North Surry tops East Surry 56-53
North Surry’s Jahreece Lynch (3) glides through the air to finish a layup.
Daniel Creech (10) elevates to score in transition for East Surry.
North Surry’s James McCreary (15) fires a 3-pointer over East Surry’s Daniel Creech (10).
East Surry’s Folger Boaz (2) shoots a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner.
Cam Taylor (22) adds to North Surry’s lead with a layup in the final few minutes of Tuesday’s game.
East Surry’s Jordan Davis (14) attacks the basket while being defended by North’s Jahreece Lynch (3).
The unstoppable force met the immovable object as North Surry hosted East Surry on Dec. 14.
The Greyhounds of Toast came into Tuesday’s game 4-0, while the Cardinals of Pilot Mountain sat at 3-0 before competing inside Ron King Gymnasium. Both schools were also 1-0 in the Foothills 2A Conference.
After a back-and-forth game, the Greyhounds mounted a comeback and outscored East Surry by seven in the fourth quarter. A combined 42 points from James McCreary and Jahreece Lynch led the Hounds to a 56-53 over the Cardinals.
North Surry is 5-0 for the first time under coach Tyler Bentley and matches the program’s best start since the 2016-17 season.
East Surry jumped out to a 17-10 lead in the first quarter behind nine points from junior forward Luke Brown. Brown, who went on to lead the Cardinals with 17 points, and Folger Boaz each knocked down a 3-pointer in the opening quarter. The Cards went on to shoot 4-of-14 (29%) from beyond the arc in the game.
The Greyhounds struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 3-of-18 (17%) from 3-point land. Lynch hit a triple in the first and scored eight of the Hounds’ 10 first-quarter points. McCreary was the only other North Surry player to score in the opening quarter, doing do on a transition layup after grabbing a defensive board.
Lynch and McCreary each had six in the second quarter, and Cam Taylor and Kolby Watson got rolling as well. An 18-10 run by North put the Hounds ahead 28-27 at halftime.
Five different Cardinals scored in each of the first three quarters. Brown added six in the third quarter, while Daniel Creech scored four, and Boaz, Jordan Davis and Bradley Davis each scored two.
East Surry held a 43-36 lead in the third quarter before McCreary knocked down his only 3-pointer of the night. Down four at the start of the fourth, North went on a 5-1 run to tie the game at 44. A 3-pointer from Lynch tied the game, but East pulled back ahead to lead 50-48 with less than two minutes to play.
North Surry had 17 points in the fourth quarter while East was held to 10. McCreary had eight in the final quarter, followed by Lynch with five, and Taylor and Watson with two each.
East Surry only hit two field goals in the fourth quarter: Boaz scored a 2-pointer and Jordan Davis hit his only 3-pointer of the game. The remaining five Cardinal points came from the free throw line, but East only converted 5-of-10 free throw attempts in the final eight minutes. The Cards shot just 9-of-20 (45%) from the line in Tuesday’s game, while North Surry hit 7-of-10 (70%) attempts.
The most recent MaxPreps rankings, published on Dec. 14, have the Greyhounds at No. 6 in the 2A West. Due to their football season running into December, East Surry has not played enough games to qualify for the rankings.
North Surry is the only FH2A team that is unbeaten on the season overall. Three FH2A teams are undefeated in conference play: North Surry, Surry Central and Forbush. The Greyhounds travel to East Bend to take on the Falcons (4-1, 1-0 FH2A) on Dec. 17.
East Surry returns home the same day and will take on Wilkes Central (2-5, 0-2 FH2A).
ES: Luke Brown 17, Jordan Davis 12, Folger Boaz 9, Daniel Creech 9, Bradley Davis 4, Joseph Grezmak 2
NS: James McCreary 23, Jahreece Lynch 19, Cam Taylor 8, Kolby Watson 4, Jackson Smith 2
Reach Cory on Twitter @MrCoryLeeSmith
Chick-fil-A holding food drive next week
Greyhounds top Golden Eagles in FH2A Swim Meet
DOBSON — The Surry Community College baseball team volunteered to help with the Surry County Sheriff’s Food Drive and Delivery on Dec. 11.
Members of the Knights’ baseball team assisted with packing and distributing 350 food boxes at Surry Central High School for the 17th-consecutive year.
Former Surry County Sheriff and event founder, Graham Atkinson was quick to praise the players and coaches for all of their help.
“The Surry baseball team members were incredible as usual this year,” Atkinson said. “We are so appreciative of this partnership and all of their many years of service. I hope that we can continue this effort together for many more years to come because it would be extremely difficult without their assistance.”
Surry Head coach Tim Collins said this year’s team was eager to help and give back to the community.
“I am extremely proud of our team being a part of this very special project,” Collins said. “As coaches, we try to develop our student-athletes not only as baseball players but as young men as well. The Surry County Food Drive and Delivery project is a very important part of that. It allows us the opportunity to give back to the community and help those in need.”
For Surry Athletic Director Mark Tucker, it is another example of the athletic program’s commitment to community service.
“Our student-athletes are tremendous with helping out in our community,” Tucker said. “In the past, our teams have assisted with Operation Christmas Child, collected food donations for needy area residents, visited long-term residents in the hospital, assisted with Special Olympics, helped elderly community members with needed yard work, and volunteered with youth sports practices, just to name a few. We greatly appreciate Surry County Sheriff, Steve Hiatt and former Sheriff, Graham Atkinson for allowing us to be a part of this special project for all of these years. It has been amazing to watch it grow during the past 17 years.”
On the field, the Knights completed a strong fall schedule in early October and look to build off that momentum heading into the spring.
“We had a good fall and our winter conditioning and weightlifting program went really well,” Collins said. “We will start back to practicing on the field in early January and open our spring season in early February. I feel like we have a good group of young men that are eager for the challenge of competing in Region 10.”
The Knights will open the 2022 season traveling to Gaston College on Feb. 5 for a doubleheader at 1:00 pm. Surry will then open their home schedule on Feb. 6 hosting Anne Arundel Community College from Maryland at 12:00 pm in a doubleheader.
PILOT MOUNTAIN — East Surry picked up a pair of dual-team victories last week in a tri-match against Forbush and Mount Tabor.
Cardinal seniors Trace and Tyson Tilley were recognized for their contributions to East Surry’s wrestling program, though coach Darrin Haywood stressed there is still a lot of work to be done this season.
East Surry defeated Forbush 51-30 for the Cards’ first win in the Foothills 2A Conference. East went on to defeat Mount Tabor 58-18 to improve to 8-9 on the season.
East Surry dropped its first individual match against Forbush, but rebounded with nine consecutive victories.
The Cardinals and Falcons began with the 132-pound weight class. Forbush’s Edwin Pozo took a 5-0 lead over East’s Colby Stowers after the first period, then added two points to his lead in the second period. Pozo pinned Stowers with 33 seconds remaining in the second period.
Eirion Moore started the 9-match streak for the Cards by defeating Harrison Reavis via fall in the 138 match. A first-period takedown and near fall put Moore up 4-0 before he picked up the win 57 seconds in.
Troy Haywood and Charlie Cummings picked up wins in the 145 and 152 matches via forfeit to put East ahead 18-6. The lead grew to 24-6 when Trace Tilley defeated Jesse Ramirez via first-period fall in the 160 match.
Forbush’s Salud Ramirez executed a first-period takedown against Braden Snow to take a 2-0 lead in the 170 match. Snow responded with eight unanswered points before pinning his opponent with 50 seconds left in the second period.
Eli Becker was up next for East in the 182 match. Becker scored a takedown early, then pinned Juan Ramirez for the win.
Daniel Villasenor went the distance with Forbush’s Luke Hurley in the 195 match. Hurley led 2-1 after the first period, then went up 3-1 after the second period. Villasenor completed his comeback with an escape and takedown in the third period to win via 4-3 decision.
East’s Izaiah Gulledge and Forbush’s Regan Ramey looked as if they might also have their match decided by decision, albeit more one-sided than Villasenor and Hurley’s. Gulledge led 4-1 after the first period, 7-1 after the second and went up 10-1 in the third before pinning Ramey.
The Cardinals’ final win against the Falcons came in the heavyweight match. Isac Vaden went up 4-1 then pinned his opponent with three seconds left in the first period.
Forbush won the four remaining matches. The Falcons took the 113 and 126 matches via forfeit and won the 106 and 120 matches via fall.
Similar to their match against Forbush, the Cardinals dropped a pair of early bouts against the visiting Spartans before going on a winning streak.
Mount Tabor began the match with wins in the 145 and 152 matches. Trace Tilley started to shift momentum the Cards’ way with a 55-second win in the 160 match, then Snow tied the overall score at 12-12 with a win via fall in the 170 match.
Becker only needed 15 seconds to win the 182 match. His win gave the Cards an 18-12 advantage, then Villasenor won the 195 match via forfeit to put East Surry up by 12.
East Surry’s Lucas East wrestled a physical match against Mount Tabor’s Chris Catania in the 220 class. Neither wrestler scored in the first period, then East scored a four-point near fall and a two-point takedown in the second period to go up 6-1. East went on to win via 10-2 major decision.
The final non-forfeit of the evening saw Vaden win the heavyweight match in 1:13. This put the Cardinals up 34-12.
East Surry won via forfeit in four the remaining six weight classes. Reid Lynch earned the win at 106, Jordan Dezarn won at 120, Stowers won at 132 and Moore won at 138.
Mount Tabor won the 113 match via forfeit, then the 126 match was ruled a double forfeit.
Mount Airy returned to the mats Friday for its first dual-team wrestling match in more than two weeks.
The Granite Bears didn’t miss a beat in their return and went 2-0 Friday night. Mount Airy defeated North Stokes 78-6 and topped West Wilkes 54-30.
Four Mount Airy seniors were honored as part of the program’s Senior Night festivities: Franklin Bennett, Connor Medvar, Luke Leonard and Sao Lennon.
The Bears’ first opponent of the night was Northwest 1A Conference foe North Stokes.
More than half of the 14 individual matches were decided via forfeit. North Stokes’ only win came in the 106-pound weight class, where Hunter Fulp won via forfeit.
Mount Airy won the next five matches via forfeit. Jack Martin took the win at 113, Jamie Hearl won at 120, Brison George won at 126, Alex Cox won at 132 and John Martin won at 128.
The action got underway in the 145 match. Mount Airy’s Avery Poindexter made short work of the North Stokes’ Lane Stephens, pinning the Vikings in just 25 seconds.
The Granite Bears earned another win via forfeit in the 152 class, with freshman Anthony Valadez taking the victory. Medvar would take the final forfeit win for Mount Airy in the 170 match.
Bennett battled James Stevens in the 160 match. Bennett went up 6-1 after the first period thanks to a pair of takedowns and a near fall, and Stevens’ only point came from an escape. Bennett added two more points in the second period before pinning Stevens.
The final four individual matches followed a similar formula. Mount Airy’s wrestlers took a slight lead before pinning their respective opponents in the first period. Leonard did this in the 182 match and was followed by Edwin Agabo at 195, Lennon at 220 and Spencer Baldwin at 285.
There were four forfeits in the Bears’ match against West Wilkes; each school won twice via forfeit. Mount Airy’s Brayden James won the 106 match and teammate Edwin Agabo won the 195 match. West Wilkes won the 113 and 285 matches via forfeit.
West Wilkes’ three remaining victories came in the 120, 170 and 220 matches. The Blackhawks’ Carter Minton won the 120 match via fall over Mount Airy’s Jack Martin, Chris West won via fall against Bryson Caudle in 170 match and Gary Call pinned Lennon in the 220 match.
George won the only match to go longer than two periods. The Granite Bear sophomore was tied 4-4 after the first period of the 126 match, then trailed 5-4 heading into the third period. George was able to pin his opponent with 62 seconds left in the final period.
The only other individual match to last longer than a single period was the 138 match. John Martin led 7-0 after the first period, then increased his lead to 9-0 with a second-period near fall. Martin pinned his opponent with 1:07 left in the second period.
Two of the Bears’ wins came in less than 20 seconds each. Cox scored a quick takedown in the 132 match and pinned his opponent in just 18 seconds. Then, Bennett won the 152 match via fall in just eight seconds.
Poindexter, Medvar and Leonard rounded out the Bears’ 54 points with first-period victories. Poindexter won the 145 match in 47 seconds, Medvar won the 160 match in 1:10 and Leonard won the 182 match in 55 seconds.
PILOT MOUNTAIN — Surry Central hosted North Surry and a trio of Wilkes County Schools for a Foothills 2A Conference Swim Meet on Dec. 13.
North Surry emerged victorious in both the boys and girls’ competitions, while Surry Central finished second in both.
In individual races: swimmers were awarded 7 points for first place, 5 for second, 4 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth and 1 for sixth. Those amounts doubled for relay races.
North Surry’s girls finished first in 6-of-11 events to take home the team victory.
Greyhounds Kara Bryant and Cassidy Hull each finished first in four events, Baley Hawks had two first-place finishes and Gwendolyn Bode had one.
Surry Central swimmers won the remaining five events. Mallory Cave finished first in three races, Kayli Grizzell and Joanna Arroyo won two events, and Audrey Poindexter won one.
Bode, Hull, Bryant and Hawks started strong with a win in the 200-yard medley relay. The Lady Hounds won the event with a time of 2:21.11, followed by Central’s Arroyo, Grizzell, Cave and Fernanda Camacho at 2:25.33.
Bryant won her first individual event, the 200 freestyle, with a time of 2:10.84. Teammate Kalei Mauldin finished second at 2:49.98.
Central’s Grizzell won the 200 individual medley with a time of 3:16.42. No North Surry swimmers took part in the race. Cave added another win for the Golden Eagles by finishing the 50 freestyle in 27.73 seconds. North Surry’s Hawks and MaryAnn Grimes took third and fourth in the 50 free.
Bryant won the 100 butterfly by more than eight seconds with a time of 1:03.92. Arroyo finished second at 1:12.04.
Cave’s time of 59.90 seconds in the 100 free was the fastest of any swimmer Monday night, male or female. North’s Hawks finished third in the 100 free at 1:17.57.
No Surry Central girls competed in the 500 free, which was won by North Surry’s Hull at 6:12.73.
The Lady Eagles got their first relay win in the 200 freestyle. Arroyo, Grizzell, Poindexter and Cave finished at 2:08.33, and North’s team of Molly Easter, Anna Flippen, Marissa Casstevens and Bode finished second at 2:29.93.
Arroyo won the 100 backstroke at 1:16.29, followed by North’s Bode in second at 1:29.33 and Central’s Camacho in third at 1:32.42.
North Surry won first and second in the final individual event: the 100 breaststroke. Hull won gold with a time of 1:23.28, and Mauldin finished second at 1:36.35
Bryant, Hawks, Mauldin and Hull won the final relay event, the 400 free relay, with a time of 4:44.70. Central did not have a 400 free relay team.
Like the Greyhound girls, North Surry’s boys won 6-of-11 events: Alec Singleton won four events; Matthew Holder, Jordan Inman and Jackson Graves each won two events; and Konnor Mauldin and Alexander Kaufhold each won one.
Surry Central’s boys won two events, with Anthony Escobar and Trey Hamlin each winning one. Wilkes Central won the three remaining races.
Holder, Mauldin, Graves and Singleton all picked up their first win in the 200 medley relay, finishing with a time of 2:06.28. Central’s Escobar, Hamlin, Adam Southard and Isaac Gonzalez finished third at 2:21.45.
The Hounds took first and second in the 200 freestyle. Inman won the race with a time of 2:36.49, and teammate Holder was runner-up at 2:37.04, and Central’s Hamlin took third at 2:49.69.
Wilkes Central won the 200 individual medley, but Surry Central finished second and third. Escobar was second at 3:14.26 and Abraham Mendez was third at 3:29.76.
North Surry’s Singleton won the 50 free with a time of 26.36 seconds, and Greyhound teammate Graves was third at 27.14 seconds.
Surry Central’s Escobar was the only swimmer local swimmer to finish in the top three of the 100 fly. He won the race with a time of 1:35.42.
North Surry fired back with three finishes in the top four of the 100 freestyle.
Singleton won with a time of 59.54 seconds, followed by Inman in third at 1:07.91 and Kaufhold in fourth at 1:09.06.
Hamlin won the 500 freestyle for the Golden Eagles with a time of 7:59.35.
Wilkes Central won the 200 free relay at 1:58.76, then it was a photo finish for second and third. Surry Central’s Southard, Escobar, Mendez and Ulises Salgado finished second with a time of 2:02.92, then Mauldin, Inman, Graves and Carter Hull finished just .03 seconds behind.
Graves and Kinston Nichols took first and second in the 100 backstroke. Graves won for the Hounds with a time of 1:08.56, and teammate Nichols took second with a time of 1:19.23. Surry Central’s Southard was third at 1:23.79.
Wilkes Central’s final win came in the 100 breaststroke. The first place swimmer won with a time of 1:16.90, followed by North’s Mauldin at 1:19.23 and Surry Central’s Isaac Gonzalez at 1:29.66.
The final race for the boys was the 400 free relay. North Surry’s Holder, Inman, Kaufhold and Singleton won with a time of 4:31.39, followed by Surry Central’s Hamlin, Salgado, Gonzalez and Mendez at 5:32.49.
The unstoppable force met the immovable object as North Surry hosted East Surry on Dec. 14.
The Greyhounds of Toast came into Tuesday’s game 4-0, while the Cardinals of Pilot Mountain sat at 3-0 before competing inside Ron King Gymnasium. Both schools were also 1-0 in the Foothills 2A Conference.
After a back-and-forth game, the Greyhounds mounted a comeback and outscored East Surry by seven in the fourth quarter. A combined 42 points from James McCreary and Jahreece Lynch led the Hounds to a 56-53 over the Cardinals.
North Surry is 5-0 for the first time under coach Tyler Bentley and matches the program’s best start since the 2016-17 season.
East Surry jumped out to a 17-10 lead in the first quarter behind nine points from junior forward Luke Brown. Brown, who went on to lead the Cardinals with 17 points, and Folger Boaz each knocked down a 3-pointer in the opening quarter. The Cards went on to shoot 4-of-14 (29%) from beyond the arc in the game.
The Greyhounds struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 3-of-18 (17%) from 3-point land. Lynch hit a triple in the first and scored eight of the Hounds’ 10 first-quarter points. McCreary was the only other North Surry player to score in the opening quarter, doing do on a transition layup after grabbing a defensive board.
Lynch and McCreary each had six in the second quarter, and Cam Taylor and Kolby Watson got rolling as well. An 18-10 run by North put the Hounds ahead 28-27 at halftime.
Five different Cardinals scored in each of the first three quarters. Brown added six in the third quarter, while Daniel Creech scored four, and Boaz, Jordan Davis and Bradley Davis each scored two.
East Surry held a 43-36 lead in the third quarter before McCreary knocked down his only 3-pointer of the night. Down four at the start of the fourth, North went on a 5-1 run to tie the game at 44. A 3-pointer from Lynch tied the game, but East pulled back ahead to lead 50-48 with less than two minutes to play.
North Surry had 17 points in the fourth quarter while East was held to 10. McCreary had eight in the final quarter, followed by Lynch with five, and Taylor and Watson with two each.
East Surry only hit two field goals in the fourth quarter: Boaz scored a 2-pointer and Jordan Davis hit his only 3-pointer of the game. The remaining five Cardinal points came from the free throw line, but East only converted 5-of-10 free throw attempts in the final eight minutes. The Cards shot just 9-of-20 (45%) from the line in Tuesday’s game, while North Surry hit 7-of-10 (70%) attempts.
The most recent MaxPreps rankings, published on Dec. 14, have the Greyhounds at No. 6 in the 2A West. Due to their football season running into December, East Surry has not played enough games to qualify for the rankings.
North Surry is the only FH2A team that is unbeaten on the season overall. Three FH2A teams are undefeated in conference play: North Surry, Surry Central and Forbush. The Greyhounds travel to East Bend to take on the Falcons (4-1, 1-0 FH2A) on Dec. 17.
East Surry returns home the same day and will take on Wilkes Central (2-5, 0-2 FH2A).
ES: Luke Brown 17, Jordan Davis 12, Folger Boaz 9, Daniel Creech 9, Bradley Davis 4, Joseph Grezmak 2
NS: James McCreary 23, Jahreece Lynch 19, Cam Taylor 8, Kolby Watson 4, Jackson Smith 2
DOBSON — Surry Central is flying high after winning its third-straight game in dominating fashion.
The Surry Central Eagles hosted the Wilkes Central Eagles (no really, that’s not a typo) on Dec. 14 in each team’s second Foothills 2A Conference matchup. Wilkes Central started the game with a 5-0 run, but then it was all Surry Central until the final buzzer.
The Golden Eagles of Surry County tied a season-high of 68 points in Tuesday’s 68-43 win.
Surry Central (4-3, 2-0 FH2A) now has two wins of at least 20 points this season and another just out of that range at 19. The Golden Eagles only had two victories of at least 20 points in the past four seasons, and the most recent season with more than two such victories was 2015-16.
This is also Surry Central’s first 2-0 conference start since MaxPreps began recording season statistics during the 2005-06 season.
The Golden Eagles’ success has come from true team basketball. At least seven players have scored in each of Surry Central’s seven games this season; three of those games featured points from eight or more players. Christian Robinson, Adam Hege, Jacob Mitchell, Josh Pardue and Brady Edmonds have each been the team’s leading scorer in a game, with only Robinson and Edmonds doing so more than once.
Robinson, Pardue and Brady Edmonds each scored in double figures against Wilkes Central (2-5, 0-2 FH2A); Brady led the way with 21 points, followed by Pardue with 17 and Robinson with 13.
Pardue and Robinson dominated the first half and even outscored Wilkes Central 26-19. The duo controlled the glass and pounded the ball inside.
Wilkes Central took a 5-0 lead out of the gate. Pardue scored on the low block with 6:57 on the clock to start a 9-0 Surry Central run. The Wilkes Eagles cut the lead to a point at 11-10 after Spencer Letterman knocked down a 3-pointer, but that was the last time in the game that it was close.
Surry Central closed the quarter with 13-4 run to go up 24-14. Pardue himself had 12 points after eight minutes of play.
The Golden Eagles continued executing their game plan in the second quarter. Surry Central scored the first nine points to extend the lead to 33-14, then went on a brief scoring drought after falling in love with jump shots. Coach Myles Wilmoth expressed his displeasure with Surry Central’s shot selection by shouting, “Inside out,” after back-t0-back missed 3-pointers.
Despite shooting just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc, Surry Central led 40-19 at halftime.
The Golden Eagles stopped forcing 3-pointers in the second half, instead opting to find open shots with increased ball movement. Brady and Jacob Edmonds combined for three 3-point attempts in the third and made all three. Surry Central’s lead grew to a game-high 26 points with 2:45 left in the quarter.
The fourth quarter was just a formality as Surry Central led 53-29 with eight minutes left to play. After scoring just four points in the first half, Brady Edmonds racked up 17 points in the second half to lead the Golden Eagles in scoring.
Ayden Wilmoth and Cannon Gates got on the board for the first time in the fourth, and Robinson rounded out his 13 points with a pair of made free throws. Surry Central shot 67% from the line (12-of-18) while Wilkes Central made just 35% (8-of-23).
Pardue recorded his second career double-double by grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds. He and Brady Edmonds each had four offensive boards. Pardue also grabbed three steals, as did Hege, and Dakota Mills led the team with four steals.
Nine different Golden Eagles had at least one assist.
Surry Central wins its third-straight game, tying the school’s longest win streak since the 2011-12 season. The Golden Eagles have a chance to match the team from a decade ago when they travel to Elkin (1-4) on Dec. 17.
WC: Carlos Reyes-Martin 16, Kamen Smith 12, Spencer Leatherman 4, CJ McGill 4, Malachi Rucker 2, AJ Villalpondo 2, Hunter Parks 2, Gavin Cheek 1
SC: Brady Edmonds 21, Josh Pardue 17, Christian Robinson 13, Jacob Edmonds 6, Dakota Mills 4, Adam Hege 3, Ayden Wilmoth 2, Cannon Gates 2
DOBSON — Surry Central nearly shook off a night of shooting struggles to come back and beat visiting Wilkes Central on Dec. 14.
After trailing 35-21 with 6:42 left in the game, Surry Central made it a two-score game by going on a 17-9 run. The Golden Eagles had chances to cut into the lead in the final 60 seconds but failed to convert down the stretch. Wilkes Central made four free throws in the final 40 seconds to put the game away 48-39.
The teams combined to shoot 48 free throws Tuesday night. Surry Central attempted 22 – which is more than the Golden Eagles’ shot in their past two games combined – and Wilkes Central shot 26. For comparison: the Golden State Warriors at New York Knicks game the same night saw the teams combine to make 49 free throws, and the NBA plays 48-minute games and high schools play 32-minute games.
Wilkes Central shot 18-of-26 (69%) from the charity stripe, and Surry Central went 12-of-22 (55%). Wilkes Central made more six more free throws than field goals, and Surry Central made 12 of each.
The Golden Eagles started the game strong and even took an 11-4 first-quarter lead. Surry Central forced turnovers and limited Wilkes Central’s second chances. Jaylyn Templeton scored twice inside and added a pair of free throws, Ashley Santamaria drilled a 3-pointer and Mia McMillen knocked down two foul shots – all in the first six minutes of action.
Momentum shifted after Surry Central got in foul trouble late in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles went from the 2:10 mark of the first quarter to 4:20 left in the second quarter without scoring. Wilkes Central used this drought to outscore Surry Central 8-0.
Templeton scored inside off an assist from Audrey Poindexter to try and get the Golden Eagles going again. While Surry Central did hold Wilkes Central scoreless in the final four minutes of the half, the only points from the home team in that time came off a McMillen jumper that was assisted by Katelyn Patterson.
Surry Central cut the lead to 21-19 before Wilkes Central went on an 14-2 run to close the third quarter and open the fourth. Down 14, Surry Central hit just its second field goal of the second half with 5:11 left in the game. Templeton scored on an assist from Santamaria, securing a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
This gave the Golden Eagles new life. Surry Central slowly chipped away and cut the lead from 14 to seven. Arial Holt nailed a 3-pointer with 3:05 remaining to make it 40-33. Wilkes Central added four more points, then McMillen scored off an offensive rebound and Holt hit another triple. Wilkes Central led 44-38 with 1:00 on the clock.
Surry Central waited to intentionally foul until the clock read 38 seconds. Wilkes Central’s Zoe Susi, who led the visitors with 23 points, finally went to the line and made 1-of-2 free throws. The senior guard rebounded her second shot and went back to the line to hit another free throw.
The Golden Eagles were only able to add one point in the final minute, and that was from a Poindexter free throw. Susi added two more free throws with 6.8 seconds left, her 16th and 17th attempts of the night, to round out the 48-39 final score.
Surry Central drops to 3-2 on the season and 0-2 in the Foothills 2A Conference with the loss. The Golden Eagles look to rebound on Friday against Elkin (2-5).
WC: Zoe Susi 23, Makenna Freeman 7, Ryleigh Parker 5, Sarah Lowe 4, Zoe Mathis 4, Jayla Smoker 3
SC: Mia McMillen 12, Jaylyn Templeton 10, Arial Holt 7, Brittany Frausto 6, Ashley Santamaria 3, Audrey Poindexter 1
The Falcon Frenzy Wrestling Tournament returned on Dec. 4 after a one-year absence due to COVID.
The tournament, hosted by West Henderson High School, saw wrestlers come from three states to compete. One of more than 500 competitors was Mount Airy’s own Jamie Hearl.
Hearl dominated the 106-pound bracket to win the Women’s Falcon Frenzy Championship. She won all three of her matches via fall; two of which didn’t last 45 seconds.
Hearl defeated Rosman senior Nadia Revis in the first round. Their match only went 42 seconds.
Hearl faced her toughest challenge in the second round in the form of North Henderson senior Glennin Hansen. Hansen, who advanced with a first-round BYE, scored a takedown and near fall in the first period to go up 5-1. Hearl battled back with a takedown 17 seconds into the second period which set her up for two near falls.
Glennin got her only point of the second period with an escape halfway through, then Hearl took Hansen down and picked up the win with 16 seconds remaining.
The Championship Match came down to Hearl and Polk County’s Tori Strickland. Strickland, a senior, had a first-round BYE then defeated Swain County’s Savannah Cunningham via fall in just 22 seconds.
Strickland had another quick match in the championship, but the result was reversed. Hearl scored a takedown 17 seconds into the match and won the match just 14 seconds later.
Hearl’s tournament performance helped Mount Airy finished fifth as a team in the women’s tournament.
Hearl and teammate Hope Horan, who did not compete in the Falcon Frenzy tournament, were both featured in two of the latest state polls.
RankedNCWomen.com lists Hearl as the No. 4 wrestler in the N.C. 106 division and Horan as No. 2 in the 113 division. Southeast Wrestling, a member of the National Wrestling Media Association, also puts Hearl at No. 4 in 106 and Horan at No. 2 in 113.
SE Wrestle also awarded Hearl the Weekly Hammer Award for her performance at the Falcon Frenzy Tournament.
A look at recent basketball games involving local teams.
Reschedules and Cancellations (as of 12/14/21)
North Surry @ Mount Airy was originally scheduled for Dec. 3 and will now be played Feb. 9
Mount Airy @ Surry Central on Dec. 7 was varsity boys only
Surry Central @ East Wilkes on Dec. 8 was varsity boys only
Mount Airy vs. Quality Education Academy on Dec. 8 was cancelled
Surry Central @ West Wilkes on Dec. 10 was varsity boys only
North Surry @ Wilkes Central on Dec. 10 was varsity boys only
East Surry @ North Surry on Dec. 14 will be varsity boys only
Mount Airy @ East Surry was originally scheduled for Dec. 15 and will now be played Jan. 19
Millennium @ Forsyth Home Educators scheduled for Dec. 16 is cancelled
East Surry’s last two outings saw the boys and girls’ teams split wins with both West Stokes and North Wilkes.
The Cardinal girls fell 43-30 at West Stokes on Dec. 8 then lost to North Wilkes 50-47 in overtime on Dec. 10. Against West Stokes, East Surry fell behind early and couldn’t mount a comeback against the Wildcats. Sophomore Bella Hutchens scored 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting and had a near double-double with eight rebounds.
The game was much closer in East’s conference opener against North Wilkes. There were 17 lead changes and neither team led by more than four points in regulation. Freshman Merry Parker Boaz scored a game- and career-high 20 points that featured four 3-pointers. Boaz also picked up six rebounds and five steals in the game. The Lady Cards sit at 3-3 overall.
The Cardinal boys moved to 3-0 overall with wins over both West Stokes and North Wilkes. All three of East Surry’s wins have been by double digits (11, 13, 15).
East’s 66-53 win over West Stokes was the school’s first since 2014 and just the third since 2010. Stats for the West Stokes game were not available on MaxPreps at the time of publication.
The Cardinals put on a shooting clinic when North Wilkes came to Pilot Mountain. Junior Jordan Davis nailed seven 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Cards went up by 20. Davis finished with a career-high 32 points in the 64-49 win.
After falling to Millers Creek Christian 72-29 in just their second game of the season, the Millennium Lions came close to ending Millers Creek’s win streak on Dec. 9. Millennium held Millers Creek to just eight fourth-quarter points in an attempt to overcome a 21-point deficit.
The fourth-quarter push was too little, too late as MCA fell 56-45.
The Lions got back in the win column the next night with their first road win since 2019, doing so against Oak Ridge Military Academy. Senior Tristan Shockley led Millennium with 26 points in the seven-point win. The Lions improve to 3-9 overall and will soon begin conference play in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference.
Stats for the Millers Creek and Oak Ridge games were not available on MaxPreps at the time of publication. MCA did not field a girls basketball team this season.
Both Mount Airy varsity basketball teams won their most recent games.
The Lady Granite Bears had a layoff from Dec. 1 to Dec. 10. Mount Airy made its return on Dec. 10 in its Northwest 1A Conference opener at East Wilkes. The Bears, who started the season 0-2 after a pair of single-digit losses, got in the win column with a 65-61 overtime win.
Senior Grey Moore shattered her previous career high by scoring 27 points against the Cardinals. Moore knocked down five 3-pointers on 56% shooting, led the team with five assists, and added five rebounds and three steals.
The Bears’ boys basketball team improved to 4-0 with road wins against Surry Central and East Wilkes. Mount Airy entered the fourth quarter against Central down 43-42 but mounted a comeback by outscoring the Eagles 21-11 in the final eight minutes. Zeb Stroup and Brooks Sizemore each scored 18 points in the win. Stroup had a near double-double with nine rebounds to go with his new career high in scoring. Sizemore led the Bears with five steals.
Sizemore had another 18-point outing on Dec. 10 at East Wilkes. Mount Airy put the game away with a 31-point third quarter to go up 70-37 with eight minutes left to play. Stroup got his double-double this time with 14 points and 12 boards. Stroup and Tyler Mason each grabbed four steals in the 78-51 win.
The North Surry boys improved to 4-0 with their second win of at least 30 points this season.
The Greyhounds opened conference play at Wilkes Central on Dec. 10 and wasted no time in sending a message to the rest of the conference. North scored 31 points in the first quarter while holding Wilkes Central to just 12. This included points from five different Greyhound players and four 3-pointers. The Hounds went on to make 10 triples in the 80-48 win.
James McCreary and Kolby Watson each scored 20 in the win, with Jahreece Lynch not far behind with 19. McCreary recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds, and Lynch flirted with a triple-double with eight steals and six assists.
The Lady Greyhounds have not played since Dec. 7 and are not scheduled to play again until Dec. 17. North Surry’s girls sit at 3-2 overall, with their latest game being a 61-47 win over West Stokes.
The Golden Eagle girls returned to the court after a 10-day layoff to face West Wilkes on Dec. 13. Surry Central’s boys traveled to West Wilkes on Dec. 10, but the girls game was postponed due to Covid protocol.
Central was 3-0 before dropping its conference opener to West Wilkes 45-29. Stats for the West Wilkes game were not available on MaxPreps at the time of publication.
Surry Central’s boys are back up to .500 after two wins by at least 19 points.
The Golden Eagles traveled to East Wilkes on Dec. 8 and defeated the Cardinals 68-47. Josh Pardue tripled his previous career high to score 24 points on 83% shooting. Pardue also recorded his first double-double by adding 15 rebounds. Teammate Christian Robinson also picked up his first career double-double by scoring a career-high 18 points and also grabbing 15 rebounds.
Surry Central opened conference play with a 60-41 road win over West Wilkes on Dec. 10. After being outscored 15-11 in the first quarter, Central responded with a 23-2 run in the second quarter and held West Wilkes to just 26 points the rest of the game.
It was Brady Edmonds’ turn to record a career high as he scored 17 points in the win. Edmonds had a near double-double with seven boards, as did Robinson who scored 15 points and also finished with seven rebounds.
East Surry senior Sam Whitt caps off his high school football career as a member of team N.C. in the 2021 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.
The Shrine Bowl is an annual all-star game pitting top high school players from North and South Carolina against one another. The game was been played annually from 1937-2019 and is the oldest high school all-star football game that is still in operation.
Proceeds from the game have gone to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Greenville, S.C., as well as other Shriner’s hospitals across the country. The 2021 Shrine Bowl was originally scheduled for Dec. 18, but officials with the organization announced in September that no physical game would take place. The game was not played in 2020 either due to the pandemic.
The Shrine Bowl Board of Governors said teams would still be selected to honor the best of the best athletes from both states, just as they had for the previous 83 years. The Shrine Bowl’s website features 17 or so pages of alumni that went on to play professional football; some even winning Super Bowls and being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Whitt is one of just 44 players selected to the North Carolina squad. Only 22 offensive players were selected for the team, and of those 22 only 10 were offensive linemen.
Whitt started 54 varsity games during his career as a Cardinal. This included: three state championship appearances – highlighted by East Surry’s 2019 1AA State Championship victory – three 1AA West Regional Championships, one 2A West Regional Championship appearance and three conference championships.
East Surry had an overall record of 48-7 the last four seasons. In that same time, the Cardinals’ conference record was 20-1.
This season, Whitt and the “fat cowboys” offensive line helped the Cardinals finish ninth in the state among all classifications with 5,965 total yards. East Surry averaged 426 total yards per game, including 173.3 rushing yards per game on 6.3 yards per carry.
Whitt has 231 career knockdowns and has only given up five sacks on 1,080 career pass attempts.
In addition to being selected for the Shrine Bowl, Whitt was named a member of the 2021 Carolina Bowl Senior Showcase team for N.C. He is also a four-time All-Conference selection that was named 2020-21 Northwest 1A Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
Whitt was also named All-State three times and was honored as a member of the N.C. Football Recruiting Blue Sheet Academic All-State team.
Whitt has not announced whether or not he will continue his athletic career after high school. He has received offers from multiple universities to continue his football career and is being actively recruited. Prep Redzone ranks Whitt as the No. 4 offensive line prospect and 38th overall prospect in N.C. for the class of 2022.
PILOT MOUNTAIN — East Surry’s strongest start of the season, and maybe the past few seasons, set the bar for the Cardinals’ 64-49 win over North Wilkes.
The Cardinals built and maintained a double-digit lead that lasted all four quarters of Friday’s game. East Surry picks up the “W” to improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Foothills 2A Conference.
East Surry’s Jordan Davis put a career-best performance by scoring 32 points. Even more impressive than Davis’ final stat line was the streak of 3-pointers that helped him achieve it.
Davis didn’t get discouraged when he missed his first 3-point attempt in Friday’s game against the visiting Vikings. In fact, the junior guard got back on his horse and drained a 3-pointer, off an assist from Daniel Creech, to get the Cardinals on the board with three points. Davis built a little momentum when he took a pass from Folger Boaz and nailed another triple for what ended up being the only lead change in Friday’s game.
East Surry led 7-5 with 4:01 left to play in the first quarter, but the lead wouldn’t stay in single digits for long. Davis knocked down seven consecutive 3-pointers in just the first quarter. His 23 first-quarter points helped East Surry take a 28-8 advantage after eight minutes of play.
MaxPreps only has basketball statistics for East Surry going back to 2017. From the beginning of the 2017-18 season to just before Friday’s game, only two East Surry players had scored seven 3-pointers in single game: the first was Jefferson Boaz, who went 7-of-10 from deep on Feb. 1, 2019; the next was Dillon Mosley, who made 7-of-9 shots from downtown 25 days later.
The Cardinals came back down to reality when North Wilkes started the second quarter with an 16-2 run. East went 4:56 before Folger Boaz scored on a fast break, and even that was the Cards’ only field goal until there were less than 90 seconds remaining in the half. The Vikings cut the lead to 10 points before a Luke Brown free throw and transition layup from Davis made the halftime score 35-22.
East Surry returned to superstar form in the second half. Creech knocked down his first 3-pointer of the game to spark a 9-2 run. North Wilkes came out of a timeout and hit back-to-back triples, but East responded with another big run. This time, the Cards scored nine-straight points to take their largest lead of the night at 53-30.
After scoring his final field goal of the game, Davis passed the baton to Joseph Grezmak. Grezmak grabbed big offensive rebounds and scored six of his 10 points in the final quarter of play. Bradley Davis added a free throw in the fourth to round out the Cardinals’ 64 points.
East Surry will put its undefeated record on the line on Dec. 14 when the Cardinals travel to North Surry (4-0).
NW: Chris Kimmel 9, Reese Cleary 8, Brandon Holloway 7, Drew Winkler 7, Zach Wyatt 7, Trevaun Hague 6, Noah Royall 3, Solomon Panneton 2
ES: Jordan Davis 32, Joseph Grezmak 10, Daniel Creech 8, Folger Boaz 7, Luke Brown 7, Bradley Davis 1
PILOT MOUNTAIN — A popular quote of Michael Jordan’s was applicable to East Surry’s varsity girls basketball game against North Wilkes.
“I’ve never lost a game, I just ran out of time.”
The Cardinals opened Foothills 2A Conference play against the visiting Vikings on Friday. The roller-coaster game featured 17 lead changes, and neither team led by more than four points through four quarters of regulation. East Surry scored first in overtime but fell victim to a 9-0 North Wilkes run to put the game away.
The Cards mounted a comeback, even making it a one-score game, but didn’t have enough time to retake the lead. East falls to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in the FH2A Conference with Friday’s 50-47 (OT) loss.
East Surry scored three more 2-point field goals and three more 3-point field goals than North Wilkes. The Vikings (3-4) made up the difference on the foul line, attempting 28 total free throws to the Cards’ 11. North Wilkes converted 75% (21/28) of its free throw attempts, while East shot just over 27% (3/11) from the charity stripe.
The Lady Vikings scored 16 points off foul shots alone throughout the second half and overtime. Field goals accounted for just 10 points in the same time period.
East Surry aimed to get the ball to its forwards down low when it boiled down to crunch time. Kate Parks banked in a pair of shots on the low block to begin the fourth quarter, putting East ahead 35-33. North Wilkes’ Ralee Bare tied the game up at 35 with a pair of made free throws, then scored in the paint to give the Lady Viks a two-point advantage.
The Cardinals went to the line twice in the fourth to shoot bonus free throws, but missed the front end of the one-and-one on both occasions. East’s defense managed to hold North scoreless in the meantime. The Lady Cards finally managed to tie things up at 37 when Bella Hutchens scored off an inbound pass with 1:39 to play. Hutchens forced a turnover on North Wilkes’ next possession, then threw an assist to Merry Parker Boaz to take the lead.
North Wilkes scored from the low block with 1:11 left on the clock to tie the game at 39. Both teams missed their next field goal attempts, and East Surry turned the ball over with less than 30 seconds remaining. North Wilkes’ layup attempt was blocked out-of-bounds with 9.6 on the clock.
The Vikings came out of a timeout and committed a traveling violation with 2.9 seconds remaining. East Surry’s Addison Goins threw up a desperation 3-pointer just before the buzzer sounded, but the shot fell short of the mark.
Rosie Craven knocked down her second 3-pointer of the night to give East Surry a 42-39 lead with 3:26 left in overtime. The Cardinals wouldn’t score again for nearly three minutes of game time. North Wilkes, meanwhile, hit 7-of-8 free throw attempts and scored twice on the low block in overtime.
Boaz, who led East Surry with 20 points, broke the scoring drought with 26.6 seconds to play. After North Wilkes brought its total up to 50 with more free throws, Boaz knocked down her fourth triple of the night to cut the lead to 50-47. Time ran out before the Cards could foul and stop the clock.
East Surry looks to bounce back when the Lady Cards travel to North Surry (3-2) on Dec. 14.
NW: Kate Brown 16, Ralee Bare 12, Olivia Rhodes 10, Haili Shumate 5, Natalie Mathis 4, Brook Settle 3
ES: Merry Parker Boaz 20, Bella Hutchens 8, Rosie Craven 7, Addison Goins 7, Kate Parks 4, Cadence Lawson 1
The N.C. Soccer Coaches Association (NCSCA) recently released its All-Region and All-State selections for the 2021-22 boys soccer season.
The NCSCA 1A All-State Team consisted of 14 selections from 11 different schools. Only six players from traditional 1A public schools were recognized on the team, and two were from Surry County.
Mount Airy junior Elkin Lopez was named to his second All-State team, with his first selection coming in the 2020-21 season. Lopez finished the year with 45 goals, 15 assists, 105 points and 205 steals.
Lopez’s 105 points are the most of any player in the state’s 1A division, the fifth-most in the state among all classifications and tied for No. 41 in the country. His 45 goals are tied for the most in Mount Airy soccer history, the most of any 1A school in N.C., tied for fourth in the state overall and tied for No. 36 in the nation. Lopez was also named Northwest 1A Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Another county student-athlete honored on the 1A All-State team is Elkin High School senior Thomas McComb. Individual statistics for McComb were not available on MaxPreps, but the goal keeper recorded five shutouts on the year. The Buckin’ Elkins finished second in the Northwest 1A Conference with a 9-3 record and finished the year with a 13-7-1 record. McComb was also named NW1A Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Mount Airy’s Holden Hurley who recognized as State Assistant Coach of the Year. Hurley has received this honor twice before in his career, and this is the fourth time a Granite Bear assistant has been named Coach of the Year since 2012.
Hurley helped guide the Bears to a 26-1 overall record and set the following school records: total wins and consecutive wins with 26, regular season wins with 22, conference wins with 12, home winning percentage at 100% and goals scored with 156.
The 2A All-State team featured 21 selections from 20 different schools.
The only local player selected for All-State was Forbush’s Axel Garcia. No individual statistics were available on MaxPreps for Garcia. He was named Foothills 2A Conference Offensive Player of the Year and helped the Falcons win the conference championship with a perfect 12-0 record. Forbush finished 17-5 overall and reached the second round of the 2A State Playoffs.
Region 10 for the 1A classification features schools from the NW1A and Northwest Piedmont 1A Conferences. Member schools include:
NWPC: Bethany Community, Bishop McGuinness, Carver, Cornerstone Charter, Millennium Charter, NC Leadership Academy and Winston-Salem Prep
NW1A: Alleghany, East Wilkes, Elkin, Mount Airy, North Stokes, South Stokes, Starmount
The following players were selected to the 1A All-Region team for Region 10:
Elkin: Carlos Espinosa, Mark Habana, Thomas McComb, Adam Settle
Mount Airy: Sergio Garcia, Noah Hart, Carson Hill, Elkin Lopez, Angel Osorno, Edwin Ramirez
N.C. Leadership Academy: Zach Donath, Anakin Leister, Cade Shoemaker, Scott Stanley, David Truhe
South Stokes: Trey Seagle, Tyler Whitaker
Starmount: Christian Maya, Diego Zuniga
Region 10 Coach of the Year: N.C. Leadership Academy’s Craig Shoemaker
Region 10 for the 2A classification features schools from the FH2A and Mid-State 2A Conferences. Member schools include:
FH2A: East Surry, Forbush, North Surry, North Wilkes, Surry Central, West Wilkes, Wilkes Central
MS2A: McMichael, Morehead, North Forsyth, Reidsville, T.W. Andrews, Walkertown, West Stokes
The following players were selected to the 2A All-Region team for Region 10:
East Surry: Jesus Estrada, Jacob Lowe, Nick Lowery
Forbush: Axel Garcia, Clegg Johnson, Juan Ramirez, Ryan Zachary
Surry Central: Jordy Avila, Johnny Garcia, Eliazar Gonzalez, Daniel Juarez
North Forsyth: Axel Bernal, Jonathan Berrera, Aldo Gutierrez, Noe Sandoval, Kael Trinidad
North Surry: Jair Gonzalez, Dallas Raya
West Stokes: Myles Knox, Peyton Spainhour
Wilkes Central: Joey Andreski, Johnie Randy
Region 10 Coach of the Year: Forbush’s Seth Davis
North Surry exploded for 21 third-quarter points to put away the visiting West Stokes Wildcats on Tuesday.
The Lady Greyhounds were their best in the middle two quarters of basketball. North (3-2) outscored West Stokes 37-17 in the second and third quarters behind a balanced offense. Eight Greyhounds scored in the game and 14-of-22 North Surry field goals were assisted.
Tuesday’s game was North Surry’s first win over West Stokes since 2019. From January 2019 through January 2021, West Stokes won 4-of-5 meetings against North Surry. Before that, the Hounds won 27-straight games against the Cats from 2006 through 2018.
There were only three lead changes between North and West and both were in the first quarter. The Wildcats (3-3) took their largest lead of the evening by starting with five unanswered points. A 3-pointer from Josie Tompkins got North Surry started, and Grace Phillips followed with an elbow jumper to tie the game halfway through the first quarter.
Callie Allen, who led North Surry with 15 points, ran coast-to-coast after grabbing a defensive rebound to give the Hounds their first lead of the night. West Stokes’ Bree Spainhour responded with a field goal from the low block, then Ava Santoro hit a free throw to put West back in the lead. Reece Niston scored to give the Greyhounds the lead that would stand for the rest of the night.
Cynthia Chaire helped the North Surry lead grow by grabbing backcourt steals and either finishing them off herself or dishing to a teammate. This helped North go up 18-10 and hold West Stokes without a field goal from the 3:30 mark of the first quarter until the 3:47 mark of the second quarter.
Spainhour, who led all scorers with 28 points, hit back-to-back-to-back shots on the low block to cut the lead to 18-16. The Greyhounds regrouped with a timeout then closed the half out with a 10-1 run. The half ended with Phillips draining a 3-pointer with two seconds left to give North a 28-17 advantage.
The opening minutes of the second half followed a similar script to the first half. Spainhour scored from the free throw line, low block and 3-point line, while Sadie Badgett scored on a baseline jumper and Tompkins hit her third triple of the evening. North Surry led 33-23 when an Allen layup sparked a 16-2 run.
The Greyhound made all three of their 3-point attempts in the third quarter and didn’t miss much inside the arc either. Four different North players scored in the quarter, while West’s Spainhour was the only Wildcat to hit a field goal in either the second or third quarters.
North Surry’s lead grew to 49-25 by the end of the third quarter. The game looked to be already decided, but no one told West Stokes that. The Wildcats scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and went on a 12-2 run through 4:00 of play, with North’s only points in this time coming from Allen.
The Greyhound lead was cut to 12 points at 52-40, but that was as close as it would get. Mauldin ran in transition to finish a layup, then Phillips hit her third 3-pointer of the game with 2:09 to play. The teams combined for just one field goal in the remaining 2:09 as the Hounds and Cats traded bonus free throws.
North improves to 3-2 overall with its third double-digit victory of the young season. The Greyhounds open conference play at Wilkes Central (2-2) on Dec. 10 before returning home to host East Surry (3-1) on Dec. 14.
WSHS: Bree Spainhour 28, Hannah Davis 8, Sadie Knox 4, Mikayla Nixon 3, Haley Brewster 3, Ava Santoro 1
NSHS: Callie Allen 15, Grace Phillips 11, Sadie Badgett 10, Josie Tompkins 9, Sarah Mauldin 7, Cynthia Chaire 5, Reece Niston 2, Savannah Seal 2
North Surry survived a late surge from West Stokes to defeat the visiting Wildcats 71-70.
The Greyhounds exploded for 25 points in the third quarter to turn a 1-point halftime lead into a 56-46 game with eight minutes left to play. West Stokes slowly chiseled away at the lead until it was 71-68 with seven seconds on the clock.
The Wildcats came out of a timeout with a chance to force overtime with a 3-pointer. West inbounded to Keyon Rawley. North’s Jahreece Lynch went for the steal and didn’t get it, so Rawley took off for the basket. To avoid fouling, North Surry’s defense parted when Rawley dribbled past the 3-point line. Realizing he wouldn’t be able to draw a foul or have time to find a teammate at the 3-point line, Rawley finished off the layup in hopes of fouling North with some time left on the clock. However, time expired and the Hounds took the win.
North Surry improves to 3-0 with Tuesday’s win over its former Western Piedmont 2A Conference adversary. North’s mark of 71 points is just the fourth time since 2005 that the Hounds have dropped at least 70 against the Wildcats. Prior to Tuesday, the most recent 70+ point performance came in 2017 when North Surry scored 92 points in a conference championship victory over West.
The first half of the Greyhounds’ game against the Wildcats was tightly contested. North broke a 2-2 tie with a 9-0 run that featured two 3-pointers from Kolby Watson, both assisted by Jahreece Lynch. West Stokes guard Keyon Rawley and stretch-forward Bryson Bowman dug the Cats out of the hole and tied the game at 12-12. James McCreary hit back-to-back buckets to put North up 17-12, but that advantage was cut to a point at the end of the quarter.
The lead changed hands eight times in just the second quarter. North Surry hit jumpers and relied on steals, while the bigger Wildcats pounded the ball inside and drew fouls. Bowman and James Spainhour were a force on the offensive glass for the visitors, but hustle plays by the Greyhounds – including a pair of blocks by Cameron Taylor – balanced it out.
Both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter to keep the one-point Greyhound lead alive at halftime.
North worked to deny entry passes in the third quarter and this kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard for a while. The Greyhounds also knocked down its first three 3-point attempts, with McCreary, Taylor and Watson each taking shots from deep.
At 42-39, the Hounds went on a 10-0 run to earn the first double-digit lead of the evening. A McCreary and-1 jumper capped off the run and sent the Dawg Pound student section crazy.
Matt Allen fought to get the Wildcats back in the game with nine fourth-quarter points. He and Rawley alone outscored North Surry 17-15 in the final eight minutes of action.
North ended a shooting drought with back-to-back triples from McCreary and Makiyon Woodbury. The Greyhounds built the lead back up to 70-61 by hitting bonus free throws. West battled back with a 9-1 run in the final minute of play, but the last shot going for just two points left the Wildcats a point short of overtime.
The Greyhounds are off to their third 3-0 start in the past three seasons. North Surry opened the season with a 66-35 win over Alleghany, then traveled to Bishop McGuinness and defeated the Villains 76-72.
North Surry opens Foothills 2A Conference play on Dec. 10 at Wilkes Central (2-3). The Greyhounds return home Dec. 14 to host East Surry (1-0).
WSHS: Bryson Bowman 26, Keyon Rawley 17, Matt Allen 11, James Spainhour 11, Tyler Moran 3, Cam Edmonds 2
NSHS: James McCreary 21, Jahreece Lynch 16, Kolby Watson 15, Makiyon Woodbury 8, Cameron Taylor 6, Kam McKnight 5
Surry County tennis players were recently recognized as some of the best in the state.
The N.C. High School Tennis Coaches Association (NCHSTCA) honored players from East Surry and Mount Airy on its All-State teams, while also ranking the Cardinals and Bears in its end of the year polls. Surry Central had players recognized on the All-Region Team.
HighSchoolOT also named an All-State team and released final team rankings, but they were not divided by division like the NCHSTCA.
HighSchoolOT’s awards not only featured student-athletes from all four public school classifications in the N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), but private schools and homeschools in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA).
No Surry County teams were featured in HighSchoolOT’s preseason poll, but two were included in the end of the year poll.
Mount Airy was ranked No. 9 in HighSchoolOT’s end of the year poll, making the Lady Bears the highest ranked 1A team in the West. The only 1A team ranked in the preseason poll, in either the West or East, was Bishop McGuinness. The Bears defeated the Villains 5-2 in the Dual Team 1A West Regional Final.
Mount Airy finished the year 22-0 and won the Northwest 1A Conference Championship, West Regional Championship and 1A State Championship. The Granite Bears had players win an individual state championship, but more on that later.
The only local player honored on the HighSchoolOT All-State team was East Surry junior Tara Martin. Martin, who was selected as an Honorable Mention, finished the year 15-0 in singles and was named Foothills 2A Conference Player of the Year
Martin finished the year 20-2 in doubles. She won the FH2A Conference Doubles Championship with Evelyn Ruedisueli, and the duo went on to finish runner-up in the 2A Midwest Regional Championship and reached the semifinals of the 2A State Doubles Championship before losing to the eventual state runners-up.
Beginning with team honors, the NCHSTCA released weekly polls of the top 10 teams in each public school division beginning in the preseason. Mount Airy was ranked No. 3 in the 1A preseason poll, and neither East Surry nor Surry Central were ranked in the 2A poll.
Mount Airy’s ranking only changed once throughout the season. The Bears jumped to the No. 1 spot in week two and stayed there through the end of the season by winning the Dual Team State Title.
Surry Central never made it into the top 10 of the 2A poll, but finished just outside the top 10 in weeks two and three. The Golden Eagles went on to finish second in the FH2A Conference and were one of 16 teams selected from the 2A West for the state playoffs. Central finished the year 9-4.
East Surry was unranked in the 2A division until debuting at No. 9 in week four. The Cardinals fell to No. 10 in week six, then moved back to No. 9 the following week and remained there through the remainder of the regular season. East Surry was ranked No. 8 in the final 2A poll of the season and finished 11-4.
Individually, five county athletes were named All-State for their respective classifications and an additional two received All-Region Honors.
Surry Central’s Rachel Carter and Ellen Bryant were both named to the 12-person Midwestern 2A All-Region Team. The duo spent the year as the top two singles seeds for the Eagles, with Carter playing No. 1 and Bryant No. 2, and also joined forces as Surry Central’s top doubles team.
Carter finished the regular season 9-3 in singles, and Bryant finished 7-5. Carter and Bryant finished 14-5 as a doubles team. The duo finished as FH2A Conference Runners-Up, finished fourth in the Midwest Regional championship and qualified for the 2A State Doubles Tournament.
All of Carter and Bryant’s doubles losses were to state qualifying teams, including one loss was to the undefeated State Champions and three losses against a team that reached State Semifinal.
East Surry’s Martin and Ruedisueli were both named to the NCHSTCA 2A All-State Team. The duo was also named to the 1A All-State team in 2020-21.
Martin’s resume was outlined above. Ruedisueli spent the year as East Surry’s No. 2 seed in singles and finished 8-4 in the regular season. She finished 10-1 in doubles during the regular season, then won the FH2A Conference Championship with Martin.
Martin and Ruedisueli reached the 2A Doubles State Semifinals and had a record of 17-2. Both of their doubles losses were to teams that reached the semifinals of the 2A State Championship.
Mount Airy had the most All-State selections of any local team with three. Mount Airy was also the only 1A school with three All-State selections.
Carrie Marion, Ella Brant and Kancie Tate spent all year as the Bears’ top three seeds in singles.
No. 1 Marion finished the year 18-3 and No. 2 Brant finished 20-1. Neither player lost in the NCHSAA Dual Team Tournament as the Bears won the State Championship.
As a team, Marion and Brant’s only two losses were to a team that reached the State Semifinals of the 2A State Championship. The duo went 15-2 as a unit in dual-team competition, won the NW1A Conference Doubles Championship with a 3-0 record, won the 1A West Regional Championship with a 4-0 record and then won the 1A State Championship with a 3-0 record.
Marion was named NW1A Conference Player of the Year, and Brant was named MVP of the Dual Team State Championship.
Tate finished 21-0 in dual team competition as Mount Airy’s No. 3 seed. She won the NW1A Conference Singles Championship to qualify for regionals. Tate reached the state semifinals and went 2-2 to qualify for the 1A State Singles Championship.
Tate went 1-1 at the Individual State Championship and reached the semifinals.
In doubles, Tate finished 18-0 with partner Charlotte Hauser.
Mount Airy began its quest for the Northwest 1A Conference Championship by defeating South Stokes 78-6.
The Dec. 1 home match was Mount Airy’s first dual team match of the season. Before that, the Granite Bears competed as individuals in both the Dekota Smith Invitational on Nov. 20 and Danny Linkler Memorial Invitational on Nov. 27.
Mount Airy, the defending Northwest 1A Conference Champions, ran through the team that finished second in the conference last season, South Stokes. The Bears won 13-of-14 total matches; 12 of those wins were via fall, and the remaining match was via forfeit.
South Stokes’ only win came from Nathan Grogan, who captured the NW1A 120-pound Conference Championship last season.
Full match results are below:
106: Jamie Hearl (MAHS) over Gabriel Neugent (SSHS) via fall
113: Hope Horan (MAHS) over Joseph Neugent (SSHS) via fall
120: Jack Martin (MAHS) over Jack Thacker (SSHS) via fall
126: Nathan Grogan (SSHS) over Brison George (MAHS) via fall
132: Alex Cox (MAHS) over Isaac Nelson (SSHS) via fall
138: John Martin (MAHS) over Gage Shaffer (SSHS) via fall
145: Avery Poindexter (MAHS) over Joshua Rice (SSHS) via fall
152: Franklin Bennett (MAHS) over Justin Joyce (SSHS) via fall
160: Connor Medvar (MAHS) over Noah Mitchell (SSHS) via fall
170: Traven Thompson (MAHS) over Austin Evans (SSHS) via fall
182: Luke Leonard (MAHS) over Cohen Jennings (SSHS) via fall
195: Edwin Agabo (MAHS) over Carson Hall (SSHS) via fall
220: Sao Lennon (MAHS) over Moises Jaramillo (SSHS) via fall
285: Spencer Baldwin (MAHS) via forfeit
Mount Airy returns to dual team action on Friday, Dec. 13. The Bears will host West Wilkes and fellow NW1A member North Stokes.
Mount Airy’s Reece McDuffie recently signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent and will continue his academic and athletic careers at Tennessee Technological University.
McDuffie signed to play Division I baseball with the Golden Eagles.
“I feel pretty good,” McDuffie said. “It’s exciting.”
Signing his NLI is a payoff for years of hard work.
“It’s been the dream, for sure,” McDuffie said. “It’s sort of always been like that, because I’ve been playing for a while and my dad and my grandparents really pushed me to play.”
His father and uncle both played college baseball at Wingate. Instead of following in his family’s footsteps, Reece chose to attend Tennessee Tech so he could major in mechanical engineering.
McDuffie extended thanks to his friends, family, teachers and coaches for their support and guidance throughout the years. Two of his most influential mentors are Kirk Goodson and Danny Shaeffer.
Goodson played Division I baseball for Virginia Tech and coached high school baseball for more than two decades. He currently operates Backward K Academy in King.
“He really helped me develop my pitching skills, which is what I’m going to college for,” McDuffie said.
Shaeffer was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft. He spent eight seasons in the Major Leagues, then transitioned into roles as a manager or catching coordinator in the Cardinals, Astros and Rays organizations. Shaeffer
“The amount of baseball knowledge he has is incomparable to anyone else,” McDuffie said. “Being able to have a relationship with him and being able to talk about stuff like colleges and baseball was extremely valuable.”
Baseball has always been McDuffie’s main focus. He started with tee-ball and advanced up the ranks of coach pitch, little league and legion ball. Eventually he made his way up to the high school level and became a member of the Varsity Bears team his freshman year. That year, Mount Airy advanced to the third round of the 1A State Playoffs after two upset wins.
The Bears returned the next season with lofty goals in mind, including chasing a conference championship and making another deep playoff run. Mount Airy started the season 4-0 to post its best start in well over a decade. Some of the players even joked it was Mount Airy’s best team since World War II.
The Bears didn’t have a chance to back up that claim because the season was postponed and eventually cancelled due to COVID-19.
“I really hate COVID messed us up that year,” McDuffie said. “That was our year.”
Mount Airy was able to play an abbreviated schedule in 2020-21. The Bears were a young team with no senior players, but were able to grow as a unit and build for the future. McDuffie was named a member of the Northwest 1A All-Conference team after leading the team in win on the mound, strikeouts, hits, RBIs and home runs.
“I feel like this year will be a lot better because we’ll have a lot more team chemistry,” McDuffie said. “So we won’t get down on players when they make mistakes.”
McDuffie said he’s looking forward to college, but has a few more things on his to do list before he’s ready to retire his Mount Airy jersey.
“Obviously, we’ve always talked about winning a conference championship, which hasn’t happened in Lord knows how long, but we’re all thinking that we could potentially go deep in states this year,” McDuffie said. “I don’t know the last time we had a home playoff game so that’s a huge goal. I think it’s very possible with the team we have.
“I’m looking forward to just having fun and hopefully winning in the process.”
SPARTA — Just weeks after receiving his state championship ring, Mount Airy senior Franklin Bennett added another impressive accomplishment to his resume by winning his 100th career match.
Bennett recorded his 100th win at the Danny Linker Memorial Invitational.
Competing in the 152-pound bracket, Bennett earned his 100th win in his opening match of the tournament. Bennett defeated Thomasville’s Eriberto Torres, who was a state qualifier in the 2A division last season, via fall in 48 seconds.
Bennett went on to win the 152 bracket in dominant fashion, with none of his matches extending past the first period. He defeated Alleghany’s Koda Blyth via fall with eight seconds left in the first period of the semifinal, then pinned East Wilkes’ Dylan Ramage 1:06 into the championship match.
Franklin is a two-time state qualifier with Mount Airy and finished on the podium both times. As a sophomore in 2019-20, Bennett went unbeaten and won the 145 State Championship in what was his first appearance at the state tournament.
In 2020-21, Bennett reached the semifinals of the 145 bracket before losing to the eventual state champion. He dropped the consolation finals as well to finish fourth.
Bennett is also a two-time Northwest 1A Conference Champion and a two-time Regional Champion.
Bennett finished 32-8 as a freshman, 43-6 as a sophomore, 22-3 as a junior and is currently 6-1 as a Granite Bear senior.
East Surry came up short in its quest for a fourth West Regional Championship on Friday.
A 45-13 loss to the top-ranked Shelby Golden Lions ended the Cardinals’ season at 13-1. East Surry finishes as the 2A West Regional Runner-up in its first season after being promoted from the 1A division.
Cardinal coach Trent Lowman called the 2021-22 season was a wild ride and a story he will never forget.
“We were 13-0 until we ran into the team that’s very likely going to win the state championship,” Lowman said. “We knew as coaches that the third round of these 2A playoffs this year was going to be where you play that Tarboro-caliber team. We played Monroe and nobody gave us a chance. We won that one then played Maiden, who was MaxPreps’ No. 1 team, and we managed to win that one too. Then we ran into Shelby who is the real No. 1 and they’re a different animal. Always have been.”
Shelby (14-1) advances to the N.C. High School Athletic Association Championship for the seventh time in nine years. The Golden Lions look to win their 18th State Title in school history.
Shelby was one of the favorites, if not the undisputed favorite, to come out of the 2A West after falling short of the title game in the subdivided 2A playoffs this past spring. Despite winning back-to-back-to-back regional championships in the subdivided 1AA playoffs, East Surry was not in that same conversation at the start of the 2021-22 season.
“We are a young team,” Lowman said. “You know, our three-year starter stud Benji Gosnell moves away right before the season starts and all the talk was about how ‘East Surry’s going to find out what real football is all about in 2A.’ These guys believed they could line up and play with anybody, and that’s exactly what they did.
“East Surry is 22-3 in the year 2021 and the losses were to Tarboro, Reidsville and Shelby, and dadgumit I’ll take that.”
The Cardinals have a record of 48-7 over the past four seasons. In that time, East Surry only has one loss to teams in its division (when the game was played) that didn’t go on to win a state championship that season.
“In four years, next week’s state final is the only game we haven’t played,” Lowman said. “Not many people can say that. So yeah, I’m sad that these guys felt defeat tonight, but it’s tears of joy more than anything for what they’ve done. Watching these guys grow for four years and for them to be one game shy of playing every possible game of their career is pretty amazing.
“These seniors are the group that I started with here,” Lowman continued. “Sam (Whitt) in particular was on varsity all four years, and Benji would’ve been the other one. A lot of guys like Trey Armstrong have been in all the state championships with us.”
A fourth state championship appearance for East Surry wasn’t outside the realm of possibility after the first 12 minutes of play. Despite red zone appearances by both teams, the score sat at 0-0 entering the second quarter.
The Cardinal offense was introduced to Malaki Hamrick, Shelby’s four-star edge rusher committed to UNC-Chapel Hill, on the opening drive. Hamrick picked up a sack to force an East Surry punt.
A combination of passing and rushing moved the Golden Lions in the red zone in less than three minutes. Quarterback Daylin Lee led the no-huddle offense into Cardinal territory without throwing an incompletion, but a hold on the Lions moved Shelby back 14 yards. Lee completed a pass for a big gain on first down, but threw an incomplete pass on second down. East’s Kyle Zinn’s picked up a tackle for a loss to force fourth-and-4, and another Cardinal stop turned the ball over on downs.
Armstrong got East Surry’s offense going with a 43-yard run. When faced with a fourth down, QB Folger Boaz found Armstrong for an 18-yard gain. The Cards got as far as the Golden Lion 18-yard line, but decided to attempt a field goal on fourth-and-long. Stephen Brantley attempted the 27-yarder and the kick sailed wide left.
Shelby found itself in a third-and-long situation on its next drive. On their own 34-yard line, Lee connected with Demetrius Thompson for a 20-yard gain. Lee finished 17-of-23 passing for 182 yards, and Thompson was his favorite target with six receptions for 62 yards.
After the big first down throw, Shelby moved the chains three times over the next three plays to reach the Cardinal 3-yard line at the end of the first quarter. Drew Hollifield plugged the 3-yard run in to make it 7-0 at the start of the second quarter.
East Surry started on its 26-yard line after a holding penalty on the kickoff return. A fumble was forced by Shelby and scooped and scored by Jaden Pierce as the nightmare second quarter was just starting for East.
The Cardinals punted after a three-and-out, then the Lions converted twice on third down to score another touchdown and the accompanying 2-point conversion. Another three-and-out saw East punt again, but the kick was tipped and started Shelby on the Cardinal 35.
A short run from Bricen Kee set Lee up for a 31-yard touchdown pass to Luke Williams with 5:28 left in the half. Shelby led 29-0.
The next three Cardinal drives ended with two interceptions and a punt. East only recorded two first downs in the second quarter. Shelby added another touchdown and a field goal to go up 39-0 at the half.
“As coaches, we felt like we were either going to win this close, or a few bad things were going to happen and it could get ugly,” Lowman said. “When you play a team like this those are kind of the only two options. First quarter we did good things: we stopped them, we moved the ball and it’s 0-0 end of the quarter. Momentum started to roll in the second and we never stopped it. When you play a team of this caliber, you better stop it or it’s going to roll and it did until halftime.”
East Surry attempted an onside kick to begin the second half, but failed to recover it. Shelby used the short field to score its final touchdown at the 9:20 mark. A failed PAT left the score at 45-0.
Down, but not out, East Surry’s offense took the field. The Cardinals turned the ball over on downs in Shelby territory, but got it back when Layton Allen picked off Hollifield. The Cardinals marched down Pearly Allen Field and got on the board as time expired in the third quarter. It was Brantley who brought in an 18-yard pass from Boaz. The score was 45-6 after a failed PAT.
The Cardinals continued to fight and forced a Golden Lion punt after a Brett Clayton sack on fourth down. East took the ball 66 yards and scored on a 35-yard run by Anderson Badgett. Brantley’s PAT rounded out the final score of 45-13.
East Surry finished with 323 total yards to Shelby’s 393.
Lee threw for all of Shelby’s 182 passing yards before exiting the game after the second half’s opening drive. The Lions rushed 35 times for 207 yards, led by Bricen Kee’s 103 yards. All six of the Golden Lions’ touchdowns were scored by different players.
Boaz completed 15-of-26 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Allen led the Cards with nine catches for 105 yards, following by Armstrong and Colby Johnson with two receptions each for a combined 48 yards, Luke Brown had one catch for 11 yards and Brantley’s only catch was the 18-yard touchdown reception.
Badgett rushed six times for 55 yards and a touchdown. Armstrong added eight carries for 53 yards, Clayton had three carries for 22 yards, Boaz rushed six times for 5 yards, Johnson rushed twice for 4 yards and Zinn carried once for 4 yards.
East Surry finishes with at least 13 wins for the fifth time in school history. The Cardinals went undefeated during the regular season for the third-consecutive year and won the Foothills 2A Conference Championship. The Cardinals had a plus/minus of +27.71 points and recorded three shutouts.
“What these guys did this year was incredible,” Lowman said. “Whether it was starting a freshman at linebacker, having Luke Brown – who never played football until this year – start at wide receiver all year, or Luke Bowman having never played until last year and then he makes huge plays in the playoffs.
“I’m proud of all these young men. Even though this might not have been a storybook ending, it was a cool story that was really fun to be a part of.”
11:56 SHS 7-0 – Drew Hollifield 3-yard rush TD, Jack Berkowitz PAT
11:35 SHS 14-0 – Jaden Pierce fumble recovery returned 10 yards for a TD, Jack Berkowitz PAT
6:50 SHS 22-0 – Marquis Adams 6-yard rush TD, Marquis Adams 2-point conversion rush
4:45 SHS 29-0 – Daylin Lee pass to Luke Williams 31-yard TD reception, Jack Berkowitz PAT
3:44 SHS 36-0 – Bricen Kee 49-yard rush TD, Jack Berkowitz PAT
0:00 SHS 39-0 – Jack Berkowitz 27-yard field goal
9:20 SHS 45-0 – Tristan Tate 13-yard rush TD, PAT no good
0:00 ESHS 45-6 – Folger Boaz pass to Stephen Brantley 18-yard TD reception, PAT no good
7:25 ESHS 45-13 – Anderson Badgett 35-yard rush TD, Stephen Brantley PAT
Reach Cory on Twitter @MaNewsSports
Surry Community freshman Michelle Thao continues to build her resume even after the conclusion of the Lady Knights’ volleyball season.
Michelle Thao, a graduated of Fred T. Foard High School, already earned First-Team All-Region honors along with being named both the Region 10 Western Division Player of the Year and Region 10 Player of the Year.
On Dec. 1, Thao received her highest honor yet when she was named an All-American Honorable Mention by the National Junior College Athletic Association. Surry Community competes in the NJCAA’s Division II.
“This is a great accomplishment for Michelle,” said Surry volleyball coach Caleb Gilley. “It is another award to further prove how great of a freshman season she had in helping our team be successful. There are a lot of great players across the country, so for her to be named as one of the top players in the country is a true testament to the caliber of player she is.”
Thao finished second in Region 10 with 344 kills, while also placing second in kills per set at 3.74. She ranked seventh in the region in hitting percentage with a .292 average, fourth with 370 digs and fifth with 4.02 digs per set. Thao also ranked second in total points with 4.4 per set and was 11th in service aces with 42.
She finished the season ranked No. 24 overall in NJCAA Division II volleyball with 3.74 kills per set while ranking 28th overall with 4.4 points per set.
Thao helped lead the Lady Knights to an overall 25-4 overall record while claiming the Region 10 Western Division Championship. Surry was ranked in the NJCAA national poll for much of the season.
Thao was also named the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week in Division II volleyball for September 20-26.
Mount Airy kept an 8-year streak alive by defeating Surry Central 64-55 on Nov. 30.
The Bears and Golden Eagles made alternating runs to swing momentum throughout Tuesday’s nonconference showdown. The lead only changed hands twice, but the score was tied up at least once in each of the first three quarters. The teams entered the fourth quarter separated by just three points. The only double-digit lead came in the fourth quarter and lasted just 15 seconds.
Defending Northwest 1A Conference Player of the Year Brooks Sizemore led all scorers with a casual 23 points, with 21 of those coming in the first three quarters. This was Sizemore’s highest-scoring performance since dropping 26 against North Surry in the 2019 Frank Spencer Classic.
Led by a young core of players, Surry Central finished 6-6 last season for the school’s first season finishing at least .500 since 2011-12. The 2012-13 season was also when the Eagles last defeated the Bears. Mount Airy has now won its past 15 games against Surry Central.
The Golden Eagles (1-1) saw contributions from across the board, with 10-of-15 players on the roster scoring at least two points. Adam Hege led the way with 11, and Dakota Mills, Josh Pardue and Jacob Mitchell each had eight.
The Bears came out playing like they just competed in the 2020-21 1A West Regional Final the day before. Sizemore drained his first of four 3-pointers off an assist from Zeb Stroup, then Tyler Mason added back-t0-back buckets. Despite missing a few key contributors from last season’s Regional Runner-up team, Mount Airy was able to set the tone with its trademark defense.
Four made free throws by Josh Pardue were Central’s only points of the first 6:27. It was 12-4 before Avery Wilmoth scored the Eagles’ first field goal. The Bears’ Caleb Reid scored to bring the lead back up to eight, but then Hege nailed a 3-pointer to make it a 5-point game at the end of the quarter.
Ayden Wilmoth came out of the break and hit a 3-pointer with only 11 seconds passed. Hege added two free throws to tie the score at 14. Missed free throws by Central allowed Mount Airy to jump back ahead 19-16.
The Bears were caught in foul trouble in the first half and committed their 10th team foul with 5:19 left to play. This foul put Tripp McMillen on the line to make 2-of-2. After a defensive stop, Mills hit a 3-pointer to give Central its first lead at 21-19, then Mitchell shot an elbow jumper to increase that lead to four.
Mount Airy came out of a timeout and outscored Surry Central 14-4 in the final four minutes of the half. The Eagles were in the double bonus, but struggled to capitalize. Central shot just 14-of-28 from the line.
Four different Eagles scored to start the second half with a 9-3 run, tying the score at 36. In yet another momentum shift, Mount Airy followed with an 8-0 run with thanks to points from Sizemore, Mason, Devyn Joyce and Mario Revels. Central closed the gap to just three points at the start of the fourth quarter after Hege made a buzzer-beating triple.
After a game of back-and-forth runs Mount Airy only allowed Central to score more than two points without retaliation once. Central was held to just 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Turnovers were costly for the Eagles as the Bears built their lead up to 59-48 behind Mason’s seven fourth-quarter points. Mason hit his two free throws with 3:48 for the first lead of the game greater than nine points.
That double-digit deficit disappeared 15 seconds later when Brady Edmonds scored in the paint. Mills hit 1-of-2 free throws with 2:39 left, then Pardue had an easy layup off a turnover with 1:35 to play to make it 59-53. This was as close as the comeback got as the Bears hit their free throws to hold on for the 9-point victory.
These teams don’t have to wait long for a rematch. The Bears will travel to Dobson for Central-Mount Airy round two on Dec. 7.
After Tuesday’s win, Mount Airy moved to 2-0 with a come-from-behind win over 4A Ronald Reagan, 56-53.
SCHS: Adam Hege 11, Dakota Mills 8, Josh Pardue 8, Jacob Mitchell 8, Ayden Wilmoth 5, Avery Wilmoth 5, Tripp McMillen 4, Kade Norman 2, Christian Robinson 2, Brady Edmonds 2
MAHS: Brooks Sizemore 23, Tyler Mason 16, Caleb Reid 9, Devyn Joyce 6, Zeb Stroup 4, Mario Revels 3, Carson Hill 2, Reece Deaton 1
Basketball season has only been around for a few weeks, but Surry Central made a strong case for comeback of the year in just its second game.
Central outscored Mount Airy 16-2 in the fourth quarter to win Tuesday’s game 45-39. The Eagles’ comeback win is just their third road win over the Granite Bears since 2015.
After six first-quarter lead changes, Mount Airy went up 12-11 and led until the 2:03 mark of the fourth quarter. The sharpshooting Bears hit 3-of-5 3-pointers in the first quarter, with Sofia Stafford scoring two and Addie Phipps scoring one. The Eagles, meanwhile, only attempted one 3-pointer in the first half.
After trailing 9-11, Phipps put the Bears ahead with an and-1 that sparked a 13-0 Bears run. Morgan Mayfield found Alissa Clabo on a baseline cut, then Phipps knocked down a triple assisted by Grey Moore to end the first quarter. Moore hit her own 3-pointer to start the second quarter, and Mayfield extended the lead to 22-11 with a backcourt steal and layup with 6:17 left in the half.
Mount Airy faced early foul trouble and lost one of its only healthy forwards for most of the first half. Central recognized this and began attacking the basket on most possessions. Though the Eagles didn’t score a field goal in the entire second quarter, the team did take 10 free throws.
Ashley Santamaria went 5-of-6 from the line in the quarter, while Arial Holt and Jaylyn Templeton each shot 1-of-2. The lead was cut to 22-18 before the Bears closed the half with four-straight points.
The Granite Bears lead increased to 33-18 after starting the second half with back-to-back-to-back buckets. Mayfield scored on an offensive rebound, Phipps hit her second triple of the game then stole the ensuing inbound and laid it up for two more points.
Mia McMillen came out of an Eagles timeout and hit 1-of-2 free throws. Phipps scored on the low block to counter, but Central responded with a 6-0 run of its own thanks to a 3-pointer and two free throws from McMillen and one free throw from Santamaria.
Phipps’ layup with 2:33 left in the third quarter was Mount Airy’s last field goal of the game. The Bears had eight team fouls at the end of the third quarter, and Phipps, Moore and Kylie Hollingsworth each had three fouls. The Bears had to play cautiously with only eight players available.
The Bears led 37-25 with 2:33 left in the third, but were outscored 20-2 in the remaining 10:33. Central was able to come back by making defensive takeaways and scoring on the other end.
Trailing by eight at the start of the fourth, Central’s Santamaria picked up a steal, passed to Arial Holt near midcourt and then Holt found McMillen under the basket for an easy two points. Templeton stole the ball before it got back to the time line and dished to Santamaria for a 3-pointer. Frausto scored off a turnover with 4:36 left to play to cut the lead to 37-36.
Mount Airy scored its only two points of the quarter when Moore went 2-of-2 from the line with 4:15 on the clock. The Eagles finally took the lead after scoring on back-to-back offensive rebounds.
The Bears attempted to get the ball inside down 40-39, but the Eagles didn’t allow it. Central forced a turnover and slowed the game down to chew time off the clock. Mount Airy eventually forced a Central with less than a minute to play, but couldn’t get a shot up. A McMillen steal led to a Templeton score on the other end with 32 seconds left to play.
The Bears attempted to tie the game with a 3-pointer that didn’t hit the mark. Holt was fouled with 16.1 seconds left and hit 1-of-2 to make it a two score game. Mount Airy’s Clabo rebounded the second free throw and dished to Mayfield to get up the court, but McMillen had another steal and laid it up to seal the victory at 45-39.
Surry Central improves to 2-0 with the win and will host Alleghany (0-2) on Dec. 3.
The loss to the Eagles was Mount Airy’s season opener. The Lady Bears went on the road to 4A Reagan the next night and lost a close battle 51-48 to drop to 0-2.
Mount Airy’s next game is scheduled for Dec. 7 in a rematch against Surry Central.
SCHS: Mia McMillen 21, Ashley Santamaria 9, Arial Holt 6, Jaylyn Templeton 5, Brittany Frausto 4
MAHS: Addie Phipps 19, Morgan Mayfield 7, Sofia Stafford 6, Grey Moore 3, Alissa Clabo 2
Surry Central opened its wrestling season by hosting three other schools in a quad meet on Nov. 23.
The Eagles welcomed East Surry, Elkin and West Davidson for a round robin night of competition. Results involving Surry Central and East Surry are below:
Surry Central def. East Surry 57-22
106: Xavier Salazar (SC) over Reid Lynch (ES) (Fall 2:25)
113: Ayden Norman (SC) via forfeit
120: Landon Pack (SC) over Jordan Dezarn (ES) (Fall 0:32)
126: Chad Chilton (ES) over Adrian Garcia (SC) (MD 13-5)
132: Alex Kinton (SC) over Eirion Moore (ES) (Fall 1:49)
138: Sterling Moore (ES) over Miguel Gonzalez (SC) (Fall 1:22)
145: Jacob Price (SC) over Troy Haywood (ES) (Fall 0:34)
152: Jeremiah Price (SC) over Charlie Cummings (ES) (Fall 0:41)
160: Spencer Leclair (SC) over Corbin East (ES) (Fall 1:37)
170: Karson Crouse (SC) over Braden Snow (ES) (Fall 3:01)
182: Corbin East (ES) over Cole Butcher (SC) (Fall 3:27)
195: Colby Cruise (SC) over Domenico Coppola (ES) (Dec 3-2)
220: Enoch Lopez (SC) via forfeit
285: Kevin Blakeney (ES) over Ryan Monroe (SC) (Fall 0:56)
Surry Central def. Elkin 64-18
106: Xavier Salazar (SC) via forfeit
113: Ayden Norman (SC) via forfeit
120: Landon Pack (SC) over David Rojas (Elkin) (Fall 1:45)
126: Manuel Salas (Elkin) over Adrian Garcia (SC) (Fall 4:53)
132: Alex Kinton (SC) over Jake Wright (Elkin) (Fall 2:26)
138: Alejandro Lopez (Elkin) over Miguel Gonzalez (SC) (Fall 4:27)
145: Jacob Price (SC) over Ethan Van Horn (Elkin) (Fall 1:18)
152: Jeremiah Price (SC) over Connor Ridgell (Elkin) (TF 17-0)
160: Spencer Leclair (SC) via forfeit
170: Karson Crouse (SC) over Adrian Rodriguez (Elkin) (TF 19-4)
182: Cole Butcher (SC) over James Steele (Elkin) (Fall 1:44)
195: Colby Cruise (SC) over Jayden Martin (Elkin) (Fall 1:06)
220: Enoch Lopez (SC) over Owen Reed (Elkin) (Fall 0:43)
285: William Santos (Elkin) over Ryan Monroe (SC) (Fall)
East Surry def. West Davidson 45-30
106: Reid Lynch (SC) via forfeit
113: Abraham Taha (WD) via forfeit
120: Knari Bailey (WD) over Jordan Dezarn (ES) (Fall 0:19)
126: Chad Chilton (ES) over Alex Hamm (WD) (Fall 1:39)
132: Eirion Moore (ES) over Dennis Marble (WD) (Fall 0:12)
138: Avery Hodgson (WD) Sterling Moore (ES) (Fall 2:46)
145: Troy Haywood (ES) over Grayson Potts (WD) (Dec 13-10)
152: Grant Gayton (WD) over Charlie Cummings (ES) (Fall 3:52)
160: Corbin East (ES) via forfeit
170: Braden Snow (ES) over Isaac Moore (WD) (Fall 0:28)
182: Lucas East (ES) via forfeit
195: Domenico Coppola (ES) over Lorenzo Pena (WD) (Fall 1:26)
285: Kaidem Dunbar (WD) over Charlie Summers (ES) (Fall 5:11)
Surry Central def. West Davidson 66-16
106: Xavier Salazar (SC) via forfeit
113: Abraham Taha (WD) over Ayden Norman (SC) (MD 9-1)
120: Landon Pack (SC) over Knari Bailey (WD) (Fall 2:48)
126: Adrian Garcia (SC) over Alex Hamm (WD) (Fall 1:48)
132: Alex Kinton (SC) over Dennis Marble (WD) (Fall 0:27)
138: Avery Hodgson (WD) over Miguel Gonzalez (SC) (Fall 1:00)
145: Jacob Price (SC) over Grant Gayton (WD) (Fall 0:36)
152: Jeremiah Price (SC) via forfeit
160: Spencer Leclair (SC) via forfeit
170: Karson Crouse (SC) over Isaac Moore (WD) (Fall 2:24)
182: Cole Butcher (SC) via forfeit
195: Enoch Lopez (SC) over Lorenzo Pena (WD) (Fall 0:29)
220: Ryan Monroe (SC) via forfeit
285: Kaidem Dunbar (WD) via forfeit
Elkin def. East Surry 42-33
106: Reid Lynch (ES) via forfeit
120 David Rojas (Elkin) over Jordan Dezarn (ES) (Fall 1:47)
126: Manuel Salas (Elkin) over Chad Chilton (ES) (Fall 0:49)
132: Eirion Moore (ES) over Jake Wright (Elkin) (Fall 1:11)
138: Alejandro Lopez (Elkin) over Sterling Moore (ES) (Fall 3:05)
145: Ethan Van Horn (Elkin) over Troy Haywood (ES) (Fall 2:42)
152: Connor Ridgell (Elkin) over Charlie Cummings (ES) (Fall 3:25)
160: Corbin East (ES) via forfeit
170: Adrian Rodriguez (Elkin) over Braden Snow (ES) (Fall 1:55)
182: Lucas East (ES) over James Steele (Elkin) (Fall 2:47)
195: Domenico Coppola (ES) over Jayden Martin (Elkin) (Fall 1:29)
220: Owen Reed (Elkin) via forfeit
285: Kevin Blakeney (ES) over William Santos (Elkin) (Dec 6-4)
East Surry and Shelby are two Regional-Final regulars that will do battle this week for the first time ever.
The Cardinals won the 1AA West Regional Title in 2018, 2019 and Spring 2021 seasons. The Golden Lions have competed reached the 2A/2AA West Regional Final in eight of the past nine seasons – including seven consecutive appearances from 2013-2019 – and were victorious in 2013-2016, 2018 and 2019.
Shelby is an all-time great program, and not just in North Carolina. Prior to the 2021-22 season, Football Friday Night reported Shelby mark of 828 wins is No. 14 among all high schools in the country. Only two other schools in N.C. even have 700 wins, those being are Reidsville and Mount Airy.
The Cardinals have their work cut out for them against the No. 1 seed in the 2A West. Shelby, the champion of the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference, has won its past 27 home playoff games, the latest of which ended the 32-game winning streak of three-time defending 2A State Champion Reidsville. That said, East Surry has broken a few legendary streaks over the past few seasons.
The only team that defeated Shelby this season, South Carolina’s South Pointe, is the fifth-ranked team in the Palmetto State and reached the Class AAAA State Championship game.
The winner of Shelby-East Surry will face the winner of the East Regional Final being contested between No. 1 Princeton (13-0) and No. 10 Wallace-Rose Hill (12-2) in the 2A State Championship.
Record: 13-0 overall, 6-0 FH2A Conference (Champion)
Key regular season victories: 56-22 @ North Surry, 40-14 @ Forbush, 47-0 vs. Surry Central
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 7
Playoff scores: 30-6 vs. No. 31 Newton-Conover, 37-20 vs. No. 15 Forbush, 10-9 vs. No. 7 Monroe, 36-35 vs. No. 3 Maiden
Record: 13-1 overall, 6-0 SPAC Conference (Champion)
Key regular season victories: 37-14 @ Kings Mountain, 38-28 vs. Crest, 16-14 vs. Burns
Key losses: 51-37 vs. South Pointe (SC)
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 9
Playoff scores: 55-3 vs. No. 32 Owen, 42-20 vs. No. 17 Polk County, 64-15 vs. No. 24 East Gaston, 31-14 vs. No. 4 Reidsville
QB Folger Boaz (JR) – 3,293 yards passing, 212-of-298 completions, .711 completion percentage, 28 passing TDs, 5 interceptions, 141 carries for 954 yards, 6.8 yards per carry, 23 rushing TDs, 4,247 total yards
RB Trey Armstrong (SR) – 134 carries for 789 yards, 60.7 YPG rushing, 5.9 yards per carry, 15 rushing TDs, 45 receptions for 646 yards, 7 receiving TDs, 1,435 total yards
WR Layton Allen (SR) – 74 receptions for 1,189 yards, 91.5 YPG receiving, 16.1 yards per reception, 12 receiving TDs
WR Luke Brown (JR) – 23 receptions for 541 yards, 45.1 YPG receiving, 23.5 yards per reception, 4 receiving TDs
WR Colby Johnson (JR) – 34 receptions for 405 yards, 33.8 YPG receiving, 11.9 yards per reception, 2 receiving TDs, 7 carries for 46 yards, 1 rushing TD
QB Daylin Lee (JR) – 3,203 yards passing, 181-of-283 completions, .640 completion percentage, 39 passing TDs, 2 interceptions, 71 rush for -39 yards, 2 rushing TDs
RB Jalon Petty (SR) – 111 carries for 701 yards, 53.9 YPG rushing, 6.3 yards per carry, 9 rushing TDs, 6 receptions for 74 yards
RB Bricen Kee (SOPH) – 96 carries for 626 yards, 44.7 YPG rushing, 6.3 yards per carry, 9 rushing TDs
WR Izay Bridges (SOPH) – 57 receptions for 1,044 yards, 74.6 YPG receiving, 18.3 yards per reception, 12 receiving TDs
WR Jakeith Hamilton (JR) – 41 receptions for 823 yards, 63.3 YPG receiving, 20.1 yards per reception, 10 receiving TDs
WR Demetrius Thompson (SR) – 45 receptions for 577 yards, 41.2 YPG receiving, 12.8 yards per reception, 9 receiving TDs
WR Luke Williams (SR) – 32 receptions for 597 yards, 42.6 YPG receiving, 18.7 yards per reception, 8 receiving TDs
Tackles for a loss per game: 7.7
Fumbles returned for a TD: 4
Interceptions returned for a TD: 0
DE Brett Clayton (JR) – 110 solo tackles, 146 total tackles, 11.2 tackles per game, 23.0 tackles for a loss, 9.0 sacks, 5 QB hurries, 1 punt block, 1 caused fumble, 1 pass defensed
DE Joseph Grezmak (SR) – 52 solo tackles, 74 total tackles, 6.2 tackles per game, 14.0 tackles for a loss, 4.0 sacks, 1 QB hurry, 4 fumble recoveries, 2 fumbles recovered for a TD, 1 punt block, 1 caused fumble, 1 pass defensed
LB Joshua Parker (JR) – 66 solo tackles, 83 total tackles, 6.4 tackles per game, 9.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, 2 caused fumbles, 1 pass defensed
LB Hatcher Hamm (FR) – 69 solo tackles, 86 total tackles, 7.2 tackles per game, 9.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 caused fumble, 1 interception
SS Kyle Zinn (JR) – 78 solo tackles, 91 total tackles, 13.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 QB hurry, 3 interceptions, 2 passes defensed
CB Luke Bowman (SR) – 5 interceptions, 75 interception yards, 2 passes defensed, 1 fumble returned for a TD, 1 caused fumble, 2 blocked field goals, 29 solo tackles, 34 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss
Tackles for a loss per game: 11.1
QB Hurries per game: N/A
Fumbles returned for a TD: 2
Interceptions returned for a TD: 4
LB Malaki Hamrick (SR) – 60 solo tackles, 111 total tackles, 8.5 tackles per game, 35.0 tackles for a loss, 16.5 sacks, 104 sack yards lost, 2 caused fumbles
DL Santana Hopper (SR) – 32 solo tackles, 69 total tackles, 6.3 tackles per game, 32.0 tackles for a loss, 12.0 sacks, 76 sack yards lost, 3 punt blocks, 1 caused fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass defensed
LB Samuel Baldree (SR) – 28 solo tackles, 75 total tackles, 5.4 tackles per game, 4.0 tackles for a loss, 0.5 sacks, 2 caused fumbles, 2 passes defensed, 1 interception
DL Demario Allen (SR) – 12 solo tackles, 35 total tackles, 2.7 tackles per game, 17.0 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, 34 sack yards lost, 4 fumble recoveries, 2 fumbles returned for a TD, 1 caused fumble, 1 punt block
CB Nathan Hopper (SR) – 4 interceptions, 1 interception returned for a TD, 2 passes defensed, 1 field goal block, 19 solo tackles, 44 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sack
DB Camden McGill (SOPH)* – 4 interceptions, 3 interceptions returned for a TD, 2 passes defensed, 9 solo tackles, 15 total tackles
Stephen Brantley (JR) – 58-of-70 PATs, 4-of-8 field goals, 30 kickoffs for 1,773 yards and 7 touchbacks, 13 punts for 538 yards
Trey Armstrong (SR) – 1 punt returned for a TD, 310 return yards
Kyle Zinn (JR) – 2 kickoffs returned for a TD, 177 return yards
Luke Bowman (SR) – 157 return yards
Jack Berkowitz (JR) – 80-of-86 PATs, 6-of-7 field goals, 21 punts for 646 yards, 106 kickoffs for 5,535 yards, 15 touchbacks
Izay Bridges (SOPH) – 3 kickoffs returned for a TD, 416 return yards
Marquis Adams (SR) – 1 punt returned for a TD, 390 return yards
North Surry and East Surry swimming faced off on Monday for the second meeting between the schools in the past two weeks.
When the teams first met on Nov. 17 at the Armfield Civic Center, East Surry’s boys and girls both defeated the teams from North Surry and Forbush. The Cardinal boys held on to win Monday’s meet as well, but the girls competition went to the Lady Greyhounds this time.
Monday’s meet was hosted by North Surry at Reeves Community Center. The Greyhounds honored six senior student-athletes during Monday’s meet for Senior Night: Kalei Mauldin, Matthew Holder, Alexander Kaufhold, Alec Singleton, Cassidy Hull and Marissa Casstevens.
In individual races, swimmers were awarded 14 points for first place, 11 for second, 10 for third, 9 for fourth, 8 for fifth, 6 for seventh and 4 for eighth. Those amounts doubled for relay teams.
The Lady Greyhounds had swimmers finish first in 7-of-11 events. Cassidy Hull, Baley Hawks and Kara Bryant were each part of three first-place finishes. All three girls were part of the 400-yard freestyle relay with teammate Kalei Mauldin. Then, Cassidy Hull, Hawks and Bryant each won two individual events.
Cassidy Hull won the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:15.50 and the 500 freestyle at 6:18.54. Hawks won the 50 freestyle with a time of 33.70 seconds, which narrowly topped East Surry’s Riley Yard by .03 seconds, and the 100 freestyle at 1:18.41. Bryant defeated East’s Abygail Caro in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:27.69, then won the 100 butterfly against Cardinal Claire Hull with a time of 1:03.25.
East Surry’s 200 medley relay team of Caro, Yard, Haley Joyce and Claire Hull picked up the Lady Cards’ first win by beating North’s Bryant, Hawks, Gwen Bode and Cassidy Hull by just more than 3 seconds at 2:16.82
Yard picked up her second win of the day by teaming with Kamryn Talton, Elise Marion and Savannah Raths to win the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 2:20.37.
Joyce and Claire Hull had the Lady Cards’ two individual wins. Joyce won the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:10.49, and Hull won the 100 breaststroke at 1:20.14.
East Surry’s boys finished first in 6-of-11 events. North Surry led the pack in four races, and Wilkes Central won one. Wilkes Central’s only win came in the 200 freestyle by David Olsen, who finished with a time of 2:19.00.
Andrew Needham had four first-place finishes for East Surry. Individually, Needham won the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:38.28, and took the 100 fly with a time of 1:00.31.
Needham was part of two East Surry relay teams that brought home the gold. The first was the 200 medley relay with Derek Freeman, Colby Goins and Will Legg. The Cards won this race with a time of 2:05.44, less than 3 seconds faster than North Surry’s relay team.
The second relay team featured Needham, Goins, Vann Kippie and Jonathan Parker. The squad won the 200 free relay with a time of 1:50.49.
Goins added two individual wins: the first in the 500 free with a time of 5:54.63, and the second was the 100 breaststroke at 1:12.62.
North Surry’s Jackson Graves had two of the Hounds’ three individual wins on Monday. The sophomore won the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:08.59 and the 50 free with a time of 27.40.
The other individual win came from Alec Singleton in the 100 freestyle. Singleton’s time of 59.82 was the only one under a minute. North Surry actually occupied spots 1-5 in the 100 free.
Finally, the 400 free relay team of Matthew Holder, Alexander Kaufhold, Konnor Mauldin and Jordan Inman won with a time of 4:34.36.
Full meet results can be found at bit.ly/3lpMRRl
North Surry’s Bella Aparicio will continue her academic and athletic careers at Queens University of Charlotte.
The Greyhound senior recently signed her NCAA National Letter of Intent and will play softball for the Royals.
“I’m really excited because I get to take my softball career further,” Aparicio said. “I love softball; I’d play it every day if I could. I’m really excited to go and play with a great school and just be surrounded by softball for the next four years.”
Queens competes in the NCAA’s Division II and is a member of the South Atlantic Conference. Bella said there was a lot about Queens that attracted her early in her recruiting process, and this led to her committing to the school during the fall of her junior year.
One of the main aspects was the university’s softball coach.
“She’s just a ball of light and I love her,” Aparicio said regarding Queens coach Stacey Schramm.
Aparicio has been around sports her entire life, but didn’t pick up softball until she was 13. She played soccer and swam prior to starting softball in middle school.
“I was pretty bad when I started,” she said. “My dad and I went to the field and worked on it every single day because all I wanted to be was good. I just didn’t stop and I got here. It’s just been a journey.”
Aparicio said her entire family has been very supportive of her dreams and goals. Her Papa Rick made sure she remembered to thank him, especially.
In addition to her family, Bella cited North Surry coach Beth Hodges as a huge contributor to her success.
“She really gave me that college-level mindset that I can be at that level if I really want to be,” Aparicio said. “So, she really just gave me that push and she always made me feel confident about myself and she never gave up on me. I really appreciate her.”
Hodges became head varsity coach at North Surry when Aparicio was a freshman. Bella played part of the season on JV before being called up to varsity. Bella went on to become the Greyhounds’ starting center fielder that year. Hodges said Aparicio was critical to North Surry’s late season push in 2019.
Aparicio returned as a starter in 2020, but the season only lasted four games before being put on hold and eventually cancelled due to COVID-19.
Bella was able to shine as a junior and was even named Western Piedmont 2A Conference Offensive Player of the Year. In 13 games, Aparicio: led North Surry with 19 hits – consisting of 15 singles, three doubles and a home run – scored a team-high 16 runs, had an on-base percentage of .578 and a slugging percentage of .658.
“Beth Hodges gave me a lot of opportunities to shine and be the best that I could possibly be,” Aparicio said.
Aparicio said she’s looking forward to making a good run with her team, and said it could also be cool to win Conference Player of the Year in her final high school season.
“I’m just blessed to be surrounded by a really good softball environment because that’s super important,” she said. “Especially having relationships with people on the softball field. I’m best friends with everybody that I play with for North Surry. It’s just always fun.”
Bella is the second North Surry softball senior to sign an NLI this school year. She joins teammate Marissa Casstevens who signed with Milligan University in October.
In addition to her success in softball, Aparicio has earned All-Conference Honors in three other sports: golf, indoor track and outdoor track.
PILOT MOUNTAIN — N.C. State wasn’t the only football team that pulled off an incredible comeback Friday night.
East Surry overcame a 14-point deficit against Maiden by scoring two touchdowns in the final 7:25 of play and sealing the victory with a late interception. The fourth-quarter comeback gave the Cardinals a 36-35 win in the fourth round of the 2A State Playoffs, which sends East Surry back to the Final Four for the fourth-straight year.
“I told the guys this might be the best win I’ve ever been a part of,” said East Surry coach Trent Lowman.
The fourth-year Cardinal head coach said the win over Maiden ranked in the same category of importance as East Surry’s 2019 1AA State Championship win over Tarboro and the road win over defending 2A State Champion Reidsville earlier that year.
“But how do you even go about ranking those three,” he said.
Despite being the No. 2 seed in the 2A West, East Surry was named a six-point underdog against Maiden by Simmons Ratings. The Cardinals (13-0) were also picked to lose their third-round game against Monroe by the site, but also won that game by a point.
Lowman said the Cardinal players never even considered that their season would end in November.
“These kids, I’m telling you, they believe they can beat anybody that lines up in front of them…and so far they have,” Lowman said. “We’ve got several guys that have played in two or three football state title games, and some that have also competed for a baseball state championship. They’ve been there and will do anything to get back. Then we’ve got others that don’t have much championship experience that are just so dedicated to the team they will put in the work.”
“The confidence they have in each other and the buy-in to us as a coaching staff is unlike any I’ve ever seen before. It’s a true testament to this community and the great job done by their parents.”
East Surry continued its streak of standout defensive performance against the Blue Devils (13-1) by forcing four turnovers. Maiden quarterback Ben Gibbs only threw four interceptions through the Devils’ first 13 games, but was picked off by East Surry three times: twice by Luke Bowman and once by Folger Boaz.
Bowman also blocked a PAT, and forced a fumble that he recovered himself and returned 48 yards for a touchdown. East Surry now has at least one interception in each of its last eight games and has forced multiple turnovers in 8-of-13 games this season.
Lowman praised defensive coordinator Randy Marion and all the defensive coaches for their work this year after the Cardinals lost most of their defensive starters from last season.
“Our defensive staff does not get the credit they really deserve,” Lowman said. “The defensive success comes from player development and the preparation the coaches do to get guys ready to play. Coach Marion is the best I’ve seen at getting a lot of guys in-game experience early in the season so they have the confidence to come in and make a difference late in the year.”
Kyle Zinn led East Surry with 15 total tackles, including 1.0 tackle for a loss. Brett Clayton added 10 tackles, followed by Hatcher Hamm with nine, Joseph Grezmak with seven and Kole Pruitt with six.
The Cardinal offense finished with 352 total yards and turned the ball over just once. Boaz passed for all 210 of East’s yards in the air on 17-of-24 completions, and also threw the team’s only touchdown pass to Trey Armstrong. Boaz also carried the ball 25 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
Armstrong was the only player other than Boaz to earn positive rushing yards. The senior rushed 11 times for 40 yards and touchdown. Armstrong was also the leading receiver with seven catches for 67 and a TD. Layton Allen added five catches for 57 yards, Luke Brown had one catch for 35 yards, Stephen Brantley had three receptions for 33 yards and Colby Johnson had one catch for 18 yards.
The Cardinals received the opening kickoff and quickly put points on the board. East rushed five times and passed three times as the Cards marched 83 yards in 3:04. Boaz ran the touchdown in, and Brantley hit his first of four PATs to give East a 7-0 advantage.
Maiden’s deadly passing offense was held below 180 yards for the sixth time this season as QB Ethan Rhodes went for 178 yards on 9-of-19 completions. Rhodes was held to single-digit completions for just fourth time this season, but the Devils did manage to extend their streak of passing touchdowns. Rhodes found Alec Hall for a 32-yard TD reception just 92 seconds after East’s touchdown.
The Cardinals punted on their next drive, but got the ball back on Bowman’s first interception. This led directly to Boaz’s second rushing touchdown later in the first quarter.
East Surry held on to its lead until Rhodes punched in a 1-yard TD with 3:46 left in the second quarter. A penalty on East Surry moved Maiden closer to the goal line for the point after, so Rhodes ran it in himself to put the Devils up 15-14.
Maiden built its lead up two minutes later when Ben Gibbs, who rushed 30 times for 150 yards, scored his first of two rushing touchdowns. The PAT was blocked by Bowman to leave the score at 21-14. This was East Surry’s first halftime deficit of the season.
Things went from bad to worse for the home team when Maiden scored to open the second half. The Cardinals charged down to the Blue Devil 33, but turned the ball over on downs.
Bowman helped get the Cardinals back on track when he stripped a Maiden receiver and returned the fumble 48 yards to the end zone. The Cards kicked off to the Blue Devils only for Bowman to pick Rhodes off again. Rhodes was held to a completion percentage of .474 on 9-of-19 passing. Prior to Friday’s game, Rhodes only had two games of multiple interceptions in three seasons.
East Surry had a chance to tie things up, but turned the ball over with 2:24 left in the third quarter. Maiden held the ball for close to five minutes of game time before Rhodes threw his second passing touchdown of the game.
East Surry desperately needed to put points on the board on its next drive. The Cards marched into Blue Devil territory but faced fourth-and-9 from the 39. Boaz connected with Brown for a 35-yard gain. Boaz scored his second rushing touchdown two plays later.
The Cards originally attempted to kick the PAT for one point, but a flag called on Maiden moved East closer and changed the game plan. Boaz plugged the 2-point conversion in to make it a 35-29 game.
The Blue Devils looked to run out the clock, but only made it 10 total yards before having to punt back to East with 3:49 left to play. The Cards alternated between running and passing to reach the red zone in only five plays. Boaz ran 7 yards on first-and-goal from the 10, then Armstrong barreled through for the game-tying touchdown. Brantley nailed the PAT to give East its first lead since the second quarter.
Maiden had 2:10 left on the clock, was down 7 points and started on its own 20. Rhodes dropped back to pass on the first play of the drive and was picked off by Boaz. East started at the Blue Devil 45-yard line and moved the chains just enough to exhaust Maiden’s remaining timeouts. The Cardinals went into victory formation to run out the clock and advance to the 2A West Regional Championship.
“One of my lifetime rivals has been Maiden,” said Lowman, who formerly coached and played football at Bandys High School. “That was one of the best Maiden teams I’ve ever seen. They’re extremely well coached. They have several coaches on that staff that have been head coaches at the high school level or coached at Power 5 schools.”
East Surry now holds the Surry County record for single-season playoff wins in the 2A division since 1972, which is as far back as the N.C. High School Athletic Association has brackets available. Mount Airy is the only other county team to reach the 2A Regional Final, doing so in 1987 by winning three playoff games.
East Surry now has to walk into the Lion’s den of Shelby High School. Shelby (13-1) is the No. 1 ranked team in the 2A West and defeated Reidsville 31-14 in the fourth round.
“Not many people go into Shelby and win, but we’ve got a group that, like I said, they believe they can beat anyone,” Lowman said. “We’ve got the attitude; we just have to execute our game plan and be willing to adjust if the situation calls for it. That’s something I think we’ve done a really good job of, especially here in the playoffs.”
The West Regional Championship will take place at Shelby High School on Friday, Dec. 3.
8:56 ESHS 7-0 – Folger Boaz pass to Trey Armstrong 16-yard TD reception, Stephen Brantley PAT
7:24 MHS 7-7 – Ethan Rhodes pass to Alec Hall 32-yard TD reception, Carson Foard PAT
1:04 ESHS 14-7 – Folger Boaz 1-yard rush TD, Stephen Brantley PAT
3:46 MHS 14-15 – Ethan Rhodes 1-yard rush TD, Ethan Rhodes 2-point conversion rush
1:36 MHS 14-21 – Ben Gibbs 3-yard rush TD, PAT blocked by Luke Bowman
10:30 MHS 14-28 – Ben Gibbs 1-yard rush TD, Carson Foard PAT
5:48 ESHS 21-28 – Luke Bowman forces fumble, recovers and takes 48 yards for a TD, Stephen Brantley PAT
9:44 MHS 21-35 – Ethan Rhodes pass to Jacob Sigmon 30-yard TD reception, Carson Foard PAT
7:25 ESHS 29-35 – Folger Boaz 1-yard rush TD, Folger Boaz 2-point conversion rush
2:10 ESHS 36-35 – Trey Armstrong 3-yard rush TD, Stephen Brantley PAT
Mount Airy’s dominant run came to an end Friday as the Granite Bears were defeated by the Mitchell Mountaineers 21-14.
Mitchell became the first team all season to score on Mount Airy in the first quarter by putting seven on the board on the opening drive. The Mountaineers added another score in the second quarter and held onto the lead until the fourth.
The Bears battled through turnovers and a barrage of penalty flags to hold Mitchell scoreless for the first 22:10 of the second half. Mount Airy finally tied things up in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t stop Mitchell from scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 1:50 to play. The Granite Bears were desperate to score again, and even made it all the way to the Mountaineer 13-yard line, but the final whistle sounded before the home team could find the end zone.
“I’m proud of our group,” said Mount Airy coach J.K. Adkins. “I thought we played good…I mean, I thought we played good enough to win, and there’s just a lot of reasons why we didn’t. It wasn’t because we weren’t tough, and it wasn’t because we didn’t play hard. I thought we did both of those things extremely well.”
Offensive possessions were few and far between considering the emphasis both teams put on the running game. The near-constant running clock amplified the impact of every mistake as there weren’t as many chances to retaliate. This also made penalties even more costly, and Mount Airy was flagged 11 times on Friday.
Mount Airy rushed for 166 yards to Mitchell’s 197. The teams combined for just two completions on six passing attempts through three quarters; Bear quarterback Ian Gallimore connected with Zeb Stroup for a 32-yard gain in the second quarter, and Mountaineer QB Ty Turbyfill had his only completion of the game go for an 86-yard touchdown.
Turbyfill now has more than 3,000 total yards and 2,000 rushing yards on the season thanks to his performance against the Bears (13-1). The junior rushed 33 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Two other Mountaineer players combined to record nine carries for 27 yards rushing.
Gallimore racked up 207 yards passing, and 175 of those yards came in the fourth quarter. Zeb Stroup finished with a career-high 157 yards receiving.
The Mountaineers (12-2) won the coin toss and chose to receive the opening kickoff. The visitors got on the scoreboard with a 7-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Turbyfill scoring his first touchdown. A quick three-and-out by the Bears gave the ball back to Mitchell with a chance to go up two scores, but a timely tackle by Reece Deaton and a holding call on the Mountaineers put Mount Airy’s offense back on the field.
Tyler Mason and Josh Penn alternated carries to move the chains through the end of the first quarter. Mount Airy made it into the red zone to start the second quarter, but was held up for no gain on back-to-back plays. Zeb Stroup took a direct snap 4 yards on third down to set up fourth-and-6 on the 8-yard line. Gallimore looked to pass to Peyton Fonville, but the throw fell short in the end zone.
The Bears’ defense quickly forced a third down by containing the run. This forced Turbyfill to pass for the first time, and the QB completed a short throw over the middle to Ethan Willis. Willis took the ball all the way to the end zone to double the lead to 14-0.
Mount Airy got on the board on its next drive. Gallimore passed on third-and-long and found Zeb Stroup for a 32-yard gain. A penalty after the play moved Mount Airy near midfield, but it didn’t matter as Mason scored a 49-yard run on the next play. Walker Stroup split the uprights to make it a 14-7 game.
Mason led the Bears with 126 yards on 12 carries. Penn added 66 yards on nine carries, Zeb Stroup had two carries for 7 yards, Gallimore rushed nine times for a loss of 16 yards and the team had a -17 yard rush recovering a bad snap.
The next red zone appearance by either team came on the opening drive of the second half. Mount Airy received the kickoff and started on its own 40. Mason had a 40-yard gain to put the Bears in Mountaineer territory, then runs from Stroup, Mason and Gallimore put the team in the red zone.
Penn was stopped a yard shy of the end zone to set up first-and-goal. Instead of scoring, Mount Airy committed its first turnover by losing a fumble.
The two teams went back-and-forth with possession to end the third quarter and start the fourth. Mitchell started on its 1-yard line and ran enough to prevent a safety before having to punt. Mount Airy punted back to the 1-yard line after a three-and-out, then Mitchell looked to punt to start the fourth quarter. Mount Airy’s Caden Joyce got a hand on the punt to give the Bears excellent starting field position on the Mitchell 40.
Zeb Stroup scored a 40-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive, but it was called back due to a holding penalty against the Bears. Then, another penalty was added against the home team to move Mount Airy back into its own half of the field. Gallimore was picked-off on third-and-long for the Bears’ second turnover.
Mount Airy’s defense contained Mitchell’s ground game in the second half. Through the entire third quarter and more than half (6:19) of the fourth quarter, Mitchell only picked up one first down that wasn’t the results of a penalty against Mount Airy. The Mountaineers were also held to just two plays of more than 5 yards in the second half.
After picking off Gallimore, Mitchell turned the ball over on downs two yards behind its starting line of scrimmage.
It looked like the Bears’ bad luck on offense would continue after the team was flagged on back-to-back plays before giving up a sack. On third-and-24, Gallimore connected with Stroup for a 78-yard touchdown pass. The home fans groaned as a flag was thrown during Stroup’s run to the end zone, but the flag was waved off and the touchdown stood. Walker Stroup hit the PAT to tie the game at 14-14 with 5:41 to play.
A good return combined with a penalty against the Bears started Mitchell in Mount Airy territory. Turbyfill ran for a 7-yard gain then a 26-yard gain for the Mountaineers’ two longest plays since the second quarter. The Bears were called for yet another penalty that put Mitchell inside the 5-yard line with 3:35 to play.
Mount Airy’s granite wall defense stopped Turbyfill on first, second and third down. On fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Turbyfill leapt over the pile before being dragged back behind the line of scrimmage. Mount Airy players celebrated the stop, but the goal line official signaled a touchdown. The Mitchell PAT was good, making it 21-14 with 1:50 to play.
The Bears took a touchback and started on their own 20. Gallimore quickly moved the Bears another 20 yards with a completed pass to Logan Dowell. The Mount Airy quarterback passed again when the chains were moved, this time to Walker Stroup. Stroup took the pass 60 yards to the end zone with 1:21 left to play. However, the Bears were flagged for the fifth time in the fourth quarter to bring the ball back.
An incomplete pass made it second-and-long, then a snap over Gallimore’s head meant it was third-and-longer. The game was extended after a 47-yard Gallimore pass to Zeb Stroup, who ran out of bounds with 28 seconds left on the clock.
Gallimore had to scramble to the sideline for no gain on first down, with the clock now reading 19 seconds. An incomplete pass left just 10 seconds on the board for third down. Gallimore completed a pass to Mario Revels over the middle, and Revels was brought down with just one second on the clock. The clock was stopped to move the chains, but was then started before the chain crew was even close to the new marker. The Bears never got a chance to attempt a spike before time expired.
Mount Airy finishes the season 13-1 overall. The Bears won the Northwest 1A Conference Championship with a perfect 6-0 record, finished the regular season 10-0 and set the school record for shutouts in a season with nine. Mount Airy only gave up 46 points this year while scoring 680.
The Bears were led by 13 seniors this season.
”This is a hard group to say goodbye to,” Adkins said. “They’re my first four-year group. They came in as freshman when I took the job. They’ve done a lot of things right, and laid a good foundation that we’re going to build on for the years to come.“
8:32 MITCH 0-7 – Ty Turbyfill 24-yard rushing TD, Ben Wessinger PAT
8:16 MITCH 0-14 – Ty Turbyfill pass to Ethan Willis 86-yard TD reception, Ben Wessinger PAT
5:02 MAHS 7-14 – Tyler Mason 49-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
5:47 MAHS 14-14 – Ian Gallimore pass to Zeb Stroup 78-yard TD reception, Walker Stroup PAT
1:50 MITCH 14-21 – Ty Turbyfill 1-yard rushing TD, Ben Wessinger PAT
For the fifth time in as many seasons, the East Surry Cardinals are thankful to be in the Elite Eight.
East Surry, the champions of the Foothills 2A Conference, will battle the visiting Blue Devils of Maiden High School, the champions of the Catawba Valley Athletic Conference.
East Surry and Maiden have only competed against each other twice before. Like last week’s opponent Monroe, both of East’s meetings against Maiden took place in the 1AA State Playoffs and were played in back-to-back-to-back seasons. The Blue Devils are 2-0 against the Cardinals.
The first game between East Surry and Maiden was contested under circumstances that are eerily similar to this year’s meeting. In 2002, the No. 2 Cardinals hosted the No. 3 Devils in the Elite Eight of the 1AA State Playoffs. Maiden won that game 31-6.
The following year, East Surry was the No. 7 seed and Maiden was the No. 10 seed. The Blue Devils once again came away with the victory, this time by a score of 21-12.
Maiden and East Surry only have one common opponent this season: the Newton-Conover Red Devils. Maiden defeated Newton-Conover 25-7 in the regular season finale, then the Cards defeated the Red Devils 30-6 one week later in the first round of the 2A State Playoffs.
The winner of Maiden-East Surry will face the winner of No. 1 Shelby (12-1) and No. 4 Reidsville (12-0) in the 2A West Regional Final.
Record: 12-0 overall, 6-0 FH2A Conference (Champion)
Key regular season victories: 56-22 @ North Surry, 40-14 @ Forbush, 47-0 vs. Surry Central
MaxPreps strength of schedule: -2.9
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 6
Playoff scores: 30-6 vs. No. 31 Newton-Conover, 37-20 vs. No. 15 Forbush, 10-9 vs. No. 7 Monroe
Record: 13-0 overall, 7-0 CVAC Conference (Champion)
Key regular season victories: 47-0 vs. Watauga, 20-14 @ West Lincoln, 62-13 @ Bunker Hill
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 6
Playoff scores: 37-7 vs. No. 30 Mount Pleasant, 47-0 vs. No. 14 West Lincoln, 32-20 vs. No. 6 Salisbury
QB Folger Boaz (JR) – 3,083 yards passing, 195-of-274 completions, .712 completion percentage, 27 passing TDs, 5 interceptions, 116 carries for 849 yards, 21 rushing TDs, 3,932 total yards
RB Trey Armstrong (SR) – 123 carries for 749 yards, 62.4 YPG rushing, 6.1 yards per carry, 14 rushing TDs, 38 receptions for 579 yards, 6 receiving TDs, 1,328 total yards
WR Layton Allen (SR) – 69 receptions for 1,119 yards, 93.3 YPG receiving, 16.2 yards per reception, 12 receiving TDs
WR Luke Brown (JR) – 22 receptions for 501 yards, 45.5 YPG receiving, 22.8 yards per reception, 4 receiving TDs
WR Colby Johnson (JR) – 33 receptions for 387 yards, 35.2 YPG receiving, 11.7 yards per reception, 2 receiving TDs, 6 carries for 49 yards, 1 rushing TD
QB Ethan Rhodes (SR) – 2,618 yards passing, 148-of-221 completions, .670 completion percentage, 40 passing TDs, 4 interceptions, 61 rush for 102 yards, 8 rushing TDs
RB Ben Gibbs (JR) – 205 carries for 1,552 yards, 119.4 YPG rushing, 7.6 yards per carry, 13 rushing TDs, 11 receptions for 206 yards, 2 receiving TDs
RB Jalen Robinson (JR) – 36 carries for 184 yards, 14.6 YPG rushing, 6.2 yards per carry, 5 rushing TDs
WR Christopher Culliver (JR) – 60 receptions for 1,215 yards, 93.5 YPG receiving, 20.3 yards per reception, 23 receiving TDs, 7 carries for 68 yards, 1 rushing TD
WR Alec Hall (JR) – 33 receptions for 502 yards, 38.6 YPG receiving, 15.2 yards per reception, 8 receiving TDs
WR Jacob Sigmon (JR) – 30 receptions for 528 yards, 40.6 YPG receiving, 17.3 yards per reception, 5 receiving TDs
Tackles for a loss per game: 8.25
Fumbles returned for a TD: 3
Interceptions returned for a TD: 0
DE Brett Clayton (JR) – 102 solo tackles, 136 total tackles, 11.3 tackles per game, 23.0 tackles for a loss, 9.0 sacks, 5 QB hurries, 1 punt block, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed
DE Joseph Grezmak (SR) – 49 solo tackles, 67 total tackles, 6.q tackles per game, 14.0 tackles for a loss, 4.0 sacks, 1 QB hurries, 4 fumble recoveries, 2 fumbles recovered for a TD, 1 punt block, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed
DL Daniel Villasenor (JR) – 42 solo tackles, 51 total tackles, 4.3 tackles per game, 2.0 tackles for a loss, 6.0 sacks, 3 QB hurries, 1 fumble recovered for a TD
LB Joshua Parker (JR) – 62 solo tackles, 78 total tackles, 6.5 tackles per game, 9.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, 1 forced fumbles, 1 pass defensed
MLB Hatcher Hamm (FR) – 62 solo tackles, 77 total tackles, 7.0 tackles per game, 9.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception
SS Kyle Zinn (JR) – 65 solo tackles, 76 total tackles, 12.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 QB hurry, three interceptions, 2 passes defensed
Tackles for a loss per game: 1.9
Fumbles returned for a TD: 2
Interceptions returned for a TD: 1
*Some Maiden defensive stats may be incomplete. The stats included were copied directly from MaxPreps.
LB Aaron Lefevers (SR) – 16 solo tackles, 34 total tackles, 4.3 tackles per game, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 2 interceptions, 1 interception returned for a TD, 73 interception yards, 1 pass defensed
LB Alec Hall (JR) – 12 solo tackles, 27 total tackles, 2.1 tackles per game, 4.0 tackles for a loss, 3.0 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 passes defensed, 1 fumble recovered for a TD, 1 blocked field goal
DE Jackson Hensley (JR) – 15 solo tackles, 32 total tackles, 3.2 tackles per game, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sack, 3 QB hurries
DE Dru McClough (SR) – 12 solo tackles, 24 total tackles, 2.7 tackles per game, 4.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 interception
SS Ben Gibbs (JR) – 7 solo tackles, 10 total tackles, 1 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 fumble recovered for a TD
Stephen Brantley (JR) – 54-of-66 PATs, 4-of-8 field goals, 30 kickoffs for 1,773 yards and 7 touchbacks, 10 punts for 396 yards
Trey Armstrong (SR) – 1 punt returned for a TD, 310 return yards
Kyle Zinn (JR) – 2 kickoffs returned for a TD, 177 return yards
Luke Bowman (SR) – 157 return yards
Carson Foard (JR) – 49-of-58 PATs, 0-of-1 field goals, 9 punts for 269 yards, no kickoff data available
Christopher Culliver (JR) – 1 kickoff returned for a TD, 1 punt returned for a TD, 209 return yards
The Mount Airy Granite Bears officially return to the Elite Eight on Friday after a three-year absence.
The Bears have dominated opponent after opponent this season to get to this point. The champions of the Northwest 1A Conference will face their biggest test to date when they welcome the champions of the Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference, Mitchell.
The Granite Bears and Mountaineers last faced-off in 2015. Mitchell defeated the Bears in the Sweet 16 before going on to win the West Regional Championship. Prior to 2015, the only meetings between the two teams were 1986 and 1988 in the 2A State Playoffs. Mitchell won both of those games as well.
The only common opponent between the two schools this season is Draughn High School. Mount Airy defeated Draughn 56-6 on August 28, and Mitchell topped Draughn 62-14 on Oct. 1.
The winner of Friday’s game will host the winner of No. 4 Robbinsville (9-3) and No. 9 Murphy (9-4) in the West Regional Final.
Mount Airy last appeared in the regional championship in 2017. The Bears defeated Murphy to reach the 1AA State Championship. Mitchell’s last regional championship appearance was 2019. The Mountaineers were defeated in that game by eventual 1AA State Champion East Surry.
Record: 13-0 overall, 6-0 NW1A Conference (Champion)
Key regular season wins: 62-0 at Surry Central, 56-6 at Draughn, 43-0 at Starmount
MaxPreps strength of schedule: -18.2
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 4
Playoff scores: 75-0 vs. No. 31 Union Academy, 48-0 vs. No. 15 East Wilkes, 44-7 vs. No. 7 Starmount
Record: 11-2 overall, 6-0 NW1A Conference (Champion)
Key regular season wins: 47-7 vs. Erwin, 34-23 @ Watauga, 33-0 @ Mountain Heritage
Key losses: 15-12 @ Lake Norman, 26-14 @ Andrews
MaxPreps strength of schedule: -10.8
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 4
Playoff scores: 49-10 vs. No. 30 South Davidson, 49-14 vs. No. 14 Swain Co., 38-21 vs. No. 6 Thomasville
QB Ian Gallimore (SOPH) – 1,471 yards passing, 65-of-96 completions, .677 completion percentage, 22 passing TDs, 5 interceptions, 59 carries for 382 yards, 9 rushing TDs, 1,852 total yards
RB Tyler Mason (SOPH) – 92 carries for 1,244 yards, 95.7 YPG rushing, 13.5 yards per carry, 19 rushing TDs, 10 receptions for 100 yards, 1 receiving TD
RB Caleb Reid (SOPH) – 56 carries for 666 yards, 51.2 YPG rushing, 11.9 yards per carry, 8 rushing TDs, 3 receptions for 21 yards
RB Josh Penn* (SR) – 46 carries for 505 yards, 56.1 YPG rushing, 10.9 yards per carry, 8 rushing TDs, 5 receptions for 145 yards, 2 receiving TDs
WR Zeb Stroup (SR) – 18 receptions for 582 yards, 44.7 YPG receiving, 32.3 yards per reception, 8 receiving TDs
WR Mario Revels (SOPH) – 13 receptions for 248 yards, 19.1 YPG receiving, 20.7 yards per reception, 3 receiving TDs, 1 carry for 29 yards, 1 rushing TD
QB Ty Turbyfill (JR) – 1,059 yards passing, 67-of-115 completions, .583 completion percentage, 14 passing TDs, 4 interceptions, 214 carries for 1,916 yards, 35 rushing TDs, 2,975 total yards
RB Carter Hoyle (SR) – 114 carries for 915 yards, 76.3 YPG rushing, 8.0 yards per carry, 7 rushing TDs, 5 receptions for 41 yards
RB Chase Duncan (SOPH) – 65 carries for 455 yards, 35.0 YPG rushing, 7.0 yards per carry, 6 rushing TDs
RB Marley McCourry (SOPH) – 45 carries for 379 yards, 42.1 YPG rushing, 8.4 yards per carry, 5 rushing TDs
RB/WR Gage Young (JR) – 48 carries for 305 yards, 23.5 YPG rushing, 6.4 yards per carry, 4 rushing TDs, 11 receptions for 221 yards, 17.0 YPG receiving, 20,1 yards per reception, 6 receiving TDs
WR Dalton Hollifield (JR) – 25 receptions for 420 yards, 35.0 YPG receiving, 16.8 yards per reception, 3 receiving TDs
Total points allowed: 25 (3 TD, 2 FG)
Tackles for a loss per game: 9.8
Fumbles returned for a TD: 2
Interceptions returned for a TD: 4
LB Reece Deaton (SR) – 93 solo tackles, 132 total tackles, 10.2 tackles per game, 28.0 tackles for a loss, 3.0 sacks, 6 fumble recoveries, 2 passes defensed, 1 blocked punt
LB Nic Isom (SR) – 73 solo tackles, 119 total tackles, 9.2 tackles per game, 26.0 tackles for a loss, 12.0 sacks, 15 QB hurries, 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed
DE Deric Dandy* (SOPH) – 41 solo tackles, 60 total tackles, 6.7 tackles per game, 18.0 tackles for a loss, 9.0 sacks, 2 QB hurries, 1 punt block, 1 forced fumble, 1 forced safety
DB Zeb Stroup (SR) – four interceptions, seven passes defensed, 2 fumbles recovered for a TD, 35 solo tackles, 94 total tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1.0 sack
DB Walker Stroup (SR) – four interceptions, 13 passes defensed, 1 pick-6, 1 forced fumble, 12 solo tackles, 44 total tackles
Tackles for a loss per game: 3.5
QB Hurries per game: N/A
Fumbles returned for a TD: 0
Interceptions returned for a TD: 3
*Note: solo tackles not listed on MaxPreps
DL Xander Gardner (SR) – 60 total tackles, 5.0 tackles per game, 3.0 tackles for a loss
LB Gage Young (SR) – 44 total tackles, 3.4 tackles per game, 1.0 tackles for a loss, 5 interceptions, 1 interception returned for a TD, 125 interception yards, 1 pass defensed
LB Gabe Brandt (SR) – 120 total tackles, 9.2 tackles per game, 11.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 interception returned for a TD, 8 passes defensed, 1 blocked punt
LB Enrique Huaroco (JR) – 99 total tackles, 7.6 tackles per game, 4.0 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery
DB Chase Duncan (SOPH) – 67 total tackles, 5.2 tackles per game, 4.0 tackles for a loss, 4 passes defensed, 1 fumble recovery
DB Dalton Hollifield (JR) – two interceptions, three passes defensed, 3 fumble recoveries, 39 total tackles, 3.3 tackles per game, 1.0 tackle for a loss,
Dylan Tilley (SR) – 20 touchbacks on 71 kickoffs, 13-of-21 PATs, 0-of-1 field goals
Walker Stroup (SOPH) – 45-of-53 PATs, 0-of-1 field goals, 10 punts for 383 yards
Tyler Mason (SOPH) – 3 punts returned for a TD, 376 return yards
Mario Revels (SOPH) – 124 return yards
Zeb Stroup (SR) – 1 kickoff returned for a TD, 125 return yards
Ben Wessinger (SR) – 55-of-59 PATs, 2-of-3 field goals, 93 kickoffs for 4,368 yards, 15 touchbacks, 7 punts for 197 yards
Dalton Hollifield (JR) – 147 return yards
Chase Duncan (SOPH) – 103 return yards
With most of the fall sports already completed, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports.
East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC) and Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A).
North Surry – Callie Allen (FH2A Conference Champion)
Surry Central – Rubi Cortes-Rosa, Yeira Munoz, Abigail Hernandez, Lanie Fitzgerald
East Surry finished fourth in the FH2A Championship as a team, with Goins leading the team in ninth. The Cardinals reached the 2A Midwest Regional Championship as a team and finished eighth with the following runners representing the school: Goins, Joanna Parker, Kamryn Talton, Morgan Bryant and Lilly Brinkley. Goins finished eighth at Regionals to qualify for the 2A State Championship.
Millennium only had one girl this season, but she made up for it by becoming the first MCA runner to qualify for the 1A State Championship Meet. Hoerter finished fourth in the NWPC Championship, then qualified for the State Championship by finishing 19th in the 1A Midwest Regional Championship. She finished No. 98 out of 132 runners at the State Championship.
Mount Airy didn’t have enough runners to compete as a team. Arnder finished 10th in the conference championship and qualified for the 1A West Regional Championship.
North Surry finished third in the FH2A Championship as a team. Allen led the way by finishing first in the girls race. The Greyhounds competed as a team in the 2A Midwest Regional Championship, with the following runners representing the school: Allen, Weatherly Reeves, Isabel Delfin, Nydia Cabrera and Anna Whitaker. The Hounds finished sixth as a team, and Allen and Reeves went on to compete in the 2A State Championship.
Surry Central won the FH2A Championship as a team thanks to four top-10 finishes. Jason Bryant and Kevin Pack were named FH2A Coaches of the Year. The Lady Eagles, led by Munoz’s third-place finish, became 2A Midwest Regional Runners-Up as a team with the following runners: Munoz, Cortes-Rosa, Hernandez, Fitzgerald, Andrea Gonzalez and Ella Priddy. These girls helped Surry Central finish sixth as a team at the State Championship Meet.
Surry Central – Ignacio Morales (FH2A Conference Champion), Brangly Mazariegos, Sebastian Sanchez
Mount Airy – Caden Ratcliff, Declan Conner
East Surry finished fourth in the FH2A Championship as a team, with Motsinger leading the way in second place overall. The Cardinals reached the 2A Midwest Regional Championship as a team and finished fifth with the following runners representing the school: Motsinger, Charles Talton, Dylan Myers, Nicholas Boggs and Brandon Denton. Motsinger finished fourth at Regionals to qualify for the 2A State Championship.
Millennium finished third as a team in the NWPC Championship to qualify for the 1A Midwest Regional Championship. Millennium was represented at the Regional Championship by the following runners: Calvin Devore, Hartley Devore, Ford Holmes, Nicholas Johnson, Eric Sorrell and Lane Reese.
Mount Airy didn’t have enough runners to compete as a team. Ratcliff and Conner finished in the top six of the NW1A Conference Championship and qualified for the 1A West Regional Championship.
North Surry finished fifth as a team in the FH2A Championship. Pell, Miguel Vega and Stephen Mojica all qualified for the 2A Midwest Regional Championship, but only Vega and Mojica would compete.
Surry Central finished second in the FH2A Championship as a team, led by Morales in first place and two other Eagles, Mazariegos and Sanchez, in the top 10. Morales finished second in the 2A Midwest Regional Championship to help Central to a fourth-place finish. Surry Central qualified for the 2A State Championship as a team with the following runners helping the team finish No. 11: Morales, Mazariegos, Sanchez, Charlie Hernandez, Alexis Pedraza and Isaac Eller.
With most of the fall sports already completed, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports.
East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC) and Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A).
Millennium Charter – did not field a team this fall
Mount Airy – Morgan Hiatt, Sydney Seagraves
North Surry – Trista Berrier, Marissa Casstevens, Bella Aparicio, Gwen Bode
Surry Central – did not field a team this fall
East Surry finished third as a team at the FH2A Conference Championship. Claire Hardy had the top score for the Lady Cards, followed by Faith Braithwaite and Sophie Hutchens.
Mount Airy tied with South Stokes for the NW1A Conference Title in September. Hiatt was the Bears’ top golfer in the event, followed by Seagraves and Avery Pace. Hiatt qualified for the 1A/2A Central Regional Championship.
North Surry won the FH2A Conference Championship for both the regular season and conference tournament. Berrier was the medal winner of the conference championship, and Jonathan Sutphin was named FH2A Coach of the Year. Berrier and Casstevens qualified for the 1A/2A Central Regional Championship. Berrier finished 13th at regionals and went on to compete in the State Championship Meet.
With most of the fall sports already completed, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports.
East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC) and Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A).
East Surry – Tara Martin (FH2A Player of the Year), Evelyn Ruedisueli, Rosie Craven
Millennium Charter – did not field a team this fall
Mount Airy – Carrie Marion (NW1A Player of the Year), Ella Brant, Audrey Marion, Kancie Tate, Charlotte Hauser
North Surry – Whitley Hege, Katie Butler
Surry Central – Rachel Carter, Ellen Bryant | Karlie Robertson
East Surry finished 12-4 overall and 12-0 in conference play. The Cardinals won the FH2A Dual Team Championship by finishing undefeated in the conference, then reached the second round of the 2A State Playoffs. Individually, the team of Martin/Ruedisueli won the FH2A Doubles Championship, were runners-up in the Doubles Midwest Regional Championship, then reached the semifinals of the State Doubles Tournament. Craven qualified for the Regional Championship in singles, and Alison Hooker was named FH2A Coach of the Year.
Mount Airy finished 22-0 overall and 12-0 in conference play. The Granite Bears won the NW1A Dual Team Championship by finishing undefeated in the conference, then went on to win the West Regional Championship and 1A State Championship in Dual Team competition. Brant was named MVP of the Dual Team State Championship. Luke Graham was named NW1A Coach of the Year.
Individually, Brant/Carrie Marion won the NW1A Conference Championship, West Regional Championship and 1A Doubles State Championship. Tate won the NW1A Singles Title, and Audrey Marion was the runner-up. Tate finished third in the West Regional Singles Championship and reached the semifinals of the State Singles Tournament. Hauser/Morris reached the semifinals of the NW1A Conference Tournament, finished third in the Doubles Regional Championship and reached the semifinals of the Doubles State Championship.
North Surry finished 7-9 overall and 4-8 in conference play. The Greyhounds were fifth in the FH2A standings. Individually, Butler/Hege reached the semifinals of the FH2A Doubles Tournament and qualified for the Midwest Regional Doubles Tournament.
Surry Central finished 9-4 overall and 9-3 in conference play. The Golden Eagles were tied for second in the FH2A standings and reached the first round of the 2A State Playoffs. Individually, Carter/Bryant were runners-up in the FH2A Doubles Championship, finished fourth in the Midwest Regional Doubles Tournament and qualified for the Doubles State Tournament. Carter/Bryant were defeated in the state tournament by the eventual champions: Eliza Perry and Ramsey Ross of Hendersonville.
With most of the fall sports already completed, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports.
East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC) and Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A).
All-Conference Honorable Mentions will include (HM) following the selection’s name.
East Surry – Jacob Lowe, Jesus Estrada, Nick Lowery, Juan Caro (HM), Logan Fagg (HM)
Millennium Charter – Julian Price, Zane Puckett (HM), Brody Krakenberg (HM)
Mount Airy – Elkin Lopez (NW1A Player of the Year), Noah Hart, Sergio Garcia, Carson Hill, Edwin Ramirez, Angel Osorno, Matthew Chapman (HM), Carter Bray (HM)
North Surry – Dallas Raya, Jair Gonzalez, Edwin Villegas, Emiliano Calderon (HM), Hector Hernandez
Surry Central – Jordy Avila, Johnny Garcia (FH2A Defensive Player of the Year), Eliazar Gonzalez, Daniel Juarez, Chris Nava (HM), Luke Creed (HM)
East Surry finished 7-11 overall and 5-7 in conference play. The Cardinals were fourth in the FH2A standings and reached the first round of the 2A State Playoffs.
Mount Airy finished 26-1 overall and 12-0 in conference play. The Granite Bears won the NW1A Conference Championship and reached the West Regional Final before falling 1-0 to eventual state champion Christ the King Catholic High School. Will Hurley was named NW1A Coach of the Year.
Millennium finished 4-14 overall and 0-10 in conference play. The Lions were sixth in the NWPC standings.
North Surry finished 7-10-1 overall and 5-6-1 in conference play. The Greyhounds were third in the FH2A standings and reached the first round of the 2A State Playoffs.
Surry Central finished 16-4-1 overall and 10-2 in conference play. The Golden Eagles were second in the FH2A standings and reached the second round of the 2A State Playoffs.
With most of fall sports already completed, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports.
East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC) and Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A).
All-Conference Honorable Mentions will include (HM) following the selection’s name.
East Surry – Bella Hutchens, Kylie Bruner, Samarin Kipple, Hannah Johnston, Kate Parks (HM), Merry Parker Boaz (HM)
Millennium Charter – Clara Minix, Madison Marshall (HM), Abigail Hodges (HM)
Mount Airy – Kylie Hollingsworth, Morgan Mayfield (Defensive Player of the Year), Paxton Reece (HM), Amelia Radford (HM),
North Surry – Bella Jones, Aniya Joyce
Surry Central – Mia McMillen, Katelyn Patterson, Jaylyn Templeton, Lainey Smith (HM), Marissa McCann (HM)
East Surry finished 26-2 overall and 12-0 in conference play. The Cardinals won the FH2A Regular Season, Conference Tournament Championships and 2021-22 2A West Regional Runners-Up. Their only 2A loss came against the eventual state champion, Southwestern Randolph. Kylie Bruner was named Most Valuable Player of the FH2A Tournament and Katelyn Markle was named FH2A Coach of the Year.
Millennium finished 12-14 overall and 6-6 in conference play. The Lions were fourth in the NWPC standings and reached the 1A State Playoffs for the first time in school history. The Lions also hosted their first conference tournament game, which also was their first-ever conference tournament win.
Mount Airy finished 18-9 overall and 9-3 in conference play. The Granite Bears were tied for second in the NW1A regular season standings and won the school’s first conference tournament championship in 29 years. Mount Airy reached the second round of the 1A State Playoffs. Sofia Stafford was named NW1A Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
North Surry finished 6-17 overall and 5-7 in conference play. The Greyhounds were fourth in the FH2A standings.
Surry Central finished 18-7 overall and 8-4 in conference play. The Golden Eagles were third in the FH2A regular season standings and finished as runners-up in the conference tournament. Central reached the second round of the 2A State Playoffs.
The title of 1A State Champion certainly has a nice ring to it.
Two Granite Bear wrestlers, Franklin Bennett and Connor Medvar, received their state championship rings in front of the hometown crowd Friday. The senior duo was recognized during halftime of Mount Airy’s playoff football game against Starmount.
Medvar took home the 1A 152-pound State Championship in June, and Bennett won the 1A 145-pound Championship as a sophomore in February 2020. However, he never got a proper ring ceremony due to the pandemic.
The wrestlers not only have the common goal of winning their second state title this season, but they hope to – after two tries already – finally secure a ring in the same year. Their first titles came in mirroring seasons.
Bennett and Medvar begun practicing together during the offseason of their eighth-grade year. Their freshman seasons were both successful, but different. Bennett finished 26-6 in the 126 class and was Northwest 1A Conference Runner-up. He came up just short of qualifying for the State Championship Tournament.
Medvar, meanwhile, won the Western Piedmont 2A Conference Championship in the 126 class as a freshman at Surry Central. Medvar took third in the 2A Midwest Regional to qualify for the State Tournament. As the only freshman in his bracket, Medvar finished third in the state to lay a solid foundation for his high school career.
The two joined forces as sophomores; Medvar now in the 138 class and Bennett competing at 145. Both won the conference and regional championships for their respective classes to reach the State Tournament. Bennett held a record of 37-6 at the start of the tournament and Medvar was at 36-1.
Both reached the semifinals but it was here that their paths diverged. Bennett picked up a quick victory via fall to advance to the championship, where he defeated a familiar opponent 4-3 to win his first state title.
Medvar was defeated after his semifinal match went to a sudden victory period. The Robbinsville senior that defeated Medvar went on to win the 138 state championship via major decision.
Fast-forward 14 months and the 2020-21 season is just now starting. Bennett eyed a repeat, while Medvar had redemption on his mind. Bennett stayed in 145, and Medvar leap-frogged him to compete in 152.
The duo once again captured the NW1A and West Regional Championships to qualify for the State Championship Tournament. Bennett entered with a record of 21-1, and Medvar at 24-0.
Medvar won his quarterfinal match via technical fall, his semifinal match via 5-3 decision and won the championship via 7-3 decision.
In an almost identical fashion to Medvar in 2020, Bennett won his quarterfinal match but was upset in the semifinals by a former opponent. The wrestler that defeated Bennett went on to win the 145 State Championship.
Bennett (88-15) and Medvar (104-8) have both seen the top of the podium, and both know what it feels like to come just short of their ultimate goal. Using this experience, the Granite Bear duo plan to close their high school careers with their arms raised at the same time.
The Millennium Charter boys basketball team started the season strong by pulling out victories in back-to-back close games.
The Lions come into the 2021-22 with an almost entirely new look. MCA returns just five players from last season, and 7-of-12 players on this season’s roster are underclassmen.
Despite the team’s youth, the Lions were able to win two close games in just the second week of the season. This year’s squad has already surpassed the 2020-21 team’s win total and goes into Thanksgiving break with a 2-4 overall record.
Millennium’s underclassmen had a strong showing in the season opener against Woodland Baptist Christian. Sophomore Aryan Hira and freshman Phillip Byrd combined for 33 of the Lions’ 49 points. Hira led the team with 17 points on 88% shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Junior Landon Martin fell one rebound and two points short of a double-double, and Tristan Shockley – one of just two seniors on the team – did a little of everything with six points, four assists, four rebounds and four steals. The Lions came up short in the game, 61-49.
Millennium dropped to 0-3 with losses to Millers Creek Christian and College Prep & Leadership Academy, but would soon rebound.
The Lions hosted Union Grove Christian on Nov. 18 and won 43-39. This was Union Grove’s first loss of the season, and the team hasn’t lost since either.
Hira and Shockley each scored in double-digits, with Hira leading the team with 12 points and Shockley behind him at 10. Martin had another near miss with a double-double, this time recording eight points and 14 boards. Byrd scored seven points and Ben Flinchum added six. Millennium shot a season-high 48% from the field vs. Union Grove.
The next day, MCA hosted the Runnin’ Patriots of Surry Homeschool. Shockley went off for a near triple-double in the 61-52 win over the Patriots. The senior led the team in three categories by finishing with 22 points on 47% shooting, nine steals, seven assists. He also added four rebounds.
Martin had his first game scoring in double digits with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting, and also led the team with seven boards. Hira added nine points, Flinchum scored eight, Byrd had four and Justin Doggett scored two.
Millennium will continue the non-conference portion of its schedule with three home games following Thanksgiving break. The Lions will host North Stokes on Nov. 30, Starmount on Dec. 1 and Elkin on Dec. 3.
It’s often said that teams at the top of the rankings get everybody’s best shot with nothing to lose.
This is especially true when that team is undefeated and hasn’t allowed a touchdown in close to two months.
Starmount came to the Granite City Friday and gave Mount Airy more problems in the first half than any team has all season. The Rams forced three turnovers, became just the third team to score a touchdown on the Bears and held Mount Airy – who came into Friday’s game averaging 51.8 points – to just seven points through two quarters.
Despite all this, the young Granite Bears regrouped in the second half and outscored the Rams 37-0. No. 2-ranked Mount Airy cruised to a 44-7 win to reach the 1A West Regional Semifinals and improve to 13-0.
The Granite Bears have now won 13 games in six different seasons. The first five came under coach Kelly Holder (2007-2009, 2016-17) and this season’s is under the direction of coach J.K. Adkins.
Mount Airy leaned heavily on its running game, surpassing 300 yards rushing for the fourth time this season against Starmount. Tyler Mason led the Bears with eight carries for 167 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The sophomore’s 167 yards rushing are the second-most of his career, behind only a 13-carry, 193-yard performance earlier this year.
Mason now has six games of at least 100 yards rushing this season. Nearly 50% of Mason’s 167 yards rushing came on a first-quarter touchdown run of 80 yards. Walker Stroup knocked down the PAT to put Mount Airy up 7-0.
The Bears did a good job of containing Starmount’s offense throughout Friday’s game, but costly first-half turnovers eventually led to the Rams tying things up at 7-7. Mount Airy threw two interceptions and lost one fumble in the first half.
After the Rams forced a second-quarter turnover, Starmount’s Zack Dezern found the endzone with a short run. A PAT from Diego Zuniga tied the game. Dezern went on to be the focal point of Starmount’s offense by rushing 23 times. However, he only finished the game with 64 yards rushing.
The teams remained scoreless for the remainder of the first half to go into halftime knotted up at 7-7.
Mount Airy finally found the end zone again with 5:25 left in the third quarter. Reece Deaton punched in a 1-yard run, and Walker Stroup hit the PAT to put the Bears on top 14-7.
Things snowballed from there. It was less than three minutes later that Mason scored on a 58-yard run for his second touchdown of the game. Mount Airy’s rushing dominance continued into the fourth quarter as Josh Penn ran in a 9-yard touchdown with 10:49 to play.
Starmount only attempted three passes in Friday’s game since the team was without starting quarterback Luke Kimmer. Dezern subbed in at QB and was forced to throw in the fourth quarter with the lead up to 28-7.
Mount Airy punished the Rams for this in the form of a pick-6. Mario Revels intercepted Dezern and returned it 51 yards to the end zone for the Bears’ sixth defensive touchdown of the year. After Caleb Reid scored a rushing touchdown with 5:26 left in the game, the Granite Wall defense picked up even more points by forcing a safety.
Starmount finished the game with just one play of more than 10 yards from scrimmage. Out of 39 total carries, nine of the Rams’ rushes went for no gain or a loss of yards.
Mount Airy quarterback Ian Gallimore finished Gallimore 5-of-12 passing for 56 yards. Walker Stroup was the leading receiver with three catches for 22 yards, followed by Zeb Stroup with one catch for 21 yards and Revels with one catch for 13 yards.
Gallimore also rushed seven times for 27 yards. Behind Mason’s 167 yards, Reid was next with 67 yards and a touchdown, followed by Penn with 62 yards and a touchdown, Zeb Stroup with one carry for 21 yards, Deaton with two carries for 4 yards and a touchdown and Brison George with two carries for 4 yards. The Bears also had a bad snap that went for a loss of 21 yards.
Mount Airy will host No. 3 Mitchell (11-2) in the 1A West Regional Semifinals on Nov. 26. The Bears and Mountaineers have faced off three times before – all in the playoffs – and Mitchell has won all three meetings. The most recent of these meetings was 2015*.
With the No. 1 seed in the 1A West losing in the Sweet 16, the winner of Mount Airy-Mitchell will host the West Regional Championship on Dec. 3 against the winner of No. 4 Robbinsville (9-3) and No. 9 Murphy (9-4).
*Correction: This article originally stated that the most recent meeting between Mount Airy and Mitchell was 1986. The teams first meeting was actually in the 1986 playoffs. They met again in the 1988 playoffs and then the 2015 playoffs.
4:29 MAHS 7-0 – Tyler Mason 80-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
9:08 STAR 7-7 – Zack Dezern 1-yard rushing TD, Diego Zuniga PAT
5:25 MAHS 14-7 – Reece Deaton 1-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
3:05 MAHS 21-7 – Tyler Mason 58-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
10:49 MAHS 28-7 – Josh Penn 9-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
10:28 MAHS 35-7 – Mario Revels interception returned 51 yards for a TD, Walker Stroup PAT
5:26 MAHS 42-7 – Caleb Reid 30-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
PILOT MOUNTAIN — A defensive showdown took place Friday night as a pair of teams averaging more than 44 points a game combined for less than 20.
Both defenses shined under the bright lights of David H. Diamont Stadium as the Monroe Redhawks looked to shut down the East Surry Cardinals, and vice versa. The teams went to war for 48 minutes in the third-round playoff game. In the end, it was the small-town boys of Pilot Mountain that celebrated the win by a score of 10-9.
“You know, we sat in the coaches office all week talking about this game,” said East Surry coach Trent Lowman. “We sat in there before the game and every one of us said, ‘It’s going to be close, and it’s going to be a lot lower scoring than anybody thinks,’ and it sure was.”
East (12-0) and Monroe are both very familiar with deep playoff runs, and both have won State Championships in the past five years. The Cardinals won the 1AA West Regional Championship in 2018, 2019 and spring 2021, and also took home the 1AA state title in 2019.
Monroe (8-2) has appeared in the West Regional Championship four times since 2013. The Redhawks finished as 3A regional runner-up in spring 2021, 2AA regional runner-up in 2016 and 2AA regional champs in 2013 and 2015. Monroe won the 2AA State Championship in 2015.
Friday’s game marks Monroe’s first loss to a team in the 2A division since Dec. 9, 2016, when the Redhawks dropped the 2AA West Regional Championship to eventual-champion Shelby. Friday’s nine-point performance was also the Redhawks’ fewest points scored against a 2A team since 2016.
“Coach [Randy] Marion and our defensive guys had the defense dialed in,” Lowman said. “They (Monroe) were putting up points all year long on people, and our defense shut them down. They really did. There’s a lot of talk about them being the best 2A team in the state, and we just stood toe-to-toe with them. I’m really proud of our guys.”
East Surry forced three Monroe turnovers after the Redhawks only committed four through their first nine games this season. Trey Armstrong and Luke Brown each had an interception, and Armstrong forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Joseph Grezmak. Monroe was held to just 1-of-5 on fourth-down conversions.
Both of East Surry’s scores were set up by takeaways on defense.
The Cardinals offense worked efficiently throughout the first half, but stalled when it came time to put points on the board. The team started with a 12-play, 4:12 drive that ended with a missed field goal, then forced an interception that went back to the Redhawks four plays later.
Monroe used this turnover-on-downs to start a 5-play drive that ended with Khamoni Robinson completing a 41-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Davis. Luke Bowman blocked the PAT to leave the score at 6-0.
The Cardinals punted on their next possession, then turned the ball over on downs on their first series of the second quarter. After the turnover-on-downs, Brown picked-off Robinson on the first play of the Redhawks’ drive. Brown returned the interception more than 30 yards to the Redhawk 25.
Armstrong ran twice to put the Cards inside the red zone, then Boaz picked up two big completions to get East Surry on the board. Stephen Brantley’s PAT made it 7-6 for East heading into halftime.
After trading possessions to start the second half, Monroe had its longest drive of the night. The 11-play, 5:04 drive saw the Redhawks go as far as the Cardinal 13-yard line. Robinson threw an incomplete pass on second down before being sacked for the first time. Brett Clayton, who led East Surry with nine tackles, picked up the sack.
After having the PAT blocked earlier, Monroe’s Angel Valenzuela converted a 35-yard field goal to put the Redhawks ahead 9-7.
Monroe started the fourth quarter in Cardinal territory with the chance to go up by two scores. Kyle Zinn provided coverage on a third-down attempt to set up fourth-and-5 and, with star running back Nate Crosby sidelined, Monroe elected to throw again.
Robinson completed a pass to Shaleak Knotts that was short of the first down. When Knotts, a four-star recruit that had 21 Division-I offers before committing to Maryland in August, turned to run he was hit by Armstrong. The ball landed on the grass and was scooped up by Grezmak.
Monroe’s defense continued to cause problems for the Cardinals’ passing offense in the second half, so East adapted. Boaz and Armstrong proceeded to lead East Surry in a rushing barrage in which the Cards only attempted four second-half passes. The duo alternated carries for more than five minutes of game time to reach the red zone.
East soon found itself in a similar situation to the first quarter when it was fourth-and-2 on the 15-yard line. After calling a timeout, Lowman sent Brantley out to kick a 32-yard field goal. The junior kicker missed his first attempt of the game from 31 yards; his power was more than enough, but the kick sailed wide in the opening quarter.
Brantley got his redemption by kicking a line drive through the uprights with 5:50 left in the game.
On deciding to kick the field goal instead of going for it fourth-and-2, Lowman said: “You’ve got to trust your players. We were stopping them and we still had two timeouts. I felt like even if we missed we were going to get the ball back with a chance. I trusted our guys, and I trusted both our defense and our offense in case we missed it. You’ve got to let the players play.”
Brantley made another game-saving play on the ensuing kickoff. Knotts dodged Cardinal after Cardinal to get deep into East Surry territory. Brantley was the last man back as the kicker and eventually brought Knotts down on the Cardinal 17.
Zion Lindsey ran twice for the Redhawks but only gained three yards. Robinson dropped back to pass on fourth down, but his pass fell incomplete. Valenzuela came onto the field to attempt a 31-yard field goal, but it fell short of the mark.
East Surry only needed to move the chains a few times to run the clock out. Behind a fired up offensive line, Boaz and Armstrong took the Cardinals from their own 20 to the Redhawk 12-yard line to run out the clock.
Monroe was held to a season-low 208 total yards just seven days after recording 612 total yards in a 60-29 win. The Redhawks rushed 20 times for 101 yards, and Robinson completed 10-of-22 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.
East Surry finished with 292 total yards. Boaz completed 13-of-22 passes for 93 yards, and Armstrong was the leading receiver with five catches for 31 yards. Layton Allen added four catches for 21 yards, followed by Colby Johnson with two catches for 21 yards, Brown with one reception for 13 yards and Grezmak with one reception for four yards.
Boaz led all rushers with 22 carries for 123 yards and touchdown. Armstrong was next with 14 carries for 68 yards, Zinn added two carries for 8 yards, Johnson had one carry for 4 yards and Allen had one carry for a loss of four yards.
East Surry’s win puts the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2A State Playoffs. Since 1972, which is as far back as the N.C. High School Athletic Association has brackets published on their website, only two Surry County football teams have won three games in the 2A division playoffs in one season. The first was Mount Airy in 1987, and the second is this year’s East Surry team.
“These guys are pretty tough, and they’ve got a lot of heart,” Lowman said.
No. 2 East Surry will host No. 3 Maiden in the West Regional Semifinal on Nov. 26. Maiden (13-0) is the champion of the Catawba Valley Athletic Conference. The Blue Devils defeated No. 30 Mount Pleasant 37-7 in the first round, No. 14 West Lincoln 47-0 in the second round and No. 6 Salisbury 32-20 in the third round.
The winner of East Surry-Maiden will face the winner of No. 1 Shelby (12-1) and No. 4 Reidsville (12-0) in the 2A West Regional Championship.
4:07 MHS 0-6 – Khamoni Robinson pass to Bryce Davis 43-yard TD reception, PAT blocked by Luke Bowman
2:52 ESHS 7-6 – Folger Boaz 2-yard rushing TD, Stephen Brantley PAT
4:28 MHS 7-9 – Angel Valenzuela 35-yard field goal
5:46 ESHS 10-9 – Stephen Brantley 32-yard field goal
For the second week in a row, Mount Airy welcomes a fellow Northwest 1A Conference opponent to Wallace Shelton Stadium for a playoff matchup.
Last week it was East Wilkes (5-7). After defeating the Cardinals 45-6 on the road during the regular season, Mount Airy defeated East Wilkes 48-0 in the second round of the 1A State Playoffs to move to 12-0 on the season.
The Granite Bears now find themselves against the NW1A Conference Runner-up: the Starmount Rams. Mount Airy hosts Starmount on Nov. 19 with the winner advancing to the West Regional Semifinal.
Mount Airy and Starmount are certainly familiar with each another. According to Mount Airy football historian Doug McDaniel, only three teams have at least 20 wins over Mount Airy in more than a century of Granite Bear football: East Surry (20), Reidsville (24) and Starmount (25).
The Granite Bears and Rams first faced off in 1971 and played at least once every year until 2020. Mount Airy leads the all-time series against Starmount 28-25.
Friday’s playoff game marks the fourth meeting of the two teams in the postseason, and Starmount leads Mount Airy 2-1 in that department. The Bears defeated the Rams 10-7 in 1985, then lost 24-7 in 1997 and 23-7 in 2004.
Record: 12-0 overall, 6-0 NW1A Conference (Champion)
Key victories: 62-0 at Surry Central, 56-6 at Draughn, 43-0 at Starmount
MaxPreps strength of schedule: -17.5
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 3
Playoff scores: 75-0 vs. No. 31 Union Academy, 48-0 vs. No. 15 East Wilkes
Record: 8-4 overall, 5-1 NW1A Conference (runner-up)
Key victories: 21-10 vs. Community School of Davidson, 18-8 vs. South Stokes, 27-20 vs. Andrews
Key losses: 37-0 vs. East Surry, 42-30 at Southwestern Randolph, 43-0 vs. Mount Airy
MaxPreps strength of schedule: -8.6
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 3
Playoff scores: 65-8 vs. No. 26 South Stokes, 27-20 vs. No. 10 Andrews
QB Ian Gallimore (SOPH) – 1,414 yards passing, 60-of-85 completions, .706 completion percentage, 22 passing TDs, 3 interceptions, 52 carries for 315 yards, 9 rushing TDs, 1,729 total yards
RB Tyler Mason (SOPH) – 84 carries for 1,077 yards, 89.8 YPG rushing, 12.8 yards per carry, 17 rushing TDs, 10 receptions for 100 yards, 1 receiving TD
RB Caleb Reid (SOPH) – 51 carries for 599 yards, 59.9 YPG rushing, 11.7 yards per carry, 7 rushing TDs, 3 receptions for 21 yards
RB Josh Penn* (SR) – 39 carries for 443 yards, 55.4 YPG rushing, 11.4 yards per carry, 7 rushing TDs, 5 receptions for 145 yards, 2 receiving TDs
WR Zeb Stroup (SR) – 17 receptions for 561 yards, 46.8 YPG receiving, 33.0 yards per reception, 8 receiving TDs
WR Mario Revels (SOPH) – 11 receptions for 235 yards, 21.4 YPG receiving,21.4 yards per reception, 3 receiving TDs
QB Luke Kimmer (JR) – 1,034 yards passing, 100-of-180 completions, .556 completion percentage, 6 passing TDs, 4 interceptions, 15 rush for -64 yards
RB Zach Dezern (JR) – 252 carries for 1,546 yards, 128.8 YPG rushing, 6.1 yards per carry, 20 rushing TDs, 27 receptions for 269 yards, 1 receiving TD
RB Preston Williams (SOPH) – 64 carries for 190 yards, 16.3 YPG rushing, 3.0 yards per carry, 3 rushing TDs, 2 receptions for 8 yards
WR Davion Coleman (SR) – 31 receptions for 282 yards, 23.5 YPG receiving, 9.1 yards per reception, 1 receiving TD
WR Jalyn Adams (SR) – 9 receptions for 211 yards, 17.6 YPG receiving, 23.4 yards per reception, 2 receiving TDs
Total points allowed: 18 (2 TD, 2 FG)
Tackles for a loss per game: 10.3
Fumbles returned for a TD: 2
Interceptions returned for a TD: 3
LB Reece Deaton (SR) – 84 solo tackles, 120 total tackles, 10.0 tackles per game, 28.0 tackles for a loss, 3.0 sacks, 6 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble, 2 passes defensed
LB Nic Isom (SR) – 67 solo tackles, 111 total tackles, 9.3 tackles per game, 25.0 tackles for a loss, 12.0 sacks, 15 QB hurries, 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed
DE Deric Dandy* (SOPH) – 39 solo tackles, 57 total tackles, 7.1 tackles per game, 17.0 tackles for a loss, 9.0 sacks, 2 QB hurries, 1 punt block, 1 forced fumble, 1 forced safety
CB Zeb Stroup (SR) – four interceptions, six passes defensed, 2 fumbles recovered for a TD, 29 solo tackles, 81 total tackles, 1.0 sack
DB Walker Stroup (SR) – four interceptions, 13 passes defensed, 1 pick-6, 1 forced fumble, 12 solo tackles, 43 total tackles
Tackles per game: N/A
Tackles for a loss per game: N/A
Sacks per game: N/A
QB Hurries per game: N/A
Fumbles returned for a TD: 0
Interceptions returned for a TD: 3
Starmount does not have records of many defensive stats on MaxPreps. What is known:
– Xavier King, Jared Stokes and Mason Anthony each have a pick-6
– Davion Coleman leads the team with seven interceptions, followed by Ryan Kimmer with four, King and Stokes with two, and six Rams with 1 each
– Starmount’s nine fumble recoveries came from nine different players
Dylan Tilley (SR) – 20 touchbacks on 71 kickoffs, 13-of-21 PATs, 0-of-1 field goals
Walker Stroup (SOPH) – 39-of-47 PATs, 0-of-1 field goals, 9 punts for 342 yards
Tyler Mason (SOPH) – 3 punts returned for a TD, 376 return yards
Mario Revels (SOPH) – 124 return yards
Zeb Stroup (SR) – 1 kickoff returned for a TD, 125 return yards
Diego Zuniga (SR) – 19-of-22 PATs, 3-of-9 field goals, 33 kickoffs for 1,609 yards, 5 touchbacks
Zack Armstrong (JR) – 35 punts for 1,100 yards, 3 kickoffs for 125 yards
Ryan Kimmer (JR) – 22 punts for 659 yards
Jalyn Adams (SR) – 1 kickoff returned for a TD, 186 return yards
Davion Coleman (SR) – 268 return yards
In its first postseason since being promoted to the 2A division, East Surry finds itself in a similar situation to years past.
The Cardinals will host a third-round matchup of the state playoffs on Friday against Monroe. East Surry has reached the third round of the playoffs in each of the past five seasons.
East, the champions of the Foothills 2A Conference, will battle the visiting Redhawks of Monroe High School, the champions of the Rocky River 2A/3A Conference.
East Surry and Monroe have only faced-off three times. These meetings all came in the 1AA State Playoffs and took place in back-to-back-to-back seasons. The Redhawks are 3-0 against the Cardinals.
The first meeting was in the first round of the 2010 playoffs, which Monroe won 34-27. The two teams faced-off again in the first round in 2011, and the Redhawks won that came 50-6. Finally, Monroe and East Surry met in the Sweet 16 of the 2012 playoffs. Monroe won that game 53-0 and went on to finish as West Regional Runners-Up.
Friday’s game will be the first game between the two teams to take place in Pilot Mountain.
Record: 11-0 overall, 6-0 FH2A Conference (Champion)
Key victories: 56-22 @ North Surry, 47-0 vs. Surry Central, 37-20 vs. Forbush
MaxPreps strength of schedule: -5.7
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 5
Playoff scores: 30-6 vs. No. 31 Newton-Conover, 37-20 vs. No. 15 Forbush
Record: 8-1 overall, 4-0 RR2A Conference (Champion)
Key victories: 39-6 vs. Parkwood, 38-9 vs. Forest Hills, 60-29 vs. Robinson
Key losses: 37-6 at Marvin Ridge
Wins against teams that finished over .500: 3
Playoff scores: 57-13 vs. No. 26 Lincolnton, 60-29 vs. No. 10 Robinson
QB Folger Boaz (JR) – 2,990 yards passing, 182-of-252 completions, .722 completion percentage, 27 passing TDs, 5 interceptions, 94 carries for 726 yards, 20 rushing TDs, 3,716 total yards
RB Trey Armstrong (SR) – 109 carries for 681 yards, 61.9 YPG rushing, 6.2 yards per carry, 14 rushing TDs, 33 receptions for 548 yards, 6 receiving TDs, 1,229 total yards
WR Layton Allen (SR) – 65 receptions for 1,093 yards, 99.4 YPG receiving, 16.8 yards per reception, 12 receiving TDs
WR Luke Brown (JR) – 21 receptions for 488 yards, 48.8 YPG receiving, 23.2 yards per reception, 4 receiving TDs
WR Colby Johnson (JR) – 31 receptions for 366 yards, 36.6 YPG receiving, 11.8 yards per reception, 2 receiving TDs, 5 carries for 45 yards, 1 rushing TD
QB Khamoni Robinson (JR) – 2,114 yards passing, 118-of-176 completions, .670 completion percentage, 29 passing TDs, 4 interceptions, 32 rush for 196 yards, 2 rushing TDs
RB Nate Crosby (SOPH) – 105 carries for 839 yards, 93.2 YPG rushing, 8.0 yards per carry, 9 rushing TDs, 11 receptions for 166 yards, 2 receiving TDs
RB Zach Melton (SOPH) – 33 carries for 296 yards, 37.0 YPG rushing, 9.0 yards per carry, 7 rushing TDs, 2 receptions for 70 yards, 1 receiving TD
WR Shaleak Knotts (SR) – 31 receptions for 611 yards, 67.9 YPG receiving, 19.7 yards per reception, 11 receiving TD
WR Elliott Reed (SR) – 35 receptions for 598 yards, 74.8 YPG receiving, 17.1 yards per reception, 6 receiving TDs
WR Jaikhob Covington (SR) – 21 receptions for 353 yards, 44.1 YPG receiving, 16.8 yards per reception, 5 receiving TDs
Tackles for a loss per game: 8.8
Fumbles returned for a TD: 3
Interceptions returned for a TD: 0
DE Brett Clayton (JR) – 93 solo tackles, 127 total tackles, 11.5 tackles per game, 22.0 tackles for a loss, 8.0 sacks, 5 QB hurries, 1 punt block, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed
DE Joseph Grezmak (SR) – 47 solo tackles, 65 total tackles, 6.5 tackles per game, 14.0 tackles for a loss, 4.0 sacks, 1 QB hurries, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 fumble recovered for a TD, 1 punt block, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed
DL Daniel Villasenor (JR) – 40 solo tackles, 48 total tackles, 4.4 tackles per game, 2.0 tackles for a loss, 6.0 sacks, 3 QB hurries, 1 fumble recovered for a TD
LB Joshua Parker (JR) – 60 solo tackles, 75 total tackles, 6.8 tackles per game, 9.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, 1 forced fumbles, 1 pass defensed
MLB Hatcher Hamm (FR) – 55 solo tackles, 70 total tackles, 7.0 tackles per game, 9.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 forced fumbles, 1 interception
SS Kyle Zinn (JR) – 58 solo tackles, 68 total tackles, 11.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 QB hurry, three interceptions
Tackles for a loss per game: 4.0
Fumbles returned for a TD: 0
Interceptions returned for a TD: 4
DE Bryce Davis (JR) – 33 solo tackles, 44 total tackles, 5.5 tackles per game, 7.0 tackles for a loss, 5.0 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble,
LB Cread Simpson (JR) – 35 solo tackles, 53 total tackles, 6.6 tackles per game, 6.0 tackles for a loss, 3.0 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
LB Elijah Shaw (JR) – 32 solo tackles, 50 total tackles, 6.3 tackles per game, 4.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
LB Brojan Allen (SOPH) – 24 solo tackles, 32 total tackles, 3.6 tackles per game, 8.0 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks, 2 QB hurries
FS Shaleak Knotts (SR) – 35 solo tackles, 37 total tackles, 4 interceptions, 1 interception returned for a TD, 166 interception yards
FS Elliott Reed (SR) – 18 solo tackles, 20 total tackles, 4 interceptions, 2 interceptions returned for a TD, 120 interception yards, 1 fumble recovery
Stephen Brantley (JR) – 53-of-65 PATs, 3-of-6 field goals, 30 kickoffs for 1,773 yards and 7 touchbacks, 7 punts for 275 yards
Trey Armstrong (SR) – 1 punt returned for a TD, 310 return yards
Kyle Zinn (JR) – 2 kickoffs returned for a TD, 177 return yards
Luke Bowman (SR) – 157 return yards
Angel Valenzuela (SR) – 39-of-54 PATs, 3-of-5 field goals, 65 kickoffs for 3,432 yards, 11 touchbacks
Jaikhob Covington (SR) – 13 punts for 517 yards
Shaleak Knotts (SR) – 1 punt returned for a touchdown, 161 return yards
HUNTERSVILLE — Mount Airy’s wild ride of a season came to an end Tuesday.
The Granite Bears put their 26-0 record on the line against the Christ the King Catholic High School in the 1A West Regional Championship. The battle between the Bears and the Crusaders was a rematch of the 2019 Regional Title match, and the result was the same in the end.
After 77 minutes of captivating play, the Crusaders netted the first and only goal of the match. Christ the King held on to the 1-0 lead for the remainder of regulation to win the school’s second-ever West Regional Championship.
“It was fast-paced, back-and-forth match that was probably a great game to watch if you’re not for either team,” said Mount Airy coach Will Hurley. “My kids did great. Yeah, I’d like to be in the state championship, but I’m just really thankful and really proud of how good the guys played. They really left it all out on the field.”
The Bears’ historic season ends in a similar manner to years past: with a playoff loss to a private or charter school competing in the N.C. High School Athletic Association.
Mount Airy soccer has only lost nine total matches over the past five seasons. In 2017, 2019 and now 2021 the Bears’ only losses were to private schools, and Mount Airy managed to reach the West Regional Championship in each of those seasons. The Granite Bears have not lost to a fellow traditional public 1A school since October of 2016 and haven’t lost a regular season match since 2019.
Hurley said he was extremely proud of his team for going all out in the match and competing for 80 minutes.
“I‘m pretty confident that when we came in they (CTK) were thinking ‘Oh, y’all had to go to PKs to beat Langtree Charter,’ and that they were just going to blow us out,” Hurley said. “I think it surprised them when we did as well as we did, and then they had to put their star player in late in the game.”
The center official called things tight early on. The teams were whistled for a combined 19 fouls in the first half, with three Mount Airy players and two from Christ the King receiving yellow cards.
The Crusaders’ (21-1) set the tone early with crisp passing in the midfield. Center defensive mid Dillon Kocher served as distributor for quick strikes on offense as well as on resets back to the defense. The Crusaders also had the most imposing defense the Bears faced all season, with Kocher and three of CTK’s four players on the back line measuring right at or above six feet and were willing to put their bodies on the line to keep a clean sheet.
Mount Airy’s first shot came on a through ball from Sergio Garcia to Elkin Lopez in the 12th minute, although the shot sailed into the side netting. Garcia had a cross a few minutes later that was headed out before Mount Airy could attempt a shot.
Mount Airy’s back line of Noah Hart, Matthew Chapman, Pablo Salmeron and Carter Bray also stood tall as the Bears looked to record their 17th shutout of the season. Hurley had to get creative with some of his lineup combinations on defense after Chapman and Salmeron both picked up cards in the first half. Nonetheless, keeper Edwin Ramirez kept the goal clean through the first 40 minutes of regulation.
The first half was more of a feeling out process for both teams that opened the door for immediate action in the second half. Christ the King earned its first corner kick of the evening less than 60 seconds into the second half. The kick curved in toward the goal, but was saved by Ramirez near the end line. Two minutes later, Kocher crossed into the box to set teammate Marcos Frias up for a header. Frias was in position to score, but Ramirez jumped up just enough to snatch the cross out of the air.
CTK was held without a shot until the 64th minute. In the meantime, Mount Airy piled on five shots: Lopez had three shots of his own, two that were off target and one that was saved, Edwin Agabo added one shot that was saved, and Angel Hernandez placed a free kick from 30 yards out just over the cross bar.
Ramirez continued to battle in the net with key saves down the stretch. The keeper deflected a shot out for a corner in the 64th minute, then came away with the ball before a strike could develop.
A handling call against Mount Airy was made in the 74th minute. Kocher lined up from 35 yards out and placed a shot on goal that was knocked down by Ramirez. The Crusaders’ Luke Bowman broke free of his mark and took a follow-up shot on the rebound, but that too was saved by Ramirez.
Christ the King’s goal was scored with less than three minutes left in regulation. Nik Seguin won possession along the left sideline and kicked a high-arching cross to the middle of the field and just outside the 18-yard box. Alex Neal trapped the pass with his back to the goal, dribbled toward his own sideline to set up with his right foot and sent a low shot to the opposite post. The shot was just out of reach for a diving Ramirez.
Mount Airy quickly moved into Crusader territory in an attempt to force overtime. The Bears’ best chance came when Christ the King was called for a foul a few yards outside its 18-yard box. By the time the official moved the Crusaders’ wall back 10 yards, less than 90 seconds were left on the clock.
Lopez took the free kick and sent a hard shot at the goal that stayed less than a yard off the ground the whole time. The shot made it past the wall, but was stopped by the CTK keeper.
The Crusaders took possession deep into Mount Airy’s defensive third to run out the clock.
“When I get home after a loss, I usually sit back and think, ‘Well, maybe if I would’ve done this or that different,’ and speculate,” Hurley said. “No second guesses in this one. I think we threw everything we had and it just wasn’t our night.”
The loss stings, especially for the seniors, but Hurley hopes his players will be able to look back on the season as a success.
“It really was phenomenal season,” Hurley said. “The kids did so great. It’s what I told them out there: ‘You’re 26-0; you’ve set records all throughout the year, but the thing about it is you’ve got more heart than other teams, top to bottom.’ They just play with so much heart. And I’m not throwing off on my other teams, it’s just that, as a whole, these kids have tremendous heart.
“With that much heart you definitely want to win, and with heart you can overcome certain things.”
This year’s team set the following school records: total wins and consecutive wins with 26, regular season wins with 22, conference wins with 12, home winning percentage at 100% and goals scored with 156.
The Bears’ record of 156 goals scored this season is also second in Surry County history, trailing only Surry Central’s 160 in 2002. Mount Airy finishes the year sixth in the nation in goals scored.
Goalkeeper Edwin Ramirez recorded 16 shutouts this season, which ties him for eighth on the NCHSAA all-time list. The No. 1 player on that list, Caden Hill (‘20) was also a Granite Bear.
Elkin Lopez ties the Mount Airy school record for single-season goals scored with 45. Lopez ties Jeremy Chappell, who scored 45 goals as a senior in 2015.
”What a great experience,” Hurley said. “It’s definitely been a wild ride.”
In this month when we customarily express our thankfulness for the blessings of life, there is much in the world of high school sports and performing arts for which we are thankful as the 2021-22 series of state championships commence.
First, the almost eight million participants in high school sports – and a similar number of students in performing arts programs – will be able to start and finish state championships in a normal timeframe for the first time since the 2019 fall tournaments concluded almost two years ago.
The pandemic brought 2020 winter championships to a halt, caused the cancellation of 2020 spring championships and created chaos throughout the 2020-21 school year. Although some mitigations such as mask mandates remain in some areas, it appears a full cycle of state championships are on schedule for the first time since 2018-19.
Second, several girls state championships will have an even higher level of significance as they are conducted for the 50th time, having started shortly after the passage of Title IX in June 1972.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association and the Nebraska School Activities Association will be hosting their 50th state championship in girls volleyball this weekend, and others such as the Alabama High School Athletic Association and the Kansas State High School Activities Association celebrated that milestone last year.
After the landmark Title IX legislation was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972, girls participation in high school sports skyrocketed, and state high school associations began to offer new championships for girls at a furious rate.
In 1972, there were more states hosting girls championships in tennis (27) than any other sport, followed by swimming (17), basketball (16), gymnastics (15), volleyball (14) and golf (14), with only three states offering track and field. A mere two years later, track and field was No. 1 with 43 state championships, followed by tennis (42), basketball (31), gymnastics (30), volleyball (25) and golf (25).
By 1985, all states plus the District of Columbia were offering girls basketball and track and field championships, followed by tennis (49), cross country (49) and volleyball (46); softball (38) and soccer (21) had started to make an impact across the country as well.
Soccer, in fact, has had the most remarkable growth. In 1971, only 700 girls were playing high school soccer. Twenty-five years later, that number had climbed to almost 210,000; and as the 50th anniversary of Title IX approaches, there are now almost 400,000 girls playing high school soccer, and the sport ranks fourth in popularity among girls high school sports – all because of that opportunity in 1972.
While there was not an immediate impact, the passage of Title IX also opened the doors for girls to participate in a couple of traditional boys sports – football and wrestling.
Girls first began playing on boys football teams in the mid-1980s and passed 2,000 participants in 2001; however, numbers have leveled off the past 20 years, with the latest totals at 2,404 participants nationally. During this period of time, however, there has been a surge in development of girls flag football programs.
As was noted in the recent October issue of High School Today magazine published by the NFHS, five states are currently sponsoring girls flag football (Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Florida and Nevada), with Georgia, Florida and Nevada offering a state championship. The latest survey indicated 11,209 participants in girls flag football, and interest is expected to expand to other states thanks to a partnership between Nike and the National Football League which will provide state associations money to start pilot programs.
The sport with the biggest growth rate the past five years – both in terms of participants and addition of state championships – is girls wrestling. After girls only had the option of wrestling on boys teams for many years, 20 states have added separate championships for girls just in the past four years.
The first girls participants on boys teams began to appear in the late 1980s, but the opportunity to wrestle on girls-only teams and for a separate state team championship didn’t occur until 1998 when the Texas University Interscholastic League became the first state association to stage a girls wrestling championship, followed by Hawaii in 1999.
California (2011), Washington (2013), Massachusetts (2015) and Tennessee (2017) added state championships to push the total to six states before the explosion the past four years. Even amid the pandemic, six states added girls wrestling championships this past year (Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin), and now 26 states are offering state wrestling championships for girls.
Participation has jumped from 4,975 in 2005 to 7,351 in 2010 and 21,124 in 2018. In response to this growth, the NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee has established the first separate weight classes for girls, set to take effect in 2023-24.
We salute all schools and state associations that are continuing to create new opportunities for girls to be involved in high school sports and performing arts.
Jeremiah Price’s 2021 just keeps getting better and better.
On Monday, the Surry Central junior announced a verbal commitment to wrestle at North Carolina State University on Monday. The two-time N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A State Champion is set to begin his third season at Central in the coming weeks.
Matscouts ranks Price as the No. 25 prospect in the nation for his weight class.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Jeremiah,” said Surry Central wrestling coach Stephen Priddy. “He’s put in a tremendous amount of work to get to where he is today. The sky’s the limit with him, and we can’t wait to see him succeed at the next level when that time comes.”
Price has already become one of the top wrestlers in Surry Central and Surry County history through his first two years. By winning the 2A 145-pound State Championship as a freshman and sophomore, Jeremiah becomes just the third wrestler in county history to win multiple wrestling state titles. He joins North Surry’s Justin Jones (2007, 2008), Mount Airy’s Cameron Pack (2015, 2016) and Mount Airy’s Jacob Hogue (2015, 2016, 2017) on that list.
Jeremiah finished his freshman season with a 56-1 record to set the county record for single-season wins. His only loss that year came during the Holy Angels Invitational in a decision loss to Cape Fear’s Dallas Wilson, ending Price’s 27-match winning streak. Wilson went on to finish 44-2 on the season and win the 3A 145 championship.
Price won his next 29 matches following the loss and no other wrestler came within a point of him. This included the 2A 145 championship, which he won via 2-0 decision. After the season he was named to HighSchoolOT’s All-West Wrestling Squad and was just one of three freshman given the honor.
Prior to his sophomore season, Price won the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) Sophomore Nationals. His last four matches in the tournament all ended in overtime or sudden-victory periods.
As a sophomore, Price was named All-State by HighSchoolOT after winning his second state title and finished the shortened COVID season 20-0. Jeremiah won the following awards during the 2020-21 season: Western Piedmont 2A Athletic Conference 145-pound Championship, 2A Midwest Regional 145-pound Champion, 2A 145 State Champion and WPAC Wrestler of the Year.
Price helped Surry Central win its third-straight conference championship as a team.
“He really dedicates his life to wrestling and to school,” Priddy said following Price’s second state championship win. “His work ethic is just unmatched. He’s never satisfied, and I think that’s what makes him so good. He always finds things that he could have done better. Even after the state championship, he was doing that.”
In October of this year, Price was named a Grappler Fall Classic All-American for finishing third in the organization’s national wrestling tournament. He competed in the High School Elite Division and defeated a state runner-up from Florida, a two-time state champion from Virginia and state placer in Minnesota in the tournament.
Price’s only loss in the tournament was to a three-time state champion from Florida ranked No. 9 in the nation that also went on to win the tournament. This loss only came after an Ultimate Tie Breaker.
The 2021-22 NCHSAA wrestling season begins on Nov. 23 for Surry Central. Price, who currently has an NCHSAA record of 76-1, looks to win his third consecutive 2A State Championship.
Mount Airy steamrolled East Wilkes 48-0 on Friday to move on to the Sweet 16 of the 1A State Playoffs.
The Granite Bears celebrated a new school record of eight shutouts in a single season on Nov. 5, then extended that by holding East Wilkes scoreless on No. 12. The 48-point loss is East Wilkes’ largest margin of defeat this season and is only the second time the 2021-22 Cardinals were held scoreless.
Mount Airy’s second-round playoff win over East Wilkes puts the No. 2-ranked Bears at 12-0. This is the ninth season – out of more than a century of Granite Bear football – in which the team has reached 12 wins, and is the second under coach J.K. Adkins.
Friday marked the Bears’ second meeting this season against the Cardinals of Wilkes County. During the regular season, Mount Airy traveled to Ronda and defeated East Wilkes 45-6. In that game, East Wilkes became the only team all season to score on Mount Airy in the first quarter and held the Bears to just 19 first-half points. The Bears regrouped after halftime and outscored the Cards 26-0.
The only points Mount Airy has given up since Sept. 24 came from East Wilkes’ two field goals in that game. Mount Airy minimized mistakes this time around to post an even more lopsided victory.
Mount Airy’s offense finished with 376 total yards, which was balanced between 195 yards rushing and 181 yards passing. Five of the Bears’ touchdowns came on the ground, and two were in the air.
Both passing touchdowns saw quarterback Ian Gallimore connect with Zeb Stroup: once for 51 yards and then again for 26 yards. Zeb finished with three catches for 90 yards. Gallimore rounded out his 181 yards passing with three completions to Walker Stroup for 31 yards, one completion to Mario Revels for 34 yards and one completion to Tyler Mason for 26 yards.
Walker Stroup also converted 6-of-7 PATs for Mount Airy.
Mason led Mount Airy’s ground game with 11 carries for 97 yards and three touchdowns. His 97 yards rushing put Mason over the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Mason’s 20 rushing touchdowns this year are tied for second in the 1A West and 21st in the state among all classifications.
The Bears utilized six different players in the ground game. Mason led the team in carries, yards and touchdowns, then Gallimore was next in all three categories with nine carries for 75 yards and a touchdown. Caleb Reid rushed five times for 27 yards and a TD, Josh Penn had six carries for 5 yards, and Brison George and Traven Thompson each rushed once for a loss.
After giving up 183 yards to East Wilkes in Ronda last month, the Granite Bears defense held the Cardinals to just 89 total yards on Friday. The Cards rushed 33 times for 28 yards and completed six passes for 61 yards.
East Wilkes quarterback Briggs Gentry completed 6-of-14 passes for 61 yards and was picked off twice. Zeb and Walker Stroup each had an interception, bringing both their season totals up to four.
Most of Gentry’s yards passing came from four completions to Brennan Arnder, who led the Cards’ receiving corps with 64 yards. Brody Martin caught one pass for 2 yards, and Weston Brown had one reception for a loss of 5 yards.
Easton Martin led East Wilkes’ ground game in yards with 40 on six carries. Martin was next with 16 rushes for 23 yards, and Brown and Anthony Graham each ran once for no gain. Gentry had the Cardinals’ remaining carries, but went for a loss of 35 yards. Nic Isom, Payton Fonville and Reece Deaton each sacked Gentry, and Deaton and Josh Chavis each recovered a Cardinal fumble.
Mount Airy will run into another Northwest 1A Conference opponent in the third round: Starmount. The No. 7-ranked Rams (8-4) defeated No. 26 South Stanly 65-8 in the first round, the topped No. 10 Andrews 27-20 in the second round.
The Bears defeated the Rams 43-0 on Oct. 1 for Starmount’s only NW1A loss. Starmount is 5-0 since losing to Mount Airy.
The winner of Mount Airy/Starmount will face the winner of No. 3 Mitchell (10-2) and No. 6 Thomasville (9-2) in the West Regional Semifinal.
7:30 MAHS 7-0 – Ian Gallimore pass to Zeb Stroup 51-yard TD reception, Walker Stroup PAT
4:21 MAHS 14-0 – Tyler Mason 12-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
3:25 MAHS 20-0 – Ian Gallimore pass to Zeb Stroup 26-yard TD reception, PAT no good
11:12 MAHS 27-0 – Ian Gallimore 16-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
5:44 MAHS 34-0 – Tyler Mason 15-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
2:05 MAHS 41-0 – Tyler Mason 9-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
7:15 MAHS 48-0 – Caleb Reid 5-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT
PILOT MOUNTAIN — East Surry punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 37-20 win over Forbush on Friday.
The Cardinals and Falcons went back-and-forth during the first half, with the teams combining to score six times on the first seven possessions. Forbush made it a one-score game with a touchdown to start the second half, but then East Surry held the Falcons offense scoreless for the remainder of the game. Forbush’s final four possessions featured a punt, an interception and two turnovers on downs.
It was a clash of offensive styles as East Surry, who ranks in the top 10 of the state among all classifications with nearly 250 yards passing per game, faced off with Forbush’s primarily rushing offense. Forbush is one of only 10 teams in the state to have rushed at least 470 times entering the second round, and the Falcons averaged just under 300 yards rushing per game through 11 games.
East Surry (11-0) racked up 478 total yards to Forbush’s 364. The Cards had 358 yards passing and 120 yards rushing, while the Falcons rushed for 305 yards and passed for 59.
Following a week in which he was held below 175 yards passing, Cardinal quarterback Folger Boaz exploded for a season-high 358 yards against Forbush. The junior completed 20-of-29 passes, half of which went to Layton Allen. Allen led all receivers with a career-high 10 receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Boaz’s other passing TD came during the game’s opening drive. The Cardinals went 72 yards in nine plays and capped the drive with a 21-yard pass from Boaz to Trey Armstrong. Stephen Brantley’s PAT made it 7-0.
The Falcons (8-4) looked to build of last week’s 523-yard rushing performance that helped Forbush secure its first playoff win since 2004. Derek Matthews and Luke Bennett alternated carries on Forbush’s first drive until Matthews broke free for a 47-yard touchdown run. East Surry maintained the lead after a missed PAT.
The teams traded touchdowns again as the game moved into the second quarter. Neither team converted the extra point, so East led 13-12.
Forbush seemed to have East’s passing game under control on the following drive, and the Falcons even sacked Boaz for the first time. Joe Hennings and Ayden Gardner brought the QB down for a 3-yard loss to set up third-and-18, but East converted on a 43-yard pass from Boaz to Luke Brown. East Surry failed to find the end zone after Brown’s reception, but Brantley did convert a 29-yard field goal.
Forbush had a chance to take the lead with a touchdown but instead had to punt for the first time. Matthews was dragged down for a loss by East’s Gavin Atkins after just crossing into Cardinal territory, then QB Andrew Hutchens was sacked by Kyle Zinn for an 11-yard loss. The Cardinals capitalized on that stop with a Boaz touchdown pass to Brown with just 18 seconds left in the half.
Forbush received the second-half kickoff and stayed true to its strategy. Matthews and Bennett took turns rushing and eventually found the end zone after a 10-play, 4:58 drive. Matthews attempted a pass for the 2-point conversion, but it was swatted by East’s Luke Bowman to leave the score at 23-18.
The Falcons had another chance to take the lead after forcing a three-and-out. Brantley placed a 59-yard punt on the Falcons’ 5-yard line, but the duo of Matthews and Bennett brought Forbush near midfield. However, a tackle for a loss by Armstrong and a swatted pass by Brett Clayton led to Forbush punting back to East.
Five plays later, Boaz punched in a 5-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 30-18.
Matthews opened the fourth quarter with his longest rush of the night. The senior plowed through defenders to gain 70 yards and get inside the red zone. He continued carrying until Forbush was on the Cardinal 5-yard line, then Nathan Hampton brought the Falcons to the 1-yard line.
Matthews got the ball on fourth-and-goal on the one, but was held up by the Cardinal defense. Forbush may not have got the touchdown, but it was able to force a safety to cut the lead to 30-20 with 7:32 left to play.
The Falcons used a 31-yard pass from Hutchens to Matthews to convert a fourth down on their next drive. Hutchens looked to pass again two plays later, but was picked off by Zinn. East Surry took advantage of the turnover when Boaz hit up Allen for a 74-yard touchdown with 3:20 to play.
Determined to go down swinging, Hutchens dropped back to pass on every play of the next drive after only attempting four passes all game. The quarterback was sacked twice: once by Clayton, who led the Cardinals with 20 total tackles, and then by Hatcher Hamm, who had 17 total tackles and a tackle for a loss to go with the sack.
Hamm’s sack of Hutchens forced a turnover on downs with less than a minute on the clock. After a short run from Eli Beck, East Surry went into victory formation to officially eliminate Forbush from the 2A State Playoffs.
Matthews led Forbush with 27 carries for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Bennett added 16 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown, and Hampton had one carry for four yards. The Falcons lost a total of 29 yards on the three Cardinal sacks.
The Cardinals 120 yards rushing was made up of: Boaz’s 68 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, Armstrong’s 14 carries for 39 yards, Zinn’s two carries for 9 yards and Beck’s one carry for two yards.
Allen led the Cardinal receivers with 10 catches for 165 yards and a TD, followed by Brown with three receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown, Armstrong with four receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown, Brantley with two catches for 47 yards and Colby Johnson with one catch for a loss of 7 yards.
No. 2 East Surry advances to the third round of the playoffs and will host No. 7 Monroe (8-1) on Nov. 19. Monroe defeated No. 26 Lincolnton 57-13 in the first round, then topped No. 10 Robinson 60-29 in the second round.
Monroe has won eight-straight games after dropping its season-opener to 4A Marvin Ridge.
8:43 ESHS 7-0 – Folger Boaz pass to Trey Armstrong 21-yard TD reception, Stephen Brantley PAT
6:33 FHS 7-6 – Derek Matthews 47-yard rushing TD, PAT no good
3:03 ESHS 13-6 – Folger Boaz 6-yard rushing TD, PAT no good
11:55 FHS 13-12 – Derek Matthews 1-yard rushing TD, 2-point conversion no good
7:11 ESHS 16-12 – Stephen Brantley 29-yard field goal
0:18 ESHS 23-12 – Folger Boaz pass to Luke Brown 33-yard TD reception, Stephen Brantley PAT
7:02 FHS 23-18 – Luke Bennett 7-yard rushing TD, 2-point conversion no good
0:53 ESHS 30-18 – Folger Boaz 5-yard rushing TD, Stephen Brantley PAT
7:32 FHS 30-20 – Safety forced by Baylee Ramey
3:20 ESHS 37-20 – Folger Boaz pass to Layton Allen 74-yard TD reception, Stephen Brantley PAT
There were only a few seconds during Thursday’s soccer match in which all of Wallace Shelton Stadium was completely silent.
The high-energy playoff match between Mount Airy and Langtree Charter was an absolute slugfest. Two teams left it all on the field through two 40-minute halves of regulation, two 10-minute overtime periods, two five-minute golden goal periods and finally penalty kicks.
The Granite Bears led 4-3 in penalty kicks when and Langtree’s Aaron Galbreath approached the mark as the fifth and final player set to kick for the visiting Lions. The raucous crowd immediately fell silent as Galbreath made contact with the ball.
The silence was short-lived, however, as the crowd erupted after the ball bounced off Edwin Ramirez’s gloves and back toward Galbreath. The match was officially over, and Mount Airy was headed back to the Final Four.
The No. 1-ranked Bears defeated Langtree Charter 1-1 (4-3 PKs) Thursday to advance to the West Regional Finals. Mount Airy, now 26-0 for the first time in school history, is set to compete in its fourth regional final since 2015.
“Man, I’m exhausted,” said Bears coach Will Hurley following the win. “This is exciting and really rewarding for the kids. That was a really hard-fought battle and they played their hearts out.”
Hurley has competed in the regional semifinal match five times since taking over as head coach. Mount Airy lost in regional semis in 2013, but won in 2015, 2017, 2019 and now 2021. However, only two members of this year’s varsity team had previously been a part of a deep playoff run, and only one was a starter on that 2019 team.
This year’s squad is dominated by juniors and freshmen. Only one senior attempted a PK for Mount Airy, and five freshmen either started or played significant minutes for the Bears.
“I know this sounds kind of crazy, but I don’t think we’ve played as good as we’re capable of playing,” Hurley said. “This was a very emotional game. You’re playing with a lot of pressure on some of your freshman. My gosh, I had two freshmen in the shootout.”
Ramirez, Mount Airy’s junior goalkeeper, played in just his first penalty kick shootout as starting keeper on Thursday.
“Edwin played an awesome game tonight. He really, really did,” Hurley said. “He wanted it so bad. I have to brag on him first and foremost; this was his game. Yeah, they may have scored one on him, but daggone it he played his heart out.”
Mount Airy young team faced something Thursday night they’ve not run into all season: a halftime deficit. Langtree took a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute by converting a penalty kick. Landon Metzler was fouled inside Mount Airy’s 18-yard box to set up the PK, and Jaxon Hinds finished it off.
The Bears totaled just four shots in the first half to the Lions’ six. Mount Airy had chances early, with Angel Osorno and Vicente Gomez sending shots over the crossbar in the opening 10 minutes. Langtree’s defense made sure to double and triple team the Bears leading scorer Elkin Lopez every time he touched the ball.
Mount Airy was called for 12 fouls in the opening half and two players, Noah Hart and Saeed Saavedra, were given yellow cards. This added to the Bears frustration as the team was held scoreless in the first half.
“They were kind of getting down and I said ‘Look, we don’t do that. We need to lift each other up here. We need to find a way to win and do it. There’s no blame at this point. We just have to do it,’” Hurley said. “I just talked about how the we can’t worry about the past and just to move on.”
The revitalized Bears looked completely different in the second half. Langtree only had two shots reach the goal through 40 minutes, and both were saved by Ramirez. The keeper also intercepted through balls near the 18-yard line.
Hart dribbled up the left sideline in the 44th minute before crossing to Osorno inside the 18. Osorno used his first touch to trap the pass, then scored the equalizer with his left foot.
Sergio Garcia was fouled inside the Lions’ box just two minutes later. The freshman Osorno had an opportunity to give Mount Airy the lead, but placed the PK too far left.
Mount Airy kept the pressure on Langtree’s defense throughout the half. The Lions attempted to throw counters at the Bears up the right sideline, but they were halted by Pablo Salmeron. Mount Airy finished with nine shots in the second half.
Neither team attempted a shot on goal during the first 10-minute overtime. Langtree had two in the second period, one that was saved and another off frame, and Mount Airy had two as well. The second shot from the Bears came with just 30 seconds left. Garcia ran up the left side and fired a shot that hit the near-side post.
The teams then went into golden goal periods of five minutes each. The two 10-minute overtime periods would both be played regardless of a goal from either team, but scoring during the golden goal periods would end the match right then.
Neither team found the back of the net during the golden goal periods, but the combined card count did increase to nine. Both teams were leaving it all on the field in hopes of advancing.
“I know they had to be worn out,” Hurley said.
The time came for PKs and each team sent five players to take shots on the other team’s keeper. Garcia scored first for Mount Airy by placing a low shot to his right, then Langtree’s Hinds did the same.
The Lions’ keeper guessed correctly on Gomez’s PK, but the Granite Bear freshman placed the shot just out of reach. Martin Silia evened things up at 2-2 by scoring for Langtree Charter.
Osorno got redemption by scoring his PK next. Hurley said he had complete faith in Osorno even with the missed PK in the second half. Vaughn Siemers scored for the visitors to tie the score at 3-3.
Mount Airy’s Carson Hill approached the mark for his shot, but sent it just over the crossbar. Langtree’s Logan Story had a chance to take the lead, but did the same thing on his shot to leave the score at 3-3.
Lopez was the Bears’ final kicker. The junior sent a low, hard shot to his right and the keeper didn’t have a chance.
The weight of the world rested on the shoulders of Galbreath and Ramirez. If Galbreath made the PK, the teams would advance to sudden-death PKs. This didn’t happen, though, as Ramirez jumped to his right and saved both the shot and consequently Mount Airy’s season.
Mount Airy successfully overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to win the match in PKs. The Granite Bears fans stormed the field and surrounded Ramirez in celebration.
Hurley applauded the Bears’ resilience in the match.
“That’s what you have to do; You have to leave it all out there,” he said. “Hopefully this will go a long way for us on Tuesday. I’m just so excited for them to be there.”
The top two seeds in the 1A West will meet on Nov. 16 in the West Regional Final. No. 2 Mount Airy (26-0) travels to No. 1 Christ the King Catholic High School (20-1) in a rematch of the 2019 West Regional Final, which CTK won 1-0.
The winner of that match will face the winner of the East Regional Final of No. 1 Voyager Academy (16-1-3) and No. 2 Rosewood (21-0-2) in the 1A State Championship.
Mount Airy-native Jackson Ferris officially signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent Wednesday to play baseball at the University of Mississippi.
Ferris, who attended Mount Airy High School his freshman and sophomore years of high school, currently attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The left-handed pitcher originally committed to play baseball at N.C. State as a freshman, but changed his commitment to Ole Miss his junior year.
2021 has been a banner year for Ferris. In the spring, he helped IMG Academy finish the season 23-2 by finishing the season 8-0 on the mound with a 0.55 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 50.2 innings. MaxPreps rated the team No. 1 in Florida and No. 3 in the nation.
Ferris was named a member of the MaxPreps All-America Team, the MaxPreps All-America Junior team, the Prep Baseball Report High School All-State squad and was one of 10 finalists for MaxPreps’ National Player of the Year.
Over the summer, Ferris took part in the High School All-American Game. The game, run by Major League Baseball and USA Baseball, took place Friday, July 9, and was hosted at the Colorado Rockies’ Coors Field in Denver. The game kicked off All-Star Week festivities and was streamed live on MLB.com.
Ferris later took part in events such as the World Wood Bat Association 17U National Championship and Perfect Game National Showcase, and was selected as an Under Armour All-American.
Perfect Game ranks Jackson as the No. 6 prospect in the 2022 MLB draft. He is the top-ranked left-handed pitcher, and the No. 2 pitcher overall.
EAST BEND — North Surry’s wave of momentum was halted Saturday as the Greyhounds were defeated by Forbush 55-7.
Both teams entered the first-round playoff game looking to end a 17-year drought, as neither school had a postseason win since 2004.
When the Falcons and Greyhounds faced off during the regular season, North led 20-17 at halftime before a big second half lifted Forbush to victory 45-27. North Surry turned its season around following that game, winning its next four games and tying for second place in the Foothills 2A Conference with Forbush and Surry Central.
The rematch was North’s shot at redemption, but Forbush proved to be too much the second time around.
“I’m proud of what we did this year; not proud of how it ended,” said Greyhound coach Patrick Taylor. “Hats off to four seniors (Anthony Brown, Ryan Simmons, Trevor Isaacs, Bryson Wilson) that led this football team and a group of coaches that found a way to come from a 1-4 start to finishing the season 5-5. A lot of kids grew throughout the season and made a lot of strides, and that’s one of the things you try to take. You move on and move forward.”
North Surry had chances to build a lead early in the game, but only found the end zone once. After turning the ball over three times in the opening quarter, Forbush scored on each of its remaining drives in the game.
“We had four seniors that played their hearts out with a lot of underclassmen, and a lot of underclassmen that played their hearts out for those four seniors,” Taylor said. “That’s what you hope for when you put a team together. I tip my hat to those seniors, every one of these guys that stayed together no matter what and fought all kinds of adversity.”
Forbush’s ground game had its best performance of the season by going for 523 yards and six touchdowns. The Falcons came into the playoffs with only three games of 400 or more total yards. Even though 12 different Falcons rushed in the game, Forbush seniors Luke Bennett and Derek Matthews carried most of the load. The duo combined for 41 carries for 322 yards and four touchdowns.
Matthews scored on the opening drive of the game but the PAT was no good. North had a three-and-out, then Forbush went 95 yards only to fumble inside the Hounds’ 10-yard line. Kam McBride recovered the fumble for North Surry.
North Surry had another three-and-out, but recovered a fumble on the punt return to get near midfield. Quarterback James McCreary led the Hounds into Forbush territory, then found Jahreece Lynch for a 37-yard gain that put North Surry on the 1-yard line. Jake Simmons plugged in the touchdown, and Lynch ran in the 2-point conversion to put North Surry up 8-6.
Things continued to swing North Surry’s way when the Greyhounds recovered another fumble, this time on the kickoff. The Hounds quickly faced fourth down and were stopped just short of the line to gain to turn the ball over on downs.
Forbush’s next possession rolled into the second quarter and ended with a rushing touchdown from Bennett. Matthews scored the 2-point conversion to put the Falcons back up 14-8.
North Surry had its longest play of the game on the next drive. On third-and-4, McCreary completed a short pass to Jake Simmons and Simmons took off for a 57-yard gain. Anthony Brown was tackled for a loss on first-and-goal, then North turned the ball over after three incomplete passes.
It went from bad to worse for North Surry as the second quarter progressed. Forbush went 92 yards on a 14-play drive that lasted 5:57, eventually scoring with just over two minutes left in the half. The Greyhounds needed to score and were set up to after another McCreary connected with Jake Simmons again, this time for a 54-yard gain. However, McCreary was picked off by Chase Smithernman inside the 5-yard line and returned to the 29.
After a drive of nearly six minutes, Forbush’s next drive lasted just 49 seconds. It too ended with a touchdown and 2-point conversion to make it 28-8 at the half.
North Surry had two three-and-outs in the third quarter, and Forbush scored on both of its next possessions to go up 42-8 in the early moments of the fourth quarter. The Falcons, up 34 points, then recovered an onside kick and added another touchdown.
The Greyhound got their first first down of the second half on the next drive, but it too ended with a turnover on downs. Forbush scored on its final drive of the night to win 55-8.
McCreary finished the night 11-of-25 for 182 yards with one interception. Jake Simmons was the leading receiver with two catches for 111 yards, followed by Lynch with three receptions for 38 yards, Talan Vernon with three catches for 8 yards, Isaac Webb with one catch for nine yards, and Ryan Simmons and Trevor Isaacs each with one catch for 8 yards.
Jake Simmons also led the Greyhounds on the ground with 72 yards rushing and a touchdown. Anthony Brown had two carries for no gain.
Forbush improves to 8-3 and will travel to East Surry (10-0) for the second round on Nov. 12.
Taylor said Forbush’s performance on Saturday was impressive on its own, and he also applauded the team’s resilience to come out and play after losing a member of the student body on Friday. The game was pushed back to Saturday due to the tragedy.
“To be in as bad of a situation that they were in…we continue to keep this community in our thoughts and our prayers after what transpired,” Taylor said. “And take nothing away from Forbush. They played hard, and it’ll be a good slobberknocker next week between them and East Surry.“
9:41 FHS 6-0 – Derek Matthews 38-yard rushing TD, PAT no good
2:49 NSHS 6-8 – Jake Simmons 1-yard rushing TD, Jahreece Lynch 2-point conversion rush
10:48 FHS 14-8 – Luke Bennett 13-yard rushing TD, Derek Matthews 2-point conversion rush
2:10 FHS 20-8 – Nathan Hampton 8-yard rushing TD, PAT no good
0:22 FHS 28-8 – Andrew Hutchens pass to Joe Hennings 14-yard touchdown reception, Derek Matthews 2-point conversion rush
6:16 FHS 36-8 – Derek Matthews 5-yard rushing TD, Luke Bennett 2-point conversion rush
11:14 FHS 42-8 – Derek Matthews 12-yard rushing TD, PAT no good
8:21 FHS 49-8 – Baylee Ramey 14-yard rushing TD, David Guadarrama PAT
1:26 FHS 55-8 – Regan Ramey 4-yard rushing TD, PAT no good
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