Seven of the conference’s Players of the Year are Pioneers
By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
Watauga High leads the All-Northwestern 3A-4A teams — announced by league officials after voting by head coaches in each sport — with seven Player of the Year awards and four coaching awards.
The Pioneers won player of the year awards in volleyball (three), boys’ soccer, football, girls’ cross country and boys’ cross country.
FOOTBALL
Conference champion Watauga led a 52-player roster with 13 picks that include senior Isaiah Shirley as Player of the Year and Ryan Habich as Coach of the Year.
Shirley averaged 5.8 tackles per game, had 6 ½ sacks and caused three fumbles.
SHIRLEY
Habich has been at Watauga for 10 years, going 92-29 with 10 state playoff bids and five conference titles (the last five).
Hibriten had 12 all-league picks, including Defensive Player of the Year Dillon Earp. A junior, he averaged 8.4 tackles per game (101 total tackles) with two sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Ashe County senior running back Matthew Peterson won Offensive Player of the Year after 157 carries for 1,199 yards and 17 scores. He averaged 109 yards per game and had five 100-plus yard games while catching 68 passes for 634 yards and 11 scores.
Carson Dyson, a senior at Freedom, won Special Teams Player of the Year.
Alexander Central: Nate Erkman, Garison Millsaps, Mason Chapman-Mays, Tanner Moore, Landon Barker, Thomas Cline, Sawyer Chapman-Mays, Nate Dahlstrom
Ashe County: Matthew Peterson, Bryant Blevins, Colin Estes, Blake Peters, Caleb Blackburn, Dillan Borders
Freedom: Avery Pollard, Chris Hensley, Nathan Vue, B.G. Hampton, Demarcus Lowrance, Sacred Baylor, Jaylen Barnett, Julian Castro, Eli Thomas
Hibriten: Coby Wilson, Jake Absher, Dillan Earp, Gerard Felder, Jesse Taylor, Gavin Riley, Matt Warhurst, Markie Helton, Silas Patterson, Gabe Suddreth, Avian Williams, Hugo Martinez
South Caldwell: Tyler Eggers, J.B. Robbins, Kevin Pereira, Suan Moore
Watauga: Will Curtis, Isaiah Shirley, Jackson Pryor, Cole Horine, Carlton Horine, Johnny Miller, Eli Greene, Trey Thompson, Maddox Greene, Jonathan Lutabingwa, Grant Kight, J.T. Cook, Jackson Lang
Freedom: Avery Pollard, Chris Hensley, Nathan Vue, B.G. Hampton, Demarcus Lowrance, Sacred Baylor, Jaylen Barnett, Julian Castro, Eli Thomas.
Hibriten: Coby Wilson, Jake Absher, Dillan Earp, Gerard Felder, Jesse Taylor, Gavin Riley, Matt Warhurst, Markie Helton, Silas Patterson, Gabe Suddreth, Avian Williams, Hugo Martinez
BOYS SOCCER
Hibriten junior Gerardo Rodriguez scored 29 goals, had 20 assists and scored 78 points and won Player of the Year.
Offensive Player of the Year went to South Caldwell senior Andrew Pruette, and Watauga’s Kai Suyuao won Defensive Player of the Year.
Hibriten’s Jim Blanton was named Coach of the Year and the Panthers went 19-4-3.
Pruette provided 12 goals, eight assists and 32 points for South Caldwell, third in the regular season standings.
Suyao was listed on MaxPreps.com with having played in only five matches this season for Watauga.
Alexander Central: Eli Kerley, Cory Mays, Carson Davis
Ashe County: Dylan Short, Kohn Peterman
Freedom: Issac Searcy
Hibriten: Gerardo Rodriguez, Johnny Pineda, Miguel Ayala, Shane Stevens, Eric Meza, Tyler Roberts, Nick Hawkins, Miguel Garcia
South Caldwell: Andrew Pruette, Ricky Flores, Tristan Mearns. Caden Pilato, Zach George, Spencer Richards
Watauga: Kai Suyao, Luke Hunter, Ben White, Noah Jamison, Silas Jackson, Kyle Painter, Ayden Johnson, Emmit Coffey, Nathan Bishop
VOLLEYBALL
Conference champion Watauga swept all four individual awards and had a league-best six all-conference picks.
Senior Caroline Farthing won Player of the Year after providing 559 digs, 1,297 assists and a 43.1 percent kill percentage for the Pioneers.
Offensive Player of the Year went to senior Brooke Scheffler with 418 digs, 923 assists and a kills percentage of 45.3.
Senior Kenzie Baldwin was Defensive Player of the Year, posting 92 service points, 421 digs and 43 serving aces.
Kim Pryor gained Coach of the Year and Watauga finished 23-3.
Alexander Central: Ashlyn Merritt, Jenna Hensley
Ashe County: Paige Overcash, Emmi Cheek, Mallory Bledsoe, Lexi Rollins
Freedom: Hannah Buchanan
Hibriten: Katie Story, Emma Poarch
South Caldwell: Kadie Becker, Kenzie Morgan
Watauga: Caroline Farthing, Brooke Scheffler, Kenzie Baldwin, Cam Norris, Evie Robbins, Faith Watson.
CROSS COUNTRY
Watauga coach Randy McDonough was named Coach of the Year for girls and shard the award with Alexander Central’s Joe Cornwell in boys.
The girls’ runner of the year went to Gwendolyn Anderson of Watauga and the top boys’ runner was Will Bradbury of Watauga.
Watauga won both championships, finishing ahead of Alexander Central in boys and Ashe County in girls.
GIRLS
Ashe County: Sherry Billings
Freedom: Katie Deacon, Leah Kirskey
Watauga: Gwendolyn Anderson, Brianna Anderson, Savannah Duvall, Virginia St. Clair, Andriana Rink, Rachel Cathey, Sullivan McAulay, Janie Beach-Verhay, Sydney Cate Townsend, Sadie Buchanan
BOYS
Alexander Central: Thomas Campbell, Zachary Zirkle
Ashe County: Noah Farmer
Freedom: Colby Anderson
Hibriten: Rylan Sedlacek, Jaden Buchholz
South Caldwell: Parker Bowman
Watauga: Will Bradbury, Collin Anderson, Roman Sibaja, Sam Nixon, Elliott Taft, Maxwell DePriest
GIRLS GOLF
Sophomore Trinity White, who led Hibriten to a league title, was named Player of the Year and Hibriten’s Larry Taylor was tabbed Coach of the Year.
White had a low round of 37 in nine-hole events, averaged 40 on those rounds and was medalist in three of eight matches.
Alexander Central: Parker Matlock, Meredith Wike, Cheldea Arney, Kendra Potter
Ashe County: Chloe Neal, Addie Shaw
Freedom: Hanna Piercy
Hibriten: Trinity White, Gabby Woods, Mabry Land, Zoey Walker
South Caldwell: Rylee Farr
