The 2021-22 N.C. High School Athletic Association sports season officially came to an end June 4 with the baseball and softball state championships.
Though no local teams won any state championships this spring, Murphy baseball did bring home a Smoky Mountain Conference championship, and three schools within the Cherokee Scout’s coverage area had plenty of All-Conference selections. Below are the selections for each school in spring sports.
Andrews
It was a winless season for Wildcats baseball, but Isaac Weaver was named All-Conference after hitting a team-high .400. In softball, Emily Mealer was an honorable mention after helping lead the Lady Wildcats to their first playoff appearance since 2016.
Andrews had more success in track and field, where conference champions are named All-Conference and second-place finishers are honorable mention.
Weaver picked up an All-Conference nod in both the boys 100-meter dash and long jump, plus an honorable mention in the high jump. Kylie Donaldson and Kaylin Ellis were honorable mention in the girls long jump and 100-meter hurdles, while the Lady Wildcats 4x100-meter relay team also picked up an honorable mention nod.
Hiwassee Dam
Seth Hooper was named All-Conference in baseball after helping lead the Eagles to their first playoff appearance since 2015. Hooper hit .304 with 18 RBI and had a 6.36 ERA in 25⅓ innings on the mound. Clay Davis and Evan Hedrick were honorable mentions.
After finishing second in the Smoky Mountain Conference for softball, Hiwassee Dam’s Payton Palmer, Olivia McNabb, Payton McNabb and Kiera Taylor were all named All-Conference. Palmer batted second in the lineup and played centerfield for the Lady Eagles all season, hitting .500 with nine RBI and 13 stolen bases, respectively.
Olivia McNabb had a great freshman year, hitting .527 with four home runs and 25 RBI, stealing 12 bases while pitching to a 2.83 ERA and striking out 71 in 47 innings on the mound. Her older cousin, Payton McNabb, hit .577 with one home run, 23 RBI and was Hiwassee Dam’s starting catcher.
Taylor was the Lady Eagles’ leadoff hitter and shortstop, batting .509 with one home run and 16 RBI while stealing 21 bases. In addition, Lauren Brooks was an honorable mention.
Murphy
After leading the Bulldogs to a share of the Smoky Mountain Conference championship, baseball coach Adam Clonts was named Coach of the Year. In Clonts’ nine seasons at the helm, Murphy has won four conference titles. Isaac Cole, Briggs Cornwell, Adam Sutton and Joe Swain were named All-Conference this season.
Cole and Cornwell got it done at the plate and on the mound, with Cole hitting .429 with 16 RBI while recording a 2.56 ERA and a team-high 62 strikeouts in 38⅓ innings pitched. Cornwell hit .323 with two home runs, 20 RBI and had a 2.88 ERA in 41⅓ innings pitched.
Sutton hit .452 with 11 RBI and played an excellent right field, while Swain started every game at catcher and hit .426 with one home run and 16 RBI. Cole Laney and Braden Rumfelt were honorable mentions.
In girls soccer, Catalina Barreiro and Lailee Holloway were both named All-Conference. As the most experienced players on an incredibly inexperienced team, Barreiro was a key cog on defense and the midfield, while Holloway provided an offensive punch in the midfield instead of her traditional striker position. Faith Ann Revis was an honorable mention.
In softball, Julia Dockery, Riley Dockery and Jersey Schwalm were named All-Conference. Julia Dockery had a strong freshman year, hitting .473 with two home runs and nine RBI while also pitching 32⅔ innings. Her older sister, Riley, did the same in her junior year, batting .490 with two home runs and 22 RBI.
Schwalm was the Bulldogs’ main pitcher when healthy, posting a 4.16 ERA in 62⅓ innings. She also had a good year at the plate, batting .400 with one home run and seven RBI in 11 games. Sanai Wilson was an honorable mention.
In track and field, Murphy had plenty of All-Conference selections after finishing second in both the boys and girls competition. For the Lady Bulldogs, Aiden Smith was named All-Conference after winning the discus, as was Jersey Schwalm after taking the shot put.
Jordan Oliver was All-Conference in the 100-meter wheelchair dash, wheelchair shot put and wheelchair discus. Kia Guerrero, Faith Ann Revis and Calista Rumfelt were honorable mentions in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and high jump, and the 4x800-meter relay team was also an honorable mention.
For the boys team, Austin Woody and Cameron Grooms were named All-Conference after taking first in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes.
Grooms and Woody were also part of the All-Conference 4x200-meter relay team, and Grooms was on the All-Conference 4x100-meter relay team as well. Juan Allen was an honorable mention after runner-up finishes in both the 110-meter hurdles and long jump.