2024 was a great year for sports in Cherokee County. Below is a short list of some of the top moments throughout the year, including Murphy football winning the Smoky Mountain Conference, Andrews’ Kylie Donaldson reaching the 1,000-point milestone and Hiwassee Dam bringing home multiple Little Smoky Mountain Conference championships.
1,000 points for McNabb, Rummler
As the 2023-24 basketball season was coming to a close earlier this year, two athletes in Cherokee County hit the 1,000-point milestone.
On Jan. 23, then-junior Olivia McNabb scored her 1,000th point of her high school career at home while they were playing Copper Basin, Tenn.
On Feb. 27, Murphy senior Dominick Rummler cracked the 1,000-point mark in their game against Sugar Creek in the first round of playoffs.
Eagles win conference championships
Both Hiwassee Dam basketball team won the Little Smoky Mountain Conference for the 2023-24 season.
Both teams defeated Highlands to secure the conference championship.
The Lady Eagles went on to win the first two rounds of the state playoffs and then fell in the third round. The boys lost a hard fought game at home to Mountain Island Charter.
Shuler fly’s high at state
As the spring sports season was wrapping up, track and field athletes from Cherokee County headed to the state championship in Greensboro.
On May 13, Andrews’ Logan Shuler won the state championship in the high jump with a jump of 6-foot-6, tying his personal best.
Shuler was given his state championship ring on Dec. 20.
Record breaking Senior Games
In April, the annual Cherokee/Clay County Senior Games kicked off.
Over the course of four weeks From April 20 to May 18 , games were held nearly every day.
77 records were broken by 35 men and women during the 2024 Senior Games. In October, 38 Senior Games athletes headed to Raleigh for the Senior Games state championship. Athletes from Cherokee and Clay counties earned 39 medals at the state championship.
Cyclists come to Murphy
Toward the end of the summer, over 300 cyclists descended on Murphy for the annual Cycle NC Mountain Ride.
Over the course of three days on Aug. 1-3, cyclists camped in Konehete Veterans Park and enjoyed scenic rides.
The various routes led them up through Andrews, Topton and as far north as Nantahala Lake. They also went as Far East as downtown Hayesville.
Lady Eagles win Smoky Mountain Conference
The Hiwassee Dam volleyball team secured the Little Smoky Mountain Conference championship when they defeated Highlands on Oct. 16.
The 2024 LSMC tournament was held with three teams—Highlands, Hiwassee Dam and Blue Ridge Early College – this year because Nantahala did not have enough players to continue their season.
Hiwassee Dam went on to defeat Murphy at home in the first round of the playoffs, then fell to Christ the King on the road.
Murphy press box named after icon
On Oct. 18, the Murphy High School press box as David Gentry Field was named after longtime announcer J.R. Carroll.
Carroll has been calling Bulldogs football games for 41 years. His iconic line, “First and 10, Bulldogs” has rung through the stadium countless times over the years. He is also a staff correspondent with the Cherokee Scout and has been a play-by-play announcer on the radio.
Eagles run their way to state
The 2024 cross-country season was one to remember for the Hiwassee Dam Eagles.
Every meet regular season meet they competed in, they won. Ethan Russell ran his way to multiple wins and a top-five finish in each regular season meet.
At the SMC meet, they claimed victory with a dominant performance. That momentum carried over to regionals where they finished in second place, securing a spot for the whole team in the state meet. At state, the came in third to cap off their season. Russell came in second place at the state meet in Kernersville.
Dogs win the SMC
With their 35-6 win over Cherokee on Nov. 1, the Murphy Bulldogs won the SMC for the first time since 2018.
This season, they went a perfect 6-0 in the SMC with big wins in each game. That momentum carried over to the playoffs.
Dogs win 12 straight
The Bulldogs had a strong run this season where they won 12 game in a row. That 12-game win streak started in the second week of the season with a win over Heard County, Ga. on Aug. 30. Once in the playoffs, they defeated Highland Tech, Christ the King and Robbinsville.
Their win streak came to an end in the fourth round of the playoffs against undefeated Mountain Heritage.
This season was head coach Joseph Watson’s first season with more than 10 wins as he led the Dogs to an SMC championship and strong playoff run.
Donaldson hits 1,000
In their final game of 2024, the Andrews Lady Wildcats basketball team took on Smoky Mountain on Dec. 20.
In the second quarter of their final game before winter break, senior Kylie Donaldson hit a two-point bucket to reach the 1,000-point milestone in her high school career.
She was given the game ball and a banner celebrating her achievement.