Mills River – West ranks third across the entire state in 3A, for what is hailed as its best rating ever. Owen is seventh best among 2A schools. Hendersonville is rated first in its league. T.C. Roberson edged A.C. Reynolds, which was also 4A, atop the seven Mountain Athletic Conference schools.
The 2022-23 season was the 44th for the Wells Fargo (formerly Wachovia) Cup. The N.C. High School Athletic Association rewards top-eight state finishes. Points decrease by five per spot, from 50 points for first place to 15 for eighth. Further, a school starts with five points per sanctioned sport it competes in.
West’s 355 points were third best in 3A, behind coastal school Croatan (373.33) and Lake Norman Charter (372.5). Franklin (300) was sixth. In a separate point system for each conference, West was first with 890 and was a whopping 122.5 points ahead of Mountain Seven runner-up Franklin (767.5). Next were Smoky Mountain (675), Pisgah (667.5), Tuscola (637.5), North Henderson (535), and East Henderson (367.5).
Falcon Frenzy
West achieved its first ever triple crown in the three premier men’s team sports, by winning the league in football, basketball, then baseball in 2022-23. The Falcons did better than ever in football in ’23, winning 13 games and three playoff contests. That is a good omen for West placing well in the 2023-24 Cup.
Further good news is that West returns some of its finest athletes ever, including a trio of all-state stars in Truitt Manuel, Marianne Maxon, and Jack Lyda.
Fiery Lyda led the league in basketball scoring at 19.5. He hit .479 as the 3A state title baseball squad’s lefty leadoff hitter and slick-fielding shortstop. His cousin, Jude Lyda, was the second baseman and football linebacker.
The 3A tourney MVP was 2023 West grad Alex Anderson. The buoyant catcher-OF hit .454 with six clutch homers.
‘Manuel Overdrive’
All-state Manuel was the 3A pitcher of the year, as chosen by 3A head coaches statewide. He was 11-1, with an amazing 0.61 ERA. With 120 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings, he averaged nearly two punch-outs per frame with his low-90s fastball and superb control. Manuel threw out runners as an outfielder. He batted .376. He signed to play baseball for N.C. State.
In football, Manuel and Lukas Kachilo were WNC’s leading passing combo. Kachilo, now at Gardner-Webb, passed for 43 touchdowns and 3,380 yards in ‘22. He was also all-M7 in basketball and baseball. Manuel led WNC with 93 catches for 1,391 yards and 27 TDs in ‘22.
West (12-1; 6-0 M7) matched its 1984 squad with a school-record 12 wins, 12 in a row, and reached 3A playoff round three for the first time in 38 years. Behind WNC-leading rusher Carson Dimsdale and others, the Falcons (13-1) one-upped all of that in ‘23.
In basketball, husky 6-foot-2 Manuel is among West’s top ten all-time rebounders.
Manuel said of West pacing 3A WNC schools, “I love it. This really shows what WNC athletes are about.” His father, West principal Luke Manuel, and athletic director Justin Heatherly are also quite proud of the school’s feat.
Lady Falcons Soar
West Lady Falcons won M7 titles in ‘22-23 in women’s soccer, men’s tennis, and both men’s and women’s cross country. They tied NHHS in volleyball, a sport in which West is highly decorated in recent decades.
Lady Falcons won it all in track and field in ‘22 and ‘23. Emma Hall won the state 100-meter hurdles and 300m hurdles.
Lady Falcons are going for a league three-peat in soccer. Allison-state star Marianne Maxon scored a school-record 57 goals in 2022 as a sophomore, then 41 last spring. Softball Falcon stars included pitcher Mellany Garcia, Megan Broome, Kayden Lyda, and Deana McMinn. Volleyball stars of West included then-sophs Emma Bryson and Isabella Baylor, and ‘23 grads Carley Raleigh, Payton Brown, and Jen McNamara.
Bearcats Top MFC
The NCHSAA also ranks conferences within each of the four classifications. Hendersonville’s Mountain Foothills was seventh best in the state among 2A leagues in ‘22-23. HHS (757.5) topped MFC schools, with Brevard (697.5) next and longtime rival Polk County fourth at 577.5.
The Bearcats won league crowns in women’s tennis which won a state title, men’s basketball, men’s soccer behind all-state Cooper King and GK Noah Pavao, women’s soccer, and women’s swimming and diving. HHS tied for first in women’s hoops.
Basketball Cats are again led by center Malachi Simpson (20 PPG, 7.7 RPG in ‘22-3) and bruising PF C.J. Landrum (13 PPG, 8.4 RPG). They are 66-5 since 2020-21.
Warhorses, MAC Powers
Owen’s 255 points ranked it seventh in 2A. Owen’s 720 points were best in the Western Highland Conference. Owen won WHC titles in men’s soccer, tennis, track, and cross country. Owen shared the WHC women’s tennis title. Fifty-goal goal scorer Davis Kendall led the soccer Warhorses to the 2A state title in ‘22.
The 4A/3A MAC’s finishers were T.C. Roberson (865) and A.C. Reynolds (815). Others are Asheville (710), Enka (625) and North Buncombe (580), McDowell (535), and Erwin (450).
TCR won the MAC regular season in baseball (and the 4A state crown), volleyball, both men’s and women’s golf and swimming/diving, and men’s cross country. ACR’s league titles included in football and men’s and women’s basketball.