21-22 East Burke Athlete of Year (Tyler Shatley Award): Blane Fulbright

•  Athlete of Week

#43 Football

125 rushing yards, 2 TDs vs West Caldwell

#45 Football

291 rushing yards (single-game record), TD vs Patton

#56 Baseball

3 runs vs Patton

#60 Football

145 rushing yards, TD vs Freedom

#69 Football

5 TD runs vs Bandys (tying school record)

• Football

225-1067 rushing, 15 TD

Catawba Valley Athletic 2A All-Conference

• Baseball

.294 batting average, 9 runs, 10 hits (two doubles), 1 RBI, 5 stolen bases

• Favorite memory

Football: winning Burke County Player of Year, scoring five TDs in a single game, breaking the single game rushing record

Baseball: making plays in the outfield

All of the friendships I have built over the years

• Favorite sport

Baseball

• Favorite coach

Derrick Minor

• What you've learned in four years at EBHS

"Even through the hard times, you have to persevere and stay strong."

"Hard work does pay off, you just have to simply put God first, believe in yourself, and stay motivated."

"I have learned how to lead by example and be a good teammate."

• Future plans

Attend NC State and major in professional golf management

• Coach's Quote

"It's been an honor to coach Blane the past two seasons. He may be one of the toughest kids I've had the privilege of coaching."

"He's a quiet leader that lets his game speak for itself. He always helped the younger guys and made time to talk with them."

"He will leave some big shoes to fill both on and off the field"

-Derrick Minor

• Teammate's Quote

"Blane is a great guy, loved hanging out with him on and off the field."

"I've enjoyed leading the FCA huddle group alongside Blane."

"Hope for nothing but the best for him and whatever he chooses to accomplish in his future."

-Ben Mast

21-22 Co-Draughn Athlete of Year (Adam Manns Award): Daylin Pritchard

•  Athlete of Week

#16 Basketball

Led in scoring vs. West Lincoln (22 pts), St Stephens (29 pts), and Bunker Hill (25 pts)

#64 Football

4 TDs vs Avery County

#72 Basketball

32 points vs East Burke

#75 Basketball

28 points vs Surry Central

#78 Basketball

25 points vs Avery County

• Football

36-635 receiving, 12 TDs (17.6 yards per catch)

58 tackles, 11 assists, 11 TFL, six sacks, seven QB hurries, pass breakup, INT, TD

Western Highlands 1A/2A All-Conference

• Basketball

18.4 points (1st), 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.3 steals

Western Highlands 1A/2A All-Conference

• Favorite Memory

Winning basketball regular season and conference tournament championship

• Favorite Sport

Football and Basketball

• Favorite Coaches

Tyler Martin, Chris Powell, Drew McGuire

• What you've learned in four years at DHS

"One thing that I have further learned through sports at DHS is that it's a blessing to be able to play sports"

"I'm grateful for the friendships that have came with sports at DHS"

"Sports provide participants with a platform, how that platform is used is important"

• Future plans

Attend WPCC for at least a semester and possibly transferring to App State

• Coach's Quote

"Coaching Daylin in football this past season was extremely joyful. He was a phenomenal leader both on and off the field."

"He quickly earned his way into the starting lineup and was a big part of our success this season"

"We will miss the player, but more importantly, the young man and how he conducts himself."

-Chris Powell

• Teammate's Quote

"He was a very key player with the leadership he showed on and off the field and how he would always do what was asked of him."

"You could always rely on him to bring motivation back to our team and he'd always be there for you no matter the situation."

"He was all-around the most likable and coachable athlete you could ever ask for."

-Will Price

21-22 Co-Draughn Athlete of Year (Adam Manns Award): Bailey Bryant

•  Athlete of Week

#60 Volleyball

5 kills, 2 blocks vs Patton

#62 Volleyball

Contribution to Senior Night win

#64 Volleyball

7 kills, 2 aces vs Mountain Heritage

#77 Basketball

11 points vs St Stephens

• Volleyball

65 kills, 54 digs, 16 serving aces, 10 blocks

Western Highlands 1A/2A All-Conference

• Basketball

5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 steals

• Coach's Quote

"Watching her gradually mature in her (volleyball) game and be a leader on the court was exciting for me as a coach."

"She will be a figure missed next year (on the volleyball court) by just having an effect on her teammates."

-Jamie Ward

• Teammate's Quote

"After playing with Bailey for the past couple of years in multiple sports, I can say for sure I have learned a lot from her."

"Whether it's in practice or a game, she was always hustling and always had a great attitude with anything we were doing."

"She's the kind of athlete any coach wants on their team and I can't say enough about how proud I am of her. I'm very thankful to have played beside Bailey, both as a teammate and as a friend."

-Maddison Powell

21-22 Year in Review

Conference Champions

Draughn Girls Golf (W Highlands 1A/2A 2021)

Draughn Boys Swimming (W Highlands 1A/2A 21-22)

East Burke Boys Swimming (CVAC 2A 21-22)

Draughn Boys Basketball (W Highlands 1A/2A 21-22 regular season & tournament)

Draughn Baseball (W Highlands 2022)

 

Top 10 Games

Football: Draughn 36, Owen 7 (Nigel Dula two rushing TDs & two 2 pt conversions, Eli Tillery 104 passing yards with seven different receivers catching a pass)

Football: Draughn 42, Avery County 22 (Daylin Pritchard four TDs, Will Price TD INT return) 

Football: East Burke 36, Bandys 32 (lead changed hands four times, Blane Fulbright five touchdown runs)

Girls Basketball: East Burke 59, Newton-Conover 50 (Aubree Grigg 23, Braelyn Stilwell 21 led the Lady Cavaliers on the road to open the new year)

Boys Basketball: East Burke 65, Bandys 59 OT (Logan Coffey 21 pts, ten in the fourth quarter and overtime periods)

Girls Basketball: Draughn 68, Rosman 61 (A come-from-behind home win for the Lady Wildcats, Ella Abernathy 25 and Aubrie Snyder 15 scored in double figures)

JV Boys Basketball: East Burke 44, Maiden 41 (ends season on a seven-game winning streak, Jacob Dellinger 13 pts two 3-pointers in last two minutes)

Baseball: Draughn 6, Madison 2 (Tate Jensen 8 Ks in four pitched innings, win led to W Highlands 1A/2A conference championship on the 26th birthday for head coach Mason Biddix)

Softball: Draughn 8, Madison 7 (Senior night win for the Lady Wildcats, Regan Winkler 4/4 two doubles three RBIs)

2A T&F Regionals (EB boys 2nd place, KJ Byrd 3x regional champion, Spencer Goins 3x state qualifier, Ian Cox/Avery Fraley/Asher Gebhard/Mason Robison/Brady Bostain other state qualifiers) 

Top 5 Viewed Stories

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Collegiate Cats/Cavs #7 (229)

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Valdese sweeps home opener (202, football)

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Awards

Athletes of Year

Adam Manns Award (Draughn): Daylin Pritchard, Bailey Bryant

Black & Gold Award (Draughn): Lindsey Hodge, Reed Farrar, Regan Winkler

Tyler Shatley Award (East Burke): Blane Fulbright

Cavalier Pride Award (East Burke): Caleb Johnson-White, Sam Mace

Teams of Year

Draughn Volleyball: 8 (Madison Powell, Bailey Bryant, Mattie Jensen, Addie Hart, Sara Walker, Christon Carswell, Haygen Sigmon, Bella Williams)

Draughn Baseball: 8 (Jacob Mull, John Robert Abernathy, Tate Jensen, Trey Jensen, Kelton Mitchell, Thomas Lambert, Tanner Woody, Emery Clark)

Draughn Softball: 8 (Maddie Crouch, Laney Winebarger, Katie Hamm, Regan Winkler, Katie Cozort, Maddison Powell, Brianna Nations, Aubrie Snyder)

East Burke Softball: 6 (Kaylee Paige, Addy Fortenberry, Love Tallent, Grace Hammack, Kyndal Morrison, Taylor Bostain)

Football

MVP: Nigel Dula

Offensive: Blane Fulbright, Daylin Pritchard, Eli Tillery

Defensive: Will Price, Logan Johnson, Luke Wilson

Special Teams: Justice Cunningham, Sterling Radabaugh

Rising Star: Will Seagle, Ben Mast

Lineman: Luke Rector, Brady Bostain, Garrett Hildebran

12th Man: Hampton Blackwell, Jackson Fleming

Moment of Year: Spencer Goins (75 yd blocked field goal return vs. Patton)

Basketball

Boys Scoring Champion: Daylin Pritchard

Girls Scoring Champion: Aubrie Snyder

Rookie of Year: Braelyn Stilwell

Moment(s) of Year: Logan Coffey (21 pts, 10 in the 4th quarter & OT vs Bandys), Jacob Dellinger (13 pts, two 3-pointers in the last two minutes vs Maiden)