By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Maybe call the Feb. 4 women’s basketball game between host Watauga and 4A rival Alexander Central a “Here’s Chloe!” party after the 6-foot senior and first year basketball player Chloe Wilson blossomed before everyone’s eyes at Lentz Eggers Gym. Drawing a crowd inside the paint and proving a disruptive force defensively, Wilson was a major factor in Watauga’s convincing, 63-48 victory in front of a standing room only crowd at Lentz Eggers Gym.
Watauga sophomore guard Blair Haines finishes a fast break vs. Alexander Central with a layup. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
A strong third quarter by Alexander Central, led by junior guard Meredith Wike, tightened things up a bit in the second half but host Watauga shrugged off the Cougars’ comeback rally. Watauga countered Wike’s game-high 30 points (and double-double in adding 12 rebounds) with a broad-based team effort.
Three Pioneers, including Wilson’s 14 points, scored in double figures. Senior guard Kate Sears recorded another triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, all team-highs, and sophomore guard Blair Haines added 10 points. Two more Pioneers were within an eyelash of double figures: senior guards Julie Matheson and Kaitlyn Darner, each with nine points.
Watauga fans had a lot to cheer about on Feb. 4 as the women’s basketball team dismantled Alexander Central, 63-48. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Fans of Watauga have come to expect Virginia Tech-bound Sears to put up gaudy numbers, often with the ability to put the team on her back and will the Pioneers to victory when it doesn’t seem possible. But Watauga’s team performance against the Cougars proved that the Pioneers’ supporting cast is nothing to be trifled with. In addition to having five players with nine or more points scored, Watauga had five players with four or more rebounds.
Wilson’s late season emergence is noteworthy. An accomplished softball player, the senior was persuaded to come out for basketball in her final year, a sport in which she had previously not competed, at least formally. Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson noted after the game that where Sears, Matheson, Darner, Haines and others on the Pioneer roster had played organized basketball from a young age, Wilson had not been exposed to some of the game’s fundamental skills, do’s and don’ts, much less the intricacies of a team working together for a common purpose.
Kaitlyn Darner (30) scores from ‘downtown’ for Watauga vs. Alexander Central on Feb. 4. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“It is a credit to Chloe’s athleticism and hard work, as well as her teammates helping to bring her along,” said Torgerson in applauding Wilson’s performance against Alexander Central. Especially with her presence inside the paint, said Torgerson, it takes some of their opponents’ defensive pressure away from Sears, as well as from the other Pioneer outside shooters.
Winning nine of the last 10 games buoyed the Pioneers’ overall record to 14-5, 6-1 in Northwestern Conference play. Next up: a Friday, Feb. 7 appearance at Hibriten. Last time out, Watauga beat the Panthers, 59-44, on Jan. 17.
Watauga’s Kate Sears is in ‘launch mode’ (with her best Michael Jordan imitation) on Feb. 4, recording another triple double vs. Alexander Central in Lentz Eggers Gym. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports.
SELECTED TEAM STATS
Field Goal%: WAT 43.1% (25-58), AC 31.9% (15-47)
3-Point%: WAT 26.9% (7-26), AC 33.3% (7-21)
Free Throw%: WAT 60.0% (6-10), AC 73.3% (11-15)
Points in Paint: WAT 34, AC 6
2nd Chance Points: WAT 11, AC 10
Fast Break Points: WAT 8, AC 0
Bench Points: WAT 17, AC 6
Turnovers: WAT 5, AC 9
KEY PERFORMERS
WAT – Kate Sears: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals
AC – Meredith Wike: 30 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a basketball game with more thrilling twists and turns than the famed “Tail of the Dragon” highway in the Great Smoky Mountains. There were ups and downs to take your breath away faster than the massive, “Falcons Flight” roller coaster in Qiddaya, Saudi Arabia. It was one of those games you didn’t want to end but knew at some point one of the adversaries would have to be declared the winner and another, the loser.
On this Jan. 31 night, the South Caldwell women’s basketball team earned the right to dance with joy at midcourt, 93-91.
Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson gives instructions to his Pioneers during an overtime period ‘timeout’ on Jan. 31. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
There were just nine seconds on the clock when the Spartans in-bounded the ball after Watauga took the lead, 91-90. Despite the Pioneers’ stifling defensive pressure, the ball found its way into the hands of the Spartans’ freshman guard, Ava Anderson, just past midcourt, some 15 feet inside the left sideline. With a desperation heave for the ages, Anderson’s shot arched through the air and bounced off the rim to the other side of the hoop, rolled around precariously and flirting with both victory and defeat before dropping through the net — just as the orange lights framing the backboard flashed game’s end with the final buzzer.
It was a moment of unbounded, exuberant joy for the South Caldwell players and coaches, who had fought to the finish and earned the win. It was a moment of gut-wrenching despair for a Watauga team that led by 10 points after just the first quarter of play, trailed by nine late in the fourth period, but rallied to send the game into overtime.
Watauga’s student section was out in full force for the Jan. 31 Northwestern Conference rivalry games vs. South Caldwell. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
For the game to have been this close was somewhat of a surprise for most onlookers. Watauga had put a double-digit licking on the Spartans in their first meeting, in Hudson on Jan. 9, 74-55. With a 13-4 overall record and 5-0 in Northwestern Conference play coming in to this game, the Pioneers were ranked No. 17 in all of North Carolina, South Caldwell way down the list at No. 111. MaxPreps had Watauga at No. 5 in the 4A West, the Spartans (then at 11-7) at No. 20.
Well, add a loss to Watauga’s record and a win to South Caldwell’s after this barnburner. For both teams, there was no level of certainty as to the eventual outcome, from start to finish.
Senior guard Julie Matheson (1) takes aim from beyond the 3-point arc on Jan. 31 vs. South Caldwell. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
There was a time in the second half when Watauga senior Kate Sears seemed to put the team on her back and willed them back into the fray. Sears scored 21 of her game-high 50 points in the fourth quarter — then scored 14 more in the two overtime periods. To say she entirely carried the load, however, would not be accurate. There is no way to discount the critical 3-pointers in overtime from other players, two of them by senior guard Julie Matheson and one by junior guard Izzy Torgerson.
When all was said and done, however, it wasn’t quite enough. Watauga simply had few answers for the Spartans’ “youth movement,” led by freshman guards Anderson and backcourt teammate Maggie Wilks.
Blair Haines (21) goes up and in for a layup against South Caldwell on Jan. 31. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Besides the final buzzer-beater, Anderson poured in a team-high 36 points while Wilks added another 30. Altogether, the Spartans were deadly from long distance, hitting on 16 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Wilks recorded a game-high seven 3-pointers, Anderson another five treys.
While a lot of Watauga’s scoring came from Sears driving to the basket, the Pioneers also made some critical shots from long distance, including three from the Virginia Tech-bound senior and three more by Matheson. Others contributing from beyond the arc included Shelby Thompson, Torgerson, Blair Haines and Kaitlyn Darner.
Almost as remarkable was South Caldwell’s shooting from the free throw line: 14-of-17 (82.4 percent). By contrast, as a team the Pioneers were good on just 8-of-16 (50 percent) from the charity stripe.
Senior guard Kate Sears makes an acrobatic finish after driving the lane vs. South Caldwell on Jan. 31. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Up next for the Pioneers is a home date vs. Alexander Central on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Watauga got by the Cougars on Jan. 14 in Taylorsville, 48-44. Although the loss to South Caldwell tarnished their Northwestern Conference record to 5-1, the Pioneers remain in sole possession of first place.
South Caldwell stays at home for their Feb. 4 matchup. At 4-2 in conference, they are tied with their next opponent, Freedom, although the Patriots prevailed when the teams met in Morganton on Jan. 14, 55-49. Riding a 4-game win streak and facing Freedom at home, South Caldwell may rightfully have an elevated measure of confidence in facing the Patriots, which has sandwiched losses to Watauga and Alexander Central between wins over Ashe County and Hibriten since the last time they faced South Caldwell.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Finishing has not always been an arrow in the Watauga men’s basketball team’s proverbial quiver in the 2024-25 season, but it was on full display Jan. 31 vs. South Caldwell in a convincing, 80-61 win.
A standing-room-only crowd packing Lentz Eggers Gym for this Northwestern Conference 4A rivalry game was still abuzz when the guys took the floor. The visiting Spartan women’s team had just earned a surprise, double overtime victory with a buzzer-beater from well behind the 3-point arc by freshman Ava Anderson. What did the nightcap feature have in store for the Watauga and South Caldwell guys?
Watauga’s student section was out in full force for the Jan. 31 Northwestern Conference rivalry games vs. South Caldwell. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
South Caldwell’s men had trailed Watauga, 42-39, at halftime of the teams’ Jan. 9 encounter in Hudson, but used a dominating fourth quarter to turn back the Pioneers by a dozen points at game’s end, 76-64. On Jan. 14, Watauga was ahead of Alexander Central in Taylorsville by seven points with just five minutes remaining, only to lose, 68-65.
Since the last meeting with South Caldwell, Watauga had won games against 3A rivals Hibriten, Freedom and Ashe County, thumped 1A school Elkin in a rare midseason non-conference contest, but fell in a non-conference game to 4A adversary, East Forsyth, 65-58, even after leading the Eagles at halftime.
So forgive the skeptics if they had questions about this very talented Watauga men’s team.
Josiah Railey (13) finishes off a fastbreak with a dunk, Jan. 31 vs. South Caldwell. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Against the Spartans in Lentz Eggers Gym, Watauga looked sharp at the outset, leading 20-14 at the end of the first quarter. Led by the versatile, junior Carter Anderson, who splits his time between forward and shooting guard, South Caldwell battled back to take a tenuous lead at halftime, 35-34.
Defensive adjustments at halftime, though, allowed Watauga to explode to a 60-43 lead at the end of the third quarter, with offensive production in the period coming from Cade Keller (10 of his game-high 29 points), Josiah Railey (6 of his 19 points) and forward Jace Blocker (6 of his 11 points).
In the final period, Watauga kept the proverbial pedal to the medal, led by another 10 points from Keller. The Pioneers outscored the Spartans in the fourth quarter, 20-18, to answer all questions about their ability to “finish.”
Next up for Watauga is another 4A rivalry rematch vs. Alexander Central in Lentz Eggers Gym on Feb. 4. South Caldwell returns home to host Freedom on the same night.
By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Full court pressure by Watauga in the second half disrupted host Ashe County’s offensive possessions, allowing the Pioneers to run away with a convincing, 76-52 win to complete the first round of conference games during the 2024-25 regular season.
BONUS PHOTOS @ Bottom of Article (click any image for Slide Show Mode)
A large Watauga student section shrugged off the snowy conditions to take in the Jan. 24 ‘rivalry game’ at Ashe County. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Senior guard/forward Josiah Railey poured in seven points in the first quarter and added eight more in the second half to record a team-high 15 points. Railey’s early effort was critical in keeping the Huskies at bay in the first half, the Pioneers taking a 34-32 lead into intermission.
But Watauga’s defensive adjustments at halftime proved bothersome for Ashe County, creating turnovers and missed shots in quarters three and four. The Huskies’ Cole Treva recorded 17 of his game-high 27 points in the first half. Although the Pioneers limited the 6-4 junior forward to “just” 10 points in the second half, Treva was a force to be reckoned with inside the paint throughout the contest.
Versatile Watauga guard/forward Josiah Railey poured in a team-high 15 points at Ashe County on Jan. 24. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Whereas Ashe County’s offensive success was centered around Treva, Watauga’s attack was more balanced. In addition to Railey’s team-high 15, forward Jace Blocker pounded the inside for 14 points while junior guard Cade Keller contributed 13 points, mostly from the outside.
Watauga had what could be called season “breakout” performances in seeing 9 points from point guard Maddox Greene and 7 points (all in the first half) scored by junior forward Brady Lindenmuth. Greene was again fearless in driving down the lane to the basket while Lindenmuth was a genuine force in the paint, bringing much needed energy to the court in coming off the bench for the Pioneers.
Brady Lindenmuth came off the bench with high energy on Jan. 24, scoring 7 points in the paint and pulling down rebounds. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Altogether, Watauga (11-6 overall, 3-2 Northwestern Conference) had scoring contributions from 10 rostered players.
Next up for Watauga is a rare road trip to Elkin on Jan. 29, with a 6 p.m. varsity only tipoff. A 1A school competing in the
By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — After Ashe County won the opening tipoff, the Jan. 24 game against Watauga was a proverbial nail biter — at least for the first quarter. The visiting Pioneers dominated the final three periods en route to an 86-48 win over the host Huskies.
Four Watauga players finished in double figures, scoring, led by Kate Sears (31 points), Blair Haines (16), Izzy Torgerson (15) and Kaitlyn Darner (11).
Continuing her high performance but unselfish play, Watauga’s Kate Sears (12) passes to a teammate down low on Jan. 24, at Ashe County. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
For the third time this season, the Pioneer offense put more than 80 points on the board in the 48-minute affair. The Jan. 22 victory over Freedom — during which senior guard Sears recorded career highs in points scored (43), rebounds (21) and assists (15) — matched the an earlier 83-point effort by Watauga at East Lincoln on Dec. 14, so the 86-point effort at Ashe County sets a new Pioneer standard for the 2024-25 regular season campaign.
As Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson pointed out to reporters after the game, the squad’s 18 made three-point shots against the Huskies is at or near a program record and “up there” in the state record book for women’s high school basketball. The 3-pointers came from five different players. Sears accounted for seven of them, Haines for four, Torgerson for five, Darner for one and Julie Matheson for one.
Pioneer guard Julie Matheson gets off a 3-point shot on Jan. 24 at Ashe County. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
While Watauga all but shut down almost all of the Huskies on this night, the lone exception was senior point guard/shooting guard Abby Sheets, whose 31 points matched Sears for game-high scoring honors. As a team, Ashe County had a credible night from long distance, hitting five 3-pointers, three by Sheets and one each by Kinzley Blevins and Abby Eller.
Next up for Watauga (12-4 overall, 5-0 Northwestern Conference) is a non-conference home encounter vs. Daniel Boone High School (9-9) of Gray, Tenn., on Jan. 29. This date will feature only the women’s teams at home, with the junior varsity starting at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity to follow.
By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — We have often heard the phrase “… two ships passing in the night…”, but how about two married artists on ships journeying along parallel paths?
That’s what we have at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, an exhibit of married couple David Finn and Page Laughlin, a sculptor and a painter, differently exploring nautical themes.
Sculptor David Finn pauses during his setup of ‘Ship/Shape,’ his collagorative exhibit with wife Page Laughlin at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum. Photographic image by David Rogers for Blowing Rock News
It is at once a curious, creative, innovative, and thought-provoking exhibit entitled, “Ship/Shape,” and for Blowing Rock News it got even more intriguing after sitting down and talking with the two artists. The exhibit opens Jan. 25 and runs through May 4, 2025.
Her Most Recent Theme: Sailing Vessels
Laughlin got this parallel “maritime” journey started after moving on from 8- to 10-year explorations of overlooked interiors and then figurative pieces focused on young women transitioning “… from being carried to carrying.”
She said her work in the Ship/Shape exhibit represents about the last three years of her work.
It was my trigger to start exploring the theme.
“I tend to work on a theme over a period of several years,” she said in describing her art and its focus. “I am inspired by symbols and pictures that surround us. Often, I gravitate toward things we tend to overlook.”
One day, some old photographs of historic sailing ships seized her attention.
“I just love the sailing ship image,” Laughlin recalled. “Once I was attracted to the image, there was that feeling of obsession. It was my trigger to start exploring the theme. In doing so, I started to find ships everywhere. I have over 400 photographs of ships I found in junk shops, on liquor bottles, on Netflix, images on playgrounds…
Page Laughlin painting, photo submitted
“The historic sailing ship has a sort of nostalgic quality,” she said. “The almost obsolete image of a sailing boat is used a lot, but it is still somewhat overlooked. For me, that is the reason to start looking more. My way of looking at a theme is to paint, to explore it through the process of painting, to try and come to some kind of understanding of it.”
I don’t think artwork should be didactic. One answer is not the right way to look at a piece.
Laughlin is also drawn to language and with more than a little curiosity she realized that “ship” is used generously in the English language.
“All of a sudden I started thinking about friendship, fellowship, citizenship, ownership, censorship…,” she noted.
And just like that, her audience might come up with other language associations incorporating “ship” in the word combination: shipwreck, steamship, leadership, ambassadorship, ridership, spaceship, upmanship, bipartisanship, apprenticeship, proprietorship, outdoorsmanship, horsemanship, sportsmanship, championship, gamesmanship, swordsmanship, relationship… the possibilities are endless. The Britannica Dictionary suggests that when “ship” is used as a suffix, the word becomes a noun, indicating a state or condition of something, such as friendship, or a reflection of status, position or duties of something, i.e. dictatorship.
“It is a metaphor for life,” said Laughlin. “It may sound corny, but it tends to be really true.”
For Laughlin, good artwork leaves open a whole world of possibilities for interpretation and meaning.
“I don’t think artwork should be didactic, or that one answer is the right way to look at a piece,” said the veteran artist. “For me, painting should be about objects that you look at and then come back and look at again and again. They become objects of contemplation.
“I try to construct paintings that have enough visual interest — or visual pleasure — that you want to look again,” she added. “And every time you do, hopefully some kind of association will spring up for the viewer. That association may be very different from the association that I had in mind as I was making it. Often there are clues within the paintings, perhaps color choice, titles (I like to play around with puns). But what I am thinking is not the most important thing. What is most important is that I create something that an audience wants to look at and that an audience brings a shared feeling to, bringing their own association. There is an inclusive aspect.”
Laughlin grew up in Richmond, Va., and went to the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar, which provided a great deal of flexibility in her academic studies. After obtaining her undergraduate degree, she studied art at the Rhode Island School of Design.
“Serving as a T.A. (teaching assistant) in grad school,” Laughlin recalled, “I learned that I like to teach. And that was great to find out because it allowed me to make the work I wanted to make, with the commercial pressure.”
It is a tremendous privilege to be an artist and spend one’s time that way… Painting is the way I get to look at and think about the world in a concentrated and intense way.
Laughlin said in her last semester at UVA she took a general art survey course.
“We had to do a project and I decided to paint. I don’t know why, but looking back with tremendous hindsight, I realize that as a teeny-tiny kid my father would paint in our attic, for fun, with oil paint. I think I gravitated toward that because the smell, at least, was familiar. It is a very challenging medium — and I like the challenge.”
For Laughlin, there is a certain sense of responsibility in being an artist.
“It is a tremendous privilege to be an artist and spend one’s time that way. It is a flat-out privilege and I don’t mean that in an elitist way. To be able to investigate the world for yourself, by whatever means. Some people might do that through photography, others through writing. Some people meditate. Some people do athletics. Some people go to church. For me, painting is the way I get to look at and think about the world in a concentrated and intense way.”
Influenced by the Influencer?
Laughlin and Finn have been married for 30-some years, but Finn came into Laughlin’s life a bit earlier. She was part of a Wake Forest committee decision to hire him, to teach at the university. So they met on the job and things took their natural course.
Asked why he started his theme sculpting ships, Finn didn’t hesitate to respond with a wry smile.
“That’s easy. Every night I was around this artist who was painting ships. Every night she had a new ship!”
Chuckling, he added, “That is one of my inspirations. Obviously, with these freighters in my sculptures I did not try to reproduce what she is doing with sailing vessels, but Page was there first with this nautical theme. Once I saw her ships I was intrigued. I loved drawing ships as a kid and I dug through boxes and found one I did at 12 years old. The ones I drew back then are very similar to the ones I am doing now. They were classic freighter ships, not at all like the much bigger container ships today.”
They are trying to figure out who owns the ship — even if all of the people on board look Russian.
Sculpture is not Finn’s only art form, but right now he is a sculptor focused on freighters. He doesn’t create models of real ships, but they are modeled out of his imagination, somewhat along the lines of the smaller freighters from the 1950s and 1960s that he recalled from his youth.
“I don’t have a nautical background,” Finn said. “I am not trying to reproduce any kind of ship that exists. What interests me is getting this kind of feeling about how ships are being used. Like, how they are used by pirates or used in the gray areas of commerce on the high seas. Those are the kinds of things I am interested in revealing, in the ships that I am making.”
That “gray area” is especially thought-provoking.
“Almost 17% of the commercial transport is in the gray fleet, which are ships that are flagged but not necessarily the owners,” Finn explained. “The countries that flag those ships may not even know who the owners are. Take the Cook Islands, for example. Their flag is on the ship that recently was accused of cutting a cable that runs between Finland and Estonia. They are trying to figure out who owns the ship — even when all of the people on board look Russian.”
How does the “gray” subject get translated into his ship sculptures?
“There are things going on, on the deck of each of my ships,” said Finn. “Some have arms or armaments on them. What look like missiles are actually made with sticks from my back yard!
“On one of the ships there are two plays being enacted. One of the plays is ‘Waiting for Gadot’, Samuel Beckett’s play about two characters engaged in a variety of discussions while waiting for the title character to arrive, but he never does. The play is being enacted maybe by sailors or people trapped on that ship,” said Finn.
People actually making real ships have plans for everything, every detail. I have a different purpose.
“There is another ship with people coming up a plank, all carrying suitcases. I don’t have a specific idea about what that ship is about, but we know that many ships are involved in migration or transporting people. There are some fishing vessels that take people on, people who come to work and then never leave.”
One of his sculptures is very much unlike any of the others. At first glance, it looks like it is wrapped in a black cover, waiting to be unpacked for display.
But that is actually the final work. It is Finn’s depiction of “special operations,” perhaps military. Fittingly, he describes it as “Black Ops.”
“The thing that gets me about art is that it excites me. What excites me about art is seeing the world in a new way. I have never seen anything like these ships before. They are different. I was inspired by artists of the past who may have been a little bit similar.”
How long does it take to do a ship?
“When I start out I have sketches and maybe some kind of an idea of what I am going for,” he shared, pensively, before suddenly turning serious. “People actually making real ships have plans for everything, every detail. I have a different purpose. I am trying to get to this exciting place where it reveals something new to me. I am feeling my way. I may do one thing, then correct it, maybe over and over again. It takes a long time because I don’t know from the start really what I am going for.”
For most of the materials, he uses wood.
“I am familiar with using tools, so I use band saws, chisels and all,” he said. “These ships are all made from an ash tree that was on my property. Most of the time, hardwoods are more conducive to making these small pieces. They last. Then there is the tar, a kind of very thick kind of paint.”
Like Laughlin, Finn didn’t start out with an interest in art.
“I grew up in Ithaca, New York. After high school, I went to Cornell University, then the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. I was an artist in New York for about 10 years. I taught at UNC-Chapel Hill for one year, then Wake Forest. I retired from teaching last year. Earlier, I had jobs like a lot of young people. I was a stone mason, a short order cook, a number of things,” he recalled.
Like his early jobs, Finn said he has multiple interests when it comes to art.
“I constantly seek out different materials and different mediums to work in, depending on what I want to do. I went up to Vermont, for instance, to learn how to carve marble. I wanted to make shoes that were made out of marble, that would be remnants of statuary. I am not solely focused on ships. I can’t tell when I am going to stop, but I am into ships right now. But I am into a number of different things.”
Laughlin said they seem to work on project-based art.
“David has worked on everything from trash to marble to wood… you name it, ” said Laughlin. “I have done public artwork that is not painting at all. I think it may be somewhat more typical of contemporary artists, to move with an idea.”
Finn explained some of the complexities of switching mediums or art forms.
“How much time do you have? How much time does it take to master a different technique? Then, how much time will it take to thoroughly explore a subject, like in this case, ships? There is no right answer to those questions, but those things are always on my mind. To switch into something else is almost like a research project. You’re not sure when you are going to get to the end of it.”
Whatever the medium, whatever the art, one thing is certain for Finn and Laughlin: they have a new appreciation for Blowing Rock.
“After the museum contacted us and we came up to look at the exhibit space, we were blown away by what we found here at BRAHM. Everything about this museum is very special, from not just the facility but also the incredible, collaborative teamwork. This institution is a hidden gem, at least it was hidden to us. Blowing Rock… there is amazing nature. It is an amazing town. And there is amazing art and culture,” said Laughlin.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — No event was closer on Jan. 22 than the Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly during the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference Swimming Championships. South Caldwell’s Peyton Felts edged out Watauga’s Athena Elliott by a mere 1/100th of a second to capture the Butterfly title, recording a 1:00.60 vs. Elliott’s 1:00.61.
Another thriller was in the Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle. Just three seconds separated the event’s top two finishers, with Watauga’s Addie Wilson completing the day’s longest race in 5:34.90, vs. runner-up Hannah Wasson of South Caldwell, in 5:37.93.
In the Men’s 100-Yard Backstroke, No. 1 Nate Carswell (Freedom) edged out No. 2 Max Clark (South Caldwell), 1:00.22 vs. 1:00.92, so just over half a second separating the two.
Watauga varsity swimmer Lola Herring opens the 200 IM Relay with the backstroke during the Northwestern Conference championships. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Among the relays, one of the most thrilling races of the night came at the evening’s end with the Men’s 400-Yard Relay. Watauga’s relay team of Stacy Eggers, Lanson Gilbert, Silas Powell and Michael Makdad touched the finish pad just ahead of South Caldwell’s Owen Griffith, Harriss Inman, Max Clark and Nathan Hall, 3:38.63 vs 3:39.07.
There were a few decisive or “blowout” performances, too, beginning with Watauga’s Maggie Cheves in the Women’s 200-Yard Freestyle. The Pioneer senior’s 2:01.84 was almost 11 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. Similarly, in the Men’s 200-Yard Freestyle, Hibriten’s Nathan Mull recorded 1:59.97, almost a 10 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.
In the Men’s 200 Individual Medley, Watauga’s Michael Makdad swam to a 2:11.80, almost 10 seconds before the next Northwestern Conference swimmer recorded a finish.
At 57.05, Watauga’s Lola Herring was a full two seconds ahead of No. 2 Ama Higgs of Hibriten in the Women’s 100-Yard Freestyle. Out of the 30 swimmers in the event, the Pioneers had six athletes in the top 11, with Chessy Martin (No. 3), Amelia Bennett (No. 8), Kaitlyn Meyer (No. 9), Grace Lesesne (No. 10) and Zoe Critcher (No. 11). Only the top 3 from each school are actually scorers, but the Watauga performances reflect the women’s team’s roster depth.
In the Men’s 100-Yard Freestyle, South Caldwell’s Owen Griffith outswam 19 other Northwestern Conference competitors, finishing in 47.93, almost 7 seconds ahead of Hibriten athlete JP Andrews’ No. 2 time of 54.88. Watauga junior Silas Powell was No. 3, less than a second behind Andrews at 55.65.
Watauga’s Athena Elliott swims the butterfly leg of the 200 IM Relay on Jan. 22, in the Northwestern Conference league championships. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Michael Makdad (Watauga) was a clear winner in the Men’s 100-Yard Breaststroke, finishing five seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, Mason Hubbard of South Caldwell, 1:07.74 vs. 1:12.73.
Among the top freshman swimmers competing in the Northwestern Conference regular season finale was Watauga’s Lanson Gilbert in the Men’s 500-Yard Freestyle, his 5:25.54 top time more than 10 seconds ahead of Freedom’s No. 2 finisher, Nicholas Chiota.
Watauga head coach David Gragg offered a candid assessment after the meet, suggesting it lived up to expectations.
“Going into the meet, the Watauga women and South Caldwell men would have been the favorites based on the regular season. Both teams took the best shots from the others in the conference but came out on top,” said Gragg. “On the women’s side, I knew we would be tough to beat. Seniors Maggie Cheves, Lola Herring, and MK Riddle led a talented group and put down performances that showed why they were the captains. They stepped up this year when it was not always easy. Michael Makdad and Silas Powell led a group of Watauga guys that were not as seasoned in the water but just as hungry to win.
“At the end of the night there were some great swims,” Gragg added. “Maggie Cheves broke the conference record set by Virginia St. Clair in the 200 Free. Michael Makdad lowered his own 200 IM mark and Owen Griffith of South Caldwell bested Watauga alum Henryk Kosmala’s 50 and 100 Free times. Both the Watauga women and men set conference records in the 400 Free Relay and the South Caldwell men lowered the 200 Medley Relay time.”
Given some challenging circumstances, Gragg was especially heartened by the High Country swim community’s support.
“Many of the Watauga swimmers had season or personal best swims which was impressive since we have been out of school for break or because of weather for nearly a month. Several of the swimmers remained in the water with the local club team (Watauga Swim Team). I have to commend the club team’s head coach Adaira Brewer, assistant Tommy Mozier, and assistant Jing Russell for having our athletes ready to swim fast. I am fortunate to have such a good feeder system.”
On Monday, Northwestern Conference coaches, including Gragg, will learn which of their swimmers qualified for the Regional meet in Charlotte on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — This time, the Pioneers circled their wagons and finished.
After two losses on the road where the Watauga men’s basketball team led in the fourth quarter but ended up falling to South Caldwell and Alexander Central, against Freedom at Lentz Eggers Gym they got it done.
Josiah Railey goes up for a slam dunk vs. Freedom on Jan. 22. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Junior guard Cade Keller poured in a game-high 24 points and junior forward Jace Blocker added another 21 to lead the Pioneers past the Patriots.
Senior guard Maddox Greene only had four points on the night, scoring, but proved to be a critical playmaker with 9 rebounds, 8 assists and a pair of steals. Teammate Josiah Railey, a combination guard/forward, added 16 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks to record the broadest individual stat line.
“It felt good for us to be on the other side of those late games,” said Watauga head coach Bryson Payne after the game. “We played really good. We feel we are better than our record. We played some really tough games early but that is part of it. You are playing teams that are good and they know how to win, too. Those close ones that we lost, previously, they shot well at the end and we didn’t.”
Payne added that the Pioneers did a better job of managing the clock against Freedom, and making their shots.
Cade Keller drives to the basket on Jan. 22 vs. Freedom. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
A lot of Freedom’s success (13-3 overall, now 3-1 in conference play) in the Patriots’ previous games has been due to the play of senior guard Amore Connelly. On this night, the Watauga defense limited Connelly to 17 points.
“Amore is a good player and we wanted to make everything he did difficult. Our guys accepted that challenge. He hit some really tough shots, some high level shots, but I am proud of the way our guys battled, stuck to the game plan and stayed consistent,” said Payne.
Watauga point guard Maddox Greene stressed afterward that his team stayed in the moment.
And one? Maddox Greene made the layup but did not get the foul on Jan. 22 vs. Freedom. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“We were more patient in this game,” Greene said. “At Alexander, we took some bad shots that we didn’t need to take. We shot ourselves out of that game when we didn’t need to. This game we were more patient, only taking the good ones and we stayed ahead, kept the lead.”
Next up for the Pioneers is a trip to West Jefferson on Jan. 24, to face High Country rival Ashe County in the last of the first round of regular season in-conference games.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With career highs recorded by Kate Sears (43 points) and Blair Haines (23 points) complimented by a punishing team defense, the Watauga varsity women ran away from Freedom on Jan. 22, 83-63, in front of a packed house at Lentz Eggers Gym.
Wednesday night’s contest had been rescheduled from Tuesday (Jan. 21) because of extreme cold, ice and snow making travel more dangerous, but the changes had no ill effects on Sears and Haines, whose impact was immediate. The duo combined for 22 points in just the first quarter and added 15 more in the second period en route to a 14-point Pioneer lead at intermission, 48-34. Senior guard Julie Matheson contributed six points before halftime to aid the cause, finishing the game with 10 points.
Freedom had four players in double figures, scoring, including a tie for team-high at 15 points by sisters Cynica and Peyton Caldwell. Junior guard Ava Cooke and senior guard Haven Gladden added 12 and 11, respectively.
Watauga’s Kate Sears claimed the Pioneers’ first points of the night on Jan. 22, from long distance, en route to a convincing 83-63 win over Freedom at Lentz Eggers Gym. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sport
The breadth of the Patriots’ scoring could not overcome the one-two punch of Sears and Haines, however. The Pioneers’ senior and sophomore guards combined for 12 made shots from behind the 3-point arc to account for nearly half (43.4 percent) of the team’s total offensive production on the night.
Watauga’s recent surge in offensive productivity may also be partially explained by the quiet emergence of senior newcomer, forward Chloe Wilson. The softball athlete is in her first year of playing basketball so the tall, 6-0 athlete has had a lot to learn not only about the game but also about the team’s offensive and defensive systems. Over the last few games her development has been obvious with increased playing time.
As an imposing presence in the paint, Wilson can draw a crowd of defenders, often leaving other teammates like Sears, Haines and Matheson open, with better looks at the basket from the outside.
Defensively, the athletic Wilson is already having a major impact, too. Against Freedom, she had what Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson described afterwards as “… a couple of monster blocks.”
“Kate’s rebounding numbers are huge this year. To do all that Kate does, having Chloe come in and knock some people down, take a charge or swats shots away to get the crowd and her teammates excited, those are almost a form of ‘breaks’ for Kate. When Chloe comes in, she is a fan and team favorite. Tonight, she made two athletic blocks that are unlike what anybody else can make.”
Of Haines’ performance, Torgerson credited her hard work.
“Blair is always staying after practice and getting extra shooting in,” said Torgerson. “She has been shooting well in the recent games and she picked up right where she left off. That was important for us because we weren’t defending very well as we opened this game but we were scoring well (with Sears and Haines).”
Blair Haines (21) demonstrated that she is also not afraid to drive the lane on Jan. 22, vs. Freedom, here laying up two of her career high 23 points on the night. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Torgerson noted that Freedom has almost everyone back from the year ago team that took Watauga to overtime, in Morganton, in January 2024.
“They came into tonight 3-0. Freedom is a really strong defensive team and they are long. There is no one out there who is slow. And then you have Peyton Caldwell, who is a really good offensive player. She is a shooter. She gets to the basket great and gets to the free throw line a lot. Holding her to 15 points is pretty good,” said Torgerson.
Now in his second year as the Watauga head coach, Torgerson was especially complimentary of Sears’ leadership on the court, as well as her production on both ends.
“With a big lead, we were a bit flat late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. That’s a bit natural with a big lead. You are bound to have a little run where you miss some shots. So two things that Kate does really well, urging her teammates to pick up the energy and get stops, but she also goes to the rim and gets some layups. She wasn’t happy with her free throw shooting tonight, but she picked us up in the second half and really put them away.”
Next up for the Pioneers is a Jan. 24 tilt at Ashe County to complete the first round of regular season conference games. Currently at 4-0, with the defeat of Freedom the Pioneers have sole possession of first place in the Northwestern Conference standings.
By David Rogers. HOUSTON, Texas — Temperatures were at freezing but the pace was anything but on Jan. 19 for the 2025 Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon races.
Israel’s Haimro Alame captured the Marathon men’s division title, completing the 26.2 mile course in 2:08:17, a torrid, 4:54 mile pace. Yemane Haileselassie crossed the line No. 2, just 8 seconds behind Alame.
Blowing Rock’s Josh Izewski, running for ZAP endurance, earned a No. 9 finish, running the streets of Houston in 2:10:54 to complete one of the season’s best comeback stories after an injury forced him out of the New York Marathon. In Houston, the 34-yearold Izewski was the second fastest American.
In the Half Marathon, ZAP Endurance team member Amanda Vestri finished No. 4 in the women’s division, just a minute, 29 seconds behind Ethiopia’s Senayet Getachew (1:06:05). Vestri’s 1:07:35 was then No. 8 all time performance by an American woman in the half marathon. She improved on her own ZAP Endurance club record (1:08.14)
Izewski’s time in the full marathon distance also broke the ZAP Endurance club record, set just this past November by teammate Ryan Ford in his marathon debut, in the New York Marathon. Ford’s previous record was 2:11:08.
In the men’s Half Marathon, BYU’s Conner Mantz set an American record, finishing just a fraction of an inch off the shoulder of race winner Addisu Gobena of Ethiopia. Starting with Gobena and Mantz, both of whom were clocked at 59:17, four runners finished the 13.1 mile course under an hour, also including Gabriel Geay (59:18) of Tanzania and Jemal Yimer (59:20) of Ethiopia.
Blowing Rock was also well represented in the elite men’s field for the Half Marathon. ZAP Endurance veteran Andrew Colley crossed the line in the No. 8 position, just a minute, 30 seconds behind the winners. ZAP teammate Ryan Ford (1:00:59) was also in the mix for the top elites, finishing No. 14. Both Colley and Ford bettered Colley’s previous ZAP club record of 1:01:35, established last year in Valencia, Spain.
Colley’s time was the No. 11 all-time performance for an American at the half marathon distance, Ford’s was No. 17.
Another great story for the ZAP Endurance team was the return of founder Zika Rea to running the marathon distance. Almost 20 years (and two children) ago, Rea qualified to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials in St. Paul, Minn., running the marathon in 2:41:06. She returned to the distance in Houston, finishing the full marathon in 3:32:07, an 8:06 mile pace.
