High Country Sports

Author: David

  • Gilbert, relay teams help Watauga men to No. 7 team finish at State swimming championships

    By David Rogers. CARY, N.C. — Several “top 10” individual finishes and strong performances in the relays allowed Watauga’s men’s swimming team to come home with a No. 7 team finish at the NCHSAA 6A State Swimming & Diving Championships on Feb. 13.

    A notable Pioneer performance was the No. 7 finish by Lanson Gilbert in a highly competitive 50 Free event, a mere second behind Northwestern Conference rival Logan Kelly (Saint Stephens), the ultimate winner. Among the 31-swimmer field, eight competitors, including Gilbert, went under 22 seconds for the sprint distance and within 1.18 seconds of the No. 1 spot on the podium.

    The Saint Stephens athlete, Kelly, was a double winner. He also captured the 100 Free title in 45.71.

    Watauga picked up valuable team points by finishing No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, in the 200 Freestyle Relay and the 400 Freestyle Relay. The 200 Free team from Watauga was comprised of Aidan Culpepper, Michael Makdad, Silas Powell and Lanson Gilbert. The 400 Free Relay team included Stacy Eggers, Makdad, Powell and Gilbert.

    With almost 60 member schools in the NCHSAA 6A classification and 26 teams scoring points in the state championship meet, Watauga’s No. 7 team result is something special and testimony to the program’s depth.

    SUMMARY OF WATAUGA MEN’S PERFORMANCES AT 6A STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

    • 200-Yard Medley Relay (Winning time: 1:33.14, East Chapel Hill)
      • TIE-No. 20, 2:01.96, Andrew Larson, Aiden Culpepper, Stacy Eggers, Seoc Fredenburg
    • 200-Yard Freestyle (Winning time: 1:40.70, Max Halpern, East Chapel Hill)
      • No. 19, Stacy Eggers, 2:02.09
      • No. 26, Aiden Culpepper, 2:12.02
    • 200-Yard Individual Medley (Winning time: 1:50.04, Colton Chaires, East Chapel Hill)
      • No Watauga qualifiers
    • 50-Yard Freestyle (Winning time: 20.72, Logan Kelly, Saint Stephens)
      • No. 7, Lanson Gilbert, 21.78
      • No. 15, Silas Powell, 23.68
    • 100-Yard Butterfly (Winning time: 49.50, Alex Nelson, East Chapel Hill)
      • No. 8, Lanson Gilbert, 52.95
      • No. 10, Michael Makdad, 53.63
    • 100-Yard Freestyle (Winning time: 45.71, Logan Kelly, Saint Stephens)
      • No. 11, Silas Powell, 51.46
    • 500-Yard Freestyle (Winning time: 4:26.33, Colton Chaires, East Chapel Hill)
      • No. 12, Stacy Eggers, 5:23.87
    • 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (Winning time: 1:24.15, East Chapel Hill)
      • No. 3, 1:31.83, Aidan Culpepper, Michael Makdad, Silas Powell, Lanson Gilbert
    • 100-Yard Backstroke (Winning time: 49.79, Chuanqi John Zhang, East Chapel Hill)
      • No. 29, Aidan Culpepper, 1:06.30
    • 100-Yard Breaststroke (Winning time: 56.94, Oliver Marrujo, Felton Grove)
      • No. 11, Michael Makdad, 1:04.70
    • 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (Winning time: 3:07.25, East Chapel Hill)
      • No. 5, 3:27.10, Stacy Eggers, Michael Makdad, Silas Powell, Lanson Gilbert

     

  • Elliott earns No. 2 in 6A State 50 Free, Relays help Watauga women power to No. 5 team finish

    By David Rogers. CARY, N.C. — Almost 60 schools are in the NCHSAA 6A classification for sports. Twenty-five (25) of them earned team points in the 6A State Swimming & Diving Championships Feb. 12-13 hosted by the Triangle Aquatic Center. Thanks to Wataug

    a High School’s depth in several individual races, including a No. 2 finish by senior Athena Elliott, and top five finishes in the relays (No. 2, 200-Yard Medley Relay; No. 3, 200-Yard Freestyle Relay; No. 7, 400-Yard Freestyle Relay), the Watauga women’s team turned in a No. 5 team performance behind only highly regarded Charlotte Catholic, East Chapel Hill, Mount Tabor and J H Rose high schools.

    SUMMARY OF WATAUGA WOMEN’S PERFORMANCES (in event order)

    • 200-Yard Medley Relay (Winning time, 150.12, J H Rose)
      • TIE-No. 2, 1:50.66, Addison Wilson, Tessa Buchanan, Ayla Crawley, Athena Elliott
    • 200-Yard Freestyle (Winning time: 1:48.00, Isabel Wolk, East Chapel Hill) 
      • No. 10, Chessy Martin, 2:01.40
      • No. 21, Elizabeth Staehli, 2:12.25
      • No. 26, Viviane Vannoy, 2:20.84
      • No. 30, Caitlin Dong, 2:26.88
    • 200-Yard Individual Medley (Winning time, 2:03.75, Peyton James, East Chapel Hill)
      • No. 13, Ireland Laxton, 2:29.03
    • 50-Yard Freestyle (Winning time: 23.57, Kathryn Kern, Charlotte Catholic)
      • No. 2, Athena Elliott, 24.79
      • No. 6, Merritt Powell, 25.47
      • No. 11, Tessa Buchanan, 25.79
      • No. 19, Macie Kent, 26.86
    • 100-Yard Butterfly (Winning time, 55.30, Madi Hertzig, Charlotte Catholic)
      • No. 10, Athena Elliott, 1:00.32
      • No. 13, Ayla Crawley, 1:01.88
      • No. 23, Vivian Vallecillo, 1:09.06
    • 100-Yard Freestyle (Winning time: 51.66, CJ Bernardo, Charlotte Catholic)
      • No. 13, Merritt Powell, 57.82
      • No. 27, Amelia Bennett, 1:01.76
    • 500-Yard Freestyle (Winning time: 4:54.58, Isabel Wolk, East Chapel Hill)
      • No. 11, Addison Wilson, 5:27.57
      • No. 12, Chessy Martin, 5:28.80
      • No. 22, Elizabeth Staeheli, 6:09.14
    • 200 Yard Freestyle Relay (Winning time: 1:37.64, Charlotte Catholic)
      • No. 3, 1:40.21, Tessa Buchanan, Merritt Powell, Addison Wilson, Athena Elliott
    • 100-Yard Backstroke (Winning time: 56.53, Delaney Schwab, Asheville)
      • No. 8, Addison Wilson, 1:00.58
      • No. 11, Ayla Crawley, 1:02.02
      • No. 20, Macie Kent, 1:09.15
    • 100-Yard Breaststroke (Winning time: 1:01.35, Hadleigh Kulas, J H Rose)
      • No. 15, Tessa Buchanan, 1:14.42
    • 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (Winning time: 3:31.46, Charlotte Catholic)
      • No. 7, 3:54.65, Ireland Laxton, Macie Kent, Chessy Martin, Ayla Crawley

  • Watauga wins Senior Night ‘battle’ vs. St. Stephens, 71-63, to secure No. 2 tourney seed

    By David Rogers. BOONE,N.C. — It was “bling night” in Lentz Eggers Gym as the gathered basketball crowd not only celebrated Watauga High School’s Senior Night, but also the school’s NCHSAA 6A Women’s Cross Country State Championship team. The glittering ceremony, though, complete with rings for the individual harriers, was just the undercard of the evening.

    Watauga senior guard Bowen Mayo launches a 3-pointer on Feb. 13 vs. St. Stephens. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    The main event saw the Pioneer men’s varsity extend its winning streak to five games with a convincing, 71-63 victory over St. Stephens in the final regular season tilt of 2026 — and completing what on Jan. 22 was considered an unlikely comeback to stake claim to the likely No. 2 seed in next week’s Northwestern Conference tournament.

    A sluggish start by Watauga and a determined effort by the visiting Indians resulted in a 12-12 tie at the end of the first quarter and a narrow, 31-28 lead by the Pioneers at intermission. In the second half, Watauga had runs where it looked to be pulling away, much like they did against the team’s previous four Northwestern Conference opponents. But a dogged St. Stephens five kept battling back, narrowing the gap or at least keeping their deficit at 6-8 points.

    Celebrating Watauga’s 6A State Cross Country Champs

    Watauga’s NCHSAA 6A State Champion cross country team was recognized at halftime of the men’s basketball game vs. St. Stephens on Feb. 13. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
    Pioneer cross country team member Susanna Goff gave us a close-up of the ring recognizing the state championship achievement. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    Don’t tell the men’s basketball Pioneers about any of those bad luck myths about Friday the 13th. They’re not true. A whopping five Watauga players — all seniors — finished in double figures, scoring. Senior forward Brady Lindenmuth was one of them and finished just two rebounds shy of a double-double after scoring 11 points, 8 rebounds, and swatting away 2 blocked shots.

    Point guard Cade Keller tied with St. Stephens’ Chatham Donley for game-high scoring honors (20 points), and was joined in double figures by Jackson Love (14), Kyle Williams (11) and Bowen Mayo (10), as well as Lindenmuth.

    With a late basket, St. Stephens tied the Pioneers at 12-12 at the end of the first quarter, but Watauga did just enough to take the lead and add to it ever so slightly in each ensuing period. At halftime, the Pioneers held a tenuous, 31-28 advantage, then expanded it to 50-44 by the start of the final period.

    Senior guard Cade Keller flies to the basket on Feb. 13, in the regular season finale (and win) vs. St. Stephens. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    St. Stephens finished the regular season 1-9 in conference play, with their only league win coming against Watauga on Jan. 22. Since the Pioneers rematch wins against the other conference opponents have been by more convincing margins, head coach Byron Payne was asked whether there was anything special in the St. Stephens matchup that proved more challenging for his Pioneers.

    “It was a battle tonight. I am proud of the way our guys competed, having had to play five games in seven days (because of the weather-induced rescheduling). They stayed n the battle and were able to pull away in the end. St. Stephens plays hard. They are well-coached. They are patient on offense and they work us really hard on defense,” said Payne.

    “I am super proud of our seniors and what they have meant for our program,” Payne added. “The time they have spent… they are helping to build the legacy of this program.”

    With the win, Watauga is tied with Alexander Central at 6-4 in conference play but, according to MaxPreps, is listed as owning the No. 2 at the end of the regular season and 15-7 overall. Watauga will get a first round bye into the semifinals of the Northwestern Conference tournament and play the first round winner of No. 3 Alexander Central and No. 6 St. Stephens on Thursday, Feb. 19, with an 8 p.m. scheduled tipoff.

    As the No. 1 seed, Freedom receives the other first round bye and will play the winner of No. 4 South Caldwell vs. No. 5 McDowell on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 8 p.m., in the first seminfal.

    The semifinal and final games are all hosted by Watauga High School this year.

     

  • Watauga WBB cruises to commanding, 62-24 win over St. Stephens

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was Senior Night, so hardly surprising that Watauga senior Izzy Torgerson had a big game in the Pioneers’ 62-24 thumping of St. Stephens on Feb. 13, in a packed Lentz Eggers Gym.  The 5-8 guard recorded one of the game’s most complete statistical lines: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 1 blocked shot in helping lead Watauga.

    Mia Mitchell (31) goes up for a layup against St. Stephens on Feb. 13. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    On the other end of the age spectrum, freshman guard Josie Mayo closely matched Torgerson’s stat line with one of her own: a game-high 18 points, tied for team-high 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. The Pioneers’ only other senior, Shelby Thompson, tied Mayo for game-high honors in assists (5). Listed as a 5-9 freshman forward, Mia Mitchell  tied Mayo for team-high honors in rebounds (8).

    The game got away from the visiting Indians very quickly, finding themselves on the wrong end of a 23-6 score after the first quarter — and it didn’t get any better for them until the fourth quarter when the Pioneers had emptied their bench. It was 37-9 at intermission, and 51-15 at the start of the final period.

    Watauga senior Izzy Togerson (5) brings the ball upcourt on Feb. 13, vs. St. Stephens. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    With the win, Watauga has a firm hold on the No. 3 seed in next week’s Northwestern Conference tournament, finishing the regular season with a 6-4 conference record, 12-11 overall. McDowell (19-5) and Alexander Central (21-2) are tied with 9-1 conference records. Both should be awarded first round byes into the semifinals.

    The pairings have not yet been announced, but Watauga will likely host a first round rematch with St. Stephens on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Tipoff will be announced at a later date.

    KEY PERFORMERS

    • WAT – Josie Mayo: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
    • WAT – Izzy Torgerson: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, 1 blocked shot
    • WAT – Mia Mitchell: 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 blocked shot
    • WAT – Izzy Mohr: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot
    • WAT – Shelby Thompson: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
    • WAT – Charlie Mattox: 4 points, 1 rebound
    • WAT – Susanna Goff: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 blocked shot
    • WAT – Presli Wood: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals
    • STST – Ady McHenry: 7 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
    • STST – Ella Barkley: 3 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 blocked shots
    • STST – Kaitlyn Prado: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

  • Late rally allows App State to take season opener vs. Canisius, 5-2

    By Matt Present. HICKORY, N.C. — Kameron Miller took a hit, then delivered a game-changing one.

    Struck hard in the side by a fouled-off liner toward the home dugout while he was standing in the on-deck circle Feb. 13, Miller went to the plate moments later and delivered a two-run single to break a sixth-inning tie as App State won 5-2 against Canisius in the 2026 season opener at L.P. Frans Stadium.

    Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    Due to the weekend weather forecast, the three-game series is now scheduled to conclude Saturday with a doubleheader that starts at noon.

    Tanner Nolan, Nick DiRito (win) and Ethan Wilson (save) allowed a combined five hits while striking out 11 batters in a low-scoring opener with strong pitching and defense from the Mountaineers.

    Miller’s single through the left side to break the 1-all tie scored Nico Soul and Ethan Puig. Joseph Zamora fouled out in an eventful plate appearance before that, as Miller was hit by a foul ball off the left-handed-hitting Zamora’s bat with runners on first and second, before they advanced later in the at-bat on strong reads of a pitch in the dirt.

    “That has never happened to me before,” Miller said of being hit by a foul ball like that. “I’ve only ever seen it on video. It was actually my roommate, Joseph Zamora, who did it. A little payback — I hit him in the head with a bat the other day, so fair enough.

    “Knowing what the main goal is, I got to come up in a big spot and help the guys out.”

    Canisius added one run in the seventh, but DiRito closed out a strong, four-inning effort out of the bullpen before giving way to Wilson for the final two innings. The Mountaineers added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, scoring on RBI singles from Puig and right fielder Drew DuPont, who had made a difficult running catch near the fence in foul territory in the top half of the frame.

    The grass is not yet fully green, but the boys of spring and summer are at it again. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    Wilson, a Belmont Abbey transfer, pitched a perfect ninth and retired six of the seven batters he faced, ending the game with a strikeout.

    Nolan, a left-handed Crowder College transfer, started on the mound and allowed one run in three innings. DiRito, a UMass Lowell transfer who played against App State in L.P. Frans Stadium last year and struck out the side in the ninth inning of a 1-0 loss to the Mountaineers, gave up one run on four hits while striking out six batters over his four innings with his new team.

    “Just limiting damage, when a guy gets on, not staying away from what our end goal is and not letting up runs,” DiRito said.

    After retiring the side in order to begin the game, Nolan allowed a leadoff double off the wall in the second. A walk put two on, and it appeared the bases would be loaded via a hit by pitch, but umpires gathered and determined that the batter leaned into it.

    Instead of the bases being loaded with nobody out, Nolan struck out that batter and followed a sacrifice bunt with another strikeout.

    Over in the App State dugout, every pitch has their full attention. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

    An inning later, Canisius got on the board with a two-out rally, as a hit batter and walk loaded the bases before another hit batter pushed across the game’s first run, but Nolan limited the damage by striking out the next batter looking on a 3-2 breaking ball.

    DiRito struck out three batters in a scoreless fourth. Canisius led off the fifth with a double and had runners at the corners with one away, but DiRito fanned the next batter and induced a groundout to end the threat.

    App State tied the score in the fifth, when Jake Mummau scored on Brooks Wright’s sacrifice fly, then took its first lead in the sixth. Soul and Puig reached via a hit by pitch (prompting a pitching change) and a walk to set the stage for Miller’s one-out delivery into left field.

    The insurance runs in the eighth occurred after Tank Yaghoubi drew a leadoff walk and reached second, with his hustle down the line impacting the focus and execution on the speedy Soul’s grounder toward the second baseman positioned near the bag.

    A misplay of the grounder put two runners on, Puig singled in the next at-bat to drive in Yaghoubi, and a groundout was followed by an intentional walk to Miller to load the bases. DuPont’s single through the right side brought in Soul for the final run.

    Soul scored twice, and seven different Mountaineers had one hit apiece.

  • MAKING HISTORY: McClain hammers TWO ‘grand slams’ in 12-0 rout of Columbia

    By Jacob Plecker. GREENSBORO, N.C. — Makayla McClain delivered a day for the ages on Feb. 13 in Greensboro by hitting two grand slams in the first three innings of App State Softball’s contest against Columbia, leading to a 12-0 win in five innings as part of The Spiro Classic softball tournament.
    App State then wrapped up the tourney’s second day by run-ruling Fairfield to sweep the doubleheader and move to 7-0 on the season.

    McClain in Rare Air

    To put into context what McClain did in the first game of the doubleheader, only 13 Major League Baseball players have hit two grand slams in a game — ever, in all of professional baseball history.

    McClain finished 2-2 against the Lions (0-1) with a career-best eight RBIs and reached base six times across the doubleheader.

    In the two complete games on Feb. 13, App State (7-0) outscored its two foes, 21-1, while tallying 19 hits. McClain and Julia Girk paced the Mountaineers with four hits apiece for the doubleheader, while Leah Gore posted a three-RBI contest against Fairfield (2-3), and Madison McIntyre and Dakota Daniel both drove home two runs across the doubleheader.

    In addition to the offense, Camryn Fisher bounced back well from her rough outing on Feb. 12 against UNCG to pick up two wins on Friday. She pitched every inning of the doubleheader and allowed just one run and five hits. Fisher now sits at 4-0 on the season, which puts her in a tie for first place in the Sun Belt Conference.

    Up Next

    The Mountaineers are set to conclude The Spiro Classic on Saturday with another doubleheader, facing off with Columbia and UNCG for the second time this weekend. App State will kick off the day at 10 a.m. against the Lions before wrapping up play at 3 p.m. against the Spartans. Both games can be followed along via Live Stats.

  • App State Wrestling stays unbeaten in SoCon with 38-3 win over Davidson

    By Bret Strelow. DAVIDSON, N.C. — Remaining unbeaten in SoCon duals, App State Wrestling started its final road swing of the regular season by taking nine of 10 matches in a 38-3 victory at Davidson on Friday night.

    The first-place Mountaineers (9-5, 6-0) wrestle again Sunday at preseason favorite Chattanooga, which is 8-5 overall and 5-1 in SoCon duals, with the lone league setback being a 19-18 loss to The Citadel in a showdown decided by tiebreaking criteria. An 18-all tie in that dual was broken by the fact that the only pin of the night belonged to The Citadel, which fell to 4-1 in the league via a 23-13 loss at App State.

    With two SoCon duals left on App State’s schedule, the outcome Sunday in Chattanooga could play a big role in determining if there is one outright champion or co-champions in the regular season race.

    App State wrestled seven of its 10 primary starters at Davidson, and redshirt senior Joe Zovistoski earned the first dual win of his career with a 9-4 decision against Josh Lange at 174 pounds.

    Making his third career dual appearance after being named a NWCA Scholar All-American last year, Zovistoski took a 3-1 lead by recording a takedown late in the second period and finishing the period on top. Lange followed Zovistoski’s escape to open the third with a tying takedown, but Zovistoski responded with a tiebreaking escape and sealed the match on a takedown shortly thereafter.

    Joe Fongaro, a Rutgers transfer in his first year at App State, made his SoCon dual debut and earned his second dual win of the season at 141 pounds, while Kai O’Dell improved to 3-0 in his career as a dual starter.

    App State built a 22-0 lead through four matches thanks to two forfeits (at 197 and 125) and a pair of tech falls (from heavyweight Stephan Monchery and Jarvis Little at 133) before Fongaro fired in immediately and recorded a takedown less than five seconds into his 5-0 shutout of Marley Washington.

    Davidson’s only victory came in a showdown of 149-pound wrestlers with 5-0 league records. Anderson Heap recorded an overtime takedown against Kaden Keiser to prevail 4-1.

    A second-period takedown was the difference in O’Dell’s 4-2 decision against Anwar Alli at 157, and Anthony Conetta won an 8-4 decision against Bryce Griffin in the next match at 164. Tomas Brooker followed Zovistoski’s victory with a major decision in the final match.

    App State’s 2025-26 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station.

    App State 38, Davidson 3

    197: Logan Eller (APP) won by forfeit
    285: Stephan Monchery (APP) def. DJ Spring II (DC), 22-4 tech fall
    125: Cooper Foster (APP) won by forfeit
    133: #31 Jarvis Little (APP) def. Luke Passarelli (DC), 18-2 tech fall
    141: Joe Fongaro (APP) def. Marley Washington (DC), 5-0 dec.
    149: Anderson Heap (DC) def. #29 Kaden Keiser (APP), 4-1 dec. (SV)
    157: Kai O’Dell (APP) def. Anwar Alli (DC), 4-2 dec.
    165: Anthony Conetta (APP) def. Bryce Griffin (DC), 8-4 dec.
    174: Joe Zovistoski (APP) def. Josh Lange (DC), 9-4 dec.
    184: #22 Tomas Brooker (APP) def. Cody Kirk (DC), 11-1 maj. dec.

  • Dada-Mascoll, Manyube pace Mountaineer rally to 5-2 win over Kennesaw State

    By Layne McNary. KENNESAW, Ga. — The App State tennis team took down Kennesaw State 5-2 on the road Saturday, securing its third consecutive win.

    The Mountaineers (3-2) rallied after conceding the doubles point early in the match. Courts 1 through 4 picked up the points needed to clinch the victory, with Allegra Hodson’s match the only one requiring a third set. Ruby Broadbent earned the fifth point of the day for App State, winning back-to-back sets after dropping the first.

    How It Happened

    App State opened the match by dropping doubles matches on courts 1 and 3. The duo of Naledi Manyube and Sreenidhi Balaji led 5-3 before Kennesaw State (0-3) clinched the point.

    Trailing 1-0 heading into singles play, the Mountaineers remained resilient. Savannah Dada-Mascoll, ranked No. 6, won the first singles match for App State in straight sets, dominating at No. 1 with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

    Despite a loss on Court 6, Manyube completed a straight-set win at No. 2, winning 6-4, 6-2 to tie the score at 2-2. Taya Powell gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the day after a 6-2, 6-4 win on Court 3, putting App State one point away from the overall victory.

    Hodson clinched the dual from Court 4 in a three-set battle. After splitting the first two sets, she pulled away in the third to win 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, securing the decisive fourth point. Broadbent finished the day at No. 5, earning her third singles win of the season to cap the comeback, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

    Up Next

    The Mountaineers remain in Georgia to face Mercer on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Copelan Tennis Complex in Macon, Ga.

  • Helms, Stough and Townsend lead Watauga women to NCHSAA 6A Indoor Track & Field state championship title

    By David Rogers. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Thirty-eight (38) schools had athletes qualify for the NCHSAA 6A Women’s Indoor Track & Field State Championships on Feb. 12 at the JDL FastTrack venue — but only one program was crowned the North Carolina 6A Women’s  team champion.

    With three of the top six performers in the Women’s Pole Vault, including No. 1 Sydney Helms, No. 4 Sophie Robbins and No. 6 Gracyn Blanton) and strong showings in multiple events by Cali Townsend, Tessa Buchanan, Lily Stough and Lainey Johnston, the Watauga Pioneers powered their way to the NCHSAA 6A Women’s State Indoor Championship title on Feb. 12 at JDL Fasttrack in Winston-Salem.

    In addition to Pole Vault, where the Pioneers were the only team with three athletes qualifying for the state meet, Watauga had “top 5” placings in several events, including 55m Hurdles (No. 5, Tessa Buchanan), 300 Meters (No. 3, Lily Stough), 500 Meters (No. 4, Tessa Buchanan), 1000 Meters (No. 3, Cali Townsend), 1600 Meters (No. 2 Cali Townsend), 4×800 Relay (No. 3: Lainey Johnston, Lily Kimbrough, Sydney Townsend, Cali Townsend), High Jump (No. 2, Lily Stough), Long Jump (No. 2, Lily Stough), Pole Vault (No. 1, Sydney Helms; No. 4, Sophie Robbins) and Triple Jump (No. 3, Lily Stough)

    FINAL TEAM PLACINGS

    • No. 1 – Watauga (78 points)
    • No. 2 – Ragsdale (69)
    • No. 3 – Asheville (52)
    • No. 4 – Piedmont (43.5)
    • No. 5 – Mount Tabor (40)
    • No. 6 – Dudley (32)
    • No. 7 – A C Reynolds (25.5)
    • No. 8 – Southeast Guilford (25)
    • No. 9 – East Chapel Hill (23)
    • No. 10 – Middle Creek (19.5)
    • TIE No. 11 – Berry and Statesville (18)
    • No. 13 – E E Smith (15)
    • TIE No. 14 – Berry and Statesville (14)
    • No. 16 – Alexander Central (13.5)
    • No. 17 – Northern Guilford (12)
    • No. 18 – Union Pines (11.5)
    • TIE No. 19 – Seventy-First and Asheboro (11)
    • No. 21 – Gray’s Creek (10)
    • TIE No. 22 – Western Guilford and White Oak (7)
    • No. 24 – Northern Durham (5)
    • No. 25 – T C Roberson (4)
    • TIE No. 26 – Ashbrook and J H Rose (2)
    • No. 28 – Jacksonville (1.5)
    • No. 29 – Northern Nash (1)

    SUMMARY OF WATAUGA PERFORMANCES AT NCHSAA 6A STATE INDOOR TRACK & FIELD  CHAMPIONSHIPS

    • Tessa Buchanan – No. 5 in 55m Hurldes
    • Lily Stough – N. 3 in 300 meters
    • Tessa Buchanan – No. 4 in 500 meters
    • Lainey Johnston – No. 10 in 500 meters
    • Cali Townsend – No. 3 in 1000 meters
    • Cali Townsend – No. 2 in 1600 meters
    • Watauga – No. 6 in 4×400 Relay (C. Townsend, Johnston, Hans, Buchanan)
    • Watauga – No. 3 in 4×800 Relay (Johnston, Kimbrough, S. Townsend, C. Townsend)
    • Lily Stough – No. 2 in High Jump
    • Lily Stough – No. 2 in Long Jump
    • Sydney Helms – No. 1 in Pole Vault
    • Sophie Robbins – No. 4 in Pole Vault
    • Gracyn Blanton – No. 6 in Pole Vault
    • Lily Stough – No. 3 in Triple Jump

  • Nyle Peays’ No. 2 finish in the 300 Meters highlights Watauga men’s No. 10 team spot in the 6A State indoor track & Field championship meet

    By David Rogers. WINSTON-SALEM — More than 40 men’s teams had entries in the NCHSAA 6A State Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 12, so finishing in the top 10 is a notable achievement for the Watauga High School men’s team in 2026.

    The team performance was highlighted by Nyle Peays’ No 2 finish in the 300 Meters sprint, Coy Johnson earning the No. 4 spot in the Shot Put, and the Pioneers’ 4×800 Relay squad picking up a valuable team point with their No. 8 finish.

    MEN’S ‘TOP 20’ TEAM SCORES

    • No. 1 – Mount Tabor (53.5 points)
    • No. 2 – Asheboro (51)
    • No. 3 – Asheville (44.5)
    • No. 4 – Dudley (36)
    • TIE No. 5 – Berry and A C Reynolds (35)
    • No. 7 – T C Roberson (31.5)
    • No. 8 – Union Pines (29)
    • No. 9 – Southeast Guilford (28)
    • No. 10 – Watauga (21)
    • TIE No. 11 – White Oak and Western Harnett (20)
    • No. 13 – Charlotte Catholic (19)
    • No. 14 – Northern Nash (16)
    • TIE No. 15 – East Chapel Hill and Statesville (13)
    • TIE No. 17 – Scotland County and West Johnston (11)
    • TIE No. 19 – Western Guilford, Northern Guilford and Olympic (8)

     

    SUMMARY OF WATAUGA MEN’S PERFORMANCES AT NCHSAA 6A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET

    • Riley Ellison – No. 6, 55 Meters
    • Nyle Peays – No. 2, 300 Meters
    • Grady Gates – No. 5, 1000 Meters
    • Watauga – No. 10, 4×200 Relay (Riley Ellison, Mason Harris, Kees Greene, Nyle Peays)
    • Watauga – No. 8, 4×800 Relay (Grady Gates, Sean Rea, Brian Newmark, Levi Anderson)
    • Coy Johnson – No. 4, Shot Put