Category: Middle School

By David Rogers. KERNERSVILLE, N.C. — A pair of seventh graders served as bookends to eight graders on Oct. 22, at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville, and Watauga’s Cali Townsend was one of those top finishers.

While seventh grader Kaitlin Estep, running for club team Without Limits Triangle, finished the two-mile cross country course in 11:51.58 to take top honors, Watauga’s own middle school seventh grade threat, Cali Townsend, captured fourth place out of 88 runners — just 13 seconds out of the state title position, in 12:04.35. In between were two eighth graders, Caitlin Kasten running unattached in 11:55.98 and Tatum Snow (12:01.30), representing High Point Blaze, another club team.

Other top finishers for Watauga in the girls division included Maggie Visser (20th, 13:10.57), sixth grader Sophia Stull (24th, 13:11.49), Lily Kimbrough (29th, 13:26.22), Lainey Johnston (33rd, 13:38.56) and Noelle Bollman (34th, 13:39.85). Rounding out the top Watauga runners was Carrie Bradbury (46th, 14:06.95).

Of the North Carolina middle school teams competing, Watauga placed second behind Marvin Ridge Middle School, although fourth overall behind Without Limits Triangle (1st), Marvin Ridge (2nd), and Run Cabarraus (3rd). While a number of individuals competed that were not affiliated with a team, Watauga was one of 19 full teams competing.

By David Rogers. ELKIN, N.C. — Paced by second- and third-place individual performances, respectively, by Justice Hendley and Oliver Lewis, the Watauga Middle School boys golf team closed out the 2022 season with yet another team win to go 6-0 on the year.

The closing match was played at Cedarbrook Country Club, a few miles north of Elkin, N.C.

Team Results

1. Watauga (186)
2. West Wilkes (205)
3. Ashe County (215)
4. East Wilkes (223)
5. Central Wilkes (225)
6. North Wilkes (241)

Watauga Individual Scores

• Justice Hendley (42)
• Oliver Lewis (46)
• Dylan Taylor (49)
• Stacy Eggers (49)
• Rush Brasier (50)
• Marshall Klima (54)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — An electric, 53-yard pass from typically Watauga’s backup QB. Aiden Amason. to starting QB Chris Ruiz doubling as a wide receiver scored a mid-fourth quarter touchdown for the  Wolverines, tying the game at 6-6. But Gamewell (Lenoir) came right back with a grinding offensive drive and punched the ball into the end zone from two yards out with just 14 seconds left on the game clock to win the day, 12-6.

It was the last home game of the middle school football season for the Wolverines and it was against an opponent that may have outweighed Watauga an average of 20-30 pounds per player. Gamewell’s massive defensive front seven made it near impossible for Watauga to move the football on the ground, with few exceptions. When the Wolverines were playing defense, Gamewell took advantage of its larger offensive linemen to move the football with a larger-than-average tandem of rushers. And yet, terrific defensive stops especially among Watauga’s linebackers and defensive backs helped make the contest a defensive battle until the fourth quarter — and keeping the game close.

In the second half, Watauga modified its scheme to include more of a passing attack and saw better success. With roughly five minutes to go in the game and the line of scrimmage at the Wolverines’ 47-yard line, head coach Michael Neff inserted the strong-armed Amason at QB, moving Ruiz to wide receiver. Dropping back with good protection, Amason lofted a high-arching aerial down the right sideline, over the outstretched arms of the Gamewell defender, and into the hands of the speedy Ruiz. The versatile athlete high-stepped it out of the grasp of a would-be tackler, breaking free to sprint down the sideline the remaining 25 yards and into the end zone to tie the game, 6-6. The point after kick attempt failed.

“We were pretty sloppy in the first half and couldn’t do all the things we were wanting to do,” Wolverine head coach Neff told High Country Sports later. “In the second half, it was a different ball game. The second half looked better, but it goes so fast with every tick of the clock and change of possession. You really don’t get many possessions to do everything you want to do, so you really have to capitalize on the ones you do get.”

Neff acknowledged that the size differential, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines is pretty typical of what Watauga has been facing.

“It was a challenge. We had a hard time getting the ball up the middle,” said Neff. “In our other two losses this year it was pretty much the same story. When you are going against big interior defensive linemen, it is a challenge. Our offensive linemen do a terrific job, but when you are outmanned by as much as 50 pounds, if not more, you learn to do the best you can. Our O-line and D-lines really do a great job, but sometimes it is hard to get good penetration. Our boys work their tails off to battle, whoever the opponent is.”

Watauga’s final football game for the season is on the road at Starmount Middle School in Boonville, N.C. (Yadkin Country), on Oct. 18.

 

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Interest ran high in the packed grandstands for the Oct. 11, Watauga County middle school volleyball tournament’s title match. While many expected the coronation of Hardin Park, the undefeated regular season champs, to be a mere formality, league rival Parkway had other ideas.

Sometimes it is the underdog that comes out on top and that was the case when Parkway’s team upset their nemesis and Watauga County’s powerhouse program, Hardin Park, 2-1 (20-25, 25-23, 15-13).

As middle school volleyball matches go, it doesn’t get much more entertaining. Big rallies, dagger serves, deftly placed sets and diving digs were featured in abundance at Lentz Eggers Gym, along with well-placed dinks and a few laser beam kill shots — all by both sides.

Often, the final score and outcome were settled by a war of attrition: who made the fewest hitting errors.

The match started out as if Hardin Park’s coronation as the queens of middle school volleyball was all but certain. The Golden Eagles were near flawless in jumping out to a dominating lead, then outlasting a Parkway closing rally to win the first set, 25-20.

But Parkway used that closing momentum to make the second set a back and forth nail biter, the lead changing hands a half dozen times before closing out the second set with a nervous, 25-23 win.

The same was true for the third and final, 15 point, win-by-two tiebreaker set. Hardin Park looked poised to run away with it, but Parkway kept battling back and battling back before  an atypical Golden Eagles hitting error pushed the east side upstarts to the 15-13 set and match win.

To get to the final, Hardin Park was rarely challenged by an enthusiastic, but outmatched Blowing Rock side, 25-11, 25-10. Meanwhile, Parkway advanced over Cove Creek, 25-12, 25-21.

Parkway coach Susan Hemric acknowledged the upset over a terrific Hardin Park team in speaking with High Country Sports after the championship match.

“We were the No. 2 seed for a reason. Hardin Park was undefeated this season up until tonight and they were the only team to which we had lost. Tonight, both teams gave it their all and that is what makes for a great championship when those two sides give it everything they’ve got,” said Hemric.

Speaking to what the differences there were between Parkway’s two losses to Hardin Park in the regular season and their ability to stage a comeback win in the tournament final, Hemric was decisive in her answer.

“We definitely covered the floor a lot better,” she said. “We were much better prepared to receive tips and hits. Our girls really stepped up and were willing to cover those areas, where they were more intimidated, I think, in those earlier matches. The digging tonight on both sides was phenomenal for this level, to keep the ball in play.”

Hemric, who started coaching at Parkway in 2010 and has been there ever since, has seen all of the Farthing siblings go through her program, except for the oldest, Meredith. Sydney Farthing went on to star at Watauga before playing as part of the Appalachian State team. Rebekah Farthing similarly was a standout for the Pioneers before going on to play currently for Georgia Southern University. And Caroline Farthing is currently a senior at Watauga and has committed to play for Appalachian State.

“I have to give all the credit for my growth as a volleyball coach to Angie Farthing and Kim Pryor,” said Hemric. “Angie allowed me to go with her to various clubs and was the first to teach me how to coach. She even taught me how to get mad! Kim has been a terrific mentor. I will go to her at times and ask questions about a lineup, to get feedback, to make sure I am getting our girls in positions where they need to play.”

In his missive to Watauga County Schools personnel afterwards, Hardin Park head coach and middle school athletics coordinator for the county said, “Congratulations to the Parkway Patriots for winning the 2022 Watauga County Middle School tournament! Congratulations to Coach Susan and the team!”

—By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — All four of the higher-seeded. middle school volleyball teams advanced to the semifinals of the Watauga championship tournament on Oct. 6, with 2-0 sweeps, but that hardly tells the story. All of the Round 1 matches were played in Lentz Eggers Gym at Watauga High School.

Each of the four matches had tense moments when it appeared an upset — at least in a set, if not in the match — could occur. No. 1 seeded Hardin Park arguably had the easiest time of it, but No. 8 seeded Green Valley did not go away quietly into the night, at one point in the second set tying the score 9-9 and then 11-11 before the Golden Eagles pulled away from the Eagles for good with final set scores of 25-5, 25-13.

No. 2 Parkway dominated No. 7 Valle Crucis early in the second match, outpointing them 25-6 in the first set. But Valle Crucis got things going in the second set, their confidence building before ultimately losing the set, 25-21.

After winning the first set vs. No. 6 seeded Bethel, 25-16, the No. 3 seed, Cove Creek, was down 16-19 in the second set before going on a run to lead 22-21, then finishing the match with a 25-21 second set score.

The No. 4 seed, Blowing Rock, couldn’t seem to do anything right early in the first set against No. 5 Mabel, falling behind 7-1 at the start. But the Rockets eventually found their mojo with strong serving and patient setting, eventually tying the first set at 14-14 for the first time, then cruising to a 25-18 set win, then had little trouble closing out the west siders in the second set, 25-16.

Blowing Rock now advances to play Hardin Park in the first semifinal (4:30 p.m.), while Cove Creek will take on Parkway in the second semifinal (5:30 p.m.), both played on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The championship matchup will feature the winners on the same night, Oct. 11, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. All matches are at Lentz Eggers Gym on the Watauga High School campus.

By David Rogers. VALLE CRUCIS, N.C. — While Hardin Park volleyball was doing what was needed for the Eagles to remain undefeated for the regular season, Parkway secured its No. 2 position in the standings — having lost only to HP, twice — by dispatching host Valle Crucis and Blowing Rock in a tri-match.

Except for the Bethel vs. Green Valley tilt at Bethel, a closely contested match that ended 2-1 in Bethel’s favor (25-22, 24-26, 15-13) it was a night of sweeps all across the county.

Hardin Park had little trouble in defeating Green Valley, 2-0 (25-9, 25-9), then jumping past host Bethel, 2-0 (25-7, 25-20).

At Valle Crucis, Blowing Rock rallied from a 6-point deficit in the second set to complete a 2-0 sweep of the host school (25-19, 25-16). In turn, Parkway ousted the Rockets with a 2-0 sweep (25-8, 25-20) before doing the same to Valle Crucis (25-13, 25-20).

The only dual match of the night was Cove Creek at Mabel, where the visiting Raiders swept Mabel, 2-0 (25-14, 25-13).

The final regular season standings:

1. Hardin Park (14-0)
2. Parkway (12-2)
3. Cove Creek (9-5)
4. Blowing Rock (7-7)
5. Mabel (5-9)
6. Bethel (4-10)
7. Valle Crucis (3-11)
8. Green Valley (2-12)

The Watauga Middle Schools post-season volleyball tournament begins on Thursday, Oct. 6, with all matches to be played at Watauga High School’s Lentz Eggers Gym.

UPPER BRACKET

• 4:00 p.m. — No. 1 Hardin Park vs. No. 8 Green Valley
• 7:00 p.m. — No. 4 Blowing Rock vs. No. 5 Mabel

LOWER BRACKET

• 5:00 p.m. — No. 2 Parkway vs. No. 7 Valle Crucis
• 6:00 p.m. — No. 3 Cove Creek vs. No. 6 Bethel