By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a thrilling, 3-point shot at the buzzer made by the Boone Basketball Club (BBC) to tie the game vs. the Sky Hookers, 74-74, at the end of regulation. BBC went on to win in overtime, 81-77, but then was discovered to have used “ringers” — players not on their official roster just for this game — so was disqualified from advancing to the Dec. 20 final of the Watauga Community Recreation Center’s Adult Basketball League tournament championship.
Regardless of the illegal rostered players, it was an exciting basketball game. Multiple lead changes, the jump ahead and then catch-up scoring from both teams propelled by long distance perfectos as well as acrobatic attacks at the basket from inside the paint. The Sky Hookers were successful on seven 3-pointers, the BBC had eight.
Caleb Bryson (20 points), Joe Keys (13), Seth Moore (16) and Cam Baker (14) were all in double figures scoring for the Sky Hookers.
LINVILLE, N.C. — Fifth-graders in public schools across Avery County are receiving a mountain adventure right in their own classrooms and schoolyards thanks to the Eco Watch educational outreach program offered by Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature preserve run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.
The program provides educational enrichment in line with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for fifth-graders. After an initial pilot at Banner Elk Elementary School last academic year, where student knowledge of related science concepts increased from a pre-program assessment average of 72 percent to a post-assessment average of 86 percent, the program has been expanded to four out of the five elementary schools within Avery County’s public school system.
“The material aligns with the subject matter covered on the N.C. End-of-Grade Science Test that begins in fifth grade,” Cassie Petrilla, education specialist with the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, said. “The program allows students to take hands-on outside experiences and relate them to curriculum taught in class. It creates a learning experience that helps apply science concepts and accommodate different learning styles.”
Cassie Petrilla and students during Eco Watch_Courtesy of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation: The Eco Watch program, coupled with the Wild Watch program, which provides similar outreach to first-graders in Avery and Watauga counties, offers a truly unique experience for Grandfather Mountain educators to support academic achievement, enrich learning in science and shape the next generation of conservationists and stewards of the natural world. (Photo Courtesy of Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
Eco Watch provides students with six in-depth interactions with one of the mountain’s expert naturalists, plus two field trips to Grandfather. A portion of these interactions focuses on weather and weather patterns, data-collection instruments, how to think like a scientist, how to make observations and how weather patterns affect the students and the world around them.
The other half of these interactions throughout the spring semester focuses on the ecosystem unit. The educator teaches students about the various important components of an ecosystem, including its physical properties as well as its biological properties – such as the producers, consumers and decomposers present. The students also learn about the different types of ecosystems and how everything in nature is connected.
“Everything we do is hands-on,” Petrilla said. “For the ecosystem unit, we do an activity called ‘Jays and Juncos’ that teaches how an ecosystem supports species without depleting its resources.”
Best of all, the students always get outside. During a recent Eco Watch visit at Banner Elk Elementary, Petrilla led the students in an exercise where they identified the types of clouds overhead and what they mean for the overall weather forecast. The students then used an anemometer and a windsock to study the direction of the wind and its speed.
During the weather unit, classes take their weather-recording capabilities to the next level as they visit Grandfather Mountain’s Mile High Swinging Bridge and record the daily weather reading from the National Weather Service reporting station near the bridge and at the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. Students compare and contrast their weather data to the weather they observed at their school before leaving on the field trip.
In May, at the end of the academic year, the students will return to the park once more and get their hands dirty as they explore Grandfather Mountain’s own unique and biologically diverse ecosystems. Last spring, the students ventured along the Woods Walk Trail and searched for salamanders, dug up creepy crawlies and tried their hand at identifying the plants blooming on the mountain.
Afterward, the class headed to the Mildred the Bear Animal Habitats, where they learned all about the mountain’s resident cougars, black bears, otters, elk and eagles.
The Eco Watch program, coupled with the Wild Watch program, which provides similar outreach to first-graders in Avery and Watauga counties, offers a truly unique experience for Grandfather Mountain educators to support academic achievement, enrich learning in science and shape the next generation of conservationists and stewards of the natural world.
“My favorite thing about teaching these programs is seeing the kids every month and witnessing first-hand how much they’re learning and growing throughout the year,” Petrilla said. “You get to see the overall progress and see them grow in their appreciation for nature. Plus, now I will be able to see the first-graders grow up and see them again in fifth grade.”
The fall semester of the Eco Watch program has been partially funded by a grant from the WNC Bridge Foundation, which provides funds to address health challenges being faced by people across Western North Carolina. The foundation supports initiatives for children and youth that have a long-term impact on the health of communities, including improving academic outcomes by providing academic support and enrichments.
To learn more about Grandfather Mountain’s educational initiatives, visit grandfather.com/education.
The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world by helping guests explore, understand and value the wonders of Grandfather Mountain. For more information, visit www.grandfather.com.
SUGAR MOUNTAIN, N.C. — The annual Sugar Mountain Adult Race League (SMARL) is preparing for its upcoming season, and registration is open for interested applicants.
SMARL is designed to bring together recreational skiers and snowboarders for weekly competition and camaraderie. The series will begin on Monday, January 3 and continue for six weeks, concluding on February 7.
The league is open to all skiers and snowboarders ages 21 years and older, and participants will be placed into teams if they do not already have one at the time of registration. Each team will consist of a minimum of six racers and a maximum of eight racers. The top four racers from each team will count toward the team’s score each night. The top overall ski and snowboard team will take home the High Country Cup.
The running order each week will be by team and will alternate. Each racer will have an assigned bib number for the entire season. Each rider will get two runs down the slopes for each race.
Athletes of all talent levels are invited to participate. However, participation is limited to the first 100 racers. The registration fee for six races is $50 per person, which includes a season-ending party at Sugar Mountain Resort.
Applications are available at Ski Country Sports in Banner Elk. For more information or if you have any questions about SMARL, call 828-898-9786.
By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The App State women’s basketball team fell 77-49 to No. 19 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday to close out its final nonconference road trip of the year.
Saturday’s game was App State’s second against a “Power Five” opponent on the road this season, as it had clashed with West Virginia on Nov. 20.
Redshirt junior A’Lea Gilbert scored a team- and career-high 15 points, pulled down three rebounds and posted a team-high four steals. Freshman Alexis Black added 8 points and went 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Graduate student Brooke Bigott pulled down a team-high six rebounds on the afternoon.
App State (3-7) recorded 19 points off the bench and 26 in the paint.
Gilbert started off strong for the Mountaineers, sinking her first three shot attempts in the first quarter as App State held Michigan to a 19-15 lead. The Wolverines (10-1) extended their lead in the second quarter, jumping ahead 40-25. Redshirt sophomore Summer Schloss posted her first points of the season with a layup for the Mountaineers to close out the quarter.
In the third quarter, Black sunk 4-of-4 free throws, adding to the two she had tallied in the first quarter. App State fought to cut into Michigan’s lead, but it wasn’t enough as a steal and jumper from freshman Chaé Harris capped the game with Michigan up 77-49.
Four Wolverines scored in double figures, with Emily Kiser leading with 18 points.
UP NEXT
The Mountaineers will host Gardner-Webb on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. for their Ugly Sweater Game and final nonconference matchup. Fans can enter the ugly sweater contest for a chance to win a new set of airpods, and Santa will be available to take photos with fans.
App State opens Sun Belt play on Dec. 29 and 31, welcoming new league members Old Dominion and Marshall to the High Country. The Mountaineers will host ODU on Thursday, Dec. 29 at 6:30 p.m. Fans can enter to win prizes in the ‘What You Didn’t Get for the Holidays’ event. For New Year’s Eve, fans can get discounted tickets to the Mountaineers’ 2 p.m. game against Marshall.
By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Tamell Pearson had his best game as a Mountaineer so far in a 100-32 win over Regent on Saturday.
The graduate student earned App State’s first double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds, the highest tally of boards by any Mountaineer through the first 12 games.
Justin Abson achieved his career-high in points during the dominant win, scoring 11 to go along with seven rebounds, two blocks and two assists. The freshman’s 28 blocks are the 13th-most in the nation.
Christopher Mantis led all players in scoring with 17 on 7-9 shooting. The sophomore has scored three or more three-point baskets in four games this season. This was also the fourth game that Mantis led the team in scoring.
This was the third time this season that the Black & Gold tallied 100 points. They posted 142 against Warren Wilson and 103 vs. Carlow.
The Mountaineers earned a season-high 36 points off of turnovers, as well as 54 in the paint, 16 second-chance, 25 fast-break and 54 off the bench.
App State will finish nonconference play on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET as the squad competes in the Jerry Colangelo Classic against UC Santa Barbara on ESPN+. The contest will be played at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., home of the Suns.
By David Rogers. MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Having two players in double figures scoring didn’t help Watauga on Dec. 16, not when host Lake Norman High School had four.
Pioneer guards Kate Sears and Charlotte Torgerson scored 18 and 10 points, respectively, but the Wildcats countered with Kelsey Rhyne pouring in a game-high 20 points, with a double digit supporting cast of Alexis Shehan (18), Samantha Shehan (15), and Kristen Lewis-Williams (14).
The Shehan sisters accounted for 11 of the Wildcats’ 15 first quarter points and 12 of Lake Norman’s 24 point second period outburst, allowing the home team to jump out to a comfortable, 39-12 lead by halftime.
Watauga was limited to just a single 3-pointer by Sears in the first quarter as Lake Norman clamped down on defense, right from the get-go.
On the night, the Pioneers recorded eight successful 3-pointers — by Sears (3), Torgerson (3) and Julie Matheson (2) — but there was little other offensive production.
Interesting stat line: the Pioneers were 7-of-10 from the free throw line, but ALL of the free throw attempts came in the second half. Lake Norman was 1-for-1 in the first half, 4-of-7 in the second half.
Led by Rhyne’s three 3-pointers, Lake Norman totaled five successful shots from behind the arc. Much of the rest were from inside the paint, with dominant play from the 5-11 Shehan twins, both sophomores for the Wildcats.
Still undefeated at 10-0, Lake Norman will next go on the road to face A L Brown in Kannapolis on Dec. 19. At 6-2 on the still young season, Watauga will take any lessons learned to the Cherokee Invitational tournament (Dec. 20-22) for a first round matchup against Lee High School from Huntsville, Ala.
By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The first period of the first match wasn’t even complete before a pin-clinching whistle confirmed App State Wrestling’s intentions Thursday night.
The Mountaineers traveled to Chapel Hill ready to put up a tough, wire-to-wire fight against a ranked North Carolina team from the ACC.
In a top-30 showdown, with UNC ranking No. 21 in the NWCA Coaches Poll and as high as No. 17 among the other national polls, App State posted a 19-16 victory in Carmichael Arena to beat the Tar Heels for the second time in the last seven seasons.
Photo courtesy of App State Athletics
Caleb Smith’s first-period pin in a matchup of ranked 125-pound wrestlers gave App State (1-1) six big points right off the bat, and a trio of wins from NCAA-experienced veterans in Sean Carter, Jon Jon Millner and Will Formato pushed the lead to 16-7 with four matches remaining.
The next three matches pitted three ranked wrestlers from UNC against three App State underclassmen, but Will Miller capped just his second career dual appearance by winning a 7-5 decision against returning All-American and eighth-ranked Clay Lautt at 174 pounds. Miller delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 36 seconds left and finished on top to give the Mountaineers a 19-7 advantage.
Close decisions in UNC’s favor at the final three weights resulted in the final nine points for the Tar Heels (1-3), but App State exited Carmichael with its fifth all-time win in the series and the second victory in the modern era, joining the 18-16 home win against a 25th-ranked UNC team in Boone during the 2016-17 season.
The other wins in the series occurred in 1965-66, 1960-61 and 1959-60.
Photo courtesy of App State Athletics
The Tar Heels entered Thursday with a pair of losses to top-five Big Ten teams, plus a win against Campbell. For App State head coach JohnMark Bentley, whose team is unofficially 28th in this week’s NWCA Coaches Poll, it was his ninth victory against a Power Five conference program.
Twenty seconds remained in the first period when Smith followed a takedown with a cradle to earn three key bonus points via a pin of 33rd-ranked Jack Wagner at 125 pounds.
Up next at 133, Carter got a takedown early in the second period and stayed on top for the remainder of the period to lead 5-4 entering the third against No. 29 Joey Melendez. Carter then closed out an 8-4 decision thanks to another takedown.
The Tar Heels cut into a 9-0 deficit with a major decision at 141 pounds, but Millner needed only five seconds to get his first takedown of Danny Nini in an 11-2 major decision that produced four more points for a 13-4 advantage in the team race.
Making his first dual appearance, Tommy Askey hung tough in a 9-4 loss to Austin O’Connor, a 2021 national champion and 2022 All-American making his season debut at 157 pounds.
App State answered back with a 10-6 decision from Will Formato, whose aggressive attempts to push the margin into bonus-point territory at 165 pounds turned into some late scoring from Joey Mazzara.
Lautt led 4-2 after one period against Miller, who got in on some early shots but wasn’t able to turn them into takedowns. A second-period takedown enabled Miller to trim his deficit to 5-4 entering the third, which he opened with a quick escape.
Seventeenth-ranked Gavin Kane won an 8-6 decision against Luke Uliano at 184 pounds, but Uliano nearly overcame an 8-4 deficit (with four UNC takedowns) after one period. Uliano rode out the entire second period (after UNC chose down) and also stayed on top for the entire third period (after App State chose the top position) in his second career dual appearance.
True freshman Carson Floyd fell behind 4-1 in the early going against No. 31 Max Shaw at 197 pounds in his first career dual appearance and found his footing before dropping a 6-2 decision. UNC needed a pin in the final match to even the team score and have tiebreakers determine the dual, but Mason Fiscella was focused on trying to win in his first dual appearance as a heavyweight.
He nearly came up with a late takedown to beat veteran Brandon Whitman, but Whitman held on for a 3-2 victory.
The end of the dual didn’t result in any big celebrations from the Mountaineers, who split 10 matches with UNC last year and won four of 10 matches to open this season against No. 7 NC State.
No. 28 App State 19, No. 21 UNC 16
125: #23 Caleb Smith (APP) def. #33 Jack Wagner (UNC), fall (2:40)
133: #22 Sean Carter (APP) def. #29 Joey Melendez (UNC), 8-4 dec.
141: #25 Lachlan McNeil (UNC) def. Heath Gonyer (APP), 14-5 maj. dec.
149: #7 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Danny Nini (UNC), 11-2 maj. dec.
157: #6 Austin O’Connor (UNC) def. Tommy Askey (APP), 9-4 dec.
165: #26 Will Formato (APP) def. Joey Mazzara (UNC), 10-6 dec.
174: Will Miller (APP) def. #8 Clay Lautt (UNC), 7-5 dec.
184: #17 Gavin Kane (UNC) def. Luke Uliano (APP), 8-6 dec.
197: #31 Max Shaw (UNC) def. Carson Floyd (APP), 6-2
Hwt: Brandon Whitman (UNC) def. Mason Fiscella (APP) , 3-2
By Katherine Jamptgaard for App State Sports. DURHAM, N.C. – The App State women’s basketball team (3-6) fell to North Carolina Central (4-7), 72-70, on the road on Dec. 15.
Three Mountaineers scored in double-digits, with Janay Sanders leading the team with 18 points on the night. Junior Faith Alston scored the second-most points (14) and recorded a double-double, leading the team in rebounds with 11. Alston also drew 14 fouls from the Eagles. Freshman Alexis Black netted a career and season high 13 points, eight of which were scored in the second quarter.
The Mountaineers scored 17 points off the bench and 16 off turnovers.
NC Central jumped ahead early, sinking five of six treys, to take a 23-11 lead in the first quarter. The Mountaineers steadily chipped away at the lead, with Black finding her stride midway through the quarter with a jumper, layup, and two free throws within a minute of play.
Down 33-32 at the half, the Mountaineers battled through the third and fourth quarters, marking four lead changes and five ties. Sanders scored 16 of her team-high 18 points in the second half and tied the score at 70-70 with a layup in the last 14 seconds of play, but it wasn’t enough as the Eagles answered with a jumper of their own that gave them the final edge.
Four Eagles scored in double-digits and were led by Jerni Kiaku, who put up 20 of NCCU’s points.
UP NEXT
The Mountaineers’ last non-conference road trip continues, as the Black and Gold heads to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on No. 19 Michigan on Dec. 17 at 12 p.m. Saturday’s game will be available to stream on B1G+.
App State will close out its non-conference slate with its Ugly Sweater Game against Gardner-Webb on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. Fans can enter the ugly sweater contest for a chance to win a set of new airpods. Santa will also make an appearance at Tuesday’s game and will be available for photos.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With Hardin Park’s Miller Hankins exiled to the bench with two fouls early in the first half, Parkway took advantage of his absence to take a 22-11 lead at intermission. Hankins’ return and fierce rebounding on both ends of the court helped propel the Golden Eagles to an improbable rally to tie the game at the end of regulation to send it into overtime. With a strong inside effort by Lukas Flores adding to the Eagles’ cause, Hardin Park survived a late Parkway charge to win the Watauga County Middle School Championship Tournament, 38-36.
BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE
Daniel Jones (23) helped fuel Parkway’s big lead by intermission. Photographic image by David Rogers
Parkway’s Daniel Jones and Chase Watts nearly dominated the court in the first half with Hankins on the bench, who seemed to be the only one capable of neutralizing the Patriot duo’s athletic attack.
While Hankins’ return to the court in the second half sparked the Hardin Park rally and Flores’ coming to life with six of his game-high 13 points in the fourth quarter, it was Eagles’ guard Brodie Lippard’s bucket in overtime and Flores’ foul shot during the OT period that provided the winning margin.
Brodie Lippard (13) scored the game-winning points for Hardin Park in overtime against Parkway, for the Watauga County middle school championship. Photographic image by David Rogers
For Parkway, Watts recorded a team-high 12 points on the night, including a 3-pointer in the second quarter to expand the Patriot lead. Jones was close behind with 11, including 7-of-0 from the charity stripe as he often drew fouls driving to the basket.
Although Flores secured game-high honors with his 13 points, Hankins finished with a dozen, seven of them in the second half.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: This was Andrew Freeman’s first year as head coach of Hardin Park. He is a former Watauga High School varsity player, but before he was a Pioneer he played on a Hardin Park team that also won a Watauga County middle school championship.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With energy high in Lentz Eggers Gym on Dec. 15, Cali Townsend’s 8 points in just the first quarter along with a pressing Parkway defense sparked a decisive, 21-13 Patriot win over Blowing Rock in the championship game of the Watauga County middle school girls basketball tournament.
The Rockets played the Patriots close to even after the first frame, but could never make a good run to close the opening deficit.
Blowing Rock’s Anna Byrne drives for the hoop against Parkway on Dec. 15. Photographic image by David Rogers
As is often the case at this level of middle school basketball, turnovers, traveling calls, fouls and “jump balls” thwarted many an opportunity on both sides.
Townsend finished with a game-high 10 points while Anna Byrne recorded a team-high 5 points for the Rockets.
