Asheville – After winning playoff openers, 4A T.C. Roberson, 3A Enka, and 2A Hendersonville lost on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Football Victors
Local football winners on Friday were A.C. Reynolds, Asheville, Erwin, West Henderson, and North Henderson. ACR trailed visiting T.C. Roberson 10-3 at halftime, but outscored the Rams 24-0 in the second half to win 27-10. Quarterback Max Guest’s dazzling, long touchdown run was the back-breaker.
West (6-2; 4-0 M7) moved alone into first place in Mountain Seven football standings. The Falcons won 31-28 on Josh Sandoval’s 35-yard field goal at Franklin (6-1; 3-1).
West Falcon ‘Volley-Bowl’
Volleyball Lady Falcons (23-2) are also surging. They beat 16th seed Forestview 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-16) in round two. They advanced by forfeit in round one.
They dominated the “West Falcon Volley-Bowl” on Saturday, annihilating the 20th-seeded West Rowan Falcons 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-8). Such lopsided wins set by set is unusual this far in playoffs. “We had a good, strong start,” outside hitter (OH) Marley Orr said. “We came together. We pushed through” and didn’t let up.
Setter Holland Corbin said, “We stayed hyped.” She made 34 assists. “We keep the ball in play,” to set up a good angle to hit through net defenders. Team leaders with 10 “kill” slams each were Orr, Bella Baylor, and Alena Mayberry.
“It’s so fun!,” Georgia-bound star middle blocker Emma Bryson said when play clicks so smoothly. “We’re connecting. We meshed so well, which is super awesome!” She made four blocks.
WHHS’ 15th-year head coach, Tiffany White Lowrance, said of recent success, “We served really well. Passed well, and communicated as a team.” The “float serve” is like a curveball pitch, Lowrance explained. The server hits the ball with an open hand and — depending where contact is made — the ball might “sink, drop, or float up.”
Verbal cues during plays include shouting coded numbers to indicate which side a pass is going to, OH Arden Sullivan noted. Just before a serve, “line, line, line” indicates the ball is going to a zone down a key hitter’s line, defensive specialist (DS) Allyson Garcia said.
Exciting Ram Finale
The sixth-seeded TCR Lady Rams (18-7) dropped an exciting five-set clash with the 11th-seeded Cuthbertson Cavaliers at home last Thursday. The teams wear very similar shades of blue and pale gold.
In round one, TCR rallied from down 2-0 to win three sets in a row and nip 27th-seeded East Forsyth 3-2 (15-25, 20-25, 28-26, 25-17, 15-13). The first set win was by 28-26, and spurred Ram momentum and confidence for head coach Michelle Wagaman’s crew.
Roberson won the Mountain Athletic Conference with an 11-1 mark, splitting with runner-up Enka (10-2).
In round two, the Lady Rams zoomed from behind to win the opening set 25-19. They won nine consecutive points to go from 17-9 down to an 18-17 lead, and closed on a 7-2 run. But Cuthbertson won the close next two sets, 29-27 and 26-24. TCR stayed alive by winning set four 25-20. But the Cavs took the fifth set 15-10.
This match was the Ram finale for leading hitter Karlie Henning, a dynamic four-year starter and sparkplug of these “Henning’s Heroes.” Henning, at 5-foot-11, is not as tall as other premier “kill shot artists.” But she adeptly leaps and delivers slams.
A decisive factor was that the victorious Cavs had two extra taller slammers among a handful of six footers, compared to sole Ram six-footer Abigail Brockmeier.
But Roberson countered with many athletic plays. On one point, Jordyn Alston dashed to the back right corner to somehow get to a hard slam. DS Mya Echevarria also hustled to keep the ball in play, and TCR won the point. Echevarria, as much as anyone, helped fire up the team after winning points.
Freshman Alston and sophomores Valor Jansen and Cayden Mason are among young Lady Rams who can bolster the squad in 2025. Strong junior Kaylan Watt kept the foes off balance with touch shots over the taller Cavs.
Sugar Jets; Cats
Two other local teams won a round. In 3A, seventh-seeded Enka Sugar Jets (17-6) blasted 26th-seeded Dudley 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 25-8) behind versatile senior setter Ella Alexander. But visiting Lake Norman Knights, the tenth seed, ousted Enka 3-0 on Thursday. Senior Gracie Merrell and junior Karly Presnell are among Sugar Jet softball stars who also shine in volleyball. Merrell raced full-tilt to retrieve a shot. Jessica Curtis coaches Enka.
In 2A, the 23rd-seeded Hendersonville Bearcats (10-12) won at tenth-seeded East Gaston by 3-2 (26-24, 11-25, 26-24, 14-25, 15-6). Coach Jeff Coward’s Cardiac Cats pulled out two sets by two points, and cruised 15-6 in the finale. They also lost in round two. Asheville (4A), 3A A.C. Reynolds and 2A Owen dropped volleyball playoff openers.