High Country Sports

Category: Uncategorized

  • Durham, Nelson lead Watauga past Hibriten, 2-1

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It is not often that Watauga junior forward Katie Durham turns her back on the goal with the ball. Early in the first half of the May 8 Northwestern Conference women’s soccer match vs. Hibriten, that’s exactly what she did.

    With the Pioneers having moved the ball up the left side on attack, sophomore wing Kate Sears made a short pass back to Durham. With a pressing defensive player fast upon her as she took possession, Durham pushed the ball back roughly three yards into space, whirled, and lofted a shot from 23 yards out. The ball sailed up and over the outstretched hands of the Panther goalkeeper, looping just under the crossbar in the right corner for Watauga’s first goal. The effort was highlight reel worthy for the season, to be sure.

    Hibriten battled back until freshman Bryanna Giron found the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1, but Pioneer senior midfielder Maya Nelson added a second half penalty kick, ripping the back of the net along the right side as the Panther goalkeeper guessed wrong on direction and dove to her right, the Pioneers taking the game 2-1.

    “As coaches, we asked our players to start the game with intensity and tenacity, and all of them rose to the occasion,” Watauga head coach Chris Tarnowski told High Country Sports after the game. “This team has grown throughout the season and become such a cohesive group. That really shows when they face adversity in big games. Our captains, Maya Nelson, Katie Durham, and Sam Bertrand, are first rate leaders that encompass the values we try to teach at Watauga. They truly lead by example. Each player went above and beyond what was asked of them and it resulted in a team-first win.”

    The Pioneers return to the field at Jack Groce Stadium for a last Northwestern Conference game on May 10, vs. Freedom. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

  • Cook pounds walkoff HR in Watauga’s 11-10 slugfest win to advance in NWC tourney

    By David Rogers. GRANITE FALLS, N.C. — In a genuine baseball slugfest, it doesn’t get more dramatic than J T Cook’s walk-off home run leading off the ninth inning with the score tied at 10-10. The sophomore’s dinger helped the Pioneers win their second round game of the Northwestern Conference tournament, 11-10, at M.S. Deal Stadium.

    It was Cook’s only hit of the night but it was a big one as he pummeled the ball over the left field fence on the first pitch of the inning.

    Getting to the 10-10 tie entering the ninth inning was not easy. Watauga opened the game with three runs in the bottom of the first frame, but the Spartans scored two runs in each of the second, third and fourth innings to take a 6-4 lead heading into the fifth.

    Undeterred, the Pioneers retired the Spartans in order in the top of the fifth inning, and then got offensive in the bottom half of inning. Junior Jameson Hodges started things off with a leadoff single to center, then got all the way to third base on an error and a wild pitch by the South Caldwell pitcher, trotting home on a follow-up single off the bat of sophomore shortstop Maddox Greene. Senior Jacob Dilley was credited with a hit on a hard ground ball that the second baseman was unable to handle, putting runners at the corners. Tristan Salinas fouled off the first two balls thrown but then connected for a 3-run home run over the left field fence, putting the Pioneers back in front, 8-6.

    The Pioneers weren’t quite done for the inning, with Johnny Ray ripping a 1-out double to the gap in center and advancing to third on a single to right by Cooper Critcher. Cook followed with a long, sacrifice fly to center, with Ray coming home for the last run of the inning to put the Watauga lead at 9-6.

    Watauga picked up its tenth run of the game in the bottom half of the sixth inning, but a 10-6 lead proved tenuous as the Spartans rallied in the top of the 7th inning, highlighted by a 3-run home run powered over the left field fence by freshman Luke Williams that tied the game at 10-10, where the score stood until the dramatic finish in the bottom of the ninth.

    Dilley was credited with the win for the Pioneers, Elias Morales the loss for the Spartans.

    The win puts the Pioneers in the NWC championship game scheduled for Thursday, May 4, at M.S. Deal Stadium in Granite Falls vs. regular season nemesis, Alexander Central. The Cougars got by Ashe County in the second round on May 2, 10-0.

    Key Watauga Performances

    • Jameson Hodges 3-5, 2 runs scored
    • Maddox Greene 3-4, 3 runs scored, 1 RBI, 2B, 1 walk
    • Jacob Dilley 3-4, 3 runs scored, 3 RBIs, HR, 1 walk
    • Tristan Salinas 1-4, 1 run scored, 3 RBIs, HR, 1 walk
    • J T Cook 1-4, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, HR, 1 sacrifice fly
    • Cooper Riddle 3-5, 2 RBIs
    • Johnny Ray 1-3, 1 run scored, 2B, 1 walk

  • Watauga men’s LAX falls to North Lincoln, 14-4

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — As the setting sun dipped lower in the west and temperatures fell, too, Watauga men’s lacrosse team lost any early momentum in losing to North Lincoln, 14-4, at the Leigh Cooper Wallace Field.

    The visiting Knights jumped out to a 4-1 lead by the end of the first quarter and added a half dozen more by halftime while shutting out the Pioneers in the second quarter.  Watauga rallied with three goals in the second half, but gave up four after intermission.

    The Pioneers look to get back in their winning ways on March 23, vs. Patton.

    The action was physical on March 20 as Watauga took on the Knights of North Lincoln. Photographic image by David Rogers

  • Bulldogs in the ‘Cross’-hairs, Mountaineers win in walk-off fashion, 12-11

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — For a college baseball slugfest, it was icing on the cake. Appalachian State catcher Hayden Cross ripped a 2-out, 2-RBI double to centerfield in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Mountaineers a 12-11 win over Gardner-Webb in Smith Stadium, on March 4.

    It appeared that the Bulldogs’ centerfielder got part of his glove on the long fly ball, but unable to haul it in, the white orb rolled all the way to the fence, allowing shortstop Alex Aguila to score from third and third baseman Andrew Terrell to race home from second base.

    The Mountaineers’ 9th inning heroics followed three home runs by the Bulldogs in the last two innings, one in the 8th and two in the 9th, to take an 11-10 lead going into the game’s final at-bat.

    Neither team scored until the bottom of the 4th inning when Aguila looped a two-out double to left field, scoring Golston Gillespie and Hunter Wilder. That opened the scoring floodgates, which saw the Mountaineers drive home four more in the 5th inning, 1 in the 7th, and 3 in the 8th. The Bulldogs kept pace with 4 runs in the 5th inning, one each in the 6th and 7th, two in the 8th and three runs in the top of the 9th.

    App State second baseman Luke Drumheller and Cross were the biggest bats on the day for the Mountaineers. Drumheller went hit 3-for-5, with 2 runs scored and 4 RBIs. His hits included a double and a home run. Cross was 2-for-5, with 2 runs scored and 4 RBIs. His hits included two doubles, with the one in the 9th inning putting an exclamation point on his day.

    App State reliever Jackson Steensma only pitched two-thirds of an inning in the top of the 9th, facing only two batters, but picked up the win thanks to the team’s offensive outburst in the bottom of the inning. He recorded one strikeout and one foul out after three earlier Mountaineer hurlers had given up 11 runs on 13 hits.

    Gardner Webb got solid offensive production from a trio of Bulldogs, including Alec Burns (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, 1 DB), Humberto Torres (2-3, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2B, HR) and Nate Anderson (4-for-5, 3 runs scored, 5 RBIs, DB, 2 HRs). GW pitcher Dalton Wood faced six batters in two-thirds of an inning and was credited with the loss.

    The teams meet again on Sunday, March 5, in the finale of the abbreviated 2-game series. Lefthander Ryan Sleeper gets the start on the mound for App State, Tyler Switalski for Gardner-Webb. First pitch is at 1 p.m.

  • App State uses explosive first half to dominate Old Dominion, 27-14

    By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Baby, it was cold outside but hot, hot, hot inside Kidd Brewer Stadium on Nov. 19, as Appalachian State defeated new Sun Belt Conference East Division rival Old Dominion, 27-14.

    Two fourth quarter touchdowns and PATs by the Monarchs made the game seem closer than it was as App State scored early and often to take a 24-0 lead into halftime.

    The Mountaineer defense set the tone early, too, with a three-and-out defensive effort on Old Dominion’s opening drive. Faced with a 90-yard field upon taking possession, the App State offense wasted little time in shrugging off the challenge of bad field position when quarterback Chase Brice hit wide receiver Kaedin Robinson for a 57-yard aerial on the first play from scrimmage. Although good rushes by Nate Noel and Daetrich Harrington got the ball into the red zone, Harrington fumbled just before going out of bounds at the Monarch 6-yard line. It was recovered by lineman Cooper Hodges at the 9-yard line to keep possession with the Mountaineers, but the drive stalled and they had to settle for a 27-yard field goal.

    Turnovers are often drive killers and a fumble by Old Dominion at the Mountaineer 20 spoiled a promising Monarch possession, recovered by App State’s Hansky Paillant.

    Appalachian could not capitalize, but neither could Old Dominion get much done before turning the ball back over to the Mountaineer offense. This time Brice hit Robinson again for a 35-yard TD pass and, with a Michael Hughes PAT kick to go along with his earlier field goal, App State sported a 10-0 lead, still inside the first quarter.

    For a team known for its powerful rushing attack and a deep running back room, Appalachian was quick to dispel any doubts about its ability to pass — or to go long. Early in the second quarter, Brice connected with Christian Wells for a 75-yard bomb, which made it 17-0 with Hughes’ PAT. Then, midway through the second quarter, sophomore transfer (from Wake Forest) ambled to the left side and to the end zone from 17 yards out. Again, Hughes’ PAT kick was successful, making the score 24-0 with more than seven minutes left in the first half. Hughes added a 40-yard field goal just five minutes into the second half, to make it 27-0, and that was the end of the Mountaineer scoring on the day.

    Playing against several App State defensive reserves (getting valuable game experience), the Mountaineers gave up consecutive TD passes of 36 and 25 yards from ODU quarterback Hayden Wolff to wide receiver Javon Harvey in the 4th quarter.

    With the win, App State is still in a must-win situation next week at Georgia Southern in order to become bowl eligible. Although they have six wins after their dominance of Old Dominion, two of those wins are against FCS opponents, The Citadel (Oct. 1, 49-0) and Robert Morris (Oct. 29, 42-3). Per bowl eligibility requirements, only one win may be against an FCS team and the other five must be against an FBS opponent. As if the rivalry contest against Georgia Southern wasn’t already a headliner for the Mountaineers’ regular season, now it takes on even greater significance.

    SELECTED TEAM STATS

    • Net Total Yards – APP 498, ODU 394
    • Net Rushing Yards – APP 207, ODU 86
    • Net Passing Yards – APP 291, ODU 308
    • Penalties – APP 3/17, ODU 7/55
    • Turnovers – APP 0, ODU 1
    • 3rd Down Conversions – APP 3/11, ODU 7/14
    • 4th Down Conversions – APP 1/1, ODU 0/2
    • Time of Possession – APP 32:42, ODU 27:18

    SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

    Passing

    • ODU Hayden Wolff 22-39, 309 yards, 2 TDs
    • APP Chase Brice 15-22, 291 yards, 2 TDs

    Rushing

    • APP Ahmani Marshall 19 carries, 137 yards, 1 TD
    • ODU Blake Watson 10 carries, 69 yards
    • APP Daetrich Harrington 7 carries, 33 yards
    • APP Nate Noel, 6 carries, 25 yards

    Receiving

    • ODU Javon Harvey 4 catches, 133 yards, 2 TDs
    • APP Kaedin Robinson 3 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD
    • ODU Blake Watson 7 catches, 73 yards
    • APP Christian Wells 1 catch, 75 yards, 1 TD
    • ODU Marqeese Dietz, 3 catches, 50 yards
    • APP Henry Pearson 2 catches, 41 yards

  • Mountaineers win another 5-set thriller @ Georgia State, 3-2

    Special Report from App State Sports. ATLANTA, Ga. – Appalachian State volleyball won another 5-set thriller against Georgia State on Friday, defeating the Panthers, 3-2 (25-23, 28-30, 17-25, 25-19, 15-8). App State also defeated Georgia State on Thursday night with a final score of 3-2 (25-16, 26-28, 25-17, 22-25, 15-10).

    “What a gutsy weekend from this team,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “Two five-set wins on the weekend is unbelievable. I couldn’t be prouder. We made some big time plays in the fifth set and it was a great weekend for us.”

    Ambrose, Denny, & Winterhoff go on offensive

    Sophomore Lulu Ambrose led the Mountaineers, totaling a season-high 20 kills, which matches her career high of 20 kills in a single match, set in 2021 against Little Rock. Senior McCall Denny and freshman Maya Winterhoff followed close behind with 15 kills apiece. Denny also posted 12 digs for a double-double. Denny and Ambrose led App State in aces, both serving up two over the course of the match. As she had on Thursday, senior Sarah Missroon led the Mountaineers in blocks, tallying eight on the afternoon. Fellow senior Sam Bickley tallied a team-high 25 assists and junior Sophie Cain recorded 23 assists while posting a team-high and season-high 19 digs.

    The Mountaineers outpaced the Panthers in points (83-75), kills (61-54), blocks (16-12), and assists (57-48).

    Mountaineers win first set, lose second and third

    App State came out hot in the first set, leading Georgia State early at 4-2 after back-to-back kills from Winterhoff and Denny. The Mountaineers went on a 5-0 scoring run after three consecutive kills from Denny, Ambrose, and Cain, a block from Ambrose/Winterhoff, and a second kill from Ambrose, pushing the lead to 9-3. The Black and Gold posted two more 3-0 runs to extend the lead to 16-9 before GSU found its footing. With the Mountaineers up by two, a kill from Winterhoff and a Panther error extended App State’s lead to 22-18. A pair of kills from Ambrose pushed the score to 24-21, and, after a late comeback attempt from GSU, Missroon slammed down a kill to close out the set 25-23 in favor of the Mountaineers.

    Set two started out tight, with the Mountaineers and Panthers going point-for-point. Georgia State managed to break away from a 12-12 tie and take a 16-13 lead, but the Mountaineers steadily chipped away at the lead, catching up at 17 all after a pair of kills from Winterhoff and a GSU error. App State broke from an 18-18 tie with a solo block from Ambrose and a block from the duo of Missroon and junior Madison Baldridge to lead 20-18. Tied at 21-21, the Mountaineers and Panthers went point-for-point until GSU mustered enough momentum to take the set 30-28.

    Georgia State’s momentum carried into the third set as the Panthers went on a six-point run to lead 10-6. Despite App State’s efforts, GSU went on another five-point run to extend the lead to 19-11. The Mountaineers went on a 3-0 run, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the Panthers, who took the third set, 25-17.

    4th and final sets belong to Mountaineers

    Bouncing back in the fourth set, App State came back from a 6-1 deficit to tie things up at nine all. Breaking from a 13-13 tie, the Mountaineers took the lead, 15-13, after a kill from Denny and a block from Ambrose and Bickley. Maintaining their lead, the Mountaineers scored three consecutive points, which included kills from Ambrose and Winterhoff, to extend their lead to 20-15. After kills from Ambrose and Winterhoff as well as blocks from Denny/Winterhoff and Denny/Missroon, a final kill from Missroon sealed the set, 25-19 in favor of the Mountaineers.

    In the fifth and final set, junior Meghan Dombrowski tied things up at 4-4 with a kill. With Denny tying things up at 5-5, the Mountaineers scored six consecutive points to lead 10-5. The 6-0 run included three kills from Ambrose (two of which were consecutive), an ace from Denny, and a kill from Baldridge. The Mountaineers capped the fifth set with a kill from Ambrose, ace from Roper, and kill from Winterhoff, winning the set 15-8, and the match 3-2.

    The Mountaineers continue their road stretch on Oct. 14 and 15 as they take on ULM in Monroe, La