Special Report from App State Sports. BURLINGTON, N.C. — With a Hall of Famer on hand and a hat trick at the turn, App State Men’s Golf surged to a third-place finish at the 17-team Elon Phoenix Invitational on Tuesday.
The first fall season under the direction of head coach Alan Cress concluded at Alamance Country Club with an appearance by volunteer assistant Sam Adams, who excelled as an App State All-American in the 1960s before joining the PGA Tour and later serving as the Mountaineers’ head coach.
Addison Beam tied for fourth place with an 8-under total (72-68-65—205) over 54 holes, and Lukas Jönsson tied for sixth place with a 6-under total (69-68-70—207).
Beam’s final-round 65 on the par-71 layout included a 7-under 29 on the back nine, highlighted by a 6-under stretch on the first five holes after he made the turn. He holed out from the rough on a 185-yard approach for an eagle at the par-4 13th hole.
Beam headed to the 10th tee box at 1 over for his round and nearly hit his drive out of bounds. Fortunate to give himself a birdie look from 30 feet, Beam drained it after his father, James, and fellow spectator David Vaughn turned their hats backward.
For the rest of the round, Beam’s dad (in a gold App State hat) and Vaughn (in a lime green App State hat) maintained their “rally cap” look. Beam totaled the one eagle and five birdies on the final nine holes, settling for a birdie on the 17th hole after he missed a 4-foot eagle putt.
App State was in 15th place after 18 holes in Burlington, but strong second rounds from Colin Browning (5-under 66), Beam (68), Jönsson (68) and redshirt freshman Josh Buxbaum (69 in his second-ever round in the Mountaineers’ lineup) produced a 13-under team score of 271.
The second team round in program history with four scores in the 60s — the only other instance occurred during a program-record 270 to open this fall season — allowed App State to climb 11 spots in the team standings. The final-round 281 included Beam’s 65, Jönsson’s 70, Browning’s 73 and a 73 from true freshman Cole Bergheim, another first-team starter.
App State finished one stroke ahead of fourth-place William & Mary, two strokes ahead of fifth-place Lafayette and three strokes ahead of sixth-place Queens in a tight race for third. Elon won with a 28-under total, followed by Stetson at 23 under.
Individually, the top three finishers were Elon’s Garrett Risner (14 under), Elon’s Bronson Myers (13 under) and Radford’s Bryce Corbett (10 under).
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.
Giana Clark (2) of Parkway goes up for a kill shot in the title third deciding set of the Patriots’ upset win over regular season champions, the Hardin Park Golden Eagles in Lentz Eggers Gym on Oct. 11. Photo by David Rogers
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.
Hardin Park’s Julia Rowan (4) has kill shot on her mind on Oct. 11 in the championship match of the Watauga middle school tournament against Parkway. Photo by David Rogers
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.
Parkway’s Gracie Belle Brown show accomplished form in a championship match set of the Watauga County Middle School Volleyball Tournament on Oct. 11 at Lentz Eggers Gym. Photo by David Rogers
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.
During the championship final of the Watauga County Middle School Volleyball Tournament, Hardin Park’s offensive attack is in the capable hands of setter Gracyn Blanton (7). Photo by David Rogers
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.”
Grandads and dads, grandmas and moms — alle were in abundance on Oct. 11 at Lentz Eggers Gym for the Watauga County Middle School Volleyball Tournament’s title game, including former Blowing Rock Mayor J.B. Lawrence and son, Justin Lawrence. They were in the front row, cheering on Hayden Lawrence and her Hardin Park teammates. Photo by David Rogers
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.
Photo by David Rogers
“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!”
Designated setter Paige Shuman of Blowing Rock does her thing during the Rockets’ semifinal match against top-seeded Hardin Park on Oct. 11, in the Watauga County Middle School Volleyball Tournament. Photo by David Rogers
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga sophomore and No. 1 singles player Sienna Davidson breezed through her championship match, 6-0, 6-1, over teammate Larisa Muse on Oct. 11, in the 4A Northwestern Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament. Meanwhile, the Pioneers’ senior tandem of Madison Ogden and Amira Younce combined to beat Alexander Central seniors Emmy Rogers and Taylor Sharpe. 6-1, 6-1, in the doubles final. The tournament was played on Watauga’s home court.
In singles, as the No. 1 seed Davidson had a bye into the semifinals where she shut out Alexander Central’s Adisyn Eckard, 6-0, 6-0. In the quarterfinals, Eckard prevailed over South Caldwell’s Gracie Fisher with a hard fought, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6) decision.
As the No. 2 seed in singles, Watauga’s Muse received a bye into the semifinals’ bottom half of the bracket, where she faced South Caldwell’s Victoria Villacorte, winning 6-0, 6-2. In her quarterfinal matchup, Villacorte advanced with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout over Alexander Central’s Ella Deal.
The Pioneers now await their Oct. 21-22 pairings in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A West Regional, hosted by Hough High School in Cornelius.
Special Report.CHARLOTTE — The Panthers on Monday parted ways with head coach Matt Rhule, after the team fell to 1-4 with a home loss to San Francisco.
He leaves with an 11-27 record (.289 winning percentage).
The 47-year-old Rhule had generally turned his college teams at Temple and Baylor around in his third season, but that bounce hadn’t happened here so far.
He will be replaced on an interim basis by defensive pass game coordinator/secondary coach Steve Wilks. The 53-year-old Wilks spent one year as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and six years on the Panthers staff from 2012-17.
By David Rogers. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There were some big plays by Carolina, but three field goals by Eddie Piniero and a single TD scored by running back Christian McCaffrey were not enough in the Panthers’ matchup with San Francisco. The 49ers found gold in Bank of America Stadium, 37-15.
SFO was able to produce in a way the Panthers couldn’t: running the football. Jeff Wilson, Jr. led a trio of rushing 49ers, rolling up 120 yards on 17 carries and scoring one TD. Even with Christian McCaffrey carrying the ball 14 times, he only managed 54 yards rushing against San Francisco’s defense.
Recently returned to the red and gold garbed 49ers after some time wearing the green and white of the New York Jets, running back Tevin Coleman carried the ball 8 times for 23 yards, but got into the end zone on one of those touches. The 8-year veteran out of Indiana also proved valuable in San Francisco’s aerial attack, catching three passes for 44 yards. His first reception finished off the 49ers’ opening drive with a 9-yard TD pass on the right side from QB Jimmy Garoppolo, but none was bigger than Coleman’s 30-yard reception down the left sideline with 43 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The drive stalled in the face of Carolina’s early defensive pressure, but the long reception set up a 49-yard Robbie Gould field goal to put the visitors from California up, 10-0.
Photo courtesy of Carolina Panthers
Carolina head coach Matt Ruhle admitted later that what followed was a “gut punch.” The Panthers had just started a promising drive at the end of the first half when a Baker Mayfield pass intended for McCaffrey was intercepted by Emmanuel Moseley and run back 41 yards for a “Pick 6” TD. Instead of the Panthers going into the locker room at intermission with a 10-10 tie or a manageable, 10-6 deficit had they scored a TD or field goal before the clock clicked down to zero, they went to halftime looking at a 17-3 disadvantage.
Carolina rookie running back and Virginia Tech alum Raheem Blackshear made things interesting coming out of halftime, collecting the kickoff at the Panthers’ 4 and returning it 45 yards to the Carolina 49. It was a stirring start to the Panthers’ first offensive possession and they took advantage seven plays later when McCaffrey carried the ball around the right side on 4th-and-1, getting more than first down yardage with a 19-yard TD run. McCaffrey’s 2-point conversion attempt from the one-yard line (after a San Francisco blocking penalty) failed, leaving the score at 17-9. Rhule explained later that if it had been 2 yards, they would not have attempted the 2-point conversion, but with only one yard, a back like McCaffrey, and the prospect of making it a one score game made it the right call.
San Francisco 49ers’ veteran tight end George Kittle (85) makes a catch against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 9 at Bank of America Stadium. Photo by Jacob Kupferman of Associated Press, courtesy of Carolina Panthers
While Carolina was kicking field goals and punting in the second half, San Francisco was scoring touchdowns, three of them in fact, vs. a single punt. The Panthers had the one McCaffrey TD and two Piniero field goals in the second half, but otherwise was turning the ball over on downs late in the game as they tried to catch up. It took just 51 seconds for San Francisco to score their final TD with 3:15 left on the clock when Carolina turned the ball over on downs, on their own 10-yard line.
Mayfield injured his ankle late in the first half, but bravely continued to play into the 4th quarter before being replaced by P.J. Walker. Sacked 4 times, Mayfield completed 20 of 36 pass attempts, with no TDs and the one “Pick 6” interception. Walker was 5 of 6 for 60 yards during his short time, but still getting valuable reps in case he is needed.
Carolina wide receiver Robbie Anderson (3) fights for a Baker Mayfield pass, defended by San Francisco cornerback Charvarius Ward. Photo by Chanelle Smith-Walker, courtesy of the Carolina Panthers.
San Francisco’s Garoppolo completed 18 of 30 passes for 253 yards, 2 TDs and no interceptions. Overall, the 49ers’ offense was balanced, with Wilson, Coleman, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel combining for 27 carries and 155 yards rushing, including the two TDs.
A difference maker in this game was the success San Francisco had in converting on third down vs. the lack of success by the Panthers. The 49ers converted on third down 58.3 percent of their chances (7 of 12), while Carolina converted on only 20 percent of its opportunities (3 of 15).
San Francisco was able to get the ball into the red zone four times, producing points each time. Carolina, by comparison, struggled to get the ball into the end zone, producing points on only 1 of three opportunities after getting inside the 20-yard line.
Now 1-4 for the young season after having four home game opportunities, the schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Carolina Panthers, with three out of four being on the road — and two of those being last season’s Super Bowl opponents — at Los Angeles (Oct. 16), at Atlanta (Oct. 30), and at Cincinnati (Nov. 6). The lone home game during that stretch is Oct. 23, vs. Tampa Bay.
Special Report from App State Sports. STATESBORO, GA. – App State fell to Georgia Southern 2-0, despite earning 10 shots, five shots on goal and three corner attempts on Oct. 9.
In the 20th minute of the game, Kerry Eagleston saved an opposing shot for the 320th time in her career, moving her up to third all-time at App State. Eagleston had six total saves on the day.
The Mountaineers responded to two first-half goals by the Eagles with six shots in the opening period and four more in the second.
Izzi Wood led the Black & Gold in opportunities with three shots, two of which were on goal. Breckyn Monteith earned two shots with one on target in 85 minutes of action.
In the backfield, Eagleston, Kaitlyn Little and Skyler Walk played all 90 minutes in the game, shutting out the Georgia Southern offense in the second half.
App State will return to Boone, N.C. for a home game against Old Dominion on Friday at 6 p.m.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Just by looking at the Watauga score sheet, you had to know that the final, afternoon non-conference match on Oct. 8 matching the Pioneers against the Rams of T.C. Roberson (Ashville) was a thriller. Although Watauga lost, 3-2, in the 5-set nail biter, the tough competition was just what head coach Kim Pryor was hoping for in her mid-season scheduling.
“Of course winning is more fun,” said Pryor, “but whatever the outcome these really close matches featuring outstanding play on both sides of the net are entertaining volleyball. And we had a lot of that great play this afternoon.”
The Pioneers took the Rams right to the edge in the first set, losing by 23-25, before coming back to take the second set in more dominant fashion, 25-12. They followed that up with another win in the third set, 25-18, which put Watauga just one set win away from sweeping their Oct. 8 opponents in the non-conference tri-match. They had beaten 3A power Fred T. Foard (Newton) in the first match of the morning, 3-1, also a match that could have gone either way.
But the Rams rallied to even things up 2-2 by winning the fourth set, 22-25, then followed that up with an overtime win in the fifth set, 14-16.
Now the Pioneers (17-2 overall, 7-0 in Northwestern Conference) look ahead to three matches to finish regular season conference play, first at Hibriten on Monday, Oct. 10, then at Freedom on Wednesday, Oct. 12, then returning home to finish the regular season slate against Ashe County in Lentz Eggers Gym, on Monday, Oct. 17.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Volleyball matches don’t get to be much more fun than the Oct. 8 morning contest at Lentz Eggers Gym between Northwestern Conference perennial champion Watauga and NCHSAA 3A heavyweight, Fred T. Foard high schools. In the end, the Pioneers prevailed, 3-1 (19-25, 25-14, 28-26, 25-20), and it is just what WHS head coach Kim Pryor had in mind for scheduling a pair of power opponents on an early autumn Saturday, just past the middle of the regular season.
Watauga’s Brooke Scheffler (20) and Kate McCullough (11) go up to block a kill shot attempt by Fred T. Foard’s Laney Craig on Oct. 8. Photo by David Rogers
Coming into their Oct. 8 non-conference match, Watauga and Foard had something in common. The Pioneers’ only loss was an early season (Aug. 19), 3-2 defeat at the hands of North Iredell, which competes in the same Western Foothills 3A Conference as the Tigers of Fred T. Foard. As recently as Oct. 5, Foard dropped its second league encounter to the Olin, N.C. school that sits atop the Western Foothills conference standings, undefeated, with the Tigers in second.
All four of the sets played in Lentz Eggers Gym on Saturday were nail biters, filled with rallies, runs, powerful kill shots, resounding blocks, and keeping-the-ball-alive digs. It was as good of a high school volleyball match as the High Country is likely to see.
Outside hitter Carolina Farthing (22) takes dead aim with a kill shot across the net, met by Fred T. Foard’s Taylor Ramseur on Oct. 8. Photo by David Rogers
“They run your emotions high and low, but those sorts of matches are what makes volleyball fun,” acknowledged Pioneer head coach Pryor afterward. “And this sort of well-skilled opponent is just what we needed, to help us polish our game for the upcoming 4A state playoffs where we are more likely to meet teams like this beginning in Round 1 and they only get better and better as you advance.”
Later in the day, Watauga dropped its second match of the season to yet another 4A power, T C Roberson of Asheville, 3-2. The Pioneers split with Roberson in 2021, knocking the Asheville team out of the playoffs in their second meeting.
“There is a good chance we will see Roberson again, in the state tournament,” said Pryor, “so this was a good opportunity to see what they have this year.”
By David Rogers. SAN MARCOS, Texas — Neither the city of San Marcos nor Texas State University are quite in the shadow of The Alamo, that historic site being some 45 minutes away in downtown San Antonio, but with season opening, lopsided losses to Nevada, Baylor and James Madison, the Bobcats needed to make a heroic stand, play a complete game and come away with a statement win.
They did just that on Oct. 8 — and the unfortunate gridiron victim was Appalachian State, 36-24. It was the Bobcats’ first win over the Mountaineers, who had owned a 6-game winning streak since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2014.
To be truthful, a lot of the Mountaineers’ pain was self-inflicted. Twelve penalties that cost the Boone-based young men 105 yards and disrupted offensive drives — or extended Bobcat offensive possessions — are hard to overlook. A lost fumble and a 94-yard “Pick 6” interception return didn’t help either.
App State defensive back Dexter Lawson, Jr. came down with an interception in the end zone on Oct. 8, at Texas State. Photo by Cade Bettinger, App State Athletics
But it is also hard to take anything away from Texas State QB Layne Hatcher (26-36 passing for 281 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT), running back Lincoln Pare (20 carries for 64 yards and a TD while adding 2 pass receptions for 29 yards), and 10 Bobcat receivers who caught passes from Hatcher, led by Ashtyn Hawkins (6 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD) and Charles Brown (5 catches, 44 yards, 1 TD).
Most of the Mountaineer foibles and the Bobcat accomplishments happened before intermission. The game was getting out of hand by halftime, given Texas State’s 24-3 lead. And those first half points for App State came on a 30-yard field goal by Michael Hughes with no time remaining in the half.
It may not have been the proverbial nail in the coffin, but with the Mountaineers threatening to score on the opening possession of the third quarter, Bobcat defensive back Tory Spears may have been humming “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You” when he stepped in front of a Chase Brice pass at the Texas State 6-yard line and returned it to the opposite end zone untouched to make the Bobcat advantage, 30-3.
To their credit, the Mountaineers didn’t quit and actually made a game of it by scoring three TDs in the second half while holding Texas State to Spears’ INT return for TD and a pair of field goals after intermission. Even so, they wasted too many opportunities, converting on only 40 percent (6-of-15) of 3rd downs and 33 percent (2-of-6) on 4th down tries to “go for it.”
A reported 25,613 were in attendance to watch the Texas State upset on a rather balmy, central Texas autumn weekend (sunny, 83 degrees). For the High Country representatives it may have been a little warmer than the temperatures in which they have practiced of late, but hardly the oppressive heat experienced by previous App State teams on the road in San Marcos.
After winning the coin toss at the outset, App State deferred and although Hatcher & Co. moved the ball efficiently and effectively, things looked promising for the Mountaineers when defensive back Dexter Lawson, Jr. intercepted a Hatcher pass in the end zone, giving Appalachian possession at their own 20-yard line with not even 2 minutes ticked off the game clock. But after only gaining 22 yards on 7 plays, a series that stalled on 3rd-and-2, as well as on 4th-and-1, the Mountaineers turned the ball over on downs at their own 42-yard line.
Before getting on the scoreboard with the end-of-half field goal, the Mountaineer drives ended with a punt, a punt, a fumble and a punt. In between, Texas State was producing a touchdown, a touchdown and a field goal. It was a tale of opposite gridiron fortunes. In the first half, Texas State did to the Mountaineers what App State did to the Texas A&M Aggies on their last trip to the Lonestar State almost a month ago: they controlled possession. The Bobcats had possession of the football for 18:39 in the first half, compared to App State’s 11:21.
For a losing effort, the Mountaineers’ Brice put up some gaudy numbers by games end, most of it coming in the second half. He completed 40-of-53 passes with 1 INT vs. 395 yards through the air and 3 TDs. Tight end Henry Pearson caught two of those TD passes, while wide receiver Dalton Stoman gained 104 yards on 5 pass receptions, including one TD.
Running back Camerun Peoples did not make the trip, according to reports to media before the game. The trio of running backs used (Nate Noel, Ahmani Marshall, and Daetrich Harrington) managed to gain only 41 net yards rushing.
The Mountaineers will try to regroup, returning home to the friendly confines of Kidd Brewer Stadium for a rare Wednesday night game on Oct. 19, against Georgia State.
Now 1-2 in the Sun Belt and 3-3 overall, the Mountaineers will need a lot of help from other teams to be in the running for another SBC conference championship given that Coastal Carolina and James Madison — both in the Sun Belt East Division with the Mountaineers — remain undefeated on the season. The Chanticleers got by Louisiana-Monroe, 28-21, while James Madison thumped Arkansas State, 42-20 on Oct. 8. With six wins, Coastal Carolina is already bowl eligible. App State needs three more wins to become bowl eligible.
In other Oct. 8 games, Georgia State, which comes to the High Country on Oct. 19, defeated Georgia Southern, 41-33; and Troy manhandled Southern Miss, 27-10.
Special Report from App State Sports. CONWAY, S.C. – In its second event of the fall season, App State Tennis was dominating in doubles play at the Lynn Stevens Memorial Invitational, hosted by Coastal Carolina.
Head coach Ashleigh Antal’s Mountaineers won two of three doubles matches against the host Chanticleers on Friday before going 6-1 in doubles Saturday against Charleston Southern and Queens University.
“I’m really proud of our competing and spirit this weekend,” Antal said. “This was a great benchmark of where we are already in the season. I’m very happy with the progress we’ve made. The spirit of this group is fantastic. I’m excited for another opportunity next week for us to get better.”
The duo of Erika Dodridge and Virginia Poggi went a perfect 3-0 on the weekend, including a 6-2 win against Coastal on Friday and 6-2 and 6-3 wins over Queens and Charleston Southern, respectively, on Saturday.
Maggie Pate and Savannah Dada-Mascoll won a pair of matches over Coastal (6-3) and Queens (6-0). Helena Jansen and Ellie Murphy captured wins over Queens (6-0) and Charleston Southern (6-3).
In singles action, the Mountaineers racked up 11 victories over the two-day event, led by Jansen in the No. 1 spot with a 3-0 record. Poggi, Dodridge and Dada-Mascoll collected two victories apiece, while Pate and Riley Collins also notched individual victories.
App State will compete at the ITA Regionals this upcoming Thursday-Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C.
