West Stokes Wildcats Football

6/17/09

Wachovia, a Wells Fargo Company, along with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association announced the final standings in the Wachovia Cup competitions for the 2008-09 season. West Stokes High School was awarded the cup for a second consecutive year and the third time in four-years in the North State 2A Conference.

There are 18-varsity sports at West Stokes and the Wildcats won conference championships in Men & Womens Cross Country, Men & Womens Soccer, Men & Womens Swimming, Softball, and Men's Tennis. They placed second in five other sports; Football, Womens Basketball, Baseball, Women's Track, and Golf.

The Wildcats had eight Conference Player or Athletes of the Year, the most in school history. Players awarded MVP were: Hannah Helms (Cross Country & Track), Tyler VanMeter (Soccer), Calvin Cade (Football), Brett Benson (Swimming), Kelsey Perrell (Soccer), Taigh Mitchell (Field Events Track), and Samantha Wilson (Softball).

The Wildcats also picked up several Conference Tournament MVPs in their respected sports: Ben Goldbach (swimming), Chancey Stone (Softball), Seth Holderfield (Baseball), Benson (Swimming), and Helms (Track).

The head coaches for West Stokes also brought home seven Coach of the Year honors: Benji Knox (Men & Women Cross Country), Chris Manley (Mens Soccer), Marie Watson (Womens Swimming), Bill Robinson (Womens Soccer), Rick McHone (Softball), and David Smith (Mens Tennis).

First Place Finishes
Mens Cross Country - First Championship
Womens Cross Country - 4th Consecutive Championship
Mens Soccer - 4th Consecutive Championship
Womens Soccer - First Championship
Softball - 4th Consecutive Championship; 7th overall
Mens Tennis - 3rd Consecutive Championship
Mens Swimming - First Championship
Womens Swimming - First Championship

2008-09 North State Wachovia Cup Conference Standings

West Stokes - 176.0
Reidsville - 154.5
Eastern Guilford - 149.0
McMichael - 148.0
Southern Guilford - 128.5
Atkins - 82.0


For the complete conference listings click here.

by Jeremy Moorhouse - Stokes News Sports Editor



James Hickman is ready to embrace a new role with his new college team.

Hickman signed a letter-of-intent to play football for the St. Augustine's College Flying Falcons on National Signing Day last week. Hickman, one of West Stokes' primary rushing threats this past season, received a full athletic scholarship and is a rarity for Division II and Division III schools.

The former West Stokes running back is expected to contribute at strong safety for the Falcons, who compete in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

"Last year there were 51 kids in North Carolina that got D-1 scholarships," West football coach Jimmy Upchurch said. "Even at D-II, most of the time kids will get a partial scholarship ... $2000 here or $3,000 there. We are very excited about James and what he has accomplished here and we are excited for him for the future. He has worked really hard for us. I expect him to have a tremendous career at St. Augustine's"

The Falcons finished 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the CIAA last season.

For the full story, see the Feb. 12 edition of The Stokes News

The West Stokes coaches hosted the annual football banquet on Thrusday, January 8th. The following awards were given out:

All-Conference & Honorable Mention



Offense                            Defense

Erice Newsome                      Calvin Cade     - North State Player of the Year

Jeremy Cuthrell - HM               Kai Dobson  

James Hickman   - HM               Terrance Johnson

Cody McDavid    - HM               Bobby Shouse    - HM

                                   Justin Craver   - HM

                                   Sam Frenette    - HM

                                   Gabriel Crumley - HM





All-County Award



Offense                            Defense

James Hickman   - Running Back     Calvin Cade      - Lineman

Jeremy Cuthrell - Running Back     Bobby Shouse     - End

Matt Bennett    - Quarterback      Justin Craver    - End

Rod Jackson     - Receiver         Kai Dobson       - Linebacker

Eric Newsome    - Lineman          Sam Frenette     - Linebacker

Cody McDavid    - Lineman          Terrance Johnson - Secondary

                                   Gabriel Crumley  - Secondary



Special Teams

MVP - Scott Leonard



Offensive Team Awards

Best Offensive Line - Eric Newsome

Best Wide Receiver  - Rod Jackson

Best Back           - Matt Bennett

MVP                 - James Hickman



Defensive Team Awards

Best Defensive Line - Justin Craver & Bobby Shouse

Best Linebacker     - Kai Dobson

Best Defensive Back - Terrance Johnson

MVP                 - Calvin Cade



Hustle Award

Aaron Belton



Team Wildcat Award

D'Angelo Jenkins



Most Improved

Gabriel Crumley

Story by The Stokes News Jeremy Moorhouse

4/9/09

Terrance Johnson is breaking new ground for West Stokes football. Johnson committed to play football at Catawba College for the 2009 season last week.He is the second West Stokes player to commit to play collegiate ball next year, joining James Hickman, who recently signed with St. Augustines.

The Wildcat coaches have raved about the impact Johnson has had at the school and are excited about his opportunity with the Indians. "(Catawba) has never bit on any of our kids," West coach Jimmy Upchurch said. "I sat down with (offensive line) coach (Ben) Hepler in mid December. Even at that time, he wasnt sure if Terrance was a perfect fit for him. As things have developed, theyve become really high on him and they think he can play. He's got to make sure he does the right things before that happens. "Does he have the ability to play? No doubt. He is a player."

The Indians had already exhausted the scholarship money for this year's incoming class, but they are putting together a financial package for next year.Its up to Johnson to be ready to impress right away. "He's got to go to the bottom, like he was at West Stokes and hes got to work himself up the ladder," Upchurch said. "He may not play for two or three years at Catawba. Hes got to make sure he sets his expectations in the right priority there. "If Terrance comes down and earns the right to get that money, he'll get it."

If there is any player that is up to the challenge, it's Johnson, a fierce competitor with blazing speed and excellent hands on the football field and a strong work ethic in the classroom.

Johnson was sold on Catawba very quickly. He considered trying to walk on at Appalachian State, but he wanted to be able to play sooner rather than later. "I love the school. The campus is beautiful up there. They love football. Its a good football school. I think when I get there I'll have a good chance to play on their football team," Johnson said. "Plus they offered the fields I looked to get into, physical therapy, sports management or exercise science. "It was a tough decision. I'm glad to get it out of the way. When track season is over I just want to get in the weight room and get bigger, stronger and faster and get myself set up for the opportunity."

Catawbas starting receiver last year graduates this year and Johnson is hopeful he can compete for the starting job. The Indians went 6-4 overall last year and 4-3 in the South Atlantic Conference. The head football coach is Chip Hester, who has been with the Indians for six seasons. His coaching record is 47-20. Two years ago, Catawba went 11-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference.

The season opener this year against St. Augustine's could feature an intriguing matchup between former Wildcats and best friends, Johnson and Hickman, who is expected to play in the defensive secondary for the Falcons. "Thats been brother my whole life, but Im dying to play him," Johnson said. "I wish we could have gone to the same place. Im glad to get to see him at the start of the season." Upchurch certainly has the date circled on the calendar. "Im going to be there," he said. "(Terrance) was very hard to tackle. I told James, you want to talk some junk to Terrance when you hit him that first time. He said, "Im going to stand right over him, take my helmet off and talk to him. I said OK, thats what I want to see."

Johnson was playing football for the Pfafftown Packers Pop Warner team when Upchurch first saw him play. "He was just a little runt. 5-foot2, 105 pounds maybe soaking wet. He didnt know a whole lot about West Stokes football," Upchurch said. "He starts playing for us his sophomore year. He was an immediate impact. The first thing we noticed was his enthusiasm for the game. "He immediately made a great impression on all of us what a great kid he is and what a great motivator he is, a leader for all the other kids. They followed him. We saw the impact. He had something special. He had a gift." Johnson runs a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash and was instrumental in helping the Wildcats to a record-setting football season last year finishing 9-4 and winning their first state playoff game in school history. He had an impact on Wests proud defense as well and contributed at safety, cornerback and some at linebacker. "Terrance was our defensive quarterback. He could call whatever coverage we needed, blitzes, anything we needed to do," defensive coordinator Jason Sammons said. "The two things you cant coach are experience and just being football savvy. Hes got both. Its going to be very tough to replace that. "His upper body is so strong, you cant block him. If you do get hands on him, hes going to have them off very quickly. If he read certain stuff, he could stay out of the line of fire and still get in there and make a play. "He can catch just about anything."

Johnson, a North State 2-A All Conference defensive player, had 68 tackles this season and 300 yards as a return man this past year. "Of the kids weve coached here, hes one of the elite," Upchurch said. "He always helps, never misses practices. You arent going to get a better character. Hes extremely intelligent. Very hard worker in the classroom. Very well-behaved, well respected." Upchurch is optimistic that Johnson will open the door for West Stokes athletes to go to Catawba in the future. "We are trying to break that ice and we are hoping Terrance is the person thats going to do that for us," he said.

1/3/09 - Senior Calvin Cade added another post season award yesterday when NCPreps.com announced their 2A All-State Team. Cade, along with State Championship MVP from Reidsville, Damien Lee, Josh Morehead (Eastern Guilford), and Scotty Wayne (Southern Guilford) were the representives of the North State Conference. For more infomation visit the NC Prep 2A All-State page.

OFFENSE



QB – Tyler Jaynes – Pisgah

RB – Chris Bush – Lexington

RB – Jesse Ballew – Mountain Heritage

WR – Rakim Waters – East Henderson

WR – Anders Jacobson – First Flight

WR – Keith Rendleman – East Lincoln

OL – Ty Howle – Bunn

OL – Pat Worley – South Columbus

OL – Will Sawyer – Pasquotank

OL – Perry Owens – Edenton Holmes

OL – Terrence Hackney – Northwood



DEFENSE



DL – Donte Moss – Northside-Jacksonville 

DL – Damien Lee – Reidsville

DL – Tevin James – Newton-Conover

DL – Calvin Cade – West Stokes

DL/LB – Zach Howell – Mountain Heritage

NG – Jordan Gibbs – Newton-Conover

LB – Jonathan Buffkin – South Columbus

LB – Devon Hyder - Northeastern

LB/DE – Zach Miller – North Lincoln 

DB – Quin Smith – Hibriten

DB – Josh Morehead – Eastern Guilford

DB – Tra Chandler – Northwood

DB – Michael Robinson – East Henderson





SPECIAL TEAMS



K – Spencer Linquist – Newton-Conover

P – Josh Thigpen – East Duplin

KR/PR – Jamison Crowder – Monroe



ATHLETES



ATH – Dorian Jones – Newton-Conover

ATH – Larry Raper – Shelby

ATH – Rashaun Gaither – Starmount

ATH – Juanne Blount – Forest Hills

ATH – Maurice Williams – North Pitt

ATH – Scotty Wayne – Southern Guilford

12/17/08

The West Stokes football staff has announced the 2008 North State All-Conference and Honorable Mention players. Senior defensive lineman, Calvin Cade was selected as the North State Defensive Player of the Year. Cade broke the career tackle record with 310, passing Tim O'Neals record of 286. Cade also owns the career sack record with 19, and tackle for losses record with 52.

Joining Cade on the All-Conference team was Kai Dobson and Terrance Johnson on defense and Eric Newsome on the offensive side of the ball. Freshman Jeremy Cuthrell, James Hickman and Cody McDavid were Honorable Mention on offense, while Gabriel Crumley, Justin Craver, Sam Frenette, and Bobby Shouse on defense.

The team awards banquet will be held after the New Year. Coach Upchurch will be announcing a date soon. Please check the website for a time, date and place. Everyone have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Game Stats vs. Northwood Chargers 11-21-08


11-24-08


Pittsboro The West Stokes Wildcats football season ended Friday night with a 21-14 loss to the Northwood Chargers in the second round of the 2AA State Playoffs.

The Chargers took the opening kickoff and marched 69-yards in 6-plays when quarterback Sam Griffin hit a streaking Ridge Smith down the right side line uncovered for a 16-yard touchdown reception. The extra-point split the upright and Northwood had a 7-0 lead with 9:10 left in the first quarter.

The Wildcats had to punt on their first possession, but the Wildcats defense forced a fumble that was picked up by Bobby Shouse around mid-field. West Stokes used the opening and scored when senior James Hickman scored from 6-yards out with 19-second left in the quarter. Scott Leonard missed the extra-point wide left, but the Wildcats had drawn to within 7-6.

Northwood took possession to open the second quarter and moved down the field in another 6-play drive. Griffin scored a touchdown from the 9-yard line on 3rd and seven and Demetrius Johnson converted the extra-point from the 1-yard line after a West Stokes penalty. The Chargers took a 15-6 lead into the locker room.

The Wildcats came out of the locker room and hit pay dirt when Jeremy Cuthrell caught a pass from Austin Fleming on 4th and 8 from the 22-yard line on the first drive of the half. Fleming converted the extra-point and the Wildcats had closed to 15-14 with 7:36 left in the third quarter.

The Chargers quickly answered the Wildcats drive with a 4-play 72-yard drive of their own. Johnson ran the final 18-yards with 6:06 left in the third. The conversion was no good and the score stood at 21-14.

West Stokes tallied 255-yards of offense with 155-yards coming through the air. Fleming was 9-for-16 with a touchdown, and no interceptions. Hickman led the rushing attack with 75-yards on 8 carries and a touchdown in his final high school game. Cuthrell led the receiving core with 5-catches for 77-yards and a touchdown. The Chargers totaled 352-yards of offense with 166-yards coming on the ground. Johnson led the Chargers with 116-yards on 25-carries and a touchdown. Griffin was 13-of-21 with one interception for 186-yards.

Leading the Wildcats defense was Kai Dobson and Sam Frenette with 11-tackles each. Calvin Cade recorded 9-tackles, while Terrance Johnson had 8-tackles and a fumble recovery. Bobby Shouse had 7-tackles, one for a loss, an interception, a fumble recovery, and two knockdown passes.

The Wildcats finished their record breaking season at 9-4 with a second round play-off game and a second place conference finish in the North State 2A Conference. Northwood, the Mid-State Conference Champions, improved to 11-2 and will face conference foe and defending State Champions Reidsville Rams in the third round at Community Stadium at 7:30 PM on Friday night.

11/20/08

West Stokes (9-3) will not have an easy game at Pittsboro Northwood, the two-time Mid-State 2-A champion, but Coach Jimmy Upchurch said that he and the Wildcats are excited about a new opponent.

West's 35-21 over McMichael last week was a rematch from the regular season.

"We are happy about going on the road," Upchurch said. "We survived last week. We just look forward to playing somebody we haven't played before. Win or lose, we will play a team I have never played, and the kids are excited about it. We are thrilled."

West threw a big, new wrinkle at McMichael last week when Upchurch gave Austin Fleming, a 6-4, 218-pound freshman, his first start at quarterback, and moved former quarterback Matt Bennett to running back. Both rushed for more than 100 yards, and running back James Hickman had more than 200 yards of offense.

Upchurch said he made the switch because he thought that Fleming -- who was dominant on the junior varsity this season -- was ready. It also gave Bennett a chance to run more.

"This kid, in my opinion, will be a major Division I player," Upchurch said of Fleming. "He runs well, he throws well, and he knows the game of football. He is so relaxed, so poised. He doesn't get rattled, and he is never intimidated or scared. I have never seen a kid like this."

Upchurch said that Northwood has a talented offense, with a playmaking running back in Ridge Smith and a bruising runner in Demetrius Johnson, who is 6-3, 205. Upchurch said that the teams are similar.

"They have athletes with good size, and we are very evenly matched," Upchurch said. "I think it will be who plays the best that night. We have talked all year long about going through uncharted waters and how we would respond. It's so cold outside, so I wonder how we will they respond when its 30 degrees out and we go out to practice.

"It's going to be cold Friday, and it will be interesting how we do respond."

Read the full article at the Winston-Salem Jounral.

**Mason Linker can be reached at 727-7324 or at mlinker@wsjournal.com.

11/20/08

By Jeremy Moorhouse
Sports Editor

Defense has driven West Stokes for much of this record-breaking season.

Now a recent shakeup has provided an all-new threat for the Wildcats’ offense.

For the second straight week, freshman Austin Fleming has gotten the nod at quarterback, with junior Matt Bennett sliding over to his more natural position at running back.

Bennett, a more than capable passer, has flourished as part of West’s rushing attack while Fleming has shown no signs of freshman nerves with two solid performances as the team’s signal-caller, including leading his team to a 35-21 win against McMichael in the first round of the NCHSAA Class 2-AA playoffs a week ago.

Making a quarterback change so late in the season wasn’t an easy one for West head coach Jimmy Upchurch.

"The hardest coaching decision I’ve ever had to make," Upchurch said. "Austin has become our quarterback and Matt has played running back his whole life. Austin has developed enough to where we can move Matt to a position that more suits him. We want to get Matt more on the defensive side of the ball. Moving Matt to running back now gives us two really good threats sitting side by side along with Jeremy (Cuthrell and James Hickman). Austin runs the ball pretty dang well himself. We’ve got four really good running threats right now."

"We experimented with him three or four weeks in a row until Atkins and he was 12 for 12 passing for 128 yards and no interceptions and ran the ball for another 40 something yards. He proved to me against Atkins he had the mental capability to do it so I felt very comfortable putting him in there Friday in the state playoff game."

A week after the 12 of 12 performance, Fleming completed 9 of 14 passes for 156 yards with no interceptions while rushing 11 times for 77 yards and a touchdown against the Phoenix.

"I felt like (Austin) grew up a lot," Upchurch said. "Matt is very gifted strength-wise. Both of them are very intelligent kids. Both work hard."

Bennett has completed 58 of 125 passes for 838 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season, but his strength has been in the ground game.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior leads the Wildcats with 172 carries for 840 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Bennett has shared the primary running duties with the senior, Hickman (131 carries, 808 yards, 10 touchdowns). Upchurch is already looking to next season. With Hickman gone, Bennett will be a key running back.

"Looking down the road when James graduates I’ll need a big bulky strong kid to carry the football," Upchurch said. "We don’t have that kid in our program right now ... as a staff we talked about getting prepared."

"Matt is the most unbelievable kid as far as being a team player. He is about whatever is best for the team. He felt like it was in the team’s best interest. When Matt and I talked I didn’t think he would play quarterback in college. I told him I felt I was doing him a disservice using him at quarterback when in fact he’s probably going to be a defensive player, probably outside linebacker or strong side safety. Even potentially a tight end or a slot back ... there’s not a position anywhere that he can’t play. He’s just that talented."

Bennett said he first played running back in middle school and is happy to turn over the reigns at quarterback.

"I feel more comfortable there myself, giving something extra to the running game and (Austin) is going to help us out in the passing game," Bennett said. "It's going to open up more things for us."

Bennett noted Fleming’s vision on the field and his uncanny ability to scramble out of high-pressure situations, including a big run late in the game against McMichael last week.

Fleming said he’s gotten good support from his teammates during the transition to the starting role.

"(Matt) has helped me out quite a bit. At first I came in and didn’t know much about the offense. Just watching Matt do it. He did it right," Fleming said. "I didn’t have to come in and watch somebody do it for a half. He did it full speed."

"I just felt like they took me in as a teammate and made me feel good. I wasn’t nervous. The line played good. Matt and James ran the ball real good."

Bennett and Hickman both eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark a week ago for the Wildcats, who had more than 400 yards of total offense in the victory.

Up next are the Northwood Chargers on the road in a second round game.

West is in unprecedented territory after winning its first ever state playoff game in school history.

Both Bennett and Fleming are confident in their team’s ability to add to the record books.

"I’m really excited to be a part of something like this. I mean the first playoff victory that this school has ever had, that’s something really cool to be a part of," Bennett said. "The defense ... those guys are doing everything they need to do and the offense is clicking right now. If we keep that up Northwood is going to have a tough challenge in front of them."

"Everybody is pretty excited about it. Some of the kids are wondering if it’s a fluke but hopefully if we can win Friday and advance it will open up some of the doubters’ eyes, but for the most part everybody has been pretty supportive."

Added Fleming: "If offense plays like it did Friday with Matt running the ball and James running the ball and me breaking tackles and throwing the ball we’ll be all right. The defense, it’s hard to run on them. In practice it’s hard, I don’t know how Reidsville did it. Northwood’s defense is good. If we run the ball and do what we did Friday we’ll be all right."

Contact Jeremy Moorhouse at jmoorhouse@thestokesnews.com or 591-8191

Game Stats vs.McMichael Playoffs 11-14-08


11-15-08

King - The West Stokes Wildcats hosted their first ever state playoff game Friday night, November 14th against conference foe, McMichael Phoenix. The Wildcats won 35-21 behind 484-yards of total offense for the home team.

The Wildcats started the scoring early when Aaron Belton picked off McMichael's Aaron Morgan for a 25-yard touchdown interception return. The extra-point was blocked, but West Stokes had an early 6-0 lead with only 1:43 gone in the game.

McMichael's offense got going on their second possession. After a kickoff return by Daniel Hopper to the Wildcat 39-yard line, the Phoenix needed 8-plays to score. Darien Caple scored from 5-yards out and Gavin Blakely hit the extra-point for the 7-6 lead.

After each team traded punts, West Stokes started from the McMichael 46-yard line with 2:30 left in the opening quarter. Facing 3rd and short, Matt Bennett picked up the first down and more. With time ticking down, James Hickman took the handoff from freshmen quarterback Austin Fleming and rumbled 14 and 5-yards respectfully and scored with no time on the clock. The Cats tried for the two-point conversion, but failed leaving the score at 12-7 Wildcats entering second quarter of play.

The Phoenix wasted little time taking the lead back from West Stokes. On the fourth play of the drive, quarterback Aaron Morgan found a streaking Alton Crutchfield down the left sideline for a 47-yard reception to pay dirt. With only a minute into the second frame, the Phoenix took a 14-12 lead with Blakely's kick.

Again the two teams traded possessions and West Stokes was looking to punt for a second time in the game on fourth and six from their 14-yard line. Kicking from the 1-yard line, freshman Jeremy Cuthrell took a bad snap off the ground and decided to go for the first down. Having to get to the 20-yard line, Cuthrell broke right and lunged forward to the 21-yard for the first down. Cuthrell's play seemed to spark the Wildcats as they gained four consecutive first downs on the drive with runs of 21-yards by Bennett, 15-yards by Hickman, 29 more yards from Bennett, and then Fleming topped the drive off as he dashed the final 14-yards and stretched into the end zone for his first career touchdown. The extra-point was missed, but the Cats had taken back the lead at 18-14 with 3:14 left before halftime.

The Wildcats' defense forced McMichael into a three and out and was forced to punt with 1:25 left in the half. With 2-timeouts remaining, Fleming and company took to the field and started from their 42-yard line. After a spot foul on West Stokes for holding and facing a 1st and long from their own 15, Fleming found Rod Jackson for a 25-yard pickup. Fleming then broke through a sack on 2nd and 13 and scampered 15-yards up the middle for the first down. Again, Fleming was pressured and threw two incomplete passes and barley got 2-yards on third down when West Stokes called a timeout to discuss fourth down options from the McMichael 43-yard line. Facing 4th and 8 with less than 30-seconds left in the half, Fleming found Hickman out of the backfield for a 29-yard pick up to the Phoenix 14-yard line. Another quick timeout by the Wildcats and Scott Leonard trotted onto the field for a 31-yard field goal attempt. Already 0-for-2 on extra-point tries in the game and 0-for-2 in field goal attempts on the year, Leonard split the uprights with plenty of distance for the 21-14 lead with two-ticks on the game clock showing before the half.

West Stokes took the second half kickoff and looked to add to their lead. Marching down the field, the Wildcats fumbled on the 5th play of the drive at McMichael's 22-yard line. Both teams traded possessions and the third quarter went by with neither team scoring.

To begin the fourth quarter, McMichael faced a 4th and four from around mid-field. Morgan's pitch back to Caple hit the ground and defensive lineman Bobby Shouse scooped up the ball. Trying to get extra yardage, Shouse fumbled, but West Stokes' Gabriel Crumley rushed from behind and dove on the loose ball where the Cats would take possession at the Phoenix 42-yard line. The Wildcat's offense seemed to feed off of the defenses' momentum because 5-plays later, Hickman found glory with a 22-yard dash. Leonard had no problem hitting his first extra-point for a 28-14 lead with 8-minutes left in the game.

Not hanging their heads, the Phoenix responded as quick as a team could. Starting from their 20-yard line, Morgan found Crutchfield again on the same play as earlier in the game, but only this time for an 80-yard touchdown strike. Blakely tacked on his third extra-point of the game and McMichael had closed the margin to 28-21 with 7:43 left in the game.

West Stokes took the kickoff and started from the 29-yard line. Hickman was tackled for a 2-yard loss on first down. Fleming's pass was off the mark on second down putting the Cats in a 3rd and 12 situation. Fleming again dropped back to pass and found his freshmen counterpart, Cuthrell over the middle for the first down and more. The play seemed to take the wind out of the Phoenix's sail, because on the very next play Hickman ran 45-yards down to the McMichael 15-yard line. After two rushing plays for only 2-yards, Fleming handed the ball off to Bennett on 3rd down for a 13-yard dash to the end zone straight up the middle. The Wildcats looked for trickery on the extra-point as Bennett found an open receiver in the end zone for the two-point conversion, but a penalty on West Stokes pushed them back 5-yards and Leonard was forced to make his second extra-point of the day.

The Wildcats amassed 484-yards of total offense on the day and rushed for a season high of 328-yards on 39-carries. Hickman led the rushing attack with 130-yards and two touchdown. Bennett rushed for 114-yards in his first game at running back and Fleming tacked on another 77-yards in his first start at quarterback. Fleming was 9-for-14 on the day with 156-yards passing. Hickman led the receiving core with 4-catches for 73-yards.

The Wildcat defense allowed McMichael 263-yards of total offense with 186-yards coming through the air. Morgan was 6-of-12 on the day with two interceptions on 150-yards. Crutchfield led the offense for McMichael with 3-catches for 141-yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Thomas Hall rushed for 65-yards on 13-carries.

Seniors Calvin Cade and Casey Jackson led West Stokes' defense. Cade recorded 13-tackles on the day and broke Tim O'Neal's record for career tackles. Dobson added 12-tackles and Casey Jackson chipped in 10. Shouse recorded two more sacks on the year and it pushed him by O'Neal in the season sack record with 15.

The Wildcats improved to 9-3 on the year, while McMichael ended their huge turn around season at 8-4. West Stokes will try and extend their best season ever when they travel to No. 4 seed Northwood High School (10-2) and play the Chargers in the second round of the 2AA East Playoffs. Game time is at 7:30 PM on Friday night.


WXII-12 High School Playbook game highlights of West Stokes & McMichael

FOX 8 Highlights of West Stokes vs. McMichael
Note: Click on FoxHilites Logo; Highlights are in the 13th week, Segment No. 2.

11/14/08 - Story & picture published By Jeremy Moorhouse, Sports Editor of The Stokes News.


West Stokes' hard-hitting defense has dealt its fair share of punishment throughout the North State 2-A Conference schedule.

Senior Justin Craver and junior Bobby Shouse have played a huge role in a relentless pass rush that has powered the Wildcats the No. 2 seed and a home playoff game for the first time in school history.

In three games this season, West (8-3) held its opponents to six points or less, including a 14-6 win against McMichael, which is the Wildcats' opponent in the first round of the NCHSAA Class 2-AA playoffs on Friday night.

"The quarterbacks are running for their life every play. I would not want to play quarterback and see those two coming at me," West coach Jimmy Upchurch said. "These two on the outside have been very pleasant finds for us. We think that we’ve got them in the perfect position. Both of them are extremely athletic, they are very hard-core football players and they give it 110 percent every play."

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Craver has 77 tackles (49 solo), seven sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble on the season.

Shouse (6-foot, 205 pounds) is currently tied for the school record with 13 sacks to go along with 85 tackles (52 solo) and three fumble recoveries.

"They have done such a phenomenal job," Upchurch said. "I feel like that’s the primary reason we are being so good and so successful is because they are so athletic and they run so well."

Craver said he’d hate to be an opposing quarterback staring across the line at the Wildcats’ defensive front.

"I’d be scared to death because me and Bobby are going to be coming hard at him every play, smacking him in the mouth," Craver said.

"We are one big unit. We all bonded together at the beginning of the season. After the East Surry loss we decided we were going to step up and start playing together."

West dropped its season-opener to the rival Cardinals by a 24-12 score, before going on a big winning streak.

Playing multiple positions is nothing new for Craver, who started out in the secondary, moved to linebacker and now is on the defensive line.

"I make a lot more plays than I did playing safety," Craver said.

Opposite Craver at the other defensive end spot is Shouse, who has the school record for sacks at West with 13.

"Bobby is a heck of a defensive end," Craver said.

"Bobby goes 110 percent every time. If he messes up, he messes up good. He is flying around, hitting somebody. That’s what I like about him."

"Bobby is leading in sacks and I’m always trying to catch him."

Shouse doesn’t get too excited when he talks about the sack record.

He’s much more interested in his team’s success on the field.

"Success," Shouse said.

"Just knowing my team is going to have a "W" at the end of the game if I do my job."

Shouse, who grew up playing football, added that having strong support is also a major factor …#8220; especially on the defensive line.

"(Justin and I) have always gotten along. I think he’s a good player, plays hard, plays with intensity, does his job," Shouse said. "You couldn’t ask for more as a teammate."

"We play as a unit, play together. If somebody gets down, we pick him up, tell him we’ll get it next time and we get it next time."

Shouse had four sacks in one game against North Stokes this season.

Points have been tough to come by in the conference for everybody with the exception of powerhouse Reidsville, the defending 2-AA state champs.

West’s offense was shutout three weeks ago in a 3-0 loss to Southern Guilford, then managed 14 points through four quarters in a 28-27 win at Eastern Guilford before needing overtime for its first points in a 7-0 victory last week at home against Atkins.

"Offense sometimes has some struggling moments and our defense picks us up and holds us and gives us time to score," Craver said. "We are one heck of a defense. I don’t think anybody in our conference can match up man for man with us."

Among the others leading the charge for the Wildcats are Calvin Cade (124 tackles, 77 solo, nine sacks), Kai Dobson (128 tackles, 75 solo, two sacks), Terrance Johnson (58 tackles, 36 solo), Gabriel Crumley (34 tackles, 24 solo), Aaron Belton (84 tackles, 42 solo, four sacks),Sam Frenette (84 tackles, 55 solo, three sacks), Casey Jackson (77 tackles, 36 solo).

West will likely count on its defense for pressure and lots of sacks once again on Friday against the Phoenix.

"I’m looking forward to it," Craver said. "They think they are going to come in and give us one, but they’ll be leaving with an "L" Friday night.

"This is my last year playing football. I am going to give everything I’ve got to keep going. Hopefully make it to that state championship game, we’ll see."

Contact Jeremy Moorhouse at jmoorhouse@thestokesnews.com or 591-8191

11/10/08

King - The West Stokes Wildcats will start their playoff run on Friday night, November 14th at 7:30 PM against conference foe, McMichael High School (8-3 (3-2)). This will be the first playoff game hosted by the Wildcats in the school's 10-year history. The Cats finished 8-3 on the year and 3-2 (tied for second) in the tough North State Conference. In the first meeing between West Stokes and McMichael, the Wildcats came out with a 14-6 victory at homecoming back in October.

NOTE: 9 of the 11-teams the Wildcats faced this year are in the NCHSAA playoffs.

2008 STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND NOVEMBER 14

CLASS 2-AA EAST
(10) Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (6-4) at (7) Ledford (8-2)
(15) Richlands (5-5) at (2) Marshville Forest Hills (8-2)
(11) South Brunswick (8-2) at (6) East Duplin (8-2)
(14) Central Davidson (5-5) at (3) Orange (7-3)

(9) North Pitt (6-4) at (8) Southern Guilford (7-3)
(16) West Stanly (4-6) at (1) Reidsville (10-0)
(12) Mayodan McMichael (8-2) at (5) West Stokes (8-2)
(13) Eastern Guilford (7-3) at (4) Pittsboro Northwood (9-1)


CLASS 2-AA WEST
(10) Mount Pleasant (7-3) at (7) North Surry (4-6)
(15) South Iredell (4-6) at (2) East Henderson (10-0)
(11) Salisbury (6-4) at (6) Canton Pisgah (8-2)
(14) Forest City Chase (4-6) at (3) Lenoir Hibriten (9-1)

(9) North Lincoln (7-3) at (8) Lincolnton (8-2)
(16) East Rutherford (4-6) at (1) East Lincoln (10-0)
(12) Catawba Bandys (5-5) at (5) Ashe County (8-2)
(13) Black Mountain C.D. Owen (4-6) at (4) Shelby (8-2)

**Teams were seeded based on 10-game records as submitted to the NCHSAA.**

11-13-08

West Stokes tied for second in the North State 2-A, had the best regular season in school history and will have the first home playoff game in school history. The reward for those accomplishments is a rematch with McMichael, which West defeated 14-6 on a soggy field on Oct. 17.

McMichael also is having its best season in years in Gary Whitman's first season there. Whitman's extensive coaching resume includes state titles at High Point Central and Lexington.

"He has done a super job getting those kids on the right track and putting them in a scheme they can be successful in," Coach Jimmy Upchurch of West said of Whitman. "He is a fantastic coach. He runs a double slot, and they run the option out of it, and it's very tough to defend."

Upchurch said that McMichael has a power running game but will also pitch to Alton Crutchfield, who Upchurch called the fastest player in the North State 2-A. Upchurch said that the wet conditions in the teams' first meeting led to "a lot of chatter."

"I think they want revenge; in fact, I know they do," Upchurch said. "It was hard to do things offensively that night, but to me, a dry field favors us more than them. They like to run straight ahead, and we like to throw and run one-back stuff. I would rather play on a dry field, and I think that's what we will have."

Complete Article in the Winston Salem Journal

11/12/08

West Stokes (8-3) will host North State Conference foe, McMichael High School (8-3) on Friday, November 14th at 7:30 PM for the first round of the 2AA NCHSAA Playoffs.

The game has been tagged the "Game of the Week" for WXII 12's High School Playbook. Tailgating by several groups will start around 5 PM. WXII will be showing up around 5:15 PM. So, come one, come all! Bring your tent and your grill and root the Wildcats to victory!

The Wildcats hosted the Phoenix back in October for homecoming and came away with a 14-6 win. West Stokes leads the all-time series between the schools 4-wins against 0-losses.

GO WILDCATS!

Picture by Jimmy Kuhn of Kuhndog63 Photo's.

Game Stats vs. Atkins 11-7-08


11-10-08

King - "For the second consecutive week, West Stokes has gone to overtime with the results being the same. The Wildcats scored on an 8-yard reception by freshmen Jeremy Cuthrell from another freshmen, Austin Fleming in overtime. Senior, D’Angelo Jenkins made a stop on the two-yard line on fourth down to help the Cats take the Camels 7-0 on Senior Night.

Atkins played ball control in the first half holding possession for 16:24 of the 24-minute first half. The defense for West Stokes continued to play strong as they stopped the Camels on fourth down three times in the first half. The Wildcats offense looked to get in the end zone in the second quarter when Fleming hit a streaking Rod Jackson down the sideline with 4:56 left before halftime. A second effort to get in the end zone by Jackson caused a fumble that rolled out of the end zone for a touchback and seen a scoreless first half end.

The Wildcats received the opening second half kickoff and seemed to be moving down the field when the Camels’ Joel Ogelsby sacked Fleming and forced the Cats to punt. West Stokes had several opportunities in the second half by starting in Atkins territory on 4-of-their-5 possessions. The Wildcats missed two field goals in the second half with the last being with 28-sccond left in the contest.

West Stokes received the ball first in overtime and Matt Bennett rushed for two yards on first down and then Fleming came into the game. Fleming connected with Cuthrell for the game breaker and Scott Leonard added the extra-point. On Atkins’ possession, the Camels threw two incomplete passes before a delay penalty pushed them back 5-yards. On third down, Cedric Williams found Samario Bryant in the end zone, but a knock away by Camren Lawson forced the ball incomplete and set up Jenkins heroics on the last play.

West Stokes totaled 207-yards of offense with 128 of them through the air. Fleming was 12-for-12 in the game with no interceptions. Bennett led the team in rushing with 39-yards on 16-carries, while Fleming added 27-yards on 7-carries. Cuthrell caught three passes from Fleming for 27-yards and a touchdown. Atkins tallied 96-yards of offense with 111-yards coming in the air. Williams was 8-of-21 with no interceptions. The Wildcats’ defense held Atkins star running back Jeremy Orr to only 33-yards on 20-carries.

Defensive lineman, Calvin Cade led the Wildcat defense with 16-tackles, 2-sacks, and 4-tackles for a loss. Cade broke the single season record for a loss of tackles with 29 and broke Kody Kinzer’s career record of 45 with 49 on Friday. Cade only needs 6-tackles to break Tim O’Neal’s career tackles of 286 and Bobby Shouse tied another O’Neal record with 13-sacks on the season. Kai Dobson and Justin Craver added 11-tackles each in the game for West, while Lawson recorded 6-tackles and 4-knockdowns.

The Wildcats (8-3 (3-2)) will host a 2AA East NCHAA first round playoff game against conference foe McMichael High School (8-3 (3-2)) on Friday starting at 7:30 PM. This will be the Wildcats first ever-home playoff game, so come early and support your Wildcats!

WXII 12 Highlights of West Stokes vs. Atkins 11-7-08

Game Stats vs. Atkins 11-6-08


11-7-08

Winston-Salem – The West Stokes JV Wildcats completed the best season of any previous teams by finishing with an 8-2 record after a 30-22 defeat of the Atkins Camels last night in a North State 2A match-up.

The Camels got on the board first with a 61-yard touchdown reception by Jake Wilbourne from Carlos Gregory with 9:18 left in the first quarter. Shawn Allen completed the extra-point for an 8-0 lead. The Wildcats tried to respond with a score of their own, but a fumble on the Camels’ 10-yard gave possession back to Atkins.

West Stokes exploded in the second quarter. The Wildcats marched down the field in 8-plays and scored with Enon Jenkins busted through from 1-yard out. Dalton Boles ran in the extra-point to knot the score at eight with 10:18 left in the second quarter. On the perusing drive, the Camels fumbled the snap and Brandon Helvey scooped the ball and rumbled to the end zone giving the JV Cats the lead at 16-8 after Boles ran in the extra-point. After Atkins responded with a 22-yard touchdown reception from Aaron Stone, the Wildcats used ball control and scored with 1:04 left before the half. Boles completed a 4th and goal from the 8-yard line to Lucas Elliot for the score. Elliot also converted the 2-point conversion for the 24-14 lead at the half.

The Wildcats used more ball control in the third quarter when they used all but 36-seconds of the quarter to score their fourth touchdown of the game. Jenkins scored from 4-yards out to give the Cats a 30-14 lead. West Stokes converted three fourth down plays on the drive. The Camels scored a late touchdown in the game with 1:33 to finish out the scoring.

Each team had 201-total yards of offense on the evening. The Wildcats rushed for 158-yards and threw for another 43. Atkins completed most of their yards through the air with 181-yards on 12-of-21 with no interceptions. Boles led the way for West Stokes with 83-yards on 24-carries, while Jenkins had 68-yards and 2-touchdowns on 21-carries.

The Wildcat’s defense was led by Brandon Helvey with 6-tackles, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown, while Matt Guraleczka contributed 5-tackles and a sack on the evening. The Wildcats finished the season at 8-2 and 3-2 in conference play, while Atkins dropped to 1-9 and 1-4.


2008 JV North State Final Standings

Reidsville 9-1 (5-0)
Southern Guilford 8-2 (4-1)
West Stokes 8-2 (3-2)
Eastern Guilford 5-4 (2-3)
Atkins 1-9 (1-4)
McMichael 2-8 (0-5)

11-1-08

Gibsonville - The West Stokes Wildcats traveled to Eastern Guilford on Friday night and came away with an emotional 28-27 victory. Sophomore Scott Leonard kicked the winning extra point in the second overtime, shortly after Eastern Guilford's William Gann missed his attempt, lifting West Stokes to the much needed win in the North State Conference. "Heck yeah, I was nervous." Leonard noting his nerves was at nine on a scale of 10. "That was one of the most nerve-wracking things ever."

Eastern Guilford started the scoring early when Jason Davis scored on a 58-yard quarterback keeper on the second play from scrimmage. Gann added the extra-point and the Wildcats of Eastern Guilford were up 7-0 with 55-seconds gone in the game. West Stokes responded quickly when Terrance Johnson broke loose on the kickoff and rumbled 85-yards down to the 6-yard line of the home team. Matt Bennett then busted through from 3-yards out for the touchdown. Leonard's kick sailed wide, leaving Eastern Guilford up 7-6.

West Stokes looked to take control of the game in the second quarter when Bennett led the Wildcats on a 10-play drive that started on West's 20-yard line. Bennett ran the last 7-yards with 2:41 left in the half and then added the extra-point for a 14-7 lead.

After a return to the 40-yard line by Eastern Guilford on the kickoff, and then a questionable pass interference was called on the next play setting Eastern up on the 45 of West Stokes. Gerrod Herbin then scampered the distance on the next play and Gann connected on the extra-point to knot the score at the half.

Late in the third quarter, Eastern Guilford mounted an attack. Herbin broke loose for a 20-yard gain and then a personal foul penalty on West Stokes and Eastern Guilford was starting to sniff the end zone. Eastern Guilford was just outside of the twenty-yard line when they faced a 4th and four and decided on the 38-yard field goal attempt. The field goal missed wide right and West Stokes breathed a sigh of relief.

West Stokes had to punt on their next series giving Eastern possession near mid-field. After a pass from Davis to Herbin for 20-yards, and yet another flag was thrown on the visiting team giving Eastern 1st and 10 on the West Stokes 18-yard line with 8:43 left in the game. West Stokes defense stiffened again and caused a turnover. Justin Craver busted through and hit Davis jarring the ball loose were Bobby Shouse recovered and halted another drive. "Our defense really stepped up on those series of downs," stated West Stokes Head Coach Jimmy Upchurch. "That made a stand on both series. Our defense has been lights out the last two-games and tonight was no different."

After the fumble recovery, the Wildcats looked to take hold of the game. They marched down the field using up most of the game clock. Facing a 4th and 10 from the 33-yard line on the 13th play of the drive, Bennett's pass was intercepted by Josh Morehead in the end zone with 2:53 left in the game forcing overtime.

In overtime, West Stokes was on the offense first. Bennett connected with Johnson over the middle from 6-yards out on third down. Leonard added the extra-point for a 21-14 lead. Eastern Guilford looked to score early on a pass that was incomplete in the end zone. After two rushing plays, Eastern faced 4th and one. Davis kept the ball and forced his way in the end zone. Gann split the upright and we headed to the second overtime.

In the second frame, Eastern Guilford started first. The defense looked to make a statement when Aaron Belton sacked Davis for a 7-yard loss on first down. After a 3-yard pick up on second down, Davis found Octavius Wilson in the end zone for the touchdown and then Gann barely missed the extra-point to the left. West Stokes had runs for 4, 3, and 2 to set up a 4th and goal from the one. Bennett then followed the offensive line to end zone setting up Leonard's heroic kick.

"We just couldn't stopped them, they ran the ball on offense all night long and we couldn't get the ball back," stated Scott Loosemore of Eastern Guilford. "They did what they needed to do to take Gerrod (Herbin) away from us. The key for us is if Gerrod or Jason (Davis) has a good night we have a chance to win and they took those guys away from us." Eastern Guilford tallied 230-yards offense on the evening with 172 coming on the ground. Herbin rushed for 69-yards and scored on a 45-yard sprint, while Davis rushed for 78 yards with the majority coming on the 58-yard, first-series scamper.

West Stokes totaled 319-yards with 277 coming on the rushing attack. James Hickman rushed for 160 yards to help West Stokes control the ball and the clock. Bennett finished with 79 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Leading the way defensively for West Stokes was Calvin Cade with 15-tackles and 3 for losses. Kai Dobson had another good night with 13-tackles, while Belton had 9-tackles, 2-sacks, and 3 tackles for a loss.

West Stokes improved to 7-3 (the most single season wins in West Stokes' history) and 2-2 in the conference play, while Eastern Guilford (7-3 (1-3)) dropped their third straight game. West Stokes will host Atkins High School on Friday (Senior Night), and Eastern Guilford will take on county rival Southern Guilford.

JV Game Stats vs. Eastern Guilford 10-30-08


10-31-08

King - The West Stokes JV Wildcats hosted the Eastern Guilford Wildcats on Thursday evening in a North State Conference football game. Dalton Boles connected with Bryan Wilson on a 20-yard touchdown reception with 1:02 left in the game to give West Stokes a 6-0 victory.

The JV Cats played ball control in the first half against the high power offense of Eastern Guilford. West Stokes kept the ball for 17-minutes in the half. West Stokes produced no point in the first half, but had long sustaining drives that kept the ball away from Eastern. "That was the key to the game," said Head Varsity Coach Jimmy Upchurch. "They dropped 54-points on McMichael last week and we knew we had to hold onto the ball and get some forced turnovers to have a chance at the end. We played our best defensive game of the year and the offensive moved the ball and scored when they needed to."

Early in the fourth quarter West Stokes played field position and it paid off. Facing a 4th and 11 from Eastern's 44-yard line, the Wildcats elected to punt. Ricardo Duran's punt sailed to the 3-yard line were it was downed. Eastern had to punt on a three and out and West Stokes gained possession at the 35-yard line. Boles and company ran 5-plays and took more time of the clock. Facing 4th and four, Boles found Wilson for the slant over the middle and the game winning touchdown. On the pursuing kickoff, West Stokes noticed that Eastern Guilford was lined up 15-yards off the ball and opted for the onside kick. West Stokes' Luke Bowen recovered the kickoff and West Stokes ran the clock down and preserved the win.

Leading West Stokes on the offensive side was Boles with 22-carreis for 69-yards and 30-yards passing on 3-of-7 with no interceptions and one touchdown. Wilson caught one pass for 20-yards and a touchdown and had 24-yards on special teams. West Stokes totaled 156-yards of offense on the evening with 126 of them coming on the ground. Eastern Guilford totaled 97-total yards with 34-yards in the air on 4-for-12 with one interception.

The West Stokes defensive forced 5-turnovers and 5-punts. Jordan Hall led the defense with 9-tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery. Ryan Ward added 8-tackles, 2-sacks, 4-for a loss, and a fumble recovery, while Matt Guraleczka had 7-tackles and a sack. Brandin Alley contributed 2-tackles and an interception on the 8-yard line to stop an Eastern drive.

West Stokes improved to 7-2 over all and 2-2 in the North State Conference. Eastern Guilford fell to 5-2 and 2-2. Both teams will end the regular season next week when West Stokes will travel to Atkins (2-6 (1-3)) and Eastern will take on county rival Southern Guilford (7-2 (3-1)). Both games will start at 7 PM.

Game Stats vs. Southern Guilford 10-24-08


10-25-08

King - The West Stokes Wildcats hosted the Southern Guilford Storm last night in a 2A North State Conference game. The Storm's Albert Yeboah kicked a 22-yard field goal with 9-seconds in the game to lift them to a 3-0 victory.

The Wildcats took the opening kick off and marched down to the Storm's 37-yard line. Starting quarterback Matt Bennett, nursing an ankle sprain, tried to give the Wildcats a spark, but had to come out after the fifth play of the game. Freshmen quarterback, Austin Fleming tried to fill the shoes of the junior star. Fleming facing a third and seven hit James Hickman for a 17-yard pick and a first down. Two plays of negative yardage and the Cats faced another 3rd and long situation. Fleming dropped back to pass and as he released the ball his arm was hit causing the ball to float in the air. Josh McDuffie picked off Fleming's pass to end the Wildcat's threat.

The Storm tried to mount a drive on their first possession, but was forced to punt. Yeboah's punt sailed down to the Wildcat's 22-yard line, but a 17-yard punt return by Terrance Johnson gave the Wildcats descent field position at the 39-yard line. On the first play Fleming hit Rod Jackson over the middle for a 31-yard pick up. Hickman rushed twice getting the Cats inside the 25-yard line. Facing a 4th and four, Fleming dropped back to pass and hit Jackson streaking over the middle. Jackson looked to catch the ball, but a late heroic strip of the ball by the Storm forced a turnover on downs and the closest the Wildcat would see the end zone all night.

The Storm set up the last game heroics of Yeboah by James Parker's interception return down to the Wildcats 35-yard line with 2:14 left in the game. Warren Scott rushed down to the 22-yard line on the first play and then Matt Prioleau hit Darius Jefferson over the middle for a pick up of 15-yards. After another rushing play, head coach Darryl Brown decided for the field goal option on 2nd and goal with 9-second left.

"We played our heart out tonight," said Head Coach Jimmy Upchurh. "Hats off to the defense, they did their job tonight. Southern Guilford is a good football team and very physical. We couldn't get anything done on the offensive side tonight, a credit to them. We were nursing Matt's injury and then some more injuries happen early in the game and they were a little too much for us to overcome. We face another good football team next week and we will be ready."

The Wildcats managed 171-yards of offense against the Storm. Fleming rushed for 35-yards on 7-carries and was 6-of-14 with one interception for 86-yards. Bennett passed for 32-yards on 3-of-7 and one interception. The Storm tallied 169-yard of total offense with 89-yards coming on the ground. Scott led the Storm with 19-carries for 58-yards. Prioleau was 5-for-14 with no interceptions for 80-yards.

Kai Dobson had another stellar night on defense with 15-tackles for West Stokes. Calvin Cade added 12-tackles, a sack and two tackles for a loss, while Sam Frenette contributed 10-tackles.

The Wildcats fell to 6-3 (1-2), while the Storm improved to 6-3 (2-1). West Stokes will travel to Eastern Guilford next week, while Southern Guilford will wait for defending 2A State Champions, the Reidsville Rams. Both games will start at 7:30 PM.

Game Stats vs. Southern Guilford 10-23-08


Greensboro - The West Stokes JV football team fell 13-6 to the Southern Guilford Storm last night in a North State Conference game. The Storm scored late in the fourth quarter and added an interception return as time expired for the win.

Both teams defense was dominate as neither team mounted a drive in the first half and ended in a scoreless tie. The Wildcats defense forced the Storm back deep in their territory late in the third quarter when Bryan Wilson intercepted a pass from the Storms quarterback and returned it 27-yards for the touchdown. The extra-point run failed, but the Wildcats led 6-0 with 2:51 left in the third quarter.

The Wildcats and the Storm traded punts twice in the 4th quarter before Southern Guilford took over with 5:06 left in the game at their 39-yard line. Three plays later, DeWarren Jefferson broke three-tackles in the back field and scurried 45-yard for the touchdown. Derrick Nelson kicked the extra-point for the lead with 3:42 left in the game. The Wildcats tried to mount a drive, but fell short as Dalton Boles was sacked on fourth down with 2:00 left in the game. The Wildcats forced a fumble with 28-seconds left, but failed to move the ball as Boles threw his first interception of the year and Jefferson galloped 47-yards for the score with no time left on the clock.

The Wildcats managed 83 total yards of offense. Boles was 6-for-11 with one interception on 44-yards and rushed for 19-yards on 19-carries. Lucus Elliott rushed for 13-yards and had 5-catches for 31-yards. Southern Guilford tallied 122-yards of offense with 88 coming on the ground. Jefferson rushed for 50-yards on 14-carries and a touchdown.

The Cats defense was led by Jordan Hall with 8-tackles, and a sack. Jacob Moser and Chris Tilley added 7-tackles each, while Wilson had 3-tackles, an INT and a defensive touchdown.

The JV Wildcats dropped to 6-2 (1-2) on the year, while the Storm improved to 7-1(3-0). The Wildcats will host Eastern Guilford on Thursday, while Southern Guilford will travel to Reidsville. Both games start at 7PM.

JV Game Stats vs. McMichael 10-16-08
West Stokes JV vs. Michael Phoenix Game Pictures Pictures by Jimmy Kuhn.

Madison – The West Stokes JV football team got back to their winning ways Thursday with a 22-7 victory over the McMichael Phoenix in a North State 2A Conference game. The Cats were led behind the arm of Austin Fleming and the defensive play of Elijah Cox and Brandon Helvey.

The McMichael defense forced West Stokes into a fumble and then a punt on their first two possessions, but on their third the Wildcats scored from 3-yards out by Fleming. The Wildcats first touchdown was setup by a block punt by Chris Tilley and company that gave the Cats first and goal on the three.

After forcing the Phoenix to punt, the Wildcats took possession around mid-field to start the second quarter. Fleming led them down the field and scored when he connected with Dalton Boles from 8-yards out to lead 14-0 with 9:27 left before the half. McMichael got on the board with 4:39 left in the quarter when Jeremy Daniels dashed 45-yards up the middle and closed the halftime score to 14-6.

West Stokes opened the third quarter from their 38-yard line. Fleming again led the Wildcats down field and scored from 14-yards out on the seventh play of the drive. Bryan Wilson hauled in the extra-point from Fleming and the Wildcats finished the scoring at 22-7.

The Wildcats totaled 299-yards of offense with 155-yards coming through the air on 9-11-1 from Fleming. Fleming led the Cats in rushing with 62-yards, his lowest out put of the year, on 14-carries and two touchdowns. Luke Bowen helped Fleming with the rushing duties by getting 43-yards on 11-carries in his first start of the season at running back. Boles led the receiving core with 5-catches for 82-yards and a touchdown.

The West Stokes defense held McMichael to 126-yards with 111 of them coming on the ground. McMichael was 3-for-12 and two interceptions for 15-yards through the air. Cox led the Wildcats with 12-tackles, 4 for a loss, and 2-sacks. Both Helvey and Ricardo Duran had interceptions and fumble recoveries for the Wildcats. Helvey added 8-tackles, while Duran had 7-tackles.

The JV Cats improve to 6-1 on the year and 1-1 in the North State Conference. McMichael dropped to 2-5 and 0-2. West Stokes will travel to Southern Guilford on Thursday, while the Phoenix will travel to Eastern Guilford.

Varsity Stats vs. McMichael 10-17-08
Game Highlights from WXII 12 High School Playbook

King - "The West Stokes Wildcats hosted the McMichael Phoenix for homecoming on Friday night. Matt Bennett scored two touchdowns for West Stokes and the Wildcats held on for a 14-6 North State Conference win.

The Wildcats and Phoenix traded touchdowns early in the game. McMichael scored first when Thomas Hall rambled 31-yards up the middle for a touchdown. West Stokes' Bobby Shouse busted through and blocked the extra-point and the Phoenix led 6-0. The Wildcats countered the Phoenix and marched 67-yards when Bennett ran the last 18-yards for his first touchdown of the game. Scott Leonard split the upright for the 7-6 lead that would hold through halftime.

West Stokes took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched down the field and scored. Facing a 3rd and 12 with Bennett on the side line hurt, freshman quarterback Austin Fleming through a latter pass to his freshman counter part Jeremy Cuthrell and then he scampered 50-yards for the pick up to the 8-yard line. Bennett re-entered the game and scored from 2-yards out, 3-plays later. Leonard tacked on the extra-point and the Cats led 14-6 with 8:50 left in the quarter. "That play was huge for us," said Head Coach Jimmy Upchurch. "That was the turning point of the game. We were facing a 3rd and long situation and for two freshmen to step up the way they did was amazing. We need that play to turn the game around for us offensively and it did."

The Wildcats defense had to with stand to red zone attempts in the game from McMichael. "The defense made play after play tonight," said Upchurch. "McMichael is a very good team and the stops we made at crucial times show how much we have grown through the season as a team. Hats off to Coach Sammons and the defense for the job they done."

Kai Dobson led the Wildcat defense with 15-tackles while Bobby Shouse and Calvin Cade added 12-tackles each. Shouse recorded his 11th sack on the year and 3-tackles for a loss. Cade contributed 2-sacks, 3 for a loss, a fumble recovery and a defended pass. West Stokes allowed 158-total yards, while giving up 118 on the ground. Hall carried the ball 24-times for 126-yards and a touchdown.

West Stokes tallied 229-yards of offense with 199 rushing yards. Bennett had 81-yards and two touchdowns, Cuthrell rushed for 70-yards and had 30-yards receiving, and James Hickman had 48-yards rushing on 15-carries to led the offense.

The Wildcats improved to 6-2 and 1-1 in conference play, while McMichael dropped to 6-2 and 1-1. West Stokes will play Southern Guilford (5-3(1-1)) next week, while the Phoenix will host the Eastern Guilford Wildcats (7-1(1-1)).

Game Stats vs. Reidsville 10-10-08


Reidsville – The West Stokes Wildcats fell hard to the defending 2A State Champions, Reidsville Rams Friday night 54-0.

The Wildcats held the explosive Rams to one touchdown in the first quarter before Reidsville blew the game open with 7-minutes left before halftime. With the Rams leading 7-0, Kenzell Doe busted through for a 25-yard touchdown run that put them up 13-0. The Wildcats took over and two plays later Reidsville recovered one of 9-fumbles in the game for West Stokes and took possession on the 20-yard line. One-minute later the Wildcats trailed 19-0 on a touchdown run by 2007 State Playoff MVP, Ray Ray Butchee.

On West Stokes next possession, Doe returned an interception for the Rams 40-yards for the score and just like that, a close game was turning into a blowout. The Rams led 25-0 with 4:16 left before the half. Things only got worse for the Wildcats when their next possession ended on a three and out. While Matt Bennett was attempting to punt, the ball sailed over his head and into the end zone for Reidsville, Bennett thinking quickly punted the ball out of the back of the end zone for the safety and the Rams led 27-0 with 1:52 left in the second.

Bennett punted the free kick and Reidsville took possession near mid-field. On the first play defensive lineman, Calvin Cade tackled Doe for an 8-yard loss. That didn't dampen the Rams' spirit because on the next play Butchee hit a streaking Niko McGirt down the left side for a 63-yard touchdown pass with 56-seconds left in the quarter and the Rams led 33-0 going into the half.

Reidsville tacked on two touchdowns in the third quarter and one in the fourth for the final margin of victory. The Rams offense amassed 393 total-yards with 247-yards coming on the ground. Doe led the Rams with 121-yards on 6-carries and two touchdowns. Butchee was 7-for-14 with 146-yards passing and one interception, his first on the season by Camren Lawson.

The Wildcats totaled 105-yards of offense with 101-yards coming on the ground. D'Angelo Jenkins led the Wildcats with 34-yards on 5-carries. Freshman Jeremy Cuthrell totaled 72 All-Purpose yards in the game for the Wildcats.

Kai Dobson led the defense for West Stokes with 9-tackles. Bobby Shouse added 8-tackles including two more sacks. Shouse only needs 4-more sacks to break a single season record for sacks by alumni Tim O'Neal.

The Wildcats fell to 5-2 and 0-1 in conference play. The Rams improved to 7-0 and 1-0 and will face undefeated Eastern Guilford (7-0, 1-0) on Friday night. West Stokes will welcome McMichael High School for homecoming starting at 7:30PM.

JV Game Stats vs. Reidsville 10-9-08


10/9/08

King – The West Stokes JV Wildcats hosted the Reidsville Rams last night in a 2A North State Conference JV football game. The Rams overcame an early deficit and won 44-28 to give the Wildcats their first loss of the season.

The Baby Rams scored early on a 72-yard kickoff return by Christian Williams to start the game. DJ Jumper ran the extra-point in for an early 8-0 lead. The Wildcats bounced back and scored on their next two possessions giving them a 14-8 lead into the second quarter. Austin Fleming connected with Dalton Boles for a 51-yard touchdown on the third offensive play of the game and Fleming ran the ball in from 2-yards out to give West the early lead.

Reidsville jumped ahead in the second quarter when Jumper hooked up with Lavert Butchee for a 44-yard pass with 4:21 left. The Rams quickly stopped the Wildcats and marched 55-yards in 5-plays and scored another touchdown with 32-seconds left in the half. The Rams took a 22-14 lead into the locker room.

Reidsville scored again in the third quarter with 6:32 left. Jumper busted through for a 4-yard score and then connected with Raven Broadnax for the two-point conversion.

In the fourth quarter both teams scored two touchdowns each. The Wildcats closed the score to 36-20 on a 66-yard reception to Boles from Fleming. After another Reidsville touchdown, Fleming busted through from 13-yards out and scored the extra-point for the final score.

Leading the defense for West Stokes was Buck Southern, Brandon Helvey, and Jacob Moser with 10-tackles each. The Wildcats allowed 343 total yards with 168 coming on the ground. West Stokes totaled 330-total yards with 191-yards coming on 7-14-1 passing from Fleming. Fleming rushed for 100-yards and two touchdowns on 21-carries. Boles recorded 5-catches for 176-yards and two scores.

The Wildcats fell to 5-1 and 0-1 in conference play, while the Rams improve to 5-1 and 1-0. West Stokes will travel to McMichael High School and face the Phoenix next Thursday evening at 7 PM.

10/6/08

King - The West Stokes 10th Anniversary Team was annoucned on Friday night. Coach Upchurch would like to extend a special thanks to each player and their families for attending the ceremony on Friday. "These kids were the foundation of West Stokes Football, along with others. We wanted to give them some type of recognition and honor them for that."

Memeber of the team are: Jonthan Adams, Justin Akers, Jared Boyles, Adam Caudle, Sidney Cecil, Dee Cuthrell, Jared DuBose, Nick Edwards, Bobby Fann, Frankie Fant, Matt Fowler, Jordan Geras, Austin Money, Tim O'Neal, Cheston Pulliam, Bill Samuels, Jarred Sargent, John Sevier, David Spainhour, Adam Ward, Wesley Wilmoth, Chris Wood, and JD Young.


A link as been added for the 10th Anniversary Team under the main menu. Click here.


**Pictures will be added to Photo Album at a later date**
***Picture is Adam Ward, submitted by Jimmy Kuhn***

10/7/08

The West Stokes Wildcats broke into the top 12 poll sponsored by WXII 12 High School Playbook. This is the first appearance for the Wildcats. Three of the twelve teams are in the 2A North State Conference; Reidsville, Eastern Guilford, and West Stokes.

  1. Dudley Panthers           (7-0)

  2. Mt. Airy Granite Bears    (6-0)

  3. Thomasville Bulldgogs     (7-0)

  4. Carver Yellowjackets      (6-1)

  5. Eastern Alamance Eagles   (6-0)

  6. Reidsville Rams           (6-0)

  7. Ragsdale Flyin' Tigers    (7-0)

  8. Eastern Guilford Wildcats (6-0)

  9. West Forsyth Titans       (5-1)

 10. Davie Co. War Eagles      (5-1)

 11. Mt. Tabor Spartans        (5-1)

 12. West Stokes Wildcats      (5-1)

For more information on the Power 12 Poll go to High School Playbook.

Game Stats for West Stokes vs. South Stokes 10-3-08


10-4-08

King - The West Stokes Wildcats won their third consecutive Stokes County Championship on Friday night, October 4th with a 54-0 shutout over the South Stokes Sauras.

The Wildcats wasted no time on getting on the board as they scored two touchdowns in the first quarter on passes from Matt Bennett to Justin Craver for 5-yards and Jeremy Cuthrell for 28-yards. Scott Leonard connected on both point after attempts for the 14-0 lead after one quarter of play.

In the second quarter, the defense for West Stokes continued their dominance by forcing a fumble, getting three sacks, and blocking a punt. Two of the sacks were by Bobby Shouse, his seventh and eight of the year, which tied a season record for the West Stokes. The Wildcats took advantage of the short field and scored three times. James Hickman scored the first touchdown on a 29-yard run with 10:29 left before half and then Bennett connected with Gabriel Crumley and Zack Southern for his third and fourth touchdown passes of the game, a record for touchdown passes in a game for the Wildcats. Leonard made 1-of-3 extra-points for the 33-0 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, Bennett continued his good play with rushing touchdowns for eight and two yards. Leonard split the up right on both kick and the Cats led 47-0 going to the last quarter.

In the fourth quarter, freshman quarterback Austin Fleming dashed 33-yards down to the 2-yard line that set up Hickman's second touchdown of the evening. Leonard added the extra-point and West Stokes passed its record for most points scored in a game.

The Wildcats had a balance attack with 222-yards on the ground and 223-yards in the air for 445-total yards. Bennett was 13-of-20 with no interceptions, four passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns on 68-yards. Hickman had two rushing touchdowns on 63-yards, while Cuthrell, Zach Southern, Gabriel Crumley, and Justin Craver had receiving touchdowns.

Defensively for West Stokes, they allowed 128-total yards with 85 coming on the ground. Casey Jackson and Aaron Belton had 12-tackles each to lead West. Sam Frenette recorded 10-tackles and Shouse added nine for the Wildcats. Craver (2), Terrance Johnson, Camren Lawson, and Frenette each had fumble recoveries to force 5 game turnovers on the night.

The Wildcat improved to 5-1 on the season, the best start for any West Stokes team. The Wildcats will travel to Reidsville High School (6-0) next week to take on the number one ranked Rams.

JV vs. South Stokes Game Stats 10-2-08


10/3/08

Walnut Cove - The West Stokes JV Wildcats won their eighth County Championship in nine tries last night with a 35-6 victory over cross-county rival South Stokes Sauras.

The Wildcats' defense held on the Sauras' first possession and blocked the punt attempt and took over on South Stokes 20-yard line. Freshman Austin Fleming dashed 12-yards on the Wildcats' 4th play and scored with 5:24 left in the first quarter. Scott Leonard made it 7-0 on the extra-point attempt.

After another stop by the Cat's defense, they took over on their 41-yard line after a 14-yard punt returned by Bryan Wilson. West Stokes marched 59-yards in 6 plays and scored when Ryan "Little Mikey" Ward rumbled 31-yards for his first touchdown of the year. Leonard added the point after and the Wildcats extended their lead to 14-0 with 8:24 left in the quarter.

After a Brandin Alley interception for West Stokes and then a fumble, the Wildcats recorded a fumble from Jacob Moser and they took possession on the South Stokes' 8-yard line. After two bad snaps, the Wildcats' Eron Jenkins dashed into the end zone from 5-yards out and Leonard added the extra-point and the JV Cats lead 21-0 at the half.

The Wildcats received the opening kick off of the second half and marched down to the Sauras 28-yards before Fleming threw his third interception on the year. West Stokes' defense responded and caused a fumble and Dalton Boles scooped the ball up on the Sauras' 9-yard line. After a 5-yard penalty by West Stokes, Fleming ran 14-yards for the touchdown and Leonard added another point after and the Wildcats lead 28-0 with 6:24 left in the third.

The Wildcats set up their final touchdown when Alley intercepted his fourth pass on the year and gave the offense the ball at the start of the fourth quarter on the 20-yard line. Fleming connected with Luke Bowen for a 19-yard pick up and then Fleming scampered 60-yards for his third touchdown of the night. Leonard hit his fifth extra-point and the Wildcats led 35-0 with 6:54 left in the game.

The Sauras scored their loan touchdown with 44-seconds left in the game. Damien Martin rolled 51-yards for the score and ruin the shutout for West Stokes.

The Wildcats totaled 275-yards of offense with 239 coming on the ground. Fleming rushed for 124-yards on 7 carries and 3 touchdowns. Jenkins had 60-yards on 9 carries and a touchdown, and Ward had 46-yards on 3 carries and one touchdown in his first game as a fullback.

West Stokes' defense held the Sauras to 136 total yards with 42-yards coming through the air. Brandon Helvey led the defense with 11-tackles, while Jacob Moser recorded 9-tackles and a fumble recovery. Alley added two interceptions and 3-tackles on the evening.

The Wildcats improved to 5-0 on the year, while the Sauras fell to 0-5. The Cats will take on the Reidsville Rams(4-1) next week, after they lost their first game in three years to High Point Andrews last night 24-22.

JV GAME PICTURES BY JIMMY KUHN
**More pictures will be on his website later**

Coach Upchurch and Coach Bowen with the Boys

9-16-08

Coach Upchurch, Coach Bowen, Coach Sammons, and Coach Boyd visited the Methodist players from West Stokes on Saturday, September 13th. Pictured left to right Front Row: Coach Upchurch, JD Young, Coach Bowen. Back Row: Jared Boyles, Austin Money, Bill Samuels, and Jared Dubose. Not pictured Cheston Pulliam and Brett Cunningham.

Cade the heart and soul of West Stokes' tenacious defense
By Jeremy Moorhouse - The Stokes News Sports Editor

When Calvin Cade arrived at West Stokes three years ago, his personality didn't exactly mesh with head football coach Jimmy Upchurch.

Cade, from Brooklyn, N.Y., hadn't played much organized football and didn't buy into the team concept at first.

It wasn't long before the he became the heart and soul of the Wildcats defense.

West coaches love him and opposing coaches hate having to go up against the senior defensive lineman.
"Calvin was a little different kid. He and I clashed a bit," said Upchurch. "The difference between the southern and northern culture. His background was a little different than most of the kids in Stokes County. When he first came on it took some time for him to adjust and for me to adjust to his personality and what he needs to do to become a team member."

"Calvin has worked very hard changing his personality to become a team player. It's meant a lot for me to watch him grow over the last three years."

The 5-foot-11, 235-pound Cade led the Wildcats in tackles a year ago with 118. So far this year, he has 37 solo tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery.

Cade admits it was a little difficult getting acquainted when he first came to North Carolina from Brooklyn. "In New York we really didn't have football. This is the first time at West Stokes playing football for a team," Cade said. "The lifestyle in New York is very crazy. My parents didn't want me in that lifestyle. They didn't want me to grow up and be another statistic. They moved me down here to get a better chance at an education and a better life."

He has excelled in the classroom and has become a fierce leader on the defensive line for West, which has given up an average of 11 points the last two weeks. "He is a very good student. Very smart. A great kid. He was voted one of our team captains," Upchurch said. "The kids look up to him as their leader. Obviously you can see that by his play on the field every Friday night."

"Let's just hope nothing happens to him. We can't replace him. All the coaches that I've talked to about him, that's the first thing they notice about our defense is No. 57 sitting in the middle. I had a long conversation with the North Surry coaches and they are extremely concerned about blocking him as was Surry Central," stated Upchurch.

Cade began his high school football career on the junior varsity Wildcats team and was moved up to the varsity squad midway through his sophomore year. As a junior he turned into a beast on the defensive end and now prides himself as a run stopper.

"I like stopping the run. Pass rushing I need to work on," he said. "I think I'm a run stopper. They run through the middle, they meet me."

Also contributing for the Wildcats on defense are senior linebackers Sam Frenette, Kai Dobson, linebacker Justin Craver, and safety Terrance Johnson.

Upchurch said he always felt Cade was a natural at middle linebacker but he wanted the chance to put him on the line where he could just cut him loose. Cade hasn't lost that New York toughness.

"Calvin is a very hard worker for us. He comes from Brooklyn, N.Y. so he has a little different mentality than most of the kids here," Upchurch said. "Because he's from Brooklyn he?s a really tough kid. We had to move him to nose guard so people really can?t run away from him. He's in the middle of our defense and he's extremely important for our team, shutting people down between the tackles."

"He is tough and he's a mean kid on the field. He plays aggressive. He's a great kid off the field. On the field he has a different mentality."

Cade loves football and takes his leadership role very seriously. "It's great. All my guys are very hard-working. It's not just me on the field," Cade said. "I love playing football for West Stokes. It's like a family. I like to go to practice, give it my all, go home tired, then come back and do it again."

He said he'd like to play college football somewhere next season.

Cade's favorite NFL team?

"Probably the Giants, world champs," he said.

His favorite NFL player?

"Justin Tuck, defensive end," he said.

West (4-1) has won four straight after a season-opening loss to East Surry. The Wildcats have beaten Starmount 26-24, North Stokes 47-8, Surry Central 34-14, and North Surry 33-6.

Cade said his expectations are high for the Wildcats, who went 6-6 in 2007 and lost to Shelby in the first round of the NCHSAA Class 2-A playoffs. "We can go very far. We can have a very good team this year if we execute well," he said.

Executing offensive plays often are a struggle for West in practice when Cade is in on defense. Downright impossible actually. "Our offensive linemen can't block him," Upchurch said. "We have to basically take him out of our defensive line so we can run plays. That's a good situation. We are blessed to have him be a part of our team."

West Stokes vs. North Surry Game Stats 9-19-08
Fan pictures vs. North Surry by Jimmy Kuhn. Game pictures are coming.

9/19/08

King – The West Stokes Wildcats welcomed North Surry High School to Wildcats Stadium last night and the Greyhounds left unsatisfied. West Stokes took a 13-6 lead at halftime and then scored twice in the third quarter and once in the fourth to win going away 33-6. "I’m real proud with the way our offense executed, the way our defense responded, and most of all the way our fans were tonight," said Head Coach Jimmy Upchurch. "I looked up and seen the fans reacting and excited and it made me excited. The school spirit is at a all time high, and it’s great to see."

The Wildcats got on the board in the first quarter on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Matt Bennett to Terrance Johnson and led 6-0 after the extra-point failed. The Greyhounds tied the game in the second period when Michael France picked off Bennett's pass and retuned it 15-yards for the touchdown with 8:06 left before the half.

The Wildcats looked to bounce back, but a fumble on their next possession gave the Greyhounds first and 10 on the Cat' 24-yards line. Quarterback Tanner Hiatt tried to go for the knock out punch and went for the end zone. West Stokes' Gabriel Crumley picked off Hiatt's pass in the end zone to give West Stokes first down on the twenty. Three plays later, Bennett hooked up with Rod Jackson for a 68-yard touchdown reception. Scott Leonard tacked on the extra-point for a 13-6 lead.

The Greyhounds took possession to start the third period, but the Wildcats' defense stepped up and James Hickman picked on Hiatt’s pass on the Wildcats' 36-yard line. Hickman finished the Wildcat drive with a 40-yard dash to the end zone with 8:40 left in the third. The Wildcats forced North Surry to punt and took over at the 25-yard line. Bennett drove the Cats down field in seven plays and he scored from 15-yards out behind the blocking of the offensive line. Leonard connected on the extra-point and the Wildcats led 27-6 going to the fourth quarter.

West Stokes forced another three and out and scored another touchdown by Bennett, this time from 30-yards out to begin the fourth period and put the game out of reach. The Wildcats' defense held strong in the fourth quarter and didn’t allow any points. With the Greyhounds driving with less than 5-minutes in the game, the coaching staff made mass substitutions on defense. With 5-freshman, and 2-sophmores in the game, the young and talented Wildcats got a stop when freshman Jeremy Cuthrell intercepted Hiatt's pass in the end zone with 1:34 left in the game.

Bennett led the Wildcat offense with 82-yards rushing on 14 carries and two touchdowns. Hickman collected 73-yards and a touchdown, while Cuthrell had 40-yards on 9-carries. Bennett passed for 174-yards on 9-for-13 with one interception and two touchdown passes. The Wildcats totaled 398-yards of total offense with 224 coming on the ground.

The Wildcat defense, led by Sam Frenette's 11-tackles, held the Hounds to 39-yards rushing on 26-carries and allowed 118-yards from Hiatt on 13-for-30 and three INTs. North Surry tallied 157-total yards on the offensive side. Helping Frenette on defense was Kai Dobson with 8-tackles and Aaron Belton, Calvin Cade, and Bobby Shouse had seven each. Shouse recorded his team high sixth sack on the season.

The Wildcats improved to 4-1 on the year and will enter a bye week before they play county rival South Stokes on October 3rd. The Wildcats will be going for their third straight county championship and their fifth in the last six-years at Wildcat Stadium.

West Stokes JV vs. North Surry 9-18-08
JV Game Picture vs. North Surry by Jimmy Kuhn.


9/19/08

Toast - The West Stokes JV Wildcat football team traveled to Mt. Airy to take on the North Surry Greyhounds last night. The Wildcats built an 18-6 halftime lead and went on to win 30-14 and extend their record to 4-0, the best start for a JV Football team at West Stokes.

Freshman Austin Fleming rushed for 255-yards on 15-carries and scored 4 touchdowns. Fleming connected with Donnie Thompson in the fourth quarter for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Dalton Boles had 2 catches for 65-yards, while Eron Jenkins had 44-yards rushing and 6-yard receiving.

Jordan Hall led the Wildcats defense with 9-tackles and a sack. Chris Leslie and Ryan Ward recorded 8-tackles each, while Boles added seven. Bryan Wilson and Luke Bowen each had an interception in the game for West.

The Wildcats tallied 462-total yards of offense, while North Surry totaled 136, with 81-yards coming on the ground. North Surry dropped to 0-3 on the year including losses to Mt. Airy and East Surry. The JV Cats will take a week off and come back and play at South Stokes on Oct. 2nd starting at 7 PM.

West Stokes vs. Surry Central Game Stats 9-12-08

WXII 12 Football Highlight

9-13-08

Dobson - The West Stokes Wildcats traveled to Surry Central High School for a non-conference football game last night and took a 34-14 victory behind the team defense of the Wildcats. The Cats defense had 17-tackles for negative 63-yards with 5-sacks, 3-fumble recoveries, and an interception. Kai Dobson led the attack with 12-tackles and a sack. "Our defense was good tonight, especially up front," stated Head Coach Jimmy Upchurch. "The Eagles are strong up front and I knew our line had to contain and play their areas to be successful, and we did tonight. I'm very proud of them."

After no scoring in the first quarter, the Wildcats looked to get on board in the second, but not before the defense had to answer the call. The Cats punted deep in their territory and gave the Golden Eagles great field position on the Wildcats 38-yard line. The Eagles reached the 13-yard line before West forced a fumble that Calvin Cade scooped up. The Wildcats offense looked to get going but a fumble on the first play gave the Eagles first and goal on the seven. Again, the defense didn't disappoint. On second and goal from the five, the Cats forced another fumble and this time Casey Jackson came away with the big play. "That was two key series in the game for us," said Upchurch. "Two red zone opportunities for them, and they came away with no points and it gave us momentum."

The Wildcats' offense tried to get going, but costly penalties negated several long plays and looked as if it was going to be a scoreless first half. Then on second and eight from the Wildcats' 42-yard line James Hickman followed the blocking of the offensive line and took it the distance with 3:33 in the quarter. Scott Leonard tacked on the extra-point for the 7-0 half time lead.

The second half started like the first on the Wildcats first drive. Two straight motion penalties and the Wildcats seen first and twenty and eventually had to punt. But, the defense came up big once again when Bobby Shouse sacked Brett Boyles and then came up with the ball on a fumble by Boyles.

The Wildcat offense finally got going and scored a touchdown when freshman Austin Fleming connected with Dobson on a 14-yard touchdown pass. Leonard made it 14-0 with 5:20 left in the third frame and the offensive momentum had finally started to kick in. The Wildcats only need two more offensive plays to score two more touchdowns in the third quarter. Freshman, Jeremy Cuthrell exploded for 63-yards and Hickman rambled another 49-yard for his second touchdown of the evening. All of a sudden a close game was 27-0 lead for West Stokes going into the final quarter.

The Eagles sustained a long drive at the beginning of the fourth quarter that last until 7:11 left in the game. Luke Harris busted through from the 1-yard line for Central's first score. Ben Earnest extra point made the score 27-7 Wildcats.

West Stokes received the kickoff and Bennett dashed into Eagle territory before another penalty brought the Wildcats back and they started first and ten from the 42-yard line. After long rushing gains by Hickman and Bennett, Bennett found Rod Jackson for a 42-yard strike. Leonard split the uprights for the fourth time tonight and the Cats led 34-7 with 4:59 left in the game. The Eagles tacked on a late touchdown with 32-seconds left when Boyles hit Casey Felts for a screen pass that went 68-yards.

Hickman led the way for West Stokes on offense with 133-yards on 7-carries and 2-touchdowns. Cuthrell had another 100-yard game with 108 on 6 carries and a touchdown. Bennett carried the ball 13-times for 74-yards and threw for another 102-yards and one touchdown. Fleming came in the game for 5-plays and was 3-of-4 in passing with 40-yards and a touchdown. The Wildcats gained 309-yards on the ground, while totaling 451-yards in the game.

The defense allowed the Eagles one rushing yard on the game, while allowing 177-yards passing with 68 of it coming in the last minute of the game. Leading the way with Dobson was Cade with 10-tackles, three for loss, and a fumble recovery, while Justin Craver ended up with 7-tackles, with four being for losses and two-sacks.

The Wildcats ran their record to 3-1 on the season, while Surry Central drops to 0-4. The Wildcats will host another Surry County foe, in North Surry next Friday at 7:30 PM in Wildcats Stadium.

9/5/08

The West Stokes Wildcats visited cross county rival North Stokes and came away with an impressive 47-8 victory over the Vikings in a non-conference football game.

Matt Bennett led the Wildcats down the field and scored in 9-plays on a 1-yard run by senior James Hickman after the defense forced a three and out on the Vikings first possession. The Wildcats forced a fumble on the Vikings next possession and then scored on Bennett's 1-yard run 3-plays later. Scott Leonard connected on both extra-points attempts for a 14-0 lead after one quarter.

After a 31-yard touchdown pass by Darren McHone of North Stokes too Travis Booth, the Wildcats jumped started again. Bennett rambled 76-yards for the score and Rod Jackson caught a 48-yard pass from Bennett to take a 26-8 lead into the locker room.

The Wildcats opened the second half with a 60-yard run from freshman Jeremy Cuthrell. Leonard hit the point after and the Cats' lead grew to 33-8. Cuthrell tacked on a 50-yard run and a 19-yard run in the fourth quarter for the final margin. Cuthrell set a school record for average carry in a game with 23.2 yards a carry with 139-yards on 6-carries and 3 TDs. Bennett added 139-yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns and threw for another. The Wildcats gained 325-yards on the ground and Bennett passed for 59-yards for a total of 384-yards of offense.

Leading the Wildcats defense was Kai Dobson and Calvin Cade. Dobson had 21-tackles (a new school record), while Cade had 19-tackles, 2 sacks, and 9-tackles for a loss (another school record). Bobby Shouse had 12-tackles, 4-sacks (school record), and a fumble recovery. The Wildcat defense had 8-sacks, which was the fifth school record broken tonight. West gave up 42-yards rushing on 44 carries, while giving up 113-yards passing for a total of 155 Viking yards.

With the win, West Stokes grabs an early lead on the County Championship and improved to 2-1. North Stokes drops to 1-2 and will face Elkin HS next week, while the Wildcats will travel to Surry Central.

JV Game Stats vs. Surry Central 9-11-08


King - The West Stokes JV football team welcomed Surry Central High School on a rainy Thursday night and gave them a rude awaken. The Wildcats scored on 8-of-9-possession enroot to a 52-0 victory, the most lopsided JV win in school history.

After watching the Wildcats' defense scoop a fumble by Jacob Tilley on the Surry Central 44-yard line, they marched the distance on 8-plays when Austin Fleming hit David Doyle for a 20-yards strike, the first of four passing touchdowns for Fleming. The Wildcat forced another fumble on a botch snap by the Eagles only to see Fleming jump on the fumble and score a defensive touchdown. Fleming scored the 2-point conversion for the 14-0 lead with 3:37 left in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Wildcats' defense forced three more turnovers. Brandin Alley had a fumble recovery and an interception, while Jacob Moser had the other fumble recovery. The Wildcats made the Eagles pay and scored on each possession in the quarter. Fleming connected with Dalton Boles for 24-yards, then he hooked up with Cameron Shaw for an 83-yard TD, and then closed the half with a 21-yard touchdown to Donnie Thompson for the 33-0 lead at the half.

The Wildcats scored quickly in the third quarter when Fleming scampered 81-yards for the touchdown with 1:45 gone in the second half. The Eagles then sustained a long drive that ended on the Wildcats 8-yard line when Josh Vaughn broke up a potential touchdown pass on 4th and goal from the eight. The Wildcats then drove 92-yards, which was capped by Shaw's 37-yard run with no time left in the quarter. Jacob Nunn converted his second extra-point of the game for the 46-0 lead.

The Wildcats defense again stepped up after a long drive by Surry Central to begin the fourth quarter. The Cats snuffed the Eagles on the 24-yards line and then took it to the house with 3:05 left in the game. Eron Jenkins broke through for a 65-yard touchdown up the middle for the final tally.

The Wildcats totaled 472-yards of offense with 292-yards on 19 carries came on the ground. Fleming passed for 180-yards on 6-of-9 with one interception. Fleming also rushed for 137-yards on 6 carries and had one rushing touchdown. Jenkins had 98-yards on 8 carries and Shaw tallied 55-yards on 4 carries.

The defense held Surry Central to 124-yards of offense, all on the ground on 52 carries. Jordan Hall led the defense with 17-tackles, while Jacob Moser and Brandon Helvey had 11-tackles each. The Cats forced 6-turnovers in the game.

West Stokes improved to 3-0 on the season, while the Eagles dropped to 0-3. The Wildcats will travel to North Surry next week and try and build on the best start for a West Stokes JV team.

JV West Stokes vs. North Stokes Game Stats 9-4-08


9/4/08

The West Stokes JV Wildcats hosted the North Stokes Vikings in a non-conference football game tonight. The Wildcats scored a pair of touchdowns in the second and third quarters to win 28-0 and run their record to 2-0.

Austin Fleming rushed for 193-yards on 11-carries and a touchdown. Fleming passed for another 93-yards on 6-of-8 and a TD. Dalton Boles rushed for 33-yards and a touchdown, while catching 2-passes for 33-yards and another TD. David Doyle was on the receiving end of the touchdown pass from Fleming. Doyle had 3-catches for 51-yards.

Jordan Hall led the Wildcats defense with 11-tackles. Matt Guraleczka added 10-tackles, while Luke Bowen chipped in 9-tackles. Brandon Helvey had 8-tackles, two for loss, and two passes defended. Brandin Alley had an interception for the Wildcats.

West Stokes Varsity vs. Stamount Stats (Excel)


8/29/08

The West Stokes Wildcats beat the Starmount Rams tonight in a thrilling 26-24 come from behind win. Matt Bennett and James Hickman both rushed for over 100-yards tonight. Freshman Jeremy Cuthrell had 39-yards rushing, 42-yard passing, and 22-yards receiving. Cuthrell added 80-yards in kick off returns on 4-carries.

Leading the defense for West was Calvin Cade with 13-tackles. Sam Frenette added 12, while Aaron Belton and Gabriel Crumley had 9-tackles each.

West Stokes vs. Starmount Game Stats

8/28/08

West Stokes JV hosted Starmount on Thursday night for a non-conference football game. Starmount started early with a 76-yard kickoff return to start the game, but then the Wildcats kicked into a higher gear and responded with an Austin Fleming 49-yard run and then the 2-point conversion to tie it up. West Stokes then scored twice in the second quarter on two more Fleming touchdowns to make up the final score of 22-8.

Fleming led West Stokes with 144-yards rushing and 3-TDs. He passed for another 97-yards. Dalton Boles caught three passes for 57-yards, while Donnine Thompson had 3-catches for 31-yards. Jordan Hall led the defense with 8-tackles and one for a loss. The Wildcat defense held the Rams to -15-yards in the first half and 48-yards total yards for the game.

JV Wildcat vs. Starmount Game Stats

9/4/08

This weeks articles published by The Stokes News, by sport editor Jerry Moorehouse.

Wildcats get first win of the season in thriller

Jayvee Wildcats get past Starmount 22-8

8/28/08

Articles published in the Stokes News on August 28th by sports editor, Worth Corn. For those who don't know, Worth has resigned his position effective yesterday due to a family opportunity in Western North Carolina. He will be sorely missed and the West Stokes family wants to say thank you for all of your hard work and coverage of our school. Good Luck in the future. The new sports editor will be Jeremy Moorehouse from the Mt. Airy newspaper.

Thanks for the memories
Wildcats stumble against East Surry

8/24/08

Game pictures from Friday's game vs. East Surry High School. Click here for the pictures from Prevalent Photography by Jim Montross.

8/24/08

More pictures from the East Surry vs. West Stokes game on Friday night. Click here for pictures from Jimmy Kuhn's website. For other West Stokes galleries visit kuhndog63.com.

West Stokes vs East Surry Game Stats


8/23/08

The East Surry Cardinals spoiled the home opener for West Stokes last night in a non-conference football game at Wildcat Stadium. The Cardinals jumped out early, and held a 13-6 halftime lead. East Surry added another touchdown in the third quarter and a 37-yard field goal in the fourth for a 24-12 win.

Game Stats vs. East Surry 8-22-08
MaxPreps - West Stokes High School

The West Stokes Football teams traveled to Elkin High School for a pre-season scrimmage against the Elks on Wednesday evening August 13th.

In the opening varsity scrimmage the Wildcats struggled to get going, but later put it together during the situational scrimmage. The Wildcats' offense scored four times, while the defense scored on Aaron Belton's fumble recovery. Elkin managed a score on each offense and defense for the 30-12 difference.

James Hickman led the Wildcat's offense with 57-yards on 7 carries with 2-touchdowns. Freshman Jeremy Cuthrell had 42-yards rushing on 4 carries, while catching 4-passes for 58-yards and a touchdown. Matt Bennett rushed for 35-yards and a touchdown and passed for 102-yards with a another touchdown. The Wildcats totaled 240 total yards with 138-yards rushing on 21 carries and 7-first downs.

The Wildcats' defense limited the Elks to 55 total yards with negative nine yards rushing. The Wildcats had 9-tackles for a loss, totaling 34-yards. Sam Frenette and Casey Jackson led the defense with 8-tackles each. Jackson had 2-sacks and a fumble recovery. Kai Dobson, Justin Craver, Terrance Johnson, and Calvin Cade had 7-tackles each, while Bobby Shouse and Belton had 6 & 5 tackles respectfully.

The Wildcats JV squad dominated the Elks on their 20-play scrimmage. The Cats scored twice on long runs. Cuthrell had a 60-yard run, while Cameron Shaw scampered 49-yards for a score. The Wildcats totaled 144-yards rushing and 27-yards passing from Austin Fleming for 171 total yards.

The defense had 8-tackles for loss in the Elks 20-plays for negative 39-yards. The Elks managed to get 11-yard rushing and 11-yards passing for 22 total yards. Brandon Helvey led the JV Cats with 4-tackles and a sack. Cuthrell had an interception and Brandin Alley had a fumble recovery for the Wildcats.

Both the JV and Varsity will play at West Davidson High School in the New Bridge Bank Scrimmage starting at 6 pm on Saturday, August 16th.

8/14/08

The practice schedule on Friday, August 15th is from 9-12pm instead of the evening time of 7pm. Also, the practice time for Tuesday, August 19th has changed to 9-12pm due to open house that night. Continue to monitor the website for changes.

8/9/08

Pictures of the first two day of pratice, by Jimmy Kuhn of kuhndog63.com.

First Practice

Second Practice

8/8/08

Articles from The Stokes News about Wildcat Football, written by sports editor, Worth Corn.

It's back!

Four more Wildcats nominated for anniversary team

8/7/08

Parents, just a reminder the football team will have a cookout tomorrow at Norris and Sonja Lankford's house from 4-6 PM. Practice (Heavy) will be from 7-9 PM. For more details or if you need directions please contact Sonja Lankford or the webmaster.

The Lankford's live on Nance Road off of Highway 66. The address is 1034 Nance Road, King NC. The cookout is for coaches, players, and managers.

8/1/08

After much deliberation, the coaching staff at West Stokes has nominated four more players for the 10th Anniversary Team: Zack Barnes, Adam Caudle, Danny Rose, and Chris Wood. Voting will end on September 19th. You will be able to vote at both home football games by ballot prior to October 3rd. Voting on the website will end September 12th. After Sept. 12th, votes will only be accepted at the North Surry game. The final votes will be tallied and every effort will be made to get in touch with the student athletics that made the Anniversary team.

8/1/08

Today is the first official day of football practice across the state of North Carolina. The Wildcats will begin tryouts tonight. A team meeting in the bleachers will begin at 6:15 with practice starting at 7 PM and lasting until 9 PM. Please be here early and ready to go.

"The difference between try and triumph is a little umph." ~Author Unknown

7/30/08

Workouts for football will be tomorrow from 9:00 am until 11:00 am. After workouts, for anyone needing a physical the coaching staff has arranged for physicals to be taken between 1:00 pm & 4:00 pm. Bring money to eat lunch and meet at the field house at 11:30 am. Coach Upchurch will have the physical form and each parent is required to sign the form for permission of the physical. The cost is only $10, so please take advantage of this offer. For questions, please call 983-2099 or email Coach Upchurch.

7/31/08

Articles from The Stokes News about Wildcat Football, written by sports editor, Worth Corn.

Wildcats get mixed reviews at tournament

West Stokes to name 10-year anniversary team

Pictures from the Wildcat 7-on-7 Tournament are now posted on Jimmy Kuhn's website. Please visit kuhndog63.com to view the pictures. You may also purchase pictures through the website. Thanks to Mr. Kuhn for his support of the Wildcat programs.

7/25/08

The Thomasville Bulldogs won the 1st Annual Wildcat 7-on-7 Tournament 22-20 with a defensive stop in overtime against the Reagan Raiders of Winston-Salem.

The Bulldogs came from Pool A as the No. 1 seed with a record of 2-1. West Stokes, the home team, tied Thomasville at 2-1, but lost to the Bulldogs 23-8 in the 3rd round for the tiebreaker. The Wildcats beat Regan 22-13 and Eden Morehead 23-11 for their wins. Eden Morehead placed third in Pool A with a victory over Reagan. The Raiders finished as the fourth seed at 1-2, with a loss against the Wildcats and a win over the Bulldogs.

In Pool B, North Forsyth led the way as the one seed at 2-1 with victories over McMichael (18-12) and North Surry (20-10), and a loss to Bishop McGuiness. McMichael landed the second seed with a 23-12 win over Bishop McGuiness and a 13-4 victory over North Surry. North Surry and Bishop McGuiness finished as the 3rd and 4th seeds respectfully with the Greyhounds wining the tiebreaker with a 19-8 win over the Villains.

The Wildcats and Greyhounds matched up in the fourth round with North Surry squeaking out a 21-15 win in the last minute of the game to advance to the semi-finals. McMichael won 16-13 over Eden Morehead by running out the last five minutes with clock management. Thomasville overwhelmed Bishop McGuiness with a 21-11 victory, while Reagan beat North Forsyth 26-21 on a late touchdown that secured the win over their cross-town rival.

Thomasville and Reagan matched up in the championship game, with the Bulldogs pulling some magic from their bag. Trailing 20-11 with a minute on the game clock, the Bulldogs picked up 2-points for a first down, and then scored a touchdown with 15-seconds showing on the game clock. With the extra-point, Thomasville tied the score with no time left on the clock. The Raiders won the toss and elected to be on offense in overtime. With the rules discussed before the game, overtime would be one play. If the offensive team scores, they win. If the defense prevents them from scoring they win. The Bulldogs knocked the ball down in the end zone and earned the 2-points for the stop and the victory. In the consolation game, McMichael could do no wrong as they beat North Surry 26-6.

Scores



Round 1 

West Stokes      22   Reagan           13

Thomasville      24   Eden Morehead     8

Bishop McGuiness 26   North Forsyth    17

McMichael        13   North Surry       4



Round 2

West Stokes      23   Eden Morehead    11

Reagan           31   Thomasville      19

North Surry      19   Bishop McGuiness  8

North Forsyth    18   McMichael        12



Round 3 

Thomasville      23   West Stokes       8

Eden Morehead    23   Reagan           12

North Forsyth    20   North Surry      10

McMichael        23   Bishop McGuiness 12



Round 4

Reagan           26   North Forsyth    21

Thomasville      21   Bishop McGuiness 11

McMichael        16   Eden Morehead    13

North Surry      21   West Stokes      15



Semi-Finals

Reagan           19   North Surry       9

Thomasville      23   McMichael         4



Consolation Game

McMichael        26   North Surry       6



Championship Game

Thomasville      22   Reagan           20 (overtime)



Team Records

Thomasville      5-1

Reagan           3-3

McMichael        4-2

North Surry      2-4

West Stokes      2-2

North Forsyth    2-2

Eden Morehead    1-3

Bishop McGuiness 1-3

7/24/08

Sports editor, Worth Corn of The Stokes News covers Wildcat football this week.

Wildcats to host 7-on-7 tournament
Wildcats finish third at Catawba

West Stokes has nominated the following players for the Wildcats' 10th Anniversary Football Team. In honor of the 10th year of West Stokes football, the administration, coaches, players and alumni would like to recognize 22 former players on Oct. 3 against South Stokes.

Coach Jimmy Upchurch said the idea stems from a similar team at East Surry in 1999. Upchurch, played at East Surry and graduated in 1984, was selected for a 25-year team. "When I made the team, it made me feel like I was still a part of the school and the program," said Upchurch, who wants to bring similar feelings to former Wildcats. "I want to recognize the kids and let kids and the community vote. I want the kids to know they're always a part of West Stokes and our program." Upchurch said the voting will end on Sept. 19, two weeks before the Oct. 3 announcement, and he plans to use the two weeks to track down as many of the selected players as possible. "I'd like to get as many as I can back for the ceremony." Upchurch said the players will receive a certificate and be recognized in front of West Stokes' home crowd.

In all, 40 players, listed below, have been nominated, and votes are being counted on the team's website. To vote, use the online poll on the website or email your votes to the webmaster. There will also be chances to vote at the East Surry and North Surry home games.

Jonathan Adams (06-08)   Justin Akers (00-02)    Jared Boyles (03-05)

Tyler Butts (03-04)      Kenric Carter (02-04)   Sidney Cecil (03-05)

Brett Cunningham (07-08) Dee Cuthrell (03-06)    Ben Daniels (05-06)

Jared Dubose (06-07)     Nick Edwards (04-06)    Bobby Fann (03-05)

Frankie Fant (00-02)     Matt Fowler (00-02)     Jordan Geras (00-02)

Jason Hunter (00-02)     Josh Jones (07-08)      Sam Jones (05-06)

Kody Kinzer (06-08)      Antwan Jones (05-07)    Cory Lail (04-05)

Romeo Long (06-08)       Andrew Luter (06-08)    Austin Money (05-06)

Tim O'Neal (04-05)       Cheston Pulliam (06-07) Bill Samuels (04-05)

Jared Sargent (04-05)    John Sevier (00-03)     David Spainhour (04-05)

Chris Tolzman (00-03)    Adam Ward (00-03)       Shelton Ward (07-08)

Wesley Wilmoth (00-02)   Chad Wyatt(00-01)       JD Young (06-08)

Zack Barnes (06-08)      Adam Caudle (04-05)     Danny Rose (05-06)

Chris Wood (00)

*Each week the votes will be cleared from the website and a new poll will posted. A running tally will be kept.
written by Worth Corn - Stokes News

7/19/08

The West Stokes Wildcats participated in the Catawba 7-on-7 tournament on Friday, July 18th and finished tied for third place out of twenty teams. With only three 2A teams attending, West Stokes was the only team to place in the top eight among 3A and 4A teams from both South Carolina and North Carolina.

In round robin play West Stokes faced 4A Dutch Fork High School out of South Carolina in the first game. Dutch Fork pulled out a 20-12 victory over the Wildcats. The Cats quickly bounced back against 3A Randleman High School. West took a 22-6 victory and now had to face 4A power house Oxford Webb. The Wildcats continued to shock everyone with an 18-6 win over the Warriors.

Now up for the young Wildcats was Charlotte Butler High School. The Bulldogs game into the tournament as the favorite, but the Wildcats had different plans. With less than two-minutes remaining and the Wildcats trailing, junior quarterback Matt Bennett led the Wildcats down field and clinched a 12-9 victory over the 4A powerhouse team. "The effort we gave and the way we drove down field was unreal against a team of their caliber," said Head Coach Jimmy Upchurch. "We were missing a few starters today and with Kia (Dobson) missing after pulling his hamstring in the first game we had a lot of JV players out there. I didn't expect us to play this well, but every player we put out there stepped up and done their job."

In the last game before lunch the Wildcats faced East Chapel Hill High School. The Wildcats had a little bit of a let down after their game against Butler and suffered it's second loss of the day with a 18-14 defeat.

The Wildcats bounced back after lunch and beat Charlotte First Assembly, a private school. The Wildcats overwhelmed them and won 24-12 to set up their final game in round robin play. The Wildcats drew 3A South Rowan High School and the Raiders gave the Wildcats their worst defeat of the day at 24-6. "We didn't play very well against South Rowan. Our legs were tired and we were struggling a little on the offensive side," said Upchurch.

The Wildcats finished round robin play at 4-3 and that enabled them to squeak in as an 8-seed in the tournament, which was the last seed. "I was very proud of our kids to qualify for the tournament," said Upchurch. "Several good teams were left out; Watauga, North Forsyth and North Lincoln just to name a few."

By drawing the last seed meant the young Wildcats would face off against the number one seed, Jack Britt High School. The Buccaneers hadn't lost a game all afternoon and entered at 7-0. The Wildcats showed no fear of facing the 4A School and shocked the Bucs with an 18-8 victory to push them into the semi-finals too face Butler again.

Butler was up to the challenge and prevented any comebacks from Bennett and Company with a 12-10 squeaker over the Cats. South Rowan fell to Irmo High School out of South Carolina and then Irmo beat Butler for the Championship. The Wildcats and Raiders would had to settle for a tie for third place since no game was played. "I can't say enough on how are kids competed today," said Upchurch. "We are very young and had to play some JV players playing today. Two freshmen, Dalton Boles and Jeremy Cuthrell played real well today. Between them they had 4 or 5 interceptions. Our upper classman has helped led this group of underclassman better than any group I have been around. That is what it's going to take for us to be successful at West Stokes."

The Wildcats will host the First Annual Wildcat 7-on-7 tournament at West Stokes on Friday, July 25th starting at 6pm. Come out and support these kids and your community. Volunteers are needed for this fund raiser, if interested contact the webmaster.

7/23/08

The West Stokes Wildcats will host the first annual Wildcat 7-on-7 Eight Team Tournament on Friday, July 25th at West Stokes High School. First three rounds are pool play. All teams will then be seeded in the tournament. Fourth round is an elimination round, fifth round will determine the finals and consolation finals. Game times will begin at 6:00 PM.

Team that have committed; North Surry, McMichael, Eden Morehead, North Forsyth, Bishop McGuinness, Reagan, Thomasville and West Stokes.

Field Locations

Game Field     - Score Board End         - Field #1

               - Opposite Score Board    - Field #2

Practice Field - Baseball Field End      - Field #3

               - Opposite Baseball Field - Field #4



Schedule for 1st Three Rounds



Round 1 - Field #1          W.Stokes    vs. Reagan

          Field #2          Thomasville vs. Eden Morehead

          Field #3          N.Forsyth   vs. B.McGuinness

          Field #4          N.Surry     vs. McMichael



Round 2 - Field #1          W.Stokes    vs. Eden Morehead

          Field #2          Thomasville vs. Reagan

          Field #3          N.Surry     vs. B.McGuinness

          Field #4          McMichael   vs. N.Forsyth



Round 3 - Field #1          W.Stokes    vs. Thomasville

          Field #2          Reagan      vs. Eden Morehead

          Field #3          N.Surry     vs. N. Forysth

          Field #4          McMichael   vs. B.McGuinness



Round 4 - Field #1          #1 from Practice field vs. #4 from Game field (loser will be eliminated)

          Field #2          #1 from Game field vs. #4 from Practice field (loser will be eliminated)

          Field #3          #2 from Practice field vs. #3 from Game field (loser will be eliminated)

          Field #4          #2 from Game field vs. #3 from Practice field (loser will be eliminated)



Round 5 - Semi-Finals; All games played on the Game Field

          Field #1         Winner Field #1 vs. Winner Field #4 

          Field #2         Winner Field #2 vs. Winner Field #3



Round 6 - Finals

          Field #1         Winner of Round 5 in Championship Game

          Field #2         Losers of Round 5 for third place

7-22-08

The 5th Annual Wildcat Football Camp will be held on July 28th & 29th at West Stokes High School. The camp will be for kids ages 5-10 on Monday, July 28th, and for kids ages 11-14 on Tuesday, July 29th. The camp runs from 4:00pm to 8:30pm each day and costs $20. For more information, contact Jimmy Upchurch, head football coach at 983-2099 or jimmy.upchurch@stokes.k12.nc.us.

7-13-08

The Wildcat's schedule for July, & August have been updated on the calendar. Please check for more updates later.

6-19-08

After months of discussion, the vote is finally in. The Stokes County Board of Education voted 4-1 on Tuesday night to go with option three of the proposed redistricting plan. Of the board members, Yvonne Rutledge was the only one to vote no, with four yes votes from Becky Boles, Sonya Cox, Bill Hart, and Steve Shelton.

To read the full article visit The Stokes News on-line edition.

West Stokes captured 2007-08 Wachovia Conference Cup

6/11/08

West Stokes High School was awarded the Wachovia Conference Cup for the 2007-08 school year in the North State 2A Conference. The Wildcats won conference championships in Women?s Cross Country, Men?s Soccer, Softball, Men?s Tennis, and were co-champions in Men?s basketball. They placed second in seven other sports; Men?s Cross County, Men & Women Swimming, Baseball, Women?s Track, Women?s Soccer, and Golf.

There are 18-varsity sports at West Stokes and no Wildcat team finished lower than 4th place during the school year, a feat that was only accomplished this year and back in 2005-06 school year.

First Place
Men'?s Soccer - 3rd consecutive Conference Championship
Women's Cross Country - 3rd consecutive Conference Championship
Men's Basketball - 1st Conference Championship in school's history
Softball - 3rd consecutive Conference Championship (6th overall)
Men's Tennis - 2nd Conference Championship

Second Place
Men's Cross Country
Women's Swimming
Men's Swimming
Baseball
Women's Track
Women's Soccer
Golf

Third Place
Women's Tennis
Volleyball
Women's Basketball
Wrestling

Fourth Place
Football
Men's Track

The Wildcats finished the year with 6-Conference Players of the Year, and 4-Coaches of the Year.

Player of the Year
Taylor Calloway - Men's Soccer
Joshua Hudgins - Golf
Jennifer Nelson - Women?s Soccer
Samantha Wilson - Softball
Courtney Hayes - Female Runner of the Year (Women's Track)
Jazmine Travis - Female Field Event Athlete of the Year (Women's Track)

Coach of the Year
Chris Manley - Men's Soccer
Benji Knox - Women's Cross Country
Megan Conner - Softball
Kirk Goodson - Baseball

2007-08 North State Wachovia Cup Conference Standings

West Stokes          176.0

McMichael            160.5

Eastern Guilford     154.5

Reidsville           142.5

Southern Guilford    120.5

Atkins                80.0

For more on the Wachovia Cup click here.

3-20-08

The Stokes News reported that the Stokes County Board of Education has decided on the boundary lines that separate West Stokes and South Stokes schools' districts. Click here to read the news article by Wendy Byerly Wood the News Editor of The Stokes News.

5-21-08

The West Stokes Wildcats' Football coaching staff unveiled their new logo and helmet for the 2008 football season. Lets us know what you think. Email Coach Jimmy Upchurch.

2008 West Stokes Varsity Schedule