss snapped a 16-game regular season win streak in conference play as Avery dropped to 7-1 on the season and saw its conference lead shrink to a single game.

“Our shooting was just a little off in the game, but Harris played really well. Had they played anyone in the conference that night, they would have beaten them,” Lady Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said after the loss. “We trailed as many as nine and closed it to three before we had the foul outs. They capitalized on that, but overall I credit Harris more than anything for playing well.”

The Avery Middle School boys entered their game against Harris last week in first place, a game ahead of Cane River in the standings. The Panthers battled hard throughout the contest with the home-standing Devils in a very tight see-saw battle.

Chance Watson led Avery with 11 points but it was not enough as Harris held on to upend Avery with a shot at the buzzer to win by a final score of 36-34. With the loss, the Panthers dropped back into a tie for first place with Cane River.

This past Monday evening the Panthers looked to bounce back with a game against a strong East Yancey Panthers team. Both Avery clubs came away victorious on the evening, as the girls won by a 30-25 final score and the boys won 36-23.

In the girls contest Avery was forced to play a slowed down tempo that was dictated by East Yancey. Behind five points from Jodi Poore AMS took an 8-3 lead after one period.

The two teams continued to seek its offensive rhythm, but defense remained tough as Avery could only manage a 12-7 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter play remained physical, and the AMS Lady Panthers began to take control. Baskets from Lauren Burleson, Breanna Heaton, Jessie Ramsey, and helped build double the Avery lead to ten points at 21-11 to begin the fourth and final stanza.

Late in the final period the East Yancey girls made a game of it, cutting the lead to as little as two points at 27-25. Avery used a breakaway layup by Haley Woody to pad the Avery lead to two possessions and sank a final free throw to provide for the final margin.

The win by Avery clinched a third consecutive Toe River Conference regular season championship and the top seed in next week’s conference tournament.

“We struggle with wanting to settle down because we’re faster than most teams, and it can be hard for our girls to switch styles and get into the offense,” Avery coach Donnie Johnson remarked after the win. “All our girls do a great job defensively. I feel like we’re pretty deep and I’m happy with how we play as a team. It might have been a little sloppy at times, but it was a W and that’s all that matters.”

In boys action Avery took a 5-2 edge over East after one quarter and stretched its lead to 21-11 at the half. The Avery defense held East to only two points in the third quarter while stretching its lead to 30-13 after three periods and cruised to the 36-23 conference victory.Dalton Tennant and Chance Watson led the scoring charge for Avery with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Cranberry Middle School basketball squads were in action with a trio of contests in the past week. On Monday, November 23^rd the Wildcats welcomed the Cane River Rebels to town.

In ladies action, the squads battled in a nip-and-tuck affair. Cranberry led 8-6 after one quarter behind a pair of baskets from leading scorer Katie Rigdon and maintained the slim edge at 21-19 at intermission.

The two teams continued to play to a virtual standstill in the final two quarters. Both teams shot well from the field, but Cranberry refused to give up its lead, holding a 30-28 lead after three periods.

Cranberry scored the first two baskets in the opening two minutes of the final stanza to extend its lead to 34-28. The Lady Rebels scratched back, however, scoring on a layup in the final 15 seconds to cut the Lady Wildcat lead to 35-33. Cane River’s desperation shot from half-court fell short as the buzzer sounded, giving Cranberry the narrow two-point victory.

Katie Rigdon led the Lady Wildcats with 15 points, while teammate Bethany Burleson added nine in the win.

Cranberry’s boys then took the floor for a matchup with the visiting Rebels. The Wildcats played the contest without the services of head coach Jeremiah Norman, who was unable to attend due to illness. Assistant coach Kenny Gouge took the reins for the conference showdown.

Cane River opened the contest on a 16-2 run to take early control of the contest and lead 16-5 after one period. Tyler Pittman was able to tally seven points through the first half, but overall Cranberry continued to struggle from the field in the second stanza. The Wildcats scored only eight points combined in the second and third quarters against a tight Rebels defense as Cane River extended its edge to 24-9 at halftime and 33-13 after three periods. Cranberry outscored the Rebels 10-8 in the final six minutes of play, but Cane River won going away by a 41-23 final score.

Tyler Pittman led all Cranberry scorers with 13 points in the contest.

The next evening Cranberry traveled for a doubleheader with the West McDowell Titans in a non-conference tilt. In ladies action, the Lady Titans raced out to an early lead and did not look back, holding the Lady Wildcats offense in check in a 54-13 Cranberry defeat.

Rigdon again led Cranberry scorers with seven points, with four points from Sierra Jones. In the nightcap, the Wildcats boys squad played a tough Titans team. Chandler Austin was effective on offense for Cranberry to start the game as he scored all eight Wildcat points in the opening stanza. However, it was West that took an 11-8 lead after one quarter.

It was in the second quarter when the contest got away from Cranberry. An 18-4 West McDowell scoring margin in the frame extended the Titan lead to 29-12 at halftime.

Cranberry regained its offensive stroke coming out of the locker room for the third quarter, putting 17 points on the scoreboard in the six-minute period, but the Wildcats could not effectively shut down the Titan attack, as West led 44-29 after three periods and pulled away for a 54-31 triumph.

Austin led the Wildcats with 12 points in the contest, with eight points from Tyler Pittman.

Following the holiday weekend, the Lady Wildcats made its final road trip of the regular season, venturing back into conference play this past Monday to take on the Harris Blue Devils.

In the girls matchup, the Lady Devils and Lady Wildcats played a nip-and-tuck first half, as the squads went into the locker room tied at 17-17. In the second half of play, however, the home team Harris club improved its shooting, forced a number of turnovers, and asserted control, as Cranberry was unable to answer in a 38-24 loss.

Bethany Burleson led the way for the Lady Wildcats with ten points in the contest.

The second half of the twin bill saw the Cranberry and Harris boys square off. The Wildcats hung within striking distance of the Blue Devils, trailing by only ten at 24-14 at intermission.

In the second half Harris found its touch on the offensive end of the floor en route to defeating the Wildcats by a final score of 54-23. Tyler Pittman was the only Cranberry player in double-figures with ten points in the contest.

Avery and Cranberry renew their intracounty rivalry on Thursday night.