Fruitland – Henderson County Public Schools (HCPS) resumed classes on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Sports were played that week, a week after practices resumed and two weeks after prior games.
“I’m excited to get back” into game action and for fans to “get out of the house” amidst hurricane-caused outages, West head coach Brian Brewer told the Tribune. Many local athletes said that it feels good to rejoin teammates and resume routine activities.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association authorized an extra week in regular seasons. T.C. Roberson and McDowell are sole sites for MAC football for at least two weeks. At TCR on Friday, Oct. 18, A.C. Reynolds-Enka is at 5 p.m. and TCR-Erwin is at 7:30 p.m. Asheville is at McDowell. Reynolds is at TCR on Oct. 25, and plays AHS (site TBD) on Nov. 1. Asheville hosts Roberson on Nov. 8, the extra Friday, to decide the MAC’s top 4A seed.
Football Falcons
The Football Falcons (4-2) won 27-24 in a huge showdown on Friday with Pisgah (4-2), the preseason pick of many area media to win their Mountain Seven (M7) Conference. Two-time reigning league champion West and Franklin (5-0) lead the M7 at 2-0. Zane McCraw and Da’Zion Murray each ran for a long touchdown in the opening quarter. Cade Young threw two long TD passes. The game was at Bethel Middle, after Pisgah’s field got severely damaged by a hurricane for the second time in three years.
West hosts Tuscola on Friday, Oct. 18, is at M7 co-leader Franklin, hosts Smoky Mountain, then finishes its regular season at East Henderson in a makeup game on Nov. 8.
Hendersonville (3-3), North Henderson (2-3), and East Henderson (3-3) all lost in football on Friday. NHHS hosts East on Friday, Oct. 18. HHS (1-1 MFC) hosts Brevard on Oct. 25, and Polk on Nov. 8 in a makeup contest.
Foot Soldiers on March
Soccer resumed for HCPS on Wednesday, Oct. 9. West (9-5) won 4-1 at North Henderson. West then beat East Henderson 2-1 at home on Monday. That moved West up league standings. Smoky Mountain (4-2) and West (3-2) lead Tuscola (2-1), Pisgah (2-1), East (2-2), Franklin (2-4), and NHHS (1-4).
Host North Henderson and West were tied 1-1 at halftime. Strong, fiery senior midfielder Logan Jones, a co-captain, scored for West. The NHHS goal was by junior Nick Flores-Gomez.
West obliged Coach Brewer’s Lynyrd Skynyrd-like request at halftime of the NH contest, to “Gimme Three Goals (not Steps)” in the second half. West also broke open a 1-1 halftime tie in its earlier win over NH, to prevail 3-1.
Striker Ben Montgomery put West ahead 2-1 on Oct. 9. He shot quickly to beat charging, sliding GK Angel Ramirez. Junior midfielder Nick Kenny boomed in a free kick. Leading Falcon scorer Luke Schlegal, a swift sophomore attacking midfielder, scored his ninth goal with 5:11 left. Sophomore goalkeeper Nathan Williams shut out the Knights in the second half. He shut out East for 75 minutes.
Against East, Kenny scored on a long, 35-foot free kick to make it 2-0. He called it “amazing.” Kenny accurately blasted the ball into the net’s upper right corner, right after seeing GK Fernando Miranda “cheating” the other way.
Midfield Mastery
At halftime of his latest wins, Coach Brewer emphasized controlling the middle of the field. Running wide with the ball opens up room at center, he noted. “I could park a bus” in gaps of the Knight defense, he quipped. West senior co-captain Eli Clonch told teammates that “to control the middle of the field, we have to transition better.” They did.
Assistant coach Beau Lovelace observed NHHS was “collapsing on Logan (Jones) every time,” which frees teammates. Strong seniors Jones and Jack Zalevskiy both nearly headed in goals against East.
NHHS head coach Ricardo Hernandez praised West’s “tenacity” on offense, in speaking post-game with the Tribune. He liked his Knights’ early “positioning.” Coach Brewer called the Knights “fast reacting, and quick to the ball” in the first half.
Knight, Eagle leaders
NHHS Knights are paced by senior Fabricio Villaverde-Ortiz with three goals, and junior Johan Bautista with two goals.
William “Trey” Allman coaches East. East is led by Tucker Waggoner with seven goals, and Alan Resendiz with five scores. Swift senior forward Landon Taylor assisted on both Eagle goals in a 2-1 home win over West on Sept. 18. Luis Lara-Perez scored East’s sole goal on Monday.
Taylor calls West the fastest opposing team. Even swifter East relies on beating foes to its deep passes. Yet taller West kept intercepting passes, and counter-attacked well. Coach Brewer singled out junior MF Cooper Holden’s defense.
Hendersonville (5-3-2; 3-1) is third in Mountain Foothills standings. Tanner Jackson (1.85 GAA), a junior, shines in goal. Senior MF Soren Smith leads HHS with five goals, as of press time.