Unicoi County and Hampton set to tango Friday

If you have never checked out Deadspin, you are missing out of some definite sports nuggets. First, the social networking famous Urban Meyer eating cold Papa John’s pizza in a golf cart following Ohio State’s loss to Michigan State in the Big 10 championship picture from this weekend. Now they caught up with a future Tom Landry, of the gaming world, who’s looking to become the next head coach of the University of North Dakota football team. Be sure to to click the link for probably the best, ever, job inquiry.

https://twitter.com/CurtisCarden_ER/status/411030664511639552

Now that the laughs are here. Let’s take a look at this Friday, where non-conference games highlight the night for Unicoi County High School hoops.

Friday, December 13, 2013 – Unicoi County at Hampton

The night cap features a battle of potential conference champions for their respective leagues. Unicoi County (Three Rivers) boasts a 10-0 record while Hampton (Watauga Valley) holds two losses (7-2), one to AAA Science Hill during ‘Hall of Champions’ week and a road contest to Grace Christian Academy – a potential sub-state matchup in 2014. Both boys’ teams are coming off big wins from Tuesday (UCHS over Sullivan East – 70-51, and Hampton over Elizabethton – 71-57).

Let’s take a look at the past three season, where the Blue Devils have controlled the meetings, 5-1.

2012-2013 season
Unicoi County 51-46
Unicoi County 60-53

2011-2012 season
Unicoi County 82-70
Unicoi County 71-64 —- This year also featured Davey Edwards set the all-time school record with three-pointers made in a game for UCHS.

2010-2011 season
Unicoi County 49-41
Hampton 75-74 – (This Unicoi County team finished 30-4 on the year. Losses came to Daniel Boone, Knox Karns, Stone Memorial in the Sectional tourney… and Hampton)

And FWIW – if you weren’t there during the overtime festivities back during the 2010-2011 year, you missed out on probably one of the best games that could have been played. Still talk to the day if Logan Lyle’s shot went in before time expired. I think everybody won that night.

Getting off-subject. Over the years, the Blue Devils have had a handle of the series but only one game featured a victory over 10 points. The games always have intrigue this year is no different. Hampton has put their mark on the season with being a tough opponent and a Three Rivers Conference slayer – by knocking off Elizabethton twice, already, and defeating Sullivan North earlier in the year. Unicoi County, on the other hand, has been pushed to the limits by the likes of Sullivan South and David Crockett so far this season and out of the past 10 games, have held teams to less than 50 points per contest. (two of the three games featuring 50-plus efforts were against David Crockett, who knocked off Daniel Boone this season, and Sullivan East on Tuesday)

Top performers from HHS on Tuesday were Stanley Valentine (16 points, 11 rebounds). Cody McClain nearly eclipsed triple-double status from his guard spot. Senior Cheyenne Camillo and sophomore Coby Jones are also a pair of guards the team will be looking to bank on.

For the Blue Devils – it flows through point guard Ethan Rice, coming off a 16 point game against Sullivan East. The current starting five presents a pair of 6-4 problems in the likes of seniors, Nic Chambers and Connor Simpson. Lucas Hensley also hauled in 11 boards on the night while Austin Green presented a stalwart defensive effort with five steals.

UCHS begins a busy 4-game stretch before the Knox Bearden tournament (Hampton, Cloudland, Elizabethton, Unaka). The steady dose of TRC and WVC teams before Knoxville comes calling looks to be an early Christmas experience for the Blue Devils.

Lady Devils and the Lady Bulldogs

An interesting matchup when look at the both teams. Hampton is coming off a big loss from Elizabethton on Tuesday but is currently bracing to be without senior post, Paige Montgomery, for the remainder of the season due to knee injury. On the flip side, the Lady Devils encountered a well-motivated Sullivan East team that kept up the pressure defense to knock off UCHS in similar fashion.

The Lady Bulldogs are a potential state tournament contender in A while the Lady Devils are on the verge of going on a tear.

TALE OF THE TAPE

2012-2013 season
Hampton 60-55
Hampton 51-49

2011-2012 season
Unicoi County 66-58
Hampton 53-51 (Johnson City Honda -[Johnson City …. now just picture the dude from the commercial here] Trailblazer Invitational )
Unicoi County 54-39

2010-2011 season
Unicoi County 61-54
Hampton 55-47

Hampton controls this evenly matched series, 4-3, with the Lady Bulldogs taking the most recent meetings

UCHS – While she’s not at 100%, the added benefit of junior Chesley Harness was felt quick during North and came in off the bench and provided size in the post while attributing six points and four rebounds in the game against East. Hannah Rice is the playmaker for the Lady Devils while guards Whitley True, Emily Lynch and Haley Webb have the ability to turn up the intensity from the perimeter. In the paint, this game could hinge on Destinie Hayes. Hayes forced a double-team against a taller-Sullivan East team and still hauled in eight boards. With a potential size advantage and Hayes’ ability in the paint – the Lady Devils could look to upend the Lady Dogs’

HHS – It all starts with guard Alexis Bowers, who has double-double skills going into every game. While replacing Dorothy Dugger looked to be a big adjustment – underclassman Kim Swearingen has filled the shoes nicely and hit double figures against EHS on Tuesday (10 points). The Irick twins, Hannah and Kaitlin, along with Monica Olvera nearly paint these teams to be identical.

Talented guards. Everywhere. The game has the chances of coming down to the wire. But what else would you expect in the series?

Shults heading to Milligan

Unicoi County High School will see one of their netters take their talents to the next level with Conly Shults set to announce his signing to Milligan College for tennis next week. The Blue Devil was the No. 1 for the team last year, has a state title under his belt, and is looking to be the top tennis prospect inside the Three Rivers Conference this season under head coach Elizabeth Pruitt.

Burnett, Harris head to Va. Sunday for football

A pair of Blue Devil football standouts, Hunter Burnett and Cody Harris, will join a 98 other football players at Virginia High on Sunday for the annual FCA senior bowl football game that pits Northeast Tennessee against Southwest Virginia. Tennessee has controlled the series that past three years. Kickoff in Va. is set for 2 p.m.

Schedule for UCHS and middle school athletics are featured here on In Overtime older posts and on The Erwin Record Sports Facebook page.

Follow me on Twitter at: @CurtisCarden_ER. Live updates for the Elizabethton Star and The Erwin Record on Friday’s contest will come throughout the night. And feel free to help with my OCD. Nine off from 500.

And just becomes it’s become a running theme to do this, here’s another 80’s classic to leave y’all on. Be sure to not go “SEPARATE WAYS” in icy weather! Ba-zing! (I’ll stick with my day job.)

Saturday night delights – NCAA football, Erwin news & more – “In The Bleachers”

Elton John knew a thing or two about Saturday, apparently, Dec. 7 is definitely alright for fighting on the Gridirons across the nation during Championship Saturday.

 

(FWIW – I’m still hoping for a trip up by Florida State/Ohio State but after the OK State loss, my hope is gone).

 

It’s back once again. Your bit of weekend reading as we take the look back at the UCHS athletics.

Girl Power

Whitley True is the lone senior on the team and is helping spearhead things this season. Erwin Record Staff Photo By Adam Campbell

While the boys’ have been dominant throughout the regular season so far by posting a 9-0 record, the UCHS Lady Devils are currently sitting 5-3 and a couple buckets shy from hitting a 7-1 record on the year. There’s something brewing in the girls’ locker room and this is just another reason why I will not everrrrrrrr do preseason picks when it comes to the Three Rivers Conference, especially with the ladies. This is why projections mean zip. Nada. All it does is fill space for preseason articles and news. When the girls dropped their one-point affair to Volunteer to start off the season, that was all you needed to know success will com

 

KEYS TO THE EARLY SUCCESS

Hayes rebounding performance – 
It doesn’t matter who you are or when or where you do it – posting two 20-plus rebound performances eight games into a season in ridiculous. Junior Destinie Hayes has continued her rebounding prowess from last season and has not hit a single digit rebound total so far this season. The first half against Happy Valley, the Lady Warriors did a good job double-teaming to force the issue of taking Hayes out of the picture in the first half then in a flash – back-to-back buckets in the second half and a final 13 rebound totals.

Three-point efficiency – The Lady Devils hit 12 three-pointers against Sullivan North Friday night. And that’s an off-night it seems. Haley Webb, Whitley True, Hannah Rice and Emily Lynch all provide fire from the outside. Then off the bench you have Morgan Lee Brown, Haley Peterson and Cassie Foster that have shown the can drill it from downtown coming off the bench.

There’s a reason this squad currently holds a school record with 19 3’s.

Unselfishness – Looking across the starting five, you don’t see a “ball hog”. Going into this season, head coach Kerri King made it known that this is the most collective unit she’s coached in her career and it’s shown with practically all the starting five averaging near five assists per contest. The leading factors come from guard play, led by Rice (who has cleared 20 points in all but two games this season).

Near full health – With Jr. Chelsey Harness, one of the three starters back from last year, currently getting back into the team’s rotation – it leaves a bench that is healthy heading into the midseason stretch. Once Harness gets into the 100% mark and with the rest of the team 

Developing rotation – Cassie Foster, Ashlie Padgett, Morgan Lee Brown, Neelee Griffith, Haley Peterson, Victoria Bailey, Ashley Edwards, Keelie Hall. For a team that had question marks entering this season … they’re slowing going away as with the development of the squad coming along.

The Big Blue’s sixth ‘men’ keeping games in check

Junior Zach Thelen is one of a handful of Blue Devils providing depth off the bench. Erwin Record Staff Photo By Adam Campbell

Ethan Rice, Connor Simpson, Nic Chambers, Austin Green and Lucas Hensley. That’s the makings of one of the more consist starting fives in northeast Tennessee but the bench is helping smooth things over during the nine-game win streak the Blue Devils are riding along this season. A team heavy with seniors really doesn’t need the title of a starting five – the Blue Devils practically have 10 starters and Sr. Keith Arrowood is approaching his reappearance to the hardwood.

Seniors – Sam Wilder, Thomas Tipton. Juniors – Zach Thelen and Austin Hendrickson (and Dalton Spears gave some pivotal minutes in the win Friday over Sullivan North). While the starting five is receiving notoriety ( and with good reason – two 6-4 post players, two stingy defense threats in Green and Hensley … and an all-conference guard in Rice) but the bench play has been a key move into the success for the team.

“We’re in an interesting situation with our seniors,” head coach John English said recently. “It can get frustrating for some of these younger guys but I’d feel comfortable starting our underclassmen.” The depth is proving this correctly. Keep an eye out of the Devils in the coming weeks.

This week

Sullivan East at home – Tuesday, Dec. 10

Tuesday’s varsity contests will have a bit of intrigue in Erwin when UCHS hosts Sullivan East.

The Lady Patriots (8-2) are coming off a 67-43 victory on the road against Johnson County on Thursday, Dec. 5, and prior to that dropped a close affair to Sullivan South, 63-56. 

Brandy Watkins leads the charge. Tori James is coming off a leg injury and is back in the rotation while the squad has seen some sparks out of junior Kara Stafford. A match up of two talents club in Erwin. 

The boys side features a Sullivan East program (4-5) that is in a ‘down-year’ by some but still could just as easily be over .500. Head coach John Dyer has a youthful call club, with the likes of Gavin Grubb at a guard spot and are led by Anthony Vanhoy (who dropped 23 points in a 70-60 loss against Sullivan South) and have a big body in the post with Curt Lunceford – who can grab the boards and knock down the shots inside.

Hampton on the road – Friday, Dec. 17

While this is an interesting game for me just because I graduated from there, a good challenge awaits UCHS on the road Friday against Hampton. The trio of teams in Carter County (Hampton, Cloudland and Unaka) have shown each year they can hang tough with the higher classifications and it will be the same story at Buck-VanHuss gym. The Lady ‘Dogs post a potent lineup (including standout junior Alexis Bowers) along with Monica Olvera, Hannah Irick, Kaitlin Irick and a body in the post with Paige Montgomery. HHS also boasts a potent underclassmen group and it’ll be a good task for coach King’s crew before Christmas tournament time hits.

My honest opinion – I’m not sure a team will sweep the non-conference series. The Lady Bulldogs host a team that can make a trip back to the state tournament in 2014 and the Lady Devils are continuing to develop and shown they’re still a power in the Three Rivers Conference. Not very often two good teams meet and you see a team sweep the other.

The Blue Devils encounter a scrappy (and talented) Hampton ball club that is in the running for the conference crown in the WVC. Cody McClain is one the top PGs in the area and is compliment by Cheyenne Camillo and Coby Jones on the outside. Tristan Robinson is a big body for the ‘Dogs while Stanley Valentine is the all-around threat (rebounds, perimeter shots, defensively). The Blue Devils have the size advantage going in but expect a fight throughout both games this year.

On tap for Wednesday

A packed edition of The Erwin Record’s sports hits the stands on Wednesday, Dec. 11. The UCHS articles features a bevy of interviews from coach English, King and players: Hannah Rice, Whitley True, Destinie Hayes, Chelsey Harness for the girls and Austin Green, Zach Thelen, Ethan Rice and Sam Wilder for the boys). Along with that – a full recap of Unicoi Co. Middle School action with stats and interviews from head coaches Ken Hilliard and Alisha Mainer. AND UCHS freshmen action with head coach Drew Rice. ANDDDD a look at the upcoming FCA Senior Bowl game on Sunday Dec. 15 featuring Hunter Burnett and Cody Harris. It’s just another week of Erwin athletics, and once again a special thanks for all the readers for racking up the view totals for this little fun-installment. It’s a great away to add a bit of a personal feel to the profession. 

Extras

Be sure to check out The Erwin Record Sports on Facebook. You can also check me out on Twitter at: @CurtisCarden_ER (almost at 500 followers… which is a ridiculous amount of support for a weekly sportswriter, y’all are awesome.) And of course, questions, comments and advice to reach Jennifer Lawrence can be sent to ccarden@erwinrecord.net

 

It’s time to get prepped for next week – my heart is still recouping from the OK State loss.

College football Saturday. Start the day off right in Stillwater, #okstate

— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) December 7, 2013

I’ve lost my trust in you Mike Gundy, although you can still dance.