There were no high school sporting events in Cherokee County last week, as the school system was on spring break. As spring sports head into the final stretch of the regular season, here’s where teams stand in the Cherokee Scout’s coverage area.
Baseball
With six conference games remaining, Murphy is still in the hunt for the Smoky Mountain Conference championship. The Bulldogs are 7-4 overall and 5-1 in the conference, trailing only Swain County, which is 6-1 in the conference.
Hayesville is right behind at 4-1. Murphy has already split with Swain County, and plays Hayesville on May 3 and May 5. Swain County beat Hayesville 4-0 on April 7 and plays the Yellow Jackets on April 28.
The Bulldogs have been solid at the plate, averaging 8.1 runs per game, with junior Isaac Cole (.459 batting average), Will Carringer (.436) and senior Braden Rumfelt (.436) leading the way. Senior Payton McCracken is back in the lineup after missing the early part of the season with an injury, and fellow senior Kellen Rumfelt could be back as well to make a dangerous lineup more potent.
Cole, senior Briggs Cornwell and junior Cole Laney have had good moments on the mound. What’s holding Murphy back is walks and defense, as the Bulldogs have walked 71 batters and committed 26 errors this season.
Hiwassee Dam has been up and down under first-year head coach Tommy Strickland, but at 5-6 overall and 3-3 in the conference has already improved on last year’s 2-12 mark.
The Eagles have struggled to score runs at times, with 27 of their runs coming in two games against Copper Basin, Tenn., while scoring just 23 in nine other games. Junior Tanner Taylor (.433) has set the tone at the plate.
It’s a different story on the mound, where the Eagles have a 2.45 ERA. Junior Evan Hedrick (1.50 ERA) and sophomore Clay Davis (2.14) have been particularly impressive. With remaining games including two each against Hayesville and Murphy, Hiwassee Dam can disrupt the conference race and get into the state playoffs.
It’s been a tough year so far for Andrews, as the Wildcats have dropped all seven of their games. They’ve yet to score more than four runs in a game, though juniors Donovan Bateman (.360) and Isaac Weaver (.333) have been bright spots.
Softball
Thanks to an offense that bludgeons teams, Hiwassee Dam is off to a 9-0 start. The Lady Eagles have scored 132 runs and hit .492 as a team. Six players in the starting lineup are hitting higher than .500, with cousins Olivia (.667) and Payton McNabb (.615) leading the way.
It’s an impressive start, though it hasn’t come against the best competition. Hiwassee Dam’s opponents this year have a combined record of 9-32, which is why the Lady Eagles are 13th in the state’s 1A West RPI rankings. The coaching staff tried to schedule non-conference games against some better teams, but they were unable to. Hiwassee Dam has two games each against Hayesville, Murphy and Robbinsville remaining this season.
Murphy got off to a 3-0 start, but lost their next five games due to injuries and personnel issues. Sisters Riley (.500) and Julia Dockery (.562) are hitting well, but the lineup has been top heavy at times.
The Lady Bulldogs welcomed back junior pitcher Jersey Schwalm from injury against Franklin on April 4, which should help down the stretch. Schwalm pitched all but one inning for Murphy last year, and has a 3.26 ERA in 19⅓ innings so far this season. The Lady Bulldogs have two games each remaining against Andrews, Hiwassee Dam and Hayesville.
Andrews has mostly struggled this season, but there’s still been bright spots. The Lady Wildcats have won two games after a winless campaign last year, including a win over Hayesville for their first conference win since 2018.
Senior Emily Mealer, junior Summer Garrett and sophomore Carley Clark have all hit home runs. Andrews has two games against Murphy, Robbinsville and Swain County remaining in conference, as well as a doubleheader against Rosman on April 23.
Girls soccer
It has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Murphy, but the Lady Bulldogs are getting better. After losing to Smoky Mountain 6-1 in the season opener on March 10, Murphy (4-4 overall and 3-2 in the Smoky Mountain conference) beat the Mustangs 1-0 at Murphy four weeks later.
The team plays mostly through junior Cat Barreiro and sophomore Lailee Holloway in the midfield, as they’re the most skilled and experienced players on the team. But the rest of the team has improved quickly, picking up more soccer IQ with each game. Murphy’s five remaining games are all against teams they played earlier this season, including home matches against Hayesville on April 21, Swain County on April 28 and Highlands on May 9.
Track & field
With two meets left before the Smoky Mountain Conference championships, both the Murphy and Andrews track and field teams have several athletes qualify for the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A West Regional Championship on May 14.
For the Wildcats, sophomore Sam Preston has hit the mark in the long jump (20 feet, 5 inches), while junior Isaac Weaver has qualified in the high jump (6’0). Four Lady Wildcats have qualified, with three hitting the standard in two events.
Senior Kaylin Ellis has qualified in the 100-meter (17.30 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (51.90) and fellow senior Mackenzie Stalcup got the standard in both the triple jump (33’4.75) and high jump (4’10). Freshman Kylie Donaldson qualified in the long jump (15’4) and triple jump (32’9), while junior Rylie McDonald just eclipsed the standard in the shot put (30’1).
The Bulldogs have three athletes qualified for regionals. Senior Juan Allen has the top mark in the conference in the long jump (20’8) and is second in the 110-meter hurdles (16.10). Junior Cameron Grooms will be in contention for a conference title in the both the 100-meter (11.00) and 400-meter dash (52.76), while senior Hunter Laney could be as well in the high jump (6’0).
For the Lady Bulldogs, indoor track state qualifier and senior Faith Ann Revis has qualified in the triple jump (34’1), while sophomore Calista Rumfelt has cleared the bar in the high jump (4’11). Sophomore Jordan Oliver has qualified in three wheelchair events – the 100-meter dash (40.34), wheelchair shot put (7’6) and wheelchair discus (18’2).