By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Football is a game of moments, strung together to make a play, either by the entire team or by a single individual. Last week against South Caldwell, photographer Garner Dewey captured this sequence of moments in the football life of Pioneer Evan Burroughs as he caught a long pass from QB Maddox Greene.

This is called an “action sequence” photo. You can capture the images on any camera, including on many smartphones, then put them together in one image using Adobe Photoshop.

“This is what they call a ‘photo merge’,” explained Dewey. “The first step, of course, is taking a burst of several shots following the play’s action. For this one, I was panning at the same time as shooting in order to follow Evan Burroughs’ catch throughout the sequence, from when he first looked up and spotted the ball, followed it as it descended, then caught it.”

Dewey said he first used Adobe Lightroom to make various color corrections and crops, then used Adobe Photoshop’s “Photo Merge” tool.

The original burst was about 10 shots,” said Dewey. “I could merge them manually, of course, but I wanted to get this done quickly. So I let Photoshop do all the work. The built-in artificial intelligence selected these four moments in the sequence and merged them all into one image.”

Readers are welcome to submit images for “Photo of the Week” consideration, sending a minimum of 1280 pixels on the long side, preferably landscape view, very high resolution to david@highcountrysports.net. The theme should be sports at any level (professional, college, high school, middle school, rec leagues), outdoor recreation, or adventure sports.

By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — Three High Country professional athletes are in the Windy City this weekend to compete in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. For ZAP Endurance team members Andrew Colley, Tristin Van Ord and Annmarie Tuxbury, this 26.2 mile adventure around the streets of Chicago will be their final marathon before the U.S. Olympic Trials in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 3, 2024.

WATCH ZAP ENDURANCE ‘BUILD UP TO CHICAGO MARATHON’ VIDEO AT BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE

This will be the 45th running of the Chicago Marathon, a popular event that usually draws some of the world’s top marathoners. The 2023 edition is no exception as, in the men’s division, the already announced professional field includes Ethiopia’s Kinde Atanaw, whose personal best of 2:03:51 was run in Valencia, Spain, in 2019.

At least three other elite U.S. runners will be competing for the podium in Chicago, including Leonard Korir (2:07:56, Amsterdam, 2019), Daniel Mesfun (2:10:06, Toronto, 2018), and Sam Chelanga (2:15:02, Chicago, 2017).

Chicago Marathon organizers also have their eye on Jordan Gusman, of Malta, making his marathon debut but an accomplished, sub 4-minute miler who ran a 1:03:41 half marathon in Houston this past January.

The women’s elite field also includes some formidable competitors in Megertu Alemu of Ethiopia (2:18:32, London, 2022), Rose Harvey of Great Britain (2:17:20, Seville, 2022), and Emiline Delanis of France (2:32:36, Chicago, 2022).

The Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance runners will be right in the mix of things.

Among other goals, Colley aims to better the ZAP Endurance club record he shares with teammate Josh Izewski of 2:11:26, a mark he established in April at the Rotterdam Marathon.

“2023 has brought a level of training consistency that Andrew hasn’t seen in years,” ZAP Endurance head coach Pete Rea told High Country Sports. “It has resulted in the best racing performances of his career. He helped Team USA to a No. 6 team finish this past February in the World Cross Country Championships held in New South Wales, Australia. He had runner-up finishes in the U.S. Cross Country Championship and the U.S. 8km Road Racing Championship. We are excited to see what he can do in Chicago.”

Van Ord is the former Appalachian State cross country and track star who joined ZAP four years ago to help in her transition to marathon running.

“Tristin has also enjoyed a breakout 2023,” said Rea. “She kicked off the year at the Houston Marathon where she finished No. 4 in a personal best of 2:27:07. She has made consistent progress throughout her marathon career, running 2:32 in 2021, 2:29 in 2022 and 2:27 so far this year. In addition to her marathon best, Tristin has run personal bests at 5k and 10k this year, and most recently posted a career-best No. 4 at the U.S. 20k Championships on Labor Day.”

Tuxbury is finishing her first year anniversary as a member of the ZAP Endurance team, making significant gains.

“Tristin’s teammate and training partner, Annmarie will be taking aim at her 2:31:29 personal best set last December at the California International Marathon. She has put together the best buildup of her career. After battling some fatigue early in the training block, she has looked fantastic over the final month of training leading into Chicago.”

In the last few days, another ZAP athlete and Rea have decided to use the Chicago Marathon for multiple purposes.

“In addition to the three athletes racing, Ryan Ford will line up for ‘pacing duty’,” reported Rea. “He will be charged with pacing the group, aiming to run 1:04:00 through halfway.

“On Oct. 1, Ryan was scheduled to run the Twin Cities 10 Miler, but the race was cancelled just two hours prior to the start because of heat concerns. So running the first half of Chicago will serve as a good replacement opportunity for him ahead of the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon at the end of October. In Indianapolis, he will be aiming for the 1:03:00 Olympic Trials qualifying standard that would allow him to enter the U.S. Olympic Trials for the Marathon, on Feb. 3 in Orlando.”

In his stellar collegiate career, Ford was a middle distance specialist in 3,000 meters to 10,000 meter distances, but is now transitioning to the marathon under ZAP Endurance’s mentorship.

The Chicago Marathon race begins at 7:30 a.m. Central/8:30 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, Oct. 8.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a high school football game that all but defined the concept of “winning ugly.” After leading by 27 points at the end of the third quarter, Watauga let Alexander Central score three unanswered touchdowns in the final stanza, still slipping by the Cougars, 41-34.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

Even while playing a sloppy first half, the Pioneers seemed to be in control of the game, dominating in spite of lackluster execution. B-back Everett Gryder finished the game with 17 carries for 158 net yards rushing and quarterback Maddox Greene also surpassed the century mark rushing, carrying the ball 11 times for 113 net yards. Each player reached the end zone one time for a TD.

Greene did even more damage through the air, completing six of 11 passes for 109 yards and three TDs — to three different receivers: Jackson Pryor, Evan Burroughs, and Trathan Gragg.

After the game, Watauga head coach Ryan Habich was understandably none too happy about letting Alexander Central back in the game and threatening.

“We did not play well. We did not practice well (this week),” said Habich after a lengthy post-game locker room meeting with the players. “We are a young football team that thinks we are better than we are. We are listening to the noise. If we are serious about being a good football team, winning a conference championship, and having a good future in the playoffs, our players need to focus. They have to stop listening to people telling them how good they are and start executing. And it starts at practice.”

Asked to elaborate, Habich said, “If we played a really good football team and it came down to (what happened), I would be fine with it. But we aren’t doing the little things right even at practice. We have higher standards here at Watauga.”

Habich said the entire week of practice leading up to Friday night’s game was really unacceptable.

“I challenged the guys and said if we play (like we are practicing), then we ae going to lose. And we almost lost tonight to a team that I thought we were much better than them,” Habich said.

He repeated that the team’s focus, or lack of focus was the culprit in explaining poor performance.

“We aren’t blocking, we aren’t tackling, we aren’t doing the things we are supposed to do. We have been very successful the last 10 years, so we have high standards. You cannot control the outcomes, but you can control the process. I have been preaching that all along. If people are looking at outcomes and not talking about process, then we are not going to be a very good football team. We want to be a good football team here, but we have to start doing the right things at practice. Our younger kids, our older kids, too, we collectively have to do a better job if we want to be a championship team.”

Asked about his confidence that this would be a necessary wakeup call, Habich said, “It should be a wakeup call. It was a bad week of practice. There were a lot of things (contributing) to that. We had some coaches out. We had some injuries here and there. But those are not excuses. We simply did not play and execute. Tonight should have been a game where we won by a lot so we could get a lot of players in. We couldn’t do that. We had to play the starters the whole game because we were not executing. I am disappointed in how we as a team executed, but I don’t think we prepared well throughout the week.”

The Pioneers (7-0 overall, 2-0 in Northwestern Conference) will try to regain that focus in the coming week as they prepare to face 3A power Hibriten. The Panthers, a perennial 3A power, defeated another NWC and 3A power program, Freedom, on Sept. 29, 35-33, led by running back D K Mitchell.

Now 3-4 overall, 1-1 in Northwestern Conference play, Alexander Central will look to rebound on Oct. 13, at home vs. South Caldwell.

SCORING SUMMARY

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Total Offense: AC 323, WAT 411
• Net Yards Rushing: AC 178, WAT 302
• Net Yards Passing: AC 145, WAT 109
• Turnovers
  • Fumbles Lost: AC 0, WAT 1
  • Interceptons: AC 1, WAT 0
• Penalties (Yards): AC 5 (45), WAT 8 (60)
• Time of Possession: AC 26:04, WAT 21:56
• 3rd Down Conversions: AC 6-of-14, WAT 6-of-10
• 4th Down Conversions: AC 3-of-6, WAT 1-of-2

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• • AC – Tanner Moore: 8-20-145, 1 INT, 2 TDs, 0 sacks
  • WAT – Maddox Greene: 6-11-109, 3 TDs, 1 sack

Rushing

• • WAT – Everett Gryder: 17 carries, 158 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Maddox Greene: 11 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
  • AC – Tanner Moore: 15 carries, 92 yards, 2 TDs
  • AC – Braydon Rowe: 11 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
  • AC – Sawyer Chapman-Mays: 15 carries, 59 yards
  • WAT – Evan Burroughs: 3 carries, 13 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Morgan Henry: 2 carries, 15 yards

Receiving

• • AC – Jaheim Redmond: 3 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Evan Burroughs: 1 catch, 40 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Morgan Henry: 2 catcjes. 37 yards
  • AC – Jeremiah Whitaker: 2 catches, 26 yards
  • WAT – Jackson Pryor: 2 catches, 18 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Trathan Gragg: 1 catch, 14 yards, 1 TD
  • AC – Garison Millsaps: 2 catches, 14 yards, 1 TD
  • AC – Wade Queen, 1 catch, 27 yards

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Leave it to the middle school volleyball gods — and Green Valley — to fashion an upset in the last match of the quarterfinals of the Watauga County middle school volleyball tournament on Oct. 5, in Lentz Eggers Gym.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click on any image for slideshow mode)

The first three quarterfinal matches were decided according to form and expectations. No. 1 seed Parkway had little in the way of trouble while facing No. 8 Bethel, handily sweeping the Beavers, 2-0 (25-9, 25-9).

No. 2 Hardin Park built up enough of an early first set lead to survive a No. 7 Mabel rally, then handily  dispatched the Mustangs, 2-0 (25-16, 25-8).

As expected, the No. 3 Cove Creek vs. No. 6 Valle Crucis pairing proved a stiffer test. The Raiders ended up sweeping the Cougars to stay true to form, but the 25-22, 25-13 set scores reflected the challenge posed by a much improved Valle Crucis team vs. the year ago edition.

In the final quarterfinal match of the evening, No. 4 Blowing Rock and No. 5 Green Valley had the closest set as well as the biggest blowout, with the Rockets being upset by the Eagles in straight sets. Blowing Rock jumped out to an early, 8-3 lead in the opening set, only to have Green Valley chip away at the advantage and even things up at 15-15 in the first set. The two teams took turns looking like they would gain control, eventually forcing the match into overtime where the Eagles prevailed, 29-27. Green Valley’s dominating, second set win, 25-4, was little more than an anticlimax to the evening’s action.

The tournament resumes on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

• • 4 p.m. – No. 1 Parkway vs. No. 5 Green Valley
  • 5 p.m. – No. 2 Hardin Park vs. No. 3 Cove Creek
  • 6 p.m. – CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

BONUS PHOTOS FROM QUARTERFINALS

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — First half goals by Ben Myers and Jossue Alcaraz powered Watauga men’s soccer to a halftime lead on Oct. 4 at Jack Groce Stadium. Then the Pioneers held off a determined Ashe County squad to secure a 2-0, Northwestern Conference win.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

It was a necessary victory for the Pioneers, to get them back above .500 for the season — and back into contention for a Northwestern Conference championship and potential playoffs berth. After getting by South Caldwell, 2-1, to open conference play on Sept. 21, the Pioneers suffered consecutive defeats to Alexander Central (4-3, in overtime on Sept. 25) and Hibriten (3-1, Sept. 27) before evening their conference record with a 3-0 win at Freedom on Oct. 3.

Myers goal game within the first three minutes of play on Oct. 4 vs. the Huskies, a well-place worm-burner just inside the left post. Alex Aguilar was credited with an assist.

A senior, Alcaraz took a crossing kick from sophomore teammate Myers several minutes later to get the Pioneers’ second goal, another well-placed ball.

Watauga had several other scoring opportunities that were turned aside by Huskies senior goalkeeper, Henry Aguilar, who was credited with eight saves on the night as the Pioneers kept pressure on the goal.

Afterwards, Ashe County head coach acknowledged the loss but said he was proud of his players fight.

“I expected a hard fought battle from both sides,” said Jamison Klein, Ashe County head coach after the game. “They have a senior heavy roster and I know they bring a level of physicality to their play. Out boys played really well. We are very young with several freshmen and sophomores on our varsity roster. The halftime score was 2-0. We made some adjustments at halftime and the final score was 2-0. We upped our physicality in the second half. If we had played that way in the first half, it would have been an even tighter ball game. We are looking forward to facing Watauga again up at our place.”

Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt values energy and effort in his players, but said afterward that some of his players were only giving a 75 percent effort in the second half.

“When we have starters giving only playing at 75 percent effort and we have guys on the bench wanting to get on the field and give 100 percent, I am going to use those guys on the bench and we did that today,” said Honeycutt.

“Ashe County is much improved,” the Watauga coach added. “Several of those guys have come through High Country United’s program and they are really helping to elevate the high school team’s play. It is a young team, getting better with each game.”

“At moments tonight, we looked really good,” said Honeycutt. “At other moments, we kind of fell into what the competition is doing, so not so good. In the first half we possessed really well and moved the ball really well. That created good scoring opportunities and we took advantage of a couple of them, which is enough to win the game. But I told the guys at the end that we have to finish. We can’t go into halftime with a lead and think that is enough.

With the win, Watauga improves its overall record to 5-10–1 and Northwestern Conference record to 3-2. With the first half of the team’s NWC schedule now complete, they’s start the final half on Oct. 9 with a trip down to South Caldwell before a first revenge opportunity at Alexander Central on Oct. 11. The next home match will also be a turn-the-tables affair vs. Hibriten, on Oct. 16. They’ll have another home match against Freedom on Oct. 18 before finishing the regular season in Jefferson at Ashe County. For any realistic hope for an NCHSAA 4A playoff berth, they must win out, especially against Alexander Central and South Caldwell.

Ashe County falls to 3-9-2 on the season, 0-4-1 in Northwestern Conference play. The Huskies host Alexander Central on Oct. 9, then travel to Lenoir to face Hibriten on Oct. 11.

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — While the last, regular season Watauga County middle school volleyball matches on Oct. 3 provided some clarity as to the best and least skilled teams, the rankings in the middle as the league heads into the playoff phase of the season became a bit more muddled. And most of the impact occurred in the Blowing Rock gymnasium where Hardin Park, Parkway and Blowing Rock engaged in a tri-match.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

After No. 1 ranked Parkway sprinted to an 8-3 lead in its opening set vs. No. 2 Hardin Park, the Golden Eagles went on a run and tied the score at 8-8. They carried that momentum to spirited, 25-21 upset win in that first set, but then Parkway morphed into the team that brought an undefeated record into the evening’s contest. Receiving solid back row defensive play from the likes of Caroline Childers, exquisite sets fashioned by Gracie Belle Brown and powerful kill shots (and defensive blocking) from the arms of front row hitters Giana Clark and Kira Beasley, the Patriots surged to dominating, 25-9, 25-11 wins in decisive second and third sets.

That outcome solidified Parkway’s No. 1 seed going into the playoffs undefeated, as well as secured Hardin Park with the No. 2 seed, the team’s only regular season losses to the Patriots.

Both teams had little trouble with Blowing Rock, although the Rockets frequently battled through lengthy rallies in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. Hardin Park prevailed over their hosts, 2-0 (25-10, 25-9), while Parkway’s 2-0 win over the Rockets was a little closer (25-13, 25-22) while getting more players court time.

Blowing Rock came into the evening’s action with a solid hold on fourth place in the standings, behind Parkway, Hardin Park and Cove Creek, but the two losses dropped the Rockets into a 3-way tie for fourth at 5-9, with Green Valley and Valle Crucis. League commissioner Andy Eggers announced that NCHSAA tie-breaking guidelines were used, focused on head-to-head competition, so Blowing Rock received the No. 4 seed, Green Valley the No. 5 and Valle Crucis the No. 6.

CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BRACKETS SET

With that established, the bracket for the 2023 middle school volleyball playoff tournament is set. Round 1 schedule on Thursday, Oct. 5 will be:

• 4 p.m. – No. 1 Parkway vs. No. 8 Bethel
• 5 p.m. – No. 2 Hardin Park vs. No. 7 Mabel
• 6 p.m. – No. 3 Cove Creek vs. No. 6 Valle Crucis
• 7 p.m. – No. 4 Blowing Rock vs. No. 5 Green Valley

The second and championship rounds will be played on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Because of the home Appalachian State football game vs. Coastal Carolina the same night, the times have been moved up. The revised schedule:

• 4 p.m. – winner of Parkway-Bethel vs. the winner of Blowing Rock-Green Valley
• 5 p.m. – winner of Hardin Park=Mabel vs. the winner of Cove Crek-Valley Crucis
• 6 p.m. -CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

BONUS PHOTOS FROM OCT. 3 @ BLOWING ROCK

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Defending home court is a big thing for many athletic teams, including in cross country where the results are more centered on the individual performances. For the Watauga District Middle School team, both the boys and the girls teams earned heady performances in the Blue Ridge Mountain Rentals High Country Classic on the Watauga High School home course.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS

Pioneers Sean Rea and Jonah Pearson finished No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, leading Watauga to a No. 5 team finish.

All five of Providence Academy (Johnson City) scorers finished in the top 22 student athletes competing, a field of 100 harriers from nine different middle school teams. Leading the way for Providence Academy was 8th grader Dylan Robinson at No. 1, crossing the finish line of the two mile race in 11:30. Rea, a Blowing Rock 7th grader competing for Watauga District’s team, was not far behind in 12:22, with Pearson just one second later in 12:23.  A slew of Providence Academy, Liberty Prep, Grace Academy, Wilkes Central and Northwestern runners crossed the line before Watauga’s next team member, 8th grade Cole Gray at No. 34. Other Pioneers to finish in the top half of the field included Caleb Duvall (No. 43), and Yates Hodges (No. 44).

MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS DIVISION

Like their young male counterparts, the Watauga District’s middle school girls team had a strong showing. In fact, by capturing three of the top five places and six of the top 10, even without the team’s top runner, Cali Townsend, the young Pioneers captured the girls team title in a runaway, with 27 points vs. No.2 team finisher Providence Academy’s 51 points.

The race was won by Ryan Belt of Providence Academy, in 13:13, but Watauga finishers included Sophia Stull (7th grade, No. 3), Maia Carter (6th grade, No. 4), Ayla Tunstill (7th grade, No. 5), Sadie Long (8th grade, No. 7), Eva Hannon (7th grade, No. 8), Claire Nance (8th grade, No. 10), Grace Scantlin (8th grade, No. 12), Addie Greer (6th grade, No. 13), Ella Goodman-Meade (6th grade, No. 14), Lillian Kimbrough (8th grade, No. 15), Gianna Casco (8th grade, No. 16) and Noelle Bollman (8th grade, No. 19).

Watauga coach Scott Townsend shared a lot of positives after the race.

“This was a perfect day. The weather, the racing, the fans… it was all a lot of fun,” said Townsend, before noting, “Comparing this race to the first race of the season, our girls averaged 60 seconds per athlete faster on the same course. That was just six weeks ago and we still have three weeks to go before the state meet. A lot of our success is because so many of our girls worked as a team. They linked up and raced together. You can see that in the clumps of Watauga finishers.

“I also think it was impressive that two of our guys, Sean Rea and Jonah Pearson, finished in the top three,” said Townsend. “In fact, our boys team averaged one minute, 28 seconds (1:28) better than on the same course six weeks ago. We are just one week removed from the Hare & Hounds Race where Sean Rea set the Watauga County Middle School Cross Country grade level record for the 3k distance. The entire team just keeps getting better and better.”

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — The four high school divisions of the Blue Ridge Mountain Rentals High Country Classic cross country meet on Sept. 20 saw strong Watauga performances, especially in the Varsity Men’s Division where Will Bradbury continued to set the pace for the Pioneers.

VARSITY MEN’S DIVISION

Watauga’s Will Bradbury finished No. 1 (16:44) and led a team of eight Pioneers finishing in the top 22 of 88 competing student athletes. A junior, Bradbury completed the 5,000 meters course 43 seconds ahead of the No. 2 finisher, Benjamin Notarangelo, of Rock Hill, S.C.’s Northwestern High School.

Watauga had a total of seven runners in the top 11, including sophomore Calvin Zwetsloot (No. 3), sophomore Elliott Taft (No. 4), sophomore Zeke Walker (No. 6), freshman Grady Gates (No. 7), junior Jonah Norris (No. 10) and senior Collin Anderson (No. 11).

TEAM SCORES

1. Watauga – 21
2. Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.) 57
3. Wilkes Central – 113
4. Forsyth Home Educators (Winston-Salem) – 140
5. North Carolina Leadership Academy (Kernersville, N.C.) -144
6. Providence Academy (Johnson City, Tenn.) – 155
7. Enka (Candler, N.C.) – 180
8. Liberty Prep Christian Academy (Mooresville, N.C.) – 203
9. Avery County – 204
10. McDowell (Marion, N.C.) – 268
11. Franklin School of Innovation (Asheville) – 307

VARSITY WOMEN’S DIVISION

With a young team that included a freshman, an 8th grader and a 7th grader in the top three positions, Lexington High School (Lexington, S.C.) ran away with the Varsity Women’s Division team title. The Wildcats dominated the top 10, including the the top six finishers. Freshman Kendra Miles completed the 5,000 meters course in 19:28.00, almost a full minute ahead of teammate Elanorah Patangan (8th grader), who crossed the finish line in 20:26.00. Just three seconds behind was 7th grade student athlete, Brooklynne Cox, in 20:29.00.

Watauga ended the meet as the No. 3 team out of the 10 teams competing. Sophomore Janie Beach-Verhay was the Pioneers’ top finisher at No. 9 among the event’s 79 participants, stopping the clock at 21:04.00. Other scorers for the Pioneer women included senior Rachel Cathey (No. 16), freshman Lainey Johnston (No. 18), junior Sadie Buchanan (No. 20), and freshman Maggie Visser (No. 23).

Other Watauga runners finishing in the top half of the field included Ellary Smith (No. 27), Mia Libre (No. 28), Elyse Rea (No. 31), and Julian Martin (No. 35).

Team Scores

1. Lexington (Lexington, S.C.) – 15
2. Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.) – 53
3. Watauga – 82
4. Providence Academy (Johnson City, Tenn.) – 153
5. Wilkes Central -159
6. Enka (Candler, N.C.)
7. Liberty Prep Christian Academy (Mooresville, N.C.) – 215
8. Forsyth Home Educators (Winston-Salem, N.C.) – 216
9. North Carolina Leadership Academy (Kernersville, N.C.) – 243
10. Avery County – 254

JV MEN’S DIVISION

Watauga showed off its roster depth in the JV Men’s Division, with nine of the top 13 finishers, including a sweep of the top four in a competition featuring 62 student athletes from seven schools. Levi Anderson finished No. 1, followed by Davis Crymes No.2, Silas Powell No. 3, Cameron Nance No. 4, A J McAulay No. 6, Brian Newmark No. 9, Miles Page No. 10, Santino Wood No. 11, and Holden Womak No. 13.

JV WOMEN’S DIVISION

East Mecklenburg sophomore Hadley Kolodziey finished the 5,000 meters course 90 seconds ahead of teammate Megan Palmer to take No. 1 and No. 2 in the race that saw 58 student athletes competing.

Watauga’s Sophia McEvoy was the Pioneers top finisher, at No. 7. Other Pioneer finishers in the top 20 included Scarlett Rupp at No. 15, Hadley Carpenter at No. 17, Kara Schneider No. 18, Madden Maple No. 19, and Anna Norris No. 20.

By David Rogers. MONROE, La. — Turnovers giveth, turnovers taketh away — then they giveth again. In between a combined six turnovers (four by App State, two by Louisiana-Monroe), 1,007 yards of combined total offense resulted in a 41-40 shootout victory by the Mountaineers in Malone Stadium, in front of 19,919 mostly Warhawk fans.

The victory was about as uncomfortably dramatic as App State could tolerate. Placekicker Michael Hughes’ 54-yard field goal as time expired was just enough to push the Mountaineers ahead. It came at the end of a 6-play, 43 yard desperation drive that started with just 1:02 left on the clock and the Warhawks leading, 40-38. In the previous six offensive possessions in the second half, App State had scored a TD, fumbled the ball away, punted, kicked a field goal, had a pass intercepted, and turned the ball over on downs, essentially squandering opportunities to put the game away with turnovers and errors.

Mountaineer quarterback Joey Aguilar shook off any earlier mistakes and was near perfect on the final drive, completing 4-of-5 passing to keep moving the chains with no timeouts remaining. Faced with 3rd-and-11 on the App State 19-yard line and less than 30 seconds on the clock, Aguilar hit wide receiver Kaedin Robinson for consecutive completions of 14,16, and 14 yards, the redshirt junior from Asheville getting out of bound each time with a first down to stop the clock. Just four seconds remained when Robinson was pushed out of bounds on the final completion, at the ULM 37-yard line. Hughes’ kick, the longest of his career, cleared the crossbar with plenty of room to spare.

How the Mountaineers survived four turnovers may well be a monumental question considering how evenly played this football game was. In the first quarter, each team scored 14 points, with App State having a narrow, 142-138 edge in yards of total offense. Both teams gave up the ball on a turnover, the Mountaineers  with a fumble, the Warhawks a pass interception.

The second quarter was more of the same. Each team scored 14 points, with ULM holding a narrow, 146-140 advantage in yards of total offense and with App State surviving the only turnover of the period, an INT. When you look at the 28-28 score at intermission and the near identical yards of total offense — 282 for APP, 284 for ULM — it is as if the first half never happened and the whole affair would be decided in the second half.

While it may not at first glance look like it with 1,007 yards of combined total offense, it may very well be App State’s defense at critical junctures that saved the day, along with Hughes’ big boot in the final seconds.

App State’s offense suffered only one 3-and-out possession in the course of the entire game. App State’s defense forced ULM into five 3-and-outs, resulting in the Warhawks punting the ball back to the Mountaineers five times. Two of those ULM punts came in the pivotal fourth quarter, including the last one with 1:07 left on the clock. The defensive effort, combined with App State using their timeouts effectively, used up only 19 seconds for that particular Warhawk possession. Had ULM gotten even a single first down, it likely would have been game over with a 2-point Warhawk victory.

After the game allowing App State to start 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play, Mountaineer head coach Shawn Clark expressed pride in everyone in the App State Football organization.

“It showed resilience,” said Clark. “The odds of us winning that football game were not good when you have (four) turnovers. We didn’t play our best football, but everyone stuck together. Those guys love each other…

“We won a game. We are 1-0. Monroe is a tough place to play,” Clark concluded.

It was a one-point game, so a lot of attention will be given, in retrospect, to Jordan Favors’ blocked extra point with approximately 8:20 left in the third quarter, to keep the Mountaineer advantage at 35-34.

Now with a 3-2 overall record, 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play, App State will host Coastal Carolina on a rare, Tuesday night game at Kidd Brewer Stadium, nationally televised on ESPN2, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.

GAME NOTES FROM APP STATE SPORTS

• App State won its ninth straight Sun Belt opener and its second straight on the final play (following last year’s Hail Mary win over Troy).
• The Mountaineers won on the road for the first time this season after last-second losses to then-No. 17 North Carolina (40-34 in 2OT) and Wyoming (22-19). The Mountaineers’ 33 road wins since moving up to the FBS level in 2014 are sixth-most in the country behind Boise State, Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma and Alabama.
• App State trailed 40-35 at the end of the third quarter before a pair of Michael Hughes field goals sent them to a win. It’s the first comeback win after trailing at the end of three quarters since a 31-30 win over Marshall in 2021.
• This is the Mountaineers’ first win when giving up 40+ points since a 56-41 win over Charlotte in 2019.
• App State earned its first win of the year when losing the turnover battle. Under head coach Shawn Clark, the Mountaineers are 17-1 when winning the turnover battle, 5-10 when losing, and 7-3 when they have the same number of turnovers as the opponent.
• The Mountaineers’ season-high 536 yards of total offense marked the fourth time in five games that App State has had more yards of offense than the opponent.
• App State’s 82 wins since 2015 are tied with Notre Dame for sixth-most among all FBS teams behind only Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

OFFENSE

• The Mountaineers’ offense posted a season-high 536 total yards with 201 rushing and 335 passing.
• Nate Noel rushed for 109 yards on 18 attempts, his fifth 100-yard effort in five games this season and his sixth straight over the century mark dating back to last year. He’s the first App State player with six straight 100-yard games since Jalin Moore had six straight in 2016.
• Three of Kaiden Robinson’s career-high 10 catches came in the final minute of play as the Mountaineers marched into field goal range for the game-winner. Those three catches accounted for 44 of his career-high 112 yards. He also scored a second-quarter touchdown that put App State ahead 21-14.
• Christan Horn had touchdown grabs of 52 and 22 yards for his second career multi-touchdown game. He finished with a career high-tying six catches for 124 yards.
• It’s the first time two Mountaineers went over 100 receiving yards since the 2021 win over Coastal Carolina (Malik Williams and Corey Sutton).
• Joey Aguilar threw for a career-high 335 yards on 27-of-39 attempts with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 49 yards on seven carries.
• Aguilar completed a pass to nine different receivers.
• Kanye Roberts rushed for his second touchdown of the year.

DEFENSE

• App State’s defense held ULM to 3 of 11 third-down conversions.
• Tyrek Funderburk scored on a 23-yard pick six to become the first App State player with pick sixes in back-to-back games since Steven Jones Jr. in 2021.
• The Mountaineers’ 131 interceptions since 2015 are third-most among FBS schools behind San Diego State and Iowa.
• True freshman Nate Johnson recorded a sack for the third straight game.
• Nick Ross had a team-high 10 tackles and 1.5 TFLs, including a huge one to help hold ULM to a three-and-out on its final drive that led to App State’s ensuing game-winning drive.
• Shawn Collins had a sack among his two tackles and two quarterback hurries.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Michael Hughes nailed a 54-yard field goal as time expired to clinch the victory. It’s App State’s first game-ending field goal since 2021 (Chandler Staton vs. No. 14 Coastal Carolina) and the longest game-ender in school history. It’s the Mountaineers’ longest field goal since 2000 (Mark Wright’s school-record 57-yarder vs. Troy).
• Hughes also made a 28-yarder to pull App State to within two at 40-38. He connected on all five PATs and had four touchbacks on seven kickoffs.
• Jordan Favors blocked an extra point to maintain App State’s 35-34 lead with 8:24 left in the third quarter. The saved point proved to be critical in the 41-40 victory.

SCORING SUMMARY

SELECTED TEAM STATS

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• APP – Joey Aguilar: 27-39, 335 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
• ULM – Jiya Wright: 18-27, 268, 4 TDs, 1 INT

Rushing

• APP – Nate Noel: 18 carries, 109 yards
• ULM – Jiya Wright: 17 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD
• ULM – Isaiah Woullard: 9 carries, 52 yards
• APP – Joey Aguilar: 7 carries, 49 yards
• APP – Ahmani Marshall: 4 carries, 30 yards
• APP – Kanye Roberts: 7 carries, 17 yards, 1 TD

Receiving

• APP – Christin Horn: 6 catches, 124 yards, 2 TDs
• APP – Kaedin Robinson: 10 catches, 112 yards, 1 TD
• ULM – Dariyan Wiley: 4 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD
• ULM – Bugs Mortimer: 2 catches, 65 yards
• ULM – Tyrone Howell: 8 catches, 62 yards, 3 TDs
• APP – Dalton Stroman: 2 catches, 31 yards

By Jacob Plecker. MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Off a broken penalty corner in the 11th minute of play on Saturday, App State field hockey’s Sophia Baxter found fellow freshman Florine Koopman near the post and delivered. Her pass was swatted into the back of the cage to give the Mountaineers a lead never relinquished.

App State (7-4, 2-1 MAC) never trailed after Koopman’s goal and went on to beat the Lindenwood Lions (1-6), 3-1, in a neutral site bout on Saturday. Great defense and efficient offense were the keys to victory on Sept. 30 as the Mountaineers turned defense into offense multiple times, capitalizing on several attacking chances.

“I’m proud of the way we played this weekend,” Koopman said. “The defense was great, and we were able to turn our defense into offense all game. It was a great team effort both yesterday and today.”

Lise Boekaar and Noa Ginjaume Matas each netted second goals in as many days, with Boekaar’s coming in the second period and Ginjaume Matas’ coming in the fourth. Ginjaume Matas, who started both games this weekend, took advantage of a good Mountaineer stand on a penalty corner and turned it into a score for the team’s third goal of the day.

“It was important for us to have play good this weekend after losing two last week, and we did that with the two wins,” Ginjaume Matas said. “I hope to continue putting more goals on cage and helping my team win any way I can.”

It was the second 3-1 win of the weekend for the Mountaineers, who defeated Central Michigan on Sept. 29.