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

The Union County Panthers are off to a solid 3-2 start in the 2025-26 season, good for a .600 winning percentage. They are currently on a 1-game winning streak after knocking off Gilmer on the road 77-69 on December 2. Key Stats Points For: 353 (70.6 PPG) Points Against: 317 (63.4 PPG) Average Margin: +7.2 points Record by Location Home: 1-1 Away: 2-1 Neutral: 0-0 Notable Results Swept the season series with Gilmer: dominated at home 82-47 (Nov 18) and won a closer contest on

The Union County Lady Panthers currently stand at 2-3 overall  with a .400 winning percentage through their first five games of the 2025-26 season. They have yet to begin Region 7-AA play and are slated as the No. 9 seed in the region entering league action. Season Results So Far: Nov. 14 @ Towns County – W 82-24  (dominant road win to open the season) Nov. 18 vs. Gilmer – L 56-53  (close home loss) Nov. 21 vs. Towns County – W 60-26  (swept the season series with Towns Count

The Hiwassee Dam Eagles boys basketball team has started the 2025–26 season with a 2-1 overall record (.667 winning percentage) through their first three non-conference games. They are currently on a 1-game losing streak and have yet to begin Smoky Mountain 1A/2A conference play (0-0, tied for 4th in the conference). Season Results So Far: Nov 18: vs Copper Basin – W 60–27 Nov 21: vs Macon Early College – W 62–19 Nov 25: @ Andrews – L 50–63 The Eagles have been dominant at ho

The Lady Eagles started the 2025–26 season with a dramatic 2OT loss at home to Copper Basin (59-64) on November 18 but quickly bounced back with a dominant 72-18 victory over Macon Early College three days later. They picked up their first road win on November 25, edging Andrews 60-56 in a close contest. Hiwassee Dam entered December looking to build momentum but suffered a lopsided 33-71 defeat at Copper Basin on December 2 in a rematch of their season opener. Through four g

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

The Towns County Indians picked up a dominant boys victory and a hard-fought girls effort Monday night as both varsity squads traveled to Highlands for a non-conference doubleheader on Nov. 24. Highlands girls edge Towns County, 33–24 The Towns County Lady Indians held their own on the road but couldn’t overcome a slow start in a 33–24 loss. Highlands opened with an 11–4 first quarter and held a 20–11 lead at halftime. Towns County gained traction after the break, scoring eig

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

Staff Report The Hiwassee Dam girls basketball team opened its season at home Tuesday night but couldn’t hang on late, falling 64–59 to visiting Copper Basin. The Eagles kept the match-up tight throughout and looked poised to start the year with a win, but Copper Basin surged in the closing minutes to avenge a loss from the teams’ last meeting in January. Hiwassee Dam’s offense found its rhythm early, but the Cougars countered with steady scoring and a strong finish to hand t

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 Towns County Indians showed grit and energy in their home matchup Friday night, but the Union County Panthers proved too much to handle down the stretch, handing the Indians a 76–55 loss in non-conference play. Union County, coming off a strong preseason, wasted no time establishing momentum. Their fast tempo and accurate shooting helped them build an early lead, and although Towns County responded with several impressive runs of their own, the

Staff Reports Mountain Buzz With the stakes at their highest, the Murphy Bulldogs delivered one of their most commanding performances of the season Friday night. Hosting Albemarle in the second round of the NCHSAA state playoffs, Murphy was firing on all cylinders as they rolled to a decisive 57–14 victory. The Bulldogs wasted no time making a statement, piling up points early and often while shutting down nearly everything Albemarle tried to get going offensively. By the tim

Staff Report Mountain Buzz The Andrews Wildcats saw their postseason journey come to an end Friday night, falling 56–7 to the Robbinsville Black Knights in the second round of the NCHSAA playoffs at Robbinsville High School. The Wildcats entered the matchup hoping to build on the momentum of last week’s playoff victory, a bright spot in a season marked by challenges. However, Robbinsville proved to be too much from the opening whistle. The Black Knights controlled the game on

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