By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — Whether spiking a kill, demonstrating ballet between sets, or even mishitting a serve into the net, Watauga’s women’s volleyball team had fun on Sept. 14 in Hudson, against South Caldwell. They staged a 3-set sweep of the Spartans, 25-15, 25-8, 25-13.
Pioneer head coach Kim Pryor said after the match that one of the challenges for this week has been getting her charges to focus on the task at hand, even with it being the first Northwestern Conference match of the still young season.
Watauga outside hitter Faith Watson (left) hits a kill shot past a South Caldwell defender on Sept. 14, at the Spartan campus in Hudson. Watauga won in straight sets. Photo by David Rogers
“This week is homecoming at Watauga, so there are a lot of things related to that going on, including all of the homecoming events Friday night. Before the match, I stressed the importance of focusing on volleyball for this night and they did, wonderfully,” said Pryor.
Senior middle blocker and outside hitter Brooke Scheffler said that the team’s strategy against South Caldwell was to keep as much pressure on the Spartans as possible.
“We know they have a very big hitter, so the goal was to keep them off balance, to not let her teammates set her up with good opportunities. I think that pressure was a big difference maker for this match,” said Scheffler.
Pioneer libero Kenzie Baldwin serves against South Caldwell on Sept. 14, in the first Northwestern Conference match of the 2022 season. Watauga won, 3-0. Photo by David Rogers
Scheffler once again put together one of the more robust stat lines on the night, with 15 kills, 24 assists, 2 service aces, 10 digs, and even adding a stuff block to her resume.
Senior Carolina Farthing, also an outside hitter, amassed 20 kills over the course of the three sets.
Other stat leaders included Cam Norris (18 assists, 1 service ace, 2 digs), Evie Robbins (13 digs, 2 service aces), Kenzie Baldwin (16 digs, 3 assists), and Faith Watson (9 kills, 4 stuff blocks, 1 dig).
With the win, the Pioneers improve to 10-1 overall, 1-0 in Northwestern Conference play. Their next action is on the road, in Taylorsville against Alexander Central (3-5, 0-1). The Cougars lost to Ashe County on Sept. 14 in its conference debut, 20-25, 19-25, 25-19, 20-25.
The South Caldwell defender doesn’t stand a chance against this kill shot by Watauga’s Carolina Farthing (22). Photo by David Rogers
Special Report. HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — As first impressions go, good luck topping this one.
Opening its fall schedule this week, App State Men’s Golf was dominant at the start and resilient at the finish in winning the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational. The Mountaineers completed the 15-team, 54-hole event with a 7-under team score of 845, giving them four shots of separation from second-place Marshall. The tourney was hosted by Guyan Golf and Country Club in Huntington, W. Va.
On Monday, in the first round under the direction of first-year head coach Alan Cress, App State set a program record for lowest team round by recording a 14-under 270, highlighted by a 6-under 65 by true freshman Herman Huus in his first collegiate round.
The work of Huus, Addison Beam, Sverrir Haraldsson, Lukas Jönsson and Colin Browning enabled App State to claim its first team title since it began the 2018 fall season with a victory over six other teams at the Wildcat Fall Invitational hosted by Villanova. A year earlier, the Mountaineers prevailed in a 16-team field at the Patriot Intercollegiate hosted by George Mason.
The Mountaineers took a 13-stroke lead into the final round and endured some struggles that dropped them several spots out of the lead before they recovered in time to regain control.
Huus tied for third place overall with a 4-under total of 209 (65-73-71), and Beam tied for seventh at 3 under (68-71-71—210). Haraldsson (70-69-74—213 for an even-par total) tied for 13th, and Jönsson tied for 25th with a 216 total. Browning opened the tournament with a 69, and App State had two young players compete as individuals.
Redshirt freshman Josh Buxbaum shot a 1-under 70 in his first official collegiate round, and true freshman Aidan Browning shot a 72 with four birdies in Round 2 before closing with a 71.
Huus’ opening-round 65, which left him tied for the lead through 18 holes, included seven birdies and one bogey. That’s tied for the second-lowest tournament round in program history, behind just the 63 that Haraldsson carded during the Bash at the Beach event in the 2022 spring.
Jönsson’s first-round 68 included an eagle, Beam had a bogey-free 68, Browning carded his 69 and Haraldsson also broke par with a 70.
In Round 2, Haraldsson and Jönsson led the team with a pair of 69s, while Browning and Beam had 71s. Remarkably, App State didn’t even need to count the score from Huus, who had the fifth-best second round in the lineup with a 73 but was still tied for fourth place overall through 36 holes.
App State resumes its schedule Monday with the River Run Collegiate at Davidson.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — After T.C. Roberson sophomore Erika Fransheska dispatched Watauga sophomore Sienna Davidson in the No. 1 singles match on Sept. 13, some of the Pioneer supporters feared that the women’s tennis rematch results would be similar to the 7-2 drubbing on the Rams’ home court in Asheville, on Aug. 24.
But things could hardly have gone better for the Pioneer women after that first setback. They swept the rest of the day’s eight matches to win, 8-1.
“We came to play today,” said Watauga head coach Jennifer Pillow. “I am so proud of these young women’s perseverance and resilience.”
The Pioneers resume Northwestern Conference play on Sept. 14, when they host Freedom.
SINGLES
TCR Erika Fransheska Mendez def. WAT Sienna Davidson 6-2, 6-3
WAT Madison Ogden def. TCR Lauren Denton 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
WAT Amira Younce def. TCR Rainie Richards 6-2, 6-2
WAT Larisa Muse def. TCR Sydney Selmensberger 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7)
WAT Alaina Muse def. TCR Kara Lynch 6-3, 6-2
WAT Laurel West def. TCR “Singles Rams” 6-0, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)
DOUBLES
WAT Ogden-Younce def. TCR Fransheska Mendez-Richards 8-4
WAT Davidson-Abbi Shuman def. TCR Lynch-Maddie Yeatman 8-2
WAT Muse-Muse def. TCR Mehar Chatha-Grace Yang 8-0
By David Rogers. COVE CREEK, N.C. — Close calls and comeback rallies were the order of the day on Sept. 13, at Cove Creek School, where the Raiders played host to tri-match volleyball in welcoming Parkway and Blowing Rock.
None were more thrilling than Cove Creek rallying from an 11-1 deficit in the second set, surge ahead at 22-21, but then fall to Parkway in overtime, 27-25. Given the Parkway girls first set win of 25-19, the match goes down as a straight set sweep even if the outcome was much closer than the set score suggests.
Parkway School’s Gianna Clark goes up to block a Cove Creek kill attempt on Sept. 13, at Cove Creek School. Photo by David Rogers
In the first set of the Blowing Rock vs. Parkway encounter, the Rockets jumped ahead to a 4-0 first set lead before girls from the east side of Boone got their mojo going — and moving on to a decisive, 25-19, 25-9 sweep.
Blowing Rock fell in another close match to Parkway in the final pairing of the night, pushing to overtime in the first set before losing, 26-24, then losing the second set, 25-17.
In other middle score matches around the county, Hardin Park defeated Mabel, 25-13, 25-15.
At the tri-match hosted by Bethel School, Valle Crucis fell to Bethel in a nail biter, 25-22, 25-20. Valle Crucis dropped the first set to Green Valley before rallying to win the next two and take the match, 24-26, 25-17, 16-14. In the closing match, Green Valley closed out Bethel in three sets, 25-21, 17-25, 15-7.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was another near-sweep of a conference opponent for Watauga women’s tennis on Sept. 12. This time, their Northwestern Conference victim was Lenoir-based Hibriten.
The Pioneers lost only the No. 6 singles match to the visiting Panthers, going 8-1 on the day.
“We won five out of six singles matches, so I am very pleased with that result,” said the Pioneers head tennis coach, Jennifer Pillow, while the doubles matches were still being decided. “I have seen a lot of really good smart playing by our athletes today, with their placement of the ball. They are moving very well today. We have been working on putting the ball away and they have done a good job of it in these matches against a well-coached Hibriten team.”
Photo by David Rogers
Pillow noted that she has eight seniors on the 2022 fall edition of the Pioneers, with a good sprinkling of underclassmen, including some sophomore and freshman standouts, so it is challenging at times to get everyone competitive court time.
The Pioneers have two more home matches this week, the first a Sept. 13 encounter vs. T.C. Roberson (6-1) to whom they lost, 7-2, in Asheville on Aug. 24 for their only blemish on the season’s record. They stay at home on Sept. 14 in another conference match, this one against Freedom (0-3), before going back on the road Sept. 19 at Ashe County and Sept. 21 at South Caldwell.
SINGLES
WAT Sienna Davidson (Soph.) def. HIB Natalie Jones (Jr.) 6-2,6-2
WAT Madison Ogden (Sr.) def. HIB Charlotte Gardner (Sr.) 6-3, 6-0
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Even though Watauga’s Sept. 12 men’s soccer match will be recorded as a 1-0, non-conference loss to Northwest Guilford, the Pioneers left Jack Groce Stadium knowing they had battled toe to toe with one of the better high school teams in western North Carolina.
The Vikings of Northwest Guilford (5-2-1) are ranked at No. 45 out of the more than 400 North Carolina varsity programs and No. 10 in the NCHSAA 4A West half of the state, according to MaxPreps. Even before Monday night’s match with the Pioneers, the Greensboro-based Vikings sported a national ranking of No. 243 out of the 2,298 varsity programs monitored by MaxPreps. Now 2-5 on the still young season with the West Caldwell outcome still pending, Watauga was ranked No. 233, statewide, among all programs in North Carolina before Monday’s loss, receiving credit for a strong strength of schedule in non-conference play.
Watauga’s Ben White outmaneuvers a NW Guilford player and turns upfield on attack, Sept. 12, at Jack Groce Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
“I am proud of this team tonight,” said Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt after the match. “Nothing to be embarrassed about at all. This was a very good opponent and our guys battled to the end. In fact, their one goal may just as well have been more our fault than their good play, although they took advantage.”
For most of the match the Vikings appeared equally as skilled as Watauga and maybe a half-step quicker to the ball. In the last 10 minutes, however, the Pioneers seemed to gain the upper hand, playing a good part of the remaining time in NW Guilford’s defending half. Sharply played combinations in Watauga’s attacking third of the field didn’t yield any goals for the host Pioneers, but underlined the young Pioneers’ fitness and resilience as they mounted scoring threats to the final buzzer.
Strong defensive play by the Vikings were able to turn away most of the scoring threats organized by the Pioneers, who managed only two shots on goal, one by Micah Duvall and another by Curtis Sevensky. Goalkeeper Kyle Painter recorded six saves on the night.
Watauga forward Curtis Sevensky (10) sprints ahead of a Northwest Guilford defender to play the ball on Sept. 12, attacking up the right sideline in the first half of the non-conference match at Jack Groce Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
Next up for the Pioneers is quick trip down the mountain on Sept. 13, to West Caldwell, to play the final 1 minute, 20 seconds that remained when a Warrior player was seriously injured last week and the game was called with the Pioneers threatening to close its 2-1 deficit. The game was delayed for well over a half hour while an ambulance was called to transport the injured athlete to a nearby hospital.
Asked for an update before the Sept. 12 match, Honeycutt reported that the injuries were not as severe as first feared, the athlete suffering a concussion and neck strain.
“No one has satisfactorily explained yet why the game was called with just a minute and a half remaining,” said Honeycutt. “The rules provide for only two reasons for a game to be called, and those are dangerous weather conditions or an unruly crowd. So play should have been resumed to finish out the match. Our guys work hard and deserve the opportunity to finish the game, so we will go down for that final 1:20.”
On Sept. 15, the Pioneers will receive another strong test on the road, at Davidson Day. The 7-2 Patriots are ranked No. 202 nationally and No. 35 statewide. The Pioneers return home for two more strong non-conference tests next week, vs. Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, 3-3-1) on Sept. 19 and Cox Mill (Concord, 6-0-3) on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a day that included upset wins and nail biter losses for the Sun Belt Conference on Sept. 10, the athletic conference that defied recent national trends. Instead of broadening its geographic scope to create cross-country footprints like the SEC and Big 10, the Sun Belt opted to strengthen regional rivalries. Arguably the strongest “non-autonomous” athletic conference now, the Sun Belt registered significant football successes over the weekend. Some highlights:
Appalachian State plowed through No. 6 Texas A&M on Saturday, winning 17-14 with a coaching game plan that was executed by the players to perfection. Keeping the powerful. SEC-member Aggies’ offense off the field for all but 18 minutes and 30 seconds, the Mountaineers controlled the ball for more than 41 minutes with long drive after long drive and featured a defense that proved worthy of any Power 5 program.
Marshall surprised No. 8-ranked Notre Dame, 26-21. The Thundering Herd poached three INTs from the Fighting Irish passers while RB Khalan Laborn carried the ball 31 times for 163 yards and a TD for Marshall.
Georgia Southern was a three TD underdog going into its Saturday tilt at Nebraska, but the Eagles turned that betting line upside down with a 45-42 upset. New head coach Clay Helton, formerly the head coach at the University of Southern California, now has an unblemished, 2-0 early record in his first year leading a Sun Belt program.
Only a week after App State nearly pulled off an upset vs. Mack Brown’s North Carolina team, an ACC member, the Tar Heels escaped Atlanta with a narrow, 35-28 win over Georgia State. The Panthers’ QB, Darren Grainger, passed for 186 yards and three TDs, but Georgia State also featured a balanced attack with 235 yards rushing among five runners.
A resurgent South Alabama defeated Mid-American Conference power Central Michigan, 38-24. A week earlier, the Chippewas had scared No. 12 Oklahoma State in a 58-44 shootout loss while South Alabama dominated Nicholls, 48-7.
New Sun Belt member James Madison, moving up from the FCS level, all but destroyed Norfolk State, 63-7.
Last year’s Sun Belt champion, Louisiana, rallied to defeat Eastern Michigan, 49-21. Trailing 14-0 at halftime, the Ragin’ Cajuns outscored the Eagles in the second half, 49-7.
Another up and coming Sun Belt program, Texas State roasted Conference USA member, Florida International, 41-12. QB Layne Hatcher, a transfer to the Lonestar State from Arkansas State, riddled FIU’s secondary for 226 yards and three TDs, while the Bobcats’ rushing attack matched their aerials with 226 yards on the ground, led by RB Calvin Hill’s 195 yards on 28 carries and a TD.
Special Report. BOONE, N.C. — A top-10 road win Saturday afternoon helped facilitate more big news Saturday night.
ESPN’s College GameDay is coming to Boone.
Appearing in the High Country for the first time, the popular college football pregame show will be on campus next weekend, on Saturday, Sept. 17, for App State’s Sun Belt Conference opener against Troy. Kickoff, subject to change, is currently scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Stay tuned to appstatesports.com and App State’s social media platforms for more details on the exact location and other info.
The Mountaineers will head into their league opener fresh off a 17-14 win at No. 6 Texas A&M. It was the program’s first win against a top-10 opponent since the 34-32 victory against No. 5 Michigan in 2007, when App State was an FCS power, and that nationally televised victory followed a home opener in which Kidd Brewer Stadium had a record 40,168 fans for a high-scoring thriller between the Mountaineers and North Carolina.
Now in its eighth season at the FBS level, App State has won four Sun Belt titles and six bowl games. The Mountaineers are 80-20 in their last 100 games.
Rece Davis leads the show in his eighth season as host. He is joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and David Pollack and reporters Jen Lada, Gene Wojciechowski and newcomer Jess Sims. Senior research producer Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica and college football insider Pete Thamel round out the GameDay crew for the season.
Pat McAfee joined GameDay for the first time this past weekend in Austin, site of the Texas-Alabama game.
By David Rogers. COLLEGE STATION, Texas — With the kind of time management that would make a Swiss watchmaker proud, Appalachian State rolled into the Longhorn State and took down nationally No. 6-ranked Texas A&M, 17-14, on Sept. 10. It was the second time in the Mountaineers’ program history that they upset a “top 10” ranked team, the first coming in 2007, against then No. 5 ranked Michigan.
Saturday’s upset occurred in front of 92,664 mostly Aggie fans at Kyle Stadium. At one point in the first half, the heat index was recorded at 107 degrees Fahrenheit. During his post-game press conference, App State head coach Shawn Clark underlined the weather conditions by noting that earlier in the week the Mountaineers had practiced in 58-degree weather, back in Boone.
With an estimated 3,000 Mountaineer fans among the more than 92,000 in College Station, Texas’ Kyle Stadium, the High Country was well represented on Sept. 10 to witness App State’s 17-14 upset of No. 6 ranked Texas A&M. Photo courtesy of the Sun Belt Conference
Controlling the clock was part of the Mountaineer game plan, said Clark, and they achieved that objective by having possession of the football for 41:29, keeping A&M’s highly touted offense off the field for all but 18:31. Appalachian produced 315 yards of total offense while holding Texas A&M in check.
The Mountaineer defense, which was torched for 567 yards of total offense by North Carolina a week ago, effectively stuffed Texas A&M, limiting the Aggies to just 186 yards of total offense and forcing two turnovers.
The Mountaineers’ scoring included a 4-yard TD run by Wake Forest transfer Ahmani Marshall on the first play of the second quarter to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.
App State’s Daetrich Harrington darts through a hole in the line of scrimmage on Sept. 10, 2022, during the Mountaineers’ 17-14 upset of the No. 6 ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Photo courtesy of the Sun Belt Conference
Running back Devon Achane accounted for both of the Aggies’ touchdowns, the first coming on a 26-yard run on the drive after Marshall’s TD. Then, after Mountaineer QB Chase Brice had flipped a short pass to tight end Henry Pearson on the right side that saw the 6-3, 245-lb. senior from New Jersey run around the perimeter and sneak one foot inside the goal line pylon, Achane responded with a 95-yard kickoff return, covering the distance virtually untouched.
App State featured a balanced offensive attack on the day: 181 yards rushing by five runners, led by junior running Camerun Peoples (19 carries, 112 yards) and 134 yards passing to nine different receivers.
App State’s defense sparkled against No. 6 ranked Texas A&M on Sept. 10, 2022, like this tackle behind the line of scrimmage by defensive back Nick Ross (4) of Aggie QB Haynes King. Photo courtesy of the Sun Belt Conference
Appalachian State returns to Kidd Brewer Stadium on Sept. 17 for a first Sun Belt Conference tilt against Troy, with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. Texas A&M hopes to rebound against No. 15 Miami, at home, in a 9:00 p.m. game featured on ESPN.
COMPLETED GAMES FROM AROUND THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE (SBC teams in bold)
Appalachian State 17, No. 6 Texas A&M 14
No. 3 Ohio State 45, Arkansas State 12
Marshall 26, No. 8 Notre Dame 21
No. 15 Miami 30, Southern Miss 7
North Carolina 35, Georgia State 28
South Alabama 38, Central Michigan 24
James Madison 63, Norfolk State 7
East Carolina 39, Old Dominion 21
Coastal Carolina 31, Gardner-Webb 27
SUN BELT GAMES IN PROGRESS AT THIS WRITING:
3rd Qtr. – Eastern Michigan 14, Louisiana 0
3rd Qtr. – Troy 21. Alabama A&M 3
3rd Qtr. – Texas State 20, Florida International 6
By David Rogers. LAWNDALE, N.C. — For three-quarters of the Sept. 9 high school football game between host Burns and visiting Watauga, both teams had answers. But with a 21-point scoring outburst in the fourth quarter that took advantage of Pioneer turnovers, the Bulldogs gave their enthusiastic home crowd a lot to cheer about in carving out a convincing, 48-28 win.
The night started promising enough for Watauga, its defensive unit holding Burns to a three-and-out on the Bulldogs’ opening possession. Then, in trademark grinding fashion, the Pioneers marched to the game’s first score after a 10-play drive that took four and a half minutes off the clock — and kept Burns’ offense off the field. Watauga covered the 78 yards with quarterback Maddox Greene and senior running backs Will Curtis and Trey Thompson trading carries before Greene surprised everyone on 1st-and-10 from the Burns 24-yard-line with a pass to senior wide receiver Jackson Pryor. The TD pass drew the proverbial “first blood” for the High Country visitors. Placekicker Grant Kight’s PAT kick sailed through the uprights cleanly to make the score midway through the first half, 7-0.
Burns High School junior running back Jeremiah Norris breaks into the open to score a second half TD against Watauga on Sept. 9.
Burns didn’t waste any time answering, orchestrating a 9-play drive to produce a touchdown and PAT that took just under three minutes.
And that was the way most of the first three quarters went, the schools trading touchdowns. Watauga held the slightest of advantages when Burns’ placekicker missed a field goal and an extra point after his team’s final TD of the third quarter, leaving the score at 28-27 entering the last stanza.
Trailing, Burns had possession going into the fourth quarter but failed to convert on a 4th-and-5 opportunity at the Watauga 31-yard-line. The Pioneer defense did its job, setting up the offense for a potential go-ahead opportunity that would have made it a two-score game. Prospectively, they would also have taken a substantial amount of time off the game clock.
Even for a game almost two hours’ driving distance from Boone, Watauga’s student section was well represented on Sept. 9 in Lawndale as the football team took on Burns — and well costumed, to boot.
But only two plays into their first possession of the final period, the Pioneers joined the “Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda Club” when Burns punched the ball out of running back Will Curtis’ arms, then recovered the fumble at the Watauga 37. Given a short field, it took Bulldog quarterback Ben Mauney just four plays to get Burns into the end zone, finished off with a 16-yard scamper around and through a legion of Pioneers by versatile running back Jeremiah Norris.
On the subsequent kickoff, Watauga’s Trey Thompson gave the Pioneers’ offense relatively good field position with a 20-yard return, but two plays later the Bulldogs forced yet another fumble and turnover, again giving the home side a short field to work with, offensively. It took only five plays for the Mauney-directed offense to get the job done, with running back Ryan Thompson getting the call to rush the ball into the end zone from five yards out. This time, placekicker Ansley Camacho’s PAT kick was good, giving Burns a 42-28 lead and only 6:19 left before game’s end.
The Burns’ defense held on Watauga’s next possession, forcing a three-and-out, then the Bulldogs use eight plays to grind out an insurance touchdown, the drive featuring senior wide receiver Lemont Wilson’s rushing carries of 5, 13, 3, and 3 yards before fellow senior Thompson punched the ball the remaining one-yard across the goal line with just 53 seconds left.
Oops. The referees caught this face mask penalty against Burns as the defensive lineman turns Watauga’s Greene after a sizable gain on Sept. 9, in Lawndale.
“We didn’t execute, plain and simple,” said Watauga head coach Ryan Habich after the game. “In one respect, I am happy about this because we needed to know you can’t take anything for granted. You have to play the whole game. Overall, I was pleased with our players’ effort and we have some terrific young men on this team, but we have to improve on execution if we want to achieve our goals of a conference championship and home field advantage in the playoffs.”
Asked what the team needs to do to fix its execution problems, sophomore quarterback Maddox Greene said, succinctly, “More practice and better practice.”
Watauga (3-1 overall, 0-0 in Northwestern Conference) will have a week to work on things before next Friday, Sept. 16, when they return to the friendly confines of Jack Groce Stadium for “Homecoming” and a final non-conference game. Their opponent will be High Country rival, Ashe County (2-2, 0-0). On Sept. 9, the Huskies suffered a 51-29 loss to a strong Mt. Airy team.
SELECTED TEAM STATS
Total Offense: WAT 329, BUR 459
Time of Possession: WAT 25:45. BUR 22:15
Rushing Attempts-Yards: WAT 48-302, BUR 42-207
Passing Completions/Attempts/Yards: WAT 2/4/27. BUR 15/20/252
Passing TDs-INTs: WAT 1-0, BUR 2-0
Fumbles-Lost: WAT 3-3, BUR 0-0
Penalties: WAT 5-30, BUR 7-55
3rd Down Conversions: WAT 4/7 (57%), BUR 4/11 (36%)
4th Down Conversions: WAT 1/2 (50%), BUR 2/4 (50%)
