(Photo by Travis Dockery) Quarterback Lance Coker and the Yellow Jacket offense line up to try to find an opening in Robbinsville's rock-solid defense. By Travis Dockery Sportswriter HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Friday night under the lights at Frank R. Long Memorial Stadium is supposed to feel like home. On September 18, 2026, the Hayesville Yellow Jackets hosted the Robbinsville Black Knights in Smoky Mountain 1A/2A play and ran into a reminder of just how unforgiving this conference

By Travis Dockery Sportswriter HAYESVILLE, N.C. — The Hayesville junior varsity Yellow Jackets did not so much beat Rosman on Thursday, Sept. 17 as they ran through the Tigers like a mountain thunderstorm that decided to stay for all four quarters. Final score from Rosman High School: Hayesville 62, Rosman 26. The conference game kicked off at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, and by the time the lights cooled, Hayesville had piled up another lopsided win on the road and improved to

CASHIERS, N.C. — The Hayesville Yellow Jackets varsity boys soccer team needed just one goal Wednesday night, shutting out Blue Ridge Early College 1-0 on the road. The Sept. 16 win was Hayesville’s second in a row and lifted the Yellow Jackets to 4-2 on the season. Blue Ridge Early College, playing at home, has now dropped three of its last four games at home and sits at 2-3-1. Hayesville’s defense held the Bobcats scoreless from start to finish, giving the visitors just eno

CLEMSON, S.C. — Former Hayesville High School and Clemson women’s basketball standout Laura Cottrell was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 12, as part of the 11-member Class of 2026. Clemson Athletics and the Block C Club announced the class April 28. Inductees were honored in conjunction with Clemson’s home football game against Georgia Southern at Memorial Stadium. Clemson won 22-7. The Hall of Fame ceremony is traditionally held on campus t

By Travis Dockery Sportswriter The Hive was buzzing on Tuesday, Sept. 15 for the first home matches for the Hayesville High School volleyball program. The Lady Jackets have been on the road since the season started in mid-August due to air conditioning replacements. Hayesville opened their home floor in a big way, welcoming rival Murphy in a Smoky Mountain Conference Battle. In the varsity contest, the Lady Jackets were feeling the support of a vocal Jacket Nation and came ou

By Travis Dockery Sportswriter BRYSON CITY, N.C. — Freshman Makenna Moss placed third in the girls 5,000-meter race Saturday at the Keith Payne Memorial Invitational at Kituwah Mound, pacing Hayesville High School to a fourth-place team finish. Moss ran 21 minutes, 2.27 seconds. Franklin won the girls team title with 37 points. Cherokee was second with 64, Smoky Mountain third with 67 and Hayesville fourth with 93. Enka finished fifth with 105 and Swain County sixth with 147.

(Photo by Hilary Goodrich) Left, 7th grader Gage Jones and right 10th grader Eli Cheeks. New and former school record holders. By Travis Dockery Sports writer BRYSON CITY, N.C. — Gage Jones set a Hayesville Middle School record, and the Yellow Jackets boys captured the team title Saturday at the Keith Payne Invitational. Jones won the boys 2-mile race in 11:04.92, breaking the school mark previously held by Eli Cheeks from 2024. Hayesville placed all five scorers in the top 1

Summit Charter Academy stayed unbeaten with a 2-1 boys soccer victory over Hayesville on Wednesday, Sept.10 handing the Yellow Jackets their second straight one-goal loss. The result dropped Hayesville to 2-2. Summit Charter Academy improved to 4-0. It was the second consecutive game in which Hayesville came up one goal short. The Bears’ win preserved their perfect start. Hayesville next plays conference opponent Cherokee at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14 at home.

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Robbinsville continued its late surge Tuesday, handing the Hayesville High School Lady Yellow Jackets a 3-1 volleyball loss after Hayesville had rolled past Rosman last Thursday. The Lady Black Knights took the opening two sets 25-21 and 25-21. Hayesville answered with a 25-23 win in the third before Robbinsville pulled away 25-15 in the fourth. Hayesville is 5-3 after going 1-2 since its four-match winning streak ended. Robbinsville has won seven of its la

(Photo by Hilary Goodrich) The HMS boys cross country team stands atop the podium and celebrates a victory on Tuesday. By Travis Dockery The Mountain Buzz TALLULAH FALLS, Ga. — Hayesville Middle School’s boys cross country team won the Cookies ’n Quotes XC Festival on Tuesday, Sept. 8, finishing first among 13 teams with 38 points — a 30-point margin over the runner-up. The Yellow Jackets put all five scoring runners among the top 15 in a field of 116 on the 3-kilometer cours

By Travis Dockery The Mountain Buzz HAYESVILLE, N.C. — On a warm Friday night at home, the Hayesville Yellow Jackets football team delivered its first victory of the 2026 season on Friday, Sept. 4, defeating the Copper Basin Cougars of Copper Basin, Tenn., 14-8. Kickoff temperature was 82 degrees for Hayesville’s first home game of the year. The stands were well filled, and the student section did its part, packing in to cheer on the black and Vegas Gold. Hayesville struck fi

(Photo by Travis Dockery) Caden McClure carries the ball and a Cherokee Brave down the field to gain yards for the Yellow Jackets. HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Caden McClure scored two rushing touchdowns and Luke Buckner accounted for two scores Thursday, Sept. 3 as the Hayesville High School junior varsity football team blanked Cherokee 29-0 in a Smoky Mountain Conference game at Frank R. Long Memorial Stadium. Quarterback Luke Buckner tiptoes down the sideline to move Hayesville towa

CHEROKEE — The Hayesville High School cross country teams turned in strong performances Wednesday at Cherokee High School, with the Lady Yellow Jackets winning the girls team championship and the Hayesville boys placing fourth in the team standings. The Hayesville girls finished with 34 points and a combined scoring time of 2:17:52, comfortably ahead of second-place Cherokee, which scored 40 points. Robbinsville finished third with 50 points. Makenna Moss Freshman Makenna Mos

(Photo by Hilary Goodrich) Caiden Curtis maintains his rhythm on his way to a top 10 overall finish. Staff Report CHEROKEE, N.C. — Hayesville Middle School cross country turned in a strong showing Wednesday, Sept. 2 in sweltering conditions, with the Yellow Jacket boys nabbing the team title and the girls recording their first complete team score of the season at the conclusion of the cross country meet in Cherokee. The heat index climbed into the high 90s, turning the 2-mile

CHEROKEE, N.C. — The Hayesville High School volleyball teams rolled into Cherokee on Tuesday, Sept. 1, for a pair of Smoky Mountain Conference showdowns with the Lady Braves. Cherokee’s varsity program remains the team to beat in the conference and a likely deep state playoff contender. Hayesville was once a perennial championship threat in the same league before the Lady Braves climbed to the top. Since that shift, the Lady Jackets have had trouble solving Cherokee. That pat

Sophomore Eli Cheeks emerges from the pack to be Hayesville's top finisher. By Travis Dockery Sports Writer The Hayesville High School boys cross country team finished fourth in its classification Saturday at the WNC Cross Country Carnival at Jackson Park, while the girls placed 17th. Sophomore Eli Cheeks led the Yellow Jackets boys, taking 14th in 18 minutes, 32.50 seconds. Fellow sophomore Porter Hood was 26th in 19:06.30, followed by senior Parker Hughes in 38th at 19:29.8

(Photo by the Mountain Buzz) Colin Walker takes control and keeps the ball away from an advancing Wildcat. Walker had a pair of goals in Hayesville's victory. By Travis Dockery Sports Writer HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Adiel Hernandez scored three goals and Colin Walker added two, including the winner with 1:47 left in the second overtime, as Hayesville rallied past Andrews 5-4 on Monday, Aug. 31 in a Smoky Mountain Conference boys soccer opener that needed extra time to settle. A spi

By Travis Dockery Sports Writer Hayesville spent Friday night trying to climb out of a hole that opened in the first quarter and only got deeper. Enka scored in every period, turned Yellow Jackets mistakes into short fields, and rolled to a 49-6 non-conference victory. The Jets owned the opening 12 minutes and led 15-0 after one quarter. A Hayesville fumble with 32 seconds left in the period gave Enka the ball again, and the Jets opened the second quarter with a touchdown run

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — The Hayesville High School Lady Yellow Jackets volleyball team swept Blue Ridge Early College in three sets Thursday, winning 25-7, 25-5, 25-9. The victory improved Hayesville to 4-1. The Lady Jackets return to action Tuesday, Sept. 1 against Smoky Mountain Conference powerhouse Cherokee at 6 p.m. Due to delays in the installation of new air conditioning in The Hive, the match will be played at Cherokee High School.

Mountain Buzz Staff Report MURPHY, N.C. — Hayesville High School’s junior varsity football team opened Smoky Mountain Conference play with a 23-6 victory over rival Murphy on Thursday night. The Yellow Jackets improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the SMC. Murphy hosted the game. Hayesville’s next contest is its first home game of the season. The Jackets face Cherokee at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3.