Tennis Lady Cats Five-peat, Pacing Fall Squads - TribPapers
Sports

Tennis Lady Cats Five-peat, Pacing Fall Squads

North Henderson won the most (three) volleyball playoff matches, among local squads. Second team all-state Peyton Taylor reaches high to hit a winner against arch-rival West Henderson. Photo by Pete Zamplas.

Hendersonville – Hendersonville Lady Bearcats made quite a racquet with their fifth consecutive 2A tennis dual team state title – the pinnacle achievement by Henderson and Buncombe public high school fall 2023 squads.

Asheville Blues won a state private school football title, while West Henderson reached round four in NCHSAA 3A football.

Hendersonville (16-0) top seeds and senior co-captains Eliza Perry and Ramsey Ross led the way. Perry was the finals MVP. They also won a doubles state title — Perry’s fourth in a row. Other HHS seeds are senior Anna Macdowell, juniors Raleigh Prichard and Reese Redden, and sophomore Sophia Gallian. Michael Jones coaches HHS, assisted by Perry’s mother Lane Perry.

All-staters include West cross country’s Bre Budzinski, Eli Cloch and Hudson Rice.

Volley Knights, Rams

In volleyball, Coach Sue Moon’s North Henderson Lady Knights advanced furthest – to round four. The Knights (19-13; 9-3 M7) blanked top two Mountain Athletic Conference 3A powers A.C. Reynolds then Enka. Third-place NHHS won the Mountain Seven tournament, after finishing behind Franklin and West Henderson (19-13; 11-2).

Bailey Rowe of NHHS and West’s Georgia-bound Emma Bryson are first team all-state. Dynamic leaper Rowe repeated as league player of the year. Knight Peyton Taylor and Falcon “libero” (retrieving playmaker) Allyson Garcia are second team all-state. Also all-M7 are West’s Marley Orr; and setter Leiann Marshall, Aubrie Barnwell and Bailey Simpson of NHHS.

M7 hitters with the most slams (“kills”) are Rowe (516), Taylor (397), and Bryson (395). Barnwell (301) and Falcons Isabella Baylor (225) and Orr (171) are in the top ten. Bryson and Taylor had sharp hitting percentages of .263, with Rowe at .241. Other local net masters included East Henderson’s Ashland Palmer and Sarah Alverson, and Hendersonville’s Stella Veach and frosh Emory Freeman.

T.C. Roberson (20-9; 12-0) won its fourth straight MAC title, behind setter and all-time Ram assist leader Emma Youngblood. The MAC MVP is Enka setter Ella Alexander. Top MAC hitters include ACR’s Hayley Hooks, Jessica Judd and Anna Moore; TCR’s Karlie Henning, Caroline Peterson and Amelia Novak; Enka’s Kylie Carver, Kaylee Whited and Addison Bennett; North Buncombe’s Peyton Whitson, Kiersten Gosnell and Gracie Edmonds; Asheville’s Rosalie Sharp and Erwin’s Haley Carter.

Falcon Football

In football, senior Carson Dimsdale led WNC rushers with a school-record 2,135 yards and 33 TDs in ’23 as West (13-1) won three playoff games. He finished 32 yards and one TD ahead of 1A Robbinsville’s Cuttler Adams. Dimsdale was 13th in the state and 110th nationally in total rushing yardage. He averaged 152.5. Salisbury’s Jamal Rule led N.C. with 2,712 rushing yards. Dimsdale tied for 10th in N.C. in rushing TDs.

His Falcon teammate Truitt Manuel is second to Dimsdale among M7 scorers. Manuel has 17 TDs — 16 receiving and one rushing. Sophomore Cade Young was runner-up among M7 passers with 1,836 yards and 19 TDs. Manuel had 1,877 total yards.

East Henderson’s James Robinson was seventh with 988 total yards. North Henderson (7-4; 3-3 M7) offensive stars include runners Zion Fauntleroy-McDaniel and Mason Gasperson, quarterback Mason Fowler; and receivers Keith Payne and Drake Blackwell.

Falcon linebacker Eben Mann was second in the M7 with 95 tackles. West’s Diego Castro and East’s Leland Prutzman tied for third, with 87. Tyler Nash led the M7 with 14 sacks, and Mann was next with eight. League interception leaders were Falcons Manuel (6) and Neil Robinson (5). Castro had four, and Jude Lyda made three “picks.”

Burly HHS receiver C.J. Landrum’s 12 TDs (eight receiving, four rushing) were third most among Mountain Foothills players. Bearcat Hezzie Rudisill ran for eight TDs. Freshman JaRon Ward was fourth among MFC passers with 1,357 yards and 17 TDs.

MAC FB Leaders

Manuel and Reynolds’ superb linebacker Brandon Guest will play in the N.C.-S.C. Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. at Spartanburg High School.

Roberson Ram senior QB Lex Dinwiddie is selected as the MAC offensive player of the year. He combined for nearly 2,000 scrimmage yards running the triple option — with 1,130 rushing and 836 yards passing. His 14 TDs were third in the league, behind Ram FB Reno Jeter and ACR RB Tyvon Patterson with 16 each.

Reynolds senior Hayden Craig had 46 more total yards than his QB rival, with 2,042. He threw for 1,949 yards and 25 TDs, versus merely four INTs. Others’ passing yards were Meek Slydell (1,633) of AHS, Erwin freshman Caden Ingle (1,442), and Enka’s Cam Wait with 803 plus 532 rushing yards.

Backs P.J. Deshauteurs of TCR and Patterson neared 1,000 total yards. Jeter (949) is next. Asheville’s Josh Ellis and Kaheem Plummer, ACR’s Ty Johnson, and Erwin’s Michael Petty exceeded 825 yards.

Ram MLB Cohen Bohanon led MAC tacklers with 148. He was far ahead of ACR’s Guest (86) and Austin Worrell (77); Erwin’s Nick Sharpe (95), Judah Dayton (86) and Lawson Reynolds (83; and Asheville’s Noah Shaw (75). MAC INT leaders were Rocket Zion Ikeme (5) and Ram Sherard Gilliland (4).

Soccer Standouts

In soccer, Coach Trei Morrison’s Owen (20-2-3; 12-0 WHC) in 2A and Coach Jason ReMine‘s 3A Enka (20-6-1; 7-5 MAC) each won four playoff rounds. Owen’s Elijah Caro scored 24 goals, and Daniel Garcia had 20.

Leading goal scorers of MAC powers were Quinn Roberts (26) of Roberson (17-3-1; 10-1-1), Shep Goldstein (13) of Asheville (16-4-2; 10-1-1), Enka’s Brandon Miranda (23), and Cole Jordan (20) of ACR (18-6-1; 8-4).

Henderson County leading scorers included West’s Ryan Mendez (14), East Henderson’s Daniel Lojas (11), Jaime Vega of NHHS, and HHS’ Harrison Moss and Israel Convento.