By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — One semifinal was a decisive thumping by top-seeded Hardin Park over the No. 4-seed, Cove Creek (25-19, 25-10). The other semifinal was a nailbiter of a sweep by No. 3 upstart Blowing Rock at the expense of No. 2-seeded Parkway (25-20, 26-24). The final, though, went pretty much according to pro forma expectations, with the Rockets coming back to Earth in a 2-0 sweep by the Golden Eagles (25-5, 25-13).
Hardin Park had a near-perfect season, losing only one set throughout the season, to the Parkway, which finished the regular season No. 2. After a strong finish to the regular season, Blowing Rock finished No. 3 but didn’t surprise many by their strong showing in the tournament as the runner-up.
48 BONUS PHOTOS (click on any image for larger size and Slide Show Mode)
All photographic images by David Rogers for High Country Sports
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga 8th grader Kate James Moore not only finished the Western Highlands Middle School Conference 2-mile run hosted by Watauga High School as No. 1 in the Girls Division — but more than 90 seconds ahead of No. 2, Mitchell MS 7th grader Laney Glenn.
All told, Watauga had seven of the top 10 finishers. Behind Moore were Eden Gates (No. 3, 14:29.76, 8th grade), Liliana Resendiz (No. 4, 14:39.98, 8th grade), Estalee Davenport (No. 6, 15:27.46, 8th grade), Hannah Reule (No. 7, 15:47.12, 7th grade), Abbie Cutchens (No. 8, 15:49.27, 6th grade), and Elena Worley (No. 9, 16:01.05, 6th grade).
No. 5 was Amelia Minick in 15:03.13, a 7th grade student athlete representing Foothills Running.
Forty-three (43) student athletes competed in the Girls Division race, with Watauga taking home the team top prize (19 points), followed by Avery (60) and Mitchell (65).
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A strong team performance by the Grace Academy of Boone boys cross-country team highlighted the Western Highlands Middle School Conference meet hosted by Watauga High School on Oct. 7. Grace Academy swept the top four finishing positions and captured six of the top 10 spots.
Evan Gordon, a Grace Academy 8th grade student crossed the finish line as No. 1 for the two mile course, in 11:50.07. He was followed by teammates Micah Arnold (No. 2, 11:51.88, 7th grade), Brandon Gordon (No. 3, 12:31.36, 7th grade) and Weston Galy (No. 4, 12:41.72, 5th grade).
Grace Academy had a near-perfect team score of 16 points, followed by Watauga District Middle School at 43, Avery Middle School at 97, and East Yancey Middle School at 98.
Watauga’s top scorers include Yates Hodges (No. 6, 13:19.95, 8th grade), John Braxton (No. 8, 13:22.03, 7th grade), Ben Trivette (No. 10, 13:28.03, 8th grade) and William Leonard (No. 11, 13:28.97, 6th grade.
Forty-two student athletes competed in the Boys Division.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Led by sophomore Cali Townsend finishing No. 1, a full minute and 16 seconds ahead of runner-up Annabelle Hanson of Forsyth Home Educators, Watauga High School captured eight of the top 10 spots in the women’s division of the Blue Ridge Mountain Rentals High Country Cross Country Classic on Sept. 27. The course distance was 5,000 meters
In the high school men’s division, Watauga had six runners among the top 10, with senior Elliott Taft crossing the finishing line No. 2, roughly 15 seconds behind Sattler Hancox of Forsyth Home Educators over the 5,000 meters course. The Pioneers ran away with the Men’s team title. Also in the top 10 were No. 4 Grady Gates, No. 5 Levi Anderson, No. 7 Jonah Anderson, No. 8 James Bostrom, and No. 9 Calvin Zwetsloot, Pioneer freshman Sean Rea and junior Brian Newmark were not far behind at No. 12 and No. 13, respectively.
In the women’s race, Townsend was the leader among a pack of Watauga athletes that included freshman Josie Mayo at No. 3, senior Janie Beach-Verhay at No. 4, junior Lainey Johnston at No. 5, sophomore Lily Kimbrough at No. 6, junior Susanna Goff at No. 7, and sophomore Nora Price at No. 8. Rounding out the top 10 was freshman Sophia Stull.
In the Junior Varsity men’s division, Watauga had eight of the top 12 finishers in No. 1 Holden Womak, No. 2 AJ McAuley, No. 4 Cormac Walker, No. 6 Ike Mance, No. 8 Tallon Abrams, No. 10 Cole Gray, No. 11 Caleb Duvall, and No. 12 Andrew Weikert.
Ashe County was well represented among the JV men, including No. 3 Bryson Roten, No. 5 Jamie Barker, and No. 7 Sam Pyles, all sophomores. The Huskies’ Brody Denny, a freshman, finished No. 9.
Reflecting the depth of the Watauga cross country roster, the Pioneers swept the first seven spots in the Junior Varsity women’s division: No. 1 Zoey Stille, No. 2 Riley Benson, No. 3 Claire Nance, No. 4 Grace Scantlin, No. 5 Julia Benson, No. 6 Noelle Bollman, and No. 7 Carrie Bradbury. Ashe County senior Emily Lewis was No. 8, just ahead of Watauga’s Anna Norris (No. 9) and Julian Martin (No. 10).
Liberty Prep eighth grader Noah Weber prevailed as No. 1 in the Middle School Boys Division, ahead of a trio of Grace Academy of Boone runners (Evan Gordon, Micah Arnold, and Brandon Gordon). Watauga Middle School’s top performers in the boys division were seventh grader John Braxton at No. 14 and eighth graders Yates Hodges and Kailu Rodli-Bost, No. 16 and No. 18, respectively.
Watauga fared better in the Middle School Girls Division, where eighth grade Kate James Moore dominated as the No. 1, finishing the 2-mile course 39 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, Legacy Athletics’ Ainsley Landry. Watauga’s Eden was No. 6, while Lilliana Resendiz was No. 8.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Hardin Park’s middle school volleyball team made short work of Bethel, 2-0 (25-11, 25-10) on Sept. 25, then repeated their league leading performance against Valle Crucis, 2-0 925-7, 25-7).
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Blowing Rock and Hardin Park sat atop the leaderboard with 2-0 records after the Sept. 4 season-opening volleyball matches in middle school play.
In 2-set sweeps, Blowing Rock overcame late Green Valley rallies to take decisive wins, then survived an overtime finish in the first set vs. Cove Creek before dominating the second. The Raiders from Cove Creek prevailed in two tight matchups with Green Valley.
Hardin Park had little trouble with Valle Crucis and Mabel in more straight set sweeps, but Parkway suffered a first set loss before rallying to take the second and third sets from Bethel.
The teams resume play on Sept. 9, with Green Valley, Bethel and Valle Crucis facing off in the Old Cove Creek Gym; Parkway and Cove Creek traveling to Hardin Park, and Blowing Rock hosting Mabel. First matches at each location are slated for 4 p.m.
SEPT. 4 SCORES
Mabel 2, Valle Crucis 0 (28-26, 25-21)
Hardin Park 2, Valle Crucis 0 (25-14, 25-6)
Hardin Park 2, Mabel 0 (25-5, 25-14)
Parkway 2, Bethel 1 (25-27, 25-17, 25-11)
Blowing Rock 2, Green Valley 0 (25-15, 25-17)
Blowing Rock 2, Cove Creek 0 (26-24, 25-8)
Cove Creek 2, Green Valley 0 (25-20, 25-23)
BONUS PHOTOS from Green Valley vs. Blowing Rock
Blowing Rock’s Mary Gatliff Lile (3) sets the ball vs. Green Valley on Sept. 4, 2025. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
By Jared Everett. BOONE, N.C. — For most of its Aug. 27 season-opening matchup, Watauga District Middle School matched everything the visiting Table Rock MS football team threw at them. However, the Wolverines could not overcome the five turnovers that disrupted promising offensive possessions in ultimately losing to the visitors, 22-14.
All photos by Jared Everett, processed by David Rogers for High Country Sports.
By David Rogers. BRISTOL, Tenn. (remote) — With nearly 300 cross country athletes competing in each of the middle school boys and girls division, the 2025 Run for the Hills races at South Holston Dam were primed for harrier excitement. The Watauga District Middle School team (11 girls and 10 boys) didn’t disappoint, with strong performances highlighted by Kate James Moore’s No. 2 finish in the girls race.
GIRLS RACE
Liberty Bell eighth grader Cate Holden finished No. 1 (8:48.80) out of the 238 student athletes competing in the 2400-Meter Girls Division, which included 21 schools qualifying for team scoring. In addition, there were several athletes from schools with fewer than five runners entered, as well as a handful of unattached competitors.
Watauga’s Moore finished just 14 seconds behind Holden for the 1.49 miles’ distance, in 9:07.10, and more than 10 seconds ahead of No. 3 finisher, Isabella Regalado, of Jonesborough MS. A total of 12 student-athletes from eight different schools crossed the finish line in under 10 minutes.
Watauga earned a No. 6 placing in the team competition, which was won by Holden’s Liberty Bell. All but two of the Boone-based girls finished in the top half of the field, including Eden Gates (No. 32), Hannah Reule (No. 36), Liliana Resendiz (No. 39), Addie Greer (No. 57), Estalee Davenport (No. 62), Mia Kelley (No. 71), Anna Brooks Heistand (No. 97), and Abbie Cutchens (No. 105). Watauga 6th grader competed with the older runners, finishing strong at No. 142, followed by 7th grade student, Ellie Cobb at No. 229.
According to Meredith Moore, Kate James Moore’s runner-up time of 9:07.10 is the sixth fastest time in the history of the Run for the Hills event.
BOYS RACE
Indian Trail MS of Johnson City only finished No. 8 in the Boys Division team competition, but had the event’s No. 1 individual performer in 8th grader Justin Wicker (8:17.70). Out of 282 athletes competing in the Boys Division, Watauga District MS didn’t have any team members finish higher than No. 31, but all five individuals calculated in the team score finished in the top 100. That included Yates Hodges (No. 33), Ben Trivette (No. 34), John Braxton (No. 51), William Leonard (No. 60) and Olin Coley (No. 114). Jayden Perez-Zhu, Damien Johnson, and Miles Pearson also finished in the top half of the field. Tye Friedham and Max Friedham also pushed themselves to personal records for the race.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With 36 schools and 890 student athletes converging on the Watauga High School cross country course, you not only have to expect a lot of parents, grandparents and family friends, but also a lot of coaches and alums of various programs. It all made for a lot of energy in and around the course on a classic “Chamber of Commerce Day” in the High Country for the Pioneers-hosted “Clash of the Classes” on Aug. 16.
Watauga High School head coach Randy McDonough said it was the most schools and the most runners to ever participate in Clash of the Classes, which has run continuously since being started in the 1980s by former App State head coach, John Weaver. McDonough became Watauga’s coach in 1993 and later took over as event director for Clash of the classes, heading it ever since.
The top 15 finishers in each class earned a medal, but for the vast majority of student athletes it was as much about finishing and lowering personal bests as it was about winning.
The Middle School Girls race jumpstarted the day’s 10 races in ‘Clash of the Classes’ on Aug. 16 at Watauga High School. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports.
MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS
Watauga 8th grader Kate James Moore ran away with the race, crossing the finish line more than 46 seconds ahead of a trio of athletes from Providence Academy in Rose Holland, Mia Fox and Hadley Cowert. Another trio of runners, all unattached, were across the line next, including Anna Summers, Lila Carter, and Cora Taft.
Watauga District Middle School’s Kate James Moore was the decisive winner in the Middle SchoolGirls race for ‘Clash of the Classes’ on Aug. 16. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Highlighted by Moore’s No. 1 trek around the 2-mile course in 13:13.47, the other members of the top seven were all under 15 minutes. A total of 41 student-athletes competed in the Middle School Girls division. “Middle School” is a little bit misleading, however, because there were runners as young as 2nd graders from Run for Life Iredell — and a 4th grader from Run for Life Iredell, Rebekah Milos (15:17.86), who was No. 12 to cross the finish line, well ahead of almost 30 older athletes.
Only three schools had enough entrants to qualify for team scoring, led by Watauga District (31), Run for Life Iredell (40) and Langtree Charter Academy (59).
MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS
It was a photo finish — and Boone was well represented in the Middle School Boys division by Grace Academy, with team members taking four of the top six spots, including No. 1 Evan Gordon (11:37.56), No. 2 Micah Arnold (11:37.92), No. 5 Brandon Gordon and No. 6 Evan Dredla.
Evan Gordon and Micah Arnold of Grace Academy came across the finish line within a second of each other on Aug. 16, in the Middle School Boys division of ‘Clash of the Classes’ at Watauga High School. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Arnold, Gordon and Dredla are all 7th graders. In between the Grace Academy runners were a pair of Providence Academy performers, No. 3 Jake Robinson (11:52.22) and No. 4 Finn Blackburn (13:07.39).
Sixty-three student harriers made up the field. Watauga 7th grader John Braxton finished No. 10, as the top Wolverine runner, closely followed by 8th grader Yates Hodges at No. 11.
Grace Academy picked up No. 1 team honors, with 27 points, followed by Providence Academy (39), Lakeshore Middle School (83), Watauga District Middle Schools (96), Run 4 Life Iredell (115) and Chestnut Grove Middle School (170).
9th GRADE WOMEN
RESULTS NOT AVAILABLE
9th GRADE MEN
Watauga freshman Sean Rea was the first Pioneer to cross the line at No. 5, after Seth Marciante (No. 1, 11:08.17, Daniel Boone HS), Liam Crews (No. 2, 11:13.03, A.L. Brown HS), Will Shaffer (No. 3, 11:29.14, William A. Hough HS) and Mason Moore (No. 4, 11:30.14, Oak Grove HS). At No. 5, Rea finished in 11:31.02)
The Watauga team rallied around their Freshman entrants in ‘Clash of the Classes’ on Aug. 16, with a cry of ‘Go Mudcats!’ Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Ninety-two (92) freshman student athletes toed the line for the start of the race.
9th Grade Men Team Scoring:
West Henderson (70)
William A. Hough (80)
A L Brown (101)
Daniel Boone (112)
Mooresville (113)
Watauga (114)
David Crockett (121)
Providence Academy (158)
10th GRADE WOMEN
One of the star performances among all the races was put in by Watauga sophomore Cali Townsend, finishing No. 1 (11:35.29) in the 10th Grade Women’s division. Townsend was almost a full minute ahead of No. 2, Arvella Nave (12:35.07) of Elizabethton HS.
And they’re off! — at the start of the 10th Grade Women’s race in ‘Clash of the Classes,’ Aug. 16. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
It was a large division, with 94 student athletes competing. Watauga’s Nora Price was the second Pioneer to cross the line, finishing No. 8 (13:30.36).
Medalist Olivia Ogle (No. 14, 13:50.85), stopped to talk with High Country Sports after her race. Asked why she ran, Ogle said, “I love the feel of the adrenaline at the start of a race. I love competing, but winning is secondary. Getting better every time I run is the goal. It’s about personal development.”
The top 15 finishers of every race in ‘Clash of the Classes’ earned a medal. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Asked about the Watauga course, she said, “It is beautiful up here. There are a lot of terrain changes, from uneven grass and gravel to pavement and a gravel finish. I’m glad I wore my spikes.”
10th Grade Women Team Scores:
A C Reynolds (31)
Watauga (35)
R J Reynolds (82)
West Henderson (109)
West Cabarrus (125)
Oak Grove (144)
Alexander Central (185)
10th GRADE MEN
With a stirring “kick” in the last 100 yards, Oak Grove’s Bryson Vann captured the No. 1 title in the 10th Grade Men’s division, crossing the line in 10:50.27. He was followed by No. 2 Grant Collum (10:59.27, William A. Hough HS), No. 3 Paxton Lawver (11:07.18, Lake Norman HS), No. 4 Dylan Robinson (11:14.39, Providence Academy), and No. 5 Obie Greene (11:16.90, West Henderson).
Oak Grove HS sophomore Bryson Vann was pretty psyched in winning the 10th Grade Men’s division race in Aug. 16’s ‘Clash of the Classes’ at Watauga High School. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The field was comprised of 74 student athletes. The top Watauga performer was Cormac Walker at No. 20 (12:22.55).
10th Grade Team Scores:
Ardrey Kell (28)
R J Reynolds (29)
A L Brown (73)
The start of the 11th grade Women’s division race, Aug. 16, for ‘Clash of the Classes.’ Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
11th GRADE WOMEN
Watauga place two harriers in the top 10 of the 11th grade race, No. 5 Lainey Johnston (13:26.37) and No. 8 Susanna Goff (13:45.35), among the 74 student athletes competing.
The race leaders were No. 1 Olivia Teeter of Mooresville (12:52.58), No. 2 Savannah Piazza of David Crockett HS (13:11.04), No. 3 Lorraine Hunter (unattached, 13:13.52), and No. 4 Ava Nutter of Daniel Boone HS (13:14.59).
11th Grade Women Team Scores:
William A. Hough (44)
West Henderson (51)
Ardrey Kell (54)
R J Reynolds (78)
East Rowan (105)
Ahmn Byrd of Mooresville jumped out to an early lead — and kept expanding it on Aug. 16 in the 11th Grade Men’s division of ‘Clash of the Classes’ at Watauga High School. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
11TH GRADE MEN
Ahmn Byrd of Mooresville used a fast-closing sprint to capture the 11th Grade Men’s division, finishing in 10:28.90, just ahead of No. 2 Gavin Christian of Daniel Boone HS (10:36.41). R J Reynolds’ Colin Ehrman was only a second behind as No. 3 (10:37.95), with Adam Dreier of Ardrey Kell at No. 4 (10:45.95) and Clay Summers of R J Reynolds crossing the line at No. 5 (10:47.49).
Ninety (90) student athletes competed in the division, with James Bostrom (No. 11, 11:08.07) and Grady Gates (No. 16, 11:32.14) were the top Watauga finishers.
11th Grade Men Team Scores:
Daniel Boone HS (49)
Ardrey Kell (68)
West Stokes (104)
R J Reynolds (109)
Watauga (117)
Mooresville (141)
William A. Hough (148)
A L Brown (156)
East Rowan (224)
12th GRADE WOMEN
West Henderson’s Amron Rice was first to cross the finish line in the 12th Grade Women’s division, touring the 2-mile course in 12:16.64, well ahead of No. 2 Sadie Honeycutt (12:52.07, Daniel Boone HS) and Hannah Robinson of Providence Academy (13:02.50).
First across the line for Watauga in the No. 4 position was Janie Beach-Verhay, in 13:13.26. Because West Henderson, Daniel Boone, and Providence Academy did not have at least seven runners in this particular class, Beach-Verhay was scored No. 1 for team scoring.
12th Grade Women Team Scoring:
Ardrey Kell (37)
Watauga (43)
A C Reynolds (61)
David Crockett (78)
Janie Beach-Verhay (center, smiling) was Watauga’s top finisher in the 12th Grade Women’s division of ‘Clash of the Classes,’ Aug. 16. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
12th GRADE MEN
Daniel Boone HS’s Fisher Battel crossed the line No. 1 in the day’s final race, completing the course in 10:07.81, the fastest performance of the day. He was followed by Luke Vannoy (No. 2, 10:11.65, Oak Grove HS), Julian Coladonato (No. 3, 10:30.02, A C Reynolds HS), Hunter Creech (No. 4, 10:39.32, Oak Grove HS) and Aiden Edwards (No. 5, 10:39.97, Oak Grove HS).
The 12th Grade Men’s division gof off to a fast start, Aug. 16, for ‘Clash of the Classes.’ Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
With 80 runners competing, Watauga was led by Elliott Taft (No. 13, 11:11.58), Zeke Walker (No. 16, 11:21.18) and Calvin Zwetsloot (11:23.81).
By David Rogers. CONCORD, N.C. — Considering that many of the events had well over 100 entries, Watauga’s middle school team did pretty well, even if capturing no first place medals in the North Carolina Middle School State Meet at Robinson High School on May 3, with athletes from 100 North Carolina middle schools from across the state.
A few Watauga highlights:
Vivian Hans placed No. 24 out of 115 in the Girls 100 Meters and No. 15 out of 106 participants in the Girls 400 Meters.
Ember Honeycutt placed no. 10 out of 41 athletes in the Girls High Jump
Ellie Helms was No. 6 in the Girls Discus and No. 5 in the Girls Shot Put out of 52 and 51 entries, respectively
Sawyer Blackburn finished No. 17 in the Boys 400 out of 127 entries
Sean Rea placed No. 18 in the Boys 1600 among 116 entries
David Ballenger-Peters was No. 3 in the Boys 110 Hurdles out of 54 entries and No. 3 in the Boys 300 Hurdles out of 46 entries
Although the state meet was shortened somewhat because of inclement weather, to provide a perspective of Watauga accomplishments vs. the number of entries in each event, we offer the following.
The Watauga team was comprised of 15 girls and 16 boys, most competing in multiple events.
