By David Rogers. BOSTON, Mass. — ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea described the 129th staging of the iconic Boston Marathon as the “deepest” field of top-flight marathon runners in the event’s history. Important for the High Country: two of his Blowing Rock-based athletes earned top 10 and top 20 finishing positions on April 21.
ZAP Endurance team members Ryan Ford and Tristin (Van Ord) Colley finished the 2025 course of 26.2 miles at No. 10 and No. 19, respectively, in the men’s and women’s divisions.
A happy Josh Cox (right), agent of Ryan Ford. greeted his star athlete after the April 21 running of the Boston Marathon. Ford took three minutes off the ZAP Endurance club record for the marathon distance. Photo courtesy of ZAP Endurance
Coming into the race, Ford had the 29th fastest time among the more than 60 professional marathon athletes entered in the elite field running Boston this year. In only his second career marathon race (his debut was last November in the New York City Marathon, where he ran 2:11:08), Ford lowered the ZAP Endurance club record while also lowering his personal best to 2:08:00. He clipped more than three minutes off his New York time — and his No. 10 Boston finish also lowered the ZAP club record by almost three minutes. The previous club record of 2:10:54 was set in January’s Houston Marathon by teammate Josh Izewski.
When told of Ford’s accomplishment, Izewski told Rea by telephone, “Well, I’ll just have to run faster in Australia,” referring to the Gold Coast Marathon in which he is scheduled to compete on July 6.
Trivia tidbit: Rea reports that Ford’s performance is the 4th-fastest American to ever run the historic Boston race, with three of those four achieved in the 2025 running of the event. In 2011, Ryan Hall ran the fastest Boston Marathon by an American, finishing No. 4 in 2:04:58. Hall is now retired from running competitively. He is a native of Kirkland, Wash., and the only American to run a sub-2:05 marathon to date.
A friendly, 3-way battle appears to be developing among the ZAP Endurance members for who holds the club record. Teammate Andrew Colley was a former club recordholder and will next try to outdo both Ford and Izewski when he competes in the Prague Marathon (The Czech Republic) on May 4.
The men’s division of the Boston Marathon was won by Kenya’s John Korir in a blistering 2:04:45, a 4:46 mile pace and the second fastest Boston Marathon in history. Ford was the third fastest American, behind Connor Mantz (No. 4, 2:05:06) and Clayton Young (No. 7, 2:07:04).
Korir is the second member of his family to win Boston. His older brother, Wesley, won in 2012 with a time of 2:12:40.
ZAP Endurance marathoner Tristin Colley and head coach Pete Rea were all smiles after the Boston Marathon on April 21. The event drew more than 30,000 runners in 2025, and Colley was No. 19 in the women’s division. Photo courtesy of ZAP Endurance
Tristin Colley, the former distance running star while attending App State as Tristin Van Ord and now married to ZAP teammate Andrew Colley, came into the deep Boston race with the 27th fastest qualifying time among the 64 elite female athletes vying for the prize money. Her 2:26:39 was just 43 seconds off her personal best of 2:25:58 (also the ZAP endurance women’s club record), established in Oct. 2023, in the Chicago Marathon. The Boston race was her fastest performance since the Chicago event.
The women’s division championship in Boston was claimed by Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi, in a course record 2:17:22. The first American woman to cross the finish line was Jess McClain, 33, at No. 7 (2:22:43). She is the 7-time NCAA All American who competed at middle distances for Stanford University.
Traditionally, the Boston Marathon is staged the third Monday of April. A recent exception was 2021, when the event was moved to Oct. 11 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — App State Baseball’s late-inning rally came up short on April 19, as the team dropped the series finale to James Madison, 10-6, at Smith Stadium.
Down by six runs in the ninth inning, App State (21-18, 11-7) pushed across two runs on four hits in the final frame, but was unable to sustain the rally and overcome the deficit.
App State catcher Braxton Church comes home with the game’s first run on April 19, scoring from third base on a wild pitch. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Juan Correa led the Mountaineers, going 3-5 with a pair of RBI singles, while Tyler Lichtenberger recorded his 22nd multi-hit effort of the season and Kameron Miller also tallied a pair of hits.
James Madison (13-27, 6-12) plated four runs in the third inning to take the lead and added critical insurance runs late, recording two in the seventh and two more in the ninth. Overall, the Dukes sprinkled in some power with five doubles and a home run among their 11 total hits on the day.
JMU first baseman Coleman Calabrese slides home on April 19, scoring when teammate Wyatt Peifer doubled to right center. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
JMU overcomes shaky start
App State got the scoring started in the bottom half of the first inning. Braxton Church led off with a walk and, two batters later, Kameron Miller also walked to put two men aboard. After a flyout from Juan Correa advanced both runners into scoring position, a wild pitch allowed Church to come in to score from third.
The Mountaineers plated another run in the third inning on a Correa RBI single through the left side. He drove in Joseph Zamora, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the frame.
After rapping a single through the left side to score Joseph Zamora, Juan Correa (42) got a good jump on a grounder to JMU third baseman Wyatt Peifer (23) by Tyler Lichtenberger. The grounder put Mountaineer runners in scoring position at second and third with two outs, but App State was unable to to push the runners across in the bottom half of the third inning. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Trailing 8-2 in the seventh, Church belted his second home run of the season into the visitor’s bullpen in right field to lead off the inning. Later in the inning, Miller ripped a double to the wall in left-center field and Correa brought him home with an RBI single through the left side to make it 8-4.
App State conceded a pair of James Madison insurance runs in the top of the ninth but stormed back in the home half of the inning. Zamora doubled down the left field line to start the frame and came around to score on a two-out, RBI single from Lichtenberger to keep the game alive. Tyler Figueroa and Riley Luft followed with back-to-back singles to score a run, with the Mountaineers down to their final strike three times in the ballgame, before the Dukes tagged out Figueroa trying to reach third base on Luft’s rap to center, salvaging the finale.
KEY PERFORMERS
JMU – Jack Anderson: 3-3, 1 run, 2 RBIs, double, walk, hit by pitch
By Matt Present. HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — Bounce-back perseverance from App State Baseball produced an extra-inning victory Sunday at Marshall and clinched another road series win for the weekend.
App State escaped a jam after Marshall had tied the series finale in the bottom of the ninth inning, then scored four times in the top of the 10th inning to regain the lead for good in an 8-5 victory.
The Mountaineers (19-16, 9-6) earned a Sun Belt Conference road series win for the second straight weekend, taking two of three games in Huntington after doing the same at ULM, and have won the series in four of their five Sun Belt weekends to date. App State currently sits fourth in the 14-team league, one game out of a second-place tie and two games behind first place.
After Marshall (18-18, 6-9) scored an unearned run to tie the game against Liam Best in the ninth, an intentional walk loaded the bases with one away. First baseman Juan Correa fielded a hard-hit grounder at the edge of the turf and threw home from one knee to erase the lead runner before Best forced extra innings on a swinging strikeout.
Singles from Tyler Lichtenberger and Tyler Figueroa leading off the 10th preceded an RBI double into the right-field corner by Jonathan Xuereb and a run-scoring bunt single by Charlie Evans. After an error on Xavier Lopez’s sac bunt loaded the bases with nobody out, Joseph Zamora and Kameron Miller had back-to-back sac flies.
A homer for Marshall leading off the bottom of the 10th cut the deficit to three, and two runners were aboard with one away when pitcher Conner Barozzino replaced Best. With the tying run at the plate, Barozzino forced a flyout to left and ended the game on a swinging strikeout.
App State trailed 3-1 before tying the game on Zamaro’s two-run sac fly to deep right-center in the seventh — the speedy Evans scored all the way from second to follow Figueroa home. The Mountaineers then claimed a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth as Xuereb scored on Miller’s two-out, pop-up infield single that was lost in the sun near second base.
Zamora finished 1-for-2 with two walks and three RBIs, while Xuereb went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Figueroa scored three times during a 2-for-4 day.
App State starting pitcher Everette Harris allowed one run in 2.1 innings before giving way to Bradley Wilson, who pitched the next 5.2 innings and allowed just two runs (on a two-run homer in the fourth) on two hits to get the Mountaineers to the dramatic ninth.
A highlight-reel catch from Dillon Moquin in right began the bottom of the ninth, but a single was followed by a throwing error to second to put two on and an RBI single that included a throwing error to leave two runners in scoring position.
Marshall, which had followed a Friday loss with a Saturday victory, was in position to seize the series, but some late heroics from the Mountaineers kept their strong stretch of weekend play going.
The 2025 App State Baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A. The Mountaineers are back in action Tuesday at Duke.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Reciprocity. That could well have been the key takeaway from “The Battle of the Rock” spring football game on April 12, pitting App State’s offense against the Mountaineers’ defense, with a sprinkling of special teams play along the way.
An estimated 15,000 fans from AppNation got a firsthand glimpse of new head coach Dowell Loggains’ gridiron product during the crisply-run drills and scrimmage. At the same time, the legion of new recruits — including a staff of assistant coaches loaded with NFL and major college pedigrees — received a taste of what playing in “The Rock” is like, the energized atmosphere in Kidd Brewer Stadium not quite up to gameday standards but certainly headed in that direction.
App State head football coach Dowell Loggains speaks with the players after the ‘Battle at the Rock’ spring football game on April 12. Photographic image by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
After some opening warmup drills, the teams got down to the main event, a live scrimmage pitting the offense against the defense — and whether you favor a dynamic defense or a thrill-a-minute offense, there were some nice moments for all.
New names surfaced on big plays, including interceptions by junior defensive back Cristian Conyer (a transfer who played at Coastal Carolina in 2024 and appeared in 10 games for Tennessee in 2023) and redshirt freshman Kaleb Neal (following a deflection from defensive back Tyshawn Sanders).
An App State running back catches a pass during the April 12 ‘Battle at the Rock’ spring game at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Redshirt senior Joseph Bakhoe, a Charlotte native (Myers Park HS) who initially played at Coffeyville Community College before one-year stints at Louisiana-Monroe (2023) and Chattanooga (2024), impressed coaches and fans with a forced fumble. There were also non-contact “sacks” by redshirt senior Thomas Davis, redshirt freshman DeNigel Cooper, and redshirt junior Josiah Wyatt, all returning defensive linemen.
Admittedly, though, much of the day’s curiosity centered on the revamped Mountaineer offense, given Loggains reputation as an innovator on that side of the ball and the big vacancy left with the graduation and transfer of quarterback Joey Aguilar to UCLA.
JJ Kohl (17), a transfer from Iowa State, passes downfield during the April 12 ‘Battle at the Rock’ spring football event. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The quarterback room may be one of the most crowded as well as competitive of the skill positions. AJ Swann, a 6-2, 215 lb. redshirt junior with two seasons of eligibility remaining after playing for Vanderbilt in 2022-23 and serving as a backup QB for LSU in 2024, got the first look on offense and didn’t disappoint with three TD throws during his rotations, one each to redshirt freshman Jose Leon (Miami, Fla.), junior Jaden Barnes (a transfer from Austin Peay) and Michael Dipasquale, a returning redshirt sophomore running back from Wake Forest, N.C.
Freshman quarterback Noah Gillon (6-3, 180 lbs., Tupelo, Miss.) lit up the scoreboard to start the second half with a long pass to redshirt senior tight end David Larkins, a returning starter. The play covered more than 70 yards, prompting 6-5, 255 lb. Larkins to admit to reporters after the game that it was the furthest he had ever run on a scoring play. After slipping behind the defensive secondary to find himself wide open, Larkins gathered in Gillon’s perfectly thrown spiral and sprinted untouched to the end zone.
The App State students and fans enjoyed getting a glimpse of their new football team for the 2025 season on April 12, during ‘Battle at the Rock.’ Photographic image by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
“My greatest fear in being that wide open,” said a smiling Larkins, “is not catching the ball in that situation. I would rather be more closely guarded.”
In his first taste of collegiate football, Gillon had several shorter completions, too.
Another transfer QB candidate lived up to his major college pedigree and 4-star rating as a high school prospect in JJ Kohl, a 6-7, 250 lb. redshirt sophomore signal caller with three years of eligibility remaining. Kohl spent his 2023 and 2024 seasons at Iowa State. In “The Battle at the Rock” on Saturday, the towering QB found William Fowles for a TD. The redshirt sophomore wide receiver from Hialeah, Fla. transferred to App State a year ago, from Louisville.
QB Billy Wiles (9), a 2024 transfer from Southern Miss, gets off a pass on April 12 during the ‘Battle at the Rock’ spring game at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Photographic image by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
Another strong QB prospect, Matthew Wilson, tossed a TD pass to Larkins, too. Wilson is a redshirt freshman from Rock Hill, S.C., who was an early enrollee to App State a year ago after being named the Offensive MVP of the 2023 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and an all-state selection as a high school senior.
The quarterback room also includes redshirt senior Billy Wiles, who transferred from Southern Miss a year ago. He was a scholarship player at Clemson before transferring to Southern Miss. As a veteran college QB who led his high school to a Virginia state title his senior year, Wiles is also a strong contender for the App State starting job.
Watauga High School alum and now App State placekicker Carter Everett kicks an extra point during ‘Battle at the Rock’ on April 12. Photographic image by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
The sixth QB candidate, redshirt sophomore Cameron Estep, also has a strong high school pedigree after leading Charlotte Christian to two state titles and setting the school’s record for touchdown passes.
Of the quarterback room, Swann told reporters afterwards that he was part of “… a close-knit group. Everyone gets the same number of reps as evenly as possible and I really enjoy it… We have a close-knit locker room, everyone coming together as one and that is what Coach is preaching.”
Swann said he really likes the offensive system.
“It is really well-run. They ran this offense last year at South Carolina and were very successful, one of the most successful in the SEC,” said Swann.
Kohl said he loved the atmosphere at Kidd Brewer and the enthusiasm of the fans.
“The fact they could fill the stadium on a very cold, windy day is impressive.”
Some 15,000 fans braved the frigid, windy conditions of ‘Battle at the Rock’ on April 12. Photographic image by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
Like Swann, Kohl described the transition into the new offense has been pretty smooth.
For his part, head coach Loggains seemed pleased with what he saw.
“We’ve got a lot to clean up, and there was a lot of good, but there is still a lot of work ahead,” Loggains said. “We’re going to have a busy summer with these guys. The good thing for us is we have a whole training camp to clean that stuff up.”
The first test for the new-look Mountaineers will be Friday, Aug. 29, at Bank of America Stadium against Charlotte, which is also coming into the 2025 season with a new head coach, Tim Albin, a two-time Mid-American Conference “Coach of the Year” and head coach of the 2024 MAC champions, Ohio University.
By Layne McNary. BOONE, N.C. — The App State tennis team pushed its winning streak to eight with a 4-1 victory over Georgia Southern on Sunday. The win marks the Mountaineers’ sixth straight in conference play, their longest conference streak since joining the Sun Belt.
Prior to the match, Olwyn Ryan-Bovey was recognized on Senior Day as the program’s lone senior.
What Happened
The Mountaineers (15-5, 7-2 SBC) opened the match by clinching a tightly contested doubles point. Savannah Dada-Mascoll and Taya Powell set the tone with a commanding 6-0 win on court one over the Eagles (10-8, 2-5 SBC). Ruby Broadbent and Naledi Manyube followed with a 6-3 victory on court two to secure the point for App State.
In singles play, Powell kept the momentum going with a 6-2, 6-4 straight-set win on court three. After cruising through the first set, she held off a late push to take the second and extend the lead to two.
Dada-Mascoll notched the Mountaineers’ second singles point of the day, winning 6-3, 6-1 from the No.1 spot. After trailing 2-1 early, she dropped just three more games the rest of the way. The win marked her seventh straight singles victory, improving her season record to 15-2. In doubles, she now holds a 13-3 record and has won eight straight.
After a setback on court two, Ryan-Bovey delivered the clincher in storybook fashion, winning in straight sets to secure the team victory from the No. 4 position. The senior overcame a late push in the first set and pulled away in the second for a 6-4, 6-3 win—her seventh consecutive singles victory, improving her record to 9-5 on the year.
Matches on courts five and six featuring Alexi Cleveland and Ruby Broadbent were left unfinished after the match was decided.
Up Next
The Mountaineers return to action on Saturday, hosting Georgia State at 10 a.m. at the App State Tennis Courts at the Appalachian 105 Complex.
By Matt Present. MONROE, La. — Tyler Figueroa’s grand slam highlighted a seven-run third inning, helping App State take the series from ULM with a 17-5 win in seven innings in the rubber game on April 5 at Lou St. Amant Field.
After the Mountaineers saw a ferocious rally come up short in the resumption of Saturday’s suspended game, the bats stayed hot for the regularly scheduled contest, as App State (16-15, 7-5) used three big innings to pull away from the Warhawks (14-18, 3-9) in the series finale.
The Mountaineers conclude the weekend one game back of first place in the Sun Belt standings.
Game 1
After a nearly 24-hour rain delay, App State returned to the field Sunday trailing 13-6 in the seventh inning and wasted no time getting right back into the contest. The Mountaineers had already scored a pair of runs in the top of the frame prior to the delay and turned it into a big inning once play resumed. Braxton Church lined the first pitch of the resumed game down the right field line to score Joseph Zamora, and Juan Correa followed by lifting a sacrifice fly to center field to bring in Kameron Miller, making it a 13-8 ballgame.
Tyler Lichtenberger continued the rally with an RBI single to left-center. The freshman then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and came into score on a Figueroa RBI single up the middle to make it 13-10. With two outs in the inning, Riley Luft, batting for the second time in the frame, smacked an opposite-field double to cut the deficit to just two and force ULM into its bullpen.
Freshman right-hander Luke Oblen struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh inning, but despite bringing the tying run to the plate in both the eighth and the ninth, the Mountaineers were unable to equalize.
ULM opened up an 8-1 advantage early on in the ballgame, scoring three runs in the first inning and five more in the second.
App State scored three runs in the sixth inning on a Correa RBI single, followed by a Lichtenberger two-run double, but the Warhawks countered with four runs in the bottom half of the frame.
Carter Boyd tossed 0.2 scoreless innings before lightning halted play on Saturday afternoon. Jordan Fisher delivered a scoreless eighth inning, retiring the side in order.
Game 2
The App State offense erupted for seven runs in the third inning and never looked back on its way to a run-rule victory.
Trailing 1-0, Graham Smiley reached on a throwing error to begin the third inning and Riley Luft followed with a single to center field. Dillon Moquin was hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting up Joseph Zamora who blooped an RBI single into shallow right-center field to tie the score. Zamora finished with a career-high four hits in the contest.
After Kameron Miller singled through the right side to give the Mountaineers the lead, Tyler Lichtenberger worked a walk to force in a run and make it 3-1.
Tyler Figueroa then stepped to the plate and blasted a 1-0 pitch 360 feet over the left field fence for a grand slam to push the App State advantage to 7-1.
The App State offense kept the pressure on with base runners throughout the contest. While only three hits went for extra bases on the afternoon, App State recorded 13 singles, stringing together long rallies in multiple innings.
After an RBI single from Miller in the fourth, the Mountaineers put up a four-run fifth inning. With the bases loaded again, Luft plated a run with an RBI groundout before Moquin drove in two more with a triple to the gap in right-center. Zamora capped the inning with an RBI single to push the advantage to 12-3.
Leading by eight going to the seventh inning, the App State offense put the game away with another cooked number. The Mountaineers plated five runs on four hits in the inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Zamora and an RBI double from Lichtenberger. The Mountaineers’ shortstop recorded hits in all three games in the series to extend his hitting streak to 10 consecutive games and his on-base streak to all 30 games he has played this season.
Everette Harris made the start for the Mountaineers and worked 4.2 innings without allowing a walk. He scattered five runs on six hits but did not allow the Warhawks to put together a big inning.
Graduate student Bradley Wilson earned the win in relief, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings and retiring seven of the eight batters he faced. He too did not walk a batter, marking the second time in the last six contests that the Mountaineers’ pitching staff posted a walk-free effort.
The Mountaineers return home for a midweek contest on Tuesday against Western Carolina to round out the home-and-home series with the Catamounts. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Two goals by Morgan Flynt and another by Savannah Rogers were enough for host Watauga to overcome the Alexander Central women’s soccer team on April 4, 3-1, in a rough-and-tumble affair.
“We knew coming into the game that Alexander was going to be the most physical team in our conference,” said Pioneer head coach Chris Tarnowski after the match, “and this game was about weathering that challenge and keeping our heads, to play our game. We’re really proud of the players for standing up to the challenge and sticking together for 80 minutes, while keeping their composure. It was a whole team effort and we’re really proud of the whole team.”
Flynt was also credited with an assist on Rogers’ goal, while Savannah Duvall picked up an assist on the afternoon as well.
Now with a four-game winning streak, Watauga (5-3-1 overall, 2-0 Northwestern Conference) will look to add to the momentum on April 8 when they travel to Lenoir and face Hibriten (7-3-2, 2-0), a Northwestern Conference contender sharing first place honors with the Pioneers.
In the evening curtain-raiser, Watauga’s junior varsity battled to a 1-1 with the Cougars JV squad. Lindsay Wade scored the goal, with an assist by Lilly Wilson.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — High drama marked Watauga’s baseball home stand vs. Northwestern Conference 4A rival South Caldwell, right until the very end. With two outs in the bottom of the 7th inning, the bases loaded and having cut their deficit to the visiting Spartans to just a single run, the Pioneers couldn’t quite get the job done for a walk-off win.
Jake Blanton, Watauga’s best hitter this season made contact but his long, fly ball to centerfield fell into the waiting glove of the visitors’ Kori McCall for the third and final out, sealing South Caldwell’s 7-6 victory.
Each team committed three errors and Watauga rapped out a total of 12 hits compared to South Caldwell’s five, but the Spartans were more proficient in capitalizing on their scoring opportunities.
McCall hit a shot in the top of the 6th inning that cleared the left field fence for a 2-run home run and the Spartan cause was aided by timely, run-scoring doubles by junior catcher John Paul Smith and senior right fielder Walker Hartley to take advantage of opportunities.
With South Caldwell leading, 7-4, when the Pioneers came to the plate for their final at-bats, things started to look promising for the home team fans when Dillon Zaragoza and JJ Everett put runners on first and third with back-to-back singles.Then successive singles by Pioneer catcher Chase Gillin and second baseman Evan Burroughs scored Zaragoza and Everett, closing the deficit to 7-6. Senior shortstop Maddox Greene promptly lined a single to left, loading the bases. A single would have at least brought in the tying run, and possibly even the winning run, but on this night it was not to be.
By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Everett Gryder and Evan Burroughs combined for a 3-hit shutout, Watauga prevailing over Ashe County on April 1, 2-0.
Kye Pennington, the Huskies’ senior lefthander, nearly matched the Watauga pitching effort in giving up two runs on four hits in six innings of work.
Ultimately, though, Burroughs’ speed around the base paths proved golden, with two stolen bases and two runs scored. What broke things open for the Pioneers in the top half of the third inning was a triple by Jake Blanton, which scored Burroughs. After stealing both second base and third base in the top of the 5th inning, Burroughs again scored on defensive lapses by the Huskies.
Now 7-7 overall and 3-2 in Northwestern Conference play, the Pioneers next host South Caldwell on Friday, April 4.
KEY PERFORMERS
WAT – Everett Gryder: 5 innings pitched, no runs on 2 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
WAT – Evan Burroughs: 2 innings pitched, no runs on 1 hit, no walks, 4 strikeouts. As batter, 0-3, 2 runs scored, 2 stolen bases, 1 walk, 1 fielder’s choice
WAT – Jake Blanton: 1-2, 1 RBI, triple, 1 hit by pitch
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a warm and clear sunny day on April 1, but there was a storm brewing at Jack Groce Stadium. The Watauga women’s soccer teams blew past Northwestern Conference rival South Caldwell, 7-0 (varsity) and 7-1 (junior varsity).
VARSITY – No foolin’ around
It might have been April Fool’s Day for the mainstream world but the Pioneers weren’t foolin’ around in this one. By the time 12 minutes had ticked off the game clock, Watauga had already scored three goals and were dominating play, maintaining possession largely in their attacking third of the field.
Sequence
Watauga senior Morgan Flynt attacks from the right side, sending the ball across the face of the net and under the goalkeeper’s outstretched hands for a Watauga goal on April 1. Photographic images by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Just minutes into the game, the Pioneers were awarded a penalty kick and sophomore Sammy Morgan lived up to her jersey number (10) to rip the ball perfectly past the Spartan goalkeeper to draw the proverbial first blood for the home team. By the time senior forward Morgan Flynt laced a shot across the face of the Spartan-defended goal and under the outstretched arms of a diving goalkeeper for the Pioneers’ third goal, the outcome was all but decided if only Watauga would keep up the pressure and attack.
Which they did, including with plenty of valuable field time for starters and reserves alike.
“It was great to pick up our first conference win last night and get the back half of our season started on the right foot,” said Watauga head coach Chris Tarnowski after the game. “Spreading the scoring around to six different players really showcases just how hard the entire team has been working over the past few weeks, and highlights their unselfish play. This group is so supportive of one another and really focused on the important aspects of the sport: empathy and trust for their teammates, integrity on and off the field, and a team-first attitude. We’re really proud as coaches of their progression since the start of the season.”
Watauga freshman Mary Flynn Sevensky (16) attacks the South Caldwell goal from the left side in the Pioneers’ 7-0 win over South Caldwell on April 1. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Goals Scored:
Savannah Rogers (2 goals scored)
Savannah Duvall (1)
Sammy Morgan (1)
Morgan Flynt (1)
Chloe Weigl (1)
Emma Raymond (1)
Assists:
Savannah Rogers (3)
Morgan Flynt (1)
Emma Raymond (1)
Chloe Weigl (1)
JUNIOR VARSITY – Still got it
Not having played a game in the preceding two weeks because of weather and varsity-only scheduling decisions, the Watauga Junior Varsity head coach Jamie Raymond wondered how her charges would respond in the Northwestern Conference opener in hosting the South Caldwell JVs. Call the Pioneer JVs’ 7-1 curtain-raiser win a precursor for the 7-0 varsity performance that followed.
“The improvement that we have seen in these young athletes is both startling and gratifying,” said Raymond. “Some of our players have never played soccer before, so their lack of understanding the importance of moving the ball around early in the season was understandable. But the progress they have made as a team is remarkable and I have to give a lot of credit to the time we have spent watching film and with the varsity players explaining in their own words how they move the ball around to keep possession and attack.”
Goals:
Lilly Wilson (3)
Lindsay Wade (3)
Emma McKibbin (1)
Assists:
Lilly Wilson (2)
Parker Strickland (1)
Marlene Alcaraz (1)
Watauga Varsity is now 4-3-1 overall, 1-0 in Northwestern Conference play. The Pioneer JVs are 3-2-1 overall, 1-0 in NWC. Next up for both teams are home matches vs. 4A rival Alexander Central on Friday, April 4. The JV curtain-raiser is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., with the varsity nightcap to follow.
