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Wood lights up the net but Mountaineers settle for a tie, 2-2

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Wood lights up the net but Mountaineers settle for a tie, 2-2

Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Junior forward Izzi Wood scored twice in the opening half for the Mountaineers, but Radford responded with a pair of goals in the second half and App State settled for a 2-2 draw, Sept. 15, at The Valley.

Wood’s first goal came from nearly 30-yards out off a free kick that she curled over the Radford goalkeeper and tucked inside the far post to give App State (1-3-4) a 1-0 advantage before eight minutes had ticked off the game clock.

Less than four minutes later, Gabby Tremonti took a free kick from close to mid-field. She served a ball into the box which pin balled around, ending up on Wood’s left foot, as she quickly turned and fired it into the back of the net for her fourth goal of the year.

Radford (4-1-3) trimmed the lead iin the 53rd minute when the Highlanders drew a penalty kick, and Alexeis Kirnos was able to convert on the shot to make it 2-1.

Kirnos finished with a three-point night, adding an assist on Lilly Short’s game-tying goal in the 63rd minute. Short headed home a cross to knot the score at 2-2.

App State finished with 15 shots including six on net, Wood accounting for six shots and three on goal. Breckyn Monteith, Shannon Studer, and Emma McGibany each finished with a shot on net, and Kerry Eagleston finished her night in goal with eight saves.

App State continues its three-match homestand by opening conference play against ULM, Sunday at 11 a.m. at Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex. It’s Alumni Day, and all former Mountaineer soccer players are invited to The Valley for a pregame breakfast and will be recognized at halftime. It’s also National Cheeseburger Day, and all App State students will get free cheeseburgers, while supplies last.

Blowing Rock rallies for first win; Hardin Park dominates tri-matches

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Blowing Rock rallies for first win; Hardin Park dominates tri-matches

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Few, if any, middle school volleyball matches on Sept. 15 could have featured as much tension and excitement on both sides as the Bethel vs. Blowing Rock match at Hardin Park School.

It was the second game of the tri-match format, played after Bethel had lost, 2-0 (25-3, 25-12) to the host Golden Eagles. In the first set between Bethel and the Rockets, the west siders had Blowing Rock on the ropes with a 24-18 lead and just needing one point to win the set. But behind masterful serving by young Elouise Cascio, the Rockets went on a 7-0 run that put them ahead 25-24. Then Bethel stiffened, forcing the set into extended overtime before Blowing Rock prevailed, 32-30.

Madison Millsaps serves for Bethel on Sept. 15, against Hardin Park. Photo by David Rogers

The joy on the Blowing Rock bench was palpable, it being the first set won by the Rockets during the 2022 season. With momentum and growing confidence, they went on to take the second set, too (25-16), to claim their first match won of the season, too.

Although the Rockets were buoyed by the win under tough conditions, a strong, tall, and athletic Hardin Park team finished the night with a 25-12, 25-11 straight set victory over Blowing Rock in the final pairing.

Graycie Collins of Hardin Park strikes the ball on Sept. 15, vs. Bethel. Photo by David Rogers

Elsewhere, in the lone single match of the night, Cove Creek battled to a straight-set win over Green Valley, at Cove Creek, but not before the Eagles pushed the Raiders to overtime in the second set. Final scores: 25-15, 26-24.

The other tri-match for the night was hosted by Parkway, vs. Mabel and Valle Crucis. Parkway defeated Mabel, 25-7, 25-13, before Mabel dispatched Valle Crucis, 25-13, 25-23.

In the final pairing, Parkway shot by Valle Crucis, 25-7, 25-13.

Blowing Rock’s Anna Brynne keeps the ball in play with a dig on Sept. 15, in the Rockets’ first set win against Bethel, at Hardin Park School. Photo by David Rogers

Watauga WTEN records near-sweep of Freedom

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By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Three days in a row of women’s tennis at Watauga High School and it was a third day of domination on Sept. 14 for the Pioneers. Sweeping the six singles matches and losing only the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles pairing, Watauga defeated Freedom, 7-2.

At No. 1 singles, Watauga sophomore Sienna Davidson had only a little bit of trouble in overcoming the Patriots’ senior No. 1, Ellie Deacon, 6-4, 6-2. Pioneer senior teammate Madison Ogden dispatched Freedom sophomore Emily Kania, 6-1, 6-1, then Watauga’s No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 athletes didn’t surrender a single game, all winning 6-0, 6-0.

Freedom got a measure of revenge in capturing the first two doubles matches, with Deacon and Sara Byrd Succop combining to defeat Pioneers Abbi Shuman and Laurel West, 8-4, and Patriots Leah Kirksey and Kania getting the best of Serena Jewell-Miller and Logan Highfield, 8-4.

Jewell-Miller and Katie Harrison avoided a complete doubles sweep for the Pioneers by defeating Freedom’s Zofia Losada and Lucy Yelton, 8-1.

SINGLES

  • No. 1 – WAT Sienna Davidson def. FRE Ellie Deacon 6-4, 6-2
  • No. 2 – WAT Madison Ogden def. FRE Emily Kania 6-1, 6-1
  • No. 3 – WAT Amira Younce def. FRE Sara Byrd Succop 6-0, 6-0
  • No. 4 – WAT Larisa Muse def. FRE Leah Kirksey 6-0, 6-0
  • No. 5 – WAT Alaina Muse def. FRE Zofia Losada 6-0, 6-0
  • No. 6 – Macayla Kanoy def. FRE Siashi Xiong 6-0, 6-0

DOUBLES

  • No. 1 – FRE Succop-Deacon def. WAT Abbi Shuman-Laurel West 8-4
  • No. 2 – FRE Kania-Kirksey def. WAT Serena Jewell Miller-Logan Highfield 8-4
  • No. 3 – WAT Jewell Miller-Katie Harrison def. FRE Losada-Lucy Yelton 8-1

Watauga cruises past South Caldwell in Northwestern Conference opener, 3-0

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Watauga cruises past South Caldwell in Northwestern Conference opener, 3-0

By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — Whether spiking a kill, demonstrating ballet between sets, or even mishitting a serve into the net, Watauga’s women’s volleyball team had fun on Sept. 14 in Hudson, against South Caldwell. They staged a 3-set sweep of the Spartans, 25-15, 25-8, 25-13.

Pioneer head coach Kim Pryor said after the match that one of the challenges for this week has been getting her charges to focus on the task at hand, even with it being the first Northwestern Conference match of the still young season.

Watauga outside hitter Faith Watson (left) hits a kill shot past a South Caldwell defender on Sept. 14, at the Spartan campus in Hudson. Watauga won in straight sets. Photo by David Rogers

“This week is homecoming at Watauga, so there are a lot of things related to that going on, including all of the homecoming events Friday night. Before the match, I stressed the importance of focusing on volleyball for this night and they did, wonderfully,” said Pryor.

Senior middle blocker and outside hitter Brooke Scheffler said that the team’s strategy against South Caldwell was to keep as much pressure on the Spartans as possible.

“We know they have a very big hitter, so the goal was to keep them off balance, to not let her teammates set her up with good opportunities. I think that pressure was a big difference maker for this match,” said Scheffler.

Pioneer libero Kenzie Baldwin serves against South Caldwell on Sept. 14, in the first Northwestern Conference match of the 2022 season. Watauga won, 3-0. Photo by David Rogers

Scheffler once again put together one of the more robust stat lines on the night, with 15 kills, 24 assists, 2 service aces, 10 digs, and even adding a stuff block to her resume.

Senior Carolina Farthing, also an outside hitter, amassed 20 kills over the course of the three sets.

Other stat leaders included Cam Norris (18 assists, 1 service ace, 2 digs), Evie Robbins (13 digs, 2 service aces), Kenzie Baldwin (16 digs, 3 assists), and Faith Watson (9 kills, 4 stuff blocks, 1 dig).

With the win, the Pioneers improve to 10-1 overall, 1-0 in Northwestern Conference play. Their next action is on the road, in Taylorsville against Alexander Central (3-5, 0-1). The Cougars lost to Ashe County on Sept. 14 in its conference debut, 20-25, 19-25, 25-19, 20-25.

The South Caldwell defender doesn’t stand a chance against this kill shot by Watauga’s Carolina Farthing (22). Photo by David Rogers

App State Men’s Golf wins Marshall Invitational; Huus fires opening round 65

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App State Men’s Golf wins Marshall Invitational; Huus fires opening round 65

Special Report. HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — As first impressions go, good luck topping this one.

Opening its fall schedule this week, App State Men’s Golf was dominant at the start and resilient at the finish in winning the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational. The Mountaineers completed the 15-team, 54-hole event with a 7-under team score of 845, giving them four shots of separation from second-place Marshall. The tourney was hosted by Guyan Golf and Country Club in Huntington, W. Va.

On Monday, in the first round under the direction of first-year head coach Alan Cress, App State set a program record for lowest team round by recording a 14-under 270, highlighted by a 6-under 65 by true freshman Herman Huus in his first collegiate round.

The work of Huus, Addison Beam, Sverrir Haraldsson, Lukas Jönsson and Colin Browning enabled App State to claim its first team title since it began the 2018 fall season with a victory over six other teams at the Wildcat Fall Invitational hosted by Villanova. A year earlier, the Mountaineers prevailed in a 16-team field at the Patriot Intercollegiate hosted by George Mason.

The Mountaineers took a 13-stroke lead into the final round and endured some struggles that dropped them several spots out of the lead before they recovered in time to regain control.

Huus tied for third place overall with a 4-under total of 209 (65-73-71), and Beam tied for seventh at 3 under (68-71-71—210). Haraldsson (70-69-74—213 for an even-par total) tied for 13th, and Jönsson tied for 25th with a 216 total. Browning opened the tournament with a 69, and App State had two young players compete as individuals.

Redshirt freshman Josh Buxbaum shot a 1-under 70 in his first official collegiate round, and true freshman Aidan Browning shot a 72 with four birdies in Round 2 before closing with a 71.

Huus’ opening-round 65, which left him tied for the lead through 18 holes, included seven birdies and one bogey. That’s tied for the second-lowest tournament round in program history, behind just the 63 that Haraldsson carded during the Bash at the Beach event in the 2022 spring.

Jönsson’s first-round 68 included an eagle, Beam had a bogey-free 68, Browning carded his 69 and Haraldsson also broke par with a 70.

In Round 2, Haraldsson and Jönsson led the team with a pair of 69s, while Browning and Beam had 71s. Remarkably, App State didn’t even need to count the score from Huus, who had the fifth-best second round in the lineup with a 73 but was still tied for fourth place overall through 36 holes.

App State resumes its schedule Monday with the River Run Collegiate at Davidson.

TEAM SCORES
  1. 845 – Appalachian State 
  2. 849 – Marshall
  3. 850 – Belmont
  4. 850 – Eastern Michigan
  5. 857 – Butler
  6. 860 – Purdue/Fort Wayne
  7. 861 – Northern Kentucky
  8. 863 – Longwood
  9. 866 – Dayton
  10. 872 – Morehead State
  11. 875 – Cleveland State
  12. 882 – Central Michigan
  13. 883 – Bellarmine
  14. 892 – Youngstown State
  15. 892 – Mount St. Mary’s

Reversal of fortune: Watauga women’s tennis turns tables on T.C. Roberson, 8-1

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By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — After T.C. Roberson sophomore Erika Fransheska dispatched Watauga sophomore Sienna Davidson in the No. 1 singles match on Sept. 13, some of the Pioneer supporters feared that the women’s tennis rematch results would be similar to the 7-2 drubbing on the Rams’ home court in Asheville, on Aug. 24.

But things could hardly have gone better for the Pioneer women after that first setback. They swept the rest of the day’s eight matches to win, 8-1.

“We came to play today,” said Watauga head coach Jennifer Pillow. “I am so proud of these young women’s perseverance and resilience.”

The Pioneers resume Northwestern Conference play on Sept. 14, when they host Freedom.

SINGLES

  1. TCR Erika Fransheska Mendez def. WAT Sienna Davidson 6-2, 6-3
  2. WAT Madison Ogden def. TCR Lauren Denton 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
  3. WAT Amira Younce def. TCR Rainie Richards 6-2, 6-2
  4. WAT Larisa Muse def. TCR Sydney Selmensberger 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7)
  5. WAT Alaina Muse def. TCR Kara Lynch 6-3, 6-2
  6. WAT Laurel West def. TCR “Singles Rams” 6-0, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)

DOUBLES

  1. WAT Ogden-Younce def. TCR Fransheska Mendez-Richards 8-4
  2. WAT Davidson-Abbi Shuman def. TCR Lynch-Maddie Yeatman 8-2
  3. WAT Muse-Muse def. TCR Mehar Chatha-Grace Yang 8-0

A night of rallies in Watauga middle school volleyball

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A night of rallies in Watauga middle school volleyball

By David Rogers. COVE CREEK, N.C. — Close calls and comeback rallies were the order of the day on Sept. 13, at Cove Creek School, where the Raiders played host to tri-match volleyball in welcoming Parkway and Blowing Rock.

None were more thrilling than Cove Creek rallying from an 11-1 deficit in the second set, surge ahead at 22-21, but then fall to Parkway in overtime, 27-25. Given the Parkway girls first set win of 25-19, the match goes down as a straight set sweep even if the outcome was much closer than the set score suggests.

Parkway School’s Gianna Clark goes up to block a Cove Creek kill attempt on Sept. 13, at Cove Creek School. Photo by David Rogers

In the first set of the Blowing Rock vs. Parkway encounter, the Rockets jumped ahead to a 4-0 first set lead before girls from the east side of Boone got their mojo going — and moving on to a decisive, 25-19, 25-9 sweep.

Blowing Rock fell in another close match to Parkway in the final pairing of the night, pushing to overtime in the first set before losing, 26-24, then losing the second set, 25-17.

In other middle score matches around the county, Hardin Park defeated Mabel, 25-13, 25-15.

At the  tri-match hosted by Bethel School, Valle Crucis fell to Bethel in a nail biter, 25-22, 25-20. Valle Crucis dropped the first set to Green Valley before rallying to win the next two and take the match, 24-26, 25-17, 16-14.  In the closing match, Green Valley closed out Bethel in three sets, 25-21, 17-25, 15-7.

Watauga women’s tennis rolls by Hibriten, 8-1

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Watauga women’s tennis rolls by Hibriten, 8-1

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was another near-sweep of a conference opponent for Watauga women’s tennis on Sept. 12. This time, their Northwestern Conference victim was Lenoir-based Hibriten.

The Pioneers lost only the No. 6 singles match to the visiting Panthers, going 8-1 on the day.

“We won five out of six singles matches, so I am very pleased with that result,” said the Pioneers head tennis coach, Jennifer Pillow, while the doubles matches were still being decided. “I have seen a lot of really good smart playing by our athletes today, with their placement of the ball. They are moving very well today. We have been working on putting the ball away and they have done a good job of it in these matches against a well-coached Hibriten team.”

Photo by David Rogers

Pillow noted that she has eight seniors on the 2022 fall edition of the Pioneers, with a good sprinkling of underclassmen, including some sophomore and freshman standouts, so it is challenging at times to get everyone competitive court time.

The Pioneers have two more home matches this week, the first a Sept. 13 encounter vs. T.C. Roberson (6-1) to whom they lost, 7-2, in Asheville on Aug. 24 for their only blemish on the season’s record. They stay at home on Sept. 14 in another conference match, this one against Freedom (0-3), before going back on the road Sept. 19 at Ashe County and Sept. 21 at South Caldwell.

SINGLES

  1. WAT Sienna Davidson (Soph.) def. HIB Natalie Jones (Jr.) 6-2,6-2
  2. WAT Madison Ogden (Sr.) def. HIB Charlotte Gardner (Sr.) 6-3, 6-0
  3. WAT Amira Younce (Sr.) def. HIB Paige Grimbeek (Jr.) 6-2, 6-0
  4. WAT Larisa Muse (Soph.) def. HIB Maddy Ried (Jr.) 6-1, 6-4
  5. WAT Alaina Muse (Sr.) def. HIB “Singles Panthers” 6-0, 6-2
  6. HIB Nichole Gonzaloz (Sr.) def. WAT Logan Highfield (Soph.) 6-3, 6-4

DOUBLES

  • WAT Younce-Ogden def. HIB Jones-Gardner 8-4
  • WAT Larson Berry (Fr.)-Davidson def. Grimbeek-Ried 8-2
  • WAT L. Muse-A.Muse def. HIB Ella Taylor (Soph.)-Rilee Conrad (Sr.) 8-0

Watauga MSOC drops tight battle with top-ranked NW Guilford, 1-0

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Watauga MSOC drops tight battle with top-ranked NW Guilford, 1-0

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Even though Watauga’s Sept. 12 men’s soccer match will be recorded as a 1-0, non-conference loss to Northwest Guilford, the Pioneers left Jack Groce Stadium knowing they had battled toe to toe with one of the better high school teams in western North Carolina.

The Vikings of Northwest Guilford (5-2-1) are ranked at No. 45 out of the more than 400 North Carolina varsity programs and No. 10 in the NCHSAA 4A West half of the state, according to MaxPreps. Even before Monday night’s match with the Pioneers, the Greensboro-based Vikings sported a national ranking of No. 243 out of the 2,298 varsity programs monitored by MaxPreps. Now 2-5 on the still young season with the West Caldwell outcome still pending, Watauga was ranked No. 233, statewide, among all programs in North Carolina before Monday’s loss, receiving credit for a strong strength of schedule in non-conference play.

Watauga’s Ben White outmaneuvers a NW Guilford player and turns upfield on attack, Sept. 12, at Jack Groce Stadium. Photo by David Rogers

“I am proud of this team tonight,” said Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt after the match. “Nothing to be embarrassed about at all. This was a very good opponent and our guys battled to the end. In fact, their one goal may just as well have been more our fault than their good play, although they took advantage.”

For most of the match the Vikings appeared equally as skilled as Watauga and maybe a half-step quicker to the ball.  In the last 10 minutes, however, the Pioneers seemed to gain the upper hand, playing a good part of the remaining time in NW Guilford’s defending half. Sharply played combinations in Watauga’s attacking third of the field didn’t yield any goals for the host Pioneers, but underlined the young Pioneers’ fitness and resilience as they mounted scoring threats to the final buzzer.

Strong defensive play by the Vikings were able to turn away most of the scoring threats organized by the Pioneers, who managed only two shots on goal, one by Micah Duvall and another by Curtis Sevensky. Goalkeeper Kyle Painter recorded six saves on the night.

Watauga forward Curtis Sevensky (10) sprints ahead of a Northwest Guilford defender to play the ball on Sept. 12, attacking up the right sideline in the first half of the non-conference match at Jack Groce Stadium. Photo by David Rogers

Next up for the Pioneers is quick trip down the mountain on Sept. 13, to West Caldwell, to play the final 1 minute, 20 seconds that remained when a Warrior player was seriously injured last week and the game was called with the Pioneers threatening to close its 2-1 deficit. The game was delayed for well over a half hour while an ambulance was called to transport the injured athlete to a nearby hospital.

Asked for an update before the Sept. 12 match, Honeycutt reported that the injuries were not as severe as first feared, the athlete suffering a concussion and neck strain.

“No one has satisfactorily explained yet why the game was called with just a minute and a half remaining,” said Honeycutt. “The rules provide for only two reasons for a game to be called, and those are dangerous weather conditions or an unruly crowd. So play should have been resumed to finish out the match. Our guys work hard and deserve the opportunity to finish the game, so we will go down for that final 1:20.”

On Sept. 15, the Pioneers will receive another strong test on the road, at Davidson Day. The 7-2 Patriots are ranked No. 202 nationally and No. 35 statewide. The Pioneers return home for two more strong non-conference tests next week, vs. Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, 3-3-1) on Sept. 19 and Cox Mill (Concord, 6-0-3) on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Together, rising: a good day for the Sun Belt Conference with three Power 5 upsets

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Together, rising: a good day for the Sun Belt Conference with three Power 5 upsets

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a day that included upset wins and nail biter losses for the Sun Belt Conference on Sept. 10, the athletic conference that defied recent national trends. Instead of broadening its geographic scope to create cross-country footprints like the SEC and Big 10, the Sun Belt opted to strengthen regional rivalries. Arguably the strongest “non-autonomous” athletic conference now, the Sun Belt registered significant football successes over the weekend. Some highlights:

  • Appalachian State plowed through No. 6 Texas A&M on Saturday, winning 17-14 with a coaching game plan that was executed by the players to perfection. Keeping the powerful. SEC-member Aggies’ offense off the field for all but 18 minutes and 30 seconds, the Mountaineers controlled the ball for more than 41 minutes with long drive after long drive and featured a defense that proved worthy of any Power 5 program.
  • Marshall surprised No. 8-ranked Notre Dame, 26-21. The Thundering Herd poached three INTs from the Fighting Irish passers while RB Khalan Laborn carried the ball 31 times for 163 yards and a TD for Marshall.
  • Georgia Southern was a three TD underdog going into its Saturday tilt at Nebraska, but the Eagles turned that betting line upside down with a 45-42 upset. New head coach Clay Helton, formerly the head coach at the University of Southern California, now has an unblemished, 2-0 early record in his first year leading a Sun Belt program.
  • Only a week after App State nearly pulled off an upset vs. Mack Brown’s North Carolina team, an ACC member, the Tar Heels escaped Atlanta with a narrow, 35-28 win over Georgia State. The Panthers’ QB, Darren Grainger, passed for 186 yards and three TDs, but Georgia State also featured a balanced attack with 235 yards rushing among five runners.
  • A resurgent South Alabama defeated Mid-American Conference power Central Michigan, 38-24. A week earlier, the Chippewas had scared No. 12 Oklahoma State in a 58-44 shootout loss while South Alabama dominated Nicholls, 48-7.
  • New Sun Belt member James Madison, moving up from the FCS level, all but destroyed Norfolk State, 63-7.
  • Last year’s Sun Belt champion, Louisiana, rallied to defeat Eastern Michigan, 49-21. Trailing 14-0 at halftime, the Ragin’ Cajuns outscored the Eagles in the second half, 49-7.
  • Another up and coming Sun Belt program, Texas State roasted Conference USA member, Florida International, 41-12. QB Layne Hatcher, a transfer to the Lonestar State from Arkansas State, riddled FIU’s secondary for 226 yards and three TDs, while the Bobcats’ rushing attack matched their aerials with 226 yards on the ground, led by RB Calvin Hill’s 195 yards on 28 carries and a TD.

In other Sun Belt games…

  • Coastal Carolina barely got by FCS level adversary, Gardner Webb, 31-27/
  • ULM dispatched Nicholls, 35-7.
  • Troy (App State’s next opponent) proved an inhospitable gridiron host to Alabama A&M, 38-17.
  • New Sun Belt member Old Dominion, which last week upset ACC power Virginia Tech, lost at East Carolina, 39-21.
  • Southern Miss lost to Miami, 30-7.
  • Arkansas State was dominated by Ohio State, 45-12.
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