By David Rogers. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Running in Heat 3, Watauga freshman Hannah Graham posted the fastest time in the Women’s 500m on Dec. 12 at the JDL Fast Track for the Millennium Indoor Track Classic. Her time of 1:31.83 edged Allison Vasquez of Starmount (1:31.85), running in Heat 1.
Graham’s winning performance was just one of several Watauga keynotes for the meet, in both the men’s and women’s divisions. Among the men, Joshua Hamilton’s win in the 500m among 26 entries stands out as a top performance of the day.
Schools with entries in the Millennium Indoor Track Classic included Watauga, Forsyth Country Day, South Stokes, Lexington, Davie, East Lincoln, Millennium, West Stokes, High Point Central, Starmount
Selected Key Performances:
Women’s 55m (18 entries)
6th – Sophia Kop (Fr.)
Women’s 300m (18 entries)
4th – Lilly Stough (Fr.)
Women’s 500m (13 entries)
1st – Hannah Graham (Fr.)
6th – Sara Smith
Women’s 1000m (9 entries)
2nd – Mia Llibre (Soph.)
Women’s 1600m (8 entries)
4th – Mia Llibre (Soph.)
Women’s 3200m (5 entries)
1st Sadie Buchanan (Soph.)
Women’s 4x200m (3 entries)
2nd – team of Leah Gaydon, Alison Bertrand, Samantha Bertrand, Sophia Kop
Women’s 4x400m (2 entries)
1st – team of Lilly Stough, Sophia Kop, Leah Gaydon, Hannah Graham
Women’s 4x800m (1 entry)
1st – team of Anna Norris, Hadley Carpenter, Mia Llibre, Bailey Collins
Women’s Pole Vault (3 entries)
1st – Olivia Burroughs (Jr.)
2nd – Emmerson Martin (Jr.)
Women’s Long Jump (7 entries)
1st – Olivia Burroughs (Jr.)
3rd – Hannah Graham (Jr.)
Women’s Triple Jump (2 entries)
1st – Sophia Kop (Fr.)
2nd – Hannah Graham (Fr.)
Women’s Shot Put (12 entries)
3rd – Olivia Burroughs (Jr.)
Men’s 55m (28 entries)
5th – Lade Oguntoyinbo (Jr.)
Men’s 300m (29 entries)
3rd – Alex Gremmell (Soph.)
4th – Nyle Peays (Fr.)
Men’s 500m (26 entries)
1st – Joshua Hamilton (Sr.)
3rd – Matthew Leon (Fr.)
6th – Nathanael Cox (Sr.)
Men’s 1000m (19 entries)
7th – Kade Maiden (Jr.)
Men’s 4x200m Relay (6 entries)
1st – team of Lade Oguntoyinbo, Nyle Peays, Evan Burroughs, Alex Gremmell
Men’s 4x400m Relay (5 entries)
1st – team of Alex Gremmell, Matthew Leon, Nyle Peays, Joshua Hamilton
Men’s 4x800m Relay (3 entries)
2nd – team of Elijah Healy, Cameron Nance, Kade Maiden, Nathanael Cox
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Winning two individual events (100 Yard Backstroke and 100 Yard Butterfly) and a part of first and second place relay events, junior Lauren Patterson headlined Watauga’s sweep of a 6-way dual swim meet on Dec. 10 at the Watauga Community Recreation Center.
Also leading the Pioneers was a strong performance by senior Virginia St. Clair, who earned a second place finish in the 200 Freestyle, to go with a first place in the 100 Freestyle and her anchoring the Pioneers’ 400 Yard Freestyle Relay team.
SELECTED TEAM SCORES:
Watauga 54, Elkin 40
Watauga 60, South Caldwell 34
Watauga 79, Starmount 10
Watauga 82, Ashe County 4
Watauga 82, Pinnacle Classical Academy 0
Elkin 47, South Caldwell 46
Ashe County 18, Pinnacle Classical Academy 12
SELECTED KEY WATAUGA PERFORMANCES:
200 Yard Medley Relay (6 entries)
2nd Watauga, team of Maggie Cheves, MK Riddle, Lauren Patterson, Austin Dyer
200 Yard Freestyle (11 entries)
2nd Virginia St. Clair
5th Abbi Pitts
200 Individual Medley (6 entries)
1st Maggie Cheves
3rd Annabelle Stewart
50 Yard Freestyle (31 entries)
3rd Austin Dyer
5th Abbi Shuman
10th Veronica Ryan
11th Ella Anderson
100 Yard Butterfly (6 entries)
1st Lauren Patterson
100 Yard Freestyle (31 entries)
1st Virginia St. Clair
4th Annabelle Stewart
5th MK Riddle
8th Abbi Shuman
9th Cadence Smith
10th Austin Dyer
500 Yard Freestyle (6 entries)
2nd Abbi Pitts
3rd Maddy Elmore
200 Yard Freestyle Relay (7 entries)
2nd Watauga, team of Austin Dyer, Abbi Shuman, Abi Pitts, MK Riddle
100 Yard Backstroke (10 entries)
1st Lauren Patterson
2nd Maggie Cheves
100 Yard Breaststroke (8 entries)
2nd MK Riddle
400 Yard Freestyle Relay
Maggie Cheves, Grace Lesnesne, Lauren Patterson, Virginia St. Clair
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Strong performances by the Watauga men’s swimming team, including junior Wesley Coatney’s part in winning three events, two individuals and one relay, powered the Pioneers to dual meet victories over all five opponents in the 6-way dual meet on Dec. 10 at the Watauga Community Recreation Center.
In addition to Watauga, competitors in the Men’s Division came from South Caldwell, Elkin, Starmount, Pinnacle Classical Academy, and Ashe County.
Selected Team Scores:
Watauga 48, Elkin 40
Watauga 56, South Caldwell 38
Watauga 70, Starmount 15
Watauga 77, Pinnacle Classical Academy 4
Watauga 77, Ashe County 1
Elkin 49, South Caldwell 40
Starmount 25, Pinnacle Classical Academy 22
Of the six schools, Watauga benefited from roster depth, getting fast times from younger swimmers who may not have won an event but picked up team points by their strong finishes relative to the other teams.
In the Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle, Coatney finished a full 18 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, Sawyer Poindexter of Elkin. Coatney followed that up later in the meet with a win in the 500 Yard Freestyle, this time ahead of Starmount’s Ashton Hartzog. Coatney started off with a first lap of 31.17 seconds, slowed down to as much as 40.63 seconds in the sixth lap, but blazed through the tenth lap, bringing it home with a 35.75 for a full race time of 6:17.66. Hartzog was a distant 6:25.48.
Coatney also led off Watauga’s first place effort in the Men’s 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, the day’s final event, followed by sophomore Paul Gamiel, freshman Michael Makdad, and anchored by senior Anson Ross. The quartet’s time of 3:55.65 edged second place Elkin’s 3:58.42 over that distance, including three exchanges and multiple turns at the wall.
SELECTED KEY PERFORMERS
200 Yard Medley Relay (6 entries)
2nd Watauga A, team of Michael Makdad, Paul Gamiel, Anson Ross and Levi Temple
200 Yard Freestyle (6 entries)
1st Wesley Coatney
3rd Trathan Gragg
200 Yard Individual Medley (5 entries)
1st Anson Ross
50 Yard Freestyle (30 entries)
3rd Michael Makdad
5th Eli Temple
8th Paul Gamiel
9th Drew Jasper
10th Samuel Rex
100 Yard Butterfly (5 entries)
2nd Michael Makdad
100 Yard Freestyle (18 entries)
3rd Summit Allan
6th Nick Lyons
7th Drew Jasper
9th Tasman Orkiszewski
10th Silas Powell
500 Yard Freestyle (5 entries)
1st Wesley Coatney
200 Yard Freestyle Relay (7 entries)
3rd Watauga, team of Nick Lyons, Drew Jasper, Summit Allan, Levi Temple
100 Yard Backstroke (7 entries)
3rd Samuel Rex
100 Yard Breaststroke (10 entries)
3rd Summit Allan
4th Paul Gamiel
5th Trathan Gragg
400 Yard Freestyle Relay
1st Watauga, team of Wesley Coatney, Paul Gamiel, Michael Makdad, Anson Ross
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A couple of times during the second half of Watauga’s Dec. 9 tilt vs. 1A power Mountain Heritage, the Pioneers closed its deficit to just two points. They just couldn’t get over the proverbial hump in the 67-57 loss to the Cougars.
Cougar big men Max Smoker and Jesse Shelton accounted for 25 and 13 points, respectively, while guard Colby Capps added 12 to lead the visitors from Burnsville.
Watauga’s Davis Hunt (11) lays in a first half beauty vs Mountain Heritage on Dec. 9. Photographic image by David Rogers
Now 4-1 overall in the early 2022-23 season and ranked No. 4 in the North Carolina 1A West Division, the Cougars’ combination of size and athleticism proved a challenge to the Pioneers, especially in a highly physical game where the officials “let the boys play.”
Watauga countered with three players in double figures, including Grant Morrison (20), Jackson Pryor (12) and Wyatt Keller (10). Josiah Railey came off the bench to add 8 points to the Pioneer cause.
Pioneer forward Grant Morrison sees some scoring action inside during the third quarter of Watauga’s game vs. Mountain Heritage on Dec. 9. Photographic image by David Rogers
Except for a couple of free throws in the game’s opening period, Morrison was held in check by the Cougars until he got hot in the second half. Along with four 3-pointers after intermission, Morrison went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, accounting for 16 of his team-high 20 points. He was 6-for-6 from the foul line by game’s end.
The Cougars’ Shelton was effective on both ends of the court, quickly placing his massive body between the basket and any Pioneer with rebounding aspirations to “box out” and collect the rebound himself. His 13 points, including 5-of-6 from the free throw line were a bonus, complementing his eight points from inside the paint.
When not on the bench in foul trouble, Jackson Pryor (20) was a force for the Pioneers on both ends of the court vs. Mountain Heritage on Dec. 9. Photographic image by David Rogers
Mountain Heritage’s Max Smoker (his brother, Vaughn, also played) was consistent through the game, getting six points in each quarter from the field and then adding 1-of-3 from the foul line in the fourth quarter’s closing seconds as Watauga was desperate to get the ball back.
“I am proud of the way our guys played, especially the effort in the second half,” said Watauga head coach Bryson Payne afterward. That team, Mountain Heritage, was big and they worked really hard on the glass. They were disciplined, knew what was expected of them and they did a really good job of executing. Offensively, we got some good looks. We just didn’t shoot as well as we have in the past few games. That kept us from closing the gap. Mountain Heritage did a really good job of keeping us out of the paint. They were also shooting threes and, unfortunately, we couldn’t seem to hit (our opportunities).”
Wyatt Keller (10) has eyes for the basket in the second half of Watauga’s game vs. Mountain Heritage on Dec. 9. Photographic image by David Rogers
While Watauga couldn’t seem to shoot straight, its defensive play kept them in the game.
“Yes, I was very proud of the way we played defense,” Payne said. “Our pressure forced a lot of Mountain Heritage turnovers, but we couldn’t convert those into points. When Jackson Pryor got into foul trouble, we weren’t rebounding as effectively as we need to. Morgan Henry stepped up for us, but overall we didn’t box out and secure enough rebounds.”
Watauga will get another crack at the Cougars on their home court in Burnsville on Tuesday, Dec. 15 in the back end of the home-and-home series. Then the Pioneer men will complete their pre-Christmas non-conference slate at Lake Norman on Dec. 16, home against Davie (Mocksville, N.C.) in a rare Saturday matchup on Dec. 17, and close with a Dec. 21 road test at T.C. Roberson in Asheville. After Christmas, they close out the 2022 calendar year with three games in the High Country Holiday Classic tournament hosted by the Pioneers.
SELECTED SCORING LEADERS
MTN Max Smoker (25)
WAT Grant Morrison (20)
MTN Jesse Shelton (13)
WAT Jackson Pryor (12)
MTN Colby Capps (12)
WAT Wyatt Keller (10)
WAT Josiah Railey (8)
MTN Vaughn Smoker (8)
Reflecting on how physical the game between Watauga and Mountain Heritage was on Dec. 9, Jackson Pryor is fouled while in the act of shooting by a Cougar defender. Photographic image by David Rogers
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Mountain Heritage came into Lentz Eggers Gym on Dec. 9 as a so far undefeated women’s basketball team in the young 2022-23 season and, through Dec. 8, was the No. 1 ranked team in North Carolina’s 1A (small school) West Division. They are no longer undefeated.
What started out as a first quarter nail biter quickly morphed into a dominant team win for host Watauga, the Pioneers cruising by the Cougars, 53-37.
Caroline Farthing (15) takes advantage of an open look against Mountain Heritage on Dec. 9. Photographic image by David Rogers
Watauga head coach Laura Barry frequently preaches the Pioneers’ goal of being a really good team whose roster happens to have a really good player on it in the form of sophomore point guard Kate Sears.
Well, now it can be said: her team is practicing what Barry is preaching, with growing confidence in what they are about.
In 2021-22, Sears most often opened a game penetrating and distributing the ball out to teammates, getting them involved in the game early. But if that wasn’t producing points, she would take charge and produce those points herself, whether driving the lane or hitting from beyond the 3-point arc.
It was ‘Neo’ night for the Watauga student section in Lentz Eggers Gym for the Pioneers’ games against Mountain Heritage (Burnsville). Photographic image by David Rogers
For 2022-23, observers see a different Sears and a different Watauga team. It is a team where if Sears is effectively defended by an opponent or just having an off night shooting, others are stepping up and filling any offensive void.
Just like the Dec. 6 game vs. A.C. Reynolds when Sears was having an “off” night shooting the ball and teammates Charlotte Torgerson, Brooke Scheffler and Caroline Farthing in particular had a major hand in accounting for a whopping 15 Watauga 3-point shots made, the Mountain Heritage game played out similarly.
Against Mountain Heritage, Sears was aggressive from the get-go, offensively, but very much to their credit the Cougars were effective in stopping the Watauga sophomore point guard, disrupting her possessions, blocking shots and even blocking her path down the lane.
Kate Sears (12) curls upward for a layup against Mountain Heritage on Dec. 9 at Lentz Eggers Gym. Photographic image by David Rogers
But, especially this year, defending against Sears comes at a high cost. Scheffler, Torgerson, Farthing, Kaitlyn Darner and Laurel Kiker (who did not play on Dec. 9 while in concussion protocol) have all emerged as serious offensive threats. And with senior Kiker out for Friday’s game vs. Heritage, sophomore Julie Matheson got more minutes and elevated her play on both ends of the court.
When you combine Watauga’s offensive diversity with the team’s passionate defensive efforts, the Pioneers are unlikely to be dominated by any but a taller, equally athletic and well-coached opponent — and very likely to be in every contest to its very end.
In speaking with High Country Sports after the Mountain Heritage game, Barry seemed to relish her charges’ growing confidence in themselves and in one another.
“Mountain Heritage is a very good team and it was going to take time to get separation, if we were going to do that,” said Barry. “At the start of the game it was pretty physical and tough, and we weren’t making shots but I thought we did a really good job, rebounding. So that was a big early positive for us, that rebounding. Then, as the shots started to fall you could just see the team’s confidence grow. And that has happened the last three games (against Avery County, A C Reynolds and Mountain Heritage). We battle, we make a few shots and suddenly we are up by 10 points. We still have to work on our offense, especially in breaking a defense down, but I like where we are at right now…
“… Everyone on the floor is gaining some confidence. You saw Scheffler again contributing in the first half. You saw Darner hitting in the first half and Charlotte (Torgerson) getting shots off of rebounds. We are (taking advantage) of each other’s strengths. Kate (Sears) can take most other players, one on one, but she also kicks the ball out well to her teammates so it makes it hard for any opposing team to defend,” Barry said.
Watauga’s next opponent is also against Mountain Heritage, in Burnsville as the back end of the home-and-home series with the Cougars. That game will be Tuesday, Dec. 12, and followed by another big contest at Lake Norman on Friday, Dec. 15.
The game against Lake Norman may prove to be one of the season’s best challenges for the Pioneers as the Wildcats are sport an 8-0 record, with dominant wins against all opponents except for a squeaker, 67-66 win over North Mecklenburg on Dec. 3.
Through MaxPreps’ Dec. 8 rankings, Watauga and Lake Norman were at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, in the North Carolina 4A West region, behind No. 1 Mallard Creek, No. 2 Charlotte Catholic, and No. 3 Asheville. Now at 5-1, Watauga was ranked No. 24 in the state vs. teams in all divisions, Lake Norman at No. 34, out of the 432 member high schools of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
VS. MOUNTAIN HERITAGE, SELECTED STATISTICAL LEADERS
WAT Kate Sears: 26 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga High School teacher Donna Wellborn had a problem. She couldn’t move around her classroom very well this past week.
That’s because helping others through community service is not lost on the current generation of high school student-athletes in the High Country, as demonstrated on Dec. 9 by the donation of 1,317 pounds — more than half a ton — of food collected at Watauga High School by Athletes for Good (AFG) to local food pantry, Casting Bread.
The student organization held a week-long food drive to increase food security in the High Country. They received food donations from students, teachers, staff, and administrators. Wellborn serves as the organization’s faculty sponsor and her classroom evolved as the food drive’s epicenter.
Some of the food donated by Watauga High School’s Athletes for Good student organization to Casting Bread food pantry on Dec. 9. Photo courtesy of Casting Bread
“I could not be prouder of these students for organizing this event,” said Wellborn. “Their hard work and the generosity of the Pioneer family are inspiring.”
Casting Bread board member Angie Gregg and its executive director, Sam Garrett, picked up the items from Watauga High School on Dec. 9, with help from the students in the loading.
“These students are amazing, and we are so grateful to them. When I was in high school, I focused more on myself than on helping others,” recalled Garrett. “It is wonderful to see young people experience the joy of giving to their community.”
Garrett explained to High Country Sports that the amount of food gathered by AFG and donated to Casting Bread will feed several families for an entire month.
“We filled the van and then also needed Angie’s truck to transport everything!” said Garrett.
About Casting Bread
Casting Bread is an IRS designated 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2006. Casting Bread’s vision is to increase food security with a mission to provide food, compassion, and community. On average, Casting Bread distributes over 19,000 pounds of food monthly to 640 individuals, and it all takes place thanks to volunteers who serve more than 2,000 hours a month. To learn more about Casting Bread, visit www.increasefoodsecurity.org.
MORE IMAGES OF THE AFG STUDENT FOOD DRIVE (courtesy of Donna Wellborn)
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga varsity women’s basketball coach Laura Barry may have to start calling forward Brooke Scheffler and shooting guard Charlotte Torgerson her “bookends.” In the Pioneers’ more than convincing, 72-47 win over A C Reynolds on Dec. 6, Scheffler scored 17 of her 19 points in the first half, while Torgerson tallied 17 of her game-high 23 points in the second half.
It was raining Pioneer three-pointers — 15 of them — against the Rockets. Scheffler (4) and Torgerson (7) had 11 of them combined. Point guard Kate Sears made two shots from beyond the arc, while Laurel Kiker and Caroline Farthing were successful on one each.
While Sears may have had an “off” night in the scoring column with 14 points, her distribution (AKA assists), rebounds, steals and overall defense more than made up for any offensive deficiency.
The ball is arching above the picture frame, but Brooke Scheffler (20) has stylish followthrough in making this 3-pointer in the first half against A C Reynolds on Dec. 6. Photographic image by David Rogers
In fact, Watauga’s overall team defense was outstanding against a very good A C Reynolds team that appeared to have a distinct height advantage, particularly in the form of senior center/power forward Landyn Stewart. At one point in the second half, the Pioneer women had a 40-point lead over their Asheville-based rivals, Barry admitting after the game that she wanted to address with the team its allowing the Rockets to cut that lead in half during the fourth quarter.
“When these girls are ‘on’ like they were tonight,” Barry said to High Country Sports after the game, “this team is very good.”
At 4-1 on the young season, with signature wins over two quality Charlotte-based schools, Myers Park and Chambers, Watauga is now ranked No. 17 by MaxPreps in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 4AWest Division, behind No. 1-ranked Northern Guilford, as well as behind Northwestern Conference rival Alexander Central, which MaxPreps has at No. 3 in the West.
Next up for the Pioneers is a home tilt on Dec. 9 against Mountain Heritage (Burnsville), the as yet undefeated (5-0) 1A/2A power. Watauga and Mountain Heritage complete their 2022 non-conference series four days later, on Dec. 13, when the Pioneers travel to Burnsville to face the Cougars on their home court.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Broad participation in the scoring column produced a winning outcome for Watauga’s junior varsity men’s basketball team on Dec. 6, defeating A C Reynolds (Asheville), 47-43 in Lentz Eggers Gym.
Matthew Habich launches a 3-pointer against A C Reynolds on Dec. 6 in the JV Pioneers’ 47-43 win. Photographic image by David Rogers
Eli Bishop and Orin Ellis paced the Pioneers with nine and seven points, respectively, with nine other players contributing to the offensive output.
J. Pavone scored a game-high 12 points for the visiting Rockets while teammate J. Bartley added 10, but the broad amount of scoring across the Pioneers’ roster more than offset the concentrated ACR output.
The Pioneers had a 25-12 lead by intermission and led 35-26 at the end of the third quarter.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Stout defense and a flurry of shooting from long range led the Watauga junior varsity women’s team to a decisive, 58-13 win over visiting A C Reynolds on Dec. 6 in Lentz Eggers Gym.
Gracie Lawrence earned game-high scoring honors with 12 points, four in each of the first three quarters. Izzy Torgerson and Addy Healy were close behind with 11 points each. Torgerson got all of hers in the first half, including three, 3-pointers, while Healy poured in all but two points before intermission.
Natalia Byrd tallied a team-high six points for the visiting Rockets of A C Reynolds.
This game got out of hand from the start, Watauga jumping out to a 20-6 lead at the end of the first quarter and 40-12 by halftime. The Rockets scored only one point more in the second half, while the Pioneers put up another 18.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a closer game than the final score indicated but Watauga’s men’s basketball team was nonetheless convincingly outdone by A C Reynolds in Lentz Eggers Gym on Dec. 6, 79-58.
ACR’s Declan Brown followed up 11 points in the first half with 16 in the second half to lead the Rockets. His game-high 27 points was bolstered by 18 and 13 from DaShawn Stone and Chase Evans, respectively, to account for most of A C Reynolds’ scoring. The trio hit on nine 3-pointers as the Rockets began to pull away late in the second quarter and built on that lead through the second half with Watauga turnovers and missed shots.
Jackson Pryor (20) goes up for two, trying to keep the game within reach on Dec. 6 at Lentz Eggers Gym against visiting A C Reynolds. Photographic image by David Rogers
Pioneer guards Maddox Greene and Josiah Railey scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, to lead the Pioneers. Jackson Pryor contributed nine; Wyatt Keller, six; and Wyatt Kohout, five.
Watauga will try to get back to its winning ways on Dec. 9, when the Pioneers host Mountain Heritage (Burnsville, N.C.)
