High Country Sports

Category: High School

  • Watauga stays unbeaten, sweeps Draughn, 3-0

    By David Rogers. VALDESE, N.C. — After sweeping Draughn on April 3, 25-23, 25-18, 25-18, a few trends are obvious in the Watauga men’s volleyball team’s first season.

    First, the young Pioneers are quick learners and know how to win. After less than a month in existence and after the first three matches they are undefeated, 3-0.

    Watauga oujtside hitter Jackson Pryor does more than deliver kill shots, shown here putting up a good pass to his designated setter in the front row. Photographic image by David Rogers

    Second, they tend to increase the margin of set victories with each successive set in matches.

    Third, Watauga’s individual athletes are getting more skillful with each match, improving by leaps and bounds both in terms of their individual skills as well as in their team skills.

    The Pioneers have already beaten men’s volleyball teams with longer competitive histories, some measured in years vs. the weeks or even days of existence that is Watauga.

    “This start to the season has been pretty remarkable, pretty special,” said head coach Kim Pryor after the Draughn sweep. “It is testament not only to the athleticism these guys are bringing to the team, individually, but also how hard they are working to learn the skills necessary to successfully compete. This week we worked on defense and that showed tonight. And, very important, our timing from set to kill shot has gotten much, much better. The setters are doing a much better job of placing the ball for the hitters and the hitters are better at anticipating when the ball is going to be at its highest point and striking it there.”

    Designated setter Steele Nealy does his thing for Watauga men’s volleyball on April 3 at Draughn High School in Valdese. Photographic image by David Rogers

    That the team is improving rapidly is not lost on the players.

    “The jump in our abilities from Game 1 to Game 2 was pretty significant,” said designated setter Steele Nealy as the celebration was subsiding after the Draughn win, “but the improvement from Game 2 to Game 3 continued and maybe was even a bigger jump. I think that will continue as we continue to get practices in and matches played.”

    Asked about the team’s tendency to increase the margin of victory as the sets progress in a match, Trathan Gragg explained, “Definitely as we settle into the sets things are going better. In the first one we were a little nervous. We don’t know how they are going to play or what their style of play is, but as the sets go on we get more settled in. We play a lot better when we are more settled in.”

    It turns out that the enthusiastic, even what some might call rowdy or rambunctious support from the bench players has been inherited from earlier years.

    “When we played church (basketball), a lot of those chants and cheers came from those teams as well as from football,” said Nealy. “That support for one another is being brought over from other sports. It really helps the guys on the court to feel good and play better.”

    Coach Pryor said that an area where the team need immediate improvement is starting matches less hesitant and more confident and aggressive right from the get-go but noted, “That confidence in their abilities will come naturally with time and experience.”

    The Pioneers have roughly two weeks off before their next match vs. North Henderson in Lentz Eggers Gym on Tuesday, April 18, 5 p.m.

    KEY STATS

    • Steele Nealy – 22 assists, 2 kills
    • Jackson Pryor – 11 kills, 1 service ace, 3 solo blocks, 5 digs, 4 service receptions
    • Trathan Gragg – 11 kills, 2 service aces
    • Patrick Nguyen – 2 service aces, 6 digs, 2 service receptions
    • Brady Lindenmuth – 3 kills, 1 service ace, 1 solo block
    • Bennett Lappin – 1 service ace, 2 service receptions, 3 digs

    BONUS PHOTOS

  • Watauga MVOL opens maiden season undefeated with two wins

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Remaining undefeated so far in the club’s maiden season, Watauga’s men’s volleyball team dispatched both of their first two opponents this past week, including Tri City Christian Academy (in High Point) on March 28 and Lexington High School (Home) on March 30.

    What the fledgling Pioneer team displays in skill after only 14 practice sessions since forming the team they make up for in enthusiasm — as exhibited by the animated bench support for whoever might be on the court at any given time. That said, the Watauga roster is filled with athletes, mostly from the football team, so the fact that they are advancing pretty rapidly is not at all surprising.

    Watauga men’s volleyball team in its 2023 first season. Photographic image by David Rogers

    “None of these guys have played much volleyball before,” noted head coach Kim Pryor, who doubles as the women’s head coach in the fall semester. “We spent the first week only on two things: passing and setting. The second week we focused on understanding on some of the technical aspects and rules, such as the rotations, as well as serving the ball and attacking. I am impressed by the team members’ athleticism and enthusiasm for learning volleyball. We are still learning a lot of the basics, but they are advancing pretty rapidly.”

    Freshman Brady Lindenmuth attributes a lot of the team’s early success to the discipline they have learned in the football program.

    “Those acronyms that Coach Habich and the assistant football coaches repeat over and over again, well we live them and they carry over into other sports as well as life. GPE: Give Perfect Effort. WTW: Work to Win. TBM: Team Before Me. Put all of those things together and, with discipline, we have a winning formula in whatever we are doing,” said Lindenmuth.

    Having been around volleyball since he was carried courtside by his coach mother, cradled in her arms as a 4-month old toddler, the now 6-5 football wide receiver and linebacker Jackson Pryor probably has a head start on playing the game. Like his teammates, though, he has not played much other than informal pickup games at the beach and perhaps in PE activities.

    It may not be ‘top form’, but Jackson Pryor of Watauga men’s volleyball was instrumental in the team’s sweep over Lexington on March 29, with 12 kills in three sets. Photographic image by David Rogers

    “We have been thinking about this for awhile,” Pryor, a junior, told High Country Sports after the Lexington match in Lentz Eggers Gym. “Now we have it put together and it is great to see so many of my football teammates and friends enjoying this experience and participating as well as supporting each other so enthusiastically.”

    While currently a club sport without varsity status, Coach Pryor explained that may be changing.

    “There are several high school age men’s volleyball clubs in North Carolina,” said Pryor. “There is a petition circulating to formalize the sport and give it varsity status.”

    Given the enthusiastic culture already being cultivated at Watauga, the Pioneers are hoping that recognition comes sooner rather than later.

    @ Tri-City Christian Academy, March 28

    The Pioneers got an early taste of heart-throbbing, intense action in TCCA pushing the match to five sets, with Watauga pulling out a win in the team’s first competition: 18-25, 25-18, 25-23, 30-32, 15-9.

    Steele Nealy, Trathan Gragg and outside hitter Jackson Pryor arguably had the most impressive stat lines on the night. Nealy recorded 19 assists and four service aces while Pryor tallied 14 kills, two service aces, two solo blocks and two block assists. Meanwhile, Gragg added a whopping seven service aces as well as eight kills.

    Patrick Nguyen (4 service aces), Bennett Lappin (3 service aces) and Brady Lindenmuth (5 kills) also made significant contributions to the stat sheet in the win.

    vs. Lexington

    Some combination of being home in the friendly confines of Lentz Eggers Gym in front of a large, partisan crowd and having a winning match under their belts, the Pioneers swept Lexington Senior by successively wider margins: 25-21, 25-17, 25-11.

    The Pioneers were led, statistically, by the same trio — plus one:

    • Steele Nealy: 20 assists, 3 service aces
    • Jackson Pryor: 12 kills, 1 service ace, 2 solo blocks, 5 digs, 6 serve receptions
    • Trathan Gragg: 4 service aces, 6 kills, 1 block assist, 5 digs, 5 serve receptions
    • Brady Lindenmuth: 2 service aces, 9 kills, 1 solo block

    Patrick Nguyen also recorded five digs and four successful serve receptions, while Caleb Dewey was prominent on the stat sheet with a pair of kills and a solo block.

    On Monday, April 3, Watauga travels to Morganton to play Draughn High School’s team, then returns home on April 18 to face North Henderson.

  • Home runs and doubles lift Watauga past Freedom, 16-4

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — An offensive explosion by the Pioneers in the 4th inning on March 30 and clamp down pitching with tough defense triggered the high school “mercy rule” on March 30, Watauga defeating Freedom, 16-4, after four and a half innings played.

    The Pioneers led 4-0 after the bottom half of the first when Jacob Dilley hammered a home run with Maddox Greene aboard, then Tristan Salinas followed up with a solo shot. Cooper Riddle got in on the first inning action with a double to the left field fence, then scored from third base on a wild pitch.

    Versatile outfielder and pitcher Johnny Ray slides safely into second base on March 30 during Watauga’s 16-4 win over Northwestern Conference foe Freedom. Photographic image by David Rogers

    Freedom evened things up at 4-4 in the top half of the second, but Watauga answered in the bottom of the frame when Jameson Hodges scored on a wild pitch and Greene tagged up and came home on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Salinas.

    Both teams went scoreless in the third inning and the Patriots were unable to put anything across in the top of the 4th, so Watauga was nursing a 6-4 lead entering their 4th inning at bat.

    Greene started things off with a 1-out single, followed by three consecutive doubles by Dilley, Salinas, and Riddle, then a home run by Johnny Ray powered over the right field fence to clear the bases and up the score to 11-6. After walks to David Pastusic and Jake Henderson, Pastusic store third base and Henderson snatched second. Then Pastusic scored when the shortstop muffed Hank Matthews grounder, increasing the Pioneer lead to 12-4.

    Watauga rightfielder Hank Matthews has a bead on the ball, March 30, in Watauga’s 16-4 win over Freedom. Photographic image by David Rogers

    But Watauga still wasn’t done. With Hodges at bat, Henderson scored from third on a wild pitch (score: 13-4) before Hodges walked, Matthew moving to second. The team having batted around, Greene returns to the plate for the second time in the inning and singles to right, Matthews crossing the plate easily but Hodges coming home from second base, just beating the throw from the right fielder (score: 15-4).

    Greene advanced to 2nd base on a sacrifice ground out by Dilley, then hustled home for his second run of the inning when Salinas slapped a single to left that was mishandled by the leftfielder. It was the last run of the game, which ended at 16-4 when the Pioneers retired the Patriots in order for what would be their last at-bat in the top of the fifth, the mercy rule in effect.

    Jameson Hodges pitched all five innings for the Pioneers, allowing four runs on four hits, striking out seven and walking two.

    Now 11-3 overall, 3-1 in conference, the Pioneers have three games on their schedule for next week, weather permitting. They are at North Buncombe (Weaverville) on April 3, on the road to Ashe County on April 4, then home to face South Caldwell on April 6. All three varsity games are scheduled for first pitch at 6:30 p.m.

    Key Performances

    • WAT – Maddox Greene: 2-3, 4 runs scored, 2 RBIs. 1 walk, 2 stolen bases
    • WAT – Tristin Salinas: 3-4, 2 runs scored, 3 RBIs, 2B, HR, stolen base
    • WAT – Cooper Riddle: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2B(2), 1 walk, stolen base
    • WAT – Jacob Dilley: 2-4, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2B, HR
    • WAT – David Pastusic: 0-1, 2 walks, 3 stolen bases
    • WAT – Johnny Ray: 1-3, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, HR, 1 walk
    • WAT – Jameson Hodges: Winning pitcher, 1-3, 2 runs scored

  • Burroughs, Libre, Schneider lead Watauga women in tri-meet with South Caldwell, Alexander Central

    By David Rogers. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — Capturing the No. 1 finishing position in 13 out of 17 track and field events on March 29, Watauga dominated Alexander Central and South Caldwell in the tri-meet involving the only three 4A schools in the Northwestern Conference

    Women’s 100 Meters

    1. Malayah Adams Alexander Central
    2. Sophia Kop Watauga 13.97
    3. Hadleigh Windish Watauga 14.08
    4. Breanna Critcher Watauga 2
    5. Sydney Marsh Watauga

    Women’s 200 Meters

    1. Hallie Jarrett Alexander Central 28.67
    2. Hadleigh Windish Watauga 29.15
    3. Caroline Beach-Verhey Watauga 29.18
    4. Sophia Kop Watauga
    5. Nya Miller Alexander Central

    Women’s 400 Meters

    1. Lily Stough Watauga 1:05.88
    2. Ava Doty Watauga 1:06.59
    3. Natalie Johnston Watauga 1:08.50
    4. Taylor Roseman Alexander Central 1:08.88
    5. Ava Curtis Watauga

    Women’s 800 Meters

    1. Lydia Hendren Alexander Central 2:47.59
    2. Anna Koontz Watauga 2:53.31
    3. Hadley Carpenter Watauga 2:53.35
    4. Ava Smith Alexander Central 3:06.23
    5. Laurel Kiker Watauga 3:09.02

    Women’s 1600 Meters

    1. Mia Llibre Watauga 6:22.93
    2. Bailey Collins Watauga 6:24.17
    3. Anna Norris Watauga 6:34.97
    4. Naomi Wellenstein Watauga 6:35.65
    5. Hope Cox Alexander Central 6:58.49

    Women’s 3200 Meters

    1. Mia Llibre  Watauga 14:10.19
    2. Bailey Collins Watauga 14:16.95
    3. Anna Norris Watauga 6:34.97
    4. Naomi Wellenstein Watauga 14:45.12
    5. Vivi Rushing Watauga 15:56.56

    Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles

    1. Kara Schneider Watauga 17.53
    2. Maggie Barnes Watauga 19.57
    3. Kylie Lackey South Caldwell 21.01
    4. Annie Fowler Watauga
    5. Skyla Corey South Caldwell 23.18

    Women’s 300 Meter Hurdles

    1. Kara Schneider Watauga 53.99
    2. Skyla Corey South Caldwell 1:02.25
    3. Annie Fowler Watauga
    4. Maggie Barnes Watauga

    Women’s 4×100 Meter Relay

    1. Alexander Central 52.45
    2. Watauga 53.66
    3. South Caldwell

    Women’s 4×200 Meter Relay

    1. Watauga 1:52.19
    2. Alexander Central 1:59.17
    3. South Caldwell

    Women’s 4×400 Meter Relay

    1. Watauga 4:32.90

    Women’s 4×800 Meter Relay

    1. Watauga 12:20.34
    2. Alexander Central 13:35.33

    Women’s High Jump

    1. Caroline Farthing Watauga 4-09.00
    2. Kaley Mcdaniel Alexander Central
    3. Olivia Foskey Watauga 4-06.00
    4. Lydia Hendren Alexander Central
    5. Kayla Graham Watauga

    Women’s Long Jump

    1. Malayah Adams Alexander Central 15-07.50
    2. Hallie Jarrett Alexander Central
    3. Olivia Burroughs Watauga 14-04.50
    4. Olivia Foskey Watauga 14-03.00
    5. Caroline Farthing Watauga

    Women’s Triple Jump

    1. Lily Stough Watauga 31-10.75
    2. Kaley Mcdaniel Alexander Central 31-03.50
    3. Olivia Foskey Watauga
    4. Caroline Farthing Watauga 27-11.00
    5. Kayla Graham Watauga 27-08.00

    Women’s Pole Vault

    1. Olivia Burroughs Watauga 10-09.00
    2. Emma Martin Watauga 8-00.00
    3. Skyla Corey South Caldwell
    4. Meggin Gunnell-Beck Watauga
    5. Andersyn Ackerman Alexander Central

    Women’s Discus

    1. Olivia Burroughs Watauga 95-02.00
    2. Sarah Hollar Alexander Central 77-07.00
    3. Sydney Hayes Alexander Central
    4. Meggin Gunnell-Beck Watauga
    5. Somerlyn Cole Watauga

    Women’s Shot Put

    1. Olivia Burroughs Watauga 28-08.00
    2. Tyiana Cowan Alexander Central 26-11.50
    3. Somerlyn Cole Watauga
    4. Meggin Gunnell-Beck Watauga
    5. Bethany Moretz Alexander Central 24-04.00

  • Watauga men dominate tri-meet with Alexander Central, South Caldwell

    By David Rogers. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — Sweeping the top three spots in the 100-, 200-, 400-, 1600-, 3200- and 300-Meter Hurdles track events, as well as all four relays and taking top honors in long jump and pole vault the Watauga men’s track team pretty much ran away from South Caldwell and Alexander Central in the March 29 tri-meet between the Northwestern Conference’s only 4A schools.

    Men’s 100 Meter Dash

    1. Lade Oguntoyinbo Watauga 11.56
    2. Eli Bailey Watauga 11.65
    3. Klaus Best Watauga 11.77
    4. Trey Thompson Watauga
    5. Kai Suyao Watauga 12.07

    Men’s 200 Meters

    1. Matthew Leon Watauga 24.16
    2. Grant Morrison Watauga 24.20
    3. Carlton Horine Watauga 24.71
    4. Cory Mays Alexander Central 24.90
    5. Micah Duvall Watauga

    Men’s 400 Meters

    1. Alex Gremmell Watauga 53.78
    2. Micah Duvall Watauga 55.00
    3. Jakob Crosswell Watauga
    4. Nyle Peays Watauga 57.74
    5. Maxwell DePriest Watauga

    Men’s 800 Meters

    1. Josh Hamilton Watauga 2:10.40
    2. Ezra Pennell Alexander Central
    3. Curtis Sevensky Watauga
    4. Zachary Zirkle Alexander Central
    5. Sam Rex Watauga 2:20.31

    Men’s 1600 Meters

    1. Sam Rex Watauga 5:02.25
    2. Wesley Coatney Watauga 5:18.23
    3. Miles Page Watauga 5:28.76
    4. Cameron Nance Watauga 5:34.79
    5. Nolan Slager Alexander Central

    Men’s 3200 Meters

    1. Silas Powell Watauga 11:47.16
    2. Haines Heistand Watauga 11:58.78
    3. Miles Page Watauga 12:03.11
    4. Elijah Healy Watauga 12:19.81
    5. Miles Kimbrough Watauga 12:19.85

    Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles

    1. Landon Smith Watauga
    2. Jamison Rowe Alexander Central
    3. Austin Presnell Alexander Central
    4. Kyle Williams Watauga
    5. Nathanael Cox Watauga

    Men’s 300 Meter Hurdles

    1. Landon Smith Watauga
    2. Nathanael Cox Watauga
    3. Kyle Williams Watauga
    4. Nicholas Haney Alexander Central 56.99
    5. Cayden Jarrell Alexander Central 58.69

    Men’s 4×100 Meters Relay

    1. Watauga 45.24
    2. South Caldwell

    Men’s 4×200 Meters Relay

    1. Watauga

    2. Alexander Central 1:45.73

    3 South Caldwell

    Men’s 4×400 Meters Relay

    1. Watauga
    2. Alexander Central 4:14.87

    Men’s 4×800 Meters Relay

    1. Watauga
    2. Alexander Central
    3. South Caldwell 10:40.73

    Men’s High Jump

    1. Kellen Hartman Alexander Central
    2. Jordan James Alexander Central
    3. Hayden Reid Alexander Central
    4. Landon Smith Watauga
    5. Josiah Railey Watauga

    Men’s Long Jump

    1. Klaus Best Watauga 18-08.25
    2. Kellun Triplett Alexander Central
    3. Josiah Railey Watauga 18-04.50
    4. Ricky Flores South Caldwell
    5. Maxwell DePriest Watauga

    Men’s Triple Jump

    1. Kellun Triplett Alexander Central
    2. Quirston Green Alexander Central
    3. Paxton Perkins South Caldwell 34-03.00

    Men’s Pole Vault

    1. Clayo Kulcyk Watauga 12-00.00
    2. Luke Wilson Watauga 10-06.00
    3. Hayden Reid Alexander Central 9-06.00
    4. Santino Wood Watauga 9-00.00
    5. Ricky Flores South Caldwell 8-06.00

    Men’s Discus

    1. Chad Lasher Alexander Central 140-08.00
    2. Garison Millsaps Alexander Central 116-00.00
    3. Carson Gunnell-Beck Watauga 115-10.00
    4. Conner Ashford Alexander Central 114-04.00
    5. Nicholas Turnmire Watauga

    Men’s Shot Put

    1. Garison Millsaps Alexander Central 46-09.00
    2. Chad Lasher Alexander Central 44-09.50
    3. Carson Gunnell-Beck Watauga 41-00.00
    4. Conner Ashford Alexander Central
    5. Jakeb Morrison South Caldwell 35-05.00

     

  • WHS women dominate Spartan Invitational

    By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — When you look at the team scores from the Spartan Invitational track and field meet hosted by South Caldwell High School on March 25, it is easy to guess that the Watauga High School team did pretty well, individually.

    TEAM SCORES

    1. Watauga (256)
    2. Alexander Central (129)
    3. Hickory Christian Academy (105)
    4. South Caldwell (77)
    5. Hibriten (43)
    6. Stuart W. Cramer (11)

    And of course, there were plenty of top performances by the Pioneers.

    SUMMARY INDIVIDUAL RESULTS FOR WATAUGA ATHLETES

    100 Meters (13 entries)

    • 3rd – Olivia Kop
    • 5th – Sophia Kop
    • 7th – Hadleigh Windish

    200 Meters (19 entries)

    • 3rd – Olivia Kop
    • 4th – Caroline Beach-Verhay
    • 5th – Hadleigh Windish
    • 7th – Sophia Kop

    400 Meters (12 entries)

    • 2nd – Kaitlyn Darner
    • 3rd – Ava Doty
    • 5th – Natalie Johnston
    • 7th – Ava Curtis

    800 Meters (11 entries)

    • 5th – Anna Norris

    1600 Meters (12 entries)

    • 3rd – Gwendolyn Anderson
    • 8th – Anna Norris

    3200 Meters (6 entries)

    • 1st – Janie Beach-Verhay
    • 2nd – Ellary Smith

    100 Meter Hurdles (6 entries)

    • 1st – Sadie Buchanan
    • 2nd – Kara Schneider
    • 5th – Maggie Barnes

    300 Meter Hurdles (6 entries)

    • 1st – Sadie Buchanan
    • 2nd – Kara Schneider
    • 6th – Annie Fowler

    4×100 Meter Relay (3 entries)

    • 2nd – team comprised of Sophia Kop, Hadleigh Windish, Kaitlyn Darner, Olivia Kop

    4×200 Meter Relay (4 entries)

    • 2nd – team comprised of Carolina Beach-Verhay, Ava Doty, Sophia Kop, Olivia Kop

    4×400 Meter Relay (4 entries)

    • 1st – team comprised of Ava Doty, Natalie Johnston, Ava Curtis, Sadie Buchanan

    4×800 Meter Relay (3 entries)

    • 1st – team comprised of Janie Beach-Verhay, Ellary Smith, Gwendolyn Anderson, Virginia St. Clair

    High Jump (6 entries)

    • 2nd – Olivia Foskey
    • 4th – Emma Martin
    • 5th – Kayla Graham

    Pole Vault (7 entries)

    • 1st – Olivia Burroughs
    • 2nd – Emma Martin

    Long Jump (9 entries)

    • 3rd – Olivia Burroughs
    • 4th – Olivia Foskey
    • 7th – Hadleigh Windish
    • 8th – Kayla Graham

    Triple Jump (4 entries)

    • 3rd – Olivia Foskey
    • 4th – Kayla Graham

    Shot Put (17 entries)

    • 2nd – Olivia Burroughs
    • 3rd – Emma Pastusic
    • 4th – Meggin Gunell-Beck
    • 5th – Somerlyn Cole

    Discus (17 entries)

    • 1st – Olivia Burroughs
    • 2nd – Meggin Gunell-Beck
    • 3rd – Emma Pastusic
    • 7th – Somerlyn Cole

     

  • Watauga men tracksters top 7-team field at Spartan Invitational

    By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — Watauga High School has a youth movement at play in track and field.

    Perhaps it was Watauga freshman Elliott Taft who set the tone for the Pioneers’ men’s track team on March 25 at the Spartan Invitational. With a sizzling 3200 meter run (11:05.73), Taft led a quartet of Watauga distance specialists who took four of the top six spots in the nine-man field.

    Then again, maybe it was freshman Matthew Leon taking nearly a full second off of his personal best in winning the Men’s 400 in 52.90, closely followed by sophomore teammate Alex Gremmell (53.38) at No. 2. Another sophomore, Jakob Crosswell came in at the No. 4 spot among the 18 athletes competing — and took a full five seconds off his seeding time.

    Continuing the Pioneer youth movement, sophomore Jonah Norris captured the top spot in the Men’s 800 meters (2:13.04), lowering his seeding time by two and half seconds.

    TEAM SCORES

    1. Watauga (235.5)
    2. Alexander Central (182)
    3. South Caldwell (124.50)
    4. Hickory Christian (44)
    5. Stuart W. Cramer (30)
    6. West Iredell (15)
    7. Hibriten (12)

    SUMMARY WATAUGA INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

    100 Meters (18 entries)

    • 4th – Lade Oguntoyinbo
    • 6th – Eli Bailey
    • 7th – Trey Thompson
    • 17th – Kyle Williams

    200 Meters (20 entries)

    • 2nd – Lade Oguntoyinbo
    • 6th – Carlton Horine
    • 8th – Eli Bailey
    • 13th – Maxwell DePriest

    400 Meters (18 entries)

    • 1st – Matthew Leon
    • 2nd – Alex Gremmell
    • 4th – Jakob Crosswell

    800 Meters (14 entries)

    • 1st – Jonah Norris
    • 7th – Davis Crymes
    • 8th – Miles Page
    • 14th – Mitch Jasper

    1600 Meters (13 entries)

    • 2nd – Collin Anderson
    • 4th – Sam Rex
    • 6th – Miles Page

    3200 Meters (9 entries)

    • 1st – Elliott Taft
    • 2nd – Calvin Zwetsloot
    • 5th – Zeke Walker
    • 6th – Davis Crymes

    110 Meter Hurdles (6 entries)

    • 2nd – Landon Smith

    300 Meter Hurdles (8 entries)

    • 2nd – Landon Smith
    • 3rd – Carlton Horine
    • 8th – Kyle Williams

    4×100 Meter Relay (3 entries)

    • 2nd – team comprised of Eli Bailey, Matthew Leon, Klaus Best, Trey Thompson

    4×200 Meter Relay (4 entries)

    • 1st – team comprised of Micah Duvall, Trey Thompson, Alex Gremmell, Lade Oguntoyinbo

    4×400 Meter Relay (4 entries)

    • 1st – team comprised of Alex Gremmell, Matthew Leon, Micah Duvall, Josh Hamilton

    4×800 Meter Relay (3 entries)

    • 2nd – team comprised of Davis Crymes, Collin Anderson, Sam Rex, Will Bradbury

    High Jump (7 entries)

    • 2nd – Josiah Railey
    • 4th – Brady Lindenmuth
    • 6th – Lade Oguntoyinbo

    Pole Vault (7 entries)

    • 1st – Clayo Kulcyk
    • 2nd – Luke Wilson
    • 4th – Santino Wood

    Long Jump (12 entries)

    • 2nd – Josiah Railey
    • 7th – Kyle Williams

    Triple Jump (8 entries)

    • 4th – Josiah Railey
    • 7th – Kyle Williams
    • 8th – Maxwell DePriest

    Shot Put (17 entries)

    • 3rd – Carson Gunnell-Beck
    • 4th – Caleb Dewey
    • 8th – Jonathan Lutabingwa
    • 15th – Callan Riordan

    Discus (17 entries)

    • 2nd – Carson Gunnell-Beck
    • 4th – Jonathan Lutabingwa
    • 11th – Callan Riordan

  • Young Watauga team with significant performances at Mt. Tabor Mile & Throwing Thunder event; 56 schools competing

    By David Rogers. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — In a field of 21 women’s shot putters,  Watauga’s Olivia Burroughs and Emma Pastusic placed No. 4 and No. 6, respectively, in the Mount Tabor Mile & Throwing Thunder 2023 event hosted by Mt. Tabor High School on March 24.

    More than 50 schools sent male and female athletes to compete in the Mt. Tabor meet that featured only six events: Varsity Men’s Mile, Varsity Women’s Mile, Varsity Men’s Shot Put, Varsity Women’s Shot Put, Boys Middle School Mile, and Girls Middle School Mile.

    Maureen Cavanaugh of Forsyth Country Day won the women’s shot put event with a heave of 34 feet, 5 inches. She was followed by a pair of Dudley throwers in Shamilia Carpenter and Lyric Watkins at No. 2 and No. 3, both credited with 33-06 efforts. Watauga’s Burroughs recorded a 31-07 to claim No. 4 and Pastusic at No. 6 with 30-05, almost two feet further than the No. 7 performance.

    Lake Norman freshman Kasey Dingman ran away with the Women’s Varsity Mile Run, taking the No. 1 spot with a time of 5:02.32, in a large field of 161 competing athletes. Watauga freshman Sydney Cate Townsend was the lead Pioneer at No. 41 (5:39.73), followed by senior Gwendolyn Anderson at No. 55 (5:45.40), senior Andriana Rink at No. 57 (5:46.87), senior Virginia St. Clair (No. 59, 5:47.41), senior Brianna Anderson (5:50.04), freshman Janie Beach-Verhay (5:50.60), junior Ellary Smith (5:57.77), freshman Bailey Collins (6:18.31), sophomore Mia Libre (6:20.19), sophomore Hadley Carpenter (6:26.48), freshman Naomi Wellenstein (6:40.45), and freshman Sydney Moretz (7:51.16)

    Watauga senior Jonathan Lutabingwa placed No. 12 in a field of 23 shot putters in the Men’s Varsity Shot Put. Other Pioneers included sophomore Caleb Dewey (No. 16), and sophomore Carson Gunnell-Beck (No. 18).

    The Men’s Varsity Mile Run featured a whopping 283 runners. The event was won by Mt. Tabor senior Andrew Burrell in 4:16.63, with Lake Norman senior Logan Dingman an eyelash behind in 4:16.83 for the No. 2 spot. Watauga’s best finisher was junior Sam Nixon at No. 100 (4:51.97). Others competing for the Pioneers included sophomore Jonah Norris (4:56.26), freshman Elliott Taft (4:59.32), Jackson Ruff (4:59.89), freshman Zeke Walker (5:07.11), freshman Calvin Zwetsloot (5:14.62), freshman Silas Powell (5:16.57), junior Collin Anderson (5:16.70), sophomore Caspian Miller (5:19.27), freshman Cameron Nance (5:19.58), sophomore Haines Heistand (5:26.45), freshman Elijah Healy (5:31.59), sophomore Charles Langley (5:34.51), freshman A.J. McAulay (5:36.85), sophomore Mike Menchu-Yax (6:06.83), junior Raffael Vazquez (6:08.64) and freshman Doyle Casey (6:14.08).

    Photo courtesy of NCMileSplit.

    In the Girl’s Middle School Mile Run event, Watauga 7th grader Cali Townsend finished No. 3 out of 18 competitors, with a time of 5:30. Rachel Riley, an 8th grader representing Jefferson Middle School (Winston-Salem) won the event in 5:14.

    Exactly half of the competitors in the Girls Middle School Mile Run were from Watauga, including Townsend, Maggie Visser (8th grade, No. 7), Lily Kimbrough (7th grade, No. 8), Eva Hannon (6th grade, No. 10), Savannah Moretz (7th grade, No. 12), Francis Davis (8th grade, No. 15), Carrie Bradbury (8th grade, No. 16), Claire Nance (7th grade, No. 17), and Madalyn Taylor (7th grade, No. 18).

    In the Boys Middle School Mile Run, Watauga had three athletes competing, including a No. 6 placing by 8th grader Andres Roman. Other Watauga runners in the 22-man field included 8th grader Tallon Abrams and 7th grader Andrew Weikert. The field was dominated by runners from Jefferson Middle School and Forsyth Country Day.

  • Pioneers drop NWC league game to Cougars, 5-0

    By David Rogers. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — Host Alexander Central got going early and never looked back against Watauga on March 24.

    While shutting out the Pioneers over the seven innings of play, the Cougars plated two runs in the first inning, added another in the 3rd, and two more insurance runs in the bottom of the 6th to win the day in a battle of Northwestern Conference heavyweights.

    Watauga (9-2 overall) is now 1-1 in NWC play, tied for third place with South Caldwell, while Alexander Central (7-4 overall) is 2-0 atop the standings, tied with Hibriten.

    The Pioneers will look to get back in the league leadership mix on March 28 when they host Hibriten. Alexander Central will travel to South Caldwell on the same day, with the first pitch for both games slated for 6:30 pm.

  • Sears named to NC All State basketball team

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Adding to her selection as Player of the Year for District 11 of the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association, Watauga sophomore Kate Sears has been named to North Carolina’s “All State” team as a 2nd Team selection, NCBCA announced on March 20.

    Sears is one of only two sophomores selected to the All State team, the other being Adelaide Jernigan of Bishop McGuinness, a private Catholic highs school in Kernersville.

    The All-State first team was dominated by juniors (4), to go along with one senior. Zamareya Jones, a junior at North Pitt, was named the state’s Player of the Year while Panther Creek’s Danielle Sullivan grabbed Coach of the Year honors on the women’s side.

    In addition to Jones, the All State first team included Jada Angel of Cape Fear, Taylor Barner of Panther Creek, senior Reychel Douglas of Millbrook, and Bianca Thomas of Charlotte Catholic. Watauga high school basketball fans are familiar with Thomas as she helped lead Charlotte Catholic past Watauga in the state championship tournament’s quarterfinals.

    Along with Sears, the All State second team includes senior Kyla Bryant (Salisbury), senior Navaeh Farmer (North Mecklenburg), senior Ally Hollifield (Shelby), and senior Madisyn Jordan (Panther Creek).

    On the third team, Jernigan was surrounded by seniors, including Kylie Chavis (Purnell Swett), Brecken Snotherly (Eastern Randolph), Caroline Thiel (Rocky Mount), and Kristen Lewis-Williams (Lake Norman).

    Men’s All State

    On the men’s side, junior Paul McNeil (Richmond County) picked up Player of the Year honors while Jim Baker (Central Cabarrus) collected Coach of the Year honors.

    The Men’s 1st Team All State selections were also dominated by juniors. Along with McNeil, other juniors included Isaiah Evans (North Mecklenburg), Drake Powell (Northwood), and Jarin Stevenson (Seaforth). The lone senior on the 1st team was Jah Short (Farmville Central).

    The men’s 2nd Team All State selections were senior Takorrie Faison (Goldsboro), junior “Juke” Harris (Salisbury), junior Sir Mohammed (Myers Park), senior Elijah Strong (Myers Park), and senior Jaiden Thompson (Central Cabarrus),

    The men’s 3rd Team All State selections were senior Isaac Dobie (First Flight), sophomore Jackson Keith (Southern Durham), senior Collin Kuhl (Holly Springs), freshman Dionte Neal (Reidsville), and sophomore Mikey Wilkins (R-S Central).

    Charlotte Torgerson (33) made plays both inside and outside on Feb. 7 against Freedom in Morganton. On March 6 she was named to the All District 11 team of the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association. Photographic image by David Rogers

    All District 11 Notes

    The NCBCA announced its All-District selections on March 6, naming Sears as the District 11 Player of the Year and Watauga teammate Charlotte Torgerson as a 3rd Team All District 11 honoree. Other regional selections of note to receive All District honors included junior Paige Overcash of Ashe County (1st Team All District) and senior Katie Story of Hibriten (1st Team All District).

    Of regional interest, the men’s All District team included senior Jake Grubb of Ashe County, named 2nd Team All District.