By David Rogers. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — A strong performance by Watauga High School’s swim teams produced a 4-team sweep for the women’s team and a 3-1 performance for the men in a Jan. 9 meet hosted by Alexander Central. The other teams included Wilkes Central, West Wilkes, North Wilkes, as well as Alexander Central.
“I thought we swam well considering we have missed so much practice due to bad weather and the holidays,” said Watauga head coach David Gragg. “Typically, this pool does not produce good times for our team, but this year we had quite a few fast swims.”
Looking ahead, Gragg added, “I am hopeful the weather holds out the next few weeks so that we can get our last regular season meet in, which will be Senior Night, and then get ready to host the Northwestern Conference meet the following week.”
At the Taylorsville meet, first place finishes by Pioneer swimmers included:
Next up for the Pioneer natators is a 6-team home meet at Watauga County Recreation Center vs. Alexander Central, Ashe County, Avery County, Freedom and University Christian.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Deep Watauga High School Swimming rosters responded to a mid-holiday test on Dec. 18 with several key performances, in a four-way meet involving South Caldwell, Draughn and Avery County as well as the host Pioneers.
“Tonight was a really good test for our teams. South Caldwell is always well coached and, years ago, we swam against Draughn in some tough meets,” said Watauga head coach David Gragg. “I personally have a connection to their current coaches. Stephanie (Idol) Mull was a former teammate of mine at Watauga, and Bret Watson was the former director and my boss at the Swim Complex (old pool in Boone before the WCRC).”
Gragg had special praise for the work of the Pioneer swimmers.
“I was pleased with the way we performed,” he said. “A lot of the year-round swimmers had a big meet this past weekend which took something out of them but it will help toward the end of the season. I see them training every day with the Watauga Swim Team before our high school practice. I enjoy seeing that hard work pay off at these meets.
“We are about five weeks away from the conference meet,” Gragg added. “We have some things to work on to be prepared but the next few weeks will help us get there.”
TEAM SCORES – MEN
South Caldwell 89, Watauga 71
Watauga 83, Draughn 47
South Caldwell 106, Draughn 47
Watauga 95, Avery County 13
South Caldwell 123, Avery County 13
Draughn 78, Avery County 12
TEAM SCORES – WOMEN
Watauga 111, South Caldwell 58
Watauga 118, Draughn 48
South Caldwell 98.5, Draughn 67.5
Watauga 133, Avery County 5
South Caldwell 132, Avery County 7
Draughn 114, Avery County 6
KEY INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES – MEN
200 Medley Relay
South Caldwell: No. 1 (Owen Griffith, Mason Hubbard, Max Clark, Nathan Hall)
By David Rogers. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Including a trio of No. 1 relay finishes for the Watauga women’s indoor track team at the North Stokes Indoor Classic hosted by JDL Fast Track, the Pioneers recorded strong early season finishes on Dec. 16. The women’s performances also featured three of the top four finishes in the triple jump.
On the Men’s side, Pioneer senior Sam Rex peeked under five minutes in the 1600 Meters Run, pushing to a No. 4 finish in 4:54.83. The Men’s team picked up a pair of No. 2 relay finishes in the 4×400 and 4×800.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With a dominant team performance by the Watauga women’s swimmers and an impressive showing by the Pioneer men in a 7-team meet at the Watauga Community Recreation Center, the local natators continued improving on their 2024-25 high school varsity season.
The Pioneer women’s team defeated all comers while the men’s only blemish was being edged by Bishop McGuinness.
Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — While the Watauga vs. North Wilkes women’s game on Dec. 7 was a nail biter, the varsity men’s finale was anything but. The Pioneers led from start to finish, in dominating fashion before pulling off an 89-48 non-conference victory at Lentz Eggers Gym.
The Pioneer starters got quite a bit of rest, especially in the second half, but it hardly mattered who was on the court for Watauga. All 14 rostered varsity Pioneers tested their Air Jordans on the hardwoods and 13 of them scored.
Pioneer guard Josiah Railey comes up with a ‘finisher’ vs. North Wilkes on Dec. 7. Photographic by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Junior guard Cade Keller picked up right where he left off the night before when he scored 30 points against the Avery County Vikings. Against the North Wilkes Vikings, he tallied 15 of his game-high 17 points in just the first quarter, including three 3-pointers during the opening stanza. With the Pioneers leading 47-20 by intermission, Keller did not play in the second half.
Eli Bishop came off the bench to replace Keller’s firepower in the second half, recording nine points in the third quarter and finishing the game with 11.
Pioneer head coach Bryson Payne apparently found three more bench players, all big forwards, capable of hitting from long distance. Rarely used J T Cook brought down the house in the closing quarter with three successful “makes” from beyond the arc, while Paul Taylor added two 3-pointers and Landon Smith another “trey.”
Now 3-0 to start the young 2024-25 campaign, the Pioneers will put that undefeated recorded at risk when they travel to West Caldwell (3-1) on Dec. 10, then to Maiden on Dec. 14.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Two different clans of Vikings battled the Pioneers in Lentz Eggers Gym on the weekend, with two very different results. After dispatching the Avery County Vikings on Dec. 6, Watauga couldn’t overcome a broad-based scoring barrage by the North Wilkes Vikings on Dec. 7, losing 70-67.
Pioneer guard Izzy Torgerson drained five of her six 3-pointers on the day in the second half while Julie Matheson and Blair Haines each added two more after intermission, the trio combining with senior Kate Sears to narrow a 9-point deficit going into the final stanza and nearly pulling off a come-from-behind victory.
Blair Haines was successful on consecutive 3-point attempts early in Watauga’s game vs. North Wilkes on Dec. 7. Photographic by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Overall, it was arguably the best long distance shooting of the young season for the Pioneers, who combined for 14 successful 3-point shots for the game, including Torgerson with six, Matheson with four, and Haines with four.
But the Vikings also proved worthy from behind the arc, with sharpshooters Ralee Bare and Meredith Tomko each finding success three times from long distance, combined with Ava Johnson and KK Kinder each successful from beyond the arc twice. Add sophomore Shalyn Bare’s effectiveness in the paint, and the Vikings just had too much firepower on this day.
With the outcome of the game coming down to the last several seconds, Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson had a lot of praise for North Wilkes’ play, as well as for his own team’s resilience in almost forging the comeback.
“These were two pretty good high school basketball teams,” said Torgerson. “It kind of had the feel of a state playoffs game because it was Saturday afternoon and a rather quiet gym. But these were two really good teams playing at an incredibly high level. I was impressed with our grit and resilience, but also how well North Wilkes played. They have talented players making shots… I would say North Wilkes is one of the best, most fundamentally sound teams executing on both sides of the ball that we will play.”
North Wilkes improves to 5-0 on the young season, Watauga falls to 1-3. The Pioneers play at East Lincoln on Dec. 14, then have a rematch against North Wilkes at their place on Dec. 17 before returning to play a next home game vs. Davie on Dec. 20. They have one other pre-Christmas game scheduled, at Northern Guilford on Dec. 21.
North Wilkes, which went deep into the state 2A playoffs a year ago (losing in the 2A West semifinals, next travels to East Wilkes on Dec. 9, then hosts East Surry on Dec. 13.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Four players in double figures, including 30 by combination junior guard Cade Keller, propelled host Watauga men’s varsity in dispatching High Country rival Avery County, 89-64, on Dec. 6 at Lentz Eggers Gym.
As usual for these annual rivalry games, it was a packed house on both sides of the court providing an electric atmosphere. While the Pioneers started slow, even allowing the Vikings to lead, 23-21, at the end of the first quarter, they turned things up several notches as the game progressed.
Josiah Railey swoops to the basket on Dec. 6 vs. Avery County. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Four 3-pointers by Keller and a total of 18 first half points from the junior sharpshooter invigorated the Pioneers, who picked up another first half “trey” by Logan Greene in the second quarter, augmented by strong inside play from senior Josiah Railey and junior big man, Jace Blocker, pushing Watauga out to a 40-36 lead by intermission.
In the second half, the Pioneers ratcheted up their defensive efforts and turned on the scoring jets, with Keller, Blocker and Railey continuing their production augmented by an 11-point second half run by junior guard Jackson Love.
Watauga’s senior guard Maddox Greene is well-known for making things happen, including this hustle play on Dec. 6 vs. Avery County, diving to the floor to secure the ball and passing to Jace Blocker trailing in support. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“In the first half tonight, defensively we were not good,” noted Keller to reporters after the game. “There was a lot of miscommunication and, really, lack of effort… not getting back on defense. We will clean that up and get better at it.
“I thought we battled well,” said Watauga head coach Bryson Payne after the last whistle. “I was happy with the way we finished the game. Our energy was a little low to begin the game, so it took us a little while to get our groove and play like we want to play. In the second half, we came out and started doing some things that we want to do, like running in transition and choosing better shots, including not settling for threes.”
Cade keller scores two of his 30 points on the night vs. Avery County on Dec. 6. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“When we started getting momentum, we did not let up. Our guys stayed in attack mode and kept that momentum,” Payne added.
For Railey, a senior, the 2024-25 season is the culmination of four years working on things.
“This is a last run. Ever since I got here as a freshman we have been building the program, going from a losing record to a Northwestern Conference winning record last year. We want to build on that this year. I was kept out a lot tonight because of foul trouble, so I had to make every moment count,” said Railey.
Jackson Love scored 11 points in the second half vs. Avery County to help put the game away against the Pioneers’ High Country rival. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Next up for the Pioneers is a rescheduled home tilt against North Wilkes on Dec. 7, following the two junior varsity games and the women’s varsity contest. Tipoff time is estimated to come at about 6 p.m.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With a new combination of players this season after losing four seniors from its state playoffs contending team, the Watauga women’s varsity finally jelled in the second half on Dec. 6 to run away from Avery County, 52-32.
Thanks largely to a pair of 3-pointers from Izzy Torgerson in the second quarter and one each from long distance in the first half by Julie Matheson and Blair Haines, Watauga managed to score 20 first half points while keeping the Vikings subdued, with 18.
Julie Matheson (1) takes a shot from long distance on Dec. 6. Her ‘mini-run’ in the third quarter played a key role in the Watauga win. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Then Matheson and senior Kate Sears went on mini-runs of their own after intermission to propel the Pioneers to their lopsided win, combined with a pressing defensive effort to disrupt Avery County possessions.
“I congratulated the girls on the win after losing so many starters and putting players in different roles. We got a little uptight in the first half and haven’t shot the ball well. It looked that way in the first half. We missed some pretty easy shots and forced the ball to take some tough shots,” said head coach Bill Torgerson after the game.
Watauga sophomore Blair Haines lets it fly in the first half against Avery County on Dec. 6. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“But we kept living in the moment and tried to string together some stops,” Torgerson added. “We knew we were going to have to play defense (better), but eventually we put together some good shots and pulled away. I am proud of the way the girls stayed poised in a tough game… Julie’s (Matheson) run in the third quarter really helped put it away.”
One of the surprise additions to the 2024-25 Pioneers is softball player Chloe Wilson, playing competitive basketball for the first time. A 6-0 center, the athletic Wilson showed a lot of promise. As she learns the game, things become more instinctive and develops chemistry with the other athletes, her role should grow.
Kate Sears wrestled her way through the crowd and down the lane to score vs. Avery County, in the first half of Lentz Eggers Gym on Dec. 6. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“I heard in the spring that a softball player and friend of Julie Matheson’s was going to come out for basketball this year,” Coach Torgerson recalled, smiling. “I had no idea who this girls was. I had never met her. But Chloe is one of the best athletes on the team. She has never played basketball, so we are spending a lot of time together. Basketball, like everything else, has its own special language with all the jargon, then with all the things you do instinctively from years of playing. She has a lot to learn but Chloe is a great athlete. I told her I am open to seeing how much she can learn and how good she can be.”
Torgerson was generous in his observations about High Country rival, Avery County.
“I think this is one of the best Avery County women’s teams in years and I told (head coach Allison Phillips) that I thought it was her best team. Coaching travel ball since my daughter Izzy was in seventh grade, I have coached against these girls for several years and they often beat us. So I am very familiar with how good this Avery County team can be. But then you add Izzy’s teammates to play with the likes of Kate Sears, Julie Matheson and Kaitlyn Darner (and you have a different dynamic).
Next up for the Pioneers is a rescheduled home encounter on Dec. 7 vs. North Wilkes (4-0). Tipoff follows the girls and boys junior varsity games, so should start about 4:30 p.m.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Led by 10 first half points from Cole Lewis, including two shots from long distance, and another six points before intermission on strong inside play from Colby Whiteside, the Watauga boys junior varsity dismantled visiting Avery County on Dec. 6, 67-40.
Watauga boys JV forward Bryce Scheffler brings the ball down court in the Pioneers’ 67-40 win over Avery County on Jan. 6. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The Pioneers stepped on the proverbial gas early, leading 18-7 by the end of the first quarter, and kept the good times rolling throughout to defeat the Vikings. All 11 of the Pioneers’ rostered players saw court time and all 11 of them found the bottom of the net at least once.
Lewis poured in a team high 13 points and Whiteside 8. Blake Bance and Miller Hankins both saw significant minutes on the floor and each contributed 7 points.
Avery County’s Blane Kirkpatrick tallied a game-high 17 points in the losing cause.
Caleb Ogden goes up for a basket on Dec. 6 vs. Avery County, contributing to the Pioneers JV posting a 67-40 win. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Boys JV Scoring
AVY – Blane Kirkpatrick – 17
WAT – Cole Lewis – 13
WAT – Colby Whiteside – 8
WAT – Miller Hankins – 7
WAT – Blake Bance – 7
WAT – Bryce Scheffler – 6
WAT – Wit Williamson – 6
WAT – Lucas Cash – 6
AVY – Hayden Cordell – 6
WAT – Mason Tate – 5
AVY – Colt Austin – 5
WAT – Caleb Ogden – 4
WAT – Chase McInturff – 4
AVY – JJ Washington – 4
AVY – Sawyer Byrd – 3
AVY – Owen Walsh – 3
AVY – Max Milliron – 2
WAT – Asa Privette – 1
Pioneer JV Girls dominate Avery County JVs, 49-10
In a game that was as much as over by the end of the first quarter, Watauga’s junior varsity girls ran roughshod over the Vikings JVs, 49-10.
Presli Wood and Steph Mendez each scored a game-high 13 points, Wood finding the net three times from beyond the 3-point arc and Mendez making good from long distance twice.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Getting into the Christmas season will come easily for the High Country this year as The Project Dance Foundation brings “A Carolina Snowbelle Christmas” to the Appalachian Theatre with four shows Dec. 6-8, and one more opportunity to see the dance spectacular on Dec. 14, at the Ashe Civic Center, in West Jefferson.
Anyone who has taken in the previous Christmas performances of the talented Snowbelles will know what fun and sensory delights to expect. Anyone who hasn’t — well, let’s just say they are in for a treat, to be sure.
A precision dance team formed in 2015 under the umbrella of The Project Dance Foundation, the Snowbelles incorporate tap and jazz styles while teaching teamwork, self-esteem, mentorship and community involvement skills. The mission is to equip and encourage dancers age 10 and up in this unique style of dance through training and performance opportunities.
Photo courtesy of The Project Dance Foundation
Founder and executive director Cheryl Cutlip said, “The Carolina Snowbelles are a 100 percent scholarship program. Participation is obtained through an audition process and based solely on merit.”
Graphic courtesy of The Project Dance Foundation
Cutlip went on to explain that the troupe trains for three hours weekly, appears in local parades as well as puts on various community and theatrical performances, including “A Snowbelles Christmas.” The team has performed on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and in the middle of New York City’s Times Square for “Project Dance,” a day-long free, open-air dance concert involving as many as 30 dance companies from around the U.S.
A Mix of Old and New
“This year’s Christmas show takes the audience on new adventures,” said Cutlip. “It features a cast of 30 new, emerging and established artists gracing the stage in a series of elaborately choreographed works, dancing their way through Arctic glaciers at the North Pole to the city streets of Manhattan in New York City.”
Cutlip shared that the show’s opening number, “Christmas Cheer,” features a young professional singing artist, Asher Saab, from Raleigh, N.C. Then the Snowbelles take a trip down Memory Lane with two signature routines, “Sing” and “Merry and Bright,” then celebrate what she calls the sisterhood of the Snowbelles in “Sisters.”
Photo courtesy of The Project Dance Foundation
Returning to this year’s show is “Nutcracker Twist,” what Cutlip calls “… a contemporary take on the classic music we all love and hold dear.”
There will once again be a flurry of penguins in “Arctic Adventure,” but new this year is “Sparkle-Jingle.”
“That adds a pop of colored twinkle lights and a swing tap dance frenzy,’Jinglebelles’ created by Stephanie Brooks Martin and featuring Asher Saab,” said Cutlip.
Photo courtesy of The Project Dance Foundation
This year’s show also features Los Angeles-based singing artist Sacha Calson, who makes his debut in Boone singing, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Carolina in My Mind.” Calson is best known for his role as “Nick” in the Netflix series, “Julie and the Phantoms.” He recently released his first single, “Remnants of a Fallen Star.” The music video features Calson as well as Carolina Snowbelles alum and Blowing Rock native, Ava Jean Cutlip.
The Show Schedule
At Appalachian Theatre, 559 West King Street, Boone, N.C.
Friday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2:30 p.m
At Ashe Civic Center, 962 Mt. Jefferson Road, West Jefferson, N.C.
Saturday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m.
Cheryl Cutlip, founder and executive director of The Project Dance Foundation and principal organizer of the Carolina Snowbelles, is a North Carolina native who began her early professional career at Opryland USA and Tokyo’s Disneyland. She is a former member of the New York City-based “Rockettes” and assistant choreographer of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, dancing with the group from 1993 through 2008.
