Basketball and Benevolence Come Together at Avery This Evening

The Avery Vikings will play host to the Polk Wolverines in a key night of Western Highlands Conference basketball this evening in Viking Gym.

A variety of activities will take place during the night. Avery High School's United in Christ (UIC) group is partnering alongside Young Adults Helping Haiti (YAHH) to raise awareness and funds to help victims of the recent earthquake in the island nation.

The UIC, along with Avery's Student Government Association will have a table set up at the front entrance where fans pay to enter the game. They will be accepting donations and raffling off tickets for prizes. All money raised will go to rebuilding schools in Haiti.

Come out and support your Avery High School basketball teams and players and help our local students help Haiti!

Vikings Tangle with Bearcats in Conference Prep Action

On Tuesday night the Avery Vikings basketball teams ventured to Hendersonville for a matchup with the Bearcats in Western Highlands Conference action.

In the varsity girls contest, Avery had early difficulties getting its offense untracked, but found its shot late in the opening half and pulled away over the final two periods to rout the Lady Bearcats by a 72-47 final score.

Sara Wiseman led Avery scorers with 13 points, Lauren Avery scored 12 points and Katelynn Eudy added 11 points and 15 rebounds in the triumph. Hendersonville’s Brooks Walz was one of only five Lady Bearcats to score in the game, but led all scorers with a game-high 22 points.

The win improves the record of the #10 ranked Lady Vikings to 15-2 for the season, with a

The Avery varsity boys put together one of its strongest performances of the season against Hendersonville. The Bearcats (13-3, 5-2 in the Western Highlands Conference) trailed by as many as 12 points after Dustin Clarke's 3-pointer at the buzzer at the end of the first half put the Vikings (7-8, 5-3) up 50-38.

Clarke netted 17 points in the first half alone and teammate Dylan Eppley scored ten points as the Avery club looked well on its way to an upset of the Bearcats, ranked #6 in the latest state 1A basketball poll.

Hendersonville rallied with a strong second half. In just three minutes, the deficit was cut to four with a quick 8-0 run by the Bearcats that included a 3 by Sam Wilkins, a breakaway layup by Keyvon Young and a dish from Whiteside to Paul Posthumus to make the score 50-46.

With 4:14 left in the third quarter, Clarke had a breakaway dunk to put the Vikings up by seven at 55-48, but HHS methodically narrowed the gap. Posthumus shook off a defender and nailed a 3-pointer, and Whiteside drove the length of the court minutes later to make the score 57-55. At the 1:04 mark, Young scored layup after a steal by Whiteside to tie things up at 59.

Avery scored the last bucket of the period to hold a narrow 61-59 lead with eight minutes to play. The Vikings had a tough shooting quarter, making just 5 of 12 shots from the field to open the door for the Bearcats comeback.

The Bearcats took the lead for good when Young had an offensive board and putback to make it 69-67 and built as large as a seven-point advantage at 76-69 with around three minutes left in the game.

Avery rallied with free throws by Clarke and a clutch three-pointer from guard Mark Polsgrove. The Vikings cut it to three with a 3-pointer by Mark Polsgrove with 11.7 seconds left, but Whiteside sank one of his two free throws to put the game out of reach in the closing seconds to hold off the Avery rally by an 82-78 final score.

Clarke led all scorers with 29 points with 19 from Eppley.

Five Bearcats hit double digits as Desmond Whiteside netted 21 points. Teammates Keyvon Young had 15, Paul Posthumus and Sam Wilkins had 14, and Marquis Johnson had 10 points.

In junior varsity action, Lady Vikings JV fifth-year head coach Pat Daniels earned his 100th victory as the Lady Vikings earned a 65-22 win over the Lady Bearcats. The Avery JV boys team fell 55-44 in a tight and very physical contest against the Bearcats.

Wrestling Upends Bearcats
Avery’s wrestling team earned a second consecutive triumph on the mat with a 35-16 match victory over Hendersonville. It was Senior Night at Viking Gym, and Avery honored its lone senior, Nick Malgadey.

The evening got underway at 112 pounds with a double forfeit. Viking junior Brock Yackey quickly dispatched his opponent in the 119 pound class with a 15-0 technical decision. Nick Malgadey picked up a forfeit win 125 pounds to put Avery ahead 11-0. Both clubs forfeited at the 130-pound weight class, and Avery surrendered a forfeit at 135 pounds to make the score 11-6 in favor of the Vikings.

At 140 pounds Avery’s Taylor Potter was defeated by pinfall to give the Bearcats its first lead at 12-11. Bryan Moody wrestled hard and prevented extra team points by pinfall at the 145 pound class, falling in a 12-1 decision to give the Bearcats a 16-11 advantage.

A double forfeit occurred at the 152 pound weight class, and CJ Vance put Avery back on the winning track at 160 pounds with a first period pin to help the Vikings regain a 17-16 lead.

Following a double forfeit at 171 pounds, Kyle Greene stepped up in a huge way as he earned a pinfall victory at the 1:55 mark in the first period to boost the Avery edge to 23-16. Lucas Lecka earned a forfeit win at 215 pounds and Colton Blackburn won by forfeit at the heavyweight class to provide for the final margin.

Avery basketball and wrestling will be back in action on Thursday night, a change from the original scheduled Friday date. Avery basketball will host Polk County, with Student Government sponsoring a benefit in conjunction with the night's events to assist the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti.

The Avery wrestling team will travel to Columbus to take on Polk County the same evening.

Avery Junior Varsity Basketball Roundup

The Avery boys and girls varsity teams played last Tuesday, January 19^th at home against Owen, sweeping the Warhorses and Warlassies for victories. The Lady Viking JVs also traveled to Morganton for a non-conference contest at Freedom, falling by a 44-34 final score.

The junior varsity boys played its only contest at home against the Warhorses and put together a strong second-half effort to pull away for a 37-19 victory.

Both offenses started slowly as Avery held a thin 6-5 lead. The Big Red doubled its lead just before intermission to 17-11 as Dylan Greene drained a three-pointer at the buzzer ending the first half.

Avery held the Warhorses to only four points in the third quarter while the Vikings padded its advantage to 23-15 after three stanzas. The final seven minutes of action belonged to the Vikings, using a 14-4 scoring differential to pick up another conference victory.

Dustin Clark led Avery with 10 points and eight rebounds. Greene finished with eight points and four rebounds.

“Especially midway through the third quarter we started picking the intensity defensively. We just didn’t show much intensity early in the game and I was doing everything I could think of to motivate them,” Avery JV boys head coach Reggie Oakes said after the win. “The shot at the end of the half was huge and we executed well to get the shot away. That gave us a lift coming into the second half. The defensive intensity and our press bothered Owen in the third quarter and gave us a lot of confidence offensively.”

Earlier in the evening the Lady Viking junior varsity girls dismantled the JV Warlassies by a 43-18 final score.

The Lady Vikings began the contest with an 11-0 run and never looked back, leading 14-2 after one quarter and wreaking havoc on the Warlassies with its defense. A 13-4 margin in the second period put the game away early as the Lady Vikings led 27-6 at intermission.

During the second half, a number of reserves saw playing action and contributed to the Avery attack. Avery outscored Owen 8-6 in the third quarter to lead 35-12 en route to its 25-point triumph.

Kelsie Clarke was the only Lady Viking in double figures with 15 points, to go with six steals, four assists, and two rebounds. Danielle Byrd scored five points with five rebounds and three blocks, with four points apiece from Brooke Buchanan, Monica Estep, Sela Pittman, and Johanna Pittman.

“I told the girls we needed to go out and have fun. Kelsie had a good game on the offensive end,” Avery JV girls head coach Pat Daniels said following the win. “Our bench filled in and did a really good job for us. We switched to a zone defense which really seemed to shut them down.”

Avery ventured out of conference the following evening, taking on the Lady Patriots of Freedom High School in a stern test. With leading scorer Kelsie Clarke battling shin splints, the two teams played a close contest early on with Freedom maintaining a small two-to-three point working margin through the first three periods.

A total of 23 turnovers hurt the Lady Vikings and prevented the team from its usual taking over of the game. Freedom built as large as a 13-point lead with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter when head coach Pat Daniels replaced all five players to give reserves time and experience against a tough 4A foe.

Avery received instant contributions from the bench as Kristen Burleson, Taylor Hobbs, and MacKenzie Thomas each hit three-point shots within 30 seconds of checking into the game to cut into Freedom’s lead. The Lady Patriots proved too difficult in the end as they garnered the 10-point win.

“We seemed a little tired going into the fourth quarter and weren’t concentrating very well. The inability to get into a normal practice schedule lately and having few games may have bothered us,” Coach Daniels remarked. “Some of our leading offensive players did not have a strong game and we just seemed more tired than usual.”

Brooke Buchanan had a strong out on the frontline for the Lady Vikings, tallying four blocks in the game, while teammate Danielle Byrd scored five points.

“Our frontcourt really picked us up. Brooke had one of her best games and Danielle had a number of rebounds to help us,” Coach Daniels said. “The energy from our reserves was really a bright spot and it gave them confidence.”

Avery’s junior varsity squads traveled to Hendersonville on Tuesday, with the ladies winning 63-22 and the boys falling 55-44. The Vikings will host the Polk Wolverines this Thursday afternoon starting at 4 p.m. with varsity girls action.

Clarke Reaches 1,000 Point Milestone as Vikings Take Three Straight in Conference

Avery varsity men’s basketball continued its best season under head coach Bo Manis by picking three wins in Western Highlands Conference play last week, while Avery junior guard Dustin Clarke accomplished a milestone by scoring his thousandth point in the dismantling of Thomas Jefferson Academy Monday night.

Last Tuesday, January 17th, Avery came from behind to defeat Owen in Viking Gym by a 58-54 final score. The Vikings then won both games in a home-and-home series with Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy last Friday and this past Monday evening.

In the matchup with the Warhorses, Owen took advantage of its height advantage early and often. Owen’s 6’5” center Tony Halvorson netted four baskets in the first quarter, while 6’7” junior Ben Marett scored 13 points in the first half.

Avery offset the Owen height by running the basketball and scoring in transition. Junior Joey Potter scored eight points in the opening period to help lead the Vikings to a 15-12 lead. Dustin Clarke chipped in with ten first-half points and the Vikings as a team shot over 57 percent from the field. Avery and Owen went to halftime tied at 25-25.

Throughout a majority of the second half, the Vikings utilized a 2-1-2 zone defense to force Owen to hit perimeter shots. The plan worked to perfection as the Warhorses made only 2 of 17 shots from beyond the three-point arc for the game. The zone also made scoring inside more difficult for the Owen frontcourt. Owen held a lead after three periods, but only by a single point at 40-39.

The Warhorses threatened to clinch the win early in the final stanza as a 7-2 run over the first three minutes of the quarter gave Owen a 47-41 lead. Avery failed to panic and chipped away at the lead. Dustin Clarke scored seven points, while teammates Kody Hughes and Dylan Eppley each scored baskets to bring Avery back to within a point at 54-53.

In the final minute Avery looked to take the lead, but Owen made a defensive stop. Looking to seal the game in style, Owen guard Bruce Wallace attempted a behind-the-back pass in transition. Eppley stepped in front of the pass to steal the ball and looped a pass ahead as Joey Potter converted a layup to give Avery the lead at 55-54 with 44 seconds left.

Trailing by three, Owen had one final shot with four seconds left, but JD Chaplain’s three-point shot was off target. An Avery rebound and subsequent Timmy Stewart free throw sealed the 58-54 home victory.

Dustin Clarke finished the game with a team-high 24 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Potter scored 14 points and three rebounds, with eight points and three rebounds by Dylan Eppley.

“We told the players that they had to play a disciplined game and they did a great job. With their size we had to play the zone,” Avery varsity boys head coach Bo Manis said after the win.

On Friday evening the Vikings hit the road to take on Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy. Avery raced to the early lead and cruised to an easy 79-38 win.

The Vikings started the game on an 11-1 run and led 24-9 after one quarter. The lead stretched to 42-15 by halftime as Avery shot 53 percent from the field in the first half while the defense held the Gryphons to just 6 of 22 shooting for the half.

Dustin Clarke and Joey Potter each netted 12 points in the half, with six points from Kody Hughes.

Avery’s defense flew around the floor, committing a season-high 27 steals as a team and causing a large number of TJCA turnovers throughout the game. The Vikings led 59-26 after three quarters as 11 of the 12 players on the roster scored during the game.

During the final period Coach Bo Manis inserted three players called up for the evening off the junior varsity roster into the contest. The players, freshman Shea Buchanan, sophomore Austin Lyons, and sophomore Dustin Clark, provided instant contributions with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists as a unit in the final four minutes of the game.

Dustin Clarke paced the Vikings with 16 points, eight steals, four rebounds, and four assists in the win while playing only three quarters. Joey Potter had 14 points, with six rebounds. Dylan Eppley was the third and final Viking scoring double-figures with 13 points, in addition to six rebounds and three assists. Kody Hughes scored seven points with eight rebounds and four steals. Hayden Blice led TJCA with 17 points and nine rebounds.

On Monday night Avery evened its mark at 7-7 for the season and moved to 5-2 in conference play by repeating its impressive victory over Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, this time by a 90-31 final score inside the friendly confines of Viking Gym.

Avery leapt out to a 10-0 run in the first four minutes of the game and led 23-7 after one quarter. In its best performance of the season, the Avery defense proved unstoppable as it forced 16 turnovers from the Gryphons in the first two quarters, which were converted into several easy run-outs and layups. The Vikings then used a 20-3 point differential in the second quarter to take a commanding 43-10 lead at halftime and a 20-4 spurt in the first four minutes of the second half to dash to victory.

As the second half unfolded, the only remaining drama left in the evening was whether Avery junior guard Dustin Clarke would reach the remarkable feat of 1,000 points in his prep career. On a signature slash to the basket in the third quarter, Clarke, unaware of his proximity to the mark, scored his 21st and final point of the night to reach the magical mark.

Every player, including a total of five junior varsity players who were added to the roster prior to the game, saw multiple minutes of playing time and contributed to the Avery cause as the Vikings utterly dominated the overmatched Gryphons.

Clarke’s 21 points was grouped with seven steals and three assists. Joey Potter matched Clarke’s point total, adding in six rebounds and four assists. Kody Hughes scored 11 points, with eight points from Dylan Eppley, seven points from sophomore Austin Lyons and seven points with seven rebounds from sophomore Dustin Clark. Daniel Moss led Thomas Jefferson Academy with ten points.

“Games like this you’ve got to stay patient and work on weaknesses and limit turnovers. I felt like we worked on getting more steals and taking better care of the basketball,” head coach Bo Manis said after the win. “I thought we played well defensively, even in our zone, and made it hard for them to get shots. We made a few mistakes here and there, but overall we did the little things well, like getting higher percentage shots and making them in this game that we missed in our last game.”

Avery has won four straight games (all in conference) and five of its last six games to sit at 7-7 overall and 5-2 in Western Highlands Conference contests.

“A lot of our success has been due to the time that our players and this team has put into the game. When we played our last game last season, I told the team this isn’t an ending but only the beginning. I challenged them to work hard in order to change the team’s fortunes,” Coach Manis explained. “Starting in March, the players came in with open gym and worked through June. They had camp in June and were helped by having to teach fundamentals to younger players and played through the summer. The players then stayed active and in shape with a sport in the fall leading into this season. I think the guys finally understand that improving isn’t easy and that it might take a while, but in the end it is worth the effort.”

Clarke’s milestone night is a credit to his work ethic and, according to his coaches, could not happen to a better individual.

“I don’t want to speak for Dustin, but I guarantee he’s the first to credit his teammates, because he’s the type of kid he is. He works hard at his game. When he finishes sprints, he’ll run them with teammates. He’s a hard worker with a great work ethic, and on top of that, he’s a super kid and a good person,” Coach Manis said of Clarke. “He is a special talent that doesn’t come around very often, but he does anything asked of him. To me it doesn’t matter as much to me how great a player he is as how good a kid he is. He has manners and does anything you ask of him with a “yes sir, no sir” attitude.”

Avery played at Hendersonville this past Tuesday, and will host Polk County on Thursday night, a change from the previously scheduled date of Friday.

Lady Vikings Back on Track with Three Straight Wins

Following a tough loss at Mitchell, the Avery Lady Vikings faced a busy week with three conference games. Avery struggled against a game group from Owen, but squeaked by with a narrow 54-52 win, then dismantled Thomas Jefferson not once but twice in games this past Friday and Monday evenings.

Avery forced Owen into several poor shots in the opening stanza, but had its own share of difficulties in scoring around the basket. Avery did manage to sink seven shots, including six points from senior guard Lauren Avery, to take a 16-13 advantage after one quarter.

Try as they may, the Lady Vikings were unable to pull away on the scoreboard. Avery shot just 5 of 20 from the field in the second quarter, mainly unable to cash in on scoring points in the paint. Owen’s Alyssa Hensley drained a pair of three-pointers in the first half to keep the Warlassies close as Avery led 27-21 at intermission.

Avery’s normal offensive rhythm was disrupted by the Warlassies defense as the two teams played to a standstill in the third quarter and the Big Red maintained its six-point margin at 39-33 after three periods.

In the final eight minutes Avery regained its ability to score inside. Lauren Avery scored nine of her game-high 21 points in the fourth period, while senior teammate Sara Wiseman scored five points in the frame. Owen gained the lead early in the fourth quarter by scoring the first seven points in the stanza to lead 40-39 and tied the game an another juncture at 41-41.

Avery could build no greater than a four-point edge over the final four minutes of play. In the waning seconds the Warlassies tried to tie the game on a Shae Frizzell three-point shot, but Lady Viking senior Hayley Pyatte blocked the attempt to preserve the Avery lead and victory.

Lauren Avery tallied nine rebounds and a pair of steals and assists in the win, with nine points and 14 rebounds from Wiseman, along with nine points along with ten rebounds from Katelynn Eudy. Elyse Perry also added seven points in the victory.

After weather postponed Thursday’s game at West Wilkes, the Lady Vikings traveled to Mooresboro last Friday to face the Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy Gryphons. TJCA put up a good fight through the first half with the Big Red, even getting an early 5-2 advantage before Avery came back to lead by five points after one quarter and by only ten points at halftime. A strong third quarter blew the game open, however, as Avery routed the Gryphons 71-40.

Avery had more than its share of scoring opportunities inside in the first half and made the most of them. Avery relied heavily on its size advantage inside to score from under the basket. Lady Viking starters Elyse Perry, Lauren Avery, Hayley Pyatte, and Katelynn Eudy made a pair of baskets apiece in the frame.

The Gryphons found offensive success in the first half with a number of baskets in the paint as well as a trio of three-point shots.

Eudy’s 12 points in the first half helped the Lady Vikings gain a 37-27 advantage at halftime.

Both teams struggled to score as the second half began, as neither team scored during the first three minutes. Once Avery scored its first points, however, the floodgates opened and the rout was on. Passes were crisper and the team took advantage of the baseline openings offered by the Thomas Jefferson defense by hitting several short jump shots. Sophomore Megan Tennant scored six points off the bench for the Big Red in the third period and the Lady Vikings raced out to a 11-0 run, turning a somewhat close game into a blowout.

Avery forced the Gryphons into 11 turnovers in the third quarter alone and 25 for the game. Thomas Jefferson made just 2 of 11 shots from the field as Avery led 55-30 through the three periods and poured it on for the 31-point win.

Katelynn Eudy netted 16 points, with 13 rebounds and three assists as Avery won its13th game of the season. Elyse Perry (11 points, seven assists, five steals), Hayley Pyatte (10 points, six assists, five steals, four rebounds), and Lauren Avery (10 points, six steals, six assists) all reached double-figures scoring, with eight points off the bench from Megan Tennant and six from Mercedes Bentley. Murphy D’Oyen paced Thomas Jefferson with 14 points.

The two squads met in a rematch in Newland this past Monday evening with much of the same results as the Friday affair, as Avery again dismantled the Gryphons by a 79-29 final score.

Avery began the game with four fast baskets to prompt a Thomas Jefferson time out. The pause only delayed the inevitable, however, as the Lady Vikings roared to a 20-2 start on the scoreboard, led 26-4 at the end of one quarter on 60 percent shooting (9 for 20) from the field.

The Lady Vikings increased its advantage to 40-15 after two periods and scored as many points in the fourth quarter alone (29) as Thomas Jefferson Academy scored for the entire contest.

The only blemish on a terrific Avery performance came in the second quarter when senior guard Hayley Pyatte re-injured a knee, was helped off the court and did not return to the game.

Katelynn Eudy followed up Friday’s double-double performance from Friday with a repeat effort as she scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds with four steals. Lauren Avery (8 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals), Elyse Perry (5 assists, 2 steals) and Megan Tennant (4 rebounds) scored ten points apiece in the victory, with eight points each from Sara Wiseman and Mercedes Bentley.

The Lady Vikings improve to 14-2 on the season with a 6-1 conference mark. Avery traveled to Hendersonville on Tuesday night and will host Polk County on Thursday night, a change from the original date of Friday.

Avery Coach Shayne Milligan Plays in Arena Football All-Star Classic

Shayne Milligan loves the game of football.

In addition to serving as an assistant coach for the Avery High School football team and helping with the team’s strength and conditioning, Milligan has also spent the past couple of years playing in the AIFA, or the American Indoor Football Association.

Last weekend Shayne had the privilege of traveling to Richmond, Virginia to play in the AIFA All-Star Kickoff Classic, an exhibition between the league’s newest expansion team, the Richmond Raiders, and a team comprised of AIFA All-Stars from around the 16-team league. Milligan, starting quarterback with the Harrisburg AIFA club, played in the game’s second and fourth quarter and was 10 for 18 for 114 yards and three touchdown passes.

Milligan, no stranger to game pressure and preparation as a former quarterback in the Southern Conference with the Elon University Phoenix, sought to continue his playing career through the arena league. The AIFA offered an opportunity to both play in a fast-paced atmosphere and give Shayne a chance to showcase his skills to professional coaches and scouts in the hopes of ultimately having a shot at playing in the sport’s highest level, the National Football League.

“It has been a blast playing. The indoor game is a fast-paced game with lots of scoring. The crowds really seem to enjoy the game because of its up-tempo style,” Shayne said in an interview following last week’s game. “It’s a developmental league for people who want to move up, and it’s also a league for those who have already had their time to shine and want to still play the game. It’s a great learning experience for those who want to play football at the next level.”

The league boasts players from all walks of life and levels of experience, from college Division 3 players all the way to players who have won rings as part of an NFL championship team.

“Having played before at a college level makes it easier. It’s a great learning experience for those who want to keep on going,” Milligan said. “My ultimate goal is to get in the NFL, but I am a realist and there is a slim chance for that. From this league I would like to move up to bigger arena leagues or maybe even the Canadian Football League. I’ll keep playing this season in Harrisburg and hope to get more game film from it, and hopefully be able to move up the ladder as I continue my career.”

Shayne tried out for the league’s former Charlotte franchise last February and made the Carolina Speed. Milligan started the first five games for the club, but was moved to receiver. Milligan was disappointed in the decision to move him from his natural position and asked for his release. He was then picked up by the Harrisburg (PA) Stampede and played the final four games of the season with that team.

Milligan had a good season in 2009 with 1,400 yards passing, 17 touchdown passes and ten touchdowns rushing.

Playing in an All-Star game at any level of sport is a unique and special recognition. It recognizes a player’s efforts and honors the hard work the player has invested into being one of the best at his or her craft. It was also special because Shayne was able to share his experience with family and friends.

“The treatment we received in Richmond was great, We stayed in a nice hotel and had our meals paid for. We were kept fresh for the game. The All-Star game was more catered to us and everything turned out absolutely great,” Shayne stated. “I appreciated that my dad was able to make it up for the game as well as my mom and her parents and Sara Singleton came to watch.”

Working as an assistant with the Avery Vikings has proved beneficial to Shayne as the experiences gained has provided a different perspective than that of solely a player on the field.

“My time at Avery has helped me a lot. I know what it’s like to be a coach rather than just the point-of-view of a player,” Milligan stated. “Now that I have coached I see where other coaches are coming from, and it is easier to get along with coaches who coach me now that I have coached other players. Coaching also helps in seeing the game differently as a coach. As a quarterback I prepared and saw the field and watched film. Before coming to Avery I didn’t take that as professionally. But as a coach at Avery I’ve learned that watching film is very important and knowing everything on the field is important.”

Shayne returns to training camp on February 8^th to prepare for the 2010 AIFA season. Harrisburg’s first game is on March 6^th and will play weekly through late June, with playoffs and the league championship game taking place in July.

Congratulations to Coach Milligan on his All-Star recognition and best wishes for a successful 2010 season!

Lady Vikings Break Into Top 10 in State 1A Basketball Poll

The Avery Lady Vikings basketball team has broken into the NCHSAA 1A Basketball Poll, ranked this week at #10 in the state poll. The Lady Vikings have won three straight games and sit at 14-2 on the season with a 6-1 record in Western Highlands Conference play.

Avery is one of two squads ranked this week, as the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers are ranked at #8 in the same poll. Below is the full poll for the 1A classification as well as the 2A poll, with conference teams listed in bold.

1A GIRLS

1. Bishop McGuinness (7) 10-4 – 115
2. East Surry (1) 14-3 – 101
3. Mount Airy (2) 13-2 – 98
4. Williamston (3) 14-0 – 95
5. Robbinsville 13-1 – 79
6. River Mill 21-4 – 74
7. Cherokee 13-2 – 55
8. Mitchell 13-4 – 37
9. Southside 12-2 – 25
10. Avery 12-2 – 11

HONORABLE MENTION: Alleghany (10-4) – 9; Chatham Central (12-4) – 6; Murphy (11-6) – 5; Pender (n/a) – 4; Weldon (n/a) – 1

2A BOYS
1. Kinston (13) 14-3 – 138
2. Shelby 12-2 – 114
3. East Rutherford (1) 15-1 – 107
4. West Caldwell 13-2 – 85
5. West Bladen 13-2 – 75
6. Cedar Ridge 15-2 – 63
7. Smoky Mountain 12-3 – 55
8. Northeastern 15-1 – 46
9. Pisgah 12-2 – 22
10. Providence Grove 17-3 – 20

HONORABLE MENTION: Mountain Heritage (10-2) – 15; Jordan-Matthews (15-4) – 11; Trinity (14-3) – 6; Brevard (12-3) – 4; North Brunswick (11-3) – 4; Wilkes Central (12-3) – 1; Salisbury (9-4) – 1

1A BOYS
1. Winston-Salem Prep (12) 18-3 – 135
2. Cherryville (1) 12-2 – 119
3. Monroe (1) 16-1 – 113
4. Pender 12-1 – 88
5. Lejeune 16-1 – 75
6. Hendersonville 12-2 – 71
7. Murphy 13-3 – 50
8. Weldon 12-1 – 45
9. Wallace-Rose Hill 11-1 – 37
10. North Rowan 11-4 – 15

HONORABLE MENTION: SW Onslow (7-1) – 10; Rocky Mount Prep (15-8) – 5; North Wilkes (12-4) – 4; Bishop McGuinness (12-5) – 2; Hayesville (14-3) – 2; Albemarle (8-3) – 1

Lady Avalanche Win Two of Three at TFC Friendlies College Showcase

The High County Soccer Association Lady Avalanche ’92 U17 soccer team traveled to Fayetteville, NC to play in the TFC Friendlies College Showcase. Mother Nature made it difficult to get together and practice much prior to the weekend, but most of the team have played together at least two seasons, with some more than that. The girls came from five different high schools: Ashe, Avery, Hibriten, Watauga and Wilkes Central. Representing Avery High School were junior teammates Emily Banner and Mary Chesnut Smith

At the last minute, fields were changed and games shortened due to the recent hard rains in Fayetteville. Unfortunately, the Lady Avalanche still had an 8 AM game on Saturday.

The games Saturday were all 55 minutes, with no half time (and therefore no switching of ends which made it tough on the keepers facing the sun). With temperatures in the high30s and a very damp field, players and parents alike were very cold, and had numb toes at the end of the first game. However, spirits were high as the Lady Avalanche played ragged but tough and managed a 2-0 win over the TFC White. They were from the host club and were ranked 15th in the state. The Lady Avalanche were ranked 13th.

The scoring came in the middle of the game with both goals coming in a four minute period. The first was off the foot of Hallie Hilliard with an assist from fellow forward Kendyl Baird. Almost exactly four minutes later, a pair of midfielders teamed up for the second goal with Kebrina Keys assisting Mary Chesnut Smith for the score.

Hot showers and food were the next order of the day, followed by a 2 PM match in the stadium field back at Reid Ross Classical School. The stadium field was definitely narrow, causing the Lady Avalanche to change their normal mode of play.

All of the scoring in this game came in the first 15 minutes of play. The Avalanche, taking advantage of the narrow field, scored off of two assists by throw-in from Mary Chesnut Smith, who was able to put the ball in front of the goal. The first score came off the head of Kebrina Keys while Hallie Hilliard scored her second goal of the day off the second throw-in.
The 14th ranked CASL Spartan United scored within a minute of the second Avalanche goal. This however was the last score of the game, giving the Avalanche a 2-1 victory. With the temperature in the mid-forties and only a light breeze, the conditions had been better during the
second game.

The two Avalanche captains were selected for the All – Star game Saturday evening. Tired and sore, Bethany Miller and Mary Chesnut Smith joined nine other juniors to play 11 other juniors in a very fast-paced 35 minute game. They said it was one of the hardest games they had ever played in due to the speed of play. Of course, having already played two tough games after a two month lay-off from soccer made them sorer and more tired than normal.

Fortunately their game on Sunday had been postponed an hour, so the team had a little longer to rest before hitting the fields for their 10:30 match-up against what Coach Kiki thought would be the toughest game of the weekend for the team. Although the Maryland team was officially unranked, their record was good and other coaches said they were a physical team.

The Avalanche came mentally and physically prepared for a tough game and got on the score board first. In the 15th minute of the first 30 minute half, midfielder Mary Chesnut Smith was able to send the ball to the back of the net from about 20 yards out, placing it just over the keeper’s hands. In the 23rd minute the Maryland Matrix were able to get one off the fingers of the Avalanche keeper Caitlin Curley.

The Avalanche answered in the next minute, when Avery teammates connected. Emily Banner crossed the ball to Smith who powered the ball past the keeper to make the score 2-1, where it stayed for the rest of the half. In the second minute of the second half, the Matrix found a way to get past Avalanche keeper Mary Kate Huffman to tie the score.

Not to be outdone, the Avalanche took the lead again within the next minute, Hallie Hilliard passed the ball to Kendyl Baird who dropped it to Smith, who was able to take the ball through traffic and get the ball past the keeper to score for the hat trick. The score remained 3-2 until the 25th minute of the half when the Matrix got past their defenders and sailed a ball over the keeper’s hands to tie the score.

Play remained intense with the score knotted at 3-3 and time running down. With just a minute left in the game, the Matrix found a way to take the lead for the first time of the day, but it was to be the time that counted as the Lady Avalanche were not able to answer that goal before time ran out.

It was a good game, but a hard one to swallow after leading most of the game and dominating the play for the most part.

For the weekend, both Avery representatives had a solid performance. Smith scored four goals over the weekend and contributed in all but one Avalanche goal. Banner played extensively for the Avalanche, spending a good portion of the weekend playing defense, but also spent time at the forward position.

The showcase was an opportunity for college coaches and scouts to watch the best prep soccer standouts from across the state and region. The weekend performance by the Avalanche was viewed by multiple schools including Elon University. ?

Congratulations to the Avalanche and Lady Vikings Emily Banner and Mary Chesnut Smith on a successful weekend!

AJ-T Sports LIVE FROM... HOLMES CONVOCATION CENTER

We are LIVE on a cloudy Saturday afternoon on campus at Appalachian State University in Boone for a key Southern Conference basketball matchup between the ASU Mountaineers and the Western Carolina Catamounts.

There may not be an Old Mountain Jug on the line today, but that doesn't mean there aren't ramifications tied into the outcome of today's contest. ASU stands at 10-8 overall, with 1-3 record in conference play, while Western Carolina is 15-3, with a 5-1 conference record.

Among WCU's highlights of their tremendous season thus far was a 91-83 win at Louisville, with its only losses this season coming at Texas, at Clemson, and at Georgia Southern. Appalachian is 3-1 in its last four games, with wins at Davidson and wins at home over Elon and UNC-Greensboro.

Some further tidbits on this afternoon's game:

• Western Carolina's seniors have never won at the Holmes Center in their collegiate careers. including team's leading scorer and former Pisgah HS standout Jake Robinson who averages a team-high 12.9 points per game and scored a team-high 20 points off the bench in Western's last game Wednesday at Davidson.

• Appalachian is 7-2 at home this season, and head coach Buzz Peterson is a perfect 10-0 against Western.
  
  
• WCU and ASU are the top two scoring teams in the Southern Conference. Western averages 75.4 ppg, while ASU is just behind them at 72.9 points per contest.
  
  
• Appalachian had won 10 straight games in the series prior to an 89-84 loss in Cullowee last season. The Mountaineers have won more games over Western (108) than they have against any other opponent.

We'll be tipping off from Holmes around 3:30 pm this afternoon. Today's game is not being televised, so we'll be providing updates throughout today's game.

Appalachian State's women's team is hosting Davidson prior to this afternoon's men's game, and the ASU football team is featured today with autograph sessions and special recognitions throughout the afternoon in Boone. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

Update #1: Appalachian's women's team just defeated Davidson 72-61 in the precursor to this afternoon's men's contest. Four Lady Mountaineers scored in double figures as ASU improves to 10-9 overall and 6-4 in the SoCon.

Update #2: Western starts the game on an 8-0 run before an ASU timeout. 17:13 left in the opening half and the Catamounts have the early 8-0 advantage.

Update #3: We've reached the first media timeout and the Mountaineers have cut into the Western lead. At the 15:25 mark the Catamounts hold a 10-6 edge. Four minutes have elapsed and with 11:39 left in the half the Catamounts lead it 16-9. A pair of WCU players have a pair of fouls trying to battle ASU's Ike Butts on the block. It may become a greater issue as the game progresses.

Update #4: Neither team shoots well for a stretch of a couple of minutes. Lots of physical play and the refs are letting the players play. Western maintains a five point edge at 21-16 with 6:55 to play in the half. Kellen Brand leads the Mountaineers with nine points thus far, while Brandon Giles has 10 to lead the Catamounts.

Update #5: 3:50 left in the first half and Western leads App 25-22. Western has hit the offensive glass hard thus far in the half with a 9-2 edge, but the team also has two players with three fouls and another frontcourt player with a pair of fouls. ASU comes out of the media timeout with five straight points from Donald Sims to take its first lead of the game at 27-25, prompting a Western time out. 2:59 to play in the first half of action.

Update #6: At halftime the Mountaineers hold a 35-33 lead. A Donald Sims drive-and-dish to Marcus Wright for a three-pointer as time expired gave App the edge at intermission. Donald Sims and Kellen Brand lead the Mountaineers with 11 points apiece, with 13 points by Brandon Giles to lead the Catamounts.

At halftime the ASU athletics department recognized of the greatest all-time ASU players from its football history, dating back from the early 90s to the team's most recent run of 3 national titles and five consecutive Southern Conference championships.

Western Carolina shot 33% from the field for the first half, while ASU shot the basketball at 42.9% from the field. Western holds a 23-18 rebounding advantage through 20 minutes.

Second half coming up!

Update #7: The game is tied at 41-41 with 15:44 left in the game. The game continues to be physical and Western continues to generate multiple shots on the offensive end of the floor. ASU has done a good job with creating turnovers, but have not been as effective at getting second-chance opportunities at the basket.

Update #8: Appalachian has shot the basketball well in the second half but only lead by a single point at 51-50 with 11:59 to play. Western has done a superb job of crashing the offensive glass, holding a 13-3 advantage on the offensive boards. Marcus Wright has scored 9 points off the bench for the Mountaineers, while Donald Sims leads ASU with 18 for the game thus far.

Update #9: A 9-2 Mountaineer scoring run gives ASU its largest lead of the game at 60-52, forcing a Western time out with 9:42 to play.

Update #10: ASU leads 62-56 with 7:39 left in the game. Both teams have multiple players with three or more fouls. Crunch time coming up in this Southern Conference showdown!

Update #11: Final media timeout of the game comes with 3:13 to play. Appalachian leads 75-69 and Donald Sims has heated up offensively, leading all scorers with 25 points. Marcus Wright has 13 off the bench, with 17 points from Kellen Brand. Richie Gordon has 12 points for Western, but also has four fouls. Both Josh Hunter and Ike Butts have four fouls apiece for the Mountaineers.

Update #12: A Jake Robinson three-pointer cuts the deficit to 81-74 Appalachian with 1:21 to play. ASU missed a pair of free throws and have also committed an offensive foul to give Western the basketball back on offense. 1:02 left to play and ASU holds a seven-point lead. High drama in Boone!

Update #13: Appalachian's defense comes up big in the end, as 28 points from Donald Sims leads the Apps to an 87-74 win over Western Carolina. Brand finishes with 19 points, with 15 from Wright. Jake Robinson scores 11 for the Catamounts, with 18 from Giles. ASU improves to 11-8 overall, 5-3 in SoCon play, while Western falls to 15-4, 5-2 in SoCon play. That'll do it from Boone. Thanks for reading!

Avery Vikings Sports ON for This Evening

Avery High School's basketball games at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy are ON for this evening (Friday). Since TJCA has no junior varsity basketball program, the night will tip off with varsity girls action beginning at 6 p.m. from Mooresboro. Varsity boys action will take place following the girls' contest.

Also Avery's home wrestling match against Thomas Jefferson will take place as scheduled this evening at Viking Gymnasium. Mat action begins at 6 p.m.

Avery Basketball at West Wilkes POSTPONED TODAY

According to word from Avery men's basketball head coach Bo Manis, the scheduled basketball games this afternoon in Miller's Creek between Avery and West Wilkes have been POSTPONED for this afternoon (1/21) due to freezing rain and icy conditions in the High Country. No reschedule date has been set. It is possible that since the games are non-conference, they may not be made up.

We'll have reschedule info as we get it.

Trotman Named SoCon Wrestler of the Week

(courtesy Appalachian Sports Information)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Appalachian State University wrestler Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) was named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for all events from Jan. 13-19, the conference office announced Wednesday.

Trotman went 4-0 on the week with a pin and defeated the No. 21 ranked wrestler in the country. Trotman wrestled two matches each on Thursday and Sunday, beating UNC Greensboro’s Andrew Saunders 15-8 in his first match on Thursday before defeating No. 21 Mike Salopek 10-6. Trotman continued his domination on Sunday when he earned his second pin of the year with a first period triumph over Franklin & Marshall’s Matt Latessa. Trotman finished the week with a forfeit victory over Belmont Abbey.

Since moving up a weight class to 184 on Jan. 4, the Winston-Salem native is 5-1 and recorded his first two pins of the season. He is currently on a five-match winning streak.

It is the second time in his career that Trotman has won Wrestler of the Week, winning it last year. With his 4-0 week, Trotman catapulted into the national ranking at No. 19 in the latest Amateur Wrestling News poll.

Trotman and the Mountaineers are back in action tonight as they travel to Gardner-Webb to take on the Bulldogs and NC State.

Middle School Grapplers Return to Mat for Wrestling Action

The Avery Middle School wrestling team shook off a long period of inactivity following the holidays and inclement weather with conference and regional matches.

Avery Middle School journeyed to Mitchell High School last Thursday for a dual meet with the combined Mitchell County middle school squad. Avery had only had one full practice within the past three weeks due to inclement weather as well as the holidays, but the team still wrestled hard as Mitchell captured a 63-18 win.

Three Panthers were victorious with pins in three matches during the night’s action. Harley Rash won at 112 pounds, while Zack Freeman captured the win at 119 pounds and Colby Flynn pinned his opponent at 160 pounds to take care of business.

“The guys have come to practice and take it seriously. We had only one day to prepare for this match. We lost the match but we did well,” Avery Middle School wrestling coach Daniel Jimenez said after the evening’s bouts. “We’re progressing well despite having such a long time without wrestling. We had some kids get pinned, but many of the matches went to the third period.”

Avery’s wrestling squad, comprised of student-athletes from both Avery Middle and Cranberry Middle School, offers a precursor of the teamwork that is expected once those students advance into the high school ranks.

“The team has worked on its moves and has really stepped up,” Coach Jimenez added. “These kids will be excellent contributors and have a lot of potential toward the high school level. The kids are green but they continue to learn and work extremely hard.”

An excitement over the potential of today’s middle school student-athletes is shared among all the members of the coaching staff.

“We’ve impressed quite a bit during the year, and a lot of the guys have progressed and improved from practice to practice,” Panthers coach Jesse Pope said of the squad. “Technically, they’re wrestling as well as any other middle school team we’ve wrestled, but I believe they’re a strong group of wrestlers and we’re excited to send our eighth graders up to compete at the high school next season.”

Avery Junior Varsity Basketball Roundup

Avery’s junior varsity squads played its first full week of action since prior to the holidays. The Vikings took on long-time rivals in Western Highlands Conference play in the Mountain Heritage Cougars and Mitchell Mountaineers renewed acquaintances with the Big Red.

JV Girls:
The Avery Lady Vikings enjoyed a successful week on the hardwood, building a win streak, evening its season record, and seizing control of first place in the Western Highlands Conference.

On Wednesday evening Avery hosted Mountain Heritage in a snow-delayed makeup contest, defeating the Lady Cougars going away by a 60-28 final score.

Avery built a 13-3 lead after one period, only to see the pesky Lady Cougars cut the deficit to four points at 20-16 at halftime. After intermission the Lady Viking defense surrendered only 12 points, while the Big Red offense shifted into high gear with 40 points over the final two quarters.

The Viking defense and the shooting of guard Kelsie Clarke sparked the rout as she tallied 33 points in the win (20 in the second half) to go with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Monica Estep added nine points, three rebounds and three steals. Brooke Buchanan chipped in with six points and six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.

“We played as badly the first half as we’ve played all year. We changed some things up and switched from a zone defense to a full court, man-to-man defense. I was upset after the first half effort and the team responded,” JV head girls coach Pat Daniels said after the game. “We had three girls in foul trouble, but we moved our feet on defense and they responded well. We played a little uptight and rushed some shots, but we loosened up after halftime.”

On Friday night the Lady Vikings traveled to nearby Ledger to take on border rival Mitchell. Avery built a double-digit lead over the Lady Mountaineers in the first quarter and dominated the balance of the game as the Lady Vikings cruised to a 68-36 victory.

The duo of Kelsie Clarke and Brooke Buchanan shredded the Mitchell defense for a combined 19 of Avery’s 22 first-period points. Avery led 22-10 after one quarter and took a 38-18 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

Clarke continued to score in bunches through the second half and was aided by contributions from teammates Buchanan and Megan Dellinger. Avery led 51-26 after three quarters and won going away.

Clarke tallied 28 points to lead the Big Red, to go with four assists and a pair of steals. Dellinger scored 12 points, with a double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds, five blocked shots, three assists, and two steals from Brooke Buchanan. Shayna Vance narrowly missed being a fourth player in double-figures as she scored eight.

“Brooke had an absolutely awesome game and Kelsie continues to shoot the ball well,” Coach Daniels said after the win. “We have switched up a couple of things defensively and have gone to a man-to-man press which our girls are better with. They had nine sophomores which worried me, but we truly have a solid team from top to bottom. I was really proud of how the girls stepped up tonight through their hustle and play.”

Avery’s girls evened its mark at 4-4 with the win, and sit in first place in conference play with a 3-0 record.

JV Boys:
The Avery junior varsity boys team tried to build off its recent victory over Madison, but met a pair of tough opponents in Mountain Heritage and Mitchell.

On Wednesday Avery hosted Heritage in Viking Gym but was unable to claim victory as the Cougars upended the Vikings by a 45-25 final margin.

Both teams started the game slow as the Vikings could manage only two points in the first quarter. Heritage fared little better but held an 8-2 advantage after the opening stanza.

The Cougars managed to extend their lead slightly in the second quarter. Only three Avery players, Dustin Clark, Bryce Pittman, and Lane Smith, scored in the first half as the Big Red trailed 16-8 at halftime.

Once both coaches made adjustments at halftime, the offenses for both teams picked up. Smith sparked Avery with seven of his team-high nine points in the third quarter. Unfortunately for the home team, Mountain Heritage outscored Avery 14-11 in the stanza to increase its margin yet again to 30-19. The Vikings could not forge a rally to cut the Cougar cushion as Mountain Heritage escaped Newland with the win.

Smith added six rebounds to his point total. No other Avery player scored over four points in the loss, and 23 turnovers hampered Avery’s hopes for a win over the Cougars.

“We need to box out better. Offensively we have to do a better job of running the floor and looking up the floor,” junior varsity boys head coach Reggie Oakes said after the game. “Patience in the half-court set is important as well. Those were three points of emphasis that we need to improve on.”

On Friday night the Vikings traveled to Ledger to take on the Mitchell Mountaineers. The two teams played a tight, low-scoring first half as neither team could build a lead of more than two or three possessions.

Mitchell slowly pushed its lead forward in the third quarter to build a lead of eight to ten points. The Vikings worked to narrow the gap but second-chance opportunities on the offensive end and a tough Mountaineer defense repelled any chance for a come-from-behind victory as Mitchell took a 38-30 victory.

“Defensively I thought we played good team defense. Offensively we had some good looks but they just didn’t fall,” Coach Oakes said following the loss. “We need to work on crashing the boards. I’d like to see us run the floor a little better and have better spacing on our secondary break.

Avery hosted Owen earlier this week in conference action with both junior varsity clubs picking up victories. The teams travel to West Wilkes to play this Thursday.

Lady Vikings Crush Cougars; Winning Streak Snapped at Mitchell

The Avery Lady Vikings completed a busy week of round ball action with two games against rival schools.

On Wednesday, January 13^th, the Lady Vikings took a close game with Mountain Heritage and used a 23-14 second period scoring differential as a springboard to a rout, downing the Lady Cougars 71-49.

The win with the 11^th in a row for the Lady Vikings, but the victorious roll came to an abrupt end in Ledger Friday night. The state-ranked Mitchell Lady Mountaineers used smothering defense to hold the Lady Vikings to half its season scoring average, holding Avery to 16 percent shooting in a 47-32 loss.

In the contest at Viking Gym against the Cougars, Avery had a distinct height advantage, using its tall frontline and rebounding ability to generate second shots and score from inside. Heritage kept the pressure on early, however, as the game was tied at 13 after one quarter.

In the second stanza the Avery offense fired on all cylinders. The Vikings were hitting shots, which in turn triggered their full-court press defense that generated numerous turnovers on the young Cougars backcourt. Nine baskets in the second quarter, led by ten points from senior guard Elyse Perry helped Avery pull out to a 36-27 lead at halftime.

As the second half ensued, Avery cooled somewhat shooting from the field, but worked inside to score or get to the foul line. The Lady Vikings were a perfect 8 for 8 from the free throw line in the third stanza and further extended its lead to double figures at 52-36 after three quarters.
An otherwise dominant night for Avery was tempered somewhat when guard Hayley Pyatte was helped off the floor in the third quarter with an apparent knee injury. Pyatte was unable to return against the Cougars and missed Friday’s game at Mitchell. According to head coach Missy Lyons, Pyatte may return to action within a week.

The Lady Cougars struggled to score with any consistency on Avery for the balance of the night. Katelynn Eudy was dominant in the paint on the offensive end of the floor for the Big Red, scoring 11 points in the second half to spark the Avery offensive juggernaut en route to a 71-49 win.

Avery shot 44 percent from the field for the game, while the defense held Mountain Heritage to just 30 percent shooting. Four Lady Vikings scored double-figures, led by 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists from Katelynn Eudy. Sara Wiseman added 17 points, 17 rebounds, and eight blocked shots. Elyse Perry scored a season-high 16 points with six assists and four steals, while Lauren Avery added a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Brittany Frye led Mountain Heritage with 11 points and five rebounds.

“Heritage came and shoot the ball well, and we felt like we had to keep pressuring them and keep running them which we were able to do. We scored with the ball and we made them work pretty hard by the end of the game,” Avery varsity girls head coach Missy Lyons said after the win. “Katelynn played an awesome game and was really aggressive. We had great balance scoring which was an awesome job. It was a rough and physical game, as both Hayley and Mercedes Bentley were banged up.”

Friday’s much-anticipated showdown in Ledger against the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers was a defensive duel. Mitchell jumped out to an early lead and established its presence in the paint. All-conference performer Laken Norris tallied a pair of baskets in the period, along with six points from 5’7” junior Emily Glenn. Avery was able to find its shot offensively, knocking down just two of its first 11 shots and 5 of its 27 shots in the entire first half.

Mitchell led 16-7 after the first period, but the Avery defense did not allow the Lady Mountaineers the luxury of a large lead. The Lady Vikings held Mitchell to 3 of 15 shooting in the second quarter, which gave Avery an opportunity to get the offense untracked. Unfortunately the Big Red was just 3 for 16 shooting themselves, and Mitchell held a 24-14 lead at halftime.

Mary Chesnut Smith led Avery with four points off the bench in the first half as the team struggled to put points on the scoreboard.

“We set a team goal of 15 points per quarter and didn’t meet that. Scoring was an issue and our shooting was just terrible,” Coach Lyons said after the game. “A couple of our leading scorers didn’t even have a basket in the game. Missing a lot of shots around the basket early on became frustrating to us.”

Avery made a total of nine shots for the entire contest, while Mitchell almost doubled the total with 17 made field goals. The Lady Mountaineers extended its lead to 37-21 after three quarters behind a combined ten points from Glenn and Norris.

The Vikings tried to rally in the fourth quarter with 11 points, but Mitchell was content with its large lead to run time off the clock with long possessions. The Lady Mountaineers were 8 of 11 from the free throw line in the final quarter to hold Avery at bay and hand the Lady Vikings their first conference loss of the season.

Lauren Avery led the Lady Vikes with eight points and six rebounds, while Mary Chesnut Smith and Mercedes Bentley each poured in six points off the bench. Sara Wiseman scored five points with nine rebounds and three assists.

“I felt like we did a good job defensively in holding Mitchell to just 47 points and Laken Norris to 12 points. On our end we executed well and got shots and looks we wanted, but not scoring took us out of our press a bit,” Coach Lyons stated. “Laken played great defense and took away our long pass, and we did play shorthanded without Hayley. I think we played out of our tempo and we just weren’t ready for it.”

Emily Glenn led the Lady Mountaineers with 18 points and four rebounds. Norris added 12 points, six rebounds, and eight steals, with seven points, five assists and five steals from Autumn Thompson.

“We played four games within a week, and I think that took out part of our preparation time. Four big conference games in the week may have played a factor in what happened,” Coach Lyons said. “I felt our post players would be our advantage, and their post players just outplayed us. I told the girls we played so well against Watauga that I felt like we could be competitive against Mitchell’s, but we just didn’t rise to the occasion. Hopefully we can learn from it and do a much better job against them next time. I still feel like that is our best advantage there in the post area. We took care of the basketball, but just missed too many shots.”

Avery hosted Owen on Tuesday night and sneaked out a narrow 54-52 win over the Warlassies to improve to 12-2 on the season. The Lady Vikings will travel to take on West Wilkes this Thursday and make a road trip to Thomas Jefferson Academy on Friday.

Viking Step onto Mat for Busy Week of Competition

Following an extended period of inactivity aside from practices between weather events, the Avery wrestling team returned to the gym to begin in earnest the 2010 portion of its schedule.

On Wednesday evening Avery journeyed to Burnsville to take on the Mountain Heritage Cougars, falling by a respectable score of 48-30 in dual meet action. Avery surrendered six forfeits in the fourteen bout event, but captured more pinfall wins during the match.

Victors in the Wednesday tangle included Lucas Lecka, who started the evening at 215 pounds and pinned Marcus DiCristino. In addition, Brock Yackey (119 pounds), Devin Buchanan (125 pounds), and Nick Malgadey (130 pounds) each earned wins by pin over their Cougar counterparts.

“Experience and forfeits is still a major deal for us. Our upper weights suffered a little bit but our lower weights came through with pins, and there’s not much more you can ask for,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said after the dual meet. “

On Thursday evening Avery traveled to Ledger to make up a previously scheduled wrestling match with Mitchell. It was a rough go of it for the Big Red, as the squad fell 66-9 to a strong 1A Mountaineers.

The Vikings gained only two victories for the match, as Colton Blackburn won his match by second period pin at the heavyweight class and Brock Yackey defeated Colton McKinney by a 7-4 decision in the evening’s final bout at 125 pounds. Winners for the Mountaineers included Andrew Renfro, Serjio Littleton, Nate Brooks, Max Glenn, Steve Bomar, Jubal Church, Dayshawn Blackmon, Shawn Jackson, Kevin Hall, Matthew Sullins and Logan McKinney.

“We didn’t match up well personnel-wise against Mitchell. Having Nick (Malgadey) wrestling at 125 pounds would have been a bigger advantage opposed to 130 pounds,” Coach Clark said after the matches. “I thought Colton wrestled well. Brock wrestled really well on his feet but struggled a little on bottom, but we’ve continued to work on that and he’s improving in that area.”

On Friday evening the wrestling squad took six grapplers to Robbinsville for the following day’s James Orr Memorial Invitational Tournament, also traditionally called the Far West Invitational.

Around a dozen schools of varying sizes sent teams to the southwestern corner of North Carolina to test themselves in the day-long event.

Each Avery wrestler had the opportunity to wrestle a minimum of two matches during the tournament. Colton Blackburn wrestled hard in a pair of matches on Saturday morning, but came up short in the matches via pinfall, while teammate Kyle Greene finished with a 1-2 mark for the day, winning one match by forfeit and losing a narrow 7-4 decision in his final match of the tournament.

Each of the remaining four Vikings wrestlers competed in at least three matches and managed to gain at least a fourth-place finish. Devin Buchanan captured fourth place at 128 pounds, winning matches over Hayesville’s Paul Roach and Cherokee’s Billy Brady each by pin.

Viking senior Brock Yackey brought home a third place finish at the 122 pound weight class as he won three of his four matches on the day, the first by pinfall and the latter two by decision.

Avery placed a pair of grapplers in the Saturday evening championship matches. Nick Malgadey defeated Murphy’s Samuel McCoy to start the day and won by pin, then defeated McDowell’s Tyrell Burel by a 14-2 major decision. Nick was unable to capture the first-place medallion in the 133 pound classification, however, losing a hard fought bout to tournament champion Devin Nichols from West Wilkes.

Lucas Lecka also reached the championship match in the Orr Invitational, earning a second-place ribbon at the 218 pound class.

Lecka advanced to the championship semis with a forfeit victory and punched his ticket to the championship by pinning West Wilkes’ Cody Lefler. Lecka squared off with Colby White from host Robbinsville and wrestled a hotly contested match.

Lecka and White battled for three long periods and were tied at 3-3 with just five seconds left in the bout. White managed a takedown just before time expired to win by the bout score of 5-3.

“We brought the kids to the Robbinsville tournament as we continue to work on both team and individual successes in spite of not having a large number of wrestlers on the team,” Coach Clark said after the tournament. “The Far West let us get a good look at our regional competition and see what areas we need to work on. After three conference duals coming up this week, we’ll get some time between now and regionals to work on things we need to. I felt most of our guys wrestled to their ability to this point. I thought both of our guys wrestling in the finals made a couple of mistakes in their matches, but overall they wrestled to their ability and did well.”

The Vikings traveled to Owen on Tuesday for a dual meet, will journey to Madison for a dual match on Thursday, then will host Thomas Jefferson this Friday evening for a dual meet.

Watauga High School to Host 2010 Shrine Bowl Combine

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Watauga High School will be one of the host schools for the 2010 Shrine Bowl Combines. Details are listed below:

2010 NORTH CAROLINA SHRINE BOWL COMBINES

Purpose: To provide opportunity for high school football players demonstrate skills needed for athletic scholarships and possible Shrine Bowl selection.

Rising seniors should bring videos for the Shrine Bowl Staff to evaluate.

Who: Rising 12th graders are eligible to attend.

Dates and Schools:
APRIL 17TH BUTLER HIGH SCHOOL (MATTHEWS NC)
APRIL 24TH WATAUGA HIGH SCHOOL (BOONE NC)
MAY 1ST EASTERN ALAMANCE HIGH SCHOOL (MEBANE NC)
MAY 8TH SOUTH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL (WINTERVILLE NC)

Times:
REGISTRATION FOR KICKERS, PUNTERS, AND LONG SNAPPERS 9:30 AM
REGISTRATION FOR POSITION PLAYERS 10:00 AM
KICKERS START TIME 10:00 AM
POSITION PLAYERS START TIME: 11:00 AM

Cost: $20.00 per player-High School Coaches and spectators will be admitted free. Each player will receive a T-shirt and unmatched exposure.

There will be no checks accepted at any of the combines, cash only please. There will be a responsible person at each combine to take up money.

To be measured:
1. Height
2. Weight

To be tested:
1. Vertical Jump
2. 40 Yard Dash
3. Pro Agility Shuttle
4. Bench Press Rep.
(All Position Players Will Rep 185 As Many Times As They Can.)

To be evaluated:
1. Each position player will work with coaches at his position and go through a series of football related drills.

Important Information:
2. Some events may change according to equipment available.
3. Please be on time: We are going to be on a tight schedule.

Shrine Bowl Combine Coordinator: Jim Bob Bryant (252) 717-8681

Avery Falls Victim to Late Heritage Surge, Rallies on Road to Defeat Rival Mitchell

The Avery varsity boys basketball team found itself in a pair of conference battles as it continues to gain respect from teams across the Western Highlands Conference. The Big Red hung tough with a talented and deep Mountain Heritage Cougars squad Wednesday night January 13^th, only to see the tandem of Steven Wilson and John Cannon carry Heritage to a 71-63 victory.

On Friday night in Ledger the Vikings fell behind Mitchell early and rallied to take a lead before halftime, but fell behind again by as many as seven points in the second half. A late surge, bolstered by a 30-point, 11 rebound, eight assist effort from junior Dustin Clarke was enough to erase a deficit and carry the Vikings to a 69-66 win over its southern rival.

In Wednesday night’s game it was the Cougars who pounced on an early lead. Junior 6’11” center John Cannon scored nine points in the quarter and Avery had difficulty finding answers for the Division I recruit’s size advantage. Cannon also blocked a number of shots defensively, helping the Cougars establish a 19-14 lead after eight minutes.

Mountain Heritage cooled off shooting from the field while the Vikings found their touch. Dustin Clarke netted ten points in the frame as Avery cut the Heritage lead to a single point at 35-34 at halftime.

The two teams remained close on the scoreboard through the entire third quarter. The duo of Cannon and senior Steven Wilson accounted for 15 of the Cougars’ 19 points in the stanza. Avery’s Joey Potter got free offensively during the period for six points and teammate Dylan Eppley pitched in with a couple of field goals to keep Avery within three points at 54-51 after three quarters.

Avery cut the Heritage lead to as little as two points at 57-55 with 4:45 left to play in the game, but eight points from Wilson and another six points from Cannon proved to be just enough. Avery was 0 for 6 from the three-point line in the final quarter, hampering any chance to draw close in the game’s final stages.

The Vikings were paced by 22 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and five assists from Dustin Clarke, with 11 points and four rebounds from Dylan Eppley and nine points from Joey Potter. Cannon finished with a game-high 28 points, 11 rebounds, and nine blocks for Heritage, with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists from Wilson.

“Was that not a fun game to watch?” Avery head coach Bo Manis said immediately after the game. “I was excited about the love the kids on the floor showed for the game of basketball. They gave everything they’ve got. The breakdowns and problems we had in crucial moments we can fix, but we played hard and played well against a good team tonight.

As the team matures together, it still seeks to iron out areas which still occasionally raise up during the course of a game.

“It’s like we discussed last week, we need to keep a consistent intensity on offense, especially in key moments of the game. Those things will get us over the hump,” Coach Manis stated.

In Friday’s showdown at Mitchell, the Vikings found themselves playing catch-up from the early moments. Avery fell behind early as it shot 4 of 17 from the field in the quarter. Mitchell meanwhile shot 60 percent from the field, leading by as many as nine points in the opening period.

Thomas Buchanan paced Mitchell with seven points, but Avery scored six of the final eight points of the frame, including a Dustin Clarke fadeaway jumper at the buzzer, to cut Mitchell’s advantage to 15-10 after one quarter.

Avery rallied early in the quarter as four points each from Dylan Eppley and Spencer Blackburn sparked an Avery run. Mark Polsgrove drained a jumper to tie the game at 24-24 with 1:34 to play in the first half. Mitchell showed its offensive prowess for the rest of the half, however, as a 6-0 run closed the quarter with the Mountaineers leading 30-24 at intermission.

The Vikings worked to narrow the gap as Joey Potter scored seven points in the third quarter. Mitchell’s Logan Jensen came to life in the second half as he tallied three field goals, including a thunderous alley-oop slam dunk which ignited the partisan Mountaineer crowd. By the start of the final period, Mitchell had momentum and a 46-41 advantage.

Despite the overwhelming odds, the Avery club refused to fold up the tent. Dustin Clarke, whom Mitchell keyed on defensively with a box-and-one setup, torched the Mountaineers defense over the final two periods and played as a man on a mission to spark the Big Red. The junior was a perfect 8 for 8 from the free throw line in the closing stanza and was 4 of 5 from the field as part of a 17-point fourth quarter.

Midway through the final quarter the Mountaineers extended a one point advantage into a seven-point lead at 60-53. Avery roared back to take the lead when two Clarke free throws with only 29 seconds remaining in the game put the Vikings on top 67-66.

Mitchell had a final possession to take the lead, but Avery’s Timmy Stewart rebounded a missed Mountaineer shot attempt, fired an outlet pass down the floor. Dylan Eppley could not convert the layup attempt, but an offensive rebound and put-back by Clarke gave the Big Red the three-point with 2.6 seconds on the clock. Mitchell came up short on its final desperation shot, sending the visitors from Newland home happy.

Clarke turned in his best overall performance to date this season, with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Potter added 12 points and three rebounds, while Eppley chipped in with eight points, 11 rebounds, and three steals. Thomas Buchanan paced Mitchell with 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

“Dustin stayed calm and didn’t force anything on Friday like I feel he did a little on Wednesday. He took what the defense gave us and worked from there,” head coach Bo Manis said after the win. “We saw some weaknesses in their box-and-one and we took advantage of them. A point of emphasis in practice has been for other players needing to step up. Joey hit some big shots in the second half and stepped up when we really needed him. Friday night was a great way to win on the road and get over the hump. Our team never gives up and I can’t say enough about the love for the game and the kind of character those guys have.”

Avery improves to 4-7, evening its record to 2-2 in conference play.

The Vikings upended Owen 58-54 on Tuesday night to move to 3-2 in conference play, and will hit the road for a pair of games later in the week, journeying to Miller’s Creek to take on West Wilkes on Thursday and going to Thomas Jefferson Academy on Friday evening. A full recap of all three games can be found in next week's print edition.