By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — After dominating every event in which she was entered in the Northwestern Conference, Watauga’s Lauren Patterson earned “Swimmer of the Year” honors for the 2023 season. Her coach, David Gragg, also received recognition as the women’s “Coach of the Year.”
Watauga placed eight of its women swimmers on the all-conference list announced on March 1.
ALL CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Lola Herring – Watauga
Lauren Patterson – Watauga
Elise Rasco – Watauga
Athena Elliott – Watauga
Virginia St. Clair – Watauga
Annabelle Stewart – Watauga
Mary-Kathryn Riddle – Watauga
Maggie Cheves – Watauga
Chloe Bolick – S Caldwell
Zoe Annas – S Caldwell
Jade Moyer – S Caldwell
Kaylee Moore – S Caldwell
Elettra Dalcerri – Hibriten
Acacia Felmlee – Hibriten
Darby Keen – Hibriten
Anslie Norris – Hibriten
Lacie McPeak – Hibriten
NWC Women’s Swimming – Final Team Rankings
1. Watauga
2. Hibriten
3. South Caldwell
4. Freedom
5. Alexander
6. Ashe County
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — South Caldwell’s Avery Annas was the only Northwestern Conference swimmer under two minutes in winning the 200 Yard Freestyle in the Jan. 25 conference meet and also qualified for the 4A West Regionals in the 100 Yard Breaststroke as well as competing on some of the Spartan’s relay teams. Those accomplishments help him earn the Northwestern Conference “Swimmer of the Year” recognition announced on March 1. In leading the Watauga Pioneers to another conference championship, head coach David Gragg got the nod as “Coach of the Year.”
Seven Pioneers earned recognition as all-conference selections.
ALL CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Michael Makdad – Watauga
Ryan Wood – Watauga
Anson Ross – Watauga
Vaughn Ladd – Watauga
Wesley Coatney – Watauga
Paul Gamiel – Watauga
Ben Parker – Watauga
Awyer Thompson – S Caldwell
Avery Annas – S Caldwell
Skyler Shew – S Caldwell
Owen Griffith – S Caldwell
Trey Truitt – Freedom
Emerson Miller – Freedom
Caelan Houpe – Freedom
Asher Ellis – Freedom
Garrett Goudas – Hibriten
NWC Men’s Swimming – Final Team Rankings
1. Watauga
2. South Caldwell
3. Freedom
4. Hibriten
5. Alexander
6. Ashe County
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — The 3A/4A Northwestern Conference men’s basketball season for 2022-23 had a split decision for league dominance — and the all-conference selections reflected that.
Regular season team champion Freedom saw Amore Connelly gain “Player of the Year” honors while head coach Clint Zimmerman picked up the “Coach of the Year” recognition. That said, the NWC tournament champion was Alexander Central and Chad Lasher picked up “Tournament MVP” honors.
Locally, Watauga’s Grant Morrison and Jackson Pryor received “all-conference” nods while Maddox Greene and Wyatt Keller picked up honorable mention recognition.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — As co-team champions in 3A/4A Northwestern Conference women’s basketball for the 2022-23 season, it is not surprising that Watauga and Hibriten dominated the all-conference selections announced on March 1, following all conference teams exiting the state playoffs after Watauga’s fourth round loss on Feb. 28.
The team co-champions also produced “Co-Players of the Year” in Watauga’s Kate Sears and Hibriten’s Katie Story. The Panthers’ Maury Patterson got the nod as “Coach of the Year.”
Both Watauga and Hibriten had four selections to the all-NWC team, as well as two honorable mentions.
Ashe County’s Paige Overcash (10) and Brooke Scheffler (right) were both named as all-conference selections for the Northwester Conference’s 2022-23 women’s basketball season. Photographic image by David Rogers
In the 4A state playoffs, Watauga advanced to the fourth round for the first time since the 1980s. In the 3A state playoffs, Hibriten lost to No. 14 seed (and NWC rival) Freedom in the second round, 59-50. Freedom lost in the 3A fourth round to No. 2 seeded East Lincoln, 56-35. In one of the most competitive seasons for the Northwestern Conference in recent memory, No. 9 Ashe County also advanced to the 3A West bracket’s third round before being eliminated by the No. 1 seeded West Rowan, 80-55.
As reported earlier, Watauga was the Northwestern Conference tournament champion while the Pioneers’ Kate Sears got the nod as “Tournament MVP.”
ALL CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Watauga: Kate Sears, Charlotte Torgerson, Laurel Kiker, Brooke Scheffler
Hibriten: Katie Story, Jada Brown, Zoey Walker, Emma Poarch
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — While Ashe County and Hibriten dominated the all-conference list for the 2023 Northwestern Conference season, Watauga had three wrestlers receive honors. As a team, the Pioneers place third in the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference regular season.
The Huskies of Ashe County were both the regular season and conference tournament champions and coach Brandon Dillard was named “Coach of the Year.” Alexander Central’s Dylan Dalton was the “Conference Tournament MVP,” while a pair of Hibriten grapplers shared “Wrestler of the Year” honors. Josiah Honer received the nod in the lower weight classifications while teammate Dillan Earp earned top honors in the upper weight classes.
ALL CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Ashe County: Bridger Fairchild, Landen Wilson, Gabriel Smith, Luke Sheets, Luke Osborn, Ryder Phipps, Matthew Peterson, Lukas Spencer, Nathan Herman, Mason Armentrout
Hibriten: Josiah Honer, Ross Watts, Dillan Earp, Elijah Amaya, Rylan Davidson, Brayden Reid, Brian Reid, Chandler Wyke
Alexander Central: Dylan Dalton, Kanon Harrington, Aaron Longinos, Nate Dahlstrom
Freedom: Nathan Vue, Fredy Vincente-Perez, Jeulenea Khang, Kevin Agustin-Hernandez
South Caldwell: Kevin Pereira, Kaleb Martin, Damian Harkey
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga women’s basketball was defeated by Charlotte Catholic, 60-49, on Feb. 28, in the quarterfinals of the 2023 North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A Women’s Basketball Championship tournament. If there is any consolation, they “won” the second half, 39-29.
“In the fourth round of the state playoffs, you have to play all four quarters,” said Watauga head coach Laura Barry after the game. “Tonight, we didn’t do that. Credit Charlotte Catholic.”
Caroline Farthing defends Charlotte Catholic’s Aniyah Scales (1) on Feb. 28 in the quarterfinal game of the 4A state championship tournament. Photographic image by David Rogers
The visiting Cougars used a smothering, physical defense and opportunistic, balanced offense in the first half to march out to a dominating, 31-10 lead at halftime. The defensive effort kept the Watauga shooters off balance, the close contact style disrupting the Pioneer shooters at every turn.
It didn’t help that the Charlotte Catholic starters included “twin towers” in 6-5 center Blanca Thomas (ranked No. 9 nationally in the Class of 2024 by HoopGurlz Recruiting) and 6-1 Gracynn Gough, both juniors. Thomas (22 points) and Gough (11) accounted for more than half of the Cougars’ 60 points of offensive production.
The presence of the Cougar duo in the defensive paint made it particularly challenging for Watauga guards Kate Sears and Charlotte Torgerson to attack the basket down the lane or along the baseline. And where they were able to kick the ball out to an open teammate on the perimeter, the Cougars applied immediate pressure to would-be shooters. They simply couldn’t get much going in the first half, Sears limited to just 5 points and Torgerson held scoreless.
Some of that was explained by a lengthy stretch early in the first quarter when Sears left the court with a dislocated finger on her left hand (she is primarily a left handed shooter). She re-entered the game late in the opening quarter with the finger wrapped in black tape. Whether Sears was feeling any pain from the injury, she didn’t show it — and gamely played through any discomfort — but many of her shots were off the mark, whether from behind the 3-point arc or attacking the basket in the paint. Even though she managed a team-high 16 points (thanks to 11 in the second half), it was well below her season average of 21.2 points per game.
The long and the short of it… Charlotte Catholic’s Blanca Thomas, a 6-5 junior center, proved an imposing obstacle for Watauga’shooters like Charlotte Torgerson (33) on Feb. 28. Photographic image by David Rogers
Held scoreless in the first half, Torgerson led the Pioneers with 15 points in the second half.
If there were offensive “sparks” for Watauga in the second half, they came from two players not named Sears or Torgerson. Sophomore guard Julie Matheson came off the bench to hit a pair of critical 3-pointers, one each in the the third and fourth quarters, while senior Caroline Farthing scored from both inside and outside in the second half, including a resounding 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
Down by 21 at halftime, Watauga was able to claw back to within six points midway through the fourth quarter, threatening a run largely sparked or sustained by Matheson and Farthing.
Charlotte Catholic’s Gracynn Gough (44), a 6-1 forward and Blanca Thomas (44), a 6-5 center, were imposing figures in the paint on Feb. 28, against Watauga at Lentz Eggers Gym. Photographic image by David Rogers
After the game, Charlotte Catholic head coach Bobby Conrad was understandably feeling good about his Cougars’ team performance.
“I thought, defensively, in the first half we played our best half of the year. Kate Sears is a helluva player and we did a nice job of just containing her. We also did a good job of running Watauga off the 3-point line and rebounding,” said Conrad. “Our defensive intensity set the tone and it frustrated them for awhile, at least in the first half.”
Of Sears’ dislocated finger, Conrad had nothing but praise.
“She is a warrior and she was fighting through it,” said Conrad. “Great players, when the game is on the line like in the second half, they don’t feel pain. I’m sure she does, but she sure didn’t play like it.”
Watauga’s Pacers dance team put on a halftime show, including a Rockettes-worthy chorus line performance. Photographic image by David Rogers
About Watauga’s second half comeback, Conrad was candid.
“They threw a couple of things at us that got us out of our rhythm a little bit but they also made some shots in the second half that they weren’t making in the first half. In the third quarter, I didn’t think we did a good job of stopping the ball. They beat us in transition,” admitted Conrad. “That gave them hope and it gave them belief and they built on that. We played the fourth quarter OK except missing 15 free throws.”
Compared to the Watauga team that Charlotte Catholic faced in late December, in the Cherokee tournament, Conrad had nothing but praise for the Pioneers.
“First of all, this was a different environment, in this gym. I watched a lot of film on Watauga this week. They play hard and they move the ball so well,” said Conrad. “It is a little trickier when you are playing back to back tournament games and you are staying over in a hotel. The time to better prepare was evident tonight. Both teams were a little more organized. Defensively, they put a lot of pressure on us.”
Farthing lights things up in the critical fourth quarter for Watauga against Charlotte Catholic on Feb. 28. Photographic image by David Rogers
Summing up the Charlotte Catholic success against Watauga in this game, Conrad said, “We have a couple of guards who I think can guard anybody around. And if you beat them, then you are staring at a 6-1 forward (Gough) and 6-5 center (Thomas) in the paint. And Gough may be our best shooter. She powers inside and finishes and she can shoot threes from the outside.”
Watauga’s Barry said, “You can’t dig a hole for yourself as big as we did in the first half. Charlotte Catholic has their weapons and I thought we did a better job in the second half taking those weapons away, but early… you have to score.
“We just didn’t look like ourselves or how we wanted to at the jump, on the offensive end,” said Barry. “You have to credit Charlotte Catholic and their approach to defense. It bothered us. And having a 6-5 center hovering in the paint really bothered us and we didn’t get any open looks from behind the 3-point arc early, or at least not enough. If you told me we were only going to get 10 points in the half, I would not have expected it.”
Watauga’s Kate Sears (12) makes an acrobatic effort to get the ball to the hoop on Feb. 28 against Charlotte Catholic, That is the Cougars’ Gracynn Gough (44), defending. Photographic image by David Rogers
Barry reserved some of her highest praise for Farthing, Matheson, and Laurel Kiker.
“I thought Farthing and Kiker were very focused, defensively, and did what we needed them to do from the jump,” Barry said. “And for Julie (Matheson) to come off the bench cold and do what she does, is big. She has been used sparingly all season but she is a kid who wants to be out there. When she has that moment, she doesn’t shy away from it one bit. It shows a lot for her future. I am excited for Julie Matheson next year.”
Kiker suffered a blow to the head, an elbow under the basket delivered by the Cougars’ Thomas in the critical fourth quarter. It was an unintentional hit, but the senior guard lay on the court, sobbing in pain for several minutes while coaches and an athletic trainer tended to her, eventually helping her to her feet and able to walk off the court on her own. After the game she told High Country Sports that she had a concussion and since she had suffered previous concussions, she was unlikely to transition to soccer in the spring, as she normally does.
Charlotte Torgerson (33) attempts a short jumper over Charlotte Catholic’s Gracynn Gough in the first half on Feb. 28, in the NCHSAA 4A Women’s Basketball Championships quarterfinal matchup. Photographic image by David Rogers
With the loss, the Watauga women’s basketball season has come to a close and the student athletes will focus on competing for the Pioneer soccer, track, softball or lacrosse teams. Some will play travel ball while others will simply focus on their spring academic classes.
With the win, Charlotte Catholic advances to the so-called “Final Four.” First will be a 4A West bracket championship game vs. 26-0 Lake Norman on Saturday, March 4. Lake Norman defeated North Mecklenburg, 57-50, on Feb. 28.
The site for the 4A West championship game has not yet been announced, but the pre-playoffs information package suggests that the potential sites include A C Reynolds (Asheville), Freedom (Morganton), McDowell (Marion), Providence (Charlotte) or Grimsley (Greensboro).
The winner of the West championship will meet the winner of the East championship game between No. 1 seeded Hillside (Durham) and No. 3 seeded Panther Creek (Cary). All of the state championship games, including 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A will be played March 11, at Reynolds Coliseum, NC State and at the Smith Center, UNC-Chapel Hill.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — MaxPreps.com records don’t quite go back 20 years but there is no evidence that the Watauga High School women’s basketball team has made it past round three of the state playoffs, in any classification, over the last two decades. All that changed on Feb. 25 when the Pioneers swept past No. 7 seed South Mecklenburg, 58-44 — and into the quarterfinals of the North Carolina 4A Women’s Basketball Championship tournament.
Many in the packed Lentz Eggers Gym expected more of a contest from South Meck, perhaps even a loss after the Sabres went undefeated in the Charlotte-centered Conference 49, conference that includes historical powerhouses Myers Park and Ardrey Kell, as well as other strong programs.
Watauga sophomore point guard Kate Sears attacks on Feb. 25 against South Mecklenburg in Round 3 of the 4A North Carolina state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers
Led by sophomore guard Kate Sears (26 points), Charlotte Torgerson (16) and Brooke Scheffler (10), the Pioneers jumped out to a 20-11 lead after just one quarter and kept pouring it on. Errant shots and ball-handling turnovers — what have become trademarks for Pioneer opponents in recent weeks — proved to be South Meck’s undoing under pressure from Watauga’s smothering defense and alert rebounding.
“We started out strong,” Watauga head coach Laura Barry told High Country Sports after the game. “What I mean by that is this team goes into a game against a strong opponent intimidated. They know they are good and capable of beating just about any opponent on any given day. That wasn’t the case early in the season.”
When the Watauga players are hitting on 3-point attempts from behind the arc, they can dominate opponents. Against the Sabres, the Pioneers were successful on seven 3-point tries, three each from Sears and Torgerson, with Carolina Farthing chipping in an additional shot from beyond the arc in the second quarter.
Charlotte Torgerson starts to dribble the baseline toward the basket on Feb. 25 against South Mecklenburg in Round 3 of the 4A state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers
Both Sears and Torgerson did a lot of damage from the free throw line, with Sears making good on 6-of-7 from the charity stripe and Torgerson making 7-of-10.
Scheffler was dominant inside, often on the receiving end of a pass from Sears to go up and in. One play in the second half had onlookers’ jaws a-dropping. Sears dribbled baseline as if to go up for a shot herself, but somehow sensed that Scheffler was in the paint and open. So the “super soph” made an abrupt, 90-degree turn under the basket, under the arms of a Sabre defender, bounce passing the ball to her teammate, Scheffler. The senior forward didn’t hesitate in sending the ball to bank against the glass and fall cleanly through the hoop and net.
Diane McGlamery (13) is seeing her minutes increase as the season progresses. Here, she will go 2-for-2 from the foul line against South Mecklenburg in Round 3 action of the state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers
To their credit, South Mecklenburg was pesky on defense. Senior point guard Anastasia Sinclair was often marking Sears and did as well as anyone during the 2022-23 season in “containing” Sears’ offensive production. Freshman guard Gabrielle Troy-Mebane was frequently picking up a defensive role vs. Sears and Torgerson, and quite aggressive in her efforts. The Sabres probably didn’t utilize the size advantage of senior center Deidre Miller enough, although the 6-footer’s 12 points on the night was second on the team only to Sinclair’s 14.
With the win, the Pioneers will look forward to a rematch vs. No. 11 seed Charlotte Catholic, a 58-53 upset winner at No. 3 seed Northern Guilford. Just before Christmas, on Dec. 21, the Cougars won a 53-42 decision against Watauga at a neutral site tournament in Cherokee, at a time when the Pioneers were still discovering how good they are.
Charlotte Torgerson leaves no doubt about her free throws on Feb. 25 against South Mecklenburg in Round 3 of the North Carolina 4A state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers
At 24-6 overall and 10-2 in the 4A Conference 59, Charlotte Catholic finished second to Independence, a team that went undefeated in Conference 59 and earned the No. 8 seed in the 4A West Bracket playoffs. In the upper half of the West bracket, Independence lost to No. 1 seed Lake Norman on Feb. 25, 69-48.
Watauga will host the Feb. 28 quarterfinal game vs. Charlotte Catholic, in the friendly confines of Lentz Eggers Gym. Another packed house is expected, perhaps standing room only. If Watauga can get by the Cougars, they will play the winner of No. 1 Lake Norman and No. 4 North Mecklenburg, which defeated No. 5 seeded A C Reynolds decisively on Feb. 25, 56-37.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Switched gears, same result.
Compared to a chaotic first round win that saw Watauga score a season-high 83 points against Chambers on Feb. 21, the Feb. 23 Round 2 matchup against Northwest Guilford slowed to a snail’s pace. Nonetheless, the Pioneers prevailed decisively, 58-37, to advance to Round 3 in the 4A North Carolina State Championship Basketball Tournament.
BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article
Pioneer forward Brooke Scheffler powered through this block attempt by NW Guilford’s Payton Vernon (12) to score on Feb. 23. Photographic image by David Rogers
Led by 31 points from point guard Kate Sears, the Pioneers jumped out to a 22-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and it never got closer. Sears did her usual looking for an open teammate, but when the visiting Vikings rolled out the red carpet, the “super soph” didn’t hesitate in attacking the basket, including making good on four 3-pointers from outside the arc. Junior guard Charlotte “Downtown” Torgerson chipped in another 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to account for a little more than half the balance of Watauga scoring.
A punishing Watauga defense and an exceptional rebounding effort on both ends of the court led to the home team’s first half dominance. A strong performance on the offensive boards led to numerous second chance points by the Pioneers and bringing the ball up court quickly, in transition, after recovering forced Viking shots all but doomed the visitors from the get-go.
After getting NW Guilford’s Madison Young (21) going one way in defense, Watauga’s Charlotte Torgerson reverses field and looks the other way for an open teammate on Feb. 23, in Round 2 of the 4A state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers
For NW Guilford, a pesky defensive effort by point guard Maslyn Mosbacher while marking Sears probably avoided even a larger margin of dominance by Watauga. Mosbacher tied for team-high scoring honors with Bel Veradi, both with 11 points. Most of Veradi’s points (7 of them) came from the free throw line.
On this night, performance at the free throw line was a study in contrasts. The Vikings were 10-of-20 (50 percent) while the Pioneers were 11-of 13 (85 percent), including 4-for-4 by Torgerson.
Kaitlyn Darner (30) hits a 3-pointer from downtown Blowing Rock early on Feb. 23, vs. NW Guilford in Round 2 of the 4A NC State Championship tournament. Photographic image by David Rogers
“I was really proud of our team tonight because we had to shift gears with a completely different game plan after watching film of how Northwest Guilford plays,” said Pioneer head coach Laura Barry after the game. “The pace against Chambers was somewhat chaotic, but Northwest Guilford is more deliberate. We had to prepare for them a little differently than we prepared for the Round 1 game.
“They gave Kate (Sears) some open looks tonight,” added Barry, “and she didn’t hesitate in attacking the basket.”
Ever the field general, Watauga sophomore point guard Kate Sears barks out a play on Feb. 23 in Round 2 of the state playoffs vs. Northwest Guilford. Photographic image by David Rogers
Seeded No. 2 in the 4A West bracket, in beating No. 15 Northwest Guilford, the Pioneers advance to Round 3, and will host No. 7 South Mecklenburg, another team from Charlotte, on Saturday, Feb. 25. The 24-4 (12-0 in 4A Conference 49) Sabres were a 79-57 winner over No. 10 Asheville. The preliminary time for the Round 3 tipoff is 6 p.m., at Lentz Eggers Gym.
The North Carolina Athletic Directors Association (NCADA) has announced its 29th Hall of Fame (2023) class, and Avery County Schools Athletic Director Jay Smith has been chosen for induction.
Smith is one five athletic directors who will be added to the Hall this year. The others include Neil Blankenship of Swain County, Michael Gainey of Rocky Mount, Troy Lindsay of Fayetteville and Jim Taylor of Shelby.
The honorees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a banquet on March 27 in Wilmington.
“I’m very humbled to be chosen for this great honor,” Smith said to High Country Press. “I’m thankful to have had all kinds of opportunities on the county, conference, regional and state levels because of my work in athletics and education. Any honor I receive is not just about me, but also many others who have been a part of my professional career. And I’m deeply grateful to each of them.”
Avery County Schools Superintendent Dr. Dan Brigman offered High Country Press the following comment about Smith’s upcoming Hall of Fame induction and his service to Avery County Schools: “Mr. Smith is very deserving of this honor and recognition for the outstanding work he continues to do in support of athletics and all students at Avery County High School and at our other schools throughout the county.”
Smith, the son of Daryl and Sharon “Bugs” Smith, added to High Country Press that he will be retiring as athletic director and Avery High counselor at the end of August this year.
“Again, I’m so appreciative of the Hall of Fame induction and I’ll be working hard with our county’s school administrators, coaches, athletes and others to keep our sports programs moving forward while I’m athletic director. It’s been a great run for me.”
Smith’s biography from the NCADA reads as follows:
Jamison “Jay” Smith
Jay Smith has worked with kids and families for 28 years. He worked with the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Social Services for 15 years in the Catawba Valley before returning home to enter the field of education. For the past 13 years, he has been a Professional School Counselor at Avery County High School. During this time, he has also acted in a variety of other roles: County Athletics Director (12 years), women’s golf coach (6 years) and assistant baseball coach (5 years).
While at Avery County High School, Jay has overseen many teams to achieve great things. The Vikings won their first state title, 16 Western Highlands Conference titles, eight western regional titles and three additional state titles.
Jay has been a member of the NCADA for 11 years and North Carolina Coaches Association (NCCA) for 13 years. He has served two terms as the Region 8 representative on the NCADA board, six years as the Secretary of the Western Highlands Conference and the NCHSAA golf committee. He has also been named the Western Highlands Conference Golf Coach of the Year (4 times), the Region 8 Athletic Director of the year (2017), NCADA Special Commendation, NCADA Athletic Director of Excellence, NCADA Brave Heart Award and is a National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Certified Athletic Administrator.
Jay graduated from Avery County High School (1991), earned his Batchelor’s degree in Family Science from Montreat College (1995) and a Master’s degree in Professional School Counseling from Appalachian State University (2010).
He resides in the Cranberry community of Avery County with his wife, Kelly, of 25 years, and their three children: Katie, Nolan and Darla.
Formed in 1970, the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association consists of secondary athletic directors from across the state of North Carolina. It is governed by a Board of Directors elected for four-year terms representing the eight athletic regions of the state, four at-large members and affiliate members. The 1984-85 year was the first that corporate sponsorship became involved with the NCADA. A number of companies have been important to the growth of the Association.
The NCADA continues to grow toward its goal of having every secondary athletic director in the state as a member. The pressures now brought to bear on education and interscholastic athletics from several different areas make a strong AD organization more important than ever. In many cases, the athletic director is the one that continues to provide stability for a school program when there are many changes in personnel and administration. Professional growth and development, along with the sharing of ideas with colleagues from around the state, continue to be the mission of the Association.
Charles “Babe Howell, a former Avery County Schools athletic director and head football coach at Avery High, was inducted in the NCADA Hall of Fame in 2012 after his employment tenure (1995-97) had ended in the Avery County School System. But Smith is the only athletic director from Avery County chosen for NCADA Hall of Fame induction while still actively working in the school system.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With a 40-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Watauga head coach Laura Barry was able to empty her women’s basketball bench against Julius Chambers High School (Charlotte), in the first round of the North Carolina 4A state playoffs. The Pioneers won in a runaway, 83-46.
BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article
Charlotte Torgerson shot from outside and inside, including driving the lane against Chambers in Round 1 of the 2023 state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers
Although Chambers is the 2021-22 season’s 4A state champion, only one player remains from last year’s roster, guard Amiaya Hall. Nonetheless, the Cougars have a tall, athletic group of players, even if not the equal of a Watauga team that came to play basketball in all of its phases.
“I am really proud of our kids,” Barry told High Country Sports after the game. “They came out on fire for Round 1. We were all business tonight. We came out here ready to play knowing that these 4A teams coming up from Charlotte can play. We had a measure of confidence coming into the game tonight, having beaten this team in the first game of the season, in November, but you can’t take plays off when you play these Charlotte teams.”
A good example of Watauga’s persistence on Feb. 21 against Chambers in Round 1 of the 4A state playoffs, is this series. In the top image, senior guard Laurel Kiker (21) gets blocked by a Chambers forward Behani Overby (4) — but just a couple of seconds later she is retrieving the ball and putting the ball up and in for the game’s second score in the first quarter, putting Watauga up, 4-0, a lead they will never relinquish. Photographic image by David Rogers
While Watauga got scoring leadership from the usual suspects in Kate Sears (26 points), Charlotte Torgerson (22) and Brooke Scheffler (16), the Pioneers had offensive contributions up and down the main roster. Six other Watauga players got in the scorebook including Julie Matheson (5), Laurel Kiker (4), Kaitlyn Darner (4) and two apiece from Caroline Farthing, Diane McGlamery and Gracie Lawrence.
Chambers won the opening tipoff, but that was just about all they won on the night. The Cougars promptly lost the ball to the Pioneers and Sears made the Round 1 visitors pay by driving the lane for and up and in to draw the proverbial first blood on the night. Then it seemed like a blink of an eye before Watauga was ahead 6-0 after two more Cougar turnovers, prompting an early Chambers timeout to regroup. It didn’t help, as Watauga closed out the first quarter with a whopping, 18-3 lead, with Scheffler and Darner accounting for 7 and 4 of those first period points, respectively.
In this sequence, it was another rough day at the office for Watauga sophomore point guard Kate Sears as she drove to the lane. Nonetheless, she overcame visiting Chamber’s tall, athletic opposition to pour in a game-high 26 points on the night. Photographic images by David Rogers
Watauga poured it on in the second quarter, with Sears and Torgerson (9 and 8, respectively) finding their rhythm and Scheffler (4) continuing to produce inside. Thanks to the Cougars’ Hall (5 points in the period), Jada Richardson (5) and Nia Kirk (4), Chambers was able to get on the board but the visitors’ turnover issues persisted and the Pioneers took a 43-18 lead into halftime.
It would only get worse for Chambers, as Sears led the Pioneers on a 21-9 run in the third period, expanding the lead to 64-27 as the two teams headed into the final stanza at Lentz Eggers Gym. Even with Barry inserting primarily bench players in the final period, giving them valuable time on the hardwoods, Watauga expanded the lead to its final, 83-46 final. Once the lead got to 40 in the fourth quarter, the game clock never stopped under the mercy rule of North Carolina high school basketball.
After a Chamber turnover, Watauga’s Kate Sears brings the ball to the other end and scores the Round 1 game’s first points on Feb. 21. Photographic image by David Rogers
Watauga will now host the winner of R J Reynolds and Northwest Guilford, also played on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Round 2 will be played in Lentz Eggers Gym on Thursday, Feb. 23.
