SANFORD — DeAndre Dingle-Prince, a defensive lineman from Lee County High School, announced on his Twitter account June 20 that he has verbally committed to play football at Appalachian State.

BOONE — Round one of the Will Dicus Memorial Baseball Tournament went as smoothly as expected, at least according to co-tournament director Bill Dicus.

BOONE — The 21st Blood, Sweat and Gears bike ride returns to the High Country June 22 with some new pathways and an old familiar friend.

BOONE — The Watauga All-Stars beat Ashe County 6-5 in the Will Dicus Memorial Tournament 10-under division.

BOONE — The L-town Lightning jumped out to a 9-1 lead before cruising to a 10-4 win over the Watauga Blue All-Stars in the Will Dicus Memorial Tournament 12-under division on June 15.

BOONE — The Diamond Elite 15-under baseball team took a quick lead on the Watauga All-Stars and claimed a 12-2 victory in the championship round at the Will Dicus Baseball Memorial Tournament on June 16.

BOONE —Dustin Kerns says the excitement of becoming the new head men’s basketball coach at Appalachian State has not worn off.

NEWELL — Former Avery head football coach Darrell Brewer started getting the desire to go back to the football field two years ago.

BOONE — The High Country Soccer Association will host the first annual High Country Cool Down 5K and 10K road races on Saturday, Aug. 3 in Boone.

BOONE — Watauga’s pitching carried its summer varsity instructional team to a 3-1 victory in a five-inning game.

BOONE — Watauga High School Athletic Director Dustin Kerley announced June 13 that Jennifer Pillow will be the new Pioneer’s head girl’s tennis coach.

Several student-athletes from Watauga, Ashe and Avery high schools were honored June 2 in the Best of Preps ceremony presented by Mountain Times Publications at Watauga High School’s auditorium.

BOONE — Exams have been taken and summer vacation has begun at Watauga High School.

WINSTON-SALEM — The Watauga Warriors (Team Peak) sixth-grade girls travel basketball team concluded its season with a runner-up finish at the Bond Ballers Hoopfest in Winston-Salem, June 8.

BOONE — It’s almost time for the Will Dicus Memorial Baseball Tournament to start. Organizers of the event have looked for volunteers, umpires and baseball teams in anticipation of the tournament, which goes for two days June 15-16 and again June 22-23.

MARION — The McDowell Board of Education has hired former Avery football coach Darrell Brewer to be the McDowell High School new head football coach.

TIGERSVILLE, S.C. — Former Watauga baseball standout Utah Jones was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 29th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft June 6.

BOONE — The Appalachian State soccer programs will have new turf on which to compete against visiting Sun Belt opponents. So will High Country Soccer Association and members of the Watauga Parks and Recreation Department.

BOONE — Jackson Greene’s final season of playing football took an unusual twist.

BOONE — Cailey Haas has been fortunate to be a part of some good sports teams at Watauga High. In fact, it can be said that Haas had made some big contributions to the teams she’s played.

BOONE — Cailey Haas received the Hall of Fame Award and Jackson Greene won the Trail Blazer Award June 4 at Watauga High School.

CULLOWHEE — Darcie Vincent is returning to the Southern Conference, just in a different town than Boone.

BOONE — For the handful of former Appalachian State football players trying to make NFL rosters, current San Francisco 49ers defensive end and former App State defensive lineman Ronald Blair has some advice.

HICKORY — The Watauga girls’ soccer team placed three players on the All-Northwestern Conference team.

MORGANTON — Freedom boys’ basketball coach Casey Rogers resigned his post to become principal at Freedom High School, according to a newspaper report.

BOONE — Both of Watauga’s instructional league teams collected victories over visiting Hickory May 29.

The Boone Golf Club is ready to hit the ol’ six-oh.

BOONE — The Watauga football team ended its 10-day spring practice May 24 with a final workout and free popsicles for its players.

BOONE — Watauga’s instructional league season returns to the diamond May 29 when it hosts Hickory in a doubleheader that involves two five-inning games.

BOONE — Caleb Masland of Boone narrowly edged out Michael Holland of Beech Mountain to win the 2019 Valle Crucis Cub race held on May 25.

HICKORY — The eighth-grade Team Peak Black girls’ basketball team went 5-1 this weekend and won the Gold Bracket of the Great Smokies Shootout. The eighth-grade division fielded 16 teams from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

BOONE — Of all the sports teams in Watauga County, the team that Bert Valery formed four years ago is arguably the most unique.

BOONE — The Watauga football program will host the “Future Pioneer” youth football camp June 13-14 for players in grades 1-8.

BOONE — When Watauga head football coach Ryan Habich started two weeks of spring practice for his Pioneers, he wanted to replace seven starters on defense and to build some depth on offense.

BOONE — The Watauga summer baseball team, playing in an instructional league baseball game, lost 13-3 to McDowell in a single seven-inning game May 23.

When Watauga running back Bryce Satterfield moved to Louisville, Ky., to be with his family — his father Scott Satterfield accepted the head football coach position at the University of Louisville — Watauga head coach Ryan Habich had to find a replacement.

BOONE —Watauga quarterback Anderson Castle has received an offer to play football at Lenoir-Rhyne, according to his Twitter account.

BOONE — The competition in the King of the Mountain soccer tournament is improving, according to tournament director Ben Birdsong.

HICKORY — Watauga’s Emma Brown was named the Northwestern Conference’s Runner of the Year for girls’ track by the league’s coaches.

HICKORY — Watauga placed five players on the All-Northwestern Conference baseball team, which was released May 20.

BOONE — Watauga quarterback Anderson Castle has had a busy 2018-19 school year, especially on the athletic fields.

GREENSBORO — Overall, Watauga track and field coach Randy McDonough was happy with the results of the state 3-A track and field championships held at Belk Stadium on the North Carolina A&T campus May 17.

BOONE — Watauga head football coach Ryan Habich went into spring workouts knowing that he would have to teach a lot to the younger players.

GREENSBORO — The Watauga girls’ soccer team faced a Northern Guilford defense that gave up just seven goals in 20 games this season.

BOONE — Hardin Park’s Carlton Horine won three events, while Trey Thompson and Josh Hamilton each won two events in the Watauga Middle School season-ending track meet held at Jack Groce Stadium on May 15.

BOONE — Parkway’s Faith Watson almost needed a second neck to carry the medals she earned home with her at the Watauga Middle School track meet held May 14 at Jack Groce Stadium.

BOONE — Watauga football coach Ryan Habich has beefed up the Pioneers’ 2019 schedule to include 4-A playoff team Ronald Reagan and 3-A playoff team Gastonia Ashbrook.

Watauga baseball head coach Seth Freeman has plenty on his mind, especially when it comes to getting married.