Category: High School

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With an 11-6 overall record and 10-1 in Northwestern Conference play, Watauga men’s tennis team finished as “Co-Champions”  of NWC, alongside South Caldwell with whom the two 4A rivals split the two league matches.

Watauga’s No. 1 tennis player, Steele Neely, was named “Player of the Year.” Including Neely, five Pioneers were named to the all-conference team and two Watauga netters received honorable mention recognition.

Co-Champions – Watauga and South Caldwell
Player of the Year – Steele Neeley – Watauga
Coach of the Year – Travis Richardson – Ashe County

All Conference Selections

WATAUGA

• Steele Neeley
• Cody Talton
• Bryant Carroll
• Jaxon Marsh
• Sullivan Trexler
• Honorable Mention – Stryker Ward, Harrison Gantt

SOUTH CALDWELL

• Blane Beam
• Spencer Richard
• Eli Speagle
• Ian Johnson
• Honorable Mention – Keegan O’Donnell, Troy Speagle

HIBRITEN

• Shane Stevens
• Ben Waechter
• Honorable Mention – Logan Clark, Wade VanHorne

ALEXANDER CENTRAL

• Carson Davis
• Eli Kerley
• Honorable Mention – Sam Law, Will Teague 

FREEDOM

• Noah Hawkins
• Bryan Gonzalez
• Honorable Mention – Chase Whitaker

ASHE COUNTY

• Jackson Keith
• Tristan Fogger
• Honorable Mention – Bryce Little

 

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

1. Watauga 9-1
2. South Caldwell 9-1
3. Hibriten 6-4
4. Alexander 4-6
5. Freedom 2-8
6. Ashe Co 0-10

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With a 9-0-1 Northwestern Conference record, the tie a 0-0 double overtime decision at Hibriten, it is not surprising that Watauga  and the Lenoir-based Panthers dominated all-conference selections, including Pioneer center forward Katie Durham tabbed as “Player of the Year” for 2023.

Hibriten’s only conference loss was to Watauga, a 2-1 result at Jack Groce Stadium. The Panthers finished with an 8-1-1 NWC record.

Team Champion – Watauga
Player of the Year – Katie Durham – Watauga
Co-Offensive Players of the Year – Abby Kidder – Hibriten and Lexie Dawson – Ashe Co
Defensive Player of the Year – Rylee Conard – Hibriten
Coach of the Year – Wayne Cable – Ashe County

All-Conference Selections

WATAUGA

• Katie Durham
• Maya Nelson
• Samantha Bertrand
• Sydnee Bryant
• Abby Hemp
• Lucy Willis
• Georgia Parker
• Morgan Flynt
• Kate Sears
• Honorable Mention: Rylee Mitchell, Ellee Bishop

HIBRITEN

• Abby Kidder
• Rylee Conard
• Darby Keen
• Avery Harris
• Addison Brookshire
• Mayra Tejamanil
• Haley Crowe
• Nichole Gonzalez
• Bella Hawkins
• Honorable Mention: Addy Connor, Sydney Watkins 

ASHE COUNTY

• Jezih Martin
• Alexis Dawson
• Morgan Phipps
• Abigal Jones
• Dakota Petterman
• Kesiyn Durham
• Honorable Mention – Ellie Cable, Maddie May 

FREEDOM

• Abby Bryant
• Yurani Regino
• Scout Conrad
• Honorable Mention – McKenna Carver, Marie Perez Rodriguez

ALEXANDER CENTRAL

• Abi Ponce
• Taylor Sharpe
• Abigail Bumgarner
• Honorable Mention – Heidi Fox, Haley Queen

SOUTH CALDWELL

• Paige Greene
• Joanna Hindman
• Honorable Mention – Samantha Austin

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With the best individual and team performances in recent program history, Watauga placed third as a team in the Northwestern Conference final standings and senior Colin Phelps qualified for the North Carolina 4A State Championships. Head coach Klay Anderson was named “Coach of the Year” for the 2023 season.

Champion – Freedom
Player of the Year – Alex Bock – Freedom
Coach of the Year – Klay Anderson – Watauga

All Conference Selections

• Alex Bock – Freedom
• Aidan Hollar – Alexander
• Jake Warren – Watauga
• Lawson Biggerstaff – Freedom
• Will Reynolds – Hibriten
• Michael Cates – Freedom
• Braxton Reinhardt – Freedom
• Colin Phelps – Watauga
• Christian Stone – Alexander
• Nick Greenlee – Hibriten
• Mac Helton – South Caldwell
• Rylan St. Clair – Alexander
• Paul Taylor – Watauga

NWC Golf Team Finishes
1. Freedom
2. Alexander
3. Watauga
4. Hibriten
5. South Caldwell
6. Ashe County

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — As Northwestern Conference champions, Watauga dominated the all-conference selections, including “Athlete of the Year” Lade Oguntoyinbo; “Co-Runner of the Year” Sam Nixon and “Coach of the Year” Michael Neff.

Champion – Watauga
Athlete of the Year – Lade Oguntoyinbo – Watauga
Co-Runners of the Year –

• • Sam Nixon – Watauga
  • Rylan Sedlacek – Hibriten

Field Athlete of the Year – Kellun Triplett – Alexander
Coach of the Year – Michael Neff – Watauga

All – Conference Team

• Coby Wilson – Hibriten
• Lade Oguntoyinbo – Watauga
• Dorian Arnold – S. Caldwell
• Davis Hunt – Watauga
• Matthew Leon – Watauga
• Jakob Crosswell – Watauga
• Sam Nixon – Watauga
• Chris Brittain – Freedom
• Jadent Buchholz – Hibriten
• Rylan Sedlacek – Hibriten
• Elliott Taft – Watauga
• Saun Moore – S. Caldwell
• Javier Maxwell – Hibriten
• Kellen Hartman – Alexander
• Kellun Triplett – Alexander
• Josiah Railey – Watauga
• Clayo Kulcyk – Watauga
• Luke Wilson – Watauga
• Carson Gunnell-Beck – Watauga
• Jonathan Lutabingwa – Watauga
• Garison Millsaps – Alexander
• Chad Lasher – Alexander
• Eli Bailey – Watauga
• Nyle Peays – Watauga
• Trey Thompson – Watauga
• Grant Morrison – Watauga
• Klaus Best – Watauga
• Alex Gremmell – Watauga
• Micah Duvall – Watauga
• Jonah Norris – Watauga
• Curtis Sevensky – Watauga
• Zach Freeman – S. Caldwell
• Riley Price – S. Caldwell
• Ezra Pennell – Alexander
• Kyle Watson – Hibriten
• Dexter Mosley – Hibriten
• Miguel Morales – Hibriten
• Thomas Campbell – Alexander
• Dylan Jamison – Alexander
• Zachary Zirkle – Alexander

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — As NWC conference champions, it follows that Watauga dominated the all-conference selections with 15 Pioneers receiving honors.

Team Champions – Watauga
Athlete of the Year – Emmi Cheek – Ashe Co
Runner of the Year – Katie Deacon – Freedom
Field Athlete of the Year – Jada Brown – Hibriten
Coach of the Year – Michael Neff – Watauga

All – Conference Team

• Emmi Cheek – Ashe Co
• Abiene Dollar – Ashe Co
• Jada Brown – Hibriten
• Olivia Kop – Watauga
• Ava Cooke – Freedom
• Kaityn Darner – Watauga
• Katie Deacon – Freedom
• Gwendolyn Anderson – Watauga
• Paige Overcash – Ashe Co
• Sadie Buchanan – Watauga
• Katln French – Ashe Co
• Olivia Foskey – Watauga
• Lily Stough – Watauga
• Olivia Burroughs – Watauga
• Emma Martin – Watauga
• Emily Hartsoe – Ashe Co
• Emma Pastusic – Watauga
• Maggie Taylor – Hibriten
• Kaley McDaniel – Alexander
• Cadence Rollins – Alexander
• Cheyenne Taylor – Alexander
• Nya Miller – Alexander
• Hadleigh Windish – Watauga
• Sophia Kop – Watauga
• Leah Kirksey – Freedom
• Kaitlyn Hagman – Freedom
• Cynica Caldwell – Freedom
• Caroline Beach Verhey – Watauga
• Abigail McClure – Ashe Co
• Hannely Bautista – Ashe Co
• Abby Bingham – Ashe Co
• Brianna Anderson – Watauga
• Andriana Rink – Watauga
• Virginia St. Clair – Watauga

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — All things come to an end at some point. For No. 2 seeded Watauga women’s soccer in the NCHSAA 4A West state playoffs bracket, the season ended sooner than they would have liked with a 2-0 upset at the hands of No. 18 Cox Mill at Jack Groce Stadium on May 18.

Bonus Photos at bottom of article

Despite the outcome not favoring the large local contingent of fans in the grandstands, it was one of the most entertaining women’s soccer matches of the year, featuring skillful, fit, athletic and well-coached players on both sides. It was fast-paced, momentum often turning on a dime. Blink, and you missed the ball being sent in the opposite direction.

It was also a highly physical affair, the referee “letting the girls play” with a lot of pushing and shoving for which the Pioneers weren’t quite ready.

Although Watauga dominated possession in the first half, Cox Mill was first on the scoreboard with a penalty kick by senior Skylar Noll, the ball scooting along the ground just beyond the outstretched hands of the diving Watauga goalkeeper, freshman Rylee Mitchell. The PK was awarded on an inadvertent “hand ball” inside the penalty box.

Noll also got the second Chargers goal as time was expiring in the game’s second half on a free kick the looped into the upper right corner of the net.

Much of the Cox Mill success in this soccer match must be credited to junior goalkeeper Reese Dejong, who made several acrobatic saves to turn back the Pioneers’ offensive barrage. Watauga produced a whopping 15 shots on goal, none able to make it by the athletic Dejong.

“We held possession more than 50 percent of the time,” said Pioneer junior center forward Katie Durham, after the match. “We attacked, but could not buy a goal. Their goalie was very good.”

“It was incredibly fast-paced,” said Watauga head coach Chris Tarnowski in reflecting on the match. “Both teams could move the ball up and down the field quickly. The 4A playoffs are no joke… Cox Mill is extremely athletic and they love to play in the air. This was a fairly even battle. We had a lot of good opportunities but credit their goalkeeper for making some of the most acrobatic saves I have seen in a long time. We have had an incredible season but, like I told our players, in the playoffs only one team gets to end their season on a win. Eventually, all of the good things have to come to an end.”

With the win, Cox Mill advances to the third round where they will meet the No. 7 seed in the 4A West bracket, Hough, which defeated No. 10 Cuthbertson, 2-1.

Watauga completed its season with a 15-3-1 record overall, 9-0-1 in Northwestern Conference play.

BONUS PHOTOS

All photographic images by David Rogers

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — For a No. 31 seed in the NCHSAA Women’s Soccer 4A West bracket of the state championship tournament, Southwest Guilford gave No. 2 seeded Watauga all they could handle before eventually falling, 2-0.

Bonus Photos at Bottom of Article

The Pioneers got first half goals from a pair of sophomores in Kate Sears and Morgan Flynt, then hung on through a scoreless second half to win the day. Sears may have surprised even herself when she lofted a quick attempt at goal from near the left sideline, just missing a block attempt by a SWG defender before the ball looped over the outstretched hands of the visitors’ goalkeeper and ducked under the crossbar in the left upper corner of the goal.

Sears was also credited with an assist when she kicked a crossing pass to the center where Flynt redirected the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.

Afterwards, Flynt seemed almost apologetic.

“I feel lucky that I got my shin on it,” said Flynt.

Of her early goal, Sears said she usually doesn’t like to take longer shots, but teammate Katie Durham has been egging her on, to make those attempts from longer distances if she is feeling it in the moment.

To be sure, Southwest Guilford rarely threatened in this match, which was played mostly in the Pioneers’ attacking half of the field. Even so, Watauga head coach Chris Tarnowski was impressed by the physicality of the Cowgirls from High Point.

“Honestly, Southwest Guilford surprised us by how physical they came out at the beginning of the game,” said Tarnowski. “Our players are able to play against almost any style, so they adapted well, but the physical nature of their play was unexpected.”

Tarnowski also noted that SWG made some halftime adjustments that impacted the game, too.

“In the first half, it became obvious that the best player on their team was the center fullback. For the second half, they moved her up to play center forward, or striker, which put more offensive pressure on our defenders,” said Tarnowski. “That also took away some of our chances to attack, too. Southwest Guilford is a good team and we are lucky to have gotten past them.”

Tarnowski had special commendations for Charlotte Cuthbert, a junior midfielder who drew the tough assignment of filling the role usually played by senior captain Maya Nelson, who was sidelined for this game by COVID-19.

“I just wanted to play hard and play well,” said Cuthbert, “and do everything I could to help win the game, all for Maya. She is so good and so talented, I just wanted her to be able to play in the playoffs her senior year, so we are hoping she is back for the Round 2 and beyond.”

With the win, Watauga will now host No. 18 Cox Mill in Round 2 on Thursday, May 18, tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. at Jack Groce Stadium. Cox Mill survived a hard-fought, evenly matched Round 1 pairing with Reagan, to win 3-2. The Chargers are led on offense by midfielder/forward Courtney Chase, midfielder Ella Berry, and striker Skylar Noll. With the Cox Mill backline, goalkeeper Reese DeJong has recorded nine shutouts on the season.

At 12-6-3 overall, Cox Mill finished the regular season at No. 3 (7-3-2) in the Greater Metro 4A Conference behind No. 1 Lake Norman (10-2, 13-5-2) and No. 2 South Iredell (8-4, 9-8-1).

“It is deceptive, just looking at the bracket’s seedings,” said Tarnowski. “Some of the lower seeds are playing in really tough conferences, so their records don’t always reflect how good they are. I think Southwest Guilford would be right with us near the top of the Northwestern Conference if they were in our conference. So I feel good about our ability to win this one and advance.”

4A West Bracket Results

• No. 1 Weddington 6, No. 32 Mt. Tabor 0
• No. 16 Northern Guilford 5, No. 17 East Forsyth 0
• No. 8 Lake Norman 3, No. 25 Mooresville 0
• No. 9 Providence 7, No. 24 Sun Valley 3
• No. 28 Porter Ridge 1, No. 5 Page 0
• No. 12 Northwest Guilford 2, No. 21 Myers Park 1
• No. 13 T.C. Roberson 1 (Win by PKs, 3-0), No. 20 Charlotte Catholic 1
• No. 4 Asheville 7, No. 29 Mallard Creek 1
• No. 3 West Forsyth 6, No. 30 Piedmont 1
• No. 14 South Mecklenburg 2, No. 19 Hickory Ridge 0
• No. 6 Ardrey Kell 9, No. 27 Independence 0
• No. 11 Marvin Ridge 7, No. 22 South Iredell 0
• No. 7 Hough 2, No. 26 Hopewell 0
• No. 10 Cuthbertson 5, No. 23 A.C. Reynolds 0
• No. 18 Cox Mill 3, No. 15 Reagan 3
• No. 3 Watauga 2, No. 31 Southwest Guilford 0

Bonus Photos

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. —  Out of 23 men’s track and field teams competing in the NCHSAA 4A West Regional Championship on May 13, Watauga finished ninth. Pioneer senior Davis Hunt was a double qualifier for the North Carolina state meet on May 20, finishing third in both the 110m Hurdles and the 300m Hurdles.

RANDOM CAPTURED MOMENTS AT BOTTOM OF STORY

Watauga put two student athletes into the state meet in the Pole Vault, where sophomore Clayo Kulcyk and freshman Luke Wilson cleared the top winning height of 12 feet, credited for first and third, respectively, based on fewer misses. Second place went to senior Jackson Carpenter of Ardrey Kell, who also cleared the 12 feet standard.

Mallard Creek, Ardrey Kell, Olympic, Myers Park and Charlotte Catholic had a stranglehold on the track events. Mallard Creek showed great roster depth in the sprints and sprint relays, while Charlotte Catholic was strong in the middle distance races.

The top four in each individual event get a ticket to the state meet as a qualifier.

MEN’S TEAM SCORES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100m Dash

200m Dash

400m Dash

800m Run

1600m Run

3200m Run

110m Hurdles

 

300m Hurdles

4×100 Relay

4x200m Relay

4x400m Relay

4x800m Relay

Long Jump

Triple Jump

High Jump

Pole Vault

Discus

Shot Put

RANDOM CAPTURED IMAGES

All photographic images by David Rogers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Olivia Burroughs was the lone state qualifier for the Watauga women’s track and field team on May 13, with 10-06 vault that garnered first place honors for the Pioneer junior in the NCHSAA 4A West Regionals hosted at Jack Groce Stadium.

Random captured moments at the bottom of the article

Although none of the other Watauga women  in the event qualified for the state meet on May 20, individual performances garnered valuable team points to elevate Watauga to a tie for No. 12 in the team standings out of the 24 schools competing.

TEAM SCORES
1 Olympic 104
2 Mallard Creek 89
3 Asheville 54
3 Myers Park 54
5 Ardrey Kell 49
6 South Mecklenburg 43
7 Palisades High School 31
8 North Mecklenburg 28
9 Charlotte Catholic 27
10 Independence 24
10 Butler 24
12 Berry 22
12 Watauga 22
13 Rocky River High School 22
15 A.C. Reynolds 21
16 Providence 19
17 Hopewell 18
18 Harding University 15
19 Garinger 11
19 Hough, William A 11
21 T.C. Roberson 8
22 Julius Chambers High School 4
23 Alexander Central 1
23 McDowell

Watauga Individual Performance

3200 METER RUN
12:42.99		Gwendolyn Anderson	6th	Finals H1	Complete
13:18.40		Janie Beach Verhey	10th	Finals H1	Complete
13:43.71		Ellary Smith	13th	Finals H1	Complete
100 METER HURDLES
16.94		Sadie Buchanan	14th	Prelims H1	Complete
17.60		Kara Schneider	15th	Prelims H2	Complete
300 METER HURDLES
48.40		Sadie Buchanan	8th	Finals H1	Complete
4X200 METER RELAY
1:49.06	SB	Relay Team	13th	Finals H1	Complete
4X800 METER RELAY
10:07.01	SB	Relay Team	6th	Finals H1	Complete
HIGH JUMP
4-8		Caroline Farthing	13th	Finals H1	Complete
4-8		Olivia Foskey	15th	Finals H1	Complete
4-6		Kayla Graham	16th	Finals H1	Complete
TRIPLE JUMP
34-7.5		Lily Stough	10th	Finals H1	Complete
34-7.5		Lily Stough	10th	Prelims H1	Complete
POLE VAULT
10-6		Olivia Burroughs	1st	Finals H1	Complete
8-6		Emma Martin	6th	Finals H1	Complete
DISCUS
92-8		Olivia Burroughs	9th	Finals H1	Complete
92-8		Olivia Burroughs	9th	Prelims H1	Complete
SHOT PUT
31-3.75		Olivia Burroughs	7th	Finals H1	Complete
29-8		Olivia Burroughs	7th	Prelims H1	Complete

 

TOP FINISHERS FOR EACH EVENT

(Place, Name, School Year, School, Result)

100 Meters

1. 1. Kaylyn Brown 12 Mallard Creek 11.92
   2. Maya Love 10 Independence 11.89
   3. I’Ja Walter 11 Olympic 12.35
   4. Sanai Forte 11 Harding University 12.64

200 Meters

1. 1. Maya Love 10 Independence 24.69
   2. I’Ja Walter 11 Olympic 25.10
   3. Sydney Justice 12 South Mecklenburg 25.83
   4. Sanai Forte 11 Harding University 26.03

400 Meters

1. 1. T’Sheylah Moore 12 Olympic 57.00
   2. Journee Gordon 11 Olympic 58.40
   3. Molly Canon 11 Charlotte Catholic 58.60
   4. Leah Butler 12 Hopewell 58.64

800 Meters

1. 1. Molly Barber 9 Myers Park 2:17.48
   2. Natalia Martin 12 Olympic 2:20.02
   3. Charlotte Britt 11 Myers Park 2:20.97
   4. Amelia KULPA 10 South Mecklenburg 2:21.32

1600 Meters

1. 1. Anna Wells 12 Ardrey Kell 5:09.33
   2. Hannah Caudill 12 Asheville 5:10.63
   3. Natalia Martin 12 Olympic 5:13.26
   4. Ella Kepple 12 A.C. Reynolds 5:15.46

3200 Meters

1. 1. Mary Bonner Dalton 11 Myers Park 11:09.64
   2. Hannah Caudill 12 Asheville 11:32.35
   3. Keely Bradle 12 Providence 11:37.52
   4. Sofi Alexander 9 Asheville 12″12.27

110m Hurdles

1. 1. Makhyah Pittman 11 Palisades High School 14.41
   2. Jayda Lewis 10 Mallard Creek 14.44
   3. Carmen PenaSoto 11 Olympic 14.52
   4. Amaya Hopkins 12 South Mecklenburg 14.93

300m Hurdles

1. 1. Amaya Hopkins 12 South Mecklenburg 44.08
   2. Carmen PenaSoto 11 Olympic 44.51
   3. Nyree Andrews 11 Mallard Creek 44.65
   4. Jasmine Stokes 12 Rocky River High School 45.23

4x100m Relay

1. 1. Mallard Creek 48.24
   2. Berry 48.60
   3. Butler 48.66
   4. Palisades High School 49.52

4x200m Relay

1. 1. Mallard Creek 1:42.15
   2. Olympic 1:42.80
   3. Palisades High School 1:44.67
   4. Berry 1:44.78

4x400m Relay

1. 1. Olympic 3:57.79
   2. South Mecklenburg 4:02.37
   3. Myers Park 4:05.78
   4. Hopewell 4:08.14

4x800m Relay

1. 1. Myers Park 9:31.07
   2. Olympic 9:35.94
   3. Providence 9:41.36
   4. Hough 9:51.13

High Jump

1. 1. Asia Artis 9 Garinger 5-06.00
   2. Kaitlyn Evans 12 Butler 5-04.00
   3. Ashlynn Wimberly 10 Mallard Creek 5-04.00
   4. Jenna Barnes 12 A.C. Reynolds 5-02.00

Long Jump

1. 1. Lauren Grose 11 Charlotte Catholic 18-04.50
   2. Sahlay Reid 10 North Mecklenburg 18-01.50
   3. Sebla Miracle 9 Asheville 18-00.00
   4. Sanai Forte 11 Harding University 18-00.00

Triple Jump

1. 1. Lauren Grose 11 Charlotte Catholic 38-07.75
   2. Sahlay Reid 10 North Mecklenburg37-07.00
   3. Carmen PenaSoto 11 Olympic 37-03.00
   4. Aniyah Wallace 11 Butler 37-00.00

Pole Vault

1. 1. Olivia Burroughs 11 Watauga 10-06.00
   2. Paiden Castelblanco 11 Asheville 10-06.00
   3. Alexandra Ingoglia 9 Ardrey Kell 9-06.00
   4. Annika WELKE 10 Myers Park 9-00.00

Discus

1. 1. Tyler Glover 11 Ardrey Kell 135-00
   2. Macy Dulaney 11 Mallard Creek 132-00
   3. Alexandria Jefferson 10 Rocky River High School 128-03.00
   4. Peyton Gardner 11 Ardrey Kell 117-04

Shot Put

1. 1. Tyler Glover 11 Ardrey Kell 45-09.25
   2. Macy Dulaney 11 Mallard Creek 41-01.25
   3. Alexandria Jefferson 10 Rocky River High School 37-10.50
   4. Gloria Nutsigbe 12 Berry 37-08.25

Random Captured Moments

By David Rogers. VALDESE, N.C. — Completing what was a memorable first season of men’s volleyball at Watauga High School, the Pioneers swept to a conference championship on May 12, first getting by host Draughn, 25-18, 25-19 in a best of three semifinals, then thumping top-seeded North Henderson, 25-17, 25-13, 25-11 in the best of five championship match.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF STORY

Against North Henderson in the final, junior outside hitter Jackson Pryor tallied a whopping 16 kills, three service aces, and two blocks, while sophomore outside hitter Trathan Gragg matched his five kills with five service aces. Senior Steele Nealy set them up with 22 assists and, along with junior Bennett Lappin, led the team with 15 digs.

In the semifinal vs. Draughn, Pryor spread eight kills across the two sets, adding 2 service aces and 6 digs to his stat line. Gragg led the team in digs, with 9, and added 3 kills along with a service ace and 6 service receptions. Nealy again led the team in assists, with 13, while also adding 3 service aces.

Men’s volleyball is not yet a sanctioned varsity sport in North Carolina. Although 36 states have organized men’s volleyball in their respective high schools, a few of those, including North Carolina, allow it as a club sport. With 42 high school clubs now competing in the Tar Heel State, momentum is growing for it to become official.

This was the Pioneer club’s first year and, early on, the lack of skill was obvious even if there was a high degree of athleticism among the team members. Thanks to the mentoring of head coach Kim Pryor (head coach of the highly successful women’s program) and assistants Casey Gragg, Brelyn Sturgill and Megan Patton, the Watauga men’s team has developed team and individual skills at breakneck speed, relatively speaking.

“The development of this group of athletes as volleyball players since the beginning of the season is stunning,” Coach Pryor told High Country Sports after the whoops, hollars and high fives had settled down. “You have to credit these guys for their hard work, discipline and openness to learning new things.”

Asked what prompted him to join the men’s volleyball club in his senior year when the season ran concurrently with the varsity men’s tennis season, Nealy said, “When I was a lot younger, I had an opportunity to play volleyball and remember really liking it. I have had a couple of opportunities to play casually, and really enjoyed it, so this is something I decided I really wanted to do.”

Pryor, who in the fall is a starting wide receiver in football for the Pioneers and a power forward for the men’s basketball team in the winter months, said that a lot of the non-skill aspects of the other sports participation contributed significantly to this group of guys developing so quickly.

“They are simple life things, like ‘team before me’, ‘give perfect effort’, and ‘work to win’,” said Pryor, adding that a newer football concept is to always be “green,” like the signal light. “Go, go, go.

“Having several guys running track or playing tennis,” added Pryor, “it was a challenge sometimes because you can’t practice team skills without everyone being there. And if the guys have a conflict because they are competing in the other sport on our game day, well that is problematic, too. But all of these guys adhere to those core team concepts and our coaches have been very patient with us and terrific in teaching us how to be more skillful, individually and as a team. This conference championship just underlines how much we have grown together.”

INDIVIDUAL STATS VS. NORTH HENDERSON

• Jackson Pryor: 16 kills, 3 service aces, 9 serve receptions, 2 solo blocks, 4 digs
• Trathan Gragg: 5 kills, 5 service aces, 3 serve receptions, 1 block assist, 1 assist, 9 digs
• Steele Nealy: 22 assists, 15 digs
• Brady Lindenmuth: 3 kills, 2 blocks, 1 block assist
• Caleb Dewey: 3 kills
• Bennett Lappin: 1 kill, 3 service aces, 11 serve receptions, 15 digs
• Jonathan Lutabingwa: 1 kill, 1 dig
• Asa Nelson: 1 service ace, 2 digs

INDIVIDUAL STATS VS. DRAUGHN

• Jackson Pryor: 8 kills, 9 serve receptions, 2 service aces, 6 digs, 1 solo block
• Trathan Gragg: 3 kills, 1 service ace, 6 serve receptions, 9 digs
• Steele Nealy: 2 kills, 3 service aces, 13 assists, 4 digs
• Brady Lindenmuth: 3 solo blocks
• Caleb Dewey: 1 kill
• Jonathan Lutabingwa: 1 assist
• Eli Greene: 1 kill, 1 dig
• Bennett Lappin: 1 kill, 3 serve receptions, 8 digs
• Andrew Jones: 2 serve receptions, 3 digs
• Patrick Nguyen: 1 dig
• Alan Mutio: 3 digs

BONUS PHOTOS