By David Rogers. HICKORY, N.C. — With hardly any time on the practice field, the Watauga women’s soccer teams made a road trip to Hickory on Feb. 24, to take on St. Stephens in non-conference action. While the varsity lost a tight one, 1-0, in the nightcap, the shorthanded JVs rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the first half to “rain goals” in the second, winning 6-3.
Since these were as much non-conference exhibitions as anything, we will dispense with the play by play and go straight to some photos, from both games. Rosters have not yet been added to MaxPreps, so we will go without player IDs on this go-round. All photographic images by David Rogers for High Country Sports.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It will be another first round doubleheader for Watauga’s men’s and women’s basketball teams on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Coming off their championship performance in the Northwestern Conference tournament on Feb. 21, the Pioneer women were awarded the No. 3 seed in the NCHSAA 4A West Bracket and will face No. 30 seeded T C Roberson, of Asheville.
The Watauga men’s team, which finished as the NWC conference tourney runner-up in losing to Freedom, received the No. 7 seed in the 4A West Bracket and will host East Mecklenburg.
In other first round notes:
4A West, WOMEN – McDowell (Marion) received the No. 1 seed and will host No. 32 Mt. Tabor.
4A West, WOMEN – Alexander Central is the No. 16 seed an will host No. 17 Porter Ridge
4A West, WOMEN – Like Watauga, South Caldwell is in the lower half of the bracket and seeded, No. 11, to host No. 22 Charlotte Catholic.
4A West, WOMEN – The No. 2 seed is Lake Norman, hosting No. 31, Cox Mill.
4A West. MEN – Seeded No. 18, South Caldwell is the only other Northwestern Conference team to make the playoffs on the men’s side. They will travel to No. 15 Southwest Guilford.
3A West, MEN – Freedom received the No. 7 seed and will host No. 26 Northwest Cabarrus.
3A West, WOMEN – Ashe County received the No. 29 seed and will travel to No. 4 A C Reynolds.
3A West, WOMEN – No. 21 Hibriten will play a first round game, traveling to No. 12, East Lincoln.
1A West, MEN – No. 23 Avery County travels to No. 10 South Stanly
1A West, WOMEN – No. 13 Avery County will host No. 20 Andrews
The tipoff times have not been announced.
The full 4A Women’s Bracket can be reached by clicking HERE.
The full 4A Men’s Bracket can be reached by clicking HERE.
By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — It is hard to beat a good basketball team three times in a row at any level, especially when the first two contests were nailbiters. Freedom proved just that on Feb. 21, rallying from a 10-point deficit in the first half to defeat regular season nemesis Watauga, 79-75, to capture the Northwestern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament title.
Watauga did a good job of filling out its student section on Feb. 21, for the Northwestern Conference tournament championship games. It was ‘Jersey Night’ for the Pioneer faithful. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The allure of two big games had the host Ashe County Huskies gymnasium packed to the rafters on this night. What amounted to a Watauga doubleheader featured the Pioneers’ women against South Caldwell, the only Northwestern Conference rival to put a blemish on their league record in 2025, a 93-91 double-overtime defeat on Jan. 31. Watauga proved their point with a 75-48 shellacking of the Hudson quintet and the gym was still abuzz with the Pioneers’ dominance.
For the nightcap final, it was the Watauga men vs. Freedom. At home on Jan. 22, the Pioneers leveraged strong inside performances by forward Jace Blocker and the versatile Josiah Railey to hold off Freedom, 77-70. Then on Feb. 12, Watauga survived a fourth quarter Freedom rally to win in Morganton, 72-69.
Josiah Railey (13) drives to the basket against Freedom in the men’s tournament championship game on Feb. 21. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
At the outset of the tournament championship game, Watauga appeared to take command, finishing the first quarter with a 9-point, 24-15 lead. But with the Patriots’ star forward Amore Connelly scoring 14 of his 17 game points in the second quarter, Freedom shrugged off the early deficit to close within a point at intermission, 39-38.
Momentum shifted in favor of the Patriots in the second half as the Pioneers cooled off in the shooting department. By the end of the third period, Freedom led, 60-55, and foul trouble was having an impact. Stalwart forward Blocker fouled out in the second half while guards Maddox Greene and Eli Bishop finished the contest with four fouls apiece. Watauga nonetheless battled back to a one-point deficit, 65-66, at the 4:11 mark, but the Patriots continually frustrated the Pioneers’ efforts to complete the comeback.
Watauga guard Cade Keller swoops in for a bucket on Feb. 21 vs. Freedom in the championship game of the Northwestern Conference tournament. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
With the regular season Northwestern Conference title under its collective belt, Watauga should still end up with a favorable seed in the upcoming NCHSAA 4A Basketball Championship playoffs, with the first round scheduled for Feb. 25. The seedings and first round pairings are slated to be announced on Sunday, Feb. 23. Freedom will get the top 3A nod from the Northwestern Conference and its seeding prospects will be bolstered by the tourney championship game victory over its 4A rival Watauga.
Selected Team Stats
FG% – WAT 42.9% (27-63), FRE 49.2$ (30-61)
3FG% – WAT 31.8% (7-22), FRE 26.1% (6-23)
FT% – WAT 58.3% (14-24), FRE 59.1% (13-22)
Points in Paint – WAT 38, FRE 42
Points off Turnovers – WAT 10, FRE 9
Second Chance Points – WAT 8, FRE 9
Fast Break Points – WAT 12, FRE 14
Bench Points – WAT 9, FRE 12
Key Performers
WAT – Cade Keller: 24 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds
By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Clamp-down defense and hot-hot-hot shooting are a good recipe for winning basketball games. That’s exactly what Watauga cooked up for South Caldwell in the finals of the Northwestern Conference Women’s Basketball Championships hosted by Ashe County on Feb. 21, running away from the Spartans, 72-48 to claim both the regular season and conference tournament titles in 2025.
BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article
With a packed-to-the-rafters gym buzzing with anticipation because of what happened the last time these two teams met — a 93-91, double overtime upset win by the Spartans on Watauga’s home court on Jan. 31 — a number of questions were left to be answered about how good this Pioneers team really is. One answer is certain: pretty darn good.
January’s state ‘Player of the Month’ in North Carolina, Kate Sears, got nary a point from beyond the 3-point arc but was a force in the paint. She notched a game-high 31 points against South Caldwell in the Northwestern Conference tournament final. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Besides generating offensive production — putting points on the board — the Pioneers had to find a way to put the brakes on South Caldwell’s dynamic freshman tandem of Ava Anderson and Maggie Wilks, who each tallied 30+ in the Jan. 31 double overtime affair. Head coach Bill Torgerson acknowledged that after the game.
“We chose to match up Anderson with Kate Sears, hoping to frustrate her a bit,” said Torgerson.
Watauga’s Kaitlyn Darner (30) played her final Northwestern Conference tournament game with a highlight reel performance, including 10 points and, defensively, helping limit South Caldwell’s dynamic duo of freshman guards. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The strategy worked, with the Spartans’ freshman point guard netting only 19 points on the night, well below her season average of close to 25 points per game. South Caldwell was able to shift some of its attack inside, where senior forward Kristin Barber recorded a team-high 20 points, but where Watauga arguably won the night was in defusing Wilks, who posted zero points, no assists, no steals and only two rebounds.
Meanwhile, Watauga was edging ahead even though also seeming to battle the game officials, too. There were controversial calls aplenty, against both sides, but when one of the teams (Watauga) consistently drives the lane or baseline and attacks the basket, fouls by the other side often occur. In this contest, the imbalance in personal fouls went the other way. Watauga was flagged 18 times, South Caldwell picked up only nine fouls.
Blair Haines (21) played a critical role in Watauga’s 72-48 win over South Caldwell on Feb. 21, to claim the tournament title for 2025. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Two Pioneers, seniors Julie Matheson and Chloe Wilson, got into early foul trouble, finishing with four fouls each. Sears racked up three fouls. At one point, the second time a controversial call went against January’s “North Carolina Player of the Month,” one bystander said, “If they are not careful, they are going to make Kate mad and she will take over and score 50!”
By game’s end, Sears was more than halfway there, pouring in a game-high 31 points to go with 10 assists and six rebounds. Almost all of her points came from driving the lane or in-close shooting since she drew blanks from beyond the 3-point arc (0-for-6) and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Blair Haines, Watauga’s sophomore guard, might want to send flowers to the left corner of the court, behind the arc. The spot was in love with Haines, allowing her to hit four critical 3-pointers that all but vanquished any Spartan hopes of a comeback.
Kate Sears was all smiles after her Watauga Pioneers won the Northwestern Conference Championship Tournament final, 72-48, vs. South Caldwell and she picked up tourney MVP honors, too. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Now sporting a 19-5 overall record, 10-1 in the Northwestern Conference and brandishing both regular season and conference tournament titles, the Pioneers await the seedings and first round pairings of the NCHSAA 4A Women’s State Championship playoffs. The first round is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 25, with the matchups to be announced Sunday evening (Feb. 23).
Key Team Stats
FG% – WAT 58.8% (30-51), SC 29.5% (13-44)
3FG% – WAT 31.8% (7-22), SC 23.5% (4-17)
FT% – WAT 83.3% (5-6), SC 78.3% (18-23)
Points in the Paint – WAT 40, SC 16
Points off Turnovers – WAT 9, SC 4
2nd Chance Points – WAT 2, SC 6
Fast Break Points – WAT 4, SC 0
Points from Bench – WAT 2, SC 0
Key Performers
WAT – Kate Sears: 31 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal
WAT – Blair Haines: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
By Katherine Jamtgaard. BOONE, N.C. — The App State women’s basketball team fell short to Marshall, 76-58, on Wednesday.
“I thought Marshall had a great game plan. I thought that we lost the momentum at the end of the first quarter and were plagued with a little bit of foul trouble in that second quarter with senior Eleyana Tafisi on the bench. I thought we just really struggled. Our team just feels a little bit out of sync and out of rhythm right now,” said head coach Alaura Sharp.
“We’ve got to find a way to get together as a group and figure out what do we want out of these last few games,” added Sharp, “because I think that it’s a slippery slope. We have a lot of seniors. I think the end is starting to come. They are feeling a little pressure and it’s just gotten us away from being us. Obviously, as a staff, we’ve got to evaluate and see how we can hit our rhythm. I still believe in our group. I know we can do it. We’ve got a great opportunity to bounce back on Saturday and just try to really work to be us, where we’re playing with joy and we’re playing with energy.”
Senior Zada Porter led the Mountaineers for an eighth game this season, netting 15 points. She drained 7-of-8 from the field on Wednesday and has scored double-figures in 15 games during the 2024-25 campaign. Additionally, Porter dished out a team-high four assists. Junior Rylan Moffitt scored 10 points for the Mountaineers and made a pair of blocks. App State’s top rebounder was senior Emily Carver, who grabbed eight. The Mountaineers netted 20 points off the bench and made four blocks compared to Marshall’s one.
The Mountaineers opened play with a 7-0 run as junior Elena Pericic drained a pair of freebies, Porter made a tip-in, and junior Emily Hege drilled the first 3-point bucket of the game. Layups from Porter and Moffitt kept the Mountaineers ahead, 13-9. Carver contributed a trey, extending App State’s lead to 16-9. Marshall found momentum with a 10-0 run and closed the period with a 19-18 edge, despite a layup from Pericic, who was assisted by Porter. Porter, Pericic, and Moffitt combined for 12 of App State’s points, contributing four apiece.
The Thundering Herd, which controlled the lead for the remainder of play, extended its lead with a 14-0 run as the Mountaineers faced a scoring drought. The Black and Gold’s drought was broken by a freebie from freshman Hekla Nökkvadóttir. Moffitt netted four of App State’s seven points and made both of her blocks during the second period.
Early in the third quarter, Pericic made a layup, Porter landed a jumper, and Tafisi made a fastbreak layup to chip into Marshall’s lead (46-31). Carver, who combined with Porter for nine of App State’s points in the period, made a pair of layups for the Mountaineers. She also grabbed four of her eight rebounds in the quarter. Despite a Hege trey and a three-point play from Porter, Marshall closed the quarter with a 62-41 advantage.
In the fourth quarter, Porter made a layup to chip into Marshall’s lead. The Mountaineers found momentum with a 10-0 run that featured jumpers from Moffitt and Hege, a pair of freebies from Neira, and layups from Neira and Porter. The Herd answered with a run of its own to extend the deficit to 74-53. With 1:28 left in the period, senior Asjah Inniss drained the Mountaineers’ sole trey of the quarter. Despite a final jumper from junior Seneya Martinez and App State outscoring Marshall, 17-14 in the quarter, the Mountaineers fell short 76-58.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will close their 2024-25 home slate with a 3:30 p.m. Alumni Day clash against James Madison on Saturday. The game against the Dukes is part of a doubleheader with the men’s program, which will host Marshall at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come early for the men’s game and stay late for the women’s game. One ticket will get fans into both games and fans can claim BOGO tickets when they use the promo code MOUNTAINSTRONG. App State faculty and staff will receive free admission when they show their App Cards.
By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Talk about “finishing,” this time the Watauga men’s basketball team hammered Alexander Central, 71-47, in the Northwestern Conference tournament semifinal — and maybe even polished off the nail in the proverbial coffin.
Watauga head coach Bryson Payne tells his players to ‘finish’ at the start of the fourth quarter vs. Alexander Central on Feb. 18. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Early in the 2024-25 season, the Watauga men’s basketball team had a hard time “finishing” the game. They had second half leads suddenly evaporate into losses against South Caldwell and Alexander Central in the Pioneers’ first two Northwestern Conference games. In Hudson, the Spartans dumped Watauga, 76-64. In Taylorsville, the Cougars rallied from a 7-point deficit with five minutes to go to edge the Pioneers, 68-65.
Fast forward to the regular season’s end. It turns out, those were the only two conference losses suffered by Watauga. In the rematches at Lentz Eggers Gym, Watauga pummeled South Caldwell, 80-61, on Jan. 31. Less than a week later, on Feb. 4, the Pioneers upended Alexander Central, 55-43.
Landon Smith (12) makes a shot at close range for Watauga vs. Alexander Central on Feb. 18, in the semifinals of the Northwestern Conference tournament. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
So, with the Pioneers holding a 53-33 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, when Watauga head coach Bryson Payne implored his troops to “finish,” that is exactly what they did. Inspired by a rousing 3-pointer from Jackson Love and consecutive driving layups in transition by Josiah Railey, Watauga erased all thoughts of anything else save victory.
Railey finished with a team-high 23 points, one shy of the game-high posted by Alexander Central’s one-man show, Jayon Connor (24 points). Also in double figures for the Pioneers were Cade Keller (12) and Love (11). The rest of Watauga’s points were spread pretty evenly among Landon Smith and Eli Bishop, each with seven points off the bench, and strong inside play from starting forward Jace Blocker (6).
Watauga’s Josiah Railey finishes with a fastbreak layup on Feb. 18 vs. Alexander Central in the semifinals of the Northwestern Conference tournament. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The win now sets up the NWC tourney championship game encounter with Freedom on Feb. 21, also to be hosted by Ashe County, with an 8 p.m. scheduled tipoff. The Patriots advanced with a 75-68 win over South Caldwell in the other semifinal pairing on Feb. 18.
Freedom brings a respectable 19-6 overall record into the Feb. 21 matchup, 8-3 in conference. They lost once to South Caldwell and two close games against Watauga, so the Patriots will be gunning to upset the Pioneers’ Cinderella season in the third encounter. They lost to Watauga, 77-70, on the road, and were edged, 72-69, on their home court in Morganton. Will a neutral venue be a difference maker?
Cade Keller (10) shot from inside and out on Feb. 18 in the Northwestern Conference semifinals vs. Alexander Central. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
KEY PERFORMERS of WATAUGA VS. ALEXANDER CENTRAL
AC – Jayon Connor: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Shrugging off 14 turnovers that included eight opponent steals, the Watauga women’s basketball team waltzed to a dominant, 75-52 win over Alexander Central on Feb. 18, in the semifinals of the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference Basketball Championships, hosted in 2025 by the Ashe County Huskies athletic program.
With the win, the Pioneers advance to the championship final on Friday, Feb. 21, also in West Jefferson, with tipoff vs. the other semifinal winner, South Caldwell, at 6:30 p.m.
Watauga senior Julie Matheson (1) lets fly a 3-pointer on Feb. 18 vs. Alexander Central in the Northwestern Conference tournament semifinal. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Watauga used a 13-4 opening run to gain separation from the Cougars and never looked back. As a team, the Pioneers were hot, hot, hot in burning the net on the offensive end — and disruptive on the defensive end of the court.
A quartet of Pioneers led the team to a 54.2 percent success rate from behind the 3-point arc. Starting guards Julie Matheson, Izzy Torgerson, Blair Haines and Kate Sears combined to knock down 13 treys, accounting for over half of the team’s total points on the night.
Watauga sophomore Blair Haines drives baseline vs. Alexander Central on Feb. 18, in the Northwestern Conference tournament semifinal. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
As impactful as the Pioneers’ aim from long distance might have been, this game was also won in the trenches. Led by Sears (14 rebounds), Chloe Wilson (6) and Shelby Thompson (5), Watauga nearly doubled up the Cougars in clearing the boards on both ends of the court, pulling down 40 errant shots vs. 24 rebounds by the Alexander Central hoopsters. Eleven offensive boards by the Pioneers led to a 10-4 advantage in second chance points and contributed to a 22-14 edge in points scored inside the paint.
“When we are shooting that well,” said Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson after the game, “it is hard to beat us.”
As Pioneer fans have come to expect, Sears recorded yet another triple double on the night, with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. For good measure, she added a blocked shot to her impressive stat line.
Watauga senior Kate Sears is looking to drive the lane vs. Alexander Central on Feb. 18, in the semifinal of the Northwestern Conference tournament. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The Pioneers also got double-digit scoring from Matheson (18) and Torgerson (11).
The Feb. 21 championship game between No. 1 seeded Watauga and No. 2 seed South Caldwell sets up a potentially dynamic rematch. On Jan. 9 in Hudson, the Pioneers all but dismantled the Spartans in front of their home crowd, 74-55. But South Caldwell returned the favor on Jan. 31, taking a 93-91, double overtime win on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer off the hands of freshman guard Ava Anderson.
South Caldwell advanced to the final with a 64-54 win over Freedom in the second women’s semifinal on Feb. 18. Anderson again led the team with 18 points, but was just one of a Spartan quartet to reach double figures on the night. Fellow backcourt freshman Maggie Wilks poured in 15 points while sophomore Holland Weisner and senior Kristin Barber each added 11 points.
It would be an understatement to say that the upcoming women’s championship game could be the must-see ticket of the year in high school women’s basketball, at least in the High Country.
Kate Sears (12) goes up for two vs. Alexander Central in the Northwestern Conference semifinal on Feb. 18. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
KEY PERFORMERS in WATAUGA VS. ALEXANDER CENTRAL
WAT – Kate Sears: 32 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 blocked shot
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — There was plenty of love in Lentz Eggers Gym on Feb. 14 for the last regular season game of Watauga men’s basketball. Not only was it Valentine’s Day but it was also Senior Night — and grandstands were packed for the rivalry game between the Pioneers and the Ashe County Huskies. There were plenty of smiles to go around as Watauga left little doubt in forging a 70-43 win.
Maddox Greene is celebrated by fellow students in player introductions for the final regular season game, vs. Ashe County on Feb. 14. Photo by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
A quintet of Pioneer seniors took the floor in the opening period and battled the Huskies to a 13-13 draw by the end of the quarter, the seniors playing most of the eight minutes. As the regular starters began to rotate in, Watauga began to flex their offensive muscles, jumping out to a 33-25 lead by halftime. The team’s leading scorer, junior point guard-shooting guard Cade Keller poured in half of his game-high 24 points in the second quarter to drive the Pioneers’ separation.
The Huskies’ Trent Sheets tried to keep it close for the home team with 13 points in the first half but had little in the way of help other than 8 points from Ian Graybeal. By comparison, Watauga’s first half may have featured Keller’s 14, but the Pioneers also got key contributions from Maddox Greene, Jackson Love, Josiah Railey and Jace Blocker.
Whatever hopes Ashe County harbored for forging a second half comeback were quickly dashed by defensive adjustments made by the Pioneers during intermission. Watauga tightened the screws and extended their lead even with liberal substitutions. They used a 21-8 third quarter run to take a 54-33 lead to begin the final stanza, then stayed consistent with a 16-10 run in the final 8 minutes.
For the game, 10 Pioneers got on the scoreboard, led by their usual scoring leaders Keller (24 points) and Railey (15). Scoring opportunities were bolstered by Blocker pulling down six of his game-high nine rebounds on the offensive end, providing second chances for a number of teammates.
L-R: Josiah Railey, Maddox Greene, Landon Smith, Paul Taylor, Seth Greene, and JT Cook on Senior Night, Feb. 14, 2025. Photo by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
Taking advantage of his most minutes in a game this season, senior JT Cook only scored two points but still had a significant impact in corralling 8 rebounds.
Senior J T Cook took full advantage of his minutes on the floor, Feb. 14, vs. Ashe County, pulling down 8 rebounds. Photo by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
With the win, Watauga secures the No. 1 seed and a first round bye in the Northwestern Conference tournament. First round games are Monday, Feb. 17, hosted by the higher seed. Watauga will host the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed game in the first round. The other first round bye goes to No. 2 seeded South Caldwell. The semifinal games (round 2) will be hosted by Ashe County on Tuesday, Feb. 18, with the Championship game at the same location on Friday, Feb. 21.
Jace Blocker finishes off a monster dunk during the Feb. 14, 2025, men’s basketball game between Watauga and Ashe County. Photo by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Leaving little doubt as to who might be the best high school women’s basketball team in northwestern North Carolina, Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson emptied his bench and had nine rostered players make the scoring column, including all five seniors, running away from Ashe County for a 72-33 romp at Lentz Eggers Gym on Feb. 14.
Chloe Wilson (40) continues to show marked improvement in her play. Here she takes one from close in vs. Ashe County. Photo by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
It is yet another Northwestern Conference championship for the Pioneers, who will take the No. 1 seed into the conference tournament slated to begin next week.
After jumping out to a 19-11 lead by the end of the first quarter, led by 13 combined points in the quarter from Kate Sears (7 points in the quarter) and Blair Haines (6), Watauga went for a statement win. Sears finished with a game-high 26 points and Haines, 11, but the Pioneers got broad production from seven other players throughout the night. Senior forward Chloe Wilson again showed how she is growing into her basketball potential with 8 points and even more rebounds in coming off the bench.
An ‘all-state’ selection since her freshman year, Kate Sears looks to drive baseline vs. Ashe County on Feb. 14. Photo by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
Shelby Thompson came off the bench to pour in a half dozen points in the second period with back-to-back 3-pointers. Meanwhile, regular starters Julie Matheson and Izzy Torgerson may have played limited minutes, but contributed 7 points and 5 points, respectively. Little used senior Gracie Lawrence saw her first court time of the year and rewarded the team with four points in the fourth quarter to help keep the rout going.
Ashe County’s Abby Sheets did her part, scoring 25 of the team’s 33 game points. She was 11-of-11 from the free throw line and added two buckets from long distance.
As the No. 1 seed in the Northwestern Conference tourney, Watauga is likely to receive a first round bye. Watauga is also playing for a high seed in the NCHSAA 4A West Bracket of the state tournament.
In a 72-33 Watauga rout of Ashe County on Feb. 14, even the younger players double rostered from the junior varsity got to play. Here, Steph Mendez gets a taste of varsity action — and scores. Photo by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
By David Rogers. ARMAGH, N. Ireland — It was Blowing Rock “bookends” for the top five finishers in the prestigious Armagh International 5K. Three runners broke the course record, led by Blowing Rock’s Andrew Colley, a ZAP Endurance professional club member representing the USA in 13:33. ZAP Endurance teammate Ryan Ford wasn’t far behind as the No. 5 finisher, in 13:48.
Holland Sports Athletic Club team member Jack Kavanaugh picked off a dozen runners in the final mile to finish second, in 13:35, while Sebastian Larstad of IFK Lindingo (Sweden) crossed the line No. 3, in 13:36.
Young Sebastian Larstad, left, points to Andrew Colley, center, the winner of the 2025 Armagh International 5k in Armagh, Northern Ireland on Feb. 13. Colley and Ryan Ford, right, who finished No. 5, are both members of Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance professional running team.
Colley’s performance comes just three months after he topped the field of the iconic Manchester Road Race in Connecticut, followed by a No. 8 finish in the Houston Half Marathon, setting a ZAP Endurance club record in the process.
Larstad, only 16 years of age, took to the lead right from the get-go in Armagh, leading a pack of 10 runners in gaining separation from the field by the halfway point. Event organizers after the race believed that Larstad’s 13:36 was close to a world record for a 16-and-under athlete, comparing him to Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, now a few years older..
Colley flirted with taking the lead with 1,000 meters to go, drawing side-by-side with Larstad, then tucked back in behind the young runner from Sweden.
At 600 meters to go, however, Colley put the proverbial pedal to the floor and rocked to the front, slowly extending the lead as Kavanaugh came from well behind to overtake the other leaders.
Nearly 80 percent of the approximately 300 athletes competing in the Armagh Men’s International 5k meter Road Race are from off the island of Ireland, according to event organizers. This year, 22 entrants had already run a sub-14 minute 5k time so a fast, competitive race was expected. It did not disappoint, as nearly two dozen runners finished under 14 minutes this year, a new event record, said the organizers.
