Blairsville , Ga. — Union County kept things close early, but Sonoraville pulled away in the second half to hand the Panthers a 45-22 loss on Friday night. The Smoky Mountain Conference matchup was tight through the first two quarters, with Union County trailing just 22-21 at halftime. But the Panthers couldn’t keep pace after the break as the Phoenix broke the game open with a dominant final two quarters. Sonoraville running back Jayden Cruz powered the offense with a monst

CHEROKEE, N.C. — Andrews’ offense couldn’t find any traction Friday night, falling 47-0 to Cherokee in a Smoky Mountain Conference matchup at Ray Kinsland Stadium. The loss marked the third straight time the Wildcats have come up short against the Braves, who snapped their own three-game losing streak with the decisive win. Cherokee (3-6) dominated on the ground, led by Kingston Welch and Jonathan Saylor. Welch rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries, whi

DALTON, Ga. — Towns County’s offense caught fire Friday night, lighting up the scoreboard for a season-high point total in a 54-35 win over Southeast Whitfield County. The victory marked the third straight for the Indians, who improved to 6-3 on the year while continuing their late-season surge. Towns County’s balanced attack proved too much for the Raiders, who fell to 2-8 after dropping their second consecutive game. The Indians took control early and never looked back, fin

MURPHY, N.C. — The Murphy Bulldogs sent their home crowd home happy Friday night with a commanding 50–7 victory over the visiting Hayesville Yellow Jackets in a Smoky Mountain Conference football matchup. Murphy (7–2) controlled the game from start to finish, overwhelming Hayesville on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs’ balanced attack and stout defense helped them earn their seventh win of the season and build momentum heading into their next matchup. The Bulldogs will t

CHEROKEE, N.C. — The Hayesville Lady Yellow Jackets saw their strong volleyball season come to an end Thursday night, falling 3-0 to the Cherokee Lady Braves in the third round of the NCHSAA 1A state tournament. It marked the fourth meeting this season between the two Smoky Mountain Conference rivals, with Cherokee claiming victory each time. Despite the loss, Hayesville finishes its campaign with an impressive 26-5 record. The Lady Jackets captured a midseason tournament ch

ANDREWS, N.C. (Oct. 23, 2025)  — The Andrews Wildcats’ postseason run came to an end Thursday as they fell to Leadership Academy 3-1 in the third round of the NCHSAA 1A state volleyball tournament. The Falcons took control early, winning the first two sets 25-13 and 25-18 before Andrews battled back to claim the third 25-18. Leadership Academy closed out the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth set. The loss ends an up and down season for the Lady Wildcats. After a strong

CASHIERS, N.C. — Andrews continued its winning streak Wednesday, edging Summit Charter 1-0 in a defensive battle that marked the Wildcats’ third straight victory. The Wildcats (5-7-1) kept their third consecutive clean sheet, holding off the Bears’ attack to secure the road win. The result followed Andrews’ recent 2-1 win over Highlands and a 1-0 shutout of Swain County. Summit Charter (7-5) dropped its second straight match with the loss. Andrews will look to extend its mome

BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. —  The Union County Lady Panthers saw their playoff run come to an end Wednesday, falling to Sonoraville in the GHSA Class AA state tournament’s Sweet 16 round. Union County dropped both games of the best-of-three series, losing the opener 2-0 before the Phoenix pulled away for an 11-0 victory in Game 2. The defeats eliminated the Lady Panthers and continued a frustrating trend against Sonoraville — Union County has now lost three straight meetings with the P

HAYESVILLE, N.C. - The Hayesville Lady Yellow Jackets kept their postseason momentum rolling Tuesday night with a straight-sets win over Smoky Mountain Conference rival Swain County in the second round of the NCHSAA 2A state championship tournament. Hayesville, which earned a first-round bye thanks to an impressive regular season, had to hunker down on their home court to take care of a strong Lady Maroon Devils team. The victory was a repeat performance from just a week ear

GREENSBORO — The Murphy Lady Bulldogs saw their postseason run come to an end Tuesday in the second round of the NCHSAA 2A state volleyball championship, falling in straight sets to Cornerstone Charter. Murphy entered the matchup fresh off a hard-fought first-round victory but couldn’t keep that momentum alive, dropping the match 25-12, 25-12, 25-15. The loss marked the Lady Bulldogs’ third defeat in their last four outings, closing their season with an 11-12 overall record.

KERNERSVILLE, N.C.  — Hiwassee Dam’s postseason run came to an end Tuesday night as the Eagles fell 3-0 to the Leadership Academy Falcons in the second round of the NCHSAA 1A state volleyball championship tournament. The loss halted a three-match winning streak for Hiwassee Dam, which had swept North Stokes in the opening round and battled back from a midseason slump to reach the second round. After a strong start to the tournament, the Eagles couldn’t find the same rhythm ag

ANDREWS, N.C.  — The Andrews Lady Wildcats bounced back from a recent losing skid in a big way Tuesday, Oct. 21, defeating NCSSM: Morganton 3-1 to advance to round 3 of the 1A NCHSAA tournament. After dropping being eliminated from the Smoky Mountain Conference tournament in round 1, Andrews regrouped on their home court and found their rhythm against the Dragons. The win was a welcome confidence boost as the Wildcats improved their record to 11-12 on the season. Next up, And

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Hayesville’s struggles continued Monday night as the Yellow Jackets fell 1-0 to Blue Ridge Early College, marking their third consecutive defeat. The Yellow Jackets came close to ending their skid but were unable to find the net against the Bobcats, who avenged a 2-0 loss from earlier in the season. With the defeat, Hayesville dropped to 4-6-1 overall. Blue Ridge Early College improved to 6-6-1 with the win. Hayesville will look to bounce back Wednesday, Oc

ANDREWS, N.C. ( — The Andrews Wildcats broke a nine-game skid against Highlands on Monday, edging the Highlanders 2-1 in a tense home match. The victory marked Andrews’ third straight win at home and their second consecutive one-goal triumph. The Wildcats improved to 4-7-1 on the season. Highlands entered the game on a six-match winning streak but fell to 8-7-1 with the loss. Andrews will look to keep their momentum going when they host Summit Charter at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

MURPHY, N.C. — Murphy continued its dominant season Monday night, blanking Summit Charter 3-0 after a tight first half. The Bulldogs held the Bears scoreless throughout, pulling away after halftime for another comfortable win. The result marked Murphy’s ninth victory this season by more than two goals. With the shutout, Murphy improved to 12-3-1, while Summit Charter fell to 7-4, snapping a four-match winning streak. Murphy will return to the field Monday at 4 p.m. to face B

MURPHY, N.C. — The Hiwassee Dam Eagles kept their postseason alive with a dominant sweep over North Stokes in the opening round of the NCHSAA 1A state volleyball tournament on Saturday. The Eagles defended home court with a 3-0 win, taking the sets 25-23, 25-19 and 25-23. The victory highlighted Hiwassee Dam’s grit in close sets as they closed out each frame with clutch points. With the win, Hiwassee Dam (8-16) advances to face The Leadership Academy (18-7) of Kernersville o

MURPHY, N.C. — Two teams were fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive Saturday, but it was Murphy that found just enough to move on. The Bulldogs outlasted the Elkin Buckin’ Elks in a five-set battle, 3-2, in the opening round of the NCHSAA volleyball playoffs. While Murphy actually scored fewer total points across the match (100-97), they came through when it mattered most, taking the decisive fifth set 15-13. Set scores were 25-21, 18-25, 25-16, 14-25, 15-13. The victor

ANDREWS, N.C.  — The Murphy Bulldogs left no doubt Friday night, shutting out county rival Andrews 59-0 in a commanding performance that showcased their strength on both sides of the ball. The victory marked Murphy’s fourth straight win and improved the Bulldogs to 6-2 on the season. It also continued a dominant stretch in which Murphy has outscored opponents by an average of more than 34 points per game. Murphy’s defense was unrelenting, keeping the Wildcats off the scoreboa

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — The Andrews Lady Wildcats and Hiwassee Dam Lady Eagles are set to represent the far western mountains in the opening round of the NCHSAA 1A state volleyball tournament. Andrews (No. 8 seed) earned a first-round bye and will advance automatically to the second round. The Lady Wildcats will face the winner of the match between No. 9 NCSSM-Morganton and No. 24 Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy. That matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18. Meanwhile

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released the Class 2A state volleyball playoff brackets this week, and two Smoky Mountain Conference rivals — Hayesville and Murphy — are both set to represent the conference on the postseason stage. Hayesville (25-4)  earned the No. 5 seed in the 2A West bracket after a strong regular season that included a runner-up finish in conference play. The Yellow Jackets received a first-round bye and will face th