Staff Report The Hiwassee Dam varsity basketball teams made the short trip to Hayesville on Tuesday, Dec. 16, and returned home with a sweep of the Yellow Jackets in a competitive high school basketball doubleheader that featured intensity from start to finish. Varsity action began with the girl's game, where Hiwassee Dam edged Hayesville in a hard-fought contest that set the tone for the night. Both teams played with energy and determination, continuing the competitive rival

The Clay County Schools Board of Education took time during its meeting Monday, December 15, to recognize outstanding student-athletes from Hayesville High School for their achievements during the fall sports season. Board members honored members of the Hayesville High School Men’s Varsity Soccer Team who earned Smoky Mountain Conference accolades. Recognized were Hayden Hunt and Raul Rivera-Prieto, both named to the Smoky Mountain Conference All-Conference team, and Jackson

The Hayesville High School Yellow Jackets continue to look every bit like a team on a mission. Hayesville turned in its most impressive offensive performance of the young season Friday night, rolling past the Nantahala Hawks 70-50 on the road. The 70 points marked a season high for the Yellow Jackets, who remained perfect at 4-0 with the convincing victory. From the opening tip, everything seemed to fall Hayesville’s way. The Yellow Jackets pushed the tempo, spread the scorin

The Hayesville Lady Yellow Jackets  came back down to earth Friday night, suffering their first defeat of the young season with a 47-38  loss to the Highlands Highlanders . The defeat drops Hayesville's early season record to 1-1 . After a dominant performance against Blue Ridge Early College earlier in the week, the Yellow Jackets ran into a Highlanders squad that seemed determined to exact a measure of revenge. It appears the Highlanders hadn't forgotten their last meeting

Press Release The Hayesville Middle School Men’s Basketball team made the long bus ride to Rosman and returned home with a 53-28 win. The Jackets played stifling defense, blocking six shots and grabbing 13 steals. Hayesville also out rebounded the Tigers 35-22. Rosman was held to 36% shooting from the floor. Hayesville’s unselfish play on offense resulted in 13 assists on 23 made baskets. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 16-1 lead after one before taking a 25-8 lead into ha

The Hayesville wrestling program put on a clinic in their most recent match, steamrolling three opponents in a tri-match held at East Henderson High School. Behind suffocating team pressure and an overwhelming edge in first takedowns, the Yellow Jackets posted decisive victories of 48-30 over East Henderson, 72-12 over Swain County, and 77-6 over Chase. Head coach Colby White said, "The team dominated the number of first takedowns in all three matches. We performed exceptiona

The Hayesville Yellow Jackets wasted no time announcing their presence in the 2025-26 season, steamrolling Blue Ridge Early College 69-20 in a non-conference road game Tuesday night. From the opening tip, Hayesville imposed its will. The Yellow Jackets raced to a 24-7 lead after one quarter and poured in 27 more points in the second to take a commanding 51-14 advantage into halftime. A running clock in the second half underscored the lopsided affair, as Hayesville cruised to

The Hayesville Lady Yellow Jackets made a resounding statement in their season opener Tuesday night, cruising to a 61-29 victory over Blue Ridge Early College in the first official game under new head coach Tammy Dills. Playing on the road in a non-league matchup, Hayesville wasted no time asserting control against the young Bobcats program. The Yellow Jackets’ pressure defense and balanced scoring overwhelmed Blue Ridge Early College from the opening tip, turning the contest

Article Submitted Hayesville Middle School boys' basketball lost Monday nights home contest 42-41 at the buzzer. After falling behind 15-13 after one, the tightly contested game was tied at 21 at the half. The Jackets would take a 5-point lead into the fourth. Robbinsville began the fourth with a 7-point run. In total there were 6 lead changes in the final quarter. Hayesville took a one-point lead 41-40 with a 3-point FG with just over 6 seconds left. Robbinsville would hit a

Press Release The HMS Men’s Basketball team lost their first game of the season tonight in a tightly contested game to Cherokee. Cherokee jumped out to an 18-13 lead after one. The Jackets defense tightened up in the second quarter, limiting Cherokee to only 6 points, narrowing the halftime lead to 24-22. Hayesville’s defense remained tough throughout the third, only giving up 5 points. After three quarters, the Jackets took a one point lead into the 4th quarter, up 30-29. Th

Staff Report Mountain Buzz The Hayesville Yellow Jacket men’s wrestling team turned in a strong performance over the weekend at the King of the Mountain Tournament in Towns County , collecting multiple individual medals and earning a 6th-place team finish  against a highly competitive field. Five Yellow Jackets reached the podium: Evan Burks – 1st Place Mason Ray – 3rd Place Hunter Hill – 4th Place Rayland Martinez – 3rd Place Raul “Junior” Rivera-Prieto – 3rd Place With thos

Press Release The Jackets jumped out to a 22-5 lead after the first quarter vs Hiwassee Dam. Hayesville forced 9 turnovers in that quarter as a result of their stifling defense. The Jackets stretched the margin to 24 at halftime, leading 36-12 heading into the locker room. At the final buzzer, the Jackets would cinch their 6th win with a score of 59-20. The Jackets shot 57% from the field. Their unselfish play led to 19 assists on the night. HMS out rebounded the Eagles 35-11

Rayland Martinez gets the better of his Wildcat opponent, just before getting the win via pinfall. Staff Report The Hayesville High School wrestling program hit the mat last week and has already shown plenty of grit, determination, and promise for the season ahead. The Yellow Jackets opened the year on the road at Towns County, then returned home on Tuesday, November 18 to host Brevard and Andrews in a competitive early-season tri-match. While both the men’s and women’s roste

Press Release The Jackets came out quickly in the first quarter jumping out to a 16-6 lead. The Yellow Jackets defense created 5 first quarter turnovers which led to multiple transition baskets. Leaving the locker room at halftime with a 26-14 lead, the Jackets put together their best quarter in the third. They would outscore Murphy 20-6 to increase their lead to 26 points after 3. When the final buzzer sounded, the HMS Mens basketball team secured their fifth victory on th

Staff Report Mountain Buzz The Hayesville Yellow Jackets saw their playoff run come to an end Friday night, November 14, as they fell to the East Wilkes Cardinals 44–7 in the second round of the NCHSAA state tournament. The game was played on the road at East Wilkes High School, and despite the lopsided final score, the loss doesn’t overshadow the strong year Hayesville put together. Coming off a thrilling 41-point offensive performance the week before, the Yellow Jackets ent

Press Release The Hayesville Middle School Men’s Basketball team improved to 4-0 on the season after picking up a 63-19 road win at Swain. Swain got the scoring started, taking a 2-0 lead before the Jackets went on a 12-0 run. Balanced scoring and relentless defense led Hayesville to a 26-6 lead after the first quarter. The halftime score was 45-8. The Jackets only turned the ball over a handful of times through 3 quarters and dominated on the boards, outrebounding Swain 34-9

Press Release The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 36-13 halftime lead. Unselfish play on offense coupled with disciplined defense set the tone for the Yellow Jackets. Hayesville would further pull away with a 14-3 advantage in the third, before closing out the game on a 14-5 run in the fourth. Hayesville dominated on the boards 35-12 and held Andrews to 30% shooting from the floor. Jackets travel to Swain on Thursday, Nov. 13.

By: Staff Report The Mountain Buzz It can be tough to carry regular-season momentum into the playoffs, but the Hayesville Yellow Jackets had no trouble doing just that Friday night. Hayesville dominated from start to finish, cruising by the Highland Tech Rams 41-0 in the opening round of the NCHSAA state playoffs. The Yellow Jackets’ offense was firing on all cylinders, piling up 397 total yards behind standout performances from quarterback Peyton McGaha and running back Tre

By Staff Reports November 7, 2025 The Hayesville Yellow Jacket soccer team saw its playoff run come to an end Thursday night, falling 8–0 to Gray Stone Day in the second round of the NCHSAA 1A State Playoffs. The Jackets faced a tough road challenge against a talented Knights squad, ranked 178th in the state according to MaxPreps. Hayesville entered the matchup ranked 493rd and had to contend not only with a higher-seeded opponent but also a long road trip. . Despite the scor