Pisgah, Tuscola athletes named to All-WNC teams

Jul. 4—The All-Western North Carolina (WNC) athletic teams were recently released by The Citizen-Times in Asheville, and Haywood County is well-represented by a roster of fall, winter and spring athletes.

Since baseball and softball end late in the spring semester, the 2021 season selections were released with the 2022.

Baseball

Two county baseball players — Levi Medford from Pisgah and Trent Turner from Tuscola — were selected for the All-WNC First Team for 2021.

Medford currently plays for King University in Bristol, Tennessee, where he appeared in 12 games and made five starts at catcher for the Tornadoes in 2022.

Medford was a four-year varsity player for the Bears who developed into one of the best catchers in Western North Carolina.

He was selected Mountain 6 Conference Player of the Year and lead Pisgah to the conference crown.

Turner, meanwhile, plays for USC Union in Union, South Carolina. In 2022, he played in 29 games, batting .321 with 32 RBIs, 32 runs and four home runs for the Bantams.

At Tuscola, Turner led the Mounties with a .432 batting average, 14 RBIs, 15 runs and three home runs in 2020-21.

Football

For the 2021-22 football season, both Pisgah and Tuscola had a share of the prize, with Pisgah placing four players and Tuscola two on the All-WNC rosters.

Tuscola placed two players on the All-WNC First Team, both seniors: lineman Jacob Broom and kick/punt returner Darien Lunsford.

Broom is a two-time all-conference player who signed with Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia. He earned a varsity spot as a sophomore and never looked back.

As a senior, Broom was voted a captain by his teammates and played a vital role on Tuscola's offensive and defensive lines.

He earned second-team all-state honors as an offensive lineman from Friday Nights in Carolina.

Lunsford was a standout cornerback, return man and wide receiver for Tuscola, and signed to play at Emory and Henry, too.

Lunsford was named the Special Teams Player of the Year for the Mountain 7 Conference in 2021 after combining for 407 yards and two touchdowns on 15 punt and kick returns.

He also made an impact as a wide receiver, catching 28 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns. At cornerback, he ranks second all-time in career interceptions with 10, and earned first team all-state honors from Friday Nights in Carolina for his 2021 senior season.

He picked off three passes and totaled 102 return yards, including one return for a touchdown on the year.

Lunsford missed the Tuscola career interceptions record by three, a record held by head coach Chris Brookshire himself. But Lunsford did miss a game in his senior year due to injury and his junior season was shortened due to COVID.

Broom and Lunsford plan to room together as both enter their careers as Wasps in the fall.

Pisgah's two players on the All-WNC Second Team are both seniors: running back Ian Rogers and linebacker Bailey Stockton.

Rogers was the team's featured running back, earning all-conference honors and leading the Bears to a conference title in his senior season. He signed with Louisburg College in Louisburg.

Stockton, meanwhile, finished last season winning his second Conference Defensive Player of the Year award and picking up all-conference honors.

Pisgah also had two players on the All-WNC Third Team: junior wide receiver Caden Robinson and senior defensive lineman Reece Moore.

Softball

The lone 2022 selection in softball is Tuscola's junior outfielder Ava Kirkpatrick, who was named to the All-WNC First Team after a stellar season behind the plate.

Kirkpatrick led the team with a .516 average, hitting 23 RBIs, 19 runs and one home run, including a walk-off single against crosstown rival Pisgah.

Tuscola senior Delany Buchanan was chosen as an All-WNC First Teamer for 2021, her junior season.

That season, Buchanan led the team at the plate with a .529 average with 26 RBIs, 15 runs and five home runs.

She suffered an ACL injury before the start of the 2022 season, hampering her senior outing. She battled back, however, and managed to become a solid contributor by season's end as the Lady Mountaineers reached the playoffs.

Basketball

Haywood County's sole representative from the basketball court was Tuscola senior Jared Penland, who earned an All-WNC Honorable Mention for his play in 2021-22.

Penland averaged 14.2 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game and 1.1 steals per game.

Cross Country

Tuscola junior Eva Rinker was named All-WNC First Team for cross country. Rinker finished top 20 in the state individually and anchored the front of the pack for the girls' team that finished fourth in the state after finishing fourth at regionals and runner-up at the conference meet.

Rinker was an All-Region selection, second in conference and 19th at states.

Soccer

Tuscola freshman Kate Clark made the All-WNC Second Team after bursting onto the scene for the Mounties.

Clark co-led the team with 13 goals and led the team with 22 assists, helping lead a young Mounties team to the state playoffs.