Hiwassee Dam – For the second straight year, Hiwassee Dam had the exact same scenario to end its season. The Eagles needed to win their final two games to qualify for the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A playoffs, which they did with 10-0 and 5-4 wins over Cherokee on May 2 and May 4.
That put Hiwassee Dam as the No. 28 seed, and for the second straight year, they were matched up with the Smoky Mountain Conference champion, No. 5 seed Hayesville. The Yellow Jackets had outscored the Eagles 31-2 in the two meetings between the teams earlier this season, and this one had a similar result, with Hayesville winning 11-1.
The Yellow Jackets would fall 5-2 to No. 21 seed Eastern Randolph (6-17 overall) in the second round.
“I think having played them and lost twice earlier in the year there was a little bit of wanting to get something back,” Hiwassee Dam head coach Tommy Strickland said. “But, of course, Hayesville is a very good team. You can’t take that away from them. We played a pretty good game most of the game.”
Knowing the odds of beating Hayesville (12-3), Strickland treated the playoffs as a bonus game like he did last year. He knew it would be tough to win, but being in the playoffs beats the alternative.
The Yellow Jackets got one run in the bottom of the first and were held off the board for the next two innings before they scored three runs each in the fourth and fifth and then four in the sixth to end the game via mercy rule. Meanwhile, Hiwassee Dam (7-12) had just three hits and struck out eight times against the Yellow Jackets Braxton Cherry and Kendall Boyer.
Hiwassee Dam finished fourth in the conference for the second straight year, though were a little more competitive against the conference’s top three teams than last year. The Eagles beat Swain County for the first time since 2015 and came close to beating Murphy as well.
They’ll say goodbye to two seniors in Evan Hedrick and Tanner Taylor who will both be tough to replace. Hedrick was one of the team’s two starting pitchers this year, and was a middle infielder for the past three years. Taylor was also a multi-year starter who played five different positions this spring.
However, Hiwassee Dam will finally have a more senior-heavy group next year, which could allow them to continue to close the gap among the top teams in the conference. The Eagles have had three seniors combined the last two years, but project to have five on the roster next season.
“That kind of experience is going to be awesome,” Strickland said. “Guys that have been in the system for two years, making the playoffs that have that experience. It’s gonna be big for us.”