Surry Central High School held its annual Eagles Nest Basketball Camp June 6-9. More than 100 young people took part in the camp and received instruction from varsity boys coach Marty Behrens, varsity girls coach Mandy Holt as well as JV coaches, assistant high school coaches, middle school coaches and current/former Golden Eagle basketball players.

Emerson Puckett is recognized for breaking the Eagles Nest Basketball Camp record in Box Drill.

Champions of the 3v3 tournament in the third to fifth-grade girls division, from left: coach Kaylee McCraw, Jennifer Cazares, Lillie Snow, Ila Wilmoth, Khloe Sowards, Hannah Hunter and coach Ivy Toney.

Champions of the 3v3 tournament in the third to fifth-grade boys division, from left: coach Landon Johnson, Declan Tilley, Jordan Ferguson, Paxton Easter, Roe Johnson, Camden Milelli, Graham Miller and coach Max Lambert.

Champions of the 3v3 tournament in the sixth to eighth-grade girls division, from left: Ragan Hall, Jaycee Dalton, Lydia Smith, coach Ashley Santamaria, Caroline Bledsoe and Ruby Antunez.

Champions of the 3v3 tournament in the sixth to eighth-grade boys division, from left: coach Lucas Johnson, Kaden Johnson, Tyler Seal, Garrett Higgins, Isiah Danley, Gib Martin and coach Adam Hege.

Free throw camp champions, from left: Eliza Richardson, Declan Tilley, Sierra Carpenter and Gideon Hodges

Hot Shot camp champions, from left: Ella Badgett, Graham Miller, Emerson Puckett and John David Bunke.

Knockout camp champions, from left: Hannah Smith, Avery Davis, Ava Badgett and Kaleb Cruise.

1-on-1-on-1 camp champions, from left: Ella Badgett, Declan Tilley, Emerson Puckett and Jax Whitaker.

Mr. and Ms. Station of the Week award winners, from left: John David Bunke, Lyla Stanley, Khloe Sowards and Saul Oakley.

Mr. and Ms. Hustler of the Week award winners, from left: Easton Bird, Jaycee Dalton, Lillie Snow and Jace Edwards.

Mr. and Ms. Camper of the Week award winners, from left: Finn Martin, Allie Wilmoth, Grayson Unsworth and Hannah Smith.

Surry Central High School held its annual Eagles Nest Basketball Camp June 6-9. More than 100 young people took part in the camp and received instruction from varsity boys coach Marty Behrens, varsity girls coach Mandy Holt as well as JV coaches, assistant high school coaches, middle school coaches and current/former Golden Eagle basketball players.

East Surry holds Lady Cards Basketball Camp

SCC athletes earn Region 10 Academic Honors

A pair of wins over Surry County opponents helped East Surry extend a recent winning streak.

The Lady Cardinals swept both Mount Airy and Surry Central as part of a six-match winning streak. The defending 2A West Regional Runners-up improve to 12-3 overall and have won 10 of their last 11 matches.

Mount Airy at East Surry, Sept. 19

PILOT MOUNTAIN — Two win streaks were on the line when the Cardinals and Bears met for the first time this season.

Mount Airy entered Monday’s nonconference showdown riding a 6-match winning streak, which matched the team’s longest streak of the past five seasons. This streak followed a 1-3 start for the Bears in nonconference play.

The Cards cut the Granite Bears’ streak short with a 3-0 victory.

Two of three sets were balanced, with East Surry using late pushes to take the first and third sets. The Cardinals used a strong start in the second set to run away with the victory.

East led 19-16 in the first set before using a 6-1 run to win 25-17. The Cards carried that momentum into the second set and started with a 9-0 run.

Mount Airy started the second set with a service error, then Kate McCraw served the next eight points for East. The Cardinal attackers overwhelmed the Bears, and no matter how many attacks the Bears seemed to fend off the Cards just kept coming back. Bella Hutchens and Mckenzie Davis each had three kills during the initial run.

By the time Mount Airy closed the lead to single digits East Surry led 19-10. Late kills from Isabella Allen and Morgan Mayfield showed the Bears still had fight in them, but the early Cardinal lead was too much to overcome as East won 25-15.

A few strong serves from Kennedy Gwyn helped Mount Airy take a 4-2 advantage in the third set. The Cards countered with a 7-1 run behind serves from Hutchens and Addy Sechrist. Libero Samarin Kipple made a few dives to keep rallies alive, and Hutchens, Davis and Merry Parker Boaz helped put East up 9-5.

Mount Airy continued to fight and got back on the board with a Gwyn block. Allen and Mayfield patrolled the back line to counter Cardinal attacks, and Alissa Clabo found her groove at outside hitter thanks to sets from Kinlee Reece.

Mount Airy’s resurgence led to the Bears taking a 14-12 lead.

Back-to-back attacking errors by Mount Airy allowed East to tie the game at 14-14, then an ace from Boaz forced the final lead change of the match. The Cardinals closed the match with a 13-5 run to win the set 25-19.

East Surry at Surry Central, Sept. 20

DOBSON — East Surry returned to conference play the following day by traveling to Surry Central.

Similar to Mount Airy, Central had a tough time in the nonconference part of its schedule to start the season. The Golden Eagles started the season 0-4, but won 4-of-6 matches entering the bout against East Surry.

The Cards and Eagles kept it close for most of the first set before East Surry pulled ahead for the 25-15 win. Neither of the next two sets were as close, as East won the second 25-11 and the third 25-10.

The first set had four lead changes and four ties before either side reached double-digits. An ace from Central’s Lily O’Neal helped the Eagles take their largest lead of the night at 8-5, but it was met by a 6-0 Cardinal run. East’s plethora of hitters kept Central on its toes with five different Cardinals recording kills in the set.

Central stayed within a few points by keeping rallies alive and setting up the likes of Presley Smith, Marissa McCann and O’Neal for attacks. Libero Erica Coe coordinated the defensive specialists to best counter the Cards’ attacks.

A kill from McCann brought the Eagles within a point at 14-13. A Hutchens kill was the start of a run for the Cards, and Central didn’t help itself with service errors.

East Surry used an 11-2 run to win the first set 25-15, then started with a 5-1 advantage in the second. While the Cardinals had their best attacking set in the second – putting away 16-of-25 points with kills – early service errors kept Central in the match.

Seven of Central’s 11 points in the second set came from East Surry service errors.

The Cardinal offense was clicking once the ball was put into play. Boaz, Hutchens, Davis, Maggy Sechrist and Madeline Dayton all picked up kills in the set with McCraw and Addy Sechrist dishing assists.

The service errors slowed down once East took a 16-10 lead on a Dayton kill. Hutchens served the Cards on an 8-0 run, which included two aces, before committing the final service error of the set. East responded by winning the next two points and coming away with the win.

The Cardinals carried their momentum into the third set with a 7-0 start. Between the end of the second set and start of the third, East Surry went on a 17-1 run.

Central never got within five points of East from that point in the third set. After the Eagles scored to make it 15-9, East closed the set with a 10-1 run to secure the sweep.

A trio of second-half goals lifted Wilkes Central over East Surry on Sept. 19.

The Cardinals and Eagles both looked to pick up their first win of the season in Monday’s match. The teams played to a scoreless tie at halftime and looked evenly matched, but Wilkes Central put two goals in the back of the net in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

East battled back and had opportunities to strike later in the half, but the Cards couldn’t score. The visiting Eagles added another goal for insurance as they went on to win 3-0.

”At times we played great, and at times we struggled,” said Cardinal coach Samuel Lowe. “It’s hard for them to all play together for 80 minutes, and to be honest with you I haven’t had the same starting 11 two games in a row. It’s hard to get continuity.

“As a whole I’m pleased with the way they played tonight. They gave me all that they had and that’s all I could ask for – 110% the whole time. Tonight they didn’t quit, so I’m happy.”

Lowe’s message to the Cardinals all season has been to get better every time they step on the pitch. Instead of folding when they faced an all-out attack from Wilkes Central early, East Surry stood strong and kept a clean sheet during the first half.

The Eagles had three corner kicks in the span of 90 seconds beginning in the fifth minute. The Cards were able to weather the early storm of attacks and eventually modified their defense to force numerous offside calls. Wilkes Central had three shots in the first eight minutes of play, then didn’t take another until the 33rd minute.

East Surry moved more efficiently through the midfield against Wilkes Central than in any game prior. Lowe commended the team for not only their ball movement, but also the team’s ability to keep their shape as a whole.

“I’ve had a few boys on this team who have never played soccer in their life, and I can see their improvement,” Lowe said. “Their touches have started to get a lot better, they’re understanding the game better and can better read what’s happening. You can tell how much better we’ve got at moving the ball instead of just kicking and expecting something to happen.”

Striker Jonathan de la Cruz nearly put the Cards on the board with a pair of first-half shots. Levi Watson attacked up the right sideline before crossing to Cruz in the 13th minute, but his shot was off frame. Nine minutes later Cruz used a through ball from Lupe Chavez to shoot, this time having his attempt blocked out of bounds for a corner kick.

Mario Flores took the corner for East, and Chavez connected for a header but it was saved by Wilkes Central.

After neither team was able to strike in the first half, the Eagles scored their opening goal in the 45th minute off a corner kick. Three minutes later Wilkes Central used a counter to double its lead.

Though the Cardinals did play with better ball movement in the game, the team still struggled to score. East Surry’s only two shots of the second half came off an Alex Galvan free kick from close to midfield in the 59th minute, and a shot from Logan Fagg in the 71st minute that was set up by triangle passing between Sid Sutphin, Fernando Torres-Vega and Giovanni Flores-Haws.

Though most of the second half was contested place in the middle third, Wilkes Central did go on the offensive to close the game. The Eagles added a goal in the 68th minute to bring the game out of reach.

Wilkes Central added five shots in the final five minutes that were all saved by keeper Michael Youngblood.

The Cardinals fall to 0-5-1 overall and 0-3 in the Foothills 2A Conference with the loss.

“I really think these boys are improving every game,” Lowe said. “Sometimes the outcome doesn’t show it, but when I go back on film I can see the boys improvement over the course of the year. Having lost so many kids from last season, the main thing is just getting better every game and have a no quit attitude.

“There’s still a lot that we need to work on, and that stuff falls on me as a coach, but as long as these boys keep fighting we’ll be alright.”

North Surry battled Wilkes Central in Toast Sept. 16 to open league play in the Foothills 2A Conference.

The Greyhounds held a six-point lead at halftime before going down a score in the third quarter. North Surry was primed to tie things up with a red zone appearance early in the fourth, but a turnover-on-downs followed by an Eagle touchdown turned the momentum in the visitors’ favor.

The Hounds continued to fight and cut into the lead with a touchdown, but came up on the wrong side of an onside kick. Late touchdowns added to the Eagles’ lead, finishing the game with a final score of 51-32.

Friday night marked the 2022 debut of Wilkes Central’s Kamen Smith, who missed the first four games of the season with an injury. According to 247Sports, Smith is a 3-star recruit that has committed to N.C. State.

Kamen’s presence on the defensive line limited North Surry’s rushing offense. The Greyhounds (1-3, 0-1 FH2A) responded by taking to the skies, posting their first game of the season with more yards passing than yards rushing.

Quarterback Colton Allen finished with a career-high 174 yards by completing 8-of-14 passes. Kam McKnight added one pass for 26 yards to bring the Greyhounds over 200 yards passing for the game. Allen threw two touchdowns and an interception, and McKnight had one touchdown pass.

Jahreece Lynch paced the Hounds with five catches for 119 yards and three touchdowns. Jared Hiatt had one catch for 38 yards, Makiyon Woodbury added two catches for 27 yards and Fisher Leftwich had one catch for 16 yards.

All three of Lynch’s touchdowns came in the first half.

Wilkes Central (3-2, 1-0 FH2A) scored first at the 8:57 mark in the first quarter, but Owen McMillian stuck the Eagles on the 2-point conversion. North went ahead 7-6 after McKnight connected with Lynch three minutes later. Lynch scored later in the quarter on a 66-yard Allen pass, putting North Surry up 14-6.

Both squads scored in the second quarter, with North going up 20-14, but Wilkes Central looked to add another touchdown before halftime. The Eagles looked to the end zone but were picked off by Lynch.

The Eagles finally retook the lead in the third quarter with a rushing touchdown. The touchdown tied the game at 20, and the ensuing 2-point conversion put Wilkes Central on top. The visitors added to their lead by scoring a touchdown with 10:36 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The failed two-point conversion left it a one-score game at 28-20.

North Surry marched down the field and into the red zone looking to tie things up. The Hounds went for it on fourth down with less than eight minutes to play, but couldn’t convert. Wilkes Central responded with a 73-yard run to enter the red zone, then scored with 6:50 remaining to go up 36-20.

Even with Wilkes Central’s defensive wall, North Surry managed to rush for 161 yards – bringing the team’s total yardage to 361 for the game. Both of the Hounds’ late touchdowns came on the ground.

Jake Simmons, who led the team with 21 carries for 80 yards, scored with 5:28 left in the fourth. North Surry, however, failed the 2-point conversion to leave it a 10-point game at 36-26.

Following Simmons was Malachi Powers with one carry for 37 yards, Allen with four carries for 27 yards and a touchdown, Lynch with three carries for 17 yards and Talan Vernon with one carry for no gain.

Wilkes Central maintained possession until the 2:35 mark before scoring again. The touchdown and 2-point conversion increased the advantage to 44-26.

The lead increased to 51-26 after Wilkes Central scored another TD with less than a minute on the clock. Allen ran in a 12-yard touchdown late to round out the final score, 51-32.

Both schools continue FH2A Conference play on Sept. 23. North Surry travels to East Surry (5-0, 1-0 FH2A) and Wilkes Central hosts Surry Central (1-3, 1-0 FH2A).

CHAPEL HILL – The N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), in conjunction with Wells Fargo, released the final standings in the 42nd annual Wells Fargo State Cup competitions for the 2021-22 academic year on Sept. 16.

The award recognizes the high schools that achieve the best overall interscholastic athletic performance within each of the state’s four competitive classifications.

Mount Airy, East Surry and Elkin were all recognized as top-10 finishers in their respective divisions. This marks the first time since the 2014-15 school year that three Surry County teams have finished in the top-10. That year, all three schools were from the 1A division: Elkin finished No. 5, East Surry was No. 8 and Mount Airy was No. 9

East Surry makes its fifth consecutive appearance in the top 10, this time competing in the 2A division while the previous four were in 1A. The Cardinals have finished in the top 10 in seven of the past 10 school years: 2013, 2015 and 2018-22.

Mount Airy and Elkin both return to the Wells Fargo Cup top 10 after multi-year absences. Mount Airy last appeared in the 1A top 10 following the 2017-18 school year. The Granite Bears’ make their fifth top-10 appearance in the past 10 school years: 2015-18 and now 2022.

Elkin makes its first top-10 appearance since 2015. Prior to 2022, Elkin’s only top-10 appearances in the past 10 school years came in 2014 and 2015.

Since 1979, the Wells Fargo State Cup award has been awarded to the schools which have the best overall interscholastic sports programs in each of the four classifications: 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A.

All schools that finish in the top eight positions (plus ties) in an NCHSAA state championship event receive Wells Fargo Cup points. In events where 1A, 2A, 3A, and/or 4A schools compete together, such as lacrosse, points are awarded on a school’s standing against other schools in its classification.

In Cup competition, points are awarded for all sports on the basis of 50 points for first, 45 for second place, 40 for third, 35 for fourth, 30 for fifth, 25 for sixth, 20 for seventh and 15 for eighth.

In the event of a tie, the schools receive an equal number of points based on the number of teams that tie and the number of teams that finish higher in the standings.

Five points are awarded for each sanctioned sport in which a school competes.

Mount Airy’s No. 5 finish in the 2021-22 Cup was the highest of any traditional 1A school in the state; the top two spots were occupied by private schools, and the next two spots by public charters.

Since 2009, only one traditional public 1A high school has won the 1A Wells Fargo State Cup: Mount Airy in 2016-17.

The crowning achievement of the year’s Granite Bears was the school’s Dual-Team State Championship in girls tennis. The 22-0 Bears shut out 17 opponents, and never dropped more than three individual matches. Mount Airy only surrendered two individual matches through its final 13 matches of the season – including the entire postseason.

In the fall of 2021, Mount Airy also finished 1A West Regional Runner-up in boys soccer – marking the program’s second Regional Final appearance in three years and its third appearance in the past five years – and reached the quarterfinals of the football state tournament.

The Granite Bears had four top-8 finishes during winter sports and the wrestling team accounted for two of those. The Bears reached the quarterfinals of the dual-team state tournament, only losing to the eventual state champs, and finished No. 6 as a team at the Individual State Wrestling Tournament.

The boys swim and indoor track teams didn’t finish in the top eight overall since those championships are a combined 1A/2A, but the teams did earn Wells Fargo Cup points for finishing in the top eight of their division. Mount Airy’s indoor track team tied for the third-highest score of any 1A team (tied for 17th overall), while the swim team finished No. 5 among 1A competition (11th overall).

In the spring, Mount Airy added a quarterfinal appearance in boys tennis.

Elkin didn’t have any top-8 appearances in the fall, but had three each in the winter and spring.

The Buckin’ Elks girls swim team had the highest finish of any 1A team. Elkin finished No. 4 overall behind a trio of 2A charters. Elkin’s No. 4 finish was the only appearance by a traditional public school – in 1A or 2A – in the top 12.

Not far behind was the Elks’ boys swim team, who finished No. 2 in 1A. Elkin’s boys finished No. 5 overall behind three 2A charters and one 1A charter.

Elkin also finished tied for fourth in 1A for girls indoor track. Overall the girls were 12th in the team competition.

Continuing their success in the spring, Elkin’s boys tennis team reached the 1A West Regional Final before falling to the eventual state champs. The Buckin’ Elks boys golf team finished No. 5 in the 1A division, and the girls track team finished No. 8.

East Surry adjusted to the 2A division in its first year and made the top 10 of the Wells Fargo Cup. The Cardinals still have the numbers of a 1A school, but were moved up a division in the latest realignment cycle due to the NCHSAA factoring previous State Cup success into its formula.

East is the only Surry County school to rank in the top-10 of the 2A Wells Fargo State Cup since 2011. NCHSAA records for the top-10 Wells Fargo Cup teams only date back to 2011.

East Surry’s football and volleyball teams both reached the 2A West Regional Championship in the fall. It was the volleyball team’s second regional final appearance in three seasons, winning the 1A West Regional Title in 2019, and was the football team’s fourth-consecutive regional championship appearance. The Cardinal football team won the 1A West Regional Title three times from 2018-20.

Both the 2021-22 volleyball and football teams were eliminated by the eventual state champions.

During the winter East Surry earned points in the boys swimming state championship. The Cards were No. 16 overall, but met the cut to earn points as the No. 8 2A team.

East Surry’s golf team captured the 2A State Title one year after finishing runner-up in the 1A Championship. The Cardinals won the team championship by 11 strokes, and senior Bradley Davis Jr. finished State Runner-up individually.

Finally, the Cardinal baseball team earned points by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2A State Tournament. This marked East’s fourth-consecutive appearance in at least the fourth round, with the previous three coming in the 1A division. East Surry was eliminated from the playoffs by the eventual state champions.

DOBSON — Millennium Charter Academy hosted three cross country meets at Fisher River Park park during the first three weeks of September.

Coverage of the second MCA meet, held Sept. 8, was included in the Sept. 10 edition of The News. Though Millennium itself didn’t compete in the second meet, other local schools such as Mount Airy, Elkin, White Plains Christian School and Surry Homeschool did.

Millennium’s first meet of the year saw more than 220 high schoolers – 123 boys and 98 girls – compete at Fisher River Park on Sept. 1. Middle school races were also held.

The high school boys 5,000-meter run featured runners from 18 schools. Teams with at least five runners were eligible for the team competition, which assigned point values based on their individual finishes. The school with the lowest point total was the victor.

Only runners that were parts of the team competition were assigned points. As a result, point values don’t always equal a runner’s finish among the entire field.

Mount Airy had the highest finish of any local in the boys competition, finishing sixth of 12 eligible teams with 167 points. Next among Surry County schools was Elkin at No. 8 with 195 points, followed by No. 10 Millennium with 240 points and Surry Home Educators at No. 11.

Forsyth Country Day’s George Lawson won the boys race with a 5K time of 17:24.92. Elkin’s Connor Ball led all local competitors with a time of 18:37.57, good enough for the No. 7 spot among 123 runners.

Results for local runners in the high school boys race are listed below. Results are listed by finish, name, grade, school and then 5K time.

48 Nathan Luther 9 Surry Home E 21:57.85

93 Isaac Richland 9 Surry Home E 26:36.19

95 Noah Richland 9 Surry Home E 26:50.05

100 Daniel Bunke 10 Surry Home E 27:16.84

101 Caleb Luther 11 Surry Home E 27:19.52

107 David Lee Williams 10 North Stokes 28:09.10

There were 98 girls from 16 schools that competed in the high school girls race at the first MCA meet.

Calvary Baptist Day School won the team competition with 40 points. Mount Airy had the high team finish of any Surry County team by taking the No. 7 spot with 170 points. Elkin was next at No. 8 with 195 points, followed by Surry Home Educators at No. 9 with 245 points.

Calvary Baptist’s Anna Edwards won the race with a time of 18:58.93. Mount Airy’s Brooke Haynes had the highest finish from Surry County with a time of 23:04.89, good enough for the No. 8 spot.

Results for local runners in the high school girls race are listed below.

30 Lindsay Easter 9 Surry Home E 25:40.39

79 Lydia Jarrard 12 Surry Home E 31:38.45

90 Alie Gullion 10 Surry Home E 35:03.05

93 Maddie Gambill 9 Surry Home E 37:06.77

98 Helen Hendrickson 9 Surry Home E 44:09.10

Millennium’s third hosted meet of the year welcomed more than 213 high schoolers – 124 boys and 93 girls – compete at Fisher River Park on Sept. 15. Middle school races were before the high school races.

Runners from 18 school competed in the boys race. Mount Airy’s Freddy Hernandez finished on the podium this time, taking the No. 3 spot with a time of 18:42.49. The race’s winner, Central Davidson’s Austin DeGeorge, finished with a 5K time of 18:19.72.

Mount Airy and Surry Homeschool were the only Surry County teams with enough runners to qualify for the boys team competition. The Bears were No. 4 with 123 points, and the Runnin’ Patriots were No. 9 with 229 points.

Results for local runners in the high school boys race are listed below.

40 Steven Hendrickson 11 Surry Home E 21:50.39

62 Nathan Luther 9 Surry Home E 23:03.27

65 Sam Steinbruegge 9 Surry Home E 23:26.06

70 Isaac Richland 9 Surry Home E 24:03.29

86 Noah Richland 9 Surry Home E 25:06.41

105 Caleb Luther 11 Surry Home E 26:24.84

108 David Lee Williams 10 North Stokes 26:47.82

121 Daniel Bunke 10 Surry Home E 33:54.46

There were 93 girls from 15 schools that competed in the high school girls race at the third MCA meet.

South Iredell won the team competition with 48 total points. Mount Airy had the best finish of Surry County teams at No. 7 with 182 points, followed by White Plains at No. 9 with 237 points.

Central Davidson’s Jillian Parks won the girls race with a time of 20:15.09. Mount Airy’s Brooke Haynes was the only Surry County competitor in the top-25, which she accomplished by finishing No. 5 with a time of 21:59.80.

Results for local runners in the high school girls race are listed below.

28 Lindsay Easter 9 Surry Home E 25:06.44

50 Lydia Jarrard 12 Surry Home E 28:19.60

87 Maddie Gambill 9 Surry Home E 33:08.97

91 Helen Hendrickson 9 Surry Home E 41:10.72

Mount Airy ran for more than 400 yards for the third consecutive week to blow past East Wilkes 62-7.

East Wilkes scored first, but Mount Airy retaliated with nine unanswered touchdowns in Friday’s Northwest 1A Conference opener. The Granite Bears held the Cardinals to their lowest scoring total of the season while also handing East Wilkes its first loss of 2022.

When Mount Airy most recently played in Wallace Shelton Stadium in, junior Tyler Mason set a career high in yards rushing while also scoring five touchdowns in a 54-6 win over Surry Central. Two weeks later on Sept. 17 Mason did the same thing against East Wilkes.

The running back raised his single-game career high to 250 yards, this time doing so on 13 carries. Mason’s first two carries of the game – which both resulted in the junior reaching the end zone – went for a combined 131 yards.

The Granite Bears (4-1, 1-0 NW1A) have hit their stride in the running game in September. Mount Airy ran for 403 yards in the aforementioned win over Surry Central on Sept. 2, then went on the road to Ashe County to go for 443 yards rushing in a 51-29 victory.

Ian Gallimore and Taeshon Martin both ran for career highs against Ashe County. Gallimore led the team with 15 carries for 177 yards and three touchdowns, Martin ran for 115 yards on 10 carries, and Mason added 151 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.

Gallimore and Martin only needed to run a combined four times against East Wilkes (4-1, 0-1 NW1A) and Mount Airy still finished with 430 yards on the ground. Behind Mason’s 250: Martin had two carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns, Traven Thompson had two carries for 58 yards and a touchdown, a returning Caleb Reid had one carry for 36 yards, Gallimore ran twice for eight yards and Nas Lemon carried four times for seven yards.

Gallimore also completed 4-of-6 passes for 52 yards, bringing the Bears’ total yardage to 482 for the game. Walker Stroup, who also kicked seven touchbacks and six PATs, was the leading receiver with a 26-yard touchdown catch. Logan Fonville added one catch for 11 yards, Mason had one reception for 10 yards and Mario Revels had one catch for five yards.

East Wilkes was held to 126 total yards after going 80 yards on its first drive of the game. The Cardinals received the opening kickoff and got on the board after a 6:08 drive ended with a 1-yard run from senior Brody Martin.

Martin led the Cards with 12 carries for 37 yards, followed by Briggs Gentry with 8 carries for 33 yards, Easton Martin with four carries for 17 yards, Ayden Guessford with one carry for no yards, Eric Adams with two carries for -7 yards, Seth Lambert with four carries for -10 yards and Zac Helms with one carry for -16 yards.

Gentry passed for 72 yards by completing 3-of-10 attempts. Ethan Cass had one reception for 36 yards, followed by Adams with one catch for 28 yards and Brennan Arnder with one catch for 8 yards.

The Bears and Cardinals both continue NW1A play next week. Mount Airy travels to South Stokes (2-3, 1-0 NW1A), and East Wilkes hosts Elkin (1-3, 1-0 NW1A).

5:52 EWHS 0-7 – Brody Martin 1-yard rushing TD, PAT good*

5:36 MAHS 7-7 – Tyler Mason 80-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

1:16 MAHS 13-7 – Tyler Mason 51-yard rushing TD, PAT no good

8:17 MAHS 20-7 – Tyler Mason 23-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

3:26 MAHS 28-0 – Tyler Mason 32-yard rushing TD, Connor Burrell 2-point conversion reception from Ian Gallimore pass

1:08 MAHS 35-7 – Walker Stroup 26-yard TD reception on Ian Gallimore pass, Walker Stroup PAT

11:49 MAHS 42-7 – Taeshon Martin 63-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

7:09 MAHS 48-7 – Tyler Mason 11-yard rushing TD, PAT no good

3:24 MAHS 55-7 – Taeshon Martin 8-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

9:57 MAHS 62-7 – Traven Thompson 62-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

*No kicker listed on MaxPreps

This week, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) released the first National Participation Survey in three years. The survey was suspended for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic on high school athletic and activities programs across the country.

The data released saw a 4% drop in participation nationally from the 2018-19 survey to the data in the 2021-2022 survey. North Carolina specifically experienced a 9.1% decline in participation during that period, with a significant decline of 12.5% in women’s sports.

“As we look at the participation numbers from last year, it is obvious to us that we are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker. “We believe that last year’s data indicates we may be encountering some lingering effects of the COVID-19 shortened season. Perhaps shorter seasons coupled with overlapping seasons may have contributed to a sharper decline in participation for North Carolina than we have seen in other states.”

While the NFHS Survey data did not include information from the 2019-20 or 2020-21 academic years, the NCHSAA did maintain participation during those years. The NCHSAA annually gathers participation data from member schools, submitted by the athletic director at each school during the fall, winter, and spring seasons.

The NCHSAA data for the two COVID-impacted years shows a significant adjustment in student participation trends. With sport seasons shortened, moved from their traditional time of the year, and in many cases, overlapping with other sports, the NCHSAA data from 2020-21 indicates many student-athletes chose to focus their participation, or not participate during the impacted season.

Examples of this impact include a 5000 student-athlete decline in football participation with nine schools not fielding a program in the sport. The Indoor Track season being cancelled saw over 11 thousand student athletes not participate in that sport for the 2020-21 academic year. Men’s Lacrosse saw a decline of 14 programs and 34.3% less student-athletes participate while the Women’s game experienced a decline of four programs and 22% of student athletes.

The NCHSAA data for 2021-22 show a 3700-student rebound in football, a 17.3% increase from 2020-21, with 11 programs returning to the field. Lacrosse experienced a similar return with all 14 men’s programs that did not field teams in the COVID year returning to play for 2021-22. The Men’s Lacrosse total participation numbers bounced back 895 students, increasing 32.7% from the COVID-shortened year. Women’s Lacrosse saw an increase of six teams and 299 students, up 13.7%.

Commissioner Que Tucker added, “We remain encouraged that student-athletes and their communities are returning to normal and continue to expect rebounds in participation at our member schools. We continue to believe that education-based athletic programs are tremendous enrichment opportunities for young people in our state’s schools and remain committed to ensuring those opportunities remain available for all young people across our state.”

The NCHSAA will have more information on participation trends in the coming weeks through the NCHSAA Website.

Full participation numbers can be found at bit.ly/3DuUNKY

DOBSON — Surry Central outlasted West Wilkes in a defensive battle Friday night as the teams opened league play in the Foothills 2A Conference.

After each team scored a touchdown in the first half, neither defense gave up a first down in the third quarter. Central took a 10-7 lead after capping off an 11-play, 5:36 drive with a Chris Nava field goal, then the Eagles put the game on ice when Eli Scott grabbed an interception.

“I’m feeling a little bit of relief to be honest with you,” said Central coach Monty Southern. “When you start 0-3, you don’t want to tell the kids but you as a coach feel a little bit of pressure. And we didn’t play great tonight offensively, but man defensively we did really good. I thought as the game went on that defensively as the game went along we got more physical, which is something that we have been talking about and lacking.

“So, it was good to see the guys doing a little bit of hitting and getting downhill to make some plays.”

The 10-7 victory was not only Surry Central’s first of the season, but served as the first varsity win for most of the team. The young Eagles squad, which is predominantly filled with sophomores and juniors, knew it was in for an uphill battle after graduating 17 seniors from the 2021 team.

Overcoming those obstacles made Friday’s win even sweeter, and the team celebrated accordingly to cap off an unforgettable Homecoming game.

“I think with a young team that wins are really important,” Southern said. “It took me a second to get brave enought to jump into that pile because there was a lot of raw emotion in there; they were pumped up.”

Southern’s message to his team during Friday’s game was the same it’s been all season: put in the work and good things will come.

“I do a devotional with the kids every week,” Southern said. “Before Alleghany, the devotion was basically ‘God can see things coming in your life that you can’t see’ and I told them ‘I know we’re young, and for a lot of you it’s going to be your first varsity game, but we feel like we have the talent to be good. But, you gotta trust us. It may take us a little bit to get there.’”

Just as the Eagles ran into road blocks during the first few weeks of the season – whether it be the heartbreaking 1-point loss to Alleghany in the season opener or a 48-point loss to Mount Airy – the team had to fight through adversity against West Wilkes.

The Blackhawks defense did a good job of taking away Central’s ground game, holding the Eagles to just 44 yards rushing on the night. West Wilkes’ rushing offense, meanwhile, caused problems for Central. The visitors rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone.

The Eagles countered the Blackhawks’ restrictive rush defense by taking to the skies. Sophomore quarterback Mason Jewell led the Golden Eagles’ aerial offense with 189 yards passing. The QB completed 6-of-11 passes (54.5%) while also throwing one touchdown and one interception.

Kyle Inman led the home team in yards receiving by scoring an 81-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Ayden Wilmoth had three catches for 42 yards, Brian Williams added one receptions for 41 yards and Evan Wall had one 25-yard reception.

As for the Blackhawks’ rushing offense, the Eagles made adjustments at halftime when the teams were tied up at 7-7. Surry Central not only held West Wilkes scoreless in the second half, but also limited the Blackhawks to just 51 yards rushing through the third and fourth quarters.

Neither side was able to move the chains in the third quarter. Business picked up in the fourth when Central started on its own 28-yard line with 8:54 to play.

Back-to-back runs from Allen Huffman, who led the team with 36 yards rushing on 12 carries, gave Central its first first down of the half. Jewell then connected with Ayden Wilmoth for a 33-yard gain, then two plays later the QB threw a 25-yard pass to Evan Wall. Wall dragged defenders inside the Blackhawk 10 before he was finally taken down at the 1-yard line.

The Eagles were stifled on first and second down, then a miscommunication the snap led to Jewell falling on the ball on the 10. Nava came in to nail the 27-yard field that gave Central a 10-7 advantage with 3:18 to play.

“We gotta find a way to punch that thing in,” Southern said. “That was disappointing, but it’s always good to have a good kicker. Chris really came through for us.”

West Wilkes got its initial first down of the second half on the ensuing drive. Blackhawk QB Travis Walsh called his own number on a run, then completed a short pass to Jaheim McDougald to move the chains. Walsh followed with his only other completed pass for positive yardage, which went to Hayden Frye for 22 yards.

A holding penalty backed the Hawks behind midfield, but a double reverse put them on the Eagles 42 to set up third-and-11. Ethan Day took over as quarterback for the next play and faced immediate pressure from Central. Day was leveled by Clay Whitaker as he attempted a pass, then it was intercepted by Scott to effectively end the game.

Whitaker, Wyatt Wall, Graden Spurlin and Blaise Gwyn all recorded tackles for a loss for Surry Central in the win.

“I just want to say that I thought the defensive staff had a great gameplan, and the kids did a great job of carrying that game plan out,” Southern said. “You start 0-3 and it’s easy to get down, so I thought these kids showed some resilience.”

Surry Central improves to 1-3 overall and 1-0 in the Foothills 2A Conference with the win. The Golden Eagles will continue conference play next week by traveling to Wilkes Central.

“We’re 1-0 in conference, and that’s what we’re focused on right now, because we know that ultimately if you make the playoffs or not is based on how well you do in the conference,” Southern said.

8:32 SCHS 7-0 – Kyle Inman 81-yard TD reception on Mason Jewell pass, Chris Nava PAT

2:53 WWHS 7-7 – Jarrett Minton 10-yard rush TD, Walker Brondos PAT

3:18 SCHS 10-7 – Chris Nava 27-yard field goal

DOBSON — East Surry went on the road Thursday and defeated Surry Central 7-2 in tennis.

The defending Foothills 2A Conference Champions control their own destiny with an 8-0 conference record. Defeating last season’s runner-up brings the Cardinals (9-1) one step closer to repeating as conference champs.

The three seniors in Thursday’s match all went undefeated in their respective matches. East Surry’s top two seeds, Tara Martin and Evelyn Ruedisueli, both won their singles matches and teamed together to win No. 1 doubles. Central’s lone senior, Kaesi Blythe, was part of the Eagles’ victorious No. 3 doubles team.

Martin and Ruedisueli have yet to lose a match in 2022. Martin, the defending FH2A Conference Player of the Year, is 10-0 in No. 1 singles, while Ruedisueli has the same record in No. 2 singles.

Martin/Ruedisueli are not only 10-0 as a doubles team, but the unit has only lost a combined seven games all season.

Martin defeated McKenna Merritt 6-0, 6-0 on court No. 1, and Ruedisueli beat Karlie Robertson 6-1, 6-1.

East Surry’s No. 3 Sophie Hutchens increased the East Surry lead to 3-0 with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Priscilla Gentry. Hutchens improves to 8-1 in No. 3 singles with the victory.

The remaining straight set match was on court No. 5. East’s Taylor Bullington defeated Madelyn Wilmoth 6-2, 6-4.

Surry Central’s lone singles win came at the No. 4 spot. Freshman Emma Bryant topped Chloe Koons in three sets, winning 6-3, 4-6, 10-8.

Also going to three sets was the No. 6 matchup of Surry Central’s Mitzy Vasquez and East Surry’s Mallory Estrada. Estrada took the opening set 6-3, but Vasquez won the second 6-4.

Estrada went on to take the tiebreaker 10-5 to win both the individual match and clinch the overall team competition for East.

Martin/Ruedisueli shut out Merritt/Robertson 8-0 in No. 1 doubles, marking the Cardinal duo’s seventh shutout of the year.

Hutchens/Koons added a win in No. 2 doubles by defeating Gentry/Bryant 8-4. Blythe picked up her win with partner Wilmoth in No. 3 doubles by defeating Bullington and Estrada 9-7.

East Surry sits atop the FH2A rankings with an 8-0 conference record. Forbush, Surry Central and North Wilkes are the only other teams still mathematically in contention for the conference title, sitting at 5-1, 4-2 and 2-3 respectively.

North Surry is fifth at 2-4, followed by West Wilkes at 1-6 and Wilkes Central at 0-6.

Surry Central is back in action on Sept. 19 against Wilkes Central, and East Surry travels to North Surry the same day.

1. Tara Martin (ES) def. McKenna Merritt 6-0, 6-0

2. Evelyn Ruedisueli (ES) def. Karlie Robertson 6-1, 6-1

3. Sophie Hutchens (ES) def. Priscilla Gentry 6-3, 6-0

4. Emma Bryant (SC) def. Chloe Koons 6-3, 4-6, 10-8

5. Taylor Bullington (ES) def. Madelyn Wilmoth 6-2, 6-4

6. Mallory Estrada (ES) def. Mitzy Vasquez 6-3, 4-6, 10-5

1. Martin/Ruedisueli (ES) def. Merritt/Robertson 8-0

2. Hutchens/Koons (ES) def. Gentry/Bryant 8-4

3. Wilmoth/Kaesi Blythe (SC) def. Bullington/Estrada 9-7

DOBSON — The No. 1-ranked team in the 1A West remained extended its undefeated streak Thursday with a shutout win over a county foe.

Mount Airy, now 9-0 overall, put one in the back of the Surry Central net just a few minutes after the opening whistle, then added another goal late in the first half. Central found new life in the second half after going down 3-0, but wasn’t able to convert on the scoreboard.

The Granite Bears have now won five consecutive meetings against the Eagles dating back to 2017.

“Honestly, I’m not as disappointed as I thought I was going to be,” said Surry Central coach Adan Garcia. “All respect to Mount Airy; they have a great squad. I like to schedule these tough nonconference games to give us experience so when we get into our tough conference games against the likes of Forbush we’ll be ready.”

Mount Airy has yet to lose through nine matches this season, which was true in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons as well. New faces have continued to step up and help the team succeed, especially now as the team has been dealing with injuries.

”It’s the third game of the week and we played last night,” said Bears coach Will Hurley. “We had four starters out for a while, and still have three out, but hopefully they’ll get healed and time will be on our side. Through this experience, though, I thought it’s been good for those kids that stepped up.

“We got a little gassed in the second half…our legs were like spaghetti, but I thought we did a good job of possessing the ball and probably could’ve scored a few more goals. But, that’s just how soccer is sometimes.”

The opening half was all Mount Airy as the Bears built a 2-0 lead. Agripino Perez scored the opener off a Gavin Guerrero corner kick, and Elkin Lopez netted the second of an assist from Angel Osorno.

Surry Central (3-4-1) was held without a shot for the first 55 minutes of play.

“The first half I felt like we just weren’t hustling. We were just jogging to balls and getting outworked,” Garcia said. “They (Mount Airy) came out and got us on two mistakes immediately. At halftime I told them that we have to be physical. We’re playing on our home field and we have to put up a fight.”

Hurley loved what he saw from the back line, consisting primarily of Edwin Agabo, Carson Hill, Pablo Salmeron and Christopher Flores.

“Overall I thought our back line played tremendous,” Hurley said. “Central had one good chance to score, and our goalie came up.

“We tried having Pablo push up that side and he did great, and Edwin was great at covering for him. You know Edwin moves so well, and I like to joke with him saying that he proves to me that a guy that wrestles heavyweight can play soccer. I told him, ‘It’s going to help you wrestle and get a state championship this year. Just wait and see.’”

Central made changes to its lineup and formation in the second half. While the first 10-15 minutes of the half were similar to the first, with Mount Airy’s Osorno scoring off an assist from Lopez six minutes out of the break, Central was able regroup and put pressure on the Bears’ goal.

Chris Nava moved to offense, which Garcia said really opened up the offense and helped reenergize the Eagles.

“That relieved some pressure off the back and we were able to press up high, and Chris was a running machine up there with Luke [Creed],” Garcia said. “He lost some balls, but he immediately hustled back – which is exactly what I expect out of my players. That’s what lifted everybody’s spirits.”

A long Central throw from the corner in the 55th minute went through the box to Nava, and his shot sailed just wide of the left post. Still, it made Mount Airy keeper Edwin Ramirez dive for the first time Thursday night.

Even though Central spent much more time in Mount Airy’s defensive third in the second half, the Eagles still only put up two shots. This was because Ramirez covered every square foot of the 18-yard box and would intercept any attempt at a though ball.

“I’m glad the guys didn’t quit,” Garcia said. “That’s a really good team we just played, and they didn’t back down. Even down 3-0, we managed to get a shot off. Their keeper, Edwin, did a great job of coming out and pouncing on balls to prevent shots too. Some of those were played really well and, I’m not saying it would have been a goal against someone else, but it would’ve been dangerous.”

For both teams, the biggest takeaway from the nonconference meeting was experience. With conference play just beginning – Mount Airy is 2-0 in the Northwest 1A Conference and Surry Central is 1-0 in the Foothills 2A Conference – every match counts, and the Bears and Eagles both look to make a run at their respective conference titles.

Surry Central will play its final two nonconference matches of the season next week, traveling to Hibriten (6-1-3) and Ashe County (8-3).

Mount Airy will meet another NW1A-title contender, Starmount, on Sept. 19. Starmount is ranked No. 5 in the 1A West by MaxPreps and sits at 7-1-1 overall.

6’ Mount Airy 0-1, Agripino Perez from Gavin Guerrero assist

29’ Mount Airy 0-2, Elkin Lopez from Angel Osorno assist

46’ Mount Airy 0-3, Angel Osorno from Elkin Lopez assist

PILOT MOUNTAIN — A second-half scoring surge from North Surry lifted the Greyhounds over East Surry on Sept. 14.

The Wednesday-night match featured six second-half goals after just two were scored in the opening half.

North opened with a 2-0 lead, but East battled back and made it 3-2 with less than 30 minutes left on the clock. The Greyhounds ramped their offense up when the Cards went down a man, leading to three more goals for the visitors.

North Surry’s Edgar Vazquez scored a hat trick and added an assist in the 6-2 Foothills 2A Conference win. Bali Raya added two goals for the Hounds, and Jimmy Burnete had one.

Juan Caro and Logan Fagg each scored for the Cardinals.

A focal point for North Surry this season has been how they begin games. The Greyhounds (4-4, 2-2 FH2A) have had mixed results at times this season due to slow starts. The team will go down after a few early goals then spend most of the night playing catch-up.

The Greyhounds got off to a booming start Wednesday night by scoring less than 10 minutes into the first half. Vazquez found the back of the net on just the team’s second shot, pulling up from 30 yards out and striking with his left foot.

North Surry continued to pepper shots at the East Surry goal throughout the half, posting 11 through the first 40 minutes. Seven of the shots were on target; five were saved by East Surry goalkeeper Michael Youngblood, and two got past the keeper.

Bali Raya added the Hounds’ second goal in the 23rd minute. Vazquez found himself outside the Cardinals’ 18-yard box facing East Surry’s back line. He played a through ball to his right, and Raya finished it for his first goal in the game.

North Surry held East (0-4-1, 0-2 FH2A) to one shot in the first half. Fagg sent a through ball over the Greyhound defense for Levi Watson, setting the forward up for a 1-on-1 against North Surry keeper Josh Garcia. Watson got a shot off with defenders nipping at his heels, and the shot was saved by Garcia.

It was East Surry’s turn for a strong start in the second half. A shot from Mario Flores three minutes in match the Cardinals’ shot total from the first half, but this time it didn’t stop there.

Flores took a corner kick in the 47th minute that led to Caro scoring his first goal of the season.

Fagg, who moved up to striker for the second half, had a shot at equalizing in the minutes following the goal. The Cards sent Fagg a through ball and it became a footrace between Garcia and the striker. Fagg got there first and managed to push the ball away from the keeper, but it was too far left for him to make a shot on goal.

East Surry went down a man in the 52nd minute when Alex Galvan was presented a red card.

Momentum seemed to be on the side of the Hounds after Burnete scored less than a minute later, but the Cards didn’t back down. Fagg was fouled inside the Greyhounds’ 18 in the 54th minute. He put the penalty kick away himself, making it a 3-2 game.

East fared well with just 10 men on the field for a while, but the numbers game caught up to them. The Cards only had one shot in the final 20 minutes of the game after posting five in the 20 minutes prior.

North added to its lead with a Raya goal in the 62nd minute. Vazquez then scored his second and third goals in the final 12 minutes to pick up his second hat trick of the season.

East Surry looks to rebound on Sept. 19 when they face Wilkes Central (0-3-3). North Surry is in FH2A action the same day against Forbush (6-0).

8’ North Surry 0-1, Edgar Vazquez unassisted

23’ North Surry 0-2, Bali Raya from Edgar Vazquez assist

47’ East Surry 1-2, Juan Caro unassisted

52’ North Surry 1-3, Jimmy Burnete unassisted

54’ East Surry 2-3, Logan Fagg penalty kick

62’ North Surry 2-4, Bali Raya unassisted

68’ North Surry 2-5, Edgar Vazquez unassisted

79’ North Surry 2-6, Edgar Vazquez unassisted

The Mount Airy Bears defended their home course in Monday’s Northwest 1A Conference Golf Match.

Five of the seven Northwest 1A Conference teams were in attendance at Cross Creek Country Club: Mount Airy, Elkin, Alleghany, East Wilkes and South Stokes. North Stokes and Starmount did not compete.

Only Mount Airy, South Stokes and Elkin had at least three golfers each and were able to take part in the team competition – which takes the top three individual scores from each school.

Mount Airy came away with the team victory with a three-person total of 186 strokes. South Stokes finished second at 189 stokes, and Elkin was third at 194 strokes.

South Stokes’ Haley Tyndall was the medalist for the match with a score of 51 strokes. East Wilkes’ Lauren Macemore took second at 52, while Mount Airy’s Mercer Meadows finished third at 60.

Full results are below and sorted by school:

Two conference leaders took a break from league play recently to rekindle a rivalry on the volleyball court.

East Surry holds sole possession of first place in the Foothills 2A Conference as the only FH2A team without a conference loss, while West Stokes is tied with McMichael for the top spot in the Mid-State 2A Conference. Both East Surry and West Stokes are 4-0 in league play.

The Cardinals traveled to King on Sept. 12 and came away with the 3-0 win. East won with set scores of 25-11, 25-20 and 25-19.

Bella Hutchens led the Cards with 17 kills in the victory. Madeline Dayton and Maggy Sechrist each added six kills, Merry Parker Boaz had four, Mckenzie Davis had two and Khloe Bennett had one.

East Surry has now won nine of its past 10 meetings against West Stokes dating back to 2013. Six of those nine wins have been 3-0 sweeps.

East resumed conference play the following night at home against Forbush. Another sweep, this time with set scores of 25-12, 25-20 and 25-10, gave the Cardinals their eighth win of the season. The victory also put the Cards at 5-0 at home.

The defending 2A West Regional Runners-Up sit at 8-3 overall in 2022. East Surry’s three losses have come against teams from higher divisions in nonconference play, those coming against: Reagan, who is currently 20-0 and ranked No. 1 in 4A by MaxPreps; West Forsyth, who is 8-4 overall and No. 14 in the 4A West; and West Rowan, who sits at 10-3 overall and is No. 5 in the 3A West.

MaxPreps’ Sept. 12 rankings place East Surry at No. 7 in the 2A West.

East Surry has three nonconference games remaining as part of their 22-match regular season. The Cards will play Mount Airy twice, first on Sept. 19 and again on Oct. 3, then host West Stokes on Oct. 10.

East returns to the court Sept. 15 by traveling to West Wilkes.

Mount Airy continued its undefeated September campaign by sweeping North Surry on Tuesday.

The Granite Bears led by double digits in all three sets in the rematch from two weeks earlier. Both squads went on 9-0 runs at one point in the match, but only Mount Airy was able to come away with a set victory.

Set scores of 26-24, 25-8 and 25-14 lifted the visiting Bears to their fifth-consecutive win of the season and third-consecutive sweep.

The turning point for Mount Airy’s season was its initial match against North Surry on Aug. 29. North came away with the win in that match 3-0, bumping Mount Airy to a 1-3 overall record.

The Bears (6-3) have not lost a match since.

Mount Airy followed the first North Surry match with back-to-back five-set victories over East Wilkes and South Stokes. The Granite City girls then posted consecutive sweeps over Starmount and North Stokes, which moved them to 4-0 in the Northwest 1A Conference.

North Surry had a chance to win its third straight match on Tuesday. The Greyhounds (5-6) have been up and down in 2022, never winning more than back-to-back matches but also not losing more than two straight.

North also opened conference play after the Aug. 29 match at Mount Airy. The Hounds dropped matches to Wilkes Central and East Surry as they began Foothills 2A Conference competition, but then won consecutive matches over Forbush and West Wilkes.

Mount Airy looked like it would run away with the match early by taking a 23-13 lead in the first set. Kills from Callie Robertson and Haylee Smith cut into Mount Airy’s lead, but a service error from North put the visitors within a point of winning.

What followed was a complete turnaround for the Greyhounds. Smith served the next nine points as North won rally after rally, slowing closing the nearly-10 point gap. Most of the rallies saw multiple exchanges instead of ending quickly.

The teams were tied up 24-24 when a Greyhound attack sailed behind the baseline. Granite Bear senior Kennedy Gwyn put away the next rally with a kill to lift Mount Airy to the 26-24 win.

The Bears carried momentum over to the second set with a 6-0 start. The Hounds responded with kills from Ella Riggs and Aniya Joyce, as well as an ace from Riggs, but then Mount Airy scored 10 of the next 11 points.

Southpaw Alissa Clabo led the Bears’ offense with kill-after-kill set up by Kinlee Reece. North Surry, however, struggled to get its offense going at all and only had two kills in the entire second set. Mount Airy cruised to a 25-8 set victory to go up 2-0.

Neither school could score back-to-back points early in the third set. The teams were tied at every number through six until North went on a 4-0 run beginning with a Sadie Badgett kill. Joyce added a block and a kill as the Hounds rallied behind Smith’s serving, going up 9-6.

Consecutive service errors left North Surry with an 11-8 lead. An attack error by the Hounds put the ball in Morgan Mayfield’s hands, and this served as the final momentum shift of the match.

Mayfield led off with an ace on a run of four-consecutive points in which North Surry failed to return her serve. The Hounds followed with three attack errors, then a Clabo kill capped off the 9-0 run.

Mount Airy closed the third set with a 17-3 run to pick up the sweep.

Both teams continue conference play on Sept. 15. North Surry will travel to Surry Central, and Mount Airy goes on the road to face Elkin.

North Surry is putting everything together on the soccer field as its season progresses.

After suffering one-goal losses on back-to-back days, the Greyhounds regrouped to start conference play with a 1-0 record.

North Surry scored late in the first half of Monday’s match to break a scoreless tie against Wilkes Central. The Greyhounds piled on three more goals in the second half, then withstood an Eagle comeback to clinch the Foothills 2A Conference win 4-2.

“We came out and played very strong like we finished against Elkin,” said Greyhound coach Kevin Shore. “I think it helps our team build confidence, and that’s one thing we need: confidence that we can put the ball in the net, we can make a pass and we can make that first touch. It’s good for them to have some confidence and for them to know that they can play to their potential. That’s our goal.

“The guys played very well tonight and I’m happy for them.”

Shore’s objective for the team has always been to compete in every match, with wins and losses merely being “side effects.” He knew the wins would come with time as long as the team focused on controlling what they could control.

Now, the Greyhounds are seeing the rewards of their hard work manifest.

“We did some film review about 30 minutes before we came to the field. The boys came out and were able to put together some of the things we’ve been telling them, ” Shore said. “It really helped them being able to see what they were doing and what we as coaches were talking about.”

Putting into practice what they had discussed as a team, North Surry came out and battled Wilkes Central in an evenly matched first half. It looked like the match might go into halftime 0-0 before the Hounds were awarded a corner kick in the 38th minute.

Jimmy Burnete sent the corner kick into the 6-yard box where a cluster of Eagle and Greyhound players were waiting. The ball bounced around before making contact with the hand of a Wilkes Central player, giving North Surry a penalty kick in the closing moments of the half.

Junior Edwin Vazquez scored the PK to give North the 1-0 lead and momentum heading into the second half.

Fast-forward to the next half and the Hounds have been awarded another corner kick in the 52nd minute. Emiliano Calderon took the corner, but this time it was punched out of the 18 by the keeper. Defender Hector Hernandez, who was pressed up for the corner, trapped the goalkeeper’s deflection and fired it right back at the goal from 35 yards out. Hernandez’s shot hit the back of the net and doubled the Hounds’ lead.

North found itself celebrating again four minutes later. Oliver Fajardo helped the Greyhounds spark a quick counterattack near midfield with the Eagles’ back line pressed up. Fajardo found Vazquez open in the circle, then Vazquez took down two defenders off the dribble.

Fading to his left, Vazquez launched a shot to the near post and made it 3-0.

Vazquez has scored in six of North Surry’s seven matches this season, with the exception being a shutout loss against Mount Airy. The junior has scored multiple goals in three of those matches.

The Hounds held the 3-0 advantage for another 15 minutes until a miscommunication by the defense allowed the Eagles to get on the board.

Vazquez nearly completed a hat trick in the 76th minute. The forward intercepted a Wilkes Central goal kick and shot just outside the 18 with the keeper charging. His shot was deflected back to him, and instead of firing again Vazquez dished to an open Fajardo to put away the goal.

Wilkes Central added a goal with less than a minute left on the clock, but time expired before the visitors could close the gap any more.

The 4-2 win puts North Surry at 3-4 overall and 1-0 in the FH2A Conference. Playing in the first FH2A match of the season, North Surry sits alone at the top of the table.

The Greyhounds look to continue their winning ways in a conference match against East Surry on Sept. 14. The Hounds then travel to Alleghany for a nonconference match Sept. 15.

Goals: Edgar Vazquez (NS) Penalty Kick 38’ | Hector Hernandez (NS) 52’, Edgar Vazquez (NS) 56’, Wilkes Central No. 12* 70’, Oliver Fajardo (NS) from Edgar Vazquez assist 76’, Wilkes Central No. 12 79’

*Wilkes Central’s roster was not available on MaxPreps

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — New Clemson coordinator Wes Goodwin didn’t expect to face questions about his defensive unit so soon.

But Goodwin has plenty of things to fix after Furman of the Football Championship Subdivision outgained the fifth-ranked Tigers 386-374 in Clemson’s 35-12 win on Saturday. They allowed the Paladins to go 10 of 18 on third downs a week after holding Georgia Tech to 237 yards and 2 of 16 on third-down conversions.

“You’re coming free for a reason,” Goodwin said of Clemson’s rushers continually getting beat on screen plays. “So you’ve got to put on the brakes.”

Goodwin expects a tighter, mentally ready group when Clemson plays Louisiana Tech at home on Saturday night.

The Tigers were largely set loose on Georgia Tech in the opener and contained quarterback Jeff Sims to 164 yards with an interception and two sacks. Tyler Huff, a Presbyterian transfer making his second start for Furman, connected on 31 of 40 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown. He, too, was sacked twice.

“Obviously, we did not play screens and the quick game well at all,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Just a poor start. I did not like how we played defensively at all.”

Few had questions about Clemson’s defensive prospects with so many talented, fiery, experienced players returning, like defensive ends K.J. Henry and Myles Murphy, and tackles in Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis.

However, Davis missed the Furman game as a precaution after Swinney said he was “banged-up” earlier in the week. Goodwin did not know Monday if Davis could play Saturday night against Louisiana Tech.

Another wild card is Bresee, who’s younger sister Ella was honored at Clemson last Saturday in her fight against brain cancer. Bresee went to his family’s home in Maryland following the game when Ella had a setback. Goodwin did not know how long Bresee would be absent.

Tackle Ruke Orhorhoro, who started in place of Davis on Saturday, said the group’s issues were all minor and correctable at practice.

“There (are) just a lot of little mental mistakes, just a lot of fixable stuff,” said Orhorhoro, a fourth-year junior. “Sometimes you need stuff like that to happen so, you know, your strong areas and your weak areas, just little mental stuff that we can fix as a whole.”

Clemson’s defense had its moments against Furman. The Tigers got an interception by linebacker Barrett Carter to end a second-half drive and had a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter to end another Furman drive.

“Just responding to adversity, you want to see your guys rise to the occasion and I thought they did,” said Goodwin, who replaced longtime Clemson coordinator Brent Venables, now Oklahoma’s head coach. “Good to see them show up and respond the right way.”

Cornerback Malcolm Greene is one of two new starters in the secondary this season following the departures of Andrew Booth and Mario Goodrich. Greene said the defense gave up too many quick throws and won’t let that happen again.

“To see a guy wide open in a zone where you know somebody should be on them, it was really rough,” Greene said. “But I know we have guys in the room that love to step up.”

Goodwin has seen his defenders bring a strong focus into each practice since spring and knows they’ll do that this week in preparing for Louisiana Tech of Conference USA. Goodwin was even asked to weigh in on Orhorhoro’s claim that the 6-foot-4, 295-pound defender was the best basketball player on the team.

“I got bigger things to worry about right now than basketball,” Goodwin said with a smile.

The North Surry JV and Varsity Cheerleading Squads braved the wet weather Saturday morning to lend a hand at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

The event was held at Riverside Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants flooded the park despite less-than-ideal weather to walk on the Ararat River segment of the greenway.

The cheerleaders served as a joyful welcome to greet participants, painted faces and cheered on walkers when starting the route.

JV head coach is Karen Romero, and varsity head coach is Hope Ward.

“It was a great way to get involved in the community and support a great cause,” Ward said. “The girls enjoyed it, and I know we brought the cheer!”

PILOT MOUNTAIN — The good times continued to roll for East Surry as the Cardinals defeated South Stokes to improve to 4-0 on the season.

The Cards surpassed 400 yards of total offense for the third time this season while holding the visiting Sauras to 160. The combination of East Surry’s dynamic offense and stingy defense led the team to a 54-0 win in its nonconference finale.

East has won its last 11 meetings against South Stokes, and is now 25-1 versus its foe from Walnut Cove since the 1998 season.

The Cardinals wasted little time building a lead against the Sauras. In the first quarter, East Surry scored three touchdowns on just six offensive plays. The Cards then began the second quarter with a two-play drive that resulted in a 67-yard touchdown pass from Folger Boaz to Luke Brown.

Boaz, who finished the game with a season-high 337 yards passing on 19-of-25 attempts (76%), connected with Brown three times in the win over South. The first went for a 42-yard touchdown, the second for the aforementioned 67-yard touchdown, then the third was a 27-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the second quarter.

Brown was one of nine Cardinal players to log a reception against the Sauras. Brown led the team with 136 yards, followed by Colby Johnson with 63 yards, Kyle Zinn with 58 yards and a touchdown on two receptions, and Matthew Keener with two receptions for 29 yards.

Stephen Brantley, Gabriel Harpe, Matthew Edwards and Stevie Keener each grabbed one reception.

East Surry added 148 yards on the ground to finish with a season-high 485 total yards. Boaz was the team’s leading rusher with four carries for 84 yards and a touchdown, bringing his total yardage for the game up to 421.

Zinn added 17 yards on two carries, followed by Johnson with two carries for 15 yards and a touchdown, Hayden Sammons with one carry for 15 yards and a TD, Lindann Fleming with one carry for 10 yards and a TD, and Edwards with two carries for seven yards.

South Stokes’ offense warmed up as the game progressed. After a three-and-out on the first drive and just one first down on the second drive, the Sauras (1-3) got into the red zone on their third drive due to their passing success.

Quarterback Nolan Coe began the game 0-of-3 before completing his next five passes. Coe led the Sauras on a 7:12 drive that spanned the latter half of the first quarter into the second. During the drive, Coe connected with Daniel Martin twice, Junior Hairston twice and Noah Booe once.

A 25-yard pass to Hairston put South Stokes on the Cardinal 20-yard line as the first quarter winded down. East Surry’s Brett Clayton ended the quarter by sacking Coe, then Fleming opened the second quarter with a big tackle for a loss. South ended up going for a fourth-down conversion with Coe targeting Hairston in the end zone, but the receiver couldn’t bring it in.

South didn’t get a first down for the remainder of the half, and East was able to add two more touchdowns in the quarter to go up 35-0 at the break.

East Surry added a touchdown early in the second half, with the Boaz-Brown connection scoring for the third time in the game, then the Cards forced a fumble to regain possession. Clayton forced the Hairston fumble, and it was recovered by Levi Surratt.

The next play, Boaz ran in a 74-yard touchdown to go up 47-0 and activate a running clock. Sammons plugged in a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter to make it 54-0.

South Stokes finished with 160 total yards from 97 passing and 63 rushing. Coe completed 5-of-10 passes for 67 yards, and Hairston was 2-of-8 for 30 yards. Martin was the Sauras’ leading receiver with four catches for 47 yards, followed by Hairston with 33 yards on two catches and Booe with one catch for 17 yards.

Deuce Chalmers recorded 10 carries for 23 yards as the Sauras’ leading rusher. Arlyn Durrell was next with four carries for 21 yards, followed by Hairston with eight carries for 18 yards, Coe with five carries for two yards and Jaryd Galloway with four carries for a loss of one yard.

The Cardinal defense finished with 13 tackles for a loss. Clayton, who led the team with 13 total tackles, had six tackles for a loss, followed by Fleming, Hatcher Hamm and Anderson Badgett with two each, and Kyle Zinn with one. Fleming also defended three passes.

East and South are scheduled to begin conference play in Week Five. The Cardinals go on the road to play North Wilkes (3-1) in their Foothills 2A Conference opener, and the Sauras open Northwest 1A Conference play at Alleghany (1-2).

11:08 ESHS 7-0 – Luke Brown 42-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Joshua Parker PAT

9:54 ESHS 14-0 – Kyle Zinn 34-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Joshua Parker PAT

5:32 ESHS 20-0 – Lindann Fleming 10-yard rush TD, PAT no good

9:36 ESHS 27-0 – Luke Brown 66-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Joshua Parker PAT

0:00 ESHS 35-0 – Luke Brown 27-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Kyle Zinn 2-pt conversion reception on Folger Boaz pass

7:13 ESHS 41-0 – Kyle Zinn 12-yard rush TD, PAT no good

5:11 ESHS 47-0 – Folger Boaz 74-yard rush TD, PAT no good

8:30 ESHS 54-0 – Hayden Sammons 15-yard rush TD, Joshua Parker PAT

DOBSON — Well over 100 runners from 23 schools competed in the second Millennium Charter Academy Cross Country Meet on Sept. 8.

Eighty high school-aged boys and fifty girls competed in 5,000-meter runs on Thursday. Public, private and home schools ranging from Independence, Va., to Jamestown, N.C. competed in the meet.

Elkin, Mount Airy, Surry Homeschool and White Plains Christian School represented Surry County in the meet. Other local schools competing included East Wilkes, Starmount, South Stokes and North Stokes.

Though Millennium Charter hosted the event, the Lions did not have any competitors in the high school races.

The boys ran first and Oak Hill Academy (Va.) came away with the team victory. Among schools with at least five boys competing, Oak Hill had finishes in the Nos. 3, 6, 8, 10 and 14 spots for a total of 41 points.

Forsyth Home Educators finished second with 56 points, Elkin was third with 57 points and Surry Home Educators finished fourth with 127 points.

Elkin’s Connor Ball had the highest finish of any local competitor, taking third place with a time of 18:32.61. Mount Airy junior Caden Ratcliff wasn’t far behind at fourth with a 5K time of 18:49.33. Of the 80 runners in the boys race, only five finished in less than 19 minutes and only seven finished in less than 20 minutes.

Mount Airy freshman Freddy Hernandez also beat the 20-minute mark with a seventh-place finish at 19:49.41.

Wheatmore’s Zach Hazelwood won the race with a time of 18:05.71, followed by High Point Christian’s Cole Johnson in second 18:19.08.

Results for local competitors in the boys race are listed below. Results are listed by finish, name, grade, school and then time.

15 Nathan Luther 9 Surry Home E 21:00.45

23 Steven Hendrickson 11 Surry Home E 21:59.86

49 Sam Steinbruegge 9 Surry Home E 25:29.69

51 Isaac Richland 9 Surry Home E 25:37.97

60 Noah Richland 9 Surry Home E 27:13.24

63 Caleb Luther 11 Surry Home E 27:54.59

65 Daniel Bunke 10 Surry Home E 28:06.89

Forsyth Home Educators won the girls team competition with 47 points. South Stokes was second with 66, followed by Wheatmore at 99 at Mount Airy at 103.

Forsyth also had a runner take the top spot. Senior Sami Portman was the only runner to finish in less than 22 minutes by crossing the finish line at 21:54.85.

A pair of Surry County runners rounded out the podium. Mount Airy freshman Brooke Haynes finished second at 22:49.29, and Elkin junior Ragan Speer finished third at 23:06.40.

Only nine girls finished before the 25-minute mark. In addition to Haynes and Speer, there were three other local girls to meet this standard: South Stokes’ Hayley Fultz at 24:12.22, Mount Airy’s Emilee Corn at 24:13.06, and Surry Homeschool’s Lindsay Easter at 24:44.39.

Results for local competitors in the girls race are listed below. Results are listed by finish, name, grade, school and then time.

9 Lindsay Easter 9 Surry Home E 24:44.39

30 Lydia Jarrard 12 Surry Home E 29:10.72

46 Maddie Gambill 9 Surry Home E 32:49.80

50 Alie Gullion 10 Surry Home E 35:56.08

DOBSON — Surry Central hosted its first cross country meet of the 2022 season on Sept. 6.

The Eagles came away with team victories in both the high school boys and girls’ competitions, while having the top finisher in the boys 5000-meter race.

Runners from four schools in the Foothills 2A Conference competed in the meet: Surry Central, North Surry, East Surry and West Wilkes.

For the boys, Surry Central took the first and third spots on the podium while North Surry occupied the No. 2 spot. Surry Central sophomore Brangly Mazariegos was the only runner to finish in less than 19 minutes, doing so in 18:55.52.

North Surry sophomore Miguel Vega clinched second place with a time of 19:31.05, and Central junior Ignacio Morales took third at 20:20.82.

The future is bright for the FH2A as only two of the top-11 runners in the boys competition were upperclassmen. There were no seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and three freshman.

Schools needed at least five runners in order to compete in the team competition. Only North Surry and Surry Central had enough runners, and Central took the advantage by a single point 27-28.

Full boys results are below and listed by result, name, grade, school and then time.

Each of the top three spots in the girls competition were occupied by a runner from a different school.

North Surry senior Cynthia Chaire won the 5,000-meter run in her first season with the team. Chaire posted a time of 23:34.51, which won the race by 15 seconds.

Surry Central senior Abigail Hernandez was the only other runner to finish in less than 24 minutes, taking second at 23:46.89. Next was East Surry sophomore Addison Goins at 24:15.75.

The Golden Eagles were the only team with at least five members, giving them the automatic win in the team competition. East Surry had four girls, and North Surry and West Wilkes each had three.

A second-half comeback fell one goal short for North Surry in a Sept. 7 home match against Starmount.

The visiting Rams built up a 2-0 lead by halftime of Wednesday’s match. The Greyhounds got on the board less than 30 seconds into the second half, but weren’t able to strike again despite the team’s collective improvement from the first 40 minutes of play.

Starmount improved to 5-1-1 with the victory, while North Surry dropped to 2-3.

“We are a very young team, so we’re trying to find our chemistry,” said North Surry coach Kevin Shore. “In the first half of tonight’s game specifically, we were off; we didn’t win very many 50-50 balls and our defense just got beat a few times. Our keeper did an outstanding job keeping us in the game.

“We kind of got our feet back under us and found a defensive lineup that would work for the second half. We had some good shots on goal, it’s just their keeper did a really good job of keeping them out.”

While Shore didn’t make any major schematic changes at halftime, he said that he and the team, “called it like it was,” during the break since the team wasn’t playing up to its potential.

Junior Edgar Vazquez led the charge in the second half and only needed 16 seconds to put one in the back of the net. The Hounds played with new energy in the half, but failed to equalize before the final whistle.

“We didn’t play North Surry’s style of soccer in the first half,” Shore said. “We did a better job of it in the second, we just couldn’t close out the game. I’m not upset with our effort in the second half because we took a lot of shots at the keeper, and there were some really good shots.

“Tonight came down to the fact that we just didn’t play well in the first half and that cost us.”

Even with a young team, North Surry has had moments in which everything clicked this season. The Hounds ground out a win over West Stokes in the season opener, had close games in both meetings with Starmount and defeated Alleghany 10-1.

Three Greyhounds – Vazquez, Hector Hernandez and Emiliano Calderon – recorded hat tricks against the Trojans. Salvador Rodriguez and Jonathan Lopez each added one goal in the win.

“The Alleghany match was one where we really put it all together,” Shore said. “We practiced well that week and were able to make good passes while spreading the field.”

Game experience is the No. 1 thing that North Surry needs to build chemistry between the experienced players and younger players, Shore said. When playing as a collection of individuals instead of a team, North Surry has halves like they did against Starmount.

The Rams came into Wednesday’s match riding a four-match winning streak. Starmount averaged 3.3 goals per match during the streak, which wasn’t hard to believe after seeing how many shots the team got off right out of the gate at North Surry.

Starmount peppered shots at the Greyhound goal, including one from Anthony Real that made it past everyone but hit the post, until Christian Maya scored in the 17th minute. An assist from Manny Ferretiz set Maya up for the goal.

The North Surry defense, anchored by keeper Josh Garcia, kept Starmount from running up the score in the first half. Starmount had 14 shots to North Surry’s seven in the first 40 minutes, but only scored twice.

The latter Ram goal game with just two minutes left in the half. Keeper Sebastian Rodriguez saved a shot from North’s Vazquez, then punted well-beyond the midfield line. A few opportune bounces set up Pablo Alvarez for a goal.

North Surry emerged from the halftime break looking like a different team. Vasquez’s strike 16 seconds in got the hounds on the board, then follow up shots from Olivio Vega and Bali Raya nearly gave the Hounds the edge. The Greyhounds took a 5-1 shot advantage in the second half and were able to keep pressure on the Rams’ back line.

“On our shots in the first half we did not strike the ball well,” Shore said. “Then in the second we struck the ball well and were getting more opportunities.”

Starmount regrouped by weathering the second-half storm of North Surry. Alvarez and Ricardo Mendoza each made threatening runs in the second half for the Rams, but struggled to put shots on target.

The Hounds also found it difficult to put shots on target late as the Rams switched their formation to a 4-4-2. By crowding an already narrow defensive third, Starmount took away the possibility for North to take shots from 30 yards and back. This played in the Rams’ favor and helped them hold on for the win.

“We didn’t play bad in the second half, we just didn’t play well in the first,” Shore told his team following the match. “We’re not doing bad, but we can’t come out and play a terrible half and expect to win ball games.”

Shore said he think that when North Surry enters conference play on Sept. 12 that the team will be much better off. By playing multiple matches a week, as opposed to a somewhat sporadic nonconference schedule, North will gain valuable game experience.

“We’re definitely getting closer to a starting lineup and finding where everyone fits best on the field,” Shore said. “The kids need some experience when it comes to the game situations. These are what we call growing pains. We’re going to be fine, we just need to get our feet under us a little bit.”

Goals: Christian Maya (ST) from Manny Perretiz assist 17’, Pablo Alvarez (ST) from Sebastian Rodriguez assist 38’ | Edgar Vasquez (NS) 41’

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has partnered with Crisis Text Line (CTL) to encourage mental health support for teens across the country.

Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, high-quality text-based mental health support and crisis intervention in English and Spanish by empowering a community of trained volunteers to support people in their moments of need.

This partnership aligns with the 2021-2025 NFHS Strategic Plan and the NFHS Board of Directors Priorities, both of which have identified Student Mental, Emotional and Physical Wellness as one of the most important areas of concern in high school sports and performing arts programs.

“The last several years have been particularly challenging for many students in high school activity programs, with the pandemic and other pressures felt by students today,” said NFHS CEO Karissa Niehoff. “We are glad to be able to offer another avenue of help for students nationwide through this partnership with Crisis Text Line. We need to let students know there are individuals who can help in times of need.”

Crisis Text Line promotes mental well-being for individuals, wherever they are. Individuals are encouraged to text a keyword to 741741 if they are experiencing a mental health crisis – anything from suicidal thoughts or abusive relationships to difficult conversations with parents or anxiety about school workload. At any time, texters can connect with volunteer Crisis Counselors who will provide confidential support. Crisis Text Line recently expanded its service to include Spanish language support, becoming the first organization to provide free, text-based mental health support for Spanish speakers in the United States.

“We truly admire the work NFHS does for student-athletes by promoting respect, integrity and sportsmanship as well as fostering the inclusion of diverse populations,” said Dena Trujillo, CEO at Crisis Text Line. “Our goal is to provide all teens with text-based mental health support 24/7 so they never feel alone.”

This agreement furthers the relationship between the NFHS and Crisis Text Line that began at the 2019 NFHS National Student Leadership Summit in Indianapolis. Attendees of the Summit were provided bag tags advising those in crisis to text the keyword “SHIELD” to 741741. The NFHS will continue to promote the use of “SHIELD” as its keyword through this agreement.

While individuals of any age can utilize the service, approximately 70 percent of Crisis Text Line’s texters are under the age of 25.

“The NFHS is excited about this relationship because it provides an exceptional resource not only for the young people in our nation’s schools, but for our member state associations who will be able to receive data on the issues affecting students in their states,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS Director of Sports and Student Services. “Identifying these issues greatly impact the targeted response. We want to promote this option to those who need support and encouragement.”

KING — A five-touchdown second quarter helped East Surry conquer West Stokes in the 20th edition of the “Battle for the County Line.”

The Cardinal defense held the Wildcats, who averaged 32.5 points through the first two weeks of the season, scoreless for three quarters while amassing a 42-0 lead. The Cats scored a touchdown late to make the final score 42-7.

East Surry (3-0) was clicking in all three phases as it posted the largest margin of victory in the history of the East Surry-West Stokes rivalry. East leads the all-time series 12-8 and has won five of the past seven meetings.

The Cardinals started the Sept. 2 game with a score on the opening drive. Despite playing without their leading rusher from the first two weeks of the season, East was able to move efficiently on the ground. Six Cardinals combined for 123 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including an early touchdown run from Colby Johnson.

Brett Clayton added a touchdown run in the second quarter, and a pair Joshua Parker PATs put East up 14-0. Zinn led the team with nine carries for 53 yards, followed by Clayton with two carries for 41 yards, Johnson with five for 20 yards, Lindann Fleming with six for 11 yards and Boaz with two carries for two yards.

The Cardinals did the most damage offensively in the air. Quarterback Folger Boaz completed 16-of-22 passes (72.7%) for 300 yards and three touchdowns, which earned him the honor of being WXII 12 News’ Standout Stat of Week 3.

With his 300-yard performance, Boaz has surpassed the 6,000-yard mark for career yards passing. He is just the third Surry County athlete to do, joining 2020 North Surry graduate Chase Swartz (7,059) and 2020 East Surry graduate/older brother Jefferson Boaz.

Colby Johnson, Matthew Keener and Stephen Brantley all logged touchdown receptions from Boaz. Johnson was the team’s leading receiver with six catches for 161 yards, followed by Keener with four receptions for 86 yards and Luke Brown with three receptions for 31 yards.

Clayton, Brantley and Kyle Zinn each had one reception and combined for 22 yards receiving.

Zinn scored the remaining Cardinal touchdown by returning an interception 19 yards. Will Jones picked off the Wildcat QB twice to bring the Cardinal defense’s turnover total to three.

Daniel Villasenor led East Surry with two sacks, while Parker and Anderson Badgett each had one.

East Surry returns home for the first time since Week One to face South Stokes (1-2) on Friday.

North Surry overcame a slow start against Forbush to win Tuesday’s Foothills 2A Conference match 3-1.

The visiting Falcons, eager for their first victory of the 2022 season, came out of the gate and led for the majority of the opening set. The Greyhounds turned around and played one of their best sets to even the score at one set apiece.

The final two sets were back-and-forth, but North utilized late runs in both to come away with the overall victory. The Hounds won the match with set scores of 22-25, 25-13, 25-21 and 26-24.

North Surry and Forbush are used to playing close matches the past few years. Neither team has swept the other since 2019, when members of the Class of 2023 were freshmen. In the six matches during that time, three have been five-set matches and the other three have been four-setters. Two of North Surry’s three five-set matches in 2021 were against Forbush.

Match results have also been more balanced the past few seasons. North Surry won 20 consecutive matches against Forbush from 2008-17, then Forbush had two stellar years and won six-straight versus North.

Since 2020, the Greyhounds have won 4-of-6 meetings against the Falcons.

The win over Forbush gives North Surry its first win in the FH2A Conference.

The Falcons (0-7, 0-2 FH2A) came into Tuesday’s match having not won a set all season, though that would quickly be changed. Forbush took advantage of North Surry errors to take a lead in the first set, then saw its offense come alive to clinch it.

North (4-5, 1-2 FH2A) gave away nearly half of the set’s 25 points with errors: five from service errors, four from attack errors and three from other violations, including net and double hit violations. Kills from Katena Morrison and Mallory Chapman helped the Falcons secure the set win 25-22.

North Surry led for just one point in the first set. Then, in the second set, Forbush only led twice: at 1-0 and 2-1. Everything else went the way of the Hounds.

North took its initial lead after an Aniya Joyce kill and a pair of aces from Sadie Badgett. Joyce continued to be the Greyhounds’ leading attacker throughout the night, finishing the set with four kills and the match with 17.

North Surry led 14-10 when Joyce dropped the hammer for a momentum-shifting kill that started a 5-1 run. Haylee Smith added a kill to put the home team up 19-11 and force a Forbush timeout. The Falcons scored two of the next three points before North Surry closed the set with a 5-0 run, winning 25-13.

The third set featured eight lead changes after just two in the first two sets combined. The largest run by either team in the set was four uninterrupted points, which North used to win the set.

The Falcons took a 20-19 lead in the set to force a Greyhound timeout. Callie Robertson came out of the timeout and evened the score with a kill, then a Forbush attack error forced the final lead change of the set. The Falcons briefly tied the score at 21, but North used a 4-0 run to win 25-21.

On the run: Joyce won the first point with a kill, Ella Riggs served back-to-back aces, then Forbush hit an attack into the net.

The final set only had three lead changes, but the score was tied seven times.

A block from North’s Kyra Stanley tied the score at 15-15 before a Falcon attack error forced the final lead change of the evening. From here North Surry went on a 7-3 run to lead 23-18.

Forbush refused to quit and won the next three points: Chapman and Ellie Southern had kills, and another point came from a Greyhound attack error. Joyce interrupted the run with a kill for North Surry, but then Forbush scored another three points to tie the score at 24-24.

A well-placed attack from Stanly landed in the back corner of Forbush’s court and the Falcons weren’t able to return the volley, giving North the 25-24 lead. Riggs set Stanley up for a kill on the next point to cement the match victory.

Both teams continue conference play on Sept. 8. North Surry travels to West Wilkes, and Forbush hosts Surry Central.

Mount Airy rebounded from a tough two-point loss by trouncing Surry Central 54-6 on Sept. 2.

The Granite Bears forced three takeaways and scored eight touchdowns – all in the first half. Mount Airy ended the game with more than 400 yards of offense while holding Surry Central in the negative for most of the night.

Mount Airy (2-1) operated almost entirely on the ground. Junior Tyler Mason set new career highs by finishing with 209 yards rushing and five rushing touchdowns. Even more impressive was the fact that Mason did all that on just 11 carries.

On a night in which the Bears rushed for 403 yards, Taeshon Martin and Traven Thompson also set career highs.

Martin, a freshman, scored a career high three times on just four carries, also adding 54 yards rushing. Thompson set a career high in yards rushing with 92 on eight carries.

Nassir Lemon and Ian Gallimore rounded out Mount Airy’s 403 yards rushing. Lemon rushed five times for 34 yards, and Gallimore rushed six times for 15 yards.

Gallimore add 39 yards passing on three completions. Mario Revels caught two passes for 35 yards, and Connor Burrell had one reception for four yards.

Mount Airy’s rock-solid defense caused all kinds of problems for Surry Central’s young offensive core. The Eagles’ quarterback, top four running backs and second-leading receiver are all sophomores, while the No. 1 and No. 3 receivers are juniors.

Granite Bear Blake Hawks picked off Mason Jewell on the first play from scrimmage. Six plays later, Mount Airy got on the board with a Mason touchdown.

Central was held to one yard of offense. The Eagles (0-3) rushed 19 times for a loss of 23 yards, then added 24 yards passing on three completions. Not counting the two fumbles Mount Airy caused – one recovered Lemon and the other Cam’Ron Webster – the Bears held the Eagles to no gain or a loss of yards on 12 plays.

Gallimore, Revels, Josh Chavis, Walker Stroup, Deric Dandy and Logan Fonville were among the players to force tackles for a loss.

The only time Central moved the chains was late in the third quarter. The Eagles’ Ayden Wilmoth recovered a Mount Airy fumble deep in Bears territory, then Central moved into the red zone with a first down.

Mount Airy pushed Central back four yards to the 22 on the following first down, then Wilmoth caught a touchdown pass from Jewell to begin the fourth quarter.

The one area Mount Airy struggled with Friday night was penalties. The Bears were flagged 13 times: eight times on offense, three times on defense and twice on special teams.

Surry Central was flagged once each in all three phases.

Mount Airy concludes the nonconference portion of its schedule on Sept. 9 by traveling to Ashe County (2-1). Surry Central has a BYE next week, but will begin Foothills 2A Conference competition the following week against West Wilkes (1-2).

8:41 MAHS 7-0 – Tyler Mason 9-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

6:33 MAHS 13-0 – Tyler Mason 38-yard rushing TD, PAT no good

4:33 MAHS 20-0 – Tyler Mason 12-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

2:29 MAHS 27-0 – Tyler Mason 48-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

1:18 MAHS 33-0 – Taeshon Martin 10-yard rushing TD, PAT blocked by Graden Spurlin

8:40 MAHS 40-0 – Taeshon Martin 34-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

3:27 MAHS 47-0 – Tyler Mason 51-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

2:30 MAHS 54-0 – Taeshon Martin 2-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

11:41 SCHS 54-6 – Ayden Wilmoth 22-yard TD reception on Mason Jewell pass, 2-point conversion no good

PILOT MOUNTAIN — Even after losing a few multi-year varsity starters to graduation, East Surry has set its expectations high for the 2022 season.

The defending 2A West Regional Runners-up reloaded and are ready to make a repeat run at the Foothills 2A Conference Championship. The Cardinals took step one in that process by sweeping its first two FH2A games.

The Cardinals went on the road and topped North Wilkes 3-0 on Aug. 30, then beat North Surry 3-0 at home on Sept. 1.

“There was definitely a lot we still need to clean up, but it did feel good to start off 2-0 in the conference,” said East Surry coach Katelyn Markle, who is 40-6 as the Cardinals head coach.

“We’ve had moments this year where everything came together and we looked really good, like when we played at North Wilkes. Other times it’s been a little up-and-down, but we’re getting better and getting used to playing with each other so that’s the most important thing.”

The win over North puts East at 5-2 on the season.

Coming off a 26-2 season in which the Cardinals started 16-0, went undefeated in the conference play and came within a few points of a state championship appearance, Markle said she wanted to test the girls early with a tough nonconference schedule.

East Surry opened the season in the most challenging way possible: a road game at 4A Ronald Reagan High School. Reagan – who won the match 3-0 – is currently 9-0, hasn’t lost a set all season and is ranked No. 1 in the state by MaxPreps.

The match vs. Reagan was one of the 4A opponents the Cards have faced this season. East Surry also won a five-setter against Davie, and lost a five-set match against West Forsyth – ranked No. 15 in the 4A division.

North Surry coach Shane Slate is no stranger to grueling nonconference schedules meant to challenge a promising team. Slate is in his 24th season as North Surry head coach, during which he has guided the Greyhounds to more than 500 wins, multiple state titles and countless player of the year awards.

The Greyhounds, who drop to 3-5 with the loss to East Surry, began the season with matches against Davie and West Forsyth as well. The junior-heavy Hounds recently opened conference play with a loss to Wilkes Central, though every set was decided by four points or fewer.

In Thursday’s match, East Surry never trailed in either the first or third set.

The Cards led 4-3 early in the first before going on a 6-1 run. East Surry’s arsenal of attacking players took turns sending attacks over the net that were set up by Kate McCraw, though Greyhound libero Reece Niston and the North Surry back line did well to weather the early storm.

Callie Robertson and Aniya Joyce rallied the Hounds back by putting away Ella Riggs’ sets, though a service error derailed the team’s momentum. East capitalized with a 4-1 run that forced a Greyhound timeout, then put away the next two points to force another timeout.

The regrouped North Surry squad crossed into double digits to make it 18-12, but East closed the set with a 7-1 run to win 25-13.

The Hounds took their only lead of the night early in the second set. A kill from Madeline Dayton was East Surry’s only point during a 3-1 North run. The Greyhound girls held on to their lead until up 4-3, then East rattled off seven-consecutive points.

Bella Hutchens and Merry Parker Boaz combined for nine kills in the second set. The duo finished the night with a combined 21 kills.

North Riggs and Haylee Smith rallied the team back within a handful of points before East Surry went off. The Cardinals ended the set on a 13-3 run to win 25-10.

The final set began with a 4-1 Cardinal lead. East Surry service errors allowed North to fight back within two points at 6-4, then Lily Watson had a block and a kill to go with a Maggy Sechrist kill on a 3-0 run.

The Cards and Hounds continued to scrap until East took control late in the set. East Surry led 12-9 before going on a 5-0 run. For the remainder of the match, East earned two points for every point North scored, winning 25-14 to complete the sweep.

East Surry and Surry Central are the only FH2A teams undefeated in conference play. The Cards and Eagles are both 2-0, followed by Wilkes Central and West Wilkes at 1-1. Forbush and North Wilkes are both 0-1, and North Surry is 0-2.

East Surry is set to host Wilkes Central (3-5, 1-1 FH2A) on Sept. 6, and North Surry hosts Forbush (0-6, 0-1 FH2A) the same day.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — East Surry and West Stokes got all tied up during a nonconference soccer match on Wednesday.

Both squads were looking for their first wins of the 2022 season, but instead both added a “one” to the tie column. East Surry is now 0-2-1 on the season, and West Stokes is 0-4-1.

“We’ve definitely still got work to do,” said East coach Samuel Lowe. “I’m not unhappy about the outcome, of course 0-0 was not what we wanted but it wasn’t a loss either. But, I’m still happy about how the boys are working. They’re still working hard at practice.”

East and West have been evenly matched for nearly a decade in the boys soccer chapter of the “Battle for the County Line.” Since 2013, the Cardinals and Wildcats have played 15 times: East Surry won four times, West Stokes won six times and the teams tied five times.

“That’s a well-coached team over there,” Lowe said. “They’ve got a great coach and they’re a disciplined team, so I knew it was going to be a tough game. But, I’m extremely happy with the way my boys played tonight.

“Tomorrow, we just have to go back to the drawing board, maybe watch some film and get some pointers to see where we messed up at.”

Both sides looked to utilize their speed up top, leaving each back line on their toes for the better part of all 80 minutes. For East, Alex Galvan and Logan Fagg were the primary center backs while Kevin Blakeney and Levi Watson manned the outside. Michael Youngblood earned his first clean sheet as East Surry’s keeper.

Lupe Chavez rotated to the back line when needed, but spent most of his time in the midfield.

The Cardinals struggled to time their runs throughout the game and were often called offside. East retaliated in the second half with a modified offside trap of their own that caught the Wildcats off guard multiple times.

East thought it broke the scoreless tie as early as 12 minutes into the first half. Fagg floated a free kick from midfield to the top of West Stokes’ 18-yard box where it was received by striker Jonathan De La Cruz. Cruz one-touched a pass to Mario Flores who placed a shot into the back of the net, but the goal was called back due to an offside call.

Galvan and Chavez each sent through balls to Cruz in the first half, but most were intercepted by the Wildcat keeper (note: West Stokes’ roster was not available on MaxPreps). Cruz had a few shots deflected out for corner kicks, but none of the corners led to shots on goal.

West Stokes pushed into East territory late in the first half and put a number of shots on goal. The Cardinals defense fended off some of the attacks up the middle, but the Cats’ best weapon was utilized when attacking up the wing. A West Stokes player with a cannon-like throw-in could place the ball inside the six-yard box easily, leading to a number of 50-50s in dangerous territory.

East Surry’s best chance to strike came in the 62nd minute. Chavez took a throw-in near the Cards’ bench and the throw was passed back to him on the sideline. The junior crossed into the 18 to Kade Talton, who redirected the lob to Cruz. Cruz zigzagged through three defenders to face the keeper one-on-one, but sent the shot over the crossbar.

“We’ve still got to work on our touches,” Lowe said. “Our touches let us down some tonight. We definitely should’ve had a goal; Jonathon, he got a little excited there and kicked the ball through the uprights. That’s something that we’ll get more comfortable with after more playing experience.”

The teams fought until the final whistle. West Stokes even had a long throw in as the announcer counted down the final 10 seconds of the game, but it was headed out by the Cards to keep the tie alive.

Though the Cards have yet to win a match this season, Lowe said he isn’t concerned and is instead focusing on the team’s progression from match to match.

”I really do think that we’ll be fine. We just need time and things will work out,” Lowe said. “I’ve got freshmen, and I’ve got kids that – I’ll be honest with you – have never played before that want to play, which is fine. I’ll take anybody that wants to come out here and play with us. But, it’s going to take time. Touching the ball always comes with time.”

The Cardinals do have experience mixed in with youth, but it’s been difficult to build team chemistry with only three matches through the first three weeks of competition. Two of those matches were against Mount Airy, a perennial powerhouse that’s only lost four matches since the beginning of the 2019 season.

“I hate that we didn’t have a better schedule than we had,” Lowe said. “Hopefully we can get another game scheduled next week. We’re working on that so we can give them some more practice before we actually start in the conference.”

Surry Central volleyball broke into the win column Tuesday by defeating West Wilkes 3-0.

The sweep of the Blackhawks, with set scores of 25-21, 25-14 and 25-19, gives the Golden Eagles a 1-0 record in the Foothills 2A Conference. Central’s first win comes after starting the season 0-4.

“Winning our first game means the world to me,” said first-year Central coach Maddison Payne. “I’m just glad the girls were finally able to show everyone what they are made of, and that their hard work finally paid off.”

Despite a rough start to the season, Payne had plenty of reasons to keep her eyes on Central’s bright future.

The Eagles recently graduated five players from a near-20 win squad, many of whom were multi-year starters. This meant the 2022 team would need time to adjust with new faces taking on some of the top roles.

“We played hard with everyone our first four games, but we were still adjusting to our new roles,” Payne said. “We are really young, and the nerves got the best of them when we played Mount Airy. Alleghany has a great program, and we played them tough but they made us a better team. We made a lot of changes, and I think that is what led us to our victory tonight.”

The Golden Eagles opened the season on Aug. 16 with a 3-0 loss at Mount Airy. Two days later, Payne saw improvement in Central’s home opener but the team came up short 3-2 against Alleghany.

The Eagles dropped a close match to West Stokes the following week. West won 3-1, but all four sets were decided by three points or fewer.

Surry Central followed with another five-set thriller against Alleghany, which also went the way of the Trojans.

“The girls have developed so much these first two weeks of the season,” Payne said. “Most of the girls have never played together, so it’s been a huge adjustment getting everyone to trust and play together. We are a really young team. I’m just so proud of the improvement they have made with each set and game they have played.”

Payne added that everything clicked for Central (1-4, 1-0 FH2A) in the match against West Wilkes.

After trailing early in the first set, Central used a 5-0 run behind Lily O’Neal’s serving to go up 9-8. The visiting Blackhawks (2-5, 0-1 FH2A) interrupted the run to tie the score at 9-9 before an Aubrey Hodges block started another big run for the Eagles.

West Wilkes cut Central’s advantage to a point at 17-16, but never tied the game up again in the set. Marissa McCann, who is Central’s leading returning attacker from last season, put away a kill as part of 3-0 run that forced West Wilkes to call timeout.

The Blackhawks never recovered an dropped the first set 25-21.

West took its only lead of the second set early on by going up 3-2. O’Neal got the Eagles going with a kill, then McCann went to the baseline and served up a pair of aces as part of the set’s only lead change.

A Central net violation put West Wilkes within one at 8-7. Then, the Eagles went off for a 10-3 run. Surry Central first-years Presley Smith and Mallie Southern put away attacks at the net to garner a few “she’s a freshman,” chants from the crowd during the run.

The Eagles won five of the final six points in the set to increase the lead to 2-0.

Like the two previous sets, the third set started close before Central went on a big run. The biggest of these runs came in the final set when the Golden Eagles won 14-of-17 points during one stretch.

West Wilkes took a 9-8 lead after an attack error from Surry Central, then the Eagles tied the score at 9-9 thanks to a McCann kill. The senior then served Central on a 5-0 run before West scored again.

Kylee Schendel had a big block for Central before serving an ace of her own during a 3-0 run. The Eagles committed an attack error to make it 16-11, then scored the next six points to go up 22-11. Smith had a trio of blocks during the final run.

West Wilkes rallied late with a 6-2 run before a McCann kill ended the set at 25-19.

“I knew it was coming, because with each set and game the girls have been improving so much,” Payne said on the Eagles’ first win. “I’m just so proud of them.”

Following a nonconference game against Elkin, Surry Central resumes FH2A competition against Wilkes Central on Sept. 1.

North Surry swept Mount Airy Monday to give the Greyhounds their third win of the season.

The Hounds won the opening set 25-18 before facing heavy resistance in the second. The Bears came back from a four-point deficit to lead 25-24, but the Greyhounds still managed to pull away for the win 28-26.

The third and ultimately final set was all North Surry. The Greyhounds never trailed and went on to clinch the match with a 25-17 victory.

Though North Surry has just two seniors on its roster, the team has more varsity experience that meets the eye. Last year’s team had four seniors, but – due to various injuries – a plethora of underclassmen received significant minutes throughout the season.

The Greyhounds continue their evolution as a junior-heavy team this season.

“The experience we have together helps us look toward advancing the level of offense we are trying to run,” said North Surry coach Shane Slate. “If we wish to continue to improve, our consistency passing the ball and not committing unforced errors are the two things that are better from last year but still need to get better.”

This year’s team has two seniors, seven juniors and a sophomore.

Both the Greyhound seniors, Aniya Joyce and Kyra Stanley, are multi-year varsity players. Stanley is an outside hitter, and Joyce a middle hitter.

Joyce has been the team’s top attacking option the past two seasons. She’s continued to develop her game, and has become even more deadly as a senior.

“Aniya has started to come into own and play with more confidence,” Slate said. “She has hit above .400 in three matches this year and has a run every match where she really pounds the ball.”

When Mount Airy mounted its comeback in the second set, it was attacks from Joyce that helped North Surry pull away for a 2-0 set advantage. Had Mount Airy won the second set, the match then becomes a best 2-of-3 with momentum on the Bears’ side.

North led 22-18 when a kill from Mount Airy’s Morgan Mayfield started a 3-0 run. Abby Epperson got an ace to cut the lead to two, and a block by Kinlee Reece led to Mount Airy coming within a point. North’s Callie Robertson kept the Greyhound lead alive with a back-row kill, but the Bears followed with two more points to tie the game at 23.

A kill from Joyce put North Surry within a point of winning the set, prompting Mount Airy to call a timeout. Isabella Allen and Alissa Clabo flipped the script for the Bears and then the Hounds used a timeout.

North came out of the timeout and tied things up at 25 with a Joyce Kill. Stanley aced the Bears to take an advantage, but an attack error from the Hounds tied the game once again. Yet another Joyce kill put North on top once again, and this time it led to the Hounds winning the set.

North Surry came out serving strong in the third set. The Hounds jumped out to a 5-1 lead and never looked back.

A key piece of the Greyhound offense is the team’s lone sophomore Ella Riggs. Riggs served as setter her freshman year and has continued her ascent at the position as a sophomore.

“Ella is getting more comfortable running the offense, and as her understanding of situations improves things will get easier,” Slate said.

A kill from Allen cut the lead to one point at 8-7, but then the Hounds followed with a 7-1 run. North Surry led by as many as eight in the final set, going on to win 25-17.

The Hounds still have a lot of work to do to get where Slate wants them to be. However, being able to building chemistry this season with a group of experienced players will help greatly as North Surry enters conference play.

“We need to just focus on some basic things being consistent so we can play faster and more aggressively,” Slate said.

Mount Airy and North Surry both opened conference play on Aug. 30.

The Bears traded sets with East Wilkes before winning it all 3-2. Mount Airy won its Northwest 1A Conference opener with set scores of 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25 and 15-11.

Mount Airy improves to 2-3 overall with the victory and returns to action Sept. 1 at South Stokes.

North Surry hosted Wilkes Central and fell 3-0 to the Eagles. Central won the Foothills 2A Conference matchup with set scores of 25-23, 25-22 and 25-21.

The Hounds drop to 3-4 overall and return to action Sept. 1 at East Surry.

The Mount Airy tennis team took on its biggest challenge in years by facing Forsyth Country Day in a nonconference match on Monday.

The match was the latest obstacle in the Granite Bears’ gauntlet of nonconference opponents from higher divisions. The defending N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 1A Dual Team State Champions, Mount Airy looked to push itself during nonconference play in preparation of another deep run this season.

A challenge is exactly what the Bears got in Forsyth Country Day: 4-of-6 singles matches were decided in third-set tiebreakers, Forsyth became the first school to win more than two singles matches against Mount Airy since the 2020-21 season, and the overall match went down to the final doubles competition.

Forsyth Country Day ended Mount Airy’s 27-match winning streak by defeating the Bears 5-4.

“I tried to stress to the team after the loss that I know it hurts right now and we could’ve played it safe and scheduled to protect our record, but that doesn’t make us any better,” said Luke Graham, who is in his third season as the Lady Bears’ head coach.

“I think you need to feel the pressure and the stress and be uncomfortable against a team as good as they are. Win or lose, you have that experience to draw on for the next time you’re in that situation.”

Mount Airy began the season with three matches against teams from higher divisions, taking on 4A RJ Reynolds, and 2A teams Surry Central and East Surry. After opening Northwest 1A Conference play with a win over East Wilkes – who ranked No. 4 in 1A at the time – the Bears defeated 3A Central Davidson before falling to Forsyth Country Day.

“I’m extremely proud of our effort,” Graham said. “I hate we came up short, but firmly believe we’ll be better collectively in the long term because of that match, along with the other teams we played in the first two weeks of the season.”

Forsyth Country Day competes in the N.C. Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA), which features most of the state’s private schools. The Furies finished 15-3 in 2021-22 and reached the quarterfinals of the NCISAA 3A State Tournament.

Mount Airy came into Monday’s match ranked No. 1 in the NCHSAA’s 1A Division by the N.C. High School Tennis Coaches Association. The Bears were No. 1 in the NCHSTCA Preseason Poll, dropped to No. 3 in the Week One Poll then took the top spot back for Week Two.

No. 5 and No. 6 singles were the only singles matches to end in straight sets. Mount Airy’s Audrey Brown defeated Mary Brooks Hall 6-3, 6-3 on court six, and Forsyth’s Erika Choopani defeated Charlotte Hauser by the same score.

Courts one through four all needed third-set tiebreakers. On all four courts, the girl that won the first set went on to win the match.

The top two seeds followed a similar script. Forsyth’s No. 1 Sophia Spalcke defeated Carrie Marion 6-4 in the first set, and the Furies’ No. 2 Sydney Simmons topped Ella Brant by the same score.

Spalcke led 5-2 in the second set before Carrie won the next five games to win the set 7-5. Spalcke went on to win the tiebreaker 10-4.

Brant trailed 5-4 in No. 2 singles before winning three consecutive games, taking the set 7-5. The pair went back-and-forth in the tiebreaker before Simmons came away with the 10-8 victory.

The Bears No. 3 seed Kancie Tate pulled away from Julia Kincaid to win the first set 7-5. Tate dropped the second set 6-0, but then rallied to win the third-set tiebreaker 10-8.

Audrey Marion won the first set of the No. 4 singles match 6-4 for Mount Airy. Her opponent, Forsyth’s Zayla Smith, took the second set 6-3.

The Granite Bear senior won the third-set tiebreaker 10-7 to tie the teams up at 3-3 entering doubles.

Brant and Carrie Marion earned Mount Airy’s fourth win by taking No. 1 singles by an 8-6 score. However, the Furies won No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to come away with the overall win.

Simmons and Kincaid defeated Tate and Hauser 8-4 to win No. 2 doubles, and Choopani and Hall defeated Brown and Audrey Marion 8-6 to take No. 3 doubles.

Mount Airy’s next two nonconference games aren’t for another few weeks, when the team hosts West Stokes on Sept. 19 and travels to Wheatmore two days later.

The Granite Bears resume NW1A Conference Play on Sept. 1 by traveling to North Stokes.

Match results vs. Forsyth Country Day

1. Sophia Spalcke (FCD) def. Carrie Marion 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (10-4)

2. Sydney Simmons (FCD) def. Ella Brant 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8)

3. Kancie Tate (MA) def. Julia Kincaid 7-5, 0-6, 1-0 (10-8)

4. Audrey Marion (MA) def. Zayla Smith6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-7)

5. Erika Choopani (FCD) def. Charlotte Hauser 6-3, 6-3

6. Audrey Brown (MA) def. Mary Brooks Hall 6-3, 6-3

1. C. Marion/Brant (MA) def. Spalcke/Smith 8-6

2. Simmons/Kincaid (FCD) def. Tate/Hauser 8-4

3. Choopani/Hall (RJR) def. A. Marion/Brown 8-6

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Mount Airy and East Surry last played in April 2021. In the 16 months between meetings each school graduated two classes of seniors, one of the schools made two regional championship appearances and one state championship appearance, and both football programs shattered records as part of 13-1 seasons last fall.

Despite many new faces on both sides, the 58th edition of Mount Airy-East Surry went a lot like the previous installment: a low-scoring defensive battle at Wallace Shelton Stadium in which the winner scored all of its points in the first half, holding a double-digit lead at halftime. Then, the other team rallies late to make it a one-score game, but comes up short in the end.

East Surry emerged victorious on both occasions, winning Friday’s game 14-12.

The Cardinals have now won four consecutive meetings against the Granite Bears and eight of the past 11.

“We knew coming in that East Surry returned a lot of starters from a team that was very good last year,” said Mount Airy coach JK Adkins. “Had hoped that we would have been more effective moving the ball in the first half. We were so proud to see our defense play like they did. I thought our defensive coaching staff did a phenomenal job and our kids played with tremendous effort.”

Cardinal coach Trent Lowman called Friday’s game “eerily similar,” to the April 2021 battle between East and Mount Airy, saying he felt like he had déjà vu at points.

“I walked off the field at halftime and, looking at the score, it struck me that we’ve been here before,” Lowman said. The Cards had scored their first touchdown late in the first quarter, then added another score with less than 30 seconds remaining in the second to go up 14-0 at the half.

“We did some good things offensively and we got a touchdown in late in the half, so much like that game in the spring. You kind of knew what was coming in the second half. You knew they were going to come out with some fire, they were getting the football and they were pumped up.”

The coach was correct, and the Bears stormed back and scored on the opening drive of the second half. Colby Johnson jumped in the way of the PAT to leave the score at 14-6, which would come into play later in the night.

Mount Airy’s offense went on to move the chains nine times in the second half after doing so just twice in the first 24 minutes of play. The Bears were also able to move on the ground more after being held to -25 yards rushing in the first half.

East Surry, alternatively, moved the chains 10 times in the first half, but only twice in the second half. The second instance didn’t occur until there was less than 60 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Following the 2021 Bears-Cardinals game, Adkins said he felt his defense played well enough to win the game while the offense’s struggle to move the ball on the ground ultimately hindered them. He echoed that sentiment after Friday’s game.

“A lot of different factors contributed to that,” Adkins said. “East Surry’s defensive speed, our inability to protect the passer to hit big plays in the passing game, confusion up front and a couple key injuries all played a part.”

“Their defense out-played our offense,” Lowman said. “But, we made some mistakes and let them outplay us. So we’ve got to go in and get some things fixed.”

Down eight points entering the fourth quarter, Mount Airy began a drive on its own 20 following a Stephen Brantley punt. The Granite Bears’ drive started with 11:43 on the clock and spanned 8:45 of game time over 17 plays. During the drive, the Cardinals where flagged for disconcerting signals, pass interference and encroachment, while the Bears were flagged for a false start and assisting the runner.

The Bears faced fourth-and-12 on the drive and survived thanks to an Ian Gallimore pass to Taeshon Martin. Later in the drive, Mount Airy faced third-and-goal from the 10 and Gallimore once again looked to pass. When pressured by Cardinal defenders, Gallimore scrambled and ran the touchdown in himself with 2:58 to play.

Mount Airy lined up to go for two down 14-12, but had to burn a timeout to set a play up. When lining up after the timeout, the Bears’ coaching staff noticed something was off and had to use another timeout. The Cardinals were still able to stop the Bears short on the conversion and maintain the lead.

Mount Airy’s Walker Stroup took a short kickoff in hopes of recovering it for the Bears, but the Cards’ Gabriel Harpe dove on the ball.

Two short runs from Cardinal QB Folger Boaz set up third-and-5, then Devin Williams converted the first down to effectively end the game. Williams added another short run to force Mount Airy to burn their final timeout, then Boaz kneeled twice.

Lowman said he didn’t really get nervous during Mount Airy’s comeback, but added that it wasn’t for the reason one might expect.

“I didn’t really have time to get nervous during the game. I was just focusing on what we needed to do to win,” Lowman said. “If anything, I was more anxious this week about coming into a place like this where, yeah, it’s a rivalry, but you’re also going up against a really good football team. They’re in the hunt for a state championship every year for a reason.

“They’re extremely well-coached, they play extremely hard and they have good players on the field – and that’s a deadly combination.”

Both sides had defensive standouts in the rivalry game.

Mount Airy’s defense forced 13 plays of either no gain or negative yards. Gallimore, Stroup, Tyler Mason, Cam’Ron Webster, Blake Hawks and Deric Dandy each picked up tackles for a loss, while Gallimore and Dandy each picked up sacks.

The Bears also held Boaz to 9-of-21 passing for 120 yards, marking just the third time in Boaz’s three-year career as a starting quarterback that he was held to single digit completions while playing an entire game. Boaz did throw for both Cardinal touchdowns, but was picked off by both Stroup and Logan Fonville.

East Surry’s defense forced 21 plays of no gain or negative yards. Brett Clayton, Kyle Zinn, Trey Grubbs, Anderson Badgett and Hatcher Hamm each picked up tackles for a loss. Zinn and Badgett recorded multiple sacks, and Eli Becker added one.

The Cards held Gallimore to 4-of-10 passing for 64 yards. This is Gallimore’s lowest completion percentage in 16 games as a starting QB, and is just the third game in which he hasn’t thrown a passing touchdown. Gallimore was picked off once by East’s Will Jones, and the QB lost a fumble that was forced by Zinn and recovered by Colby Johnson.

East Surry (2-0) finished the game with 240 total yards coming from 120 yards passing and 120 yards rushing. Matthew Keener led the Cards in yards receiving with three receptions for 74 yards a touchdown, followed by Johnson with four receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown, and Williams with two receptions for three yards.

Williams led East Surry’s ground game with 13 carries for 75 yards. Boaz was next with 17 carries for 25 yards, followed by Zinn with four carries for 14 yards and Johnson with one carry for 6 yards.

Mount Airy (1-1) finished with 118 total yards coming from 64 yards passing and 54 yards rushing. Stroup grabbed two receptions for 50 yards, Martin had one reception for 20 yards and Mario Revels caught one pass for a loss of six yards.

Mason led the Bears’ running backs with 18 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown, followed by Martin with four carries for three yards, Gallimore with 15 carries for -2 yards and a touchdown, and Traven Thompson with one carry for -3 yards.

Both squads have big expectations for the 2022 season and look to use this game as a jumping off point.

In the preseason, Lowman said the goal for the Cardinal coaching staff is to have the team peaking at the end of the regular season and beginning of the postseason. Playing Mount Airy, one of if not the outright toughest team they’ll play in the regular season, just two games in didn’t change that strategy.

“We didn’t change much before this, and we’re not going to change,” Lowman said. “We’re doing it the same way this year as we always have. Our entire playbook is in, and we’re just trying to get better at everything as the season goes as opposed to trying to do two things now, a third thing next week and a fourth thing after that.

“We’re not changing because our method has worked, and I hope it works again. I hope we’re peaking in late October/early November for a run. It’s on our guys to stay healthy, and take care of their bodies and keep learning what we do and just get cleaner and crisper as we go along.”

For Mount Airy, the loss breaks an 11-game winning streak of regular season games. The loss itself stings, but Adkins said he believes this game – much like the season opener against North Surry – will be extremely beneficial to the Bears in the long run.

“There is no such thing as a good loss, but our team grew exponentially tonight,” Adkins said. “Things like this galvanize a team and a coaching staff.”

Mount Airy’s focus now shifts to getting players healthy, while also maintaining a “commitment to basics and fundamentals,” Adkins said.

“I’m proud of our guys. We move forward from here.”

2:29 ESHS 0-7 – Colby Johnson 9-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Joshua Parker PAT

0:22 ESHS 0-14 – Matthew Keener 22-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Joshua Parker PAT

7:19 MAHS 6-14 – Tyler Mason 1-yard rushing TD, PAT blocked by Colby Johnson

2:58 MAHS 12-14 – Ian Gallimore 10-yard rushing TD, 2-point conversion no good

DOBSON — A 77th-minute goal from Lucas Keller lifted Elkin over Surry Central on August 24.

Central built a 2-0 lead late in the first half, but Elkin began to turn momentum by striking just before the halftime whistle. The Buckin’ Elks then scored an equalizer early in the second 40-minute period.

The score was level at two apiece for more than 35 minutes before Keller broke free and netted the game-winner.

Wednesday’s victory marks Elkin’s first win over Surry Central since 2003.

“It’s the same thing that happened with Statesville: we started to goof off too much,” said Central coach Adan Garcia, referencing a match the day before.

“If we would’ve stuck to our guns like in the first half when we were moving the ball and had a lot of 1-2s…that’s where we had our success. For some reason, something happened and we gave away too many possessions in the middle, and they’ve got some speed up top so they were able to hit us on the counters. They punished us. They took the chances that they had and put them away.”

A lot went right for Surry Central in its third match of the season. The Golden Eagles’ (1-2) offense advanced up the sidelines and was putting shots on target for most of the first half. Central out-shot Elkin 11-6 in the first half, while putting nine of those shots on frame; six were saved by Elkin keeper Chip Sloop, one hit the right post and two found the back of the net.

Surry Central’s defense also held the Elks (3-1) scoreless for 38 minutes. The back line was hesitant to just boot clearances into the abyss of the midfield, instead playing a slower game and using triangle passing to advance.

Both of Central’s goals were scored with most of the Eagles already in Elkin’s defensive third. While the speedy Elks relied on counters and through balls, Surry Central took its time and widened the field. This led to both goals for the home team.

Sophomore Luke Creed broke the 0-0 tie in the 32nd minute. Freshman Alberto Talavera ripped a shot from 35 yards out that bounced off the right crossbar. While most of the players waited for Sloop to pounce on the deflection, Creed didn’t, instead opting to time his run just right so he was the only player around when the rebound rolled out of the six-yard box.

A simple redirect from Creed put the Eagles up 1-0.

Diego Sonato, another sophomore, added to the lead with a goal six minutes later.

“Honestly, everybody was talking and everybody was doing their movements off the ball [in the first half]; that’s something we’ve been working on,” Garcia said. “They’re used to being static, and I’ve told them you can’t do that at this level. They were moving off the ball, their runs were good, their through balls were good, everything that we’ve been working on was clicking.

“When they decided to go away from that is when we were punished.”

Elkin also picked its shots well. The visitors put 4-of-6 first-half shots on frame, including the team’s opening goal with less than two minutes remaining in the half.

The Buckin Elks earned a corner kick less than 30 seconds after Central’s second goal, again using its speed up front to catch the Eagles sleeping. Elkin freshman Charlie Pelkey took the corner and set junior Alejandro Lopez-Canobbio up for the goal.

The second half started with more Central offense, though the Eagles weren’t able to find the back of the net. Daniel Urquiza put a header off frame after a Cristofer Tello corner kick, and Luis Gonzalez had a shot shortly after that was deflected out for another corner.

In a flash, Elkin tied the score at 2-2. Lopez-Canobbio was left up top for the Elks while most of the team retreated to play defense. A timely clearance left Lopez-Canobbio alone on Central’s half, where he made a beeline for the opposing net and scored his second goal of the game.

Elkin had a chance to go up earlier in the second half off another counter. Pelkey send a through ball to Lopez-Canobbio, and the striker dribbled past the charging Central keeper to face a wide open net. Lopez-Canobbio skied the shot, however, to leave the game tied at two each.

Most of the second half was contested in the middle third of the field, and Surry Central only had one shot in the final 20 minutes. That shot sailed north of the crossbar by about 10 yards.

The clocked was stopped with less than four minutes left in the game after Talavera went down with an injury. Central advanced into Elkin territory off the ensuing free kick, but then Elkin made a quick counter that saw Keller run free on Central’s half.

Keller came at the goal from the right side and made it past a charging keeper. Urquiza was the last line of defense covering the near post, but Keller placed a shot out of reach to give Elkin the advantage.

Golden Eagle Cesar Guerrero made a last-minute cross to try and tie the game at 3-3, but the Elks defense cleared it and ran out the clock in the midfield.

Surry Central’s schedule doesn’t get any easier with matches against three 4A teams – Glenn, Reagan and Davie – scheduled for the week of August 29-September 2. Before taking on the trio of large schools in nonconference play, Garcia hopes the Eagles can sit down and review the past few matches to hopefully avoid similar collapses in the future.

“Tomorrow is our game film day so we can watch the last two games,” Garcia said. “It’s tough for us just to talk about it, they actually need to watch it and actually see the details we’re talking about. We’re a very detailed team, but a lot of the younger guys just aren’t used to it yet. They’re just so used to playing that middle school ball where there’s no tactics it’s just hit the ball and chase it down.”

Garcia has a positive outlook moving forward, and said he knows there is work to do on a team that has 13 underclassmen and just two seniors.

“If we can play this bad – from my point of view – and still compete, imagine what we can do when we start clicking,” he said. “We’ll get there.”

Elkin returns home on August 29 to host Gray Stone Day.

Goals: Luke Creed (SC) from Alberto Talavera assist 32’, Diego Sonato (SC) 38’, Alejandro Lopez-Canobbio (Elk) from Charlie Pelkey assist 38’ | Alejandro Lopez-Canobbio (Elk) 51’, Lucas Keller (Elk) 77’

Mount Airy moved to 3-0 on the season with a 6-0 win over North Surry.

The shutout is Mount Airy’s first of the year after posting wins of 6-1 and 4-2 during the first week of the season. The nonconference match is North Surry’s second of the season, with the Hounds previously defeating West Stokes 2-0.

“North Surry soccer is kind of rebuilding right now,” said Greyhound coach Kevin Shore. “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores, just not a lot of juniors and seniors. We’re still getting our chemistry together, and definitely have some things to figure out, but I know we’ll get it all together as the season progresses.”

The Greyhounds started six freshman against the veteran Granite Bears, who have 10 seniors and are coming off a 26-1 season. Though, Mount Airy isn’t immune to growing pains of their own.

“We were in way too big a hurry tonight,” said Bears coach Will Hurley. “Don’t get me wrong, I love that we were possessing the ball as much as we were, but we have got to slow down and play our game when we get close to their goal.”

Mount Airy attempted 37 total shots during Tuesday’s match. However, the Bears only scored two goals in the opening 40 minutes and both came in the first 10 minutes of play.

This was partly due to Greyhound keeper Josh Garcia, who came away with north of 15 saves in the game.

“Without Josh back there, we may’ve been scored on eight or nine times in the first half,” Shore said. “He played a heck of a game tonight. He really did.”

While some of the shots that weren’t scored were blocked by Garcia, whose efforts Hurley called, “exceptional,” most of Mount Airy’s first-half shots were off frame.

“I’m happy with how we’re playing, I’m just not thrilled with how we’re finishing,” Hurley said.

In the season opener against West Stokes, Shore said North Surry did well to control possession while winning most of the 50-50 balls. Goals from Jimmy Burnette and Edgar Vasquez lifted the Hounds to victory in that match.

Against Mount Airy, the possession split was closer to 75-25 in favor of the Bears. North did well to keep Mount Airy, a team that scored 156 goals in 2021, from running up the score early, but could only hold on so long.

“We weathered the storm for a pretty long time,” Shore said. “Our kids didn’t do bad at all, they were just up against a really talented veteran team. Those early goals, for instance, were just good plays on the ball. It’s one of those things where we just have to just acknowledge they made a good play and move on.

“It is humbling to play a game like this early on and find out you aren’t as good as you think you are. We’ve got some personalities we’re going to manage, and we’re going to take this chance to grow as a team.”

Mount Airy’s Gavin Guerrero scored two goals within the first 10 minutes of the match. He netted the first by curving a corner kick past the keeper, then scored the second on an assist from Elkin Lopez.

North Surry then held Mount Airy scoreless for the remainder of the first half. The Hounds tried different combinations of lineups as they tried to find the best options for different scenarios, but one cornerstone of the defense was Hector Hernandez – one of the team’s only seniors.

“Hector will help fill the gap left by Jair,” Shore said of 2022 Greyhound graduate Jair Gonzalez. Gonzalez was a four-year member of the varsity soccer team, spending his last few years on defense, that is continuing his soccer career at the collegiate level.

“Hector is only going to get better as the season progresses. He’s got great anticipation, great footwork and a great presence for not being the biggest guy on the field. It’s going to take us a few games to get our feet under us, but he’s one of those returning guys that’s going to help us a lot.”

As efficient as the Hounds’ defense was throughout the latter part of the first half, fatigue set in during the second. Guerrero took advantage and scored his third goal in the 48th minute. Then, the floodgates opened.

Mount Airy’s experienced midfield kept pressure on North’s defense for most of the second half. Hurley applauded midfielders Saeed Saavedra and Vicente Gomez for their play in the game, calling them, “phenomenal.”

The Bears’ accuracy improved for the second half. Of 11 shots in the half: five were saved, four were scored on only two were off target.

“We’re getting there, I may just be impatient. I’m not sure,” Hurley said. “We’re trying different things and attempting to break some bad habits. The quicker we can, the better off we will be in the long run.”

Breaking some of those habits is something Hurley would like to see progress with over the next three games, which will be a trio of rematches from the Bears first three games of the year.

“This time around I would love to see us have better finishing early on,” he said. “I’d just like to see us possess the ball and slow it down in front of the goal. We don’t have to hurry up, panic and kick it over.”

For North Surry, Shore said cohesion and respect are the team’s two biggest focal points moving forward through nonconference play.

“Our leadership needs to work within the team,” Shore said. “It’s almost difficult to put into words, but I need players to be players and coaches to be coaches. I get that having that many freshman join upperclassmen isn’t easy, but that’s just going to take time to adjust to.

“Our goal this year is to be able to compete in every match, and we’re not quite where we want to be just yet.”

Goals: Gavin Guerrero (MA) from Elkin Lopez assist 2’, Gavin Guerrero (MA) from Elkin Lopez assist 9’ | Gavin Guerrero (MA) from Adrian Rodriguez assist 48’, Vicente Gomez 56’, Elkin Lopez from Brayden James assist 74’, Elkin Lopez 76’

The North Surry girls tennis team posted a dominant victory over Wilkes Central to begin the 2022 season.

Playing against a team that defeated them 5-4 twice last season, North Surry swept all six singles matches and all three doubles matches for the 9-0 win. The victory puts the Greyhounds at 1-0 overall and in the Foothills 2A Conference.

The Hounds finished fifth in the FH2A Conference a year ago, while Wilkes Central finished fourth. This year’s North squad looks to ascend the conference rankings.

North Surry is led by a pair of seniors that have been with the team all four years. Whitley Hege and Katie Butler have played in the top three for the majority of their high school careers, and currently compete as the team’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds.

The pair are also the Hounds’ top-ranked doubles team and are coming off an appearance in the 2A Regional Doubles Tournament in 2021.

The Lady Greyhounds only gave up eight combined games in singles competition. No. 3 seed Clara Burke, a sophomore, posted a double-bagel win, while Hege, Butler and junior Molly Reeves only gave up one game each.

Hege defeated Meagan Black 6-1, 6-0 in the No. 1 spot, and Butler topped Whitney Webster 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 2 spot. Burke won 6-0, 6-0 over Susan Vasquez on court three.

Reeves beat Kyara Parson 6-0, 6-1 in No. 4 singles.

Sophomores Mattie Bare and Brianna Baker held down the No. 5 and No. 6 spots. Bare defeated Catherine Matheson 6-0, 6-2, and Baker defeated Lacie Jones 6-1, 6-2.

In doubles: Hege and Butler reunited to defeated Black and Webster 8-2 on court one, Burke and Bare defeated Vasquez and Parsons 8-3 on court two, and Reeves teamed with Sparrow Krantz to beat Matheson and Jones 8-2.

North Surry resumes conference play at East Surry on August 24, then hosts West Stokes in a nonconference match on Aug. 25.

The state’s No. 1-ranked 1A tennis team opened conference play with a win over a fellow top-5 team.

Mount Airy defeated East Wilkes 8-1 to move to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Northwest 1A Conference. The Granite Bears won the NW1A Title with an undefeated record in 2021, and the Cardinals finished second at 10-2.

The Bears won the overall match before the completion of singles play, winning No. 1 singles as well as the No. 3-No. 6 spots.

No. 1 seed Carrie Marion and No. 4 seed Audrey Marion each posted double bagel wins in singles. Carrie topped East’s Hallie Younger 6-0, 6-0, and Audrey beat Emily Spicer by the same score on court four.

Mount Airy seniors Kancie Tate and Charlotte Hauser only combined to give up three games. Tate defeated Ava Darnell 6-2, 6-0 in No. 3 singles, and Hauser defeated No. 5 Valerie Schubart 6-1, 6-0.

Granite Bear freshman Audrey Brown wasn’t far behind on court six. Brown took the first set over Salem Sparks 6-1, then won the second set 6-3 to give Mount Airy its fifth win of the match.

Mount Airy’s Ella Brant and East Wilkes’ Savannah Sparks went to war in No. 2 singles. Savannah won the first set 7-6 after winning the set-tiebreaker 7-3, then Brant won the second set 6-4.

The third-set tiebreaker ends when a player reaches 10 points, but has to win by two points. The pair needed extra points to decide a winner, and one was finally named after hours of play. Savannah walked away with the victory thanks to a 13-11 win in the final tiebreaker.

Defending 1A Doubles State Champions Brant and Carrie Marion bounced back from their only doubles defeat of the season by topping Sparks and Darnell in the No. 1 spot.

The senior duo of Tate and Hauser took on Young and Spicer in No. 2 doubles and traded wins for the first 11 games. The Bears led 6-5 before winning back-to-back games.

The Audreys, Marion and Brown, swept East Wilkes’ Kelsea Absher and Kali Cook in No. 3 doubles to wrap up the 8-1 match win.

East Wilkes falls to 1-2 overall. The Cardinals other loss came against Bishop McGuinness, who is ranked No. 2 in 1A by the N.C. High School Tennis Coaches Association, by a score of 6-3.

Mount Airy takes a break from conference play by traveling to Central Davidson on Aug. 25, then hosts Forsyth Country Day on Aug. 29.

The defending 1A Dual Team State Champions began the road to a repeat by going 3-0 in Week One of competition.

Mount Airy’s quest for a second-consecutive team title is just one of the many storylines to watch this tennis season. There are individuals with undefeated streaks, doubles teams looking to return to their respective state tournaments and a host of young athletes ranked in the top six for the first time at the high school level.

Three of the four local tennis programs opened the 2022 season with matches the week of August 15-19: East Surry, Mount Airy and Surry Central. North Surry was scheduled to compete, but its scheduled opponent did not field a team.

Mount Airy started the year with a trio of wins over teams in higher divisions. East Surry went 1-1, with its loss coming against the aforementioned 1A champs, and Surry Central started 0-1 by also facing Mount Airy.

Brief recaps of each Week One match are listed below:

Tuesday, Aug. 16: Mount Airy def. RJ Reynolds 8-1

Mount Airy, ranked No. 1 in the 1A division in the N.C. High School Tennis Coaches Association Preseason Poll, traveled to 4A Reynolds to open the season.

The Granite Bears didn’t graduate any seniors from their 22-0 championship squad. Five of the players that started in the state championship last season also started in this year’s first match at Reynolds.

The Bears swept singles and won each match in straight sets. There were two tiebreakers – one in the first set of No. 2 singles, and the other in the second set of No. 6 singles – and both went the way of Mount Airy.

The Granite City girls won 2-of-3 doubles matches as well, but dropped No. 3 doubles in a tiebreaker.

1. Carrie Marion (MA) def. Sarah Rhoades Cox 6-0, 6-1

2. Ella Brant (MA) def. May Lewis 7-6 (9-7), 6-1

3. Kancie Tate (MA) def. Elizabeth Kim 6-3, 6-0

4. Audrey Marion (MA) def. Noora Hosseinzadeh 6-0, 6-0

5. Charlotte Hauser (MA) def. Lily Zaks 6-4, 6-4

6. Audrey Brown (MA) def. McKenna Trull 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)

1. C. Marion/Brant (MA) def. Kim/Ally MacCorkle 8-0

2. Tate/A. Marion (MA) def. Hayden Austin/Harper Jenkins 8-1

3. Zaks/Anne Overman (RJR) def. Hauser/Brown 9-8 (7-2)

Tuesday, Aug. 16: East Surry def. West Stokes 9-0

The defending Foothills 2A Conference Champions began nonconference play by hosting their neighbor from across the county line.

The Cardinals graduated three seniors that each spent time in the starting lineup last season. This year’s East Surry team is led by two seniors that have been the top two seeds the past three seasons.

Since West Stokes only had five players, East won No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles via forfeit. The Wildcats only won a combined five games in the remaining seven matches.

1. Tara Martin (ES) def. Piper Pollard 6-0, 6-0

2. Evelyn Ruedisueli (ES) def. Alyssa Sparks 6-0, 6-0

3. Sophie Hutchens (ES) def. Sadie Hartle 6-0, 6-0

4. Chloe Koons (ES) def. Gordon Grabs 6-1, 6-1

5. Taylor Bullington (ES) def. Kathryn Davis 6-0, 6-1

6. East Surry won via forfeit

1. Martin/Ruedisueli (ES) def. Pollard/Sparks 8-0

2. Hutchens/Mallory Estrada (ES) def. Hartle/Grabs 8-2

3. East Surry won via forfeit

Wednesday, Aug. 17: Mount Airy def. Surry Central 9-0

Surry Central comes into the 2022 season having lost its top two seeds to graduation.

This pair of seniors helped lead the Golden Eagles to a second-place finish in the Foothills 2A Conference, then the pair went on to qualify for the 2A State Doubles Tournament.

This year’s Central team features just one senior. Of the 10 players on the roster, seven are underclassmen.

Mount Airy swept both singles and doubles. One match, No. 2 singles, went to a third-set tiebreaker. Central junior Karlie Robertson won the first set 6-3, then Mount Airy junior Ella Brant won the second set by the same score.

Brant walked away with the win after taking the tiebreaker 10-3.

1. Carrie Marion (MA) def. McKenna Merritt 6-0, 6-0

2. Ella Brant (MA) def. Karlie Robertson 3-6, 6-3, 10-3

3. Kancie Tate (MA) def. Priscilla Gentry 6-1, 6-0

4. Audrey Marion (MA) def. Emma Bryant 6-0, 6-0

5. Charlotte Hauser (MA) def. Madelyn Wilmoth 6-1, 6-2

6. Audrey Brown (MA) def. Kaesi Blythe 6-0, 6-0

1. C. Marion/Brant (MA) def. Merritt/Robertson 8-0

2. Tate/Hauser (MA) def. Gentry/Bryant 8-2

3. A. Marion/Brown (MA) def. Wilmoth/Blythe 8-3

Thursday, Aug. 18: Mount Airy def. East Surry 6-3

Two teams that won conference titles in 2021 faced off to end the week. In 2021, East Surry was the only one of Mount Airy’s opponents to win three individual matches against the Bears. The same was true of their first 2022 matchup, but the overall win still went the way of Mount Airy.

East Surry’s Tara Martin and Evelyn Ruedisueli, the team’s two seniors, came away with wins in singles and doubles. The Cardinal duo is the only team to have defeated Carrie Marion and Ella Brant, the 2021 1A Doubles State Champions, in doubles since the beginning of the fall 2021 season.

Martin and Ruedisueli were also All-State competitors in 2021, reaching the semifinals of the 2A State Doubles Tournament.

1. Tara Martin (ES) def. Carrie Marion 6-3, 6-1

2. Evelyn Ruedisueli (ES) def. Ella Brant 6-4, 6-0

3. Kancie Tate (MA) def. Sophie Hutchens 6-2, 6-3

4. Audrey Marion (MA) def. Chloe Koons 6-0, 6-1

5. Charlotte Hauser (MA) def. Taylor Bullington 6-2, 6-0

6. Audrey Brown (MA) def. Mallory Estrada 6-0, 6-0

1. Martin/Ruedisueli (ES) def. C. Marion/Brant 8-4

2. Tate/Hauser (MA) def. Hutchens/Koons 8-2

3. A. Marion/Brown (MA) def. Bullington/Estrada 8-3

Charles Atkins Stadium was packed to maximum capacity Friday to see North Surry host rival Mount Airy in the season opener for both teams.

Playing the Bears in Atkins Stadium for the first time since 2019, the Greyhounds came out of the gate and put six points on the board then forced a three-and-out. When Mount Airy finally got the chance to set its offense into motion the teams traded touchdowns through the third quarter.

The Granite Bears led by five entering the fourth quarter, but quickly ran away with the victory. Mount Airy not only scored on its first play of the fourth, but scored three times on just four offensive plays during the final 12-minute period.

Mount Airy outscored North 23-0 in the final quarter to come away with the 46-18 win. The Bears have now won 15 consecutive meetings against their crosstown rival.

“Charles Atkins Stadium is a special place with a fantastic community and fan base,” said first-year Greyhound head coach Jackson Smith. “The atmosphere is electric, and I can’t wait to get to work and experience a win in front of that crowd. This rivalry is one of the best in the state and I’m glad our kids got to experience it.”

Both squads looked to prove themselves in the season opener. Mount Airy returned most of its offense from the 2021 season, but was without key defensive cornerstones that were multi-year contributors for the team. This opened holes for a group of hungry athletes ready to continue the school’s winning tradition.

“Feels great to be back out under the lights watching our guys compete,” said JK Adkins, who enters his fifth season as Mount Airy head coach.

North Surry returned almost all if its starting lineup from 2021. The Hounds did, however, gain a new head coach, a new quarterback and were running different schemes in multiple phases.

North Surry challenged their fellow Granite City school in ways only one team did last season. In 2021, only the Bears’ fourth-round playoff opponent Mitchell – that went on to finish 1A State Runner-up – was the only one of Mount Airy’s foes to: score a touchdown in the first quarter, score more than six overall points, hold Mount Airy scoreless in the first quarter and take a lead against the Bears.

Coach Adkins acknowledged North Surry’s toughness in the game, and went on to praise his team for their resilience shown when challenged Friday night.

“Throughout the 2021 season, we were not in a close game until the last game,” Adkins said. “Lack of adversity can prohibit growth. The presence of adversity can be a catalyst for growth, and sometimes growth can be painful.”

Both teams faced adversity in the form of injuries and cramps, which forced coaches to try out new lineup combinations while players were being taken care of by the medical staff. While players are traditionally the focus of cheers from the crowd, a voice from the home sideline praised the medical team for quickly and efficiently tending to downed players on both squads.

The story early on was North Surry’s ability to keep Mount Airy’s offense off the field. The Hounds opened the game with an 11-play, 5:33 drive that ended with sophomore quarterback Colton Allen punching in a 2-yard touchdown run.

Ten of the Greyhounds’ plays on the drive were rushes, with Allen and junior running back Jake Simmons moving the chains behind their offensive line. The Hounds finished the game with 346 total yards, which included 47 rushes for 203 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

“North Surry did a good job of controlling the time of possession, especially in the first half,” Adkins said. “We did not play much offense in the first half.”

After the opening touchdown, the Greyhound defense forced a three-and-out and continued rushing through the end of the first quarter.

“I think we have an identity of both sides of the ball; I was really proud of our effort, attitude and physicality,” Smith said. “That is really motivating to get back to work this week and try to sharpen what we are doing.

“I thought Daniel Draughn had a really tough task as his first game as defensive coordinator and he got a lot out of our unit. Offensive Coordinator Tanner Hiatt has cultivated an offense that really maximizes our personnel.”

The regrouped Bears offense needed just two plays to respond and take its first lead of the year. Junior quarterback Ian Gallimore broke free for a 68-yard run, then Caleb Reid scored a 5-yard touchdown on the following play.

North incorporated the passing game more as the night progressed. On the drive after Mount Airy first scored, Allen found Jared Hiatt for a 47-yard touchdown reception on fourth-and-5.

The Bears also relied heavily on the ground game, with 342 of the team’s 432 total yards being rushes. Ian Gallimore and Landon Gallimore each completed one pass; Ian’s was a 59-yard completion to Walker Stroup in the second quarter, and Landon’s was a 31-yard completion to Mario Revels in the third.

Stroup’s touchdown paired with a 2-point conversion punched in by Ian Gallimore put the Bears up 15-12. Mount Airy’s defense halted North Surry on its final drive of the first half, then the Granite Bears extended their lead with a Landon Gallimore touchdown run to open the second half.

What followed was the longest drive of the game. North Surry traveled 80 yards in 15 plays on a drive that lasted 9:36 of game time. Simmons, who led the Hounds with 29 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown, rushed 11 times during the drive and scored a 1-yard touchdown. A failed 2-point conversion left the Bears lead alive at 23-18.

Big plays were the difference maker for Mount Airy. On the second play of the following drive, Reid took a handoff and ran 51 yards to enter the red zone. Two plays after that Tyler Mason started the fourth quarter with an 11-yard TD run. Reid’s 2-point conversion increased the lead to 18-31.

Smith and his coaching staff noticed Mount Airy’s offense making changes as the game progressed, but the coach said the Hounds’ attempts to counter the Bears weren’t enough in the end.

“We made adjustments as well that I thought gave us a chance to make some plays, but with that offense it’s give and take,” Smith said. “JK Adkins and Mount Airy are one of the best in the business running the triple. With the guys they have it’s really tough.”

North continued to fight and made it back to the red zone with less than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Back-to-back penalties moved the Greyhounds back, and Mount Airy’s defense forced multiple incompletions as North Surry turned the ball over on downs.

Mason, who led Mount Airy with 101 yards rushing, scored his second touchdown of the night with a 73-yard run on the next drive. The Bears forced a Greyhound three-and-out, then freshman Taeshon Martin scored the exclamation mark with a 72-yard touchdown run.

Four Bears had at least 60 yards rushing in Friday’s game. Mason led the way at 101, followed by Ian Gallimore at 93, Martin at 72 and Reid at 60. Landon Gallimore added two rushes for 16 yards.

Simmons was the Greyhounds’ leading rusher with 139 yards. Allen was second with 56 yards, followed by Jahreece Lynch with 5 and Fisher Leftwich with 3.

Allen finished 9-of-17 passing for 146 yards and a touchdown. Lynch collected six receptions for 82 yards, Hiatt had one reception for 47 yards and a touchdown, and Simmons added two receptions for 17 yards.

“We had a lot of different guys impact the game tonight,” Smith said. “I can’t say how grateful I am for these kids and this staff. Everyone in this program has busted their tails this offseason. I’ll never be complacent after a loss, but I am fired up to get back to work.”

Both North Surry and Mount Airy continue nonconference play in Week Two. North Surry stays at home to face West Stokes (1-0), and Mount Airy makes its debut in Wallace Shelton Stadium by hosting East Surry (1-0).

6:27 NSHS 6-0 – Colton Allen 2-yard rush TD, 2-point conversion no good

10:05 MAHS 6-7 – Caleb Reid 5-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

7:38 NSHS 12-7 – Jared Hiatt 47-yard TD reception on Colton Allen pass, 2-point conversion no good

1:42 MAHS 12-15 – Walker Stroup 59-yard TD reception on Ian Gallimore pass, Ian Gallimore 2-point conversion

10:32 MAHS 12-23 – Landon Gallimore 4-yard rushing TD, Tyler Mason 2-point conversion

0:56 NSHS 18-23 – Jake Simmons 1-yard rush TD, 2-point conversion no good

11:54 MAHS 18-31 – Tyler Mason 5-yard rushing TD, Caleb Reid 2-point conversion

6:58 MAHS 18-39 – Tyler Mason 5-yard rushing TD, Deric Dandy 2-point conversion reception on Landon Gallimore pass

3:58 MAHS 18-46 – Taeshon Martin 72-yard rushing TD, Walker Stroup PAT

Mount Airy won a war of attrition over East Surry in Wednesday’s season opener

The young Cardinal team, who graduated seven of its 14 players from last season, had the defending 1A West Regional Runner-up in a 2-1 game with the first half winding down. The veteran Bears team responded with a third first-half goal with less than 60 seconds on the clock, then piled on three more goals in the second for the 6-1 win.

“Having this for our first full-speed game I think we did good,” said East Surry coach Samuel Lowe. Lowe is in his first season as Cardinal head coach after serving as an assistant to previous head coaches Andy Jessup and Neal Oliver.

“Of course we are young, but I thought they played darn good against a tough Mount Airy team – which I see probably at the state championship game when it’s all said and done. I really do. They’re that good.”

While the Bears would love to make another deep playoff run this season, coach Will Hurley said the team’s only concern is winning the game in front of them.

“It feels awesome to be back out here,” Hurley said. “It’s a good group of kids, and a lot of them of played for me for a long time.”

Mount Airy’s 2022 team features 10 seniors, many of whom were key parts of last year’s team that finished 26-1 and set numerous school records.

One thing this Granite Bear group isn’t very familiar with is giving up goals. In 27 matches last season, the 2021 team had 16 shutouts and only surrendered goals in seven regular season matches.

Mount Airy went up 1-0 after Gavin Guerrero scored in the 16th minute. Bear senior Agripino Perez added a goal off an assist from Jonathan Valadez in the 38th minute.

East Surry switched into attack mode after the second goal, as the Cards only had one shot on goal to this point. East drew a foul near midfield, and Logan Fagg floated a free kick into the 18-yard box of Mount Airy. Alex Galvan redirected Fagg’s kick to Jonathan De La Cruz to put into the back of the net.

“I think we got out of our shape on that free kick; we went back too far and didn’t hold our line, which led to that goal,” Hurley said. “It’ll be a good learning tool later on. We’ve started seasons off like that before where we don’t give up a goal until like the 10th or 12th game, then when you give it up it hurts so bad. Now, we’ve got that over with and I think that’ll help us.”

Mount Airy needed less than 60 seconds to strike again, with Perez netting his second goal of the evening.

Despite giving up three goals, Lowe said he was proud of team in the first half. The young Cardinals defense gave up 12 shots, but successfully defended five corner kicks and only allowed five of those shots to land on target.

The second half was all Mount Airy, though. The Bears pelted 14 total shots in the second 40-minute period, 10 of which were on target and three that got by the keeper.

“I thought we played great in the first half, but that was before everybody got their cramps – which just shows you what kind of shape we really are in,” Lowe said. “It’s a little different playing game speed than practice speed. We moved the ball a whole lot better in the first half than we did in the second half. We just got wore down. They beat on my defense more in the second half, that’s all it was.

“I’m just proud of the way my boys worked. We’ve got a little conditioning to do, but I believe we’re going to be okay as the season goes on.”

Even with the lopsided victory, Hurley said the Bears have a lot to improve on before facing East again on August 25. At the top of the list is creating more offense by advancing up the wings and using their passing as a weapon.

“We’re going to focus more on doing what we do,” Hurley said. “I don’t like the kick-and-run style, and that’s not our game. We can get an occasional run going like that, but to me a run starts on the outside and not up the middle like that. We’re doing that ‘indoor’ thing and we’ve got to spread it wide and play our game.”

The Cardinals have more than a week until playing again, and Lowe also has a list of changes the team can make before rematching their county rivals.

“Conditioning for sure is at the top of the list,” Lowe said. “A whole lot of us are out of shape, but that falls on me as a coach to make sure these boys are game-shape ready. I’d also like to see us maybe move the ball a little bit better. Let’s get the ball off our foot quicker, and let’s move through the midfield better. That comes with practice and game experience, and I think we’ll definitely improve as the season goes on.”

Goals: Gavin Guerrero (MA) 16’, Agripino Perez (MA) from Jonathan Valadez assist 38’, Jonathan De La Cruz (ES) from Alex Galvan assist 38’, Agripino Perez (MA) from Jonathan Valadez assist 39’ | Elkin Lopez (MA) 47’, Angel Osorno (MA) from Agripino Perez assist 62’, Gavin Guerrero (MA) 67’

A lot can change in a year’s time.

When Mount Airy and Surry Central opened the 2021 volleyball season, both squads were filled with seniors – most of which spent a good portion of their high school careers at the varsity level. With the teams graduating a combined 12 seniors from last season, the 2022 season opener was a fresh matchup featuring numerous new faces.

Mount Airy’s stayed in the driver’s seat for most of the first and third sets. Central kept things close, even holding a 24-23 advantage at one point in the second set, but came up short each time.

The Granite Bears emerged with a 3-0 victory, with set scores of 25-19, 26-24 and 25-21, for the program’s first straight-set win over the Golden Eagles since 2016.

Mount Airy graduated seven seniors from the 2021 season. This includes three of the team’s four All-Conference selections, 4-of-5 leading attackers, the assist leader and 4-of-5 leading blockers. One of the seven seniors signed to continue her volleyball career at the collegiate level.

The experienced Bears finished the year 18-9 overall and won the Northwest 1A Conference Tournament, which was the school’s first conference tournament championship in 29 years.

Surry Central graduated five seniors from the 2021 season. Like the Bears, last year’s Golden Eagle seniors accounted for four of the team’s five All-Conference selections, and the team’s only All-State selection was also a senior. Four of Central’s 2022 graduates signed to play collegiate sports, including three that extended their volleyball careers.

Central finished 18-7 overall and reached the Foothills 2A Conference Tournament Championship. Three of the team’s seven losses came against the eventual 2A West Regional Runner-up.

Mount Airy never trailed in the opening set of Tuesday’s match, but Central kept the score within arm’s length until the Bears took a 19-14 advantage. A timely Eagles timeout halted momentum, allowing Central to cut the lead to three, but then the Bears regrouped and won the set 25-19.

There were five lead changes and nine ties in the second set but the result was the same. Central rallied off back-to-back-to-back points late to take a 24-23 lead. The Bears’ Morgan Mayfield evened the score with a kill from the back row, then two attack errors by the visitors gave Mount Airy the 2-0 set lead.

Surry Central took a brief lead in the third set at 1-0 and 3-2, but it was all Mount Airy after this. The Bears scored seven of the next eight points to force an Eagles timeout.

Central managed to cut the lead to 16-13 at one point, however, Mount Airy scored the next six points to all but end the match. The Bears went on to complete the sweep with a 25-18 set victory.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — East Surry won its season opener 55-7 against Starmount on Thursday.

The visiting Rams struck first and seemed to have the Cardinals figured out through the first quarter, but 55 unanswered points from the Cards – including 27 in just the second quarter – erased any doubts.

The win marks East Surry’s 10th-consecutive win in its series against Starmount.

“It’s great to be back,” said East Surry coach Trent Lowman. “There’s nowhere I’d rather play a high school football game than here at East Surry in David H. Diamont Stadium, and to get a win feels great. I’m proud of this group. They’ve put in a lot of work and had a great offseason. I’m just happy they got to begin the year like this; now, it’s time to go back to work.”

Lowman praised the leadership of his 21 seniors in the win. After facing an early deficit, the Cardinals were able to regroup and refocus late in the first quarter. East Surry then went on to put up 466 total yards while holding Starmount to 156.

The team shared the wealth in all three phases: six different players scored, 10 recorded carries or receptions, two forced turnovers and two converted PATs.

“We didn’t make any changes schematically, but I think our guys settled in and got some confidence,” Lowman said. “We narrowed down some things offensively and tried to get a little better at those things. We have a lot of work to do still. We have a lot to work on and get better at.”

Starmount’s defense came out of the gate hot by forcing a three-and-out, which was a rare occurrence for one of the 2A division’s top offenses in 2021.

The Rams played tight pass coverage forcing an incompletion, tackled a Cardinal receiver in the backfield for a loss then contained a quarterback scramble on third down.

“They did a good job of recognizing and adjusting to our formations,” Lowman said. “They are very well coached and play hard. They’ve been solid for a long time, and I expect them to have a really good year.”

Even after a booming 66-yard punt from Stephen Brantley put the Rams on their own 10 yard line, Starmount wasn’t deterred and was able to chip away at East to continually move the chains. The visitors also caught the Cardinals off-guard three times for offsides penalties as part of the 4:33 drive that covered 90 yards.

The drive concluded with QB Luke Kimmer finding AJ Pardue for a 17-yard reception.

With Starmount mounting a strong resistance to East Surry’s passing offense, the Cards adjusted and utilized more than a handful of running backs. East’s 290 yards rushing against the Rams is the team’s second-most in a game the past four seasons.

Devin Williams led the way for the Cardinals with 15 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Hayden Sammons was next with seven carries for 45 yards and a TD, Lindann Fleming also surpassed 40 yards and scored a touchdown, and Kyle Zinn rushed for 21 yards and a touchdown.

The Cards also found their footing in the passing game as the game progressed. After being held to two completions for no gain through most of the first quarter, QB Folger Boaz connected with Brantley for a 31-yard touchdown with 1:49 on the clock. This was the longest play from scrimmage by either team Thursday night.

Boaz went on to finish 16-of-25 passing for 163 yards, three touchdowns, a 2-point conversion and an interception. He also rushed eight times for 45 yards.

Colby Johnson led all receivers with six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. He also completed 1-of-2 passes for 13 yards.

Brantley added three catches for 41 yards and a TD, and Luke Brown had two catches for 17 yards to go with his touchdown grab.

Dylan Cox, Matthew Keener and Williams combined for the remaining five catches for 50 yards.

East’s defense started clicking around the same time as the offense. Starmount was held to just one first down in the second quarter, two in the third and one in the fourth.

The Rams also turned the ball over twice in the game, the first of which worked to heavily shift momentum in the Cardinals’ favor.

East Surry scored on four consecutive possessions in the first half, and the most recent of these saw Williams plug in a 4-yard run. This was followed by a Boaz-Johnson connection on the 2-point conversion as the first half was coming to a close.

Starmount’s leading back Zack Dezern, who was the Northwest 1A Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2021, had the ball knocked loose on the first play of the next drive and it was recovered by Fleming. East got the ball back with 52 seconds on the clock and only needed 36 to score again.

The second turnover came on the second play of the third quarter, when Williams picked off Kimmer.

Hatcher Hamm led East Surry with 10 tackles. Brett Clayton added seven tackles and a sack, and Fleming had four tackles to go with his fumble recovery.

Dezern was Starmount’s leading rusher with 12 carries for 75 yards. Pardue added three rushes for 24 yards, Zion Ramseur had two carries for 17 yards, Corey Armstrong had two carries for 15 yards, Preston Williams carried twice for five yards, Ryan Kimmer and Evan Shore each rushed once for no gain and QB Luke Kimmer was brought down behind the line of scrimmage twice for a loss of 12 yards.

Luke Kimmer completed 6-of-18 passes for 43 yards. Luke’s 17-yard TD pass to Pardue was Starmount’s only pass greater than 10 yards.

Though week one games are always tricky to game plan for, Lowman said he was happy with the result and said the team will look to tweak a few things to be ready for Mount Airy in week two.

“We have to be better at more things,” Lowman said. “We did a few things well, but we need to be cleaner and crisper in more areas than the few we were tonight.”

6:03 STAR 0-7 – AJ Pardue 17-yard TD reception on Luke Kimmer pass, Alex Mora PAT

1:49 ESHS 7-7 – Stephen Brantley 31-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Stephen Brantley PAT

9:21 ESHS 14-7 – Kyle Zinn 7-yard rush TD, Stephen Brantley PAT

4:07 ESHS 20-7 – Luke Brown 12-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, PAT blocked by AJ Pardue

0:59 ESHS 28-7 – Devin Williams 7-yard rush TD, Colby Johnson 2-point conversion reception on Folger Boaz pass

4:07 ESHS 34-7 – Colby Johnson 18-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, PAT no good

2:06 ESHS 41-7 – Lindann Fleming 13-yard rush TD, Stephen Brantley PAT

9:43 ESHS 48-7 – Devin Williams 4-yard rush TD, Joshua Parker PAT

2:18 ESHS 55-7 – Hayden Sammons 4-yard rush TD, Joshua Parker PAT

Football season in Surry County will start one day earlier than originally planned due to potential bad weather on Friday.

East Surry High School announced Wednesday morning that its Week One varsity home game against Starmount was being moved from August 19 to August 18. The school cited the high percentage for inclement weather as the reason for the scheduling change.

The varsity Cardinals will play Aug. 18 at 7:00 at David H. Diamont Stadium. The JV game originally scheduled for Aug. 18 is being moved to Monday, Aug. 22 at Starmount High.

As of Wednesday afternoon, neither Surry Central, Mount Airy or North Surry announced plans to change their 7:30 kickoff time for Aug. 19.

All three season openers for local teams are rematches from Week One of the 2021 season.

East Surry hasn’t played, or defeated, any team more than Starmount in the past seven years

The Cardinals have won nine-straight games against the Rams, which is East’s longest winning streak in the rivalry that dates back to 1967. This includes six regular season matchups and three playoff games. East defeated Starmount in three-consecutive postseasons 2017-19.

Starmount holds the edge in the overall series with 30 wins to East’s 23. The Cardinals won the most recent game in the series 37-0 on Aug. 20, 2021.

East Surry has outscored Starmount 152-9 in the schools’ past three meetings.

East finished the 2021 season 13-1 overall and 6-0 in conference. The Cardinals won the Foothills 2A Conference Championship and finished 2A West Regional Runner-up. MaxPreps ranked East Surry No. 5 in the 2A West Preseason Poll.

Starmount finished this past season 8-5 overall and 5-1 in conference. The Rams finished second in the Northwest 1A Conference and reached the third round of the 1A State Playoffs. MaxPreps ranked Starmount No. 9 in the 1A West Preseason Poll.

North Surry vs. Mount Airy

One of the most anticipated season openers in recent memory will see Mount Airy travel to North Surry.

The county foes each return a big chunk of talent from the 2021 season. North Surry lost just four seniors, while Mount Airy graduated 13.

Mount Airy has won the past 14 games in the series against North Surry and 19 of the past 20. The Greyhounds’ lone victory over the Granite Bears since 2001 was a 27-26 home win in 2006.

Mount Airy leads the overall series against North Surry with a 42-19-1 record.

The Bears won the most recent rivalry game against the Hounds 43-0 to begin the 2021 season. This was Mount Airy’s fourth shutout victory against North Surry since 1963 and the eighth overall.

North Surry finished the 2021 season 5-5 overall and 4-2 in conference. The Greyhounds tied for second in the Foothills 2A Conference and reached the first round of the 2A State Playoffs. MaxPreps ranked North Surry No. 31 in the 2A West Preseason Poll.

Mount Airy finished the 2021 season 13-1 overall and 6-0 in conference. The Bears won the Northwest 1A Conference Championship and reached the fourth round of the 1A State Playoffs. MaxPreps ranked Mount Airy No. 2 in the 1A West Preseason Poll.

Surry Central takes the field on Friday for the first time since graduating 17 seniors from the Class of 2022.

The new-look Golden Eagles return just one player that received All-Conference Honors in the 2021 season. However, coach Monty Southern – who returns for his 16th season as Central head coach – said the team has a lot of young, hungry players ready to hit the field. The team also has a host of returning players that got significant minutes last season.

Central’s 2021 season opener at Alleghany was the first meeting between the schools since 2004. The Eagles won both matchups, with the latter being a 31-7 road victory.

Surry Central finished the 2021 season 6-5 overall and 4-2 in conference. The Greyhounds tied for second in the Foothills 2A Conference and reached the first round of the 2A State Playoffs. MaxPreps ranked Central No. 44 in the 2A West Preseason Poll.

Alleghany finished the 2021 season 2-8 overall and 1-5 in conference. The Trojans finished seventh in the Northwest 1A Conference and reached the first round of the 1A State Playoffs. MaxPreps ranked Alleghany No. 23 in the 1A West Preseason Poll.

Former East Surry Cardinal Carson Willoughby was named the recipient of the first-ever Ty Montgomery Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship was created to honor the legacy of Ty Montgomery, a 2021 graduate of North Surry High School that passed away in January 2022. Montgomery was a member of the football and baseball teams at North Surry, as well as the Post 123 Senior Legion baseball team.

Willoughby and Montgomery were teammates on the Legion team in 2020.

“Ty was the ultimate team player, and to be nominated by my fellow players and coaches for this special award is an honor,” Willoughby said.

The Ty Montgomery scholarship was funded by Foothills Senior Legion baseball games this past season. Despite being unable to play several home games during the final stretch of the regular season – including a scrimmage with the Carolina Disco Turkey’s semi-professional woodbat team – the team was still able to raise $750 for the scholarship.

Willoughby is a 2021 graduate of East Surry High School. He helped the Cardinals win the 1A West Regional Championship and reach the 1A State Championship Series his senior season.

Carson continued his baseball career at Gardner-Webb University this past year, then joined the Post 123 team while home for the summer.

“He has an excellent attitude and is a great team player with a very high baseball IQ,” said Post 123 coach Brian Hawks. “He gives his all in every game he plays in and never holds back.”

Willoughby played in 19 of Post 123’s 20 games this season, which was the most of any player. He also led the team in multiple offensive categories, including: hits (28), doubles (7), triples (4), RBIs (25), runs (18), on-base percentage (.526) and slugging percentage (.672).

Willoughby played multiple positions for the Senior Legion Team, including center field and pitcher. He only committed one error in 31 chances.

“He was a huge reason for our success and winning record this year,” Hawks said.

Foothills Post 123 finished the season 14-6 overall.

Surry Central’s boys soccer team hosted a special scrimmage on August 8, one week before officially kicking off the 2022-23 season.

Instead of facing another high school team, this year’s Golden Eagle squad went up against some of the top Surry Central players of the past 22 years.

Eighteen former Eagles soccer players returned to their home field for the Adan Huerta Memorial Alumni Game. The game honors 2004 graduate Adan Huerta, who was a freshman on Central’s first-ever team in 2000. Huerta was part of the Eagles team that reached the 1A Final Four in 2002, then went on to be named player of the year as a senior.

A full list of participating alumni can be found at this article’s conclusion.

“It was amazing,” said Central coach Adan Garcia, who enters his fourth season as head coach. “We kind of did it last minute, and we weren’t sure if we’d be able to do it or not. I talked with my AD, Wes Evans, and the former coach Blake Roth, and together we were able to pull it off. I’m really glad we were able to do it.”

The alumni team featured players from Central’s first-ever team, as well as players that graduated earlier in 2022 and everywhere in between.

“For me to be able to see all those generations of great players was pretty cool,” Garcia said. “They all came together to play the sport and put on a show for the fans.”

The home bleachers were packed like they would be for a playoff match. In addition to different generations of players getting the chance to interact, Golden Eagle fans of all ages got to see their favorite players take the field once again.

“That’s the most fans I’ve ever seen at a game,” Garcia said. “They were great, and they reacted like any fan would. It was a great environment.”

Fans were also treated to a surprise guest referee: 2010 Surry Central graduate and current assistant coach Bernardo Leandro. Leandro, who is one of three Eagles that hold the school record for playoff wins, heroically stepped in to officiate the game when the referees didn’t show. He didn’t even need shoes to keep the game under control.

Fans of Surry Central’s early years were treated to a familiar site: a Mike Richardson goal. Richardson, a 2003 graduate of Surry Central, scored 205 goals in just three seasons. This ranked No. 1 in North Carolina and No. 3 in the nation for 14 years, and currently ranks No. 2 in the state and No. 4 in the nation.

Richardson also had seasons of 92 goals and 87 goals in 2001-02. These are the two highest-scoring seasons in North Carolina history and Nos. 2 and 4 in the nation.

Surry Central’s current players were able to interact with alumni during the game.

“I heard so many of those guys giving the team advice,” Garcia said. “You could see their eyes light up. It meant the world to have these guys they’ve heard stories about talk with them.

“After the game I told the guys, ‘They believe in you. They’ve been in your shoes, and this is a reminder that it’s something special to play for Surry Central.’ Now they’re looking forward to representing those alumni as we proceed into the regular season.”

The alumni game marked Central’s first time playing on its home field since November 1, 2021, when the Eagles defeated East Rutherford 3-0 in the first round of the 2A State Playoffs. Surry Central reached the second round before falling to North Forsyth in overtime.

“It really didn’t seem like long ago that we just finished the season, and now we just got done with workouts and have filled out forms for eligibility,” Garcia said.

Garcia went on to explain how great it felt to be playing under the stadium lights again.

“Playing underneath those lights is something special,” he said. “Not everyone can say they did that. It’s not a right; it’s a privilege. I even asked some of the alumni about playing under the lights, and they said there were no words to describe how it felt to come back out there.”

The 2022 season begins match play on August 15. Central hosts West Caldwell on opening day.

“You know, I don’t think I ever feel ready when the season actually gets here,” Garcia said. “I always say I wish we had a little more time, especially with a young team that’s just not used to playing at this level. But, we’re just going to have to push through it and take things game by game.

Part three of three in a series highlighting Surry County athletes that were named All-State by HighSchoolOT in 2021-22.

Surry County student-athletes showed they could compete with the best high schoolers in the state this past school year.

Student-athletes are recognized on a number of levels depending on their level of success. North Carolinians are first honored on an All-Conference basis, then the best of those selections are given All-Region/All-District Honors depending on the sport. Only a select few athletes are recognized as the best in the state.

The 2021-22 school year marked the second year that HighSchoolOT, a high school sports news site anchored in Raleigh, released All-State teams for every sport offered by the N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). However, HSOT’s awards not only featured student-athletes from all four public school classifications in the NCHSAA, but private schools in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) and some homeschools as well.

The All-State awards were decided based on statistics, postseason results and the input of a panel of high school sports journalists statewide. The number of selections was different for each sport.

Part one of this series, featured in the August 4 edition of the News, highlighted athletes named HSOT All-State in sports from the fall 2021 season. Part two, featured in the August 6 editions, recognized All-State athletes from winter 2021-22, and part three acknowledges All-State athletes from the spring 2022 season.

Jared Hiatt (NSHS ‘23) – Outdoor Track Second Team, Long Jump

Outdoor track selections were recognized according to their performances in either the NCHSAA State Championship Meet or NCISAA Invitational. The top two performances in every event – regardless of classification – earned athletes first-team honors. The third- and fourth-highest performances were given second-team honors, and the next-best two finishes were given third-team honors.

Honorable mentions were not named for outdoor track and field.

Hiatt looked to replicate his successful, state championship-winning indoor track season when things moved outside for the spring.

He started by winning the Foothills 2A Conference Championship in long jump and triple jump, then took second in high jump. The only two performances at the FH2A Championship that met the MileSplit U.S. Second Team Standard were Hiatt and Wilkes Central’s Terry Hayes’ marks in long jump.

Hiatt and Hayes continued dueling at the 2A Midwest Regional Championship. Both upped their games in long jump, but this time Hayes finished first and Hiatt took second. Both distances once again met the Second Team Standard. Hiatt did top Hayes in high jump to win a regional title of his own.

Hiatt took home the ultimate prize at the 2A State Championship with a jump of 22-10.75 feet. He also took home a bronze medal in high jump with a leap of 6-04.00. Jared’s championship-winning distance once again met the Second Team Standard, and he was just one of 15 boys at the championship meet – across all events – to qualify for the honor across all events.

Hiatt’s distance was the fourth best in the state and would have put him on the podium in all four public school divisions. On the first team, the 3A champion posted a mark of 23-04.00 and the NCISAA Division 1 champion finished at 23-01.25. Hiatt was joined on the second team by the 4A gold medalist, who had a mark of 22-11.5. The third team saw the 4A runner-up and 2A runner-up post distances of 22-10.00 and 22-09.25.

Bradley Davis Jr. (ESHS ‘22) – Boys Golf Second Team

All-State golf selections were determined based on an average handicap index. For members of the NCHSAA, the index from the two-day championship tournament was used, while the NCISAA’s index game from the one-day championship and one-day qualifier. According to HSOT, additional steps were taken in order to weigh the NCISAA’s championship more than the qualifier.

There were 10 golfers each named to the first, second and third teams. Honorable mentions were not named for golf.

Davis was named Second Team All-State after finishing second overall in the 2A division. He led East Surry through all 36 holes of play at Foxfire Resort’s Red Fox Course. Davis shot 75 (+3) on the first 18 holes, then matched it through the second 18.

The Cardinal was East Surry’s top golfer as the school won the 2A State Championship.

Bradley was also East Surry’s most consistent golfer through the 2022 regular season. By posting the lowest combined score through seven conference meets, Davis was named Foothills 2A Conference Golfer of the Year. The Cardinals won the FH2A Conference Championship by 31 strokes, then captured the 2A Midwest Regional Championship with a 19-stroke advantage.

He will continue his golf career at Gardner-Webb University.

Josh Pardue (SCHS ‘23) – Boys Tennis Third Team

HSOT named a first, second and third team for boys tennis. There were 12 selections for each team, adding up to 36 total selections for the state. Regular season competition was the main factor for determining an individual’s selection as the NCISAA does not hold individual championships.

Pardue was named a member of the All-State Third Team. He served as Surry Central’s No. 1 seed all year and helped lead the Eagles to an undefeated 12-0 conference campaign, marking the school’s first conference championship in the sport in well over a decade.

Josh went 14-0 in singles through the regular season to be named Foothills 2A Conference Player of the Year. He won his match in the first round of the 2A Dual Team State Tournament, then suffered his only loss to the eventual 2A Singles Champion.

Pardue went 13-0 through the regular season with doubles partner Jacob Edmonds. The duo went on to win the FH2A Doubles Championship, finish 2A Midwest Regional Runner-up and qualified for the 2A State Doubles Tournament. Pardue and Edmonds finished the year 19-2 as a team.

Folger Boaz (ESHS ‘23) – Baseball Second Team

A total of 125 players were named All-State in baseball. There were 25 players each on the first, second and third teams, and each of these team had minimum requirements for each position. The Honorable Mention team contained 50 spots regardless of position or classification.

Boaz was one of 32 repeat selections to the All-State team. He was named an Honorable Mention for his sophomore year, and a member of the Second Team as a senior.

Boaz, who was named a member of the N.C. Baseball Coaches Association’s (NCBCA) 2A All-State team, helped East Surry to a 24-2 overall record. The Cardinals won the FH2A regular season and conference tournament championships with an undefeated record, and their only division loss came in the fourth round of the state playoffs against the eventual state champion.

According to MaxPreps, the left-handed pitcher finished third in the state among all classifications in wins with an 11-0 record. He led the 2A division and was third in the state with 126 strikeouts, and was one of five players to throw at least 60 innings and have an ERA of .89 or lower.

As a hitter, Boaz tied for the most RBIs in the state with 49 – which set a new school record – and was ninth in the state in home runs with seven. He finished the year with a .390 batting average and a .521 on-base percentage.

He is a UNC-Chapel Hill Baseball commit.

Dakota Mills (SCHS ‘22) – Baseball Third Team

Mills was named to the All-State Third Team after a historic senior season at Surry Central.

The catcher/shortstop, who was also named to the NCBCA 2A All-State Team in addition to being Surry Central’s Male Athlete of the Year, finished the year with a .985 fielding percentage. He made 82 put-outs on 196 total chances while adding 11 assists, two double plays and committing just three errors.

He set two school records this season in batting average and stolen bases. Mills’.568 average (42/74) is tied for No. 19 in state history, and his 30 stolen bases rank No. 27 all-time.

Mills also posted a .667 on-base percentage with 42 hits and 22 base on balls. He hit 5 home runs, 3 triples, 7 doubles and 19 RBIs while scoring 42 runs

The Golden Eagles were 12-13 overall and 6-6 in conference play.

He will continue his baseball career at Surry Community College.

Rylan Venable (MAHS ‘24) – Baseball Honorable Mention

Venable was one of just two Surry County sophomores recognized on the HSOT All-State Teams, the other being Surry Central wrestler Jacob Price.

The Granite Bear, named an All-State Honorable Mention, helped Mount Airy to a 19-9 season in which the team finished second in the Northwest 1A Conference. The 2022 team’s 19 victories are the second-most in school history according to Mount Airy sports historian Doug McDaniel, trailing only the 1939 team that finished 20-0.

This year’s team also won seven consecutive games at one point – a feat last accomplished by the 1958 Bears who won 10 consecutive games.

The right-handed pitcher threw 91 strikeouts in 55.2 innings, had an ERA of 0.88 and an OBA of .172. He ranked No. 5 in the 1A division and No. 19 in the state in strikeouts.

Venable, the NW1A Pitcher of the Year, was also No. 2 in the 1A division in ERA among pitchers with 50 or more innings pitched. He was No. 9 in the state overall in this category.

At the plate, Venable finished with .402 batting average with 37 hits, 20 RBIs and 32 runs. Of his 37 hits: four were home runs, two were triples, five were doubles and 26 were singles.

He also stole 22 bases this season.

HICKORY — The Carolina Cardinals Triad 12U Softball Team posted four shutout victories to win a recent tournament.

The team traveled to Hickory’s Stanford Park on July 30 to compete in the National Softball Association NC/SC End of Season Closer Tournament. The girls outscored opponents 29-0 to come away with the tournament victory.

The tournament featured five teams: the Cardinals, NC Hustle, Five Star Heat, Bandits NC Glossner/Noonan and Blue Ridge Thunder.

The Cardinals opened group play at 10:15 Saturday morning with a 5-0 win over the Bandits. Jaidyn Blankenship pitched all four innings for the Cards and threw four strikeouts, walked one batter and gave up five hits. Two of the Bandits’ hits came in the top of the final inning when attempting a comeback, but it was halted by a Blankenship strikeout to end the game.

The Triad team had eight hits in the opener. Drew Younginger and Mackenzie Boyles each had two, and Addison Hawks, Tesslea Colbert, Halo Akers and Blankenship each had one.

Next the Cards faced the Blue Ridge Thunder at 12:45 and ran away with an 11-0 win. Hawks threw the entire game for Carolina, finishing with five strikeouts, one walk and one hit allowed.

Seven Cardinal players recorded a hit, including a 3RBI triple from Colbert as part of a 9-run second inning. Younginger, Boyles, Hawks, Jaiden Dixon, Jayden Robertson and Alina Gutierrez all added hits.

With two wins and 16 runs scored, the Cardinals emerged as the No. 1 seed for bracket play. The team earned a first-round BYE then faced the winner of the No. 4-No. 5 matchup.

This put the Triad team up against Five Star Heat in the semifinal, which ended up being another lopsided victory for the Cardinals at 12-0. Dixon threw a no-hitter with five strikeouts and only allowed one walk.

Emme Martin had two of the team’s eight hits, and the following Carolina players each had one hit: Hawks, Blankenship, Colbert, Dixon, Gutierrez and Ava Edwards.

The Cardinals ran into the No. 3-seeded Bandits again in the championship game. The teams combined for just one run in five innings despite combining for 11 hits.

Dixon threw 2.2 innings for Carolina with three strikeouts, two walks and two hits allowed. Blankenship pitched two innings with three strikeouts and no hits allowed, and Robertson allowed one hit in .1 inning on the mound.

Martin and Dixon each had two hits for the Cardinals, followed by one hit each from Younginger, Hawks, Blankenship and Akers.

The decisive run in the 1-0 Cardinals victory came in the bottom of the third inning. Edwards led off with a fly ball to center field and made it all the way to second due to an error by a Bandits player. Edwards stole third with Gutierrez at the plate, then scored on a wild pitch thrown at Martin.

The Cardinals, coached by Christie Robertson, were named tournament champions and given trophies. Blankenship was named MVP of the tournament.

Part two of three in a series highlighting Surry County athletes that were named All-State by HighSchoolOT in 2021-22.

Surry County student-athletes showed they could compete with the best high schoolers in the state this past school year.

Student-athletes are recognized on a number of levels depending on their level of success. North Carolinians are first honored on an All-Conference basis, then the best of those selections are given All-Region/All-District Honors depending on the sport. Only a select few athletes are recognized as the best in the state.

The 2021-22 school year marked the second year that HighSchoolOT, a high school sports news site anchored in Raleigh, released All-State teams for every sport offered by the N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). However, HSOT’s awards not only featured student-athletes from all four public school classifications in the NCHSAA, but private schools in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) and some homeschools as well.

The All-State awards were decided based on statistics, postseason results and the input of a panel of high school sports journalists statewide. The number of selections was different for each sport.

Part one of this series, featured in the August 4 edition of the News, highlighted athletes named HSOT All-State in sports from the fall 2021 season. Part two recognizes All-State athletes from winter 2021-22, and part three will acknowledge All-State athletes from the spring 2022 season.

Jared Hiatt (NSHS ‘23) – Indoor Track Second Team, Long Jump

This year’s indoor track and field All-State teams served as the inaugural edition since the sport wasn’t held during the 2020-21 school year.

Selections were recognized by their performances in either the NCHSAA State Championship Meet or NCISAA Invitational. The top two performances in every event – regardless of classification – earned athletes first-team honors. The third- and fourth-highest performances were given second-team honors.

No honorable mentions were named for indoor track and field.

Jared Hiatt was named Foothills 2A Conference Male Athlete of the Championship Meet in his first-ever season of indoor track. He won a trio of gold medals at the FH2A Championship in long jump, high jump and triple jump, as well as a silver medal in the 4×400-meter relay.

Hiatt qualified for the NCHSAA 1A/2A State Championship Meet in all three jumping events. His mark of 41-03.50 feet earned fifth place in triple jump, and he posted a leap of 6-00.00 to win a bronze medal in high jump.

Jared’s top finish came in long jump. His mark of 22-06.00 earned him a state championship, and the second-place finisher was 15 inches behind him.

Hiatt’s distance was the third best in the state. The 4A champion posted a mark of 23-01.00, and the 4A runner-up finished 22-10.25 to also earn first-team honors. Hiatt was joined on the second team by the 4A bronze medalist, who had a mark of 21-09.75.

Jack Zamudio (EHS ‘22) – Swimming Third Team, 100 Breaststroke

Similar to indoor track, All-State selections in swimming and diving were determined by a competitor’s finish in their respective championship meet.

The top two performances in each event earned athletes first team honors. The third- and fourth-highest performances were given second team honors, and the fourth- and fifth-highest performances were given third team honors.

No honorable mentions were named for swimming.

Zamudio helped lead Elkin to the Northwest 1A Conference Championship with four gold medals: two in individual events, and two in relay races. He went on to win two Midwest 1A/2A Regional Championships in the 100-meter breaststroke and 400 freestyle relay, while also finishing third in the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay.

The Buckin’ Elk senior won three medals at the 1A/2A State Championship. He took bronze in the 400 freestyle relay, and gold in the 200 freestyle relay and 100 breaststroke.

Zamudio’s breaststroke time of 56.21 was the sixth-best in the state overall. The top two spots went to the champions of the NCHSAA’s 3A and 4A divisions. The third-best time was held by the No. 2 finisher in 4A, the fourth spot by the NCISAA Division-II Champ and the fifth by the No. 3 finisher in 4A.

Mia McMillen (SCHS ‘22) – Girls Basketball Honorable Mention, Limestone U Volleyball

The HSOT All-State Basketball Teams honored 75 of the best hoops stars in North Carolina. The first, second and third teams each contained 15 players, and the honorable mention list was made up of 30 selections.

Mia was named FH2A Conference Co-Player of the Year in basketball after averaging 21.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.2 steals, 2.8 assists and 0.5 blocks playing more than 31 minutes per game. She was a prolific scorer that had four games of 30 or points, 14 games of 20 or more points, 18 games of 15 or more points and at least 10 points in all 22 games.

Despite her junior year being shortened due to the coronavirus pandemic, McMillen still surpassed the mark of 1,000 career points.

McMillen was also selected for the East-West All-Star Game, represented the West in the Triad High School All-Star Classic and had the second-most votes in All-District voting.

She will continue her athletic career by playing volleyball at Limestone University.

Jahreece Lynch (NSHS ‘23) – Boys Basketball Third Team

After back-to-back years finishing third and fourth in conference play, the Greyhounds ran through the Foothills 2A Conference with a perfect 12-0 record. North won the FH2A Conference Regular Season and Tournament titles in convincing fashion; a three-game lead secured the Regular Season Championship, and a 17-point win over an impressive Forbush team gave the Hounds the Tournament Championship.

North Surry finished the year 23-5 after being knocked out by the eventual 2A State Champs.

Lynch was North’s leader in points and assists during its run to the 2A West Regional Championship. He averaged 21.7 points, 5.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals. He shot 48% from the field, 37% from beyond the arc and 67% from the free throw line.

Lynch scored 15 or more points in 26-of-28 games, 20 or more in 15 games and 30 or more in four games. He also shot at least 40% from the field in 22 games.

Despite only playing eight games his sophomore year, Lynch already surpassed the 1,000-point mark and still has a season remaining.

Jeremiah Price (SCHS ‘23) – Wrestling First Team, 152 pounds

Wrestling was Surry County’s most represented sport on the HSOT All-State Teams.

There were 104 wrestlers recognized on the All-State teams: two each on the first, second and third teams for all 14 weight classes, and 20 honorable mentions regardless of weight class.

Jeremiah Price was one of 45 wrestlers in the state to be named to the All-State team for a second consecutive year. He was also one of just 11 wrestlers to make a repeat appearance on the All-State First Team for his weight class. He was recognized in the 145-pound weight class in 2020-21, and the 152 class in 2021-22.

Jeremiah finished the year with a 42-0 individual record. Out of 42 total matches, Price won: 27 via fall, seven via technical fall, six via forfeit and just three via decision.

All three wrestlers to last a full six-minute match against Jeremiah went on to win state championships: one in 4A, one in 3A and one in 1A.

He won the FH2A Conference Championship, Midwest 2A Regional Championship and 2A State Championship at 152 in 2022 – marking his third state championship in as many years.

Jeremiah won his first two matches at the state tournament in a combined 36 seconds, then won his semifinal and championship matches via technical fall (25-10, 26-9). He was later named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 2A State Meet.

Jeremiah is an NC State Wrestling commit.

Connor Medvar (MAHS ‘22) – Wrestling Second Team, 170 pounds

Medvar is also one of the 45 repeat selections to the All-State Wrestling Team. After earning third team honors in the 152 division as a junior, Medvar was recognized on the 170 All-State Second Team his senior year.

Including the dual team championship, Connor finished the year with a 34-1 record. Of his 34 wins, he won: 14 via fall, four via technical fall, nine by decision – including three major decision wins – and seven via forfeit.

He won the Northwest 1A Championship, 1A West Regional Championship and 1A State Championship at 170 – marking his second state championship in as many years. Medvar only had one close match throughout the regional and state tournaments, which he won via 9-5 decision. His other matches were: a 32-second win, a 17-0 tech fall, a 60-second win, a 13-4 major decision and a 10-3 decision.

Medvar was one point away from winning the state championship match via major decision while already wrestling up a weight class.

Eli Becker (ESHS ‘23) – Wrestling Third Team, 182 pounds

A change in classification wasn’t enough to contain Becker’s ascent as a competitor.

After falling short of qualifying for the state wrestling tournament his freshman year, Becker went on a tear and finished third in the 1A 182 bracket his sophomore season. He only lost three matches that year, and two of the three came against the eventual state champion in the weight class.

After a short offseason, Becker picked up where he left off and dominated opponents on the mat. He won his first 27 matches of the year which included 19 wins via fall, four via decision and four via forfeit. Becker won the Foothills 2A Conference Championship and 2A Midwest Regional Championship in the 182 bracket to return to the state tournament.

Becker won his opening match at the state championship tournament via first-period fall, then won the next two the same way but in the second period. He made it all the way to the 182 Championship Match before falling to the eventual undefeated state champion.

Jacob Price (SCHS ‘24) – Wrestling Third Team, 145 pounds

Jacob Price was one of just two Surry County sophomores recognized on the HSOT All-State Teams, with the other being featured in the article for spring sports.

Jacob competed in his second state tournament in as many years. As a freshman, he went 18-3 overall while dealing with a back injury. Following his loss in the 2021 2A State Tournament, Surry Central coach Stephen Priddy said the following about the younger Price: “Next year, he will come back healthy and probably wrestle for a state title.”

Jacob returned his sophomore year and received a clean bill of health not too far into the season. He started the season 9-0 before dropping a pair of matches in the Holy Angels Invitational. One of the wrestlers that defeated him went on to win the NCISAA Championship, and the other was a state medalist in the AAA Division in West Virginia.

Jacob won all his remaining matches in the 2021-22 season, finishing with a 32-2 overall record. Of his 32 victories, he won: 24 via fall, three via decision, one via technical fall and four via forfeit.

He won the Foothills 2A Conference Championship, was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the conference championship, then went on to win the 2A Midwest Regional Championship. At the state tournament, Jacob won his first match via first-period fall, then posted back-to-back wins via major decision and technical fall. He won the 145 Championship Match via 8-2 decision.

Part one of three in a series highlighting Surry County athletes that were named All-State by HighSchoolOT in 2021-22.

Surry County student-athletes showed they could compete with the best high schoolers in the state this past school year.

Student-athletes are recognized on a number of levels depending on their level of success. North Carolinians are first honored on an All-Conference basis, then the best of those selections are given All-Region/All-District Honors depending on the sport. Only a select few athletes are recognized as the best in the state.

The 2021-22 school year marked the second year that HighSchoolOT, a high school sports news site anchored in Raleigh, released All-State teams for every sport offered by the N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). However, HSOT’s awards not only featured student-athletes from all four public school classifications in the NCHSAA, but private schools in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) and some homeschools as well.

The All-State awards were decided based on statistics, postseason results and the input of a panel of high school sports journalists statewide. The number of selections was different for each sport.

Surry County was represented by eight selections when HSOT released its first All-State awards in 2020-21: three from East Surry, two from Surry Central, two from Elkin and one from Mount Airy. Wrestling and football were Surry County’s most represented sports with three selections each, while baseball and track each had one selection.

The number of Surry All-State selections nearly tripled for the 2021-22 school year, with 21 student-athletes given HSOT’s top honors. Wrestling was the most represented sport with four selections. Football and baseball each had three, followed by tennis, soccer, basketball and track with two, and volleyball, swimming and golf with one.

Surry Central had the most selections of any Surry school with seven. East Surry was next with six selections, followed by Mount Airy and North Surry with three each, and Elkin with two.

Three student-athletes repeated as All-State selections in their respective sports: Surry Central’s Jeremiah Price in wrestling, Mount Airy’s Connor Medvar in wrestling and East Surry’s Folger Boaz in baseball.

Surry Central’s Mia McMillen was named an All-State athlete both years, but in different sports each time.

McMillen, Boaz and North Surry’s Jared Hiatt were each named to two All-State teams for the 2021-22 school year.

Part one of this series will highlight athletes named HSOT All-State in sports from the fall 2021 season. Part two will recognize All-State athletes from winter 2021-22, and part three will acknowledge All-State athletes from the spring 2022 season.

Tara Martin (ESHS ‘23) – Girls Tennis Honorable Mention

A total of 42 athletes were honored on the All-State Tennis Teams. The first, second and third teams were each made up of 12 people, and six were named honorable mentions.

East Surry’s Tara Martin was named one of the six honorable mentions. According to MaxPreps, Martin went 14-0 in singles during her junior year. She was named Foothills 2A Conference Player of the Year and helped East Surry win the FH2A Title with a 12-0 record.

Tara has yet to lose a singles match in high school. Only one opponent won more than four games against her in a match during the 2021 season. After giving up three games in the first singles match of the year, Martin completed the remainder of the season without ever surrendering three games in a set again.

Martin finished the year 20-2 in doubles. She won the FH2A Conference Doubles Championship with teammate 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.

Mia McMillen (SCHS ’22) – Volleyball Honorable Mention

A total of 75 players were recognized on the Volleyball All-State teams. The first, second and third teams each consisted of 15 players divided by position, and the honorable mention list featured 30 players regardless of position.

McMillen’s selection to the Volleyball All-State team was her first of two recognitions by HSOT in 2021-22 as she later made the All-State Basketball team.

An outside/right-side hitter, McMillen finished No. 6 in the 2A division in kills in 2021 with 340. This was No. 28 in the state among all public school classifications.

Mia also finished in the top 20 in 2A for digs with 316, which propelled her over the 1,000 mark for her career.

She graduates with 877 kills, 1,297 digs, 208 aces and 53 blocks.

McMillen will continue her volleyball career at Limestone University.

Elkin Lopez (MAHS ‘23) – Boys Soccer Third Team

A total of 75 players were recognized on the Boys Soccer All-State teams. The first, second and third teams were each made up of 15 players with position minimums for midfielders, forwards, defenders, goalkeepers and at-large picks. The honorable mention team featured 30 players regardless of position.

A forward for Mount Airy, Lopez tied a school record with 45 goals to pace the Bears to a new school record of 156 goals in 2021. His 45 goals were tied for the fifth-most of any player in the state and tied for No. 36 in the nation.

By recording 45 goals and 15 assists, Lopez finished the year with 105 points. This was No. 5 in the state and tied for No. 40 in the country.

Lopez repeated as Northwest 1A Conference Player of the Year as Mount Airy won the conference title. The Granite Bears finished the year 26-1 and 1A West Regional Runners-up, with the team’s only loss coming to the private school that won the state title.

In addition to being named HSOT All-State, Lopez was named to the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association’s 1A All-Region and 1A All-State teams. He also represented the state as the MaxPreps/United Soccer Coaches State Player of the Week for the week of October 11-17.

Thomas McComb (EHS ‘22) – Boys Soccer Honorable Mention

Elkin High School’s Thomas McComb was also named to the All-State teams.

A goalkeeper, McComb had a 1.000 goals against average by allowing just 20 goals in as many matches. The goalie had seven shutouts and only allowed one goal in another seven matches.

McComb posted 155 saves, or 7.8 per game, and saved one penalty kick.

The Buckin’ Elks finished the year 13-7-1 and reached the second round of the 1A State Playoffs.

He will continue his soccer career at Lees-McRae College.

Memphis Bolatto (SCHS ‘22) – Football Third Team Defense

Since football teams typically have the largest rosters of any high school sport, the football All-State teams also feature the most available spots.

The first, second and third teams each feature 39 players: 15 on offense, 15 on defense, five two-way players and four from special teams. Each group was subdivided to include all position groups. The honorable mention team featured 30 players on offense, 30 players on defense, 15 two-way players and 12 from special teams.

Bolatto made his mark in Surry Central’s secondary by setting the school record for interceptions with 10 in 2021. This was the most of any player in the 2A division, second in the state among all classifications and tied for No. 15 in the nation.

Memphis also recorded 56 total tackles, or 5.1 per game, as well as 3.0 tackles for a loss. The senior returned two interceptions for touchdowns, blocked two field goals, forced one fumble and deflected two passes.

He will continue his football career at Ferrum College.

Sam Whitt (ESHS ‘22) – Football Honorable Mention Offense

Whitt was a four-year starter and four-year All-Conference player for an East Surry team that played in three consecutive 1A State Championship games and four consecutive West Regional Championships.

As a member of the Cardinals’ offensive line, Whitt helped East Surry finish with nearly 6,000 yards of total offense in 2021. The Cards rushed for more than 2,400 yards and passed for more than 3,500, averaging 426 yards per game.

East Surry won the Foothills 2A Conference Championship with a 6-0 record, then finished the season 2A West Regional Runner-up. The 13-1 Cards’ only loss came to the eventual state champion, Shelby.

In addition to being named an All-State player, Whitt was: one of 10 offensive lineman in the state to be selected for the 2021 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, one of seven offensive lineman that represented the West in the N.C. Coaches Association’s East-West All-Star Game, named a member of the 2021 Carolina Bowl Senior Showcase team and recognized as a member of the N.C. Football Recruiting Blue Sheet Academic All-State Team.

He will continue his football career at Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Folger Boaz (ESHS ‘23) – Football Honorable Mention Offense

Boaz was named an All-State Player in two sports: football and baseball.

His first selection came after leading East Surry to a 13-1 overall record that ended with the Cardinals taking home the 2A West Regional Runner-up Trophy. Boaz was named FH2A Offensive Player of the Year as the Cards won the FH2A Championship with an undefeated record.

The dual-threat quarterback finished the year with 4,435 total yards, which was second in the state among all classifications and No. 26 in the nation.

Boaz completed 227-of-324 passes for 3,475 yards and 29 touchdowns while throwing just seven interceptions. He was fourth in the state in yards passing, and his .701 completion percentage was the highest of any quarterback in the state that attempted at least 275 passes.

He is just the fifth player in state history with a single-season completion percentage greater than 70% with at least 275 pass attempts.

Boaz is a UNC-Chapel Hill Baseball commit.

Mount Airy High School hosted the final 7-on-7 scrimmages of the offseason on July 29.

The Granite Bears were one of seven teams that took part in the scrimmages. Mount Airy welcomed fellow Northwest 1A Conference teams North Stokes and South Stokes, as well as the Foothills 2A Conference’s North Surry, Surry Central and Forbush, and the Mid-State 2A Conference’s West Stokes.

Games were held simultaneously at three locations on campus: the game field inside Wallace Shelton Stadium, the offensive practice field and defensive practice field. Since there was an odd number of teams, three teams would rotate their offense and defenses in round robin format on the defensive practice field.

The 7-on-7 served as the teams’ final offseason exercises before the season officially kicked off on August 1.

The Bears are coached by JK Adkins, who enters his fifth season with the team. Adkins holds a 37-9 record as Mount Airy’s head coach.

The 2021-22 season marked the Bears’ second trip to the 1A West Regional Semifinals under Adkins. The team finished 13-1 overall, won the NW1A Conference Championship and Adkins was named NW1A Coach of the Year. The 2021 Bears also set multiple school records, such as most shutouts and fewest points allowed in the modern era.

Mount Airy opens the season at North Surry on August 19.

Surry Central enters the 2022 season with the most new faces of any team around after graduating 17 seniors. One key returner is head coach Monty Southern, who enters his 16th season with the Golden Eagles. Southern holds an overall record of 63-102 at Central.

The Eagles are coming off back-to-back winning seasons; the team went 4-3 in the shortened 2020-21 season, then finished 6-5 in 2021-22. This is just the third time in school history that Surry Central posted back-to-back seasons with winning percentages greater than .500. The last time this happened was 1968-69.

The 2021 Surry Central team finished 6-5 overall and reached the first round of the 2A State Playoffs. Central also tied for second place in the FH2A Conference with a 4-2 record.

Central begins its season by hosting Alleghany on August 19.

North Surry enters the 2022-23 season in the opposite situation of Surry Central, in that North returns all but a handful of players but has a new head coach. Jackson Smith, who previously served as an assistant coach at North Surry, takes over the reins for the upcoming season.

The 2021 Greyhounds finished 5-5 overall and reached the first round of the 2A State Playoffs. North Surry tied for second in the FH2A Conference at 4-2.

The one team North Surry didn’t get to scrimmage at the 7-on-7, Mount Airy, is the Greyhounds’ Week One opponent come August 19.

KERNERSVILLE — The Armfield Civic Center Tritons concluded their swim season with the Tri-County Swim League Championship on July 16.

The championship was held at the Kernersville YMCA. Most of the championship races were held as scheduled, but the final few relay races were cancelled due to bad weather.

The Tritons finished fourth overall in the team standings. Despite being much smaller than teams from Winston-Salem and Kernersville, the ACC team still had multiple swimmers finish at the top of their age group in points.

Two Tritons, AnnaClaire Casstevens and Claire Hull, accumulated the most points in their respective divisions.

The ACC team was coached by a trio of standout area swimmers: Cassidy Hull, a 2022 graduate of North Surry High School that won Foothills 2A Conference Swimmer of the Year in 2021-22, is a multi-time state qualifier and will continue her swimming career at Mars Hill; Haley Joyce, a rising senior at East Surry that earned All-Conference Honors and was a state qualifier this past season; and Claire Hull, a rising sophomore at East Surry that earned All-Conference Honors and was a state qualifier this past season.

The following swimmers were the ACC’s top point winners per age group. The number listed prior to each name is the swimmer’s overall finish in their respective age group.

ACC Results by event (in yards)

2. AnnaClaire Casstevens, Phoebe Chesnet, Salem Cook, Elaina Joyce 1:36.32

1. Samuel Comer, Davis Haymore, Riggs Key, River Venable 1:54.89

1. Terrah Howlett, Stella Joyce, Gracie Key 1:11.15

3. Katherine Brinkley, Addie Graves, Emilynn Haymore, Kynlee Venable 2:29.59

1. Ashlyn Comer, Layla Comer, Caitlin Joyce 2:01.48

1. Marissa Casstevnes, Kaci Collins, Kennedy Hook, Claire Hull 2:00.45

1. AnnaClaire Simmons, Salem Cook, Elaina Joyce 1:52.36

2. Sophie Chesnet, Terrah Howlett, Stella Joyce, Gracie Key 1:25.13

3. Katherine Brinkley, Addi Graves, Emilynn Haymore, Kynlee Venable 2:53.96

Several weeks ago, the NFHS hosted its annual Summer Meeting involving key leaders from the 51 state high school associations. In addition to celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, one of the highlights was the induction of the 2022 class into the National High School Hall of Fame.

Among the 12 inductees this year were four former high school athletes, who not only were involved in multiple sports and activities in their high school days, but who have “paid it back” through the years to ensure that others have opportunities.

These former high school athletes emphatically noted that the most important individuals who helped them achieve success during high school – and into their future careers and lives – were their coaches; and in most cases, that athlete-coach relationship continues today.

In his video remarks, Notah Begay III, a three-sport athlete at Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico in the late 1980s and a four-time winner – and only Native-American – on the PGA Tour, talked about the importance of his coaches – and the school – in keeping him in the right lane.

“The relationships I built at Albuquerque Academy and the wonderful coaches I had were keys to my success,” Begay said. “My soccer coach in my senior year, Bruce Musgrave, was the head of the English department. I wasn’t able to initially achieve the required minimum score on the verbal part of the SAT that I needed to qualify to get into Stanford.

“Well, who tutored me? Who got me ready? Who trained me at 6:00 a.m. in the morning on weekdays at school to take the SAT again? It was my soccer coach, Bruce Musgrave. I’m indebted to him for putting that time in and believing in me that I had the ability to do what I did. I look back on those years fondly. They were wonderful. It was sports and the people affiliated with those sports teams that were provided by the school that gave me that pathway to my future.”

Some might say success for a high school coach is winning 80 percent of the games, being named coach of the year or bringing home successive state titles. Begay would say success comes in the form of a coach taking extra time to help a student-athlete with homework.

Other measures of success are consistent teaching of values, character and sportsmanship. We are indebted to the hundreds of thousands of high school coaches who will take the field, court, band room or music hall this year to serve as important role models.

In addition to the significant role played by his coaches, Begay, during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, also referenced the high school “experience” itself, relationships formed with peers and the importance of high school sports in shaping a student’s life.

“What I really appreciate – and still to this day appreciate, especially having seen sports go in a variety of different directions over the last five or six years – is just the purity of the high school game,” Begay said. “How an athlete can show up with very little experience as a freshman, but with an interest and a love for whatever that particular activity may be, and be able to be coached, be able to be developed, be able to be guided – not just on the field, but also in the classroom.

“I just think that’s a wonderful gift that each and every one of us as athletes has experienced in our lives. We all had a chance to receive an education at some wonderful universities – myself, at Stanford – and I wouldn’t have been able to do that without, of course, my soccer coach who tutored me, but also anyone and everyone who put their time and effort into my life. My parents, my two sisters, my wife have been paramount supporters of me throughout our lives.

“As an athlete, you have to be so selfish and focused in order to do your sport, and as I got away from my athletics and I segued into television, I had to grow up. I had to learn. I had to not be so selfish and be a parent and be a husband and a friend. And those are all things that I knew how to do because I had great guides and mentors in high school.

“My high school friends are still my best friends in the world, and they still treat me the same way… So, when you want to keep it real, you always go back to your high school friends because that’s where everything is pure, and in a lot of cases, for good or bad, high school is forever.”

We recall another former high school athlete and Hall of Fame inductee – former NFL tight end Keith Jackson of Arkansas – who during his speech in 2001 said, “There’s no time like high school.”

Those men and women serving as high school coaches are the lifeblood of our programs. The past few years with the pandemic have been challenging for high school students – and coaches – as mental health issues have accelerated.

As another year of high school sports and performing arts programs is at our doorstep – one filled with hope and expectations for the 12-plus million student participants nationwide – first and foremost let’s take care of each other every single day.

© 2018 The Mount Airy News