The Big Time Bulldogs seventh-grade boys and fifth-grade girls basketball teams won USSSA state and regional tournament championships last weekend in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

The Big Time Bulldogs seventh-grade boys and fifth-grade girls basketball teams won USSSA state and regional tournament championships last weekend in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

The Bulldogs are based out of Asheville and plan to host three basketball camps this summer at Asheville High (in the old gym). The dates are June 27-30, July 11-14 and July 28-21.

For more information, contact Mike Watkins at monyellwatkins@yahoo.com.

The Big Time Bulldogs seventh-grade boys and fifth-grade girls basketball teams won USSSA state and regional tournament championships last weekend in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

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West Henderson senior Taylor Houck (14) has signed to play college volleyball for Tennessee Tech.

As of today, there are 225 Western North Carolina athletes who have committed or signed to play college sports.

The following list includes scholarship and walk-on athletes.

Coaches, parents and athletes, if you know of anyone we have missed or have signing photos to share throughout the school year, please send an e-mail to apearson@citizen-times.com. All signing photos will be posted here on the High School Huddle and to our Instagram account.

BASEBALL

Garrett Blaylock, Roberson to Vanderbilt*

Kyle Cagle, Reynolds to Carson-Newman

Noah Cook, Hendersonville to Montreat

Trenton Davis, Roberson to Campbell

Ryan Decker, North Henderson to North Carolina Central

Cam Dotson, Rosman to Brevard College

J.D. Edwards, Polk County to Brevard College

Zack Epps, Swain County to Chattanooga State

Will Fleming, Christ School to Wake Forest*

Nate Fore, Roberson to Belmont Abbey

Colton Garland, Mountain Heritage to South Carolina-Aiken

Langston Haden, Asheville to Millsaps

Noah Heatherly, Tuscola to Piedmont

Cole Hooper, Smoky Mountain to N.C. State*

Trystan Jones, Madison to Brevard College

Tyler Leek, Hayesville to North Greenville

Tyler Petit, Rosman to Brevard College

Josh Rice, Rosman to Central Alabama

Jake Sutton, Tuscola to Brevard College

Hunter Stewart, Blue Ridge to Mars Hill

Ryan Zwier, Christ School to Washington (Md.)

BASKETBALL

Tory Agrusa, Franklin to Catawba Valley

Brooklyn Allen, Pisgah to Appalachian State

Zach Cottrell, Hayesville to Appalachian State

John Fulkerson, Christ School to Tennessee

Kendra Griffin, Erwin to Charleston

Lauren Guthrie, North Buncombe to Montreat

Chapman Harwood, Temple Baptist to Bob Jones

Tess Harris, Carolina Day to Western Carolina

Jessica Hoilman, Avery County to Emory & Henry

Josh Jones, Reynolds to William Peace

Spencer Kirkpatrick, Carolina Day to North Greenville

Hayley Kropp, Polk County to Guilford Tech

LeLe Lossiah, Cherokee to Warren Wilson

Colby Maltry, North Buncombe to Brevard College

Cheyenne Matson, McDowell to Erskine

Jason McMillan, Cherokee to Western Carolina

Rachel Owen, Rosman to Brevard College

Mikayla Ray, Carolina Day to William Peace

Zach Reeves, Christ School to Lindsey Wilson

Ben Riddle, Blue Ridge to Central Carolina

Damon Scott, Asheville to Emory & Henry

Jordan Shepherd, Asheville Christian Academy to Oklahoma

Zach Stroup, Rosman to Brevard College

Jamal Tanner, Polk County to Catawba Valley

Jacob Waldroop, Avery County to Milligan

Kaitlyn Wood, Smoky Mountain to Montreat

CHEERLEADING & DANCE

Jessica Clifford, Tuscola to Wake Forest

Macey Davis, Tuscola to North Carolina

FIELD HOCKEY

Lia Messersmith, Asheville to Mount Holyoke

FOOTBALL

Isaac Allen, Mountain Heritage to Wingate

Tommy Apostolopoulos, North Buncombe to Centre

Najae Buchanan, Reynolds to Mars Hill

Bryson Buckner, Enka to Mars Hill

Tanner Bullock, West Henderson to Brevard College

Britt Burleson, Mountain Heritage to Lenoir-Rhyne

Wyatt Burnette, Franklin to Western Carolina

Chase Campbell, McDowell to Emory & Henry

Michael Cantrell, Enka to Mars Hill

Jordan Cody, Swain County to Mars Hill

Michael Cook, Hendersonville to Guilford

Trevor Craft, North Henderson to Brevard College

Jordan Davis, Tuscola to Carson-Newman

Rico Dowdle, Reynolds to South Carolina

Chase Fisher, Smoky Mountain to Western Carolina

Caleb Gilbert, Brevard to Brevard College

Trace Goldsmith, East Henderson to Mars Hill

Tanner Green, Rosman to Carson-Newman

Brent Hammer, Avery County to Averett

Austin Hedrick, Robbinsville to Limestone

Aundreas Hill, Reynolds to Mars Hill

Mason Isgrig, North Buncombe to Centre

Brandon Johnson, North Henderson to Brevard College

Pete Leota, Asheville to South Carolina

A.J. Logan, Reynolds to Appalachian State

David Mackey, Pisgah to Mars Hill

Jake Marr, Swain County to Carson-Newman

Cole McCarson, North Henderson to Centre

Rayonte Mills, Erwin to Maryville

Colton Millsaps, Robbinsville to Mars Hill

Drew Mitchell, North Henderson to Brevard College

Kennan Panther, Cherokee to Carson-Newman

Cameron Parker, Roberson to East Tennessee State

Blaise Parker, McDowell to Centre

Chase Parker, North Buncombe to Wingate

Michael Parrott, Pisgah to Alabama*

Stephen Perron, West Henderson to Centre

Marc Peterson, Erwin to Maryville

Clay Privette, West Henderson to Brevard College

Michael Schmidt, Hendersonville to Air Force

David Schill, Asheville School to Centre

Jay Spencer, East Henderson to Mars Hill

Hunter Stanley, Rabun Gap (Cashiers resident) to Gardner-Webb

Logan Teesateskie, Cherokee to Carson-Newman

Tristan Thomas, West Henderson to Carson-Newman

Ricky Thrash, North Buncombe to North Carolina Wesleyan

Eunique Waters, Reynolds to Shorter

Zach Webster, Tuscola to Carson-Newman

Ashton Woodring, North Henderson to Brevard College

GOLF

Chris Akers, Christ School to East Carolina

Nick Boone, Pisgah to Mars Hill

Ashley Cauthen, East Henderson to Milligan

Michael Freeman, Christ School to Davidson

Thomas Garbee, Christ School to Navy

Aaron Graham, Christ School to Appalachian State

Kelton Mills, Hendersonville to Alcorn State

Carson Ownbey, Christ School to Charlotte%

Callista Rice, North Buncombe to Clemson*

Candler Rice, Carolina Day to Berry

Matt Sharpstene, Roberson to West Virginia

Andrew Stewart, Erwin to Montreat

LACROSSE

Bailey Gentry, Franklin to Truett McConnell

Will Iorio, Christ School to VMI

Riley Smith, Christ School to High Point

ROWING

Jake Brock, Roberson to Jacksonville

Abby Hudspeth, Roberson to North Carolina

Caleigh Sewell, Roberson to North Carolina

SOCCER

Jeremy Allsbrook, Polk County to Gardner-Webb

Celine Jacobi Barham, Reynolds to Cape Fear

Corban Crosley, Asheville Christian Academy to Liberty

Kaley Cross, Reynolds to Lenoir-Rhyne

Alejandro Escobedo, Enka to Brevard College

Mac Gourlay, Carolina Day to N.C. State*

Nick Green, Avery County to Maryville

Karissa Grooms, Reynolds to Chowan

Elizabeth Guffey, home-schooled student to Taylor

Emma Hall, Asheville to Francis Marion*

Katlyn Hill, East Henderson to Brevard College

Austin Howard, Carolina Day to Denison

Emily Hull, Carolina Day to Davidson*

Will Jones, Asheville to Emory

Bryan Juarez, East Henderson to Brevard College

Caroline Lee, Polk County to Southeastern Louisiana

Joevell Lee, Enka to Brevard College

Ty Lenk, Owen to New Rochelle

Ashley Love, Polk County to Emory & Henry

Jordan Melvin, Reynolds to Tusculum

Urijah Morrison, Reynolds to North Caroina Wesleyan

River Naisang, Reynolds to Mars Hill

Ben Nickol, Tuscola to Wofford

Aidan O’Brien, Asheville to South Carolina*

Cassidy Pate-Moore, Tuscola to Queens

Ashlyn Perkins, Reynolds to Mars Hill

Young Perry, Christ School to Wofford

Wil Rimer, Polk County to Emory & Henry

Roberto Salazar, East Henderson to Brevard College

Christina Shimshock, Reynolds to Lenoir-Rhyne

Rachel Swaim, Tuscola to Greensboro

Massi Tager, Asheville to Emory & Henry

Ashley Weidlich, Tuscola to Tusculum

Sidnie Yanez, Cherokee to Brevard College

SOFTBALL

Cassidy Allen, North Buncombe to Mars Hill

Kloyee Anderson, Enka to Alabama%

Alivia Brigman, Owen to Piedmont

Teegan Bullock, North Henderson to Brevard*

Casey Gilbert, Brevard to Walters State

Brittany Fletcher, Enka to Texas Woman’s

Samantha Gosnell, Madison to Milligan

Haley Gowan, McDowell to South Carolina-Aiken

Addison Harris, Enka to Mars Hill

Josie Harris, Reynolds to Montreat

Jordan Kielson, Pisgah to Lander%

Ashley Love, Polk County to Emory & Henry

Micayla McCoy, Smoky Mountain to Georgia Highlands

Makayla McNeill, Brevard to Brevard College

Michaela Morris, West Henderson to King

Autumn Owen, Polk County to Gardner-Webb%

Courtney Pearson, Enka to Queens

Olivia Presley, Owen to Brevard College

Samantha Schmidt, Roberson to Erskine

Mikki Shelton, McDowell to Montreat

Haylie Shope, Hiwassee Dam to Kennesaw State

Jaiden Tweed, Owen to Presbyterian%

Aly Woody, McDowell to Montreat

SWIMMING

Cora Dodson, Tuscola to Lenoir-Rhyne

Annie Ly, Tuscola to King

Jack MacDonald, Tuscola to Cleveland State

Emma May, Carolina Day to Centre

Tori Rigsby, Erwin to Mars Hill

TENNIS

Christine Osborne, Owen to Montreat

Savannah Smith, West Henderson to Belmont-Abbey

TRACK & FIELD

Jessica Bailey, Polk County to Salem

Jade Baldwin, East Henderson to Campbell

Mitchell Brown, Polk County to Winston-Salem State

Nathan Brown, East Henderson to Mars Hill

Tameeia Brown, Polk County to Western Carolina

Logan Burroughs, East Henderson to Pfeiffer

Lydia Cagle, Tuscola to Shippensburg

Skyler Cantrell, Madison to Mars Hill

Kaitlyn Carringer, Robbinsville to Milligan

Naomi Cartier, Asheville to Boston College

Gabi Davis, Asheville School to Emory

Jacob Davis, Roberson to Charlotte

Rylee Dean, West Henderson to Western Carolina

Sean Doyle, Polk County to Appalachian State

Jacob Franklin, Tuscola to Adams State

Mason Isgrig, North Buncombe to Centre

Hannah Jones, Tuscola to Gardner-Webb

Chesley Krug, Roberson to Navy

Shawnda Martin, Robbinsville to Western Carolina

Blakely Moore, Highlands to Lee

Noah Shore, Asheville to North Carolina

Brooke Turner, Tuscola to Liberty

Sage Turner, Enka to UNC Asheville

Adam Urbaniuk, Hayesville to Western Carolina

Anna Vess, Reynolds to N.C. State

Garret Welsh, Owen to Milligan

Amy Yarborough, Hendersonville to Western Carolina

VOLLEYBALL

Morgan Ballard, North Buncombe to Wofford

Alex Boone, Mountain Heritage to Charlotte*

Gracie Carrick, West Henderson to Winthrop

Liana Elliott, McDowell to Montreat

Ramsey Fullmer, Smoky Mountain to Catawba Valley

Destynee Galloway, West Henderson Francis Marion*

Taylor Houck, West Henderson to Tennessee Tech

SallyAnne Johnson, Enka to Mars Hill

Sierra Jones, West Henderson to Presbyterian*

Courtney Koehler, Reynolds to South Carolina

Caroline Marsh, North Henderson to UNC Wilmington*

Cameron McAbee, North Buncombe to Tusculum

Isabella Perron, West Henderson to Queens

Gabrielle Rancourt, Asheville School to Muhlenberg

Emily Russell, Reynolds to Towson

WRESTLING

Solomon Duncan, Mitchell to Johns Hopkins

Conor Fenn, Asheville School to Davidson

Jon Hall, Enka to Ferrum

Jeremiah Royer, Pisgah to Greensboro

Conan Wilson, Erwin to Greensboro

* – junior

% – sophomore

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Tuscola junior Caleb Ferguson placed second out of more than 100 football players in the standing long jump at last weekend’s Blue-Grey All-American Bowl Mid-Atlantic Super Regional combine in Richmond, Va.

Tuscola junior Caleb Ferguson placed second out of more than 100 football players in the standing long jump at last weekend’s Blue-Grey All-American Bowl Mid-Atlantic Super Regional combine in Richmond, Va.

Ferguson jumped 9 feet, 8 inches.

Athletes from North Carolina, Alabama, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia worked out for Blue-Grey coaches inside the Washington Redskins’ training camp facility.

Selections for the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl are expected to be made in August.

Ferguson was an All-Western North Carolina Athletic Conference running back for the Mountaineers (7-5) last season who rushed for 1,196 yards and 19 touchdowns.

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Franklin senior Tory Agrusa has signed to play basketball for Catawba Valley Community College.

Franklin senior Tory Agrusa has signed to play basketball for Catawba Valley Community College.

Agrusa was an All-Western North Carolina Athletic Conference guard for the Panthers (14-11) who averaged 12.8 points per game last winter. She was selected to the Blue-White All-Star game and received all-district recognition from the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association.

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Rosman senior Cam Dotson has signed to play baseball for Brevard College.

Rosman seniors Cam Dotson and Tyler Petit have signed to play baseball for Brevard College.

Both players were All-Smoky Mountain Conference selections for the Tigers (17-6) this past season.

Dotson was a second baseman/pitcher who batted .434 with 30 RBIs, five doubles, two triples and 31 runs scored. On the mound, he was 1-0 with a save, a 3.57 earned-run average and 22 strikeouts in 15.2 innings pitched.

Petit was a first baseman/pitcher and the SMC Co-Player of the Year. He batted .418 with 29 RBIs, five home runs, five doubles, a triple and 22 runs scored. As a pitcher, Petit was 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 21.1 innings pitched.

He earned a NCHSAA Performance of the Week award in March after going 5-for-7 with seven RBIs in three wins over Brevard, Robbinsville and Swain County.

More on this story to come….

Rosman senior Tyler Petit has signed to play baseball for Brevard College.

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Enka won its second consecutive NCHSAA 3-A softball championship on Saturday in Greensboro.

Once again, Enka can lay claim to being not only a NCHSAA champion, but one of the state’s best softball teams in any classification.

The Sugar Jets (26-3) are second in the season’s final computer-generated North Carolina rankings from MaxPreps behind only NCHSAA 4-A champion West Forsyth (30-2).

The rankings cover all four NCHSAA classes.

Enka swept No. 3 C.B. Aycock (30-2) in the best-of-three 3-A state championship series which wrapped up Saturday at UNC Greensboro.

By doing so, the Sugar Jets became the first back-to-back NCHSAA championship softball team from Western North Carolina since Owen’s 2-A repeat in 1999 and 2000.

Other WNC teams in the final top-50 of the MaxPreps rankings are Pisgah (No. 24), Madison (No. 27) and Reynolds (No. 29).

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The Asheville American Legion Post 70 team is 4-0 ahead of Thursday night’s home game against Cherryville.

• Cherryville
• Asheville 7 p.m. 

Can’t make it to Skyland?

The Citizen-Times will provide live, continuous updates from Thursday night’s American Legion baseball game between Asheville Post 70 (4-0) and Cherryville (3-4). Updates will begin shortly before the first pitch at 7 p.m. from Roberson’s Holmes-Smith Field.

For more on Thursday’s game, go here.

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NCHSAA

From the NCHSAA:

CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association in conjunction with Wells Fargo released the final standings in the 37th annual Wells Fargo Cup competitions for the 2015-16 academic year. The award recognizes the high schools that achieve the best overall interscholastic athletic performance within each of the state’s four competitive classifications.

Two of last year’s cup winners secured repeat championships this year as Carrboro claimed 2A for the fifth time in a row. Green Hope continued a streak of winning at least a share of the title in seven-consecutive years as the 4A Cup Champion. Weddington slipped past Marvin Ridge to win the 3A Cup by a mere 2.5 points while Community School of Davidson claimed the school’s first Cup title after a solid year in all three sports seasons.

“We are extremely grateful to Wells Fargo for their commitment to recognizing our champions and overall excellence within our membership,” said Que Tucker, NCHSAA Commissioner. “Schools that win this competition do so because of a tremendous desire to excel in all of their athletic programs and we are appreciative of Wells Fargo’s partnership to highlight their achievements.”

After Apex tied Green Hope for the Cup in the 2014-15 academic year, the Falcons only shared title in the last seven years, Green Hope returns to sole possession of the top spot in the 4A ranks. The Falcons put forward incredibly strong winter and spring seasons to reach the title by a comfortable 147.5-point margin. Green Hope took home a State Championship in Men’s Indoor Track as well as second place finishes in Women’s Indoor Track and Women’s Swimming during the winter. They followed that up with top eight finishes in six of the nine championship offerings during the spring. Their top spring finishes were a runner-up spot in Baseball and a third place finish in Men’s Track & Field.

The 3A race was one of the closest finishes in the Cup’s history as Weddington edged Marvin Ridge by 2.5 points. The Warriors held on for the victory by sweeping both Men’s and Women’s Soccer State Championships as well as State Titles in Men’s Cross Country and Men’s Indoor Track. They also had third place finishes in Women’s Swimming & Diving, Men’s Outdoor Track and Women’s Cross Country to help bolster their total. Marvin Ridge made an excellent push toward the Warriors in the spring season as the Mavericks were the top 3A points receiver in four sports. Marvin Ridge won the Men’s Dual Team Tennis title as well as Baseball and the 1A/2A/3A Men’s Lacrosse State Championship. They were the top 3A finisher in Women’s Lacrosse as well.

Carrboro excelled once again in the fall and spring seasons, running past Lake Norman Charter by more than 180 points. The Jaguars finished second in Women’s Cross Country while the Men were third during the fall season. Jaguar Volleyball and Women’s Tennis each reached the regional finals during the season to help Carrboro reach 195 fall season points. Once again the Jaguars claimed the 2A Women’s Soccer State Championship defeating Forbush in overtime during the spring season. Carrboro Men’s Lacrosse was the top 2A finisher in the state as they finished as a runner-up to 3A Marvin Ridge in the 1A/2A/3A Men’s Lacrosse Championship.

Community School of Davidson pushed out to a large lead in the fall and were able to maintain that distance to hold off second-place Mount Airy for the 1A Cup Championship. The Spartans were top eight finishers in five of the seven fall offerings including a runner-up finish in Men’s Soccer, third place in Women’s Cross Country and a fourth place finish in Men’s Cross Country. The Spartans took a State Championship in Women’s Soccer during the spring season and a winter Stat Championship in Women’s Indoor Track.
Wells Fargo Cup points are determined by a system based on performance in state championship events. All schools that finish in the top eight positions (plus ties) earn points. In the playoff events involving teams from more than one classification, Wells Fargo Cup points are awarded based on the school’s standing against other schools in its own classification. If fewer than eight schools from a classification compete in a sport, only those schools that are represented are eligible to receive the Cup points.

Points are awarded for all sports as follows: 50 for first, 45 for second, 40 for third, 35 for fourth, 30 for fifth, 25 for sixth, 20 for seventh and 15 for eighth. In the event of a tie, the schools receive and equal number of points based on the number of teams that tie and the number of teams that finish higher in the standings. Five points are awarded for each sanctioned sport in which a school competes.

Wells Fargo Cup standings are announced three times each school year: once after the fall and then the winter sports, concluding with the winner after the spring sports season ends.

1A Wells Fargo Cup Final Standings
1 – Community School of Davidson – 542.5
2 – Mount Airy – 442.5
3 – Bishop McGuinness – 345
4 – Rosewood – 320
5 – Pine Lake Preparatory – 310
6 – Raleigh Charter – 305
7 – Walkertown – 297.5
8 – Lincoln Charter – 290
9 – Winston-Salem Preparatory – 285
10 – North Stokes – 277.5
11 – East Carteret – 252.5
12 – Gray Stone Day – 240
13 – Princeton – 235
14 – Voyager Academy – 227.5
15 – Franklin Academy – 227.5

2A Wells Fargo Cup Final Standings
1 – Carrboro – 595
2 – Lake Norman Charter – 407.5
3 – Croatan – 345
4 – First Flight – 302.5
5 – T.W. Andrews – 290
6 – NC School of Science & Math – 275
7 – Hendersonville – 265
8 – Durham School of the Arts – 260
9 – Salisbury – 252.5
10 – Forbush – 247.5
T-11 – Shelby – 245
T-11 – Brevard – 245
13 – South Granville – 240
14 – Washington – 237.5
15 – Newton-Conover – 235

3A Wells Fargo Cup Final Standings
1 – Weddington – 672.5
2 – Marvin Ridge – 670
3 – Chapel Hill – 542.5
4 – Northern Guilford – 357.5
5 – Terry Sanford – 352.5
6 – Hickory – 305
7 – Jacksonville – 290
8 – Cox Mill – 282.5
9 – Lee County – 257.5
10 – Topsail – 253.75
11 – Eastern Alamance – 250
T-12 – Southern Guilford – 232.5
T-12 – Union Pines – 232.5
T-14 – Asheville -230
T-14 – Enka – 230

4A Wells Fargo Cup Final Standings
1 – Green Hope – 597.5
2 – Cardinal Gibbons – 450
3 – Myers Park – 360
4 – West Forsyth – 350
5 – Charlotte Catholic – 337.5
6 – Broughton – 330
7 – Hough – 322.5
8 – Providence – 310
9 – Lake Norman – 300
10 – Leesville Road – 287.5
11 – Hillside – 280
12 – Page – 272.5
13 – Millbrook – 265
14 – Northwest Guilford – 262.5
15 – Panther Creek – 247.5

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State Games

Here is the West girls roster for the Powerade State Games of North Carolina soccer tournament which is June 24-26 in Raleigh:

WEST GIRLS
#1 Leia Simmons  West Lincoln 
#2 Pavlina Smith  AC Reynolds 
#3 Brynne Gould  Watauga 
#4 Brantley Compton Asheville Christian 
#5 Jordan Winters  West Caldwell 
#6 Virginia Dellinger Kings Mountain 
#7 Sierra Gilley   East Lincoln 
#8 Megan Rasku  Asheville Christian 
#9 Ellie Montes   AC Reynolds 
#10 Erin McRae   Mallard Creek 
#11 Madelyn Becker  Newton-Conover 
#12 Jesslyn LaFrancis  Bunker Hill 
#13 Breanna Kirk  Hendersonville 
#14 Katie Kearns   AC Reynolds 
#15 Jillian Holt   Ardrey Kell 
#16 Mary Laci Motley TC Roberson 
#17 Raegan Waites  Asheville Christian 
#18 Grace Sloan   AC Reynolds 
#19 Corby Bailey   Fred T Foard 
#20 Logan Pace   Stuart Cramer

COACH   Angelo Palozzi   Newton-Conover

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Jared Patterson rounds the bases Thursday night for Asheville Post 70.

SKYLAND – Trenton Davis looked down at the area he was raking around first base Thursday night.

“This is going to take a while,” the Roberson senior said.

No hurry. Members of the Asheville American Legion Post 70 baseball team are enjoying every moment around the ballpark, even the postgame cleanup.

The undefeated Cardinals (5-0, 5-0) scored a season-low eight runs, but eight was more than enough to fight off visiting Cherryville, 8-4, at Holmes-Smith Field.

Davis, an infielder/pitcher who has signed with Campbell, was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a home run. Devin Mangum went 3-5 with a double, while Garrett Blaylock, Jared Patterson and Nate Fore added two hits apiece.

Asheville never trailed and was ahead 6-0 before Cherryville (3-6, 2-2) finally got on the board in the top of the sixth inning.

Four different pitchers got some work for Asheville – starter Kyle Cagle scattered one earned run and three hits in six innings. He struck out five Cherryville batters and walked one. Relievers Josh Dotson, Blaylock and then Robert Rogers closed things out.

“We did a good job with our situational hitting tonight, especially early on,” Post 70 coach Shane Galloway said.

“That’s a great group we beat and we know it’s going to be a challenge when we go down there to Cherryville. (Cagle) was a little off tonight, but the end result was great. He battled just like one of the best pitchers in the state, which is what he is.”

Trenton Davis

Asheville remains the first-place team in the Area IV Western Division standings and came into Thursday with a two-game cushion over second-place Caldwell County. There are 11 games left before the end of the regular season on July 1. The next game for the Cardinals is June 16 at Haywood County.

Last year’s Asheville team only won seven games. The current one is averaging 15.2 runs per game during this perfect start.

“Our confidence is sky-high right now,” Davis said.

“It’s just a great feeling to be part of this team. I have so much faith in my teammates.”

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Brevard junior Noah Graham

Brevard junior Noah Graham ran a school record for the mile (4 minutes, 17.43 seconds) at last weekend’s NCRunners Elite Tune-Up and Border Clash track meet in Waxhaw.

Graham came in third overall in the race which was hosted by Marvin Ridge. Fellow junior Andrew Robinson was the winner of the boys 5,000-meter run (15:56.23).

Graham’s time in the mile is about an 11-second improvement on his previous personal best. Graham won the 1,600-meter run and the 3,200-meter run at last month’s NCHSAA 2-A track meet.

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Pisgah senior Abby Proben.

Pisgah senior Abby Proben has committed to play college soccer for Maryville (Tenn.).

Proben was an All-Western North Carolina Athletic Conference defender for the Black Bears (5-13-2) this past season. She was named to the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association’s 3-A all-district team.

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Asheville High was the top boys team at May’s Mountain Athletic Conference track meet.

SPRING SPORTS ALL-CONFERENCE

The following information was requested from Western North Carolina conferences and compiled by staff writer Andrew Pearson. Complete information was not received for WNC Athletic Conference tennis and Western Highlands Conference tennis.

BASEBALL

Mountain Athletic 3-A/4-A

Jared Patterson, Langston Haden and Jack Whitehouse (Asheville); Bryson Buckner (Enka); Cameron Howell and Alejandro Banegas (Erwin); Canaan Silver, Michael Wall, Sydney Pike and Zach Franklin (McDowell); Pierson Hensley and Austin Reeves (North Buncombe); Kyle Cagle, Josh Dotson, Tyler Lawwill, Chris Banks and Chad Treadway (Reynolds); Holden Upright, Trenton Davis, Collin Watt, Aaron McKeithan, Note Fore, Bryce Ballew, Garrett Blaylock and Jack Galbraith (Roberson).

Coach of the Year: Eric Filipek (Roberson).

Pitcher of the Year: Zach Franklin (McDowell).

Player of the Year: Garrett Blaylock (Roberson).

Western North Carolina Athletic 2-A/3-A

Aaron Stevens, Nick Cabe and David Bumgarner (Brevard); Cole Revis (East Henderson); Ethan Volk and Blake Gibson (Franklin); Bryce Banks, Adolfo Correa-Pena, Kyle Decker, Ryan Decker and Ivann Rodriguez (North Henderson); Bryce Burgess, Christian Jones, Jason Fabio, Mason Herbert and Zeke Long (Pisgah); Jacob Gass, Parker Williamson, Andrew Thomas, Bryce Junaluska, Cole Hooper and Matthew Ridley (Smoky Mountain); Ethan Meece and Noah Heatherly (Tuscola); Zach Whisenant, Will Lindsey, Mason Lyda and Ryan Anderson (West Henderson).

Coach of the Year: Jeremy Ellenburg (Smoky Mountain).

Pitcher of the Year: Cole Hooper (Smoky Mountain).

Co-Players of the Year: Will Lindsey (West Henderson) and Ryan Decker (North Henderson).

Western Highlands 1-A/2-A

Jackson Presnell (Avery County); Michael Schmidt and Sawyer Hunter (Hendersonville); Zak Morrow, Jared Rogers, Trystan Jones, Jordan Baker and Ty Roberts (Madison); Luke Tipton, Justin Greene, Justin Burleson, Trystan Jenkins, Jamison Burleson and Ben Young (Mitchell); Alex Welsh, Hayden Branton, Bryson Cooper, Colton Garland, Michael Austin and Tyler Holcomb (Mountain Heritage); Brian Bartlett, Brady Parker, Kaleb Waycaster, Hunter Baxter and Aaron Stone (Owen); J.D. Edwards and Sedrick Pickett (Polk County).

Coach of the Year: Rick Flynn (Mountain Heritage).

Co-Pitchers of the Year: Brady Parker (Owen) and Justin Burleson (Mitchell).

Player of the Year: Justin Greene (Mitchell).

Smoky Mountain 1-A

Matthew Barton (Andrews); Hunter Stewart and Zack Hall (Blue Ridge); Jason McMillan (Cherokee); 
Tyler Leek, Kyle Rhinehardt, Nathan Barolet and Brian Voigt (Hayesville); Logan Exum (Hiwassee Dam); Joey Curry, Jacob Bates, Royce Peterson and Joe Coker (Murphy); Haden McGuire (Robbinsville); Tyler Petit, Cam Dotson and Josh Rice (Rosman); Trae Bradley (Swain County).

Coach of the Year: Adam Clonts (Murphy).

Pitcher of the Year: Tyler Leek (Hayesville).

Co-Players of the Year: Hunter Stewart (Blue Ridge), Joey Curry (Murphy) and Tyler Petit (Rosman).

Carolinas Athletic Association

Logan Collie, Jackson Roeder and Lucas Sluder (Asheville Christian Academy); David Schill and Chris Amoroso, (Asheville School); Michael Connelly and Elijah Fiveash (Carolina Day); Will Fleming, Max LeCroy, Ryan Zwier and Jackson Hipp (Christ School).

Player of the Year: Logan Collie (Asheville Christian Academy).

BOYS GOLF

Mountain Athletic 3-A/4-A

Andrew Stewart (Erwin); Julian Green and Branson Harris (McDowell); Brennan Hockaday (North Buncombe); Drew Ingle, John Strimple and Drew Rogers (Reynolds); Matt Sharpstene, Doug Gow and Fletcher Himan (Roberson).

Coach of the Year: Lance Jaynes (Roberson).

Player of the Year: Matt Sharpstene (Roberson).

Western North Carolina Athletic 2-A/3-A

Will Byrd, Austin Nale and Andrew Ellis (Brevard); Caleb Moss (Franklin); Aaron Katzenberger and Zach Graham (North Henderson); Nick Boone (Pisgah); Davis Reynolds, Isley McClure, Danny Planchock and Sam Cox (Tuscola); Parker Gillespie (West Henderson).

Player of the Year: Davis Reynolds (Tuscola).

Western Highlands 1-A/2-A

Jacob Waldroop, Greyson Stafford and Bailey Autrey (Avery County); Kelton Mills, Zach Stevens and Ian Trace (Hendersonville); Ben Hollifield (Mitchell); Garrett Miller, Aaron Wald and Lucas Adams (Owen).

Coach of the Year: Jason Weaver (Hendersonville).

Player of the Year: Jacob Waldroop (Avery County).

Smoky Mountain 1-A

Austin Nichols, Johnny Lupoli and Kyle Gabbard (Highlands); Zack Mock (Murphy); Alex Bridges (Robbinsville); Grant Shuler and Jack Cornblum (Swain County).

Player of the Year: Grant Shuler (Swain County).

Carolinas Athletic Association

Candler Rice (Carolina Day); Thomas Garbee, Chris Akers, Aaron Graham, Carson Ownbey, Cameron Akers and Michael Freeman (Christ School).

Player of the Year: Thomas Garbee (Christ School).

BOYS LACROSSE

Carolinas Athletic Association

Ayan Ashkenov, Mitchell Frisch and Rashad Morrison (Asheville School); Riley Smith, Will Iorio, Hunter Vines, Jonah Roberts and Joey Cinque (Christ School).

GIRLS LACROSSE

Carolinas Athletic Association

Sarah Jane Kline, Raven Walters and Caroline Frisch (Asheville School)

GIRLS SOCCER

Mountain Athletic 3-A/4-A

Emma Hall, Kenzie McDowell, Lia Messersmith, Sarah Sirkin, Kaleigh Mora and Claire Kutbitschek (Asheville); Hope Boyd, Keaton Neilson and Jenny Lawrence (Enka); MacKenzie Hoerschl, Amber Redmond and Desiree Lee (Erwin); Ketner Ingle and Keeley Peek (North Buncombe); Karissa Grooms, Christina Shimshock, Katie Kearns, Ashlyn Perkins, Pali Smith and Celine Jacobi Barham (Reynolds); Claire Grefe, Abby Haines, Hope Ingram, Kelsey Metcalf, Mary Laci Motley, Lily Talley and Anna Spake (Roberson).

Coach of the Year: Rob Wilcher (Roberson).

Defensive Player of the Year: Anna Spake (Roberson).

Offensive Player of the Year: Christina Shimshock (Reynolds).

Western North Carolina Athletic 2-A/3-A

Chloe Riess (Brevard); Sophia Morales, Katlyn Hill and Macon Morrow (East Henderson); Gracie Hornsby, Cassidy Zemmin, Alyviah Holland and Emilee Lane (Franklin); Jasmine Sanchez, Elizabeth Baird, Heremina Garcia, Sally Gross and Liliana Rangel (North Henderson); Lauren Singleton and Abby Proben (Pisgah); Taylor Douthit (Smoky Mountain); Cassidy Pate-Moore, Molly Escaravage, Taylor Ross, Alexa McCall, Rachel Swaim and Ashley Weidlich (Tuscola); Gabi Blake and Jessica Colvino (West Henderson).

Coach of the Year: Aaron Chappell (East Henderson).

Defensive Player of the Year: Elizabeth Baird (North Henderson).

Offensive Player of the Year: Ashley Weidlich (Tuscola).

Western Highlands 1-A/2-A

Alyssa Carter, Devyn Plyler, Ollianna Raney and Kelly Magner (Avery County); Mady Vess, Eden Hawkins, Lupita Melendez, Maya Gash, Breanna Kirk, Martha Smith and Kayla Hill (Hendersonville); Izzy Patterson, Elissa Hurley, Ellie McTaggart, Madi Taylor and Indigo Hollister (Madison); Caitlyn Hundley (Mitchell); Michelle Zitney (Mountain Heritage); Abby Lehman, C.J. Graham and Lindsey Slone (Owen); Jessica Bentley, Caroline Lee, Reese Alley, Ashley Love and Rhian Alley (Polk County).

Co-Coaches of the Year: Amber McCullough (Hendersonville) and Lennox Charles (Polk County).

Goalkeeper of the Year: Izzy Patterson (Madison).

Player of the Year: Lupita Melendez (Hendersonville).

Carolinas Athletic Association

Brantley Compton, Emily Grice, Jordan Graham, Rachel Sulaski, Anna Otto and Megan Rasku (Asheville Christian Academy); Constance Ambler and Kechelle Robinson (Asheville School); Emily Hull, Annie Dephouse and Madison Luckett (Carolina Day).

Player of the Year: Brantley Compton (Asheville Christian Academy).

SOFTBALL

Mountain Athletic 3-A/4-A

Amelia Gabriel (Asheville); Mariah Foxworth, Brittany Fletcher, Addison Harris, Payton Trantham, Danielle Harris, Claire Crout, Courtney Pearson and Kloyee Anderson (Enka); Shelby Neighbors and Hannah Gregg (Erwin); Mikki Shelton, Aly Woody, Haley Gowan, Michalyn Bingham and Liana Elliott (McDowell); Cassidy Allen and Beth Daniels (North Buncombe); Amaron Craig, Josie Harris, Cami McLaughlin, Averi Arrowood and Maitland Moore (Reynolds); Sam Schmidt and Caitlin Hodges (Roberson).

Coach of the Year: Jennifer Kruk (Enka).

Pitcher of the Year: Courtney Pearson (Enka).

Player of the Year: Kloyee Anderson (Enka).

Western North Carolina Athletic 2-A/3-A

Casey Gilbert, Makayla McNeill, Callie Green and Brooke Nanney (Brevard); Kierra Delozier and Tiffany Dorn (East Henderson); Caitlyn Goembel, Haley Hamilton, Haeli Bryson and Ashlynn Buchanan (Franklin); Teegan Bullock and Alex Oates (North Henderson); Brooklyn Allen, Becca Rhea, Miranda Connor, Jordan Taylor, Madison Whitted and Kalei Mull (Pisgah); Micayla McCoy, Mary Deitz, Rachel Matthews and Claudia Crowe (Smoky Mountain); Savannah Buchanan, Allison Plafcan, Melody Hannah and Heather Carver (Tuscola); Michaela Morris (West Henderson).

Co-Coaches of the Year: Heidi Morgan (Pisgah) and Tara Gibbs (Tuscola).

Pitcher of the Year: Madison Whitted (Pisgah).

Player of the Year: Haeli Bryson (Franklin).

Western Highlands 1-A/2-A

Paige Moody, Caroline Goff and Libby Phillips (Avery County); Lametria Rudisill (Hendersonville); Savannah Rice, Alexis Nix, Brooke Vilcinskas, Samantha Gosnell, Sabrina Moorefield, Ashley Hamlin and Hannah Jennings (Madison); Summer Wilson, Destiny Whitt and Rainey Honeycutt (Mountain Heritage); Ashley Valencia, Jaiden Tweed, Caitlyn Ledford, Anissa Avila and Natalie Stewart (Owen); Haley Fowler, Maranda Gosnell, Hayley Kropp and Autumn Owen (Polk County).

Coach of the Year: Andy Gregg (Madison).

Pitcher of the Year: Jaiden Tweed (Owen).

Player of the Year: Hannah Jennings (Madison).

Smoky Mountain 1-A

Savannah Sutton and Kenzie Gunter (Andrews); Maddie Payne and Kaitlyn Edwards (Hayesville); Kameron Forrister, Haylie Shope, Maci Sena and Allisha Floyd (Hiwassee Dam); Abigail Knight, Lauren McGuire, Jacey Underwood and Haley Kennedy (Robbinsville); Marissa Henson, Christa Galloway and Alex McNeely (Rosman); Sydney Call, Shayne Catolster and Bryar Buchanan (Swain County).

Coach of the Year: Shannon Helton (Hiwassee Dam).

Pitcher of the Year: Haylie Shope (Hiwassee Dam).

Player of the Year: Kameron Forrister (Hiwassee Dam).

BOYS TENNIS

Mountain Athletic 3-A/4-A

Zach Theodossiou, Meade Olson and Henry Kelso (Asheville); Robert Rhinehart and Andrew Smith (Enka); Blake Morgan and Matthew Braswell (Erwin); Collin Lenon and Scotty Burleson (McDowell); Holden Ballard and Destin Newfont (North Buncombe); Conner Reilly (Reynolds); Noah Dohle, Ian Cowan, Jack Bruce, Abhishek Das and Ian McAdoo (Roberson).

Coach of the Year: Buzz Cook (Roberson).

Player of the Year: Coleman Baker (Roberson).

Western North Carolina Athletic 2-A/3-A

Player of the Year: Joseph Schrader (Brevard).

Carolinas Athletic Association

Wills Reed, Logan Woody and Brandon Carswell (Asheville School)

Player of the Year: Wills Reed (Asheville School).

BOYS TRACK & FIELD

Mountain Athletic 3-A/4-A

Noah Shore, Satorrius Uddyback, 400-meter relay and 3,200-meter relay (Asheville); Devon Patton and 800-meter relay (McDowell); Blake Mathews and 1,600-meter relay (North Buncombe); Garrett Fentzlaff and James McGee (Reynolds); Pete Szelwach, Blake Mead and Jacob Davis (Roberson).

Western North Carolina Athletic 2-A/3-A

Noah Graham and Andrew Robinson (Brevard); Drew Winn, Nathan Brown, Zach Atkinson, Nick Lyons and 1,600-meter relay (East Henderson); Trevor Craft, 400-meter relay and 3,200-meter relay (North Henderson); Connor Moore and 800-meter relay (Smoky Mountain); Bradley Barham (West Henderson).

Coach of the Year: Dan Jystad (North Henderson).

Most Valuable Performer (field): Nick Lyons (East Henderson).

Most Valuable Performer (track): Trevor Craft (North Henderson).

Western Highlands 1-A/2-A

Jaxon Roberts, Andres Dominguez, 800-meter relay and 1,600-meter relay (Avery County); David Rhode, Michael Cook and Ethan Berry (Hendersonville); Alex McKinney and Myles Heavlin (Mitchell); Zeb Virnelson and Cole Burleson (Mountain Heritage); 400-meter relay (Owen); Sean Doyle, Jake Justice and 3,200-meter relay (Polk County).

Most Valuable Performer (field): Jake Justice (Polk County).

Most Valuable Performer (track): Sean Doyle (Polk County).

Smoky Mountain 1-A

Cameron Debty (Andrews); Tyler Leek, Adam Urbaniuk, Brian Smith, Hunter Reaux and 400-meter relay (Hayesville); Dalton Kent, DeAndre Jackson, Grant Lindsay, 800-meter relay, 1,600-meter relay and 3,200-meter relay (Murphy); Jacob Lewis (Robbinsville); Cooper Reinert and Parker Chatham (Swain County).

Carolinas Athletic Association

Samuel Goldstein, Austin Letson, Paolo Navarro, Robert Harlan, Carter Pettus, William Pettus, Ahmad Galimore, Nathan Alleyne, Elliott Schenker and Moss Rerkpattanipipat (Asheville School); Kevin Snyder, Noah Gminski, Kokayi Cobb and Payton Lange (Christ School).

GIRLS TRACK & FIELD

Mountain Athletic 3-A/4-A

Tierra Chambers and Achunda Swepson (McDowell); Callie Rhea and 400-meter relay (North Buncombe); Anu Frempong, Samantha Boeshore and Anna Vess (Reynolds); Amelia Radocha, Mary Laci Motley, Michelle Cobb, Chesley Krug, Annie Sherrill, Elyse King, 800-meter relay, 1,600-meter relay and 3,200-meter relay (Roberson).

Western North Carolina Athletic 2-A/3-A

Eliza Witherspoon (Brevard); Sydney Morgan (East Henderson); Kennedy Conner and LesLeigh Tabor (Franklin); Rylee Williamson (Pisgah); Aleshia Tisho, 800-meter relay and 3,200-meter relay (Smoky Mountain); Brooke Turner and 1,600-meter relay (Tuscola); Melena Robinson, Kendall Gilliam, Gracie Tate and 400-meter relay (West Henderson).

Coach of the Year: Randy Lytle (West Henderson)

Co-Most Valuable Performers (field): LesLeigh Tabor (Franklin) and Kennedy Connor (Franklin).

Co-Most Valuable Performers (track): Brooke Turner (Tuscola) and Melena Robinson (West Henderson).

Western Highlands 1-A/2-A

Kesha Garland (Avery County); Amy Yarborough, Samantha Hess, Emma Laughter, Gina Clayton, Micaiah Darity, Evan Goff, 400-meter relay and 800-meter relay (Hendersonville); Eden Phillips (Mitchell); India Godlock, Marissa Longshore, Emma Wagoner, 1,600-meter relay and 3,200-meter relay (Polk County).

Most Valuable Performer (field): Amy Yarborough (Hendersonville).

Most Valuable Performer (track): Micaiah Darity (Hendersonville).

Smoky Mountain 1-A

Kimonta Lloyd, Emma Cox and Claire Hendrix (Hayesville); Montana McElroy (Highlands); Kelsey Fulgham and 400-meter relay (Murphy); Shawnda Martin (Robbinsville); Kathryn Brown, Sarah Hyatt, Maleeah Langstaff, 800-meter relay, 1,600-meter relay and 3,200-meter relay (Swain County).

Carolinas Athletic Association

Kate Condra (Asheville Christian Academy); Gabi Davis, Sarah Stupp, Alex Blom, Azana Green, Lauren Boudreaux, Zoe Dunkley, Heather Capps, Enogie Omoregbee and Nicole Alleyne (Asheville School); Mikayla Ray, Halei Gillis, Ralene Kwiatkowski, Kathleen Norton, Annabelle Schultz and Olivia Sutter (Carolina Day).

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Joey Bryson has been hired as the new boys basketball coach at West Henderson.

WEAVERVILLE – Joey Bryson was packing up his office Friday at North Buncombe with mixed emotions.

Even though leaving for a new job is “extremely bittersweet,” Bryson said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to coach his old high school.

West Henderson has hired away the 1995 Falcons graduate to take over its boys basketball program.

Bryson had been the Black Hawks’ coach for five seasons and compiled a 76-45 record during that time with back-to-back Mountain Athletic Conference 3-A regular-season championships. He was named the Citizen-Times All-WNC Coach of the Year following the 2014-15 season in which North Buncombe tied a school record for wins (22).

“These have been five of the best years of my life,” Bryson said.

“I’ve made some incredible relationships and the community has been great. But it’s like I told my players here (at North Buncombe), sometimes change comes when you least expect it. I’ve always had this in the back of my mind. Not everyone gets to go home. I’m ready to restore some tradition over at West Henderson. I’m ready to get to work.”

North Buncombe and West Henderson last met Feb. 23 in the first round of the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs with the Black Hawks (19-6) taking a 63-56 win over the Falcons (11-13) in Weaverville. The next NCHSAA realignment will put the two in the same conference starting with the 2017-18 school year.

“The kids over there aren’t a lot different than the ones we have at North Buncombe,” Bryson said.

“They’re hard-working and willing to learn. I know I’m going to get their best. There is a great administration there and they have a great direction for the program laid out.”

Bryson replaces Billy Phillips, whose resignation was announced last week after he went 44-75 in five seasons.

Bryson is easily one of the greatest players in Henderson County history.

The 6-foot-4 forward averaged 26.6 points per game and 8.6 rebounds as a high school senior and set a school record for career scoring (1,782 points). Bryson then continued his career at Western Carolina University.

North Buncombe was 6-14 and 9-15 in Bryson’s first two seasons as coach, respectively, then won 20, 22 and 19 games the last three.

“We hate to lose Joey, but West Henderson is home for him and he’s a hero there,” Black Hawks athletic director Barry Owens said.

“He’s a good coach with a passion for the game.”

Owens said that North Buncombe will begin the search for a new coach immediately. Applicants may contact Owens at barry.owens@bcsemail.org.

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Brevard

Brevard senior Bryce Foster has signed to play baseball for Brevard College.

Foster batted .245 with seven RBIs, two doubles and a triple for the Blue Devils (7-15) this past season and was a utility player/pitcher. He was 0-1 on the mound with a 5.36 earned-run average and 16 strikeouts in 15.2 innings pitched.

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Roberson junior Matt Sharpstene.

SKYLAND – Roberson golf was in a serious rut.

Matt Sharpstene and his family moved to southern Buncombe County and things started to look up pretty fast.

The Rams went from no team match wins in four years to six in a row this spring.

They were the Mountain Athletic Conference champions, largely due to the pinpoint shots from tee to green hit by Sharpstene. The West Virginia University recruit is the Citizen-Times All-WNC Player of the Year.

The complete All-WNC boys golf team will be in Saturday’s print edition of the Citizen-Times.

“It feels like golf is getting another breath of life here,” Roberson coach Lance Jaynes said.

“A lot of that has to do with Matt. I love coaching him. He also plays basketball and he has the mentality that he just wants to get after it. I’ve never seen a kid grind the way he does. And he performs just as well in the classroom as he does on the golf course.”

Sharpstene is a junior who transferred into Roberson from Hough, a high school situated in a northern suburb of Charlotte.

Yes, adjusting to a new school and new neighborhood is never easy. But that acclimation process did not bleed over into Sharpstene’s growth as a golfer.

He was the Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year and 4-A Western Regional champion. Sharstene shot a score of four-under 68 to win the regional tournament at Broadmoor Golf Links on May 2.

Sharpstene’s father, Jeff, is the pro at Broadmoor. That business opportunity is what brought the Sharpstene family to Western North Carolina.

Matt Sharpstene maintained a stroke average of 72.6 for 18-hole matches for Roberson, culminating with a sixth-place finish at the NCHSAA 4-A tournament.

He committed to West Virginia in early April. Jaynes said that Sharpstene was recently named the Rams’ male athlete of the year.

Every one of Roberson’s top players is expected to return in 2017.

“Everyone is coming back, and as heartbreaking as it was to not make state as a team, I think it is going to fire everybody up,” Jaynes said.

“We are real excited for next year.”

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Asheville Christian Academy alum Bailey Clark.

Former Asheville Christian Academy pitcher Bailey Clark was selected in Friday’s fifth round of the Major League Baseball draft.

The Chicago Cubs used the 164th overall selection to take Clark, who is a right-hander out of Duke University.

More from the Blue Devils:

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke baseball junior right-handed pitcher Bailey Clark was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round (No. 164 overall) of the 2016 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft Friday.

Clark is the first current Blue Devil picked in the 2016 MLB Draft. In addition, Clark is the ninth Blue Devil and eighth Duke pitcher drafted under head coach Chris Pollard.

“Bailey is one of the most gifted players physically I’ve ever coached,” Pollard said. “The combination of his athleticism and arm strength gives him the opportunity to absolutely pitch in the Major Leagues. He has worked very hard to be in this position and we’re excited to see what the future holds for Bailey.”

Clark led the Blue Devils and ranked sixth in the ACC in strikeouts per game (9.71) this season. After seeing limited time as a freshman in 2014, Clark joined the Blue Devils’ weekend rotation the past two seasons. Over the past three seasons, he posted a 4.31 ERA in 34 appearances, striking out 120 batters in 121.0 innings.

Clark was named an alternate for the 2015 U.S. Collegiate National Team and joined the squad for its five-game series against Cuba July 1-6, 2015 in Cary, N.C. He made two appearances with Team USA, coming out of the bullpen in both. Clark was the second Blue Devil to compete with the U.S. Collegiate National Team, joining former Duke right-hander and current Toronto Blue Jay Marcus Stroman in that distinction.

More on this story to come…

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The Valley Springs Middle School golf team recently finished off an undefeated season.

The Valley Springs Middle School golf team recently finished off an undefeated season.

The Rams were the French Broad Conference champions.

Andrew Graham was the conference’s individual champ and Spencer Cable came in third place.

Other team members were Luke Ward, Christian Hall, Grand Haldeman, Andrew Best, Luke Rheney, Wesley Garbee, Christian Beaver, Isaac Hamlin, and Nicholas Lovin. The team was coached by Shawn Toelcke and Clifton Young.

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West Henderson’s Aug. 25 home game against Hendersonville will be shown on live TV.

Ten high school football games involving Western North Carolina teams will be carried on local television next season.

Special thanks to WLOS/WMYA-TV for this information:

This August My40 will air ten high school football games involving schools from nine Western North Carolina Counties as part of Bojangles Thursday Night Lights.  We produced and carried four games in 2015, and the reaction from viewers, parents and school officials was so positive that station General Manager Jack Connors extended the schedule to ten games over an eleven week period.  The first game for TNL—August 25th—will pair Hendersonville High School against West Henderson.  Buncombe County games will include appearances by Asheville High School, North Buncombe, Enka, Christ School, Reynolds and Erwin.  

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has mandated that TV games all be played on Thursday evenings, and WMYA will begin each broadcast with a half hour pre-game show starting at 6:30 pm.  The kickoff for all games will be at 7:00 pm.

The pre-game will feature interviews with the Principal of the home school, the head football coach, the Teacher of the Year and an outstanding Scholar/Athlete that each school will select.  Both the visiting and host school will pick their own Scholar/Athletes, senior class members who have excelled in the classroom, on the playing field and in the community.  The Scholar/Athlete competition, sponsored by the Wired Mouse and open to senior class boys and girls who have participated in any sport, will provide the winning student with a $3,500 college scholarship to the university of their choice.

Eight of the WNC schools that will be on TV this fall (Reynolds, Asheville, West Henderson, Pisgah, Mitchell, Franklin, Robbinsville, Christ School) each won at least eight games last year.  The combined enrollment for the schools on the 2016 schedule is more than 18,200 students.  The combined 2015 records of the Bojangles Thursday Night Lights schools was 131 victories and 107 losses. 

Jason Patterson will handle the play-by-play duties for Bojangles Thursday Night Lights while long time coaching legend Kenny Ford provides the color commentary and Mark Keady adds sideline reporting for every game.

In addition to the ten games set for WMYA’s Thursday Night Lights lineup, My40 will carry six Upstate South Carolina high school contests in Year Nine of Friday Night Rivals.  

THURSDAY NIGHT RIVALS SCHEDULE

Aug. 25 Hendersonville at West Henderson

Sept. 1 Asheville at Pisgah

Sept. 8 Robbinsville at Christ School

Sept. 15 Cherokee at Smoky Mountain

Sept. 22 North Buncombe at Enka
                    
Sept. 29 Brevard at Tuscola

Oct. 6 Polk County at Mitchell
                    
Oct. 20 East Henderson at Franklin

Oct. 27 Roberson at Reynolds          
                    
Nov. 3 Asheville at Erwin

FRIDAY NIGHT RIVALS SCHEDULE

Sept. 2 Hillcrest at Dorman

Sept. 16 Byrnes at Broome

Sept. 30 Clinton at Chapman

Oct. 7 Chapman at Woodruff

Oct. 14 Landrum at Christ Church

Oct. 21 Greer at Union County

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Asheville High has a new gym floor, courtesy of Haywood County’s Carolina Hardwood.

Carolina Hardwood’s latest creation is at Asheville High.

The local company was installed a new gym floor for the Cougars which can be seen in these photos.

We profiled Carolina Hardwood, which is based out of Haywood County, last year in this story.

Asheville High has a new gym floor, courtesy of Haywood County’s Carolina Hardwood.

Asheville High has a new gym floor, courtesy of Haywood County’s Carolina Hardwood.

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