2022 Christmas Basketball Tournament Summary

Freedom Christmas Invitational

Girls First Round

Draughn 56, Charlotte Country Day 43

Katie Cozort 18, Ella Abernathy 14, Snyder 8, Rector 7, Holder 5, J Abernathy 3, Cook 1

Hibriten 69, Enka 31

Shelby 61, Ashbrook 51

Freedom 64, Rising Star Prep 55

Boys First Round

R-S Central 66, Draughn 53

Luke Rector 11, Moore 9, Tillery 8, Mcelyea 6, E Pritchard 5, Wooden 5, Miller 4, Z Pritchard 3, Abernathy 2

Enka 73, Hibriten 59

West Caldwell 59, TC Roberson 46

Freedom 91, Chase 58

Girls Consolation Round

Charlotte Country Day 66, Enka 33 (Tuesday)

Ashbrook 57, Rising Star Prep 32 (Tuesday)

Rising Star Prep 68, Enka 60 (Wednesday)

Ashbrook 54, Charlotte Country Day 38 (Wednesday)

Draughn 54, Freedom 38 (Wednesday)

Ella Abernathy 16, Aubrie Snyder 12, Zoe Rector 10, J Abernathy 7, Cook 4, Cozort 3, Powell 2

Boys Consolation Round

Hibriten 67, Draughn 37 (Tuesday)

Eli Tillery 16, Abernathy 6, Cooper 4, Mcelyea 4, Moore 3, Z Pritchard 2, Woody 2

TC Roberson 49, Chase 36 (Tuesday)

Draughn 84, Chase 57 (Wednesday)

D'Andre Moore 31, Ethan Miller 17, Tillery 9, Abernathy 7, Elkins 6, Mcelyea 6, Woody 4, Jensen 2, Wooden 2

Hibriten 62, TC Roberson 52 (Wednesday)

West Caldwell 93, R-S Central 65 (Wednesday)

Girls Semifinals

Hibriten 57, Draughn 41

Aubrie Snyder 13, Ella Abernathy 10, Cook 5, Rector 5, J Abernathy 4, Powell 2, Holder 2

Shelby 40, Freedom 35

Boys Semifinals

Enka 72, R-S Central 58

Freedom 76, West Caldwell 70

Girls Championship

Hibriten 54, Shelby 35

Boys Championship

Freedom 79, Enka 75

McDowell Christmas Tournament

Girls First Round

East Burke 61, Patton 12

Braelyn Stilwell 12, Turner 9, Brinkley 9, McNeil 6, Coble 6, Grigg 5, Lawing 4, Garro 4, Fortenberry 4, Bostain 2

McDowell 42, Avery County 25

Boys First Round

East Burke 50, Patton 37

Ian Cox 15, Jacob Dellinger 10, Shook 9, Coleman 9, Hudson 5, Cline 2

McDowell 61, Avery County 58

Girls Third Place

Avery County 77, Patton 22

Boys Third Place

Patton 73, Avery County 68 (2OT)

Girls Championship

East Burke 53, McDowell 52

Braelyn Stilwell 19, Kassie Turner 14, Brinkley 7, Grigg 6, Bostain 5, Lawing 2

Boys Championship 

McDowell 57, East Burke 40

Ian Cox 11, Hudson 7, Dellinger 6, Coleman 6, Shook 4, Crawford 3, Smith 3

TireMaxx Scoreboard (12/20-21/22)

BASKETBALL

Draughn @ Mitchell

JV Girls: Draughn 46, Mitchell 18 (Davis/Berry: 14)

JV Boys: Mitchell 54, Draughn 33 (Cooper/Carswell: 7)

V Girls: Draughn 54, Mitchell 43 (E Abernathy: 16)

V Boys: Draughn 81, Mitchell 63 (Tillery: 21)

Draughn @ Ashe County

JV Girls: Ashe County 25, Draughn 21 (Davis: 12)

JV Boys: Ashe County 46, Draughn 39 (Jensen: 13)

V Girls: Draughn 82, Ashe County 80 (OT) (E Abernathy: 23)

V Boys: Ashe County 76, Draughn 66 (Tillery: 30)

East Burke @ Bandys

JV Girls: East Burke 39, Bandys 25 (Crawford: 18)

JV Boys: Bandys 43, East Burke 33 (Dixon: 15)

V Girls: East Burke 48, Bandys 26 (Brinkley: 25)

V Boys: Bandys 60, East Burke 54 (Cox: 15)

Top 5 Boys Scorers (thru 12/21)

Eli Tillery (D) 15.3

Ian Cox (EB) 13.1

Zaydin Pritchard (D) 12.2

Brayden Vess (D) 11.7

Luke Rector (D) 11.3

Top 5 Girls Scorers (thru 12/21)

Braelyn Stilwell (EB) 18.6

Aubrie Snyder (D) 16.8

Ella Abernathy (D) 17.0

Kara Brinkley (EB) 13.8

Jenna Abernathy (D) 8.4

WRESTLING

Burke Brawl @ East Burke

East Burke 60, Draughn 18

Freedom 57, East Burke 18

East Burke 33, Freedom 30

Patton 48, Draughn 30

East Burke 48, Patton 30

County Champions

113: Cody Bryant (EB)

126: Grayson Phillips (EB)

132: Zachary Ward (EB)

138: Connor Mobley (EB)

182: Hampton Blackwell (D)

Draughn @ Owen

Mitchell 60, Draughn 18

Owen 72, Draughn 12

Landon Clark pinfall

Colton Lukomski pinfall

Hampton Blackwell pinfall

Andres Lopez pinfall

Jean Garcia forfeit

22-23 Draughn Girls Basketball

Last Year's Record: 18-7, 10-2 W Highlands

Current Record: 6-2, 3-0 W Highlands

Returners: Ella Abernathy, Jenna Abernathy, Aubrie Snyder, Katie Cozort, Maddison Powell, Rylee Woody

Key Newcomers: Zoe Rector, Emilee Cook 

Coach's Outlook:

"We are performing well and playing unselfish with the ball, lots of people are contributing and we hope to have success (to follow)."

-Liz Taylor

22-23 Draughn Boys Basketball

Last Year's Record: 18-7, 11-1 W Highlands

Current Record: 3-3, 2-1 W Highlands 

Returners: Zaydin Pritchard, Luke Rector, Eli Pritchard, Eli Tillery, Tanner Woody, Justice Cunningham, John Robert Abernathy, Josh Elkins 

Key Newcomers: Brayden Vess, Blake Mcelyea, Ethan Miller, Blair Cooper, D'Andre Moore, Malachi Silver 

Coach's Outlook:

"We're getting in better shape and being better conditioned to start helping us play the way we want to. Our big guys can stay in the game longer and we can defend better."

-Drew McGuire

TireMaxx Scoreboard (12/12-17/22)

BASKETBALL

Owen @ Draughn

JV Boys: Draughn 45, Owen 31 (Cooper: 16)

V Girls: Draughn 65, Owen 43 (Snyder: 33, NEW RECORD)

V Boys: Draughn 79, Owen 69 (Rector: 25)

Freedom @ East Burke

JV Girls: Freedom 41, East Burke 25 (Morrison: 7)

JV Boys: Freedom 51, East Burke 42 (Hartmann: 11)

V Girls: East Burke 60, Freedom 56 (Stilwell: 15)

V Boys: Freedom 71, East Burke 47 (Cox: 14)

Draughn @ Patton

JV Girls: Draughn 38, Patton 11 (Davis: 13)

JV Boys: Patton 52, Draughn 47 (Cooper: 16)

V Girls: Draughn 60, Patton 18 (J Abernathy: 15)

V Boys: Patton 70, Draughn 65 (Tillery: 19)

Draughn @ Avery County

JV Girls: Avery County 60, Draughn 32 (Davis: 12)

JV Boys: Avery County 59, Draughn 48 (Cooper: 26)

V Girls: Draughn 53, Avery County 50 (E Abernathy: 24)

V Boys: Avery County 82, Draughn 58 (Rector: 16)

Maiden @ East Burke

JV Girls: East Burke 49, Maiden 28 (Garros: 13)

JV Boys: Maiden 48, East Burke 39 (Dixon: 17)

V Girls: East Burke 69, Maiden 19 (Brinkley: 17)

V Boys: Maiden 50, East Burke 40 (Dellinger: 15)

East Burke girls 28, Walter Johnson 21 (Brittain: 17)

East Burke girls 27, Liberty 24 (Brittain: 13)

Walter Johnson boys 51, East Burke 27

East Burke boys 57, Liberty 45 (Keaton: 36)

Heritage girls 46, Table Rock 23 (Kincaid: 22)

Table Rock boys 54, Heritage 10 (Johnson: 6)

SWIMMING

County Championships @ Valdese Rec

East Burke boys (1st, 345)

400 Freestyle Relay (Taylor Lennex, Noah Ramsey, Jacob Gersh, Tristan Carswell) 1st, 4:22.40

Jacob Gersh (200 IM, 1st 2:37.76)

Taylor Lennex (500 freestyle, 1st 6:35.24)

Draughn girls (2nd, 313)

200 Medley Relay (Rhyannon Reasoner, Sarah Mull, Abby Wood, Ally Auton) 1st, 2:17.25

400 Freestyle Relay (Rhyannon Reasoner, Sarah Mull, Ally Auton, Abby Wood) 1st 4:42.90

Rhyannon Reasoner (500 freestyle, 1st 6:17.54) (100 Backstroke, 1st 1:10.46)

Sarah Mull (200 IM, 1st 3:00.45)

Ally Auton (50 freestyle, 1st 30.38)

Abby Wood (100 freestyle, 1st 1:07.00)

Draughn boys (3rd, 312)

Trey Jensen (100 breaststroke, 1st 1:12.21)

East Burke girls (3rd, 247)

200 Freestyle Relay (Marabeth Huffman, Emma Curtis, Maritza Cisneros, Gracie Stamey) 2nd

Gracie Hall (100 freestyle, 2nd) (50 freestyle, 2nd)

Marabeth Huffman (500 freestyle, 3rd)

East Burke @ Lenoir Aquatic Center

Boys 200 Medley Relay (Zane Wise, Jacob Gersch, Tristen Carswell, Taylor Lennex) 1st, 2:16.83

Tristen Carswell (boys 200 freestyle, 1st 2:34.96) (boys 100 freestyle, 1st 1:04.69)

Taylor Lennex (boys 100 butterfly, 1st 1:16.17) (boys 500 freestyle, 1st 6:44.47)

Jacob Gersch (boys 200 IM, 1st 2:40.95) (boys 100 breaststroke, 1st 1:19.11)

Marabeth Huffman (girls 500 freestyle, 1st 7:15.04)

Zane Wise (boys 100 backstroke, 1st 1:24.18)

Girls 400 Freestyle Relay (Marabeth Huffman, Ellabeth Oxentine, Grace Hammack, Gracie Hall) 1st, 5:20.99

Boys 400 Freestyle Relay (Zane Wise, Taylor Lennex, Jacob Gersch, Tristen Carswell) 1st, 4:35.42

WRESTLING

East Burke @ Foard Tough Tournament

Grayson Phillips (126): 3rd, 3 pinfalls

Zeke Pierce (195): 4th, 2 pinfalls

Heritage 70, Table Rock 36

East Burke 78, Walter Johnson 18

Liberty 60, East Burke 40

HS Football (2022 FINAL Stats)

OFFENSE

Rushing

Nigel Dula (D) 198-1807, 29 TD

Justice Cunningham (D) 112-845, 16 TD

Jacob Dellinger (EB) 160-820, 10 TD

Levi Coble (EB) 125-652, 4 TD

KJ Byrd (EB) 88-603, 6 TD

Eli Tillery (D) 78-590, 10 TD

Caden Buff (EB) 39-266, 2 TD

Ben Mast (EB) 72-212, 6 TD

Darren Hammons (EB) 13-70, TD

Donnell Wilkins (D) 13-61, TD

Passing

Eli Tillery (D) 159/256, 2549 yards, 32 TD, 5 INT

Ben Mast (EB) 32/67, 260 yards, 3 TD, 7 INT

Receiving

Zach Pinkerton (D) 55-1105, 18 TD

Elijah Pritchard (D) 28-395, 10 TD

Connor Pinkerton (D) 24-373, 2 TD

Nigel Dula (D) 17-261, 2 TD

Tywan Nemorin (D) 19-215, TD

Jacob Mull (D) 9-132

Jacob Dellinger (EB) 11-109, TD

Sterling Radabaugh (D) 7-71, TD

Justice Cunningham (D) 2-46

KJ Byrd (EB) 7-44

DEFENSE

Tackles

Donnell Wilkins (D) 159

Luke Wilson (EB) 115 NEW SCHOOL RECORD

Hampton Blackwell (D) 109

Thomas Lambert (D) 92

Will Price (D) 74

Gavon Franklin (EB) 71

Luke Rector (D) 70

Elijah Pritchard (D) 59

Levi Coble (EB) 57

Shaydon Pino (D) 57

Tackles for Loss

Hampton Blackwell (D) 20

Elijah Pritchard (D) 17

Luke Rector (D) 14

Levi Coble (EB) 11

Luke Wilson (EB) 10

Sacks

Elijah Pritchard (D) 7

Hampton Blackwell (D) 6

Brady Bostain (EB) 3

Luke Rector (D) 3

Kelton Mitchell (D) 3

Interceptions

Shaydon Pino (D) 4 (3 TD returns)

Trevor Houston (D) 4

Ben Mast (EB) 3

Mason Robison (EB) 3

Will Price (D) 3

Connor Pinkerton (D) 3 (TD return)

Cannon Morrison (EB) 2 (TD return vs Maiden)

Forced Fumbles

Hampton Blackwell (D) 4

Luke Wilson (EB) 2

Will Price (D) 2

Fumble Recoveries

D: Hampton Blackwell 5, Trevor Houston 2, Thomas Lambert 2, Elijah Pritchard, Will Price, Shaydon Pino, Malachi Silver, Luke Rector, Donnell Wilkins, Skylar Hudson, Dylan Rhoney

EB: Jacob Dellinger, Avery Fraley, Michael Hathcock, Gavon Franklin, Hayden Parker

SPECIAL TEAMS

Rudy Mendoza (D) 67 PATs, 1 field goal

Eli Carico (EB) 19 PATs, 1 field goal

SCORING

Eli Tillery (D) 256 

Nigel Dula (D) 208

Zach Pinkerton (D) 108

Justice Cunningham (D) 102

Jacob Dellinger (EB) 70

Elijah Pritchard (D) 70

Rudy Mendoza (D) 70

Ben Mast (EB) 56

KJ Byrd (EB) 36

Levi Coble (EB) 26

Eli Carico (EB) 22

Shaydon Pino (D) 18

Connor Pinkerton (D) 18

Darren Hammons (EB) 12

Caden Buff (EB) 12

John Robert Abernathy (D) 8

Sterling Radabaugh (D) 7

Donnell Wilkins (D) 6

Hampton Blackwell (D) 6

Cannon Morrison (EB) 6

Corbin McNeil (EB) 6

Tywan Nemorin (D) 6

Thomas Lambert (D) 6

Baker's Dozen Podcast College Football Picks & Rankings (Bowl Games)

Bowl Game Picks

Standings

Levi "Bubba" Cunningham 48

Jonathan Carter 44

Zach Lowder 43

Jon Ray 41

Jason Baker 39

Liberty Bowl: Kansas vs Arkansas (12/28, 5:30, ESPN)

Jason/Jon: Kansas

Bubba/Jonathan/Zach: Arkansas 

Holiday Bowl: Oregon vs UNC (12/28, 8:00, FOX)

Oregon sweep 

Gator Bowl: Notre Dame vs South Carolina (12/30, 3:30, ESPN)

Jason/Bubba: South Carolina

Jon/Jonathan/Zach: Notre Dame

Orange Bowl: Tennessee vs Clemson (12/30, 8:00, ESPN)

Tennessee sweep

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs Kansas State (12/31, Noon, ESPN)

Jason/Jonathan: Kansas State

Jon/Bubba/Zach: Alabama

Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs Michigan (12/31, 4:00, ESPN)

Jason: TCU

Jon/Jonathan/Bubba/Zach: Michigan

Peach Bowl: Ohio State vs Georgia (12/31, 8:00, ESPN)

Georgia sweep 

Cotton Bowl: USC vs Tulane (1/2, 1:00, ESPN)

USC sweep 

Citrus Bowl: LSU vs Purdue (1/2, 1:00, ABC)

Jason: Purdue

Jon/Jonathan/Bubba/Zach: LSU

Rose Bowl: Penn State vs Utah (1/2, 5:00, ESPN)

Jonathan/Zach: Penn State

Jason/Jon/Bubba: Utah

Additional Bowl Pick

Bubba: Air Force over Baylor (Armed Forces Bowl)

Jonathan: Marshall over Connecticut (Myrtle Beach Bowl)

Zach: Oregon State over Florida (Las Vegas Bowl)

Jon: Jackson State over NC Central (Celebration Bowl)

Jason: Florida State over Oklahoma (Cheez-It Bowl)

J&J&J Power 5

Jason

Georgia, Texas, Utah, Kansas State, Clemson

Jon

Georgia, Michigan, TCU, Utah, Jackson State

Jonathan

Georgia, Michigan, TCU, Ohio State, Tennessee

Enough is Enough: Bad Behavior by Coaches, Parents, and Fans Must Stop

Enough is Enough: Bad Behavior by Coaches, Parents, and Fans Must Stop

By Dr. Karissa Niehoff, Chief Executive Officer of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), and Que Tucker, Commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association

There’s an unfortunate trend continuing in North Carolina and across the nation that must be stopped: the bad behavior of coaches, parents, and fans at high school athletic events.

We’ve all seen it: the yelling, harassing, berating, disrespecting, and even physically assaulting high school referees, umpires, and other officials during and after games. And often times, the harassment continues on social media.

Perhaps you’ve witnessed it firsthand or even been one of those offenders yourself.

Not only is this behavior unacceptable and embarrassing, but it’s also having serious consequences on the future of high school sports.

That’s because another unfortunate trend is sweeping the nation: a critical shortage of high school officials in every state. The #1 reason? You guessed it: Coaches, parents, and fans mistreating officials.

National surveys of officials report alarming statistics:

 55% of officials say verbal abuse from coaches, parents, and fans is the #1 reason they quit.

 59% don’t feel respected.

 57% think sportsmanship is getting worse.

 84% feel officials are treated unfairly by spectators.

 46% have felt unsafe or feared for their safety due to spectator, coach, administrator or player behavior.

Officials are quitting faster than new ones are signing up. It’s a major area of concern for states like North Carolina just to cover games. We’re already seeing middle school and JV games being canceled and, in some cases, varsity games too. All because there aren’t enough officials.

Unfortunately, bad behavior at high school athletic events has become normalized. It is almost expected that coaches, parents, and fans will disrespect the individuals serving as officials.

This culture of bad behavior and the negative perception of officials must change now. Everyone involved in high school sports—parents, coaches, administrators, fans, the media—must turn their focus to the student-athletes playing the games and away from the individuals officiating the contests.

The bottom line: With no high school officials, there can be no high school sports.

That’s why the NFHS is partnering with state high school associations across the country to launch the nationwide #BenchBadBehavior campaign. 

We’ll use the power of social media along with other tools to help educate everyone about the importance of good behavior at high school athletic events.

You can help by being a positive role model at your high school’s athletic events. And if you think you have what it takes to be a licensed official, sign up today at HighSchoolOfficials.com and help fill an urgent need in North Carolina!

TireMaxx Scoreboard (12/5-10/22)

BASKETBALL

Draughn @ Freedom

JV Girls: Draughn 32, Freedom 30 (Davis: 19)

JV Boys: Freedom 69, Draughn 38 (Cooper: 10)

V Girls: Freedom 71, Draughn 42 (Snyder: 15)

V Boys: Freedom 74, Draughn 45 (Vess: 10)

East Burke @ Draughn

JV Girls: East Burke 44, Draughn 43 (EB: Fortenberry 21) (D: Davis 18)

JV Boys: East Burke 42, Draughn 40 (EB: Dixon 16) (D: Moore 22)

V Girls: East Burke 69, Draughn 51 (EB: Stilwell 24) (D: E Abernathy 23)

V Boys: Draughn 80, East Burke 51 (D: Z Pritchard 20) (EB: Cox 15)

West McDowell girls 51, Heritage 34 (Corpening: 17)

Walter Johnson girls 38, Heritage 33 (Kincaid: 13)

Liberty girls 25, Heritage 18 (Winkler: 7)

West McDowell boys 53, Heritage 29 (Barker: 16)

Walter Johnson boys 57, Heritage 18 (Dodd/Cooper/Johnson: 4)

Liberty boys 49, Heritage 22 (Johnson/Cooper: 5)

East Burke girls 18, East McDowell 12 (Mosteller: 6)

West McDowell girls 30, East Burke 19 (McFalls: 6)

East McDowell boys 49, East Burke 10 (Butcher: 5)

East Burke boys 50, West McDowell 30 (Keaton: 23)

SWIMMING

Hibriten, Mountain Heritage, Owen @ Draughn (@ Valdese Rec)

Draughn boys

Trey Jensen (50 freestyle 1st, 24.15) (100 breaststroke 1st, 1:12.42)

William Abernathy (100 backstroke 1st, 1:14.79)

200 freestyle relay (1st, 1:55.56) Brandon Sexton, Mason Kirkland, Griffin Stephens, Trey Jensen

Draughn girls

Rhyannon Reasoner (200 freestyle 1st, 2:27.03) (100 backstroke 1st, 1:12.69)

Abby Wood (100 freestyle 1st, 1:07.29)

East Burke @ Buncombe County Schools Aquatic Center vs Enka, McDowell, Mountain Heritage, Owen

EB boys (2nd, 42)

Tristen Carswell (100 freestyle 1st, 1:03.91)

Taylor Lennex (500 freestyle 1st, 6:28.73)

EB girls (3rd, 25)

WRESTLING

West Iredell 66, Draughn 12

Statesville 48, Draughn 18

Chase 66, Draughn 6

Stuart Cramer 78, Draughn 0

Grayson Smith (2 pins vs Chase/Statesville)

Hampton Blackwell (pin vs Statesville)

East Burke @ Patton Big Cat Inv

Grayson Phillips

126 lb champion

3 pinfalls

East Burke 54, East McDowell 48

West McDowell 66, East Burke 36

West McDowell 81, Heritage 19

Heritage 95, Walter Johnson 12

Liberty 66, Heritage 42

INDOOR TRACK

Draughn @ Bunker Hill Polar Bear Kickoff 

Girls 3200 Meters: Regen Bridges (2nd)

Girls High Jump: Bella Williams (2nd)

Girls Pole Vault: Lainey Proffitt (2nd)

Girls Long Jump: Lyrical Edwards (3rd)

Girls Triple Jump: Lyrical Edwards (4th)

Boys Triple Jump: Ryker Suchocki (5th)

Girls 1000 Meters: Regen Bridges (5th)

Foothills Power 5 (2022 Football FINAL)

1A/2A

#1 Burns (13-2) 2A Regional runner-up

#2 Draughn (13-2) 1A Regional runner-up

#3 Maiden (12-2) 2A Fourth Round

#4 Bunker Hill (11-2) 2A Third Round

#5 West Lincoln (8-3) 2A First Round

3A/4A

#1 East Lincoln (16-0) 3A State Champions

Ashe County 51-6 W

Tuscola 35-7 W

Ledford 28-7 W

Kings Mountain 46-20 W

South Point 14-7 W

Northern Nash 30-15 W

#2 Kings Mountain (13-1) 3A Fourth Round

#3 Watauga (10-2) 4A Second Round

#4 Crest (9-4) 3A Third Round

#5 Hibriten (6-6) 3A Second Round

TireMaxx Scoreboard (11/29-12/3/22)

FOOTBALL

Mt Airy 35, Draughn 6 (NCHSAA 1A Regional Final)

DHS: 13-2

Eli Tillery TD pass

Nigel Dula TD reception

Leading defenders: Thomas Lambert, Luke Rector, Hampton Blackwell, Eli Pritchard, Will Price, Connor Pinkerton, Kelton Mitchell, Donnell Wilkins, Will Seagle, Trevor Houston

BASKETBALL

Patton @ Draughn

JV Boys: Draughn 55, Patton 46 (Moore: 18)

V Girls: Draughn 66, Patton 9 (Snyder: 17)

Patton @ East Burke

JV Boys: Patton 35, East Burke 22 (Hartmann: 10)

V Girls: East Burke 60, Patton 14 (Stilwell/Brinkley: 16)

V Boys: Patton 59, East Burke 44 (Cox: 15)

East Burke @ Freedom

JV Girls: Freedom 38, East Burke 34 (Fortenberry: 14)

JV Boys: Freedom 59, East Burke 44 (Demiter/Morrison: 12)

V Girls: Freedom 57, East Burke 53 (Stilwell: 21)

V Boys: Freedom 63, East Burke 59 (Cox: 18)

WRESTLING

Draughn @ St Stephens Indian Classic

Andres Garcia Lopez (120: 4th) 2 decisions, pinfall

East Burke @ Hibriten Hampton/Tuttle Inv

Grayson Phillips (126: 3rd) 3 pinfalls

Zeke Pierce (220: 4th) 2 pinfalls, decision

Brody Burns (285: 3rd) 3 pinfalls

East Burke @ Avery County Quad

Avery County 67, East Burke 12

East Burke 48, Freedom 33

Newton-Conover 72, East Burke 12

Ze Yang (2 pins vs Avery County/Newton-Conover)

Grayson Phillips (2 pins vs Freedom/Newton-Conover)

Patrick Hernandez (pin vs Avery County)

Zachary Ward (pin vs Freedom)

Connor Mobley (pin vs Freedom)

Bryson Wheeler (pin vs Freedom)

Kua Yang (pin vs Freedom)

Jackson Spencer (pin vs Freedom)

Jack Beaver (forfeit vs Freedom)

Ava Norris (forfeit vs Freedom)

INDOOR TRACK

Draughn @ Foard

Girls Shot Put: Lyrical Edwards 1st, 24-10

Boys Shot Put: Addison Ingold 2nd

Girls Long Jump: Maddie Crouch 2nd, Lyrical Edwards 3rd

Girls Triple Jump: Lyrical Edwards 2nd

Girls High Jump: Bella Williams 1st, 4-6

Girls Pole Vault: Lainey Profitt 1st, 7-6

Girls 500 Meters: Avie Helton 1st, 1:39.80

Girls 1000 Meters: Avie Helton 1st, 4:01.42

TireMaxx Scoreboard (11/21-25/22)

Football

Draughn 42, Andrews 21

Nigel Dula 3 TD runs

Eli Tillery 2 TD passes, TD run, two point conv pass

Connor Pinkerton TD reception

Zach Pinkerton TD reception

Eli Pritchard two point conv reception

Rudy Mendoza 4/5 PAT

Tywan Nemorin INT

Will Seagle INT

Kelton Mitchell sack

Thomas Lambert pass breakup

Swimming

East Burke, Draughn @ Lenoir Aquatic Center

BOYS

Draughn 49, East Burke 21

Draughn 40, South Caldwell 36

South Caldwell 54, East Burke 20

200 Freestyle: Brandon Sexton (D) 1st, 2:25.97

200 IM: William Abernathy (D) 1st, 2:39.52

100 Freestyle: Trey Jensen (D) 1st, 54.79

500 Freestyle: Taylor Lennex (EB) 1st, 6:42.60

200 Freestyle Relay: Draughn 1st, 1:55.95 (William Abernathy, Elias Phipps, Griffin Stephens, Trey Jensen)

GIRLS

Draughn 38, East Burke 28

South Caldwell 47, Draughn 27

South Caldwell 60, East Burke 15

200 Freestyle: Abby Wood (D) 1st, 2:42.70

200 IM: Rhyannon Reasoner (D) 1st, 2:48.36

200 Freestyle Relay: Draughn 1st, 2:01.84 (Rhyannon Reasoner, Sarah Mull, Ally Auton, Abby Wood)

100 Breaststroke: Sarah Mull (D) 1st, 1:35.00

Wrestling

Draughn @ Newton-Conover

Newton-Conover 84, Draughn 0

Shelby 54, Draughn 24

West Wilkes 75, Draughn 6

Mason Beck 2 wins (pin vs West Wilkes, forfeit vs Shelby)

Isaac Smith (pin vs Shelby)

Gaston Garrison (forfeit vs Shelby)

Andres Garcia Lopez (forfeit vs Shelby)

East Burke @ Freedom

East Burke 42, Freedom 36

East Burke 60, Patton 24

East Burke 48, Charlotte Christian 30

Cody Bryant (3 pins)

Zachary Ward (3 pins)

Grayson Phillips (pin vs Freedom/Patton, forfeit vs C Christian)

Connor Mobley (pin vs Freedom/Patton, forfeit vs C Christian)

Bryson Wheeler (pin vs Freedom/Patton)

Lance Willis (pin vs Freedom, forfeit vs Patton)

Scott Little (forfeit vs Patton, forfeit vs C Christian)

Eastyn Huffman (pin vs Patton, forfeit vs C Christian)

Zeke Pierce (pin vs Patton, forfeit vs C Christian)

Jackson Spencer (pin vs Freedom)

Ze Yang (pin vs Patton)

Michael Hathcock (forfeit vs C Christian)

Baker's Dozen Podcast College Football Picks & Rankings (11/24)

PICKS

Baylor @ Texas, Wake Forest @ Duke, Michigan @ Ohio State, Auburn @ Alabama, Personal Pick

Levi "Bubba" Cunningham (42 pts, 2/5 last week)

Baylor, Wake Forest, Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee over Vanderbilt

Jonathan Carter (38.7 pts, 4/5 last week)

Texas 30-24, Wake Forest 35-32, Michigan 33-28, Alabama 28-17, Ole Miss over Mississippi State 33-30

Jon Ray (37 pts, 5/5 last week)

Texas, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Alabama, Ole Miss over Mississippi State

Zach Lowder (36.1 pts, 4/5 last week)

Texas, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State over Florida

Jason Baker (34.4 pts, 3/5 last week)

Texas by 7-10, Wake Forest by 10-14, Ohio State by 3-7, Alabama by 7-10, Notre Dame over USC by 7-10

J&J&J Power 5 Poll

Jason

Georgia, TCU, Coastal Carolina, Texas, Wake Forest

Jon

Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, TCU, Coastal Carolina

Jonathan

Georgia, Ohio State, TCU, Michigan, LSU

TireMaxx Scoreboard (11/14-19/22)

Football

Draughn 19, Thomasville 14 (NCHSAA 1A 3rd Round Playoffs)

Nigel Dula 3 TDs (2 rushing, 1 passing)

Zach Pinkerton receiving TD

Will Price forced fumble

Trevor Houston fumble recovery

Basketball

East Burke @ South Caldwell

JV Girls: East Burke 46, South Caldwell 18 (Hermione Avelar-Garro: 18)

JV Boys: South Caldwell 32, East Burke 25 (Owen Hartmann: 9)

V Girls: East Burke 51, South Caldwell 29 (Braelyn Stilwell: 26)

V Boys: South Caldwell 61, East Burke 47 (Caleb Hudson: 15)

Swimming

Draughn @ Watauga

Trey Jensen 50 Freestyle 2nd, 100 breaststroke 3rd, 1A/2A regional qualifier

Rhyannon Reasoner 100 backstroke 4th, 500 freestyle 5th, 1A/2A regional qualifier

Abby Wood 50 freestyle 5th

Wrestling

Draughn Tri @ North Gaston

Marvin Ridge 54, Draughn 6 (Gaston Garrison forfeit)

North Gaston 78, Draughn 6 (Alex Huff forfeit)

Newton-Conover 78, Draughn 3 (Andres Garcia Lopez decision)

East Burke Tri @ Foard

Enka 66, East Burke 18

Foard 76, East Burke 3

Connor Mobley (forfeit vs Enka, sudden victory vs Foard)

Grayson Phillips (pin vs Enka)

Zeke Pierce (pin vs Enka)

Indoor Track

Turkey Classic @ CSD Spartan Park

Girls 1600 Run

Meah Walsh (EB) 1st 5:43.46 (NEW SCHOOL RECORD)

Cadence Willis (EB) 7th

Foothills Power 5 (2022 Boys Soccer)

#1 Hickory (21-2-3) 3A State Champions (1st since 2000)

Smoky Mountain 6-0 W

Erwin 5-1 W

Forestview 4-0 W

Hibriten 4-0 W

Asheboro 2-1 W

Jacksonville 2-1 W

#2 Newton-Conover (19-4-1) 2A Fourth Round

#3 Hibriten (19-4-3) 3A Fourth Round

#4 East Lincoln (18-5-3) 3A Fourth Round

#5 Patton (18-5-1) 2A Third Round

Honorable Mention:

St Stephens (15-5-1) 3A Third Round

Watauga (13-9-1) 4A Third Round

Baker's Dozen Podcast College Football Picks & Rankings (11/19)

PICKS

Syracuse @ Wake Forest, Duke @ Pittsburgh, TCU @ Baylor, Texas @ Kansas, Personal Pick

Levi "Bubba" Cunningham (40 pts, 3/5 last week)

Syracuse, Pittsburgh, TCU, Kansas, Tennessee over South Carolina

Jonathan Carter (34.7 pts, 2/5 last week) Alabama 30, Ole Miss 24

Wake Forest 32-24, Pittsburgh 28-21, Baylor 31-28, Texas 35-24, Boise State over Wyoming 28-17

Zach Lowder (32.1 pts, 4/5 last week)

Wake Forest, Duke, TCU, Texas, Oregon over Utah

Jon Ray (32 pts, 4/5 last week)

Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, TCU, Texas, Yale over Harvard

Jason Baker (31.3 pts, 1/5 last week)

Wake Forest by 7-10, Duke by 3-7, TCU by 3-7, Texas by 3-7, Florida over Vanderbilt by 7-10

J&J&J Power 5

Jason

Georgia (10-0), TCU (10-0), Coastal Carolina (9-1), Tennessee (9-1), UNC (9-1)

Jon

Ohio State (10-0), Michigan (10-0), TCU (10-0), Coastal Carolina (9-1), Tennessee (9-1)

Jonathan

Georgia (10-0), Ohio State (10-0), Michigan (10-0), TCU (10-0), Tennessee (9-1)

 

HS Football (2022 1A 3rd Round)

#6 Draughn (11-1) @ #3 Thomasville (11-1)

First Meeting 

Winner Plays: #7 Murphy/#2 Andrews

Path to 3rd Round

Draughn: Union Academy 66-13 W, Mitchell 35-10 W

Thomasville: Elkin 55-7 W, Swain County 21-0 W

Leading Performers

Draughn: Eli TIllery, Nigel Dula, Zach Pinkerton, Tywan Nemorin

Thomasville: Jalen Thomas, Shamon Smith, Kevin Robinson, Dameyon Gathings

Baker's Dozen Podcast College Football Picks & Rankings (11/12)

Picks

Louisville @ Clemson, UNC @ Wake Forest, Alabama @ Ole Miss, TCU @ Texas, own personal pick

Levi "Bubba" Cunningham (37 pts, 2/5 last week)

Clemson, UNC, Ole Miss, Texas, Tennessee over Missouri

Jonathan Carter (32.6 pts, 2/5 last week) Coastal Carolina 35, Appalachian State 28

Clemson 28-24, Wake Forest 38-35, Alabama 35-24, Texas 28-21, Appalachian State over Marshall 31-28

Jason Baker (30.3 pts, 3/5 last week)

Clemson by 7-10, Wake Forest by 7-10, Ole Miss by 3-7, Texas by 3-7, NC State over Boston College by 14-21

Zach Lowder (28.1 pts, 2/5 last week)

Clemson, Wake Forest, Alabama, TCU, Tennessee over Missouri

Jon Ray (28 pts, 3/5 last week)

Clemson, UNC, Alabama, Texas, Auburn over Texas A&M

J&J&J College Football Power 5

Jason: Georgia (9-0), TCU (9-0), Oregon (8-1), Coastal Carolina (8-1), NC State (7-2)

Jon: Ohio State (9-0), Michigan (9-0), TCU (9-0), Oregon (8-1), Coastal Carolina (8-1)

Jonathan: Georgia (9-0), Ohio State (9-0), Michigan (9-0), TCU (9-0), Tennessee (8-1)

HMS Volleyball completes undefeated season

Valdese- The Heritage Middle volleyball team had to claw, fight, and survive to complete their 2022 season with a perfect 14-game mark after winning Thursday's Foothills Athletic Conference championship five-setter showdown with West McDowell.

"Our girls had made me nervous quite a few times like that," said Heritage coach Mindy Cook. "I'm excited that our girls wanted (this win)."

The Lady Eagles won sets one (25-19), three (25-14), and five (15-8) with the visiting Lady Spartans taking sets two and four with identical 25-22 scores.

Macy Auton, Lillian Collins, and Shelby Proffitt led at the service line in the opening set win with Auton, Ashlyn Heavner, and Kylie Corpening making critical plays at the net.

West McDowell built up an 8-1 lead leading to a set two win while the Lady Eagles dominated the third set.

There were two ties midway through set four as the visitors' outscored Heritage 10-7 following a 15-all tie despite the rallying efforts from Auton, Collins, and Ava Kurtz.

A kill and a service ace by Auton gave the Lady Eagles a 3-0 advantage to start the fifth do-or-die set with Profitt succeeding on two aces and Auton three kills to wrap up the win and perfect season.

Girls Soccer

Table Rock 5, Heritage 3 (2OT)

It was a tight-knit battle in the rain for the Foothills Athletic Conference championship as the visiting Lady Falcons stole the win away from the top-seeded Lady Eagles by making three goals to Heritage's one in the PK portion of overtime.

Carlie Harris made both goals for Table Rock in regulation with Anna Bordeleau-Cannon and Marissa Williams each kicking in a goal for Heritage.

It was 1-1 at the halftime break and 2-2 at the end of regulation as neither team could connect on any shots on goal in overtime leading to the PK shootout.

Harris and Williams each made a goal on the first PK attempt while Addison White and Alley Sasser connected for the Lady Falcons.

Further attempts for Heritage were snagged away by Harris at the net or just missed the mark.

Foothills Power 5 (2022 Volleyball)

#1 North Iredell (33-0) 3A State Champions 

West Charlotte 3-0 W

Franklin 3-0 W

Lake Norman Charter 3-0 W

North Henderson 3-0 W

Foard 3-0 W

J. H. Rose 3-2 W

#2 Foard (22-8) 3A Regional runner-up

#3 Watauga (23-3) 4A Fourth Round

#4 Maiden (20-7) 2A Second Round

#5 Draughn (15-10) 1A Third Round

Draughn 66, Union Academy 13 The Summary

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

D- Nigel Dula 5 run (kick failed)

D- Zach Pinkerton 19 pass from Eli Tillery (Dula run)

D- Dula 11 run (kick failed)

D- Dula 1 run (Dula run)

D- Shaydon Pino 45 interception return (Rudy Mendoza kick)

Second Quarter

D- Justice Cunningham 2 run (Mendoza kick)

UA- Ezra Martin 88 pass from Patrick Miller (Stephen Gonzales kick)

D- Dula 85 kick return (Mendoza kick)

UA- Martin 66 pass from Miller (pass failed)

D- Cunningham 1 run (Mendoza kick)

Third Quarter

D- Dula 11 run (Mendoza kick)

Fourth Quarter

D- Mendoza 25 field goal

By The Numbers

468: Draughn total offensive yards

218: total number of points scored by Draughn's Eli Tillery this season

59: total number of points scored by Draughn's Rudy Mendoza this season

50: longest run by Draughn's Justice Cunningham

49: career rushing TDs for Draughn's Nigel Dula

31: longest reception by Draughn's Zach Pinkerton

23.7: Union Academy average gain of yardage per drive

19: Draughn total offensive plays for ten yards or more

18: Draughn total first downs

13.9: Draughn average points allowed this season

5: different Draughn receivers to catch a pass

3: Draughn total playoff wins

HS Football (2022 1A 1st Round)

#27 Union Academy (2-8) @ #6 Draughn (9-1)

First Meeting

Last Week: U Academy forfeit win over South Stanly, Draughn defeated Mountain Heritage 49-21

Winner Plays: #22 South Davidson/#11 Mitchell

Leading Performers

Union Academy: CJ Hartley, Patrick Miller, Conor Griffin, Kagan Callaway, Ezra Martin

Draughn: Eli Tillery, Zach Pinkerton, Nigel Dula, Elijah Pritchard, Donnell Wilkins

Baker's Dozen Podcast College Football Picks & Rankings (11/3)

PICKS

Appalachian State @ Coastal Carolina, Clemson @ Notre Dame, Wake Forest @ NC State, Tennessee @ Georgia, Own personal pick

Levi "Bubba" Cunningham (35 pts, 3/5 last week)

Appalachian State, Clemson, NC State, Tennessee, Cincinnati over Navy

Jonathan Carter (30.5 pts, 2/5 last week) Ohio State 44, Penn State 31

Coastal Carolina 34-31, Clemson 24-20, Wake Forest 28-21, Tennessee 38-35, Air Force over Army 23-17

Jason Baker (27.3 pts, 2/5 last week)

Appalachian State by 3-7, Clemson by 3-7, NC State by 3-7, Georgia by 7-10, Florida State over Miami by 7-10

Zach Lowder (26.1 pts, 3/5 last week)

Coastal Carolina, Clemson, Wake Forest, Georgia, Alabama over LSU

Jon Ray (25 pts)

Coastal Carolina, Clemson, Wake Forest, Georgia, Jackson State over Texas Southern

J&J&J Power 5

Jason

Georgia (8-0), Clemson (8-0), Tennessee (8-0), TCU (8-0), Kansas State (6-2)

Jon

Ohio State (8-0), Tennessee (8-0), Michigan (8-0), TCU (8-0), Kansas State (6-2)

Jonathan

Georgia (8-0), Ohio State (8-0), Tennessee (8-0), Michigan (8-0), TCU (8-0)

Foothills Power 5 (2022 Football #6)

1A/2A

#1 Maiden (9-1, 7-0) Newton-Conover 47-13 W (Catawba Valley Athletic 2A Champs)

#2 Burns (9-1, 6-0) Shelby 27-14 W (Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Champs)

#3 Draughn (9-1, 6-0) Mountain Heritage 49-21 W (Western Highlands 1A/2A Champs)

#4 Bunker Hill (9-1, 6-1) Bandys 37-14 W

#5 West Lincoln (8-2, 5-2) Lincolnton 49-48 W (2OT)

3A/4A

#1 East Lincoln (10-0, 7-0) North Lincoln 28-7 W (Western Foothills 3A Champs)

#2 Kings Mountain (10-0, 7-0) Crest 35-20 W (Big South 3A Champs)

#3 Watauga (9-1, 5-0) Ashe County 56-28 W (Northwestern 3A/4A Champs)

#4 Freedom (6-4, 3-2) Alexander Central 26-14 W

#5 Hickory (7-3, 5-2) Statesville 20-14 L

TireMaxx Scoreboard (10/24-29/22)

Football

Draughn 49, Mountain Heritage 21

Nigel Dula 164 rushing yds, TD, TD reception, two pt conv run

Eli Tillery 223 passing yds, 3 TD, rushing TD, two pt conv run

Zach Pinkerton 124 receiving yds, 2 TD

Elijah Pritchard blocked punt return TD

Donnell Wilkins 2 TFL

Hampton Blackwell TFL

Connor Pinkerton TFL

Luke Rector TFL

Elijah Pritchard sack, forced fumble

Trevor Houston pass breakup

Jacob Mull pass breakup

East Burke 42, West Caldwell 27

Jacob Dellinger 178 rushing yds, 3 TD

KJ Byrd 154 rushing yds, TD

Ben Mast 2 TD runs

Luke Wilson 15 tackles, TFL New Record Holder: Season Tackles 115, Career Tackles 219

Levi Coble 10 tackles, 3 TFL, sack

Gavon Franklin 10 tackles, TFL

Brady Bostain 3 TFL, sack

Mason Robison INT, blocked punt

JV: East Burke 34, West Caldwell 22

Ossie Burkeen 145 rushing yards, 2 TD

Zayne Newman 126 rushing yards, 2 TD

Vernon Quintana 35 rushing yards, TD/5 tackles, TFL

Kolby Byrd 5 tackles, 2 TFL

Patrick Hernandez 5 tackles, TFL

Jordan Fox 4 tackles

Boys Soccer/MS Soccer 

Mountain Heritage 3, Draughn 2

East Burke 3, West Lincoln 0

Qwinton Hemphill 2 goals

Danny Ramirez goal

Raleigh Slutsky assist

Gannon Stotts assist

Eduardo Sanchez 5 saves

West Caldwell 3, East Burke 1

Jaccob Fair goal

Eduardo Sanchez 4 saves

Liberty boys 4, EBMS 1

Zlatan Martinez goal

Liberty girls 4, EBMS 0

MS Volleyball

Liberty 3, East Burke 1

Cross Country

1A Regionals @ Kituawah Mound

Draughn boys (10th)

Ryan Williams (19th, 17:49.52) State Qualifier

William Abernathy (34th)

Tray Powell (50th)

Blaine Blackwell (53rd)

Grady Wooden (73rd)

Ben Thao (93rd)

Wonhee Kim (94th)

Draughn girls (12th)

Ambria Blalock (49th)

Regen Bridges (63rd)

Georgina Cisneros-Rivera (78th)

Anna Cape (81st)

Cora Hunt (93rd)

Libby Toole (94th)

2A Regionals @ Asheville Christian Academy

East Burke girls (7th)

Meah Walsh (4th, 20:41.90) State Qualifier

Ashley Hernandez (23rd)

Piper Strong (47th)

Cadence Willis (50th)

Karlynna McDaniel (65th)

Lacie Forino (66th)

Maritza Cisneros Estrada (84th)

East Burke boys (17th)

Elijah Baker (41st)

Calvin Curtis (72nd)

Seth Adamcyzk (93rd)

Travis Craig (107th)

Job Snow (111th)

Lady Wildcats season ends in third round

Gastonia/Monroe- For just the second time in school history, the Draughn volleyball team advanced to the third round of the state playoffs joining the 2013 team.

A historic run for the ninth-seeded Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference Champion Lady Wildcats started with straight sets wins over Swain County and Piedmont Community Charter before falling to defending 1A state champions Union Academy in straight sets.

Senior Madison Powell led the Lady Wildcats with seven kills in her final game Thursday night.

Ella Heavner and Speed Hatley each made a key service ace against the host Lady Cardinals while Heavner, Bella Williams, Bailey Mozeley, and Emma Lewis made key plays at the net.

On Tuesday night vs. the Lady Patriots of Piedmont CC, Mozeley, Powell, and Williams each tallied at least five kills with Heavner also being a key server.

The Lady Wildcats season ends with a 15-10 overall record, 9-3 in the Western Highlands Conference, as head coach Jamie Ward reached 51 wins in four seasons.

(Speed Hatley looks to return a serve alongside Ella Heavner vs. Piedmont Community Charter)

(Wayne Baker)

Draughn 3, Swain County 0

25-19, 25-22, 25-19

Draughn 3, Piedmont CC 0

25-16, 25-20, 25-20

Union Academy 3, Draughn 0

25-14, 25-8, 25-19

Verse of the Day

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever.”

-Revelation 5:13 (NIV)

HS Football (2022 Week 11)

Mountain Heritage (4-5, 4-1) @ Draughn (8-1, 5-0)

Last Meeting: Mountain Heritage 45, Draughn 20 (2021) (2nd meeting, 1-0 Mtn Heritage)

Last Week: Mtn Heritage won over Madison 35-21, Draughn was idle

Wildcat Seniors: #2 Tywan Nemorin, #4 Zach Pinkerton, #9 Thomas Lambert, #10 Elijah Pritchard, #11 Will Price, #15 John Robert Abernathy, #42 Donnell Wilkins, #51 Xavier Cook, #52 Josh Elkins, #53 Luke Rector, #54 Bryan Sanchez, #56 Harrison Williams, #77 Shytrail Gaither, #81 Trevor Houston

West Caldwell (0-9, 0-6) @ East Burke (2-7, 0-6)

Last Meeting: East Burke 28, West Caldwell 18 (2021) (32nd meeting, 19-12 E Burke)

Last Week: W Caldwell lost to Bandys 35-28, E Burke lost to West Lincoln 56-12

Cavalier Seniors: #2 Ben Mast, #13 Qwinton Hemphill, #33 Alan Barnes, #40 Luke Wilson, #52 Chase Greer, #58 Matthew Smith, #62 Colton Boyette, #75 Eli Carico, #78 Michael Hathcock, #85 Corbin McNeil

Scoring Leaders

Eli Tillery (D) 180

Nigel Dula (D) 98

Justice Cunningham (D) 90

Zach Pinkerton (D) 72

Elijah Pritchard (D) 56

Jacob Dellinger (EB) 50

Rudy Mendoza (D) 48

Ben Mast (EB) 44

KJ Byrd (EB) 30

Levi Coble (EB) 26

Eli Carico (EB) 18

Eagles hang on to win over Raiders 28-20

Valdese- The Heritage and East Burke middle school football teams came to play the regular season finale at Draughn High looking for that one win in Foothills Athletic Conference play.

The Eagles rushing game built a steady lead but the Raiders staged a second-half comeback only to fall eight points short, 28-20.

Heritage (1-5 FAC) first got on the board with a 40-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jesiah Johnson.

Following an East Burke fumble recovered by Kenneth Guerrero, Michael Powell ran for a 55-yard touchdown with the addition of a Johnson two-point conversion run.

The Raiders (0-6 FAC) ended the shutout bid as the first quarter came to a close with a Jesiah Rees 25-yard touchdown run.

Each squad added a second-quarter touchdown run with Johnson scoring from 16 yards and a Bryson Seagle two-point conversion run and Rees scoring from 11 yards.

Heritage's lead got cut to 22-14 in the third quarter following a tackle for loss by East Burke's Izan Hang for a safety.

A Seagle 45-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter looked to put the final touches on an Eagles win until the Raiders got in the endzone with a little over a minute remaining off a four-yard run by Brayden Sigmon.

The Raiders were able to force the Eagles to go three and out as a last-second drive was set up by two consecutive completions by RJ Williams until a game-ending tackle by Henry Cooper.

Conner Brinkley (TFL) and Chase Yambor (INT) were other key Heritage defenders.

Other key East Burke players included Daniel Cook, Tucker Gantt, Leelan Pyatte, and Landon Minor.

(Heritage quarterback Jesiah Johnson looking to take a run for the Eagles) (Wayne Baker)

Baker's Dozen Podcast College Football Picks & Rankings (10/27)

Picks

Wake Forest @ Louisville, Ohio State @ Penn State, Oklahoma State @ Kansas State, Florida vs Georgia, own personal pick

Levi "Bubba" Cunningham (32 pts, 4/5 last week)

Wake Forest, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Georgia, Tennessee over Kentucky

Jonathan Carter (28.3 pts, 3/5 last week) Wyoming 28, Utah State 14

Wake Forest 38-32, Ohio State 42-28, Oklahoma State 28-25, Georgia 38-17, Texas A&M over Ole Miss 31-28

Jason Baker (25.3 pts, 3/5 last week)

Wake Forest by 7-10, Penn State by 3-7, Kansas State by 3-7, Georgia by 7-10, Pittsburgh over UNC by 7-10

Zach Lowder (23.1 pts, 2/5 last week)

Wake Forest, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Georgia, Utah over Washington State

J&J&J College Football Power 5

Jason

Georgia (7-0), Clemson (8-0), Tennessee (7-0), TCU (7-0), Wake Forest (6-1)

Jon Ray

Ohio State (7-0), Tennessee (7-0), Michigan (7-0), TCU (7-0), Wake Forest (6-1)

Jonathan

Georgia (7-0), Ohio State (7-0), Tennessee (7-0), Michigan (7-0), TCU (7-0)

2022 1A/2A HS Football Playoff Projections

1A West

#32 Highland Tech @ #1 Eastern Randolph

#17 Mountain Heritage @ #16 South Stokes

#25 Cherokee @ #8 Robbinsville

#24 Cherryville @ #9 Christ The King

#28 Bishop McGuiness @ #5 Draughn

#21 Alleghany @ #12 Hayesville

#20 Bessemer City @ #13 North Rowan

#29 Avery County @ #4 Mount Airy

#30 North Stokes @ #3 Thomasville

#19 Carver @ #14 Swain County

#27 Union Academy @ #6 Murphy

#22 South Davidson @ #11 Mitchell

#26 Albemarle @ #7 Starmount

#23 Thomas Jefferson @ #10 East Wilkes

#18 Winston Salem Prep @ #15 Mountain Island Charter

#31 North Stokes @ #2 Andrews

2A West

#32 West Stanly @ #1 Reidsville

#17 McMichael @ #16 Forest Hills

#25 North Wilkes @ #8 Chase

#24 Lincolnton @ #9 Robinson

#28 Polk County @ #5 Maiden

#21 East Davidson @ #12 Hendersonville

#20 Shelby @ #13 Randleman

#29 East Gaston @ #4 Community School of Davidson

#30 Morehead @ #3 Burns

#19 West Lincoln @ #14 Wilkes Central

#27 Brevard @ #6 Salisbury

#22 Mount Pleasant @ #11 Bunker Hill

#26 North Stanly @ #7 Monroe

#23 West Stokes @ #10 Walkertown

#18 Providence Grove @ #15 Pine Lake Prep

#31 Anson @ #2 East Surry

Foothills Power 5 (2022 Football #5)

1A/2A

#1 Maiden (8-1, 6-0) Lincolnton 35-13 W

#2 Burns (8-1, 5-0) Cherryville 64-7 W

#3 Draughn (8-1, 5-0) BYE

#4 Bunker Hill (8-1, 5-1) Newton-Conover 38-27 W

#5 West Lincoln (7-2, 4-2) East Burke 56-12 W

3A/4A

#1 East Lincoln (9-0, 6-0) North Iredell 50-7 W

#2 Kings Mountain (9-0, 6-0) Crest 48-14 W

#3 Watauga (8-1, 4-0) Freedom 49-14 W

#4 Hickory (7-2, 5-1) Foard 47-14 W

#5 Crest (7-2, 5-1) Hunter Huss 40-0 W

 

Collegiate Cats/Cavs #9

VOLLEYBALL

Suttles at Pfeiffer

Kira Suttles (Draughn) competed in 28 games in her senior volleyball season at Pfeiffer leading the Lady Falcons in assists (474) and ranking third in service aces (22) and fifth in digs (111).

Her season highs include 29 assists vs Brevard, 10 digs vs Randolph, and four service aces vs Johnson & Wales.

The Lady Falcons season continues Wednesday vs Methodist.

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Lowman at Lees-McRae

Haley Lowman (Draughn) competed in 17 games for the Lady Bobcats soccer team at Lees McRae College accumulating 684 total minutes of play scoring three goals off of 11 total shots.

Her three goals came against Francis Marion, Chowan, and Erskine.

The Lady Bobcats begin Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship play Saturday.

Powell at Salem College

Serenity Powell (East Burke) played in 14 games in her freshman season at Salem College only recording one shot.

MEN'S GOLF

Leonard at Montreat

Ben Leonard (Draughn) finished in the top 25 in two golf matches for Montreat College tying for 18th place at the Don Scalff Memorial (153) and tying for 22nd at the East Tennessee Collegiate (149).

He also scored a 242 tying for 54th place at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Fall Championship.

Mace at Lenoir-Rhyne

Sam Mace (East Burke) began his freshman golf season at Lenoir-Rhyne University as his best finish with the Bears was a tie for 11th place at the Jay Jennison Cup (219).

WOMEN'S RUGBY

Hawkins at Newberry

After a stint of playing basketball at Newberry College, Ariana Hawkins (East Burke) took up the sport of rugby for the Lady Wolves.

In 12 games, Hawkins scored her lone goal vs. Guilford College, adding 32 tackles for the season.

She recorded a season-best nine solo tackles vs. Queens and also led the team in five conversion kicks.

 

TireMaxx Scoreboard (10/18-22/22)

Football

West Lincoln 56, East Burke 12

Jacob Dellinger 108 rushing yards

Darren Hammons 65 rushing yards, TD

KJ Byrd 41 rushing yards, TD

JV: R-S Central 44, Draughn 20

D'Andre Moore 3 TD passes

Gavin Johnson 2 TD receptions

Jack Charlet TD reception

JV: West Lincoln 12, East Burke 0

Ossie Burkeen 11 tackles, TFL, forced fumble

Boys Soccer/MS Soccer

Draughn 3, Mitchell 0

Mylton Garcia goal

Brian Rivera goal

Dawson Bollinger goal

Draughn 2, Madison 2

Brian Rivera 2 goals

East Burke 5, Bunker Hill 1

Qwinton Hemphill 2 goals, assist

Gannon Stotts goal

Bryant Lao goal

Anthony Romero assist

Eduardo Sanchez 3 saves

Lincolnton 3, East Burke 0

Eduardo Sanchez 6 saves

East Burke boys 3, West McDowell 2

Brandon Hernandez goal

Zlatan Martinez goal

Isaiah Reid goal

Walter Johnson boys 4, East Burke 1

Zlaton Martinez goal

Liberty boys 5, Heritage 0

Heritage boys 3, Table Rock 1

Marcos Say Chay goal

Abdeil Gonzalez goal

Jimmy Velasquez goal

Heritage girls 2, Liberty 2

Marissa Williams goal

Mati Kincaid goal

Heritage girls 2, Table Rock 1

Karen DeLeon goal

Marissa Williams goal

West McDowell girls 2, East Burke 1

Annabelle Frank goal

Walter Johnson girls 2, East Burke 0

Cross Country

W Highlands Championship @ Draughn 

Draughn boys (3rd, 67)

Ryan Williams (5th, 19:11.42)

Tray Powell (13th)

William Abernathy (15th)

Blaine Blackwell (18th)

Grady Wooden (21st)

Wonhee Kim (29th)

Ben Thao (30th)

Eason Simmons (31st)

Luke Stafford (32nd)

Brody Wooden (33rd)

Harrison Blalock (39th)

Ryker Suchocki (48th)

Draughn girls (4th, 80)

Avie Helton (4th, 23:42.81)

Ambria Blalock (9th, 24:34.27)

Regen Bridges (18th)

Georgina Cisneros-Rivera (24th)

Anna Cape (29th)

Cora Hunt (41st)

Libby Toole (45th)

CVAC Championship @ Southside Park 

EB girls (1st, 43)

Meah Walsh (2nd, 20:37.47)

Ashley Hernandez (6th, 22:25.73)

Cadence Willis (9th, 23:34.38)

Piper Strong (12th)

Karlynna McDaniel (17th)

Lacie Forino (21st)

Estrada Cisneros (28th)

EB boys (4th, 98)

Elijah Baker (6th, 18:46.73)

Marc Denton (12th)

Jackson Spencer (23rd)

Travis Craig (26th)

Austin Reynolds (35th)

Seth Adamcyzk (36th)

Job Snow (44th)

Girls Golf

1A Regional @ Mimosa Hills

GiGi Smith (21st, 101)

Laney Hodge (27th, 103)

Sarah Mull (35th, 118)

Charis Hyde (39th, 125)

Volleyball

Draughn 3, Mountain Heritage 1

25-22 D, 25-21 D, 25-16 MH, 25-14 D

Draughn 3, Swain County 0 (NCHSAA Playoffs)

25-19 D, 25-22 D, 25-19 D

East Burke 3, West Lincoln 0 (CVAC Tournament)

25-11 EB, 26-24 EB, 26-24 EB

Katherine Greene 12 kills, 8 digs, assist

Trysten Hare 10 kills, 2 blocks, ace

Aubree Grigg 8 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks

Reese Abernathy 13 digs, 6 kills, ace, assist

Addy Fortenberry 20 assists, 9 digs, 4 kills, 2 blocks, ace

Maiden 3, East Burke 0 (CVAC Tournament)

25-11 M, 27-25 M, 25-10 M

Aubree Grigg 6 kills, 5 blocks, 2 digs

Katherine Greene 8 digs, 5 kills

Reese Abernathy 10 digs, 4 kills

Trysten Hare 2 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks, dig

Brevard 3, East Burke 0 (NCHSAA Playoffs)

25-9 B, 25-13 B, 25-12 B

Aubree Grigg 3 kills, block

Reese Abernathy 8 digs, 2 kills

Katherine Greene 5 digs, 2 kills

Heritage 3, Liberty 2

Macy Auton 11 kills, 8 aces

Heritage 3, Table Rock 0

West McDowell 3, East Burke 0

East Burke 3, Walter Johnson 0

HS Football (2022 Week Ten)

East Burke (2-6, 0-5) @ West Lincoln (6-2, 3-2)

Last Meeting: West Lincoln 16, East Burke 14 (2021) (fifth meeting, 3-1 W Lincoln)

Last Week: East Burke lost to Lincolnton 21-17, West Lincoln defeated West Caldwell 61-20

Leading Performers

East Burke: Levi Coble, Jacob Dellinger, KJ Byrd, Luke Wilson

West Lincoln: Mason Avery, Jordan Truesdale, Nathan Rye, Jaylin Winnex

From The Coach

"West Lincoln is going to be a tough and physical opponent"

"They are always well coached and we have to keep showing up and working harder to be the toughest team on the field"

"Our guys have shown up this week and had a good week at practice, we will continue to believe in each other and have faith"

-Derrick Minor

Scoring Leaders

Eli Tillery (D) 180

Nigel Dula (D) 98

Justice Cunningham (D) 90

Zach Pinkerton (D) 72

Elijah Pritchard (D) 56

Jacob Dellinger (EB) 50

Rudy Mendoza (D) 48

Ben Mast (EB) 44

Levi Coble (EB) 26

KJ Byrd (EB) 24

Eli Carico (EB) 18