By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Perfect weather for long distance running marked the Firetower Project cross country races at Appalachian State’s State Farm Intramural Fields and the Don Kennedy Trails.

The men’s and women’s high school divisions were dominated by Watauga and West Henderson harriers. Brianna and Gwendolyn Anderson swept the first two spots in the women’s division (19:38.91 and 19:43.70, respectively), with eight Pioneers finishing in the top 15. West Henderson countered with six athletes in the top 15, among the 51 runners from seven schools.

Other top finishers for the Pioneer women included Savannah Duval (Sr., 5th), Rachel Cathey (Jr., 7th), Janie Beach-Verhay (Fr., 10th), Andriana Rink (Sr., 11th), Maddie Bollman (Soph., 14th), and Sydney Cate Townsend (Fr., 15th).

In the men’s division, Watauga’s Will Bradbury finished second (16:43.95) behind West Henderson’s Hudson Rice in first (16:28.49). West Henderson took four of the top six spots, while the Pioneers placed seven in the top 16.

Bradbury, a sophomore, was followed by fellow Pioneers Collin Anderson (Jr.) in eighth, Roman Sibaja (Jr.) in ninth, Elliott Taft (Fr.) in 11th, Sam Nixon (Jr.) in 14th, Jonah Norris (Soph.) in 15th and Sam Rex (Soph.) in 16th. Sixty-seven athletes competed in the high school men’s division, from seven schools.

BOONE, N.C.  Freshman Ethan Lipham clinched first in the men’s 8K and led the App State men’s cross country team to a first place finish with 20 points at the Firetower Project Run on Friday. Five Mountaineer men landed in the top-10. The women’s squad secured second in the team standings with a score of 71 and four runners finished in the top-20.

Garnering gold in the men’s race, Lipham clocked a personal-best 8K time of 25:19.13. Following close behind was junior Oliver Wilson-Cook, who secured silver with a time of 25:24.45. Junior Dwayne Lillie took fourth (25:37.51), and sophomores Calbert Guest and Chase Burrell placed sixtr.h (25:46.47) and seventh (25:47.14), respectively.

TOP 10 MEN’S RESULTS, INDIVIDUAL

1. Ethan Lipham, App State (Fr.), 25:19.13
2. Oliver Wilson-Cook, App State (Jr.), 25:24.45
3. Maddon Muhammad, Charlotte (Fr.), 25:32.30
4. Dwayne Lillie, App State (Jr.), 25:37.51
5. Austin Mathews, East Carolina (Soph.), 25:40.82
6. h.Calbert Gues, App State (Soph.), 25:46.47
7. Chase Burrell, App State (Soph.), 25:47.14
8. Daniel Vo, Charlotte (Jr.), 25:50.33
9. Bryce Anderson, Charlotte (Fr.), 25:51.03
10. Chase Osborne, East Carolina (Jr.), 25:55.21

MEN’S TEAM RESULTS

1. Appalachian State (20)
2. Charlotte (50)
3. East Carolina (73)
4. Montreat (104)
5. UNC Greensboro (129)
6. USC-Upstate (172)
7. Charleston (232)
8. Bob Jones (265)
9. King (266)
10. Coastal Carolina (272)

Women’s Race

In the women’s race, sophomore Linnea Maynard was the first Mountaineer to cross the finish line, clocking a personal best 5K time of 17:58.58 to place eighth. Fellow sophomore Karsyn Kane was next across the line, stopping the clock at 18:18.45 to place 13th. Senior Lila Peters followed close behind, placing 14th with a time of 18:19.72. Sophomore Annie Amundsen rounded out the top-20 for the Mountaineers, placing 17th overall (18:28.47, PR).

TOP 10 WOMEN’S RESULTS, INDIVIDUAL

1. Molly Jones, Coastal Carolina (Jr.), 17:26.82
2. Alina Rovnak, Charlotte (Jr.), 17:42.79
3. Lauren Johnston, Charlotte (Soph.), 17:42.87
4. Jessie Connick, Charlotte Soph.), 17:54.15
5. Alyssa Zack, East Carolina (Jr.), 17:57.27
6. Emma Fredericks, Charlotte (Soph.), 17:57.92
7. Jade Martin, Charlotte (Jr.), 17:58.43
8. Linnea Maynard, App State (Soph.), 17:58.58
9. Jenna Newman, Charlotte (Jr.), 18:00.27
10. Sophia Brown, Charleston (Soph.), 18:00.63

WOMEN’S TEAM RESULTS

1. Charlotte (22)
2. Appalachian State (71)
3. Charleston (115)
4. Coastal Carolina (130)
5. Montreat (145)
6. East Carolina (150)
7. UNC Greensboro (170)
8. King (184)
9. USC Upstate (247)
10. Bob Jones (274)

The Mountaineers will head to Louisville, Ky. for the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic on Oct. 1.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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