High Country Sports

Category: Middle School

  • UPDATED: Watauga Notes from NC Runners Middle School Elite

    By David Rogers. MONROE, N.C. — Watauga was well represented on May 6 in the NC Runners Middle School Elite Invitational 2023, hosted at Porter Ridge High School. These are summary notes from the event, gleaned from NCMileSplit.

    BOYS EVENTS

    1600 Meters

    There were 102 runners competing in five heats. Cam Kuss, representing Without Limits Triangle won the race in 4:35.01, followed by Dallas Reeves of Christ School in 4:39.61 and Keaton Campbell, unattached, in 4:39.79. Watauga’s Grady Gates came in at a respectable No. 16, in 5:02.61, with teammate Andres Roman at No. 19, in 5:05.40.

    200 Meters

    A total of 71 athletes ran in 14 heats in the boys 200, with Trey Paige of Charlotte Latin taking top honors in 23.69. Watauga 8th grader Ethan Reed was the first local finisher at No. 31, in 26.03.

    3200 Meters

    Watauga’s Grady Gates finished No. 14 out of 37 competing athletes. Gates’ time was 11:29.90. Cam Kuss of Without Limits Triangle was No. 1 at 10:13.32.

    4×800 Relay

    Watauga came in No. 4 out of 10 relay teams entered, with a time of 9:28.47. Covenant Day School was No. 1 at 9:05.01

    800 Meters

    Eighty-three (83) athletes competed in the 800m event and Watauga eighth grader Andres Roman finished in the No. 21 spot, in 2:21.53, running in the third heat. The fastest seeded runners ran in the 5th heat, where Cam Kuss of Without Limits Triangle picked up his third win of the day in 2:07.70. Watauga 8th grader Quincy Honeycutt finished at No. 29, in 2:24.17.

    Discus

    Out of 28 throwers, Watauga 8th grader Noah Gordon topped the century mark at 109-04, good enough for No. 9. The best toss of the day was by Xavier Perkins of Butner Stem Middle School, at 145-07.

    Long Jump

    Watauga’s Chris Ruiz leaped 17-03 to capture the No. 8 spot out of 29 competing athletes. First place honors went to Johan Webb, Hayesville Middle School, at 19-01.

    Shot Put

    Watauga boasted of two “top 7” finishes among the 26 athletes competing, with Aidan Plemmons throw of 39-02 good enough for a No. 6 finish and Bryson Coffey’s heave of 37-08 capturing the No. 7 spot. Xavier Perkins of Butner Stem Middle School became a double winner in the field events with a No. 1 toss of 47-08.50.

    GIRLS EVENTS

    100 Meter Hurdles

    Pioneer 8th grader Tessa Buchanan stopped the clock at 16.99, good enough for No. 3 out of eight competing athletes. Zaria Holt of the Bradford Prep Charter School finished at No. 1 in 15.06.

    1600 Meters

    The popular 1600 meters event drew 74 student athletes to compete in the Elite Invitational, so it was run in four heats. Athletes with the fastest times previous recorded times were featured in the later heats. Seventh grader Kaitlyn Estep of Without Limits Triangle, running in heat 4, finished at No. 1 with a time of 5:04.51, well ahead of No. 2 Rachel Riley, representing Jefferson Middle School. Watauga’s Cali Townsend was a respectable few seconds behind in 5:28.97, good enough for No. 13. Pioneer 7th grader Lillian Kimbrough crossed the line in the upper third of the field at No. 26, in 5:53.95.

    200 Meters

    The 200m event also proved popular with 82 student athletes competing and requiring 13 heats. Zhoe Holt of Bradford Prep Charter School won the event in 24.84 seconds, followed by Cassidee Fraser of Contentnea-Savannah Middle School a half second behind in 25.25. Watauga 8th grader Mackenzy Cheek finished at No. 42, in 29.66. Krystina Wellenstein, still only a 7th grade student-athlete, wasn’t far behind in 29.98, good enough for No. 47, with 7th grade teammate Addison Stough also breaking the top 50, in 30.10 (No. 49).

    300 Meter Hurdles

    Tessa Buchanan of Watauga finished No. 2 out of 31 competitors in the 300m Hurdles, in 49.44, a half-second behind No. 1 Caitlin Kasten of Covenant Day School.

    3200 Meters

    The longest distance race of the day was run in two heats, the fastest previous times seeded in the second heat where Watauga 7th grader Cali Townsend competed. Finishing in the No. 1 spot was Kaitlyn Estep of Without Limits Triangle (11:23.95), with Townsend crossing the line No. 6, in 12:31.91. The race had 25 competitors and Watauga’s Lainey Johnston completed the event at No. 14, in 13:18.37.

    400 Meters

    The metric quarter mile event drew 80 student athlete competitors to the grueling sprint race, with Yolanda Calhoun finishing No. 1 in 57.80. At No. 28 was Watauga’s Sophia Stull (1:09.39). The Pioneers’ Winter Shaw also finished in the top half of the field, at No. 37 (1:10.71).

    4x200m Relay

    Watauga showed well in the 4×200, finishing No. 8 (1:56.04) out of the 23 teams competing. The event was won by East Union Middle School (1:50.64).

    800 Meters

    Out of 70 runners competing in four heats, Watauga got a top 25 performance from 7th grader Lillian Kimbrough, No. 25 in 2:46.17. Kimbrough ran in the third heat. The event was won by Kaitlyn Estep of Without Limits Triangle in 2:18.48.

    Discus

    Watauga’s Maria Soto captured the No. 2 spot with a  heave of 103-03, one of only two athletes to break the century mark among the 26 athletes competing. Finishing at No. 1 was Laila Jones of Clemmons Middle School, with a throw of 112-00.

    Long Jump

    With 25 jumpers in the event, Watauga’s Naomi Smith finished in the top half at No. 11, with a leap of 14-03. Yolanda Calhoun of the High Point Blaze finished first, in 16:04.50.

    Shot Put

    Representing Watauga, Maria Soto finished No. 4 (35-08), while Emma Henson, listed as representing Bethel Middle School, finished at No. 12 (29-07.50) in a field of 27 competing athletes. Leila Jones of Clemmons Middle School was No. 1 (44-00)

    Triple Jump

    Twenty-eight (28) athletes competed in the event and Watauga’s Sydney Helms finished in the top half at No. 12 (29-02.75). Kylia Sylvester of Elite TFT captured the event with a 35-00.00 effort.

    Team Scores

    Boys – With 34 boys teams represented, Watauga was credited with No. 20 (14 points). Weddington was No. 1, with 80 points.

    Girls – There were 33 girls teams represented at the Elite Invitational and Watauga finished in the No. 5 position, with 44 points. Bradford Prep Charter School won team honors with 89 points, followed by Weddington, with 66.5 points.

  • Watauga District pounds Pinnacle Classical Academy, 25-6

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — At first glance, a score of 25-6 suggests that the Watauga District Middle School Boys and Shelby-based Pinnacle Classical Academy played football on May 5. They didn’t. Rather, Watauga ran away in a baseball win with effective early pitching by Daniel Jones, strong hitting performances by J J Everett, Bryce Scheffler, Miller Hankins and Chase Gillin, as well as timely baserunning by a quintet of Wolverines, including Jones, Scheffler, Chase Watts, Noah Blevins and Brandon Vest.

    Although Watauga starting pitcher Stacy Eggers V struck out three Pinnacle batters and only allowed one hit in the first inning, a pair of walks and a throwing error by Jones on a hard hit ball to third base helped the visitors plate two runs to open the scoring.

    Call it solid contact! Photographic image by David Rogers

    The host Wolverines countered with four runs in the bottom half of the frame, Jones leading off with a single, stealing second base, then alertly advancing to third on a passed ball.

    Although the Pinnacle pitcher looked to have good stuff and threw with velocity, he had a hard time finding the strike zone. After Hankins walked, then stole second without a throw attempt as the catcher was holding Jones on third, Everett’s line drive to center brought home both of the Watauga baserunners to tie the game.

    But the Wolverines weren’t quite done with their first inning effort. Everett, who had advanced to second on the throw home after his single, was able to claim third base on yet another passed ball. Although Hunter Townsend followed up with a ground out to second base, he was credited with an RBI when Everett trotted across home plate from third.

    Shortstop Scheffler had a clear path around the bases when he entered the batter’s box in the bottom of the first. He ripped a sharp single through the infield on the left side and was standing on first base when teammate Chase Gillin stepped to the plate. The Wolverines’ catcher tattooed another ground ball through infield gap on the left side, with Scheffler advancing to third, then scoring the Wolverines’ final run of the inning on an error by the Pinnacle second baseman when pinch runner Brandon Vest stole second.

    If there was any defensive consolation for the visiting Eagles in the first inning, it was an alert double play when Watauga rightfielder Chase Watts smashed a line drive that was fielded smoothly by the PCA third baseman before getting another out by catching  the advancing runner from first for an inning-ending double play.

    Mmmmm. That throw from the catcher is a little late. Photographic image by David Rogers

    After issuing four consecutive walks to open the top half of the second inning, forcing a Pinnacle runner home for the Eagles’ third run of the game, Eggers was pulled from the mound and positioned at first base. After starting the game at third base, Jones stepped onto to the pitcher’s rubber and Townsend moved from his opening first base position to take Jones’ spot at third base.

    Under bases loaded pressure, Jones responded with two consecutive strikeouts and forcing a ground out to quell the Pinnacle threat.

    Leading 4-3, Watauga all but decided the outcome in the bottom half of the second, scoring seven runs to take an 11-3 lead. The Pinnacle pitcher couldn’t find the strike zone for the first two batters, walking both and seeing Noah Blevins steal second, putting him in scoring position. With runners on first and second, Hankins chopped a grounder to the first baseman, then beat the throw for an infield single. That loaded the bases for Everett, who took advantage of the opportunity with a 3-run triple through the right field gap, to the fence.

    The Pinnacle hurler’s control problems continued, with Townsend receiving a walk before Scheffler lofted an easy fly ball to right. What should have been the first out of the inning wasn’t when the right fielder misplayed the popup., allowing Everett to score and Scheffler to take first base.

    Stacy Eggers V was the Watauga starting pitcher on May 5 and had good stuff in the first inning. Photographic image by David Rogers

    The score had grown to 8-3 and the Wolverines were far from done as Gillin ripped a single to center, scoring Scheffler and Townsend. Another single by Eggers put runners at the corners with pinch runner Vest stopping at third, but that was only temporary when Watts grounded into the inning’s first out on a fielder’s choice decision that allowed Vest to score while forcing out Eggers at second.

    Watauga concluded the second inning of offensive work sporting an 11-3 lead. Jones continued his near flawless performance on the mound in the top of the third, Watauga taking advantage of a strikeout and ground out before getting a nice defensive play by Watts on a grounder hit to right field.

    The Wolverines “only” scored three runs in the bottom of the third, which was matched by Pinnacle in the top of the 4th inning. For Watauga, a highlight of the inning might well have been catcher Jaxon Stanbery’s throw that caught a Pinnacle runner trying to steal second in the top of the fourth. Two batters later, Stanbery whipped a throw to third, picking off another Pinnacle runner for the third out of the inning.

    The bottom of the fourth was a disaster for the visitors from Shelby. Watauga was issued five walks and rapped five singles and two doubles before Pinnacle was able to get a first out.  All in all, the Wolverines scored 11 runs in bottom of the 4th inning, then Devin Shook came on to pitch the top of the 5th and blanked the Eagles while recording three strikeouts vs. two walks.

    Final Score: Watauga 25, Pinnacle 6

    WATAUGA’S KEY PERFORMERS

    • WAT – J J Everett: 3-3, 2 runs scored, 5 RBIs, 3B
    • WAY – Miller Hankins: 2-2, 2 runs scored, 1 walk
    • WAT – Daniel Jones: 1-2, 2 runs scored, 1 walk, winning pitcher
    • WAT – Bryce Scheffler: 2-3, 3 runs scored, 1 RBI, SB
    • WAT – Chase Gillin: 3-3, 2 RBIs

    BONUS PHOTOS

    Photographic image by David Rogers

     

  • Watauga District MS dominates Spartan Invitational

    By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — With seven schools’ teams entering the middle school division events at the Spartan Invitational hosted by South Caldwell High School, the Watauga District Middle School team virtually dominated, with first place finishes in five of the six events.

    KEY PERFORMANCES

    Girls 100 Meter Dash

    • 1st – Krystian Wellenstein
    • 6th – Winter Shaw

    Boys 100 Meter Dash

    • 1st – Chris Ruiz
    • 2nd – Ethan Reed
    • 4th – Coy Greer
    • 5th – Eli Reed

    Girls 1600 Meter Run

    • 1st – Cali Townsend
    • 2nd – Lily Kimbrough

    Boys 1600 Meter Run

    • 2nd – Michael Morgan
    • 4th – Ethan Reed

    Girls Shot Put

    1. Maggie Smith
    2. Emma Miller
    3. Mackenzie Harris
    4. Peyton Lail
    5. Ellie Hege

    Boys Shot Put

    1. Bryson Coffey
    2. Noah Gordon
    3. Eli Davis
    4. Lanson Gilbert
    5. Ryan White
    6. Justin Roper
    7. Nathan Koontz

  • 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.

  • Good things come in threes and twos: Watauga District middle school track finishes strong in Valdese

    By David Rogers. VALDESE, N.C. — A trio of Watauga District Middle School track and field girls each picked up a pair of first place finishes on March 21, as Watauga’s 6th, 7th, and 8th grade team members competed against their counterparts from West McDowell Middle School (Marion, N.C.) and host Heritage Middle School (VALDESE, N.C.) in a tri-meet.

    In the field events, Watauga captured four first place finishes in the five events. Sydney Helms took top honors in the high jump and triple jump while Maria Soto won both the shot put and discus events. In the fifth field event, the long jump, Helms leaped to a fourth place finish.

    On the track, Tessa Buchanan finished No. 1 in both the 200 meter dash and 55 meter hurdles.

    COMPLETE WATAUGA RESULTS, MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS

    • 100 meters
      • Addie Stough 14.90 (3rd)
      • Emma Harris 15.38 (5th)
    • 200 meters
      • Tessa Buchanan 28.59 (1st)
      • Cora Byrk 30.13 (3rd)
    • 400 meters
      • Krystian Wellenstein 1:12 (3rd)
      • Ayla Tippett 1:13 (4th)
    • 800 meters
      • Sadie-Rose Long 3:00 (T3rd)
      • Ragan Gordon 3:06 (6th)
    • 1600 meters
      • Sadie-Rose Long 6:22 (4th)
      • Ragan Gordon 6:34 (5th)
    • 55 meter hurdles
      • Tessa Buchanan 9.66 (1st)
      • Mackenzy Cheek 11.16 (6th)
    • 4×200 meters relay
      • Watauga A 3:11 (2nd), team of Kelby Windish, Cora Byrk, Willa Stoley, Winter Shaw
    • 4×400 meters relay
      • Watauga A 5:20 (3rd), team of Ayla Tippett, Ragan Gordon, Sadie-Rose Long, Winter Shaw

    BONUS PHOTOS

  • Reed paces Watauga District middle school boys track in Valdese

    By David Rogers. VALDESE, N.C. — Picking up No. 1 finishes in the 200-meter dash and 55-meter hurdles events, Ethan Reed helped the Watauga District middle school boys track and field team to strong finishes on March 21. The tri-meet was hosted by Heritage Middle School with West McDowell Middle School (Marion) also competing.

    Watauga’s Chris Ruiz picked up the only other individual No. 1 finish for the boys team, running 12.44 to take top honors in the 100 meters, with Quincy Honeycutt finishing a strong No. 3 in the same event.

    Ruiz also picked up a No. 3 finish in the long jump, while Devan LaCue took home second place honors in both the triple jump and the long jump.

    The Watauga 4×400 relay team of Coy Greer, Sawyer Blackburn, Alan Aguliar, and Gage Coffey also placed No. 1.

    COMPLETE WATAUGA BOYS RESULTS

    • 100 meters
      • Chris Ruiz 12.44 (1st)
      • Quincy Honeycutt 12.91 (3rd)
    • 200 meters
      • Ethan Reed 28.50 (1st)
      • Chris Ruiz 29.91 (3rd)
    • 400 meters
      • Sawyer Blackburn 1:03 (2nd)
      • Coy Greer 1:05 (4th)
    • 800 meters
      • Tyce Anderson 2:55 (2nd)
      • Cole Gray 3:11 (6th)
    • 1600 meters
      • Tyce Anderson 6:14 (4th)
      • Cole Gray
    • 110m hurdles
      • Ethan Reed 16.62 (1st)
      • Eli Reed 17.13 (3rd)
    • Shot Put
      • Sam Coggins 28’9″ (5th)
      • Lanson Gilbert 24;6″ (6th)
    • Discus
      • Lanson Gilbert 80’0″ (3rd)
      • Sam Coggins 78’0″ (4th)
    • Long Jump
      • Chris Ruiz 14’8″ (3rd)
      • Devan LaCue 13’2″ (4th)
    • Triple Jump
      • Devan LaCue 28’9″ (2nd)
    • High Jump
      • Devan LaCue 4’5″ (2nd)
    • 4×200 Relay
      • Watauga A 1:54 (2nd), team comprised of Alan Aguilar, Eli Reed, Dalton Mackey, and Quincy Honeycutt
    • 4×400 Relay
      • Watauga A 4:35 (1st), team comprised of Coy Greer, Sawyer Blackburn, Alan Aguilar, and Gage Coffey

    BONUS PHOTOS

  • Strong showing by Watauga high school and middle school cycling teams in ‘Crankin’ at the Creek’

    Special Report. ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. — The Watauga Pioneers High School and Middle School mountain bike team had a strong team and individual results at the first 2023 NC Interscholastic Cycling League series race, “Crankin at the Creek” at Browns Creek Trail in Elizabethtown, NC. The Pioneers high school team placed 11th out of 47 teams and the middle school team placed 19th out of 44 teams competing.

    The Browns Creek race course provided a variety of features for a bike trail: climbs, switchbacks, fast descents, berms, and flowing singletrack. For the Watauga student athletes used to high country mountain biking, this was a relatively flat course. One loop around the course was approximately three miles and student athletes completed various numbers of laps depending on their grade level.

    The Watauga Pioneers High School women made a strong showing with Rachel Cathey placing 3rd in the Varsity Girls category, Aria Arnholt placing 7th in JV2 Girls category, and Ireland Laxton placing 3rd in the Freshman Girls category.

    For the high school boys, Alaska Whitehead and Sean Lackey competed in the the Freshman and JV1 Boys categories.

    For the middle school female athletes, Sita Cooper placed 4th in the 8th Grade Girls, and Lila Freireich placed 10th in the Middle School A Girls category.

    Bodhi Parker posted a top 20 placement in the 8th Grade A Boys category. Raleigh Deal, Camden Masland, and Daniel Wood competed in the 8th Grade Boys category.

    Sylas Dunlap placed 20th in the 6th Grade Boys category.

    Currently the combined middle and high school teams of 30 student athletes at all skill levels train twice weekly to build personal mountain biking skills, physical fitness, and personal growth. The next race in the series will be the “Dark Mountain Dash” at W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir, 499 Reservoir Rd, Wilkesboro, NC on April 2nd.

    About Watauga Pioneers High School and Middle School NICA Mountain Bike Team

    The combined middle and high school team of 30 student athletes at all skill levels trains twice weekly to build personal mountain biking skills, physical fitness, and personal growth. The team is lead by 24 volunteer coaches and practices are held at Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park.

    About the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League

    The North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League is a youth development program for 6th – 12th grade students through cycling in the great outdoors. We strive to create confidence and responsible young adults and to provide them with the opportunity to learn about and participate in healthy and active lifestyles. We work to ensure that success by establishing and maintaining safe, quality youth programs around North Carolina regardless of ability level.

    All photos courtesy of Watauga Mountain Biking teams.

  • Watauga Wolverines softball 9-2 win over North Davie featured 15 stolen bases

    By David Rogers. MOCKSVILLE, N.C. — It was a day for “small ball,” including 15 stolen bases by the Watauga Wolverines, the district middle school softball team, in a 9-2 win over North Davie Middle School.

    Getting runners on base in any way possible, followed up by timely hitting was critical to the Wolverines’ win. Four walks and four times getting hit by a North Davie pitch helped get runners on base. Doubles by Presli Wood (5th inning) and Peyton Isaacs (3rd inning) helped bring the runners home.

    Allie Ellis was the starting pitcher for the Wolverines, recording five strikeouts in picking up the win.

     

  • Watauga District Girls Soccer drops season opener to East Lincoln, 5-0

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A middle school goalkeeper defending the same size net used by soccer professionals is a daunting task, to begin with. And on a penalty kick? The challenge is even greater.

    So chalk one up to a tremendous effort by Watauga Middle School District girls soccer goalkeeper Breanna Martin on Feb. 24. Barely two minutes into Watauga’s season opener, Martin read East Lincoln striker Ally Stewart’s intentions on a penalty kick, made a split second decision, dove to her left and was able to get her fingertips on Stewart’s well-struck ball aimed just inside the goalpost. A high school, college or professional goalkeeper may not have been able to do much more.

    Watauga goalkeeper Breanna Martin got her fingertips on this well-struck penalty kick by East Lincoln’s Ally Stewart, barely two minutes into the teams’ season opener at Jack Groce Stadium. Photographic image by David Rogers

    It may not have been the preferred outcome, but Watauga’s season opener was a good beginning. On the surface, the 5-0 loss to East Lincoln was a disappointment. And yet, after giving up four goals in the opening half and making the necessary adjustments at intermission to allow only a single ball to find the back of the net in the second half speaks well of Watauga players and coaches alike.

    BONUS PHOTOS

    Watauga District Middle School midfielder Sophie Parker was offering a free haircut on this pass upfield against East Lincoln on Feb. 24, at Jack Groce Stadium. Photographic image by David Rogers
    Addison Kidwell (15) fights for a Watauga ball against East Lincoln on Feb. 24, at Jack Groce Stadium. Photographic image by David Rogers
    East Lincoln Middle School’s Stella Lubowicz (9) kicks off to start play in the season opener against Watauga at Jack Groce Stadium. That is Watauga’s Lindsey Wade (7) prepared to get in the action should the play come her way. Photographic image by David Rogers
    Captured in the photo series just moments before the image shown in the top photo, East Lincoln’s Ally Stewart (21) is in full flight trying to stop Keatyn Wuest’s (19) clearing kick. Photographic image by David Rogers

  • Haines pours in 18 to lead Watauga District past Liberty Bell in OT, 38-29

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A tied game, 29-29, at the end of regulation led to overtime for the Watauga District girls middle school basketball team vs. Liberty Bell Middle School, but a disruptive defense held the visitors scoreless in OT, while the host Watauga quintet tallied 9 points to take a 38-29 victory.

    “It was another close game,” said Watauga head coach Andy Eggers afterwards, with a hint of understatement.

    Liberty Bell led 9-8 at the end of the first quarter and 18-14 when the teams broke for intermission. Watauga cut the four-point deficit in half by the end of third quarter, then evened things up by the end of the 4th quarter to send the contest into overtime.

    Watauga’s Blair Haines made good on two 3-point attempts in the critical final quarter of regulation to send the game into OT, then hit on 3-of-4 free throws during the overtime period as a desperate Liberty Bell side was trying to get the ball back. Haines wasn’t alone, however, as Izzy Mohr made a short-range 2-pointer as well as a free throw in OT, while Stephanie Morales-Mendez was good on 2-of-3 free throws during the extra session and Presli Wood also contributed a point from the charity stripe during OT.

    Haines was the only Watauga player in double figures, recording a game-high 18 points for her afternoon’s work. She got offensive support from Mohr (5 points), Quinn Haines (5 points) and Wood (5 points).

    A critical factor in the team’s performance was their work under the basket on both ends of the court. Morales-Mendez pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, four of them on the offensive end to provide second chances for her teammates. Wood and Mohr also collected four rebounds each.

    Watauga has just one game remaining on the 2022-23 schedule, a Jan. 23 date with Langtree Charter Academy in Mooresville.