Category: Middle School

By David Rogers. WILKESBORO, N.C. — Reminiscent of the “Career Day” formerly produced by The Rotary Club of Blowing Rock for every 7th grade student in Watauga County, North Wilkesboro Speedway and Speedway Motorsports, Inc., led some two dozen partners to expose more than 1,800 Wilkes County middle school students to an abundance of career opportunities, frequently centered around motorsports.

Dubbed the STEAM Expo — combining educational and fun activities learning about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math — the event included interactive displays of more than two dozen businesses and organizations, all staged in the infield of North Wilkesboro Speedway.

“This proved to be a great way to give students unique learning opportunities but also a look at potential career paths as adults they might not otherwise consider,” said Scott Cooper, Senior Vice President for Communications at Speedway Motorsports, Inc. “The students also had an opportunity to visit Victory Lane and take a van ride around the newly paved, 0.625-mile short track.”

Cooper added that in addition to the Wilkes County participants, education officials from nearby counties also attended the event with a look toward possibly expanding the program in the future, to other jurisdictions.

Among the vendors and exhibitors were Wilkes Community College, Crocker Racing, Broadway Fire Department, North Carolina Department of Transportation (Simulator), Safe House, LP Building Solutions, West Wilkes 3D Printing, App State Gear UP, U.S. Army, Coast Guard, PE Welding, Wilkes Communications, The Shine Shack, North Carolina School of Science & Math, Wake Forest School of Medicine, MATCO Tools, North Carolina Cooperative Extension/Forestry, North Wilkesboro Police, Crack the Code, General Motors, Interflex and, of course, North Wilkesboro Speedway and Speedway Motorsports.

North Wilkesboro Speedway was in the news earlier this week upon the discovery of a long rumored to exist “moonshine cave” underneath the grandstands on the front stretch of the track. The discovery was made by workmen examining the damage created by a sinkhole causing damage to the concrete of the grandstands.

NWS workers will be working overtime to get the necessary repairs done before the May 17-19, NASCAR All-Star Weekend, being hosted for the second consecutive year by the iconic and historic race track.

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga District’s middle school track and field team had an overwhelming strength in numbers, but Johnson City, Tenn.-based Liberty Bell Middle School had stronger individual performances. The Liberty Bell boys edged Watauga, 61-57, while the visitors’ girls team dominated their Wolverine counterparts, 81-38, in March 7 dual meet hosted at Watauga High School.

Only the top three finishers scored team points in this dual meet. Of local interest, among the top Watauga individual performances among the boys were:

• Lanson Gilbert (8th grade): Discus, 1st place,100-06
• Kaiden Chiarolanzio (7th): High Jump, 1st place, 4-09
• Kaiden Chiarolanzio (7th): Long Jump, 2nd place, 14-02.25
• Nakhi Miller (7th): Long Jump, 3rd place, 14-01.25
• Chase McInturff (8th): 200 Meter Dash, 2nd place, 26.36
• Eli Reed (8th): 300 Meter Hurdles, 1st place, 48.12
• Jonah Pearson (7th): 800 Meter Run, 3rd place, 2:30.01
• Sawyer Blackburn (7th): 400 Meter Dash, 1st place, 59.32
• Sean Rea (7th): 1600 Meter Run, 2nd place, 5:41.60
• Jonah Pearson (7th): 1600 Meter Run, 3rd place, 5:41.73
• Eli Reed (8th): 100 Meter Dash, 1st place, 12.76
• Chase McInturff (8th): 100 Meter Dash, 3rd place, 13.01

Among the Watauga girls, the top scoring performances were:

• Macy Woolard (6th): Discus Throw, 2nd place, 56-06
• Macy Woolard (6th): Shot Put, 2nd place, 26-10
• Ember Honeycutt (7th): High Jump, 2nd place, 4-04
• Kelby Windish (8th): Long Jump, 1st place, 13-09.50
• Ember Honeycutt (7th): Long Jump, 3rd place, 12-08.50
• Gracyn Phelps (8th): 200 Meter Dash, 2nd place, 28.96
• Grace Scantlin (8th): 300 Meter Hurdles, 3rd place, 59.65
• Cali Townsend (8th): 800 Meter Run, 2nd place, 2:32.69
• Charlie Mattox (8th): 400 Meter Dash, 3rd place, 1:09.23
• Cali Townsend (8th): 1600 Meter Run, 1st place, 5:26.00
• Gracyn Phelps (8th): 100 Meter Dash, 3rd place, 13.98

Scoring administered and supplied to High Country Sports by Kevin Shaw.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga District Middle School point guard Chase McInturff all but took over the home team’s second half scoring on Jan. 4 vs. Carolina Day, propelling the Wolverines to a convincing, 47-29 win at the the Watauga County Recreation Center.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (Click any image for slideshow mode)

McInturff drove the lane seven times in the third and fourth quarters, usually putting the finishing touches on a Wolverines fast break. His 14 second half points, combined with 3-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe in the first quarter, gave him a game-high 17 points on the night.

Watauga forward David Ruele sprinkled in 13 points throughout the contest, almost all from inside the paint. Meanwhile, the Wolverines’ Brycen Scheffler continues to improve at the post position, adding valuable rebounds, executing clearing passes, and even adding four first quarter points.

Carolina Day’s Evan Groome kept things close in the first quarter with two made shots from beyond the arc, the first quarter Watauga lead only 11-8. The visitors got seven points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer from the hands of Jaylin Macafee and two inside buckets from Lucas Nunez, but the Wolverines extended their halftime lead to 19-15 thanks to buckets from Ruele, Devon Shook, and Brodie Lippard.

The Wolverines’ defense clamped down after the break, limiting Carolina Day to just 12 points the rest of the way. Meanwhile, McInturff and Ruele combined for 21 points after intermission, with additional tallies from Shook, Marshall Kilma and Joaquin Miranda-Aponte.

SCORING SUMMARY

• WAT – Chase McInturff (17)
• WAT – David Ruele (13)
• CAR – Evan Groome (11)
• CAR – Jaylin Macafee (7)
• CAR – Lucas Nunez (6)
• WAT – Devon Shook (5)
• WAT – Brycen Scheffler (4)
• CAR – Nathaniel Martinez (3)
• WAT – Austin Vestal (2)
• WAT – Brodie Lippard (2)
• WAT – Marshall Kilma (2)
• WAT – Joaquin Miranda-Aponte (2)
• CAR – Max Rodriguez (2)

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. ROAN MOUNTAIN, Tenn. — By the end of the first quarter on Nov. 9, one might have guessed that the host Cloudland middle school boys basketball team would leverage a 9-2 score into a runaway victory over Watauga District.  That’s not the way it turned out, though, as the visiting Wolverines used aggressive defense and scoring leadership from Lucas Cash, Chase McInturff and Brycen Scheffler to rally past the Highlanders, 33-23.

McInturff really got things going for Watauga in the second period with two 3-pointers and a couple of free throws to score all of his 8 points for the game in that frame. Cash, however, was the offensive driver for the full course of the contest, with a game-high 14 points. Scheffler was the big man underneath the basket, collecting rebounds and adding 6 points on the night.

Watauga “won” the second quarter, 16-6, then tightened the defensive effort and only allowed Cloudland to score eight more points in the second half.

Cloudland girls dominate, 27-21

Size frequently matters in basketball and in the case of Cloudland vs. the Watauga middle school girls, it certainly made a difference.

In the first quarter, Cloudland controlled the boards early and got a pair of three-pointers from Abnella Jones to get a head start, but with aggressive defense the Wolverine girls battled back to tie the score at 10-10 by the end of the first period. Neither team was able to score in the second quarter, but in the second half the looming size and athleticism of the Cloudland girls took their toll, outscoring Watauga 17-11 in the third period.

Watauga was led in the scoring department by Charlie Mattox (10 points), Caroline Durham (4), Quinn Haines (4) and Kate Moore (3).

SCHOOL TEAM SCORES

The school-specific teams were active on Nov. 9, too.

GIRLS

• Green Valley 29, Blowing Rock 4
• Hardin Park 38, Valle Crucis 8
• Parkway 38, Cove Creek 5
• Mabel 31, Bethel 28

BOYS

• Green Valley 36, Blowing Rock 21
• Parkway 33, Cove Creek 26
• Hardin Park 52, Valle Crucis 9
• Bethel 49, Mabel 12

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — After Parkway and Hardin Park middle school volleyball teams each breezed through their semifinal matches with 2-0 sweeps, it was “game on” for the Patriots and the Golden Eagles. While Parkway was tested in a second set they lost in overtime, they eventually prevailed to win the championship, 2-1, remaining undefeated in the 2023 season.

No. 1 seeded Parkway all but dominated its semifinal tilt with No. 5 seeded Green Valley, which upset No. 4 Blowing Rock in the quarterfinals to gain a berth in the semis. The Patriots took care of business, 25-8, 25-10.

No. 2 seeded Hardin Park jumped out to a 10-0 first set lead before Cove Creek could get on the board and find themselves. Although the Raiders rallied, the Golden Eagles advanced to a championship date with archrival Parkway with a 25-15, 25-15 semifinal win.

Parkway seemed destined for the championship after a convincing, 25-14 first set victory against Hardin Park in the final, but the Golden Eagles would not go quietly into the night, battling to a 27-25 overtime win in the second set and necessitating a third, deciding set. Both teams battled fiercely in the decider, Parkway surviving with an 18-16 overtime decision.

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Leave it to the middle school volleyball gods — and Green Valley — to fashion an upset in the last match of the quarterfinals of the Watauga County middle school volleyball tournament on Oct. 5, in Lentz Eggers Gym.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click on any image for slideshow mode)

The first three quarterfinal matches were decided according to form and expectations. No. 1 seed Parkway had little in the way of trouble while facing No. 8 Bethel, handily sweeping the Beavers, 2-0 (25-9, 25-9).

No. 2 Hardin Park built up enough of an early first set lead to survive a No. 7 Mabel rally, then handily  dispatched the Mustangs, 2-0 (25-16, 25-8).

As expected, the No. 3 Cove Creek vs. No. 6 Valle Crucis pairing proved a stiffer test. The Raiders ended up sweeping the Cougars to stay true to form, but the 25-22, 25-13 set scores reflected the challenge posed by a much improved Valle Crucis team vs. the year ago edition.

In the final quarterfinal match of the evening, No. 4 Blowing Rock and No. 5 Green Valley had the closest set as well as the biggest blowout, with the Rockets being upset by the Eagles in straight sets. Blowing Rock jumped out to an early, 8-3 lead in the opening set, only to have Green Valley chip away at the advantage and even things up at 15-15 in the first set. The two teams took turns looking like they would gain control, eventually forcing the match into overtime where the Eagles prevailed, 29-27. Green Valley’s dominating, second set win, 25-4, was little more than an anticlimax to the evening’s action.

The tournament resumes on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

• • 4 p.m. – No. 1 Parkway vs. No. 5 Green Valley
  • 5 p.m. – No. 2 Hardin Park vs. No. 3 Cove Creek
  • 6 p.m. – CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

BONUS PHOTOS FROM QUARTERFINALS

 

By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — While the last, regular season Watauga County middle school volleyball matches on Oct. 3 provided some clarity as to the best and least skilled teams, the rankings in the middle as the league heads into the playoff phase of the season became a bit more muddled. And most of the impact occurred in the Blowing Rock gymnasium where Hardin Park, Parkway and Blowing Rock engaged in a tri-match.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

After No. 1 ranked Parkway sprinted to an 8-3 lead in its opening set vs. No. 2 Hardin Park, the Golden Eagles went on a run and tied the score at 8-8. They carried that momentum to spirited, 25-21 upset win in that first set, but then Parkway morphed into the team that brought an undefeated record into the evening’s contest. Receiving solid back row defensive play from the likes of Caroline Childers, exquisite sets fashioned by Gracie Belle Brown and powerful kill shots (and defensive blocking) from the arms of front row hitters Giana Clark and Kira Beasley, the Patriots surged to dominating, 25-9, 25-11 wins in decisive second and third sets.

That outcome solidified Parkway’s No. 1 seed going into the playoffs undefeated, as well as secured Hardin Park with the No. 2 seed, the team’s only regular season losses to the Patriots.

Both teams had little trouble with Blowing Rock, although the Rockets frequently battled through lengthy rallies in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. Hardin Park prevailed over their hosts, 2-0 (25-10, 25-9), while Parkway’s 2-0 win over the Rockets was a little closer (25-13, 25-22) while getting more players court time.

Blowing Rock came into the evening’s action with a solid hold on fourth place in the standings, behind Parkway, Hardin Park and Cove Creek, but the two losses dropped the Rockets into a 3-way tie for fourth at 5-9, with Green Valley and Valle Crucis. League commissioner Andy Eggers announced that NCHSAA tie-breaking guidelines were used, focused on head-to-head competition, so Blowing Rock received the No. 4 seed, Green Valley the No. 5 and Valle Crucis the No. 6.

CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BRACKETS SET

With that established, the bracket for the 2023 middle school volleyball playoff tournament is set. Round 1 schedule on Thursday, Oct. 5 will be:

• 4 p.m. – No. 1 Parkway vs. No. 8 Bethel
• 5 p.m. – No. 2 Hardin Park vs. No. 7 Mabel
• 6 p.m. – No. 3 Cove Creek vs. No. 6 Valle Crucis
• 7 p.m. – No. 4 Blowing Rock vs. No. 5 Green Valley

The second and championship rounds will be played on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Because of the home Appalachian State football game vs. Coastal Carolina the same night, the times have been moved up. The revised schedule:

• 4 p.m. – winner of Parkway-Bethel vs. the winner of Blowing Rock-Green Valley
• 5 p.m. – winner of Hardin Park=Mabel vs. the winner of Cove Crek-Valley Crucis
• 6 p.m. -CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

BONUS PHOTOS FROM OCT. 3 @ BLOWING ROCK

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Defending home court is a big thing for many athletic teams, including in cross country where the results are more centered on the individual performances. For the Watauga District Middle School team, both the boys and the girls teams earned heady performances in the Blue Ridge Mountain Rentals High Country Classic on the Watauga High School home course.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS

Pioneers Sean Rea and Jonah Pearson finished No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, leading Watauga to a No. 5 team finish.

All five of Providence Academy (Johnson City) scorers finished in the top 22 student athletes competing, a field of 100 harriers from nine different middle school teams. Leading the way for Providence Academy was 8th grader Dylan Robinson at No. 1, crossing the finish line of the two mile race in 11:30. Rea, a Blowing Rock 7th grader competing for Watauga District’s team, was not far behind in 12:22, with Pearson just one second later in 12:23.  A slew of Providence Academy, Liberty Prep, Grace Academy, Wilkes Central and Northwestern runners crossed the line before Watauga’s next team member, 8th grade Cole Gray at No. 34. Other Pioneers to finish in the top half of the field included Caleb Duvall (No. 43), and Yates Hodges (No. 44).

MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS DIVISION

Like their young male counterparts, the Watauga District’s middle school girls team had a strong showing. In fact, by capturing three of the top five places and six of the top 10, even without the team’s top runner, Cali Townsend, the young Pioneers captured the girls team title in a runaway, with 27 points vs. No.2 team finisher Providence Academy’s 51 points.

The race was won by Ryan Belt of Providence Academy, in 13:13, but Watauga finishers included Sophia Stull (7th grade, No. 3), Maia Carter (6th grade, No. 4), Ayla Tunstill (7th grade, No. 5), Sadie Long (8th grade, No. 7), Eva Hannon (7th grade, No. 8), Claire Nance (8th grade, No. 10), Grace Scantlin (8th grade, No. 12), Addie Greer (6th grade, No. 13), Ella Goodman-Meade (6th grade, No. 14), Lillian Kimbrough (8th grade, No. 15), Gianna Casco (8th grade, No. 16) and Noelle Bollman (8th grade, No. 19).

Watauga coach Scott Townsend shared a lot of positives after the race.

“This was a perfect day. The weather, the racing, the fans… it was all a lot of fun,” said Townsend, before noting, “Comparing this race to the first race of the season, our girls averaged 60 seconds per athlete faster on the same course. That was just six weeks ago and we still have three weeks to go before the state meet. A lot of our success is because so many of our girls worked as a team. They linked up and raced together. You can see that in the clumps of Watauga finishers.

“I also think it was impressive that two of our guys, Sean Rea and Jonah Pearson, finished in the top three,” said Townsend. “In fact, our boys team averaged one minute, 28 seconds (1:28) better than on the same course six weeks ago. We are just one week removed from the Hare & Hounds Race where Sean Rea set the Watauga County Middle School Cross Country grade level record for the 3k distance. The entire team just keeps getting better and better.”

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It wasn’t even St. Patrick’s Day but the color green was very much in vogue on Sept. 28… where else but at Green Valley School? All three middle school volleyball teams were wearing some shade of green — and, fittingly, it was a three-way split decision.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

The tri-match first saw Green Valley take on Valle Crucis. The Eagles took the first set from the Cougars, 25-20, but a 22-25 reversal of fortune forced a third set tiebreaker, Green Valley surviving a close, 15-12 challenge.

In the second match of the evening, Valle Crucis took care of business vs. Blowing Rock, 25-19,.25-20, but then the Rockets took a 2-1 decision against Green Valley after losing the first set, but rallying to win the next two, 21-25, 25-22, 15-12.

In other Watauga middle school action:

• Parkway def. Mabel 2-0 (25-6, 25-10)
• Parkway def. Bethel 2-0 (25-12, 25-8)
• Mabel def. Bethel 2-1 (25-13, 15-25, 15-8)
• Hardin Park 2, Cove Creek 0 (25-15, 25-14)

BONUS PHOTOS FROM GREEN VALLEY

By David Rogers. ZIONVILLE, N.C. — Blowing Rock’s middle school volleyball team squandered a big lead in the first set and dug a big hole for themselves in the second, but in both cases belatedly rediscovered their “mojo” to sweep  Mabel, 2-0 (25-15, 30-28). Both teams are competing in the Watauga County Schools’ school-specific volleyball league.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click on any image for slideshow mode)

Similar to what Blowing Rock did at Bethel last week, the Rockets opened up a 9-1 lead in the first set before the Mustangs clawed back into the fray to close the gap. Blowing Rock got settled, then rallied behind service runs by Jolie Baudoin and Emory Kerns that seemed to catch Mabel off guard. The Rockets won going away, 25-15, to put the earlier collapse behind them.

Mabel did not go away quietly, however, as the Mustangs jumped out to an 11-4 lead and seemed to be exacting a measure of revenge on Blowing Rock. Paisley Ellison was effective with digs to keep the ball in play, while Kailey Greer and Cydney Matheson were adept at getting the ball back across the net, often making life more challenging for the Rockets by hitting to the back row.

But handle the Mustangs, the Rockets did. With several Blowing Rock parents urging their progeny to go on a run, the girls responded with just that, eventually tying the match at 13-13 and from there the two adversaries, one from the northern-most end of the county (Mabel) and the other from the southern-most border (Blowing Rock), battled point for point, with long rallies as both teams seemed to get more skilled as the set went on. Finally, the Rockets put together a side out to gain a 29-28 edge before Mabel mishandled the next serve, giving the visitors a hard-earned, 30-28 overtime victory.

In other Watauga Middle School volleyball action:

• Cove Creek def. Green Valley, 2-1 (25-21, 26-28, 15-19)
• Parkway def. Cove Creek, 2-0 (25-12, 25-11)
• Parkway def. Green Valley, 2-0 (25-8, 25-8)
• Hardin Park def. Bethel, 2-0 (25-4, 25-18)
• Valle Crucis def. Bethel, 2-1 (9-25, 25-15, 15-11)
• Hardin Park def. Valle Crucis, 2-0 (25-14, 25-18)

STANDINGS (after Sept. 26 games)

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

BONUS PHOTOS of Blowing Rock @ Mabel