HAYESVILLE — A weekend to remember turned into a moment for the history books for Hayesville High School senior Rayland Martinez . Martinez made school history on Saturday, Feb. 21, becoming the first wrestler from Hayesville High School to win a state championship. The milestone victory marked a breakthrough moment for the Yellow Jackets’ wrestling program and capped off a standout season on the mat. The celebration didn’t end there. On Sunday, Feb. 22, a large crowd gather

High school basketball teams from North Carolina and Georgia were busy Wednesday night, Feb. 18, with tournament and postseason stakes on the line. In the Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament, the Murphy Lady Bulldogs moved on by eliminating the Hayesville Lady Yellow Jackets, keeping their postseason run alive. The night was just as dramatic on the boys’ side, where the Murphy Bulldogs advanced with a thrilling 71–68 buzzer-beating win over the Andrews Wildcats. Andrews also

Hayesville’s home-court success against Murphy came to an end Wednesday night as the Bulldogs swept a girls-boys doubleheader, handing both the Yellow Jackets and Lady Jackets decisive losses. The Hayesville Lady Jackets saw a three-game home winning streak against Murphy snapped with a 52-41 loss to the Lady Bulldogs. Hayesville was unable to duplicate its earlier-season success, when it defeated Murphy 37-25. The loss dropped Hayesville’s record to 16-8. Murphy, meanwhile,