CONGRATULATIONS STATE CUP CHAMPIONS!
94 HFC Red & 96 HFC Red
*****Press Release*****Asheville Buncombe Youth Soccer Association
Contact: Mike Rottjakob, Executive Director
miker@abysa.org
For Immediate Release:
The Asheville Buncombe Youth Soccer Association’s Highland Football Club (HFC) won two state championships at the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association State Cup Finals at Bryan Park in Greensboro today. The Boys HFC 94 Red defeated Piedmont Triad FC 4-3 on a last minute goal in overtime to secure the U18 division championship and the Boys HFC 96 Red defeated Piedmont Triad’s U16’s 1-0 in regulation to bring home the second tittle. The U17 Boys HFC 95 Red lost 5-4 in penalty kicks after 90 minutes of regular time and 30 minutes of overtime scoreless play with Triangle United Soccer Association in yesterday’s semi-final match, conceding only one goal in four games.
This year’s State Cup tournament represents the first time HFC has placed two teams in the finals and are only the second and third state championships in the clubs thirty-year history. The Boys 94 HFC Red team won HFC’s first and only prior state championship in 2011 in their U16 year and went on to the Southern Regional semi-finals. Both teams will represent North Carolina in this year’s Southern Regionals in Oklahoma City.
HFC Boy’s Director of Coaching, Trei Morrison, said “We are very proud of all three teams and the hard work the players have put in to achieve these results. Not only does it speak to all of the work these kids and their coaches have put in this year, but it also validates our player development model and our focus on skill and playing the right way starting with the boys and girls in our U9 and U10 Academy Program. We are really seeing results from taking a long term and player centered approach.”
CONGRATULATIONS SCHELL ALEXANDER!
On Thursday, September 20, 2012, our own Schell Alexander was honored at the YWCA’s Tribute to Women of Influence Awards event. The event honors women who have made significant contributions in their fields, and recognizes those organizations that support such achievements. The TWIN Award is a nationally recognized honor promoted by YWCAs across the country. Schell was honored in the category of Empowerment for her efforts at growing and maintaining ABYSA, the second largest soccer organization in the state, and empowering children in our community with easy access to the game of soccer and a healthier lifestyle. During her tenure at ABYSA, Schell has created the organizational, bookkeeping and employment structure that supports the registration and games of over 5,000 soccer players each year. She is responsible for the Soccer Angels program, which allows donors to sponsor players that would otherwise not be able to participate in the game of soccer.
National Director, Amanda Patterson of Arkansas, is proud to announce the winner of the Miss JR High School America pageant. Avery Grace Blanchard, a 7th grade student at Enka Middle School has received this honor. Avery won her state title, Miss NC JR High pageant in May 2011 and was named the national winner on March 25, 2012. Avery will represent Junior High school girls for this year. The competition included three parts, personal interview, fun fashion and evening gown.
Avery is the 13 year old daughter of Rhett and Candace Blanchard. She is an “A” honor roll student and member of the girl’s soccer team at Enka Middle. Avery also plays club soccer for the Asheville club, Highland Futbol club. In Avery’s free time, she loves to cook and spend time with her friends. She looks forward to using her crown to help her community. Avery is one part of the team. She will work closely with the Miss High School American and Miss Collegiate America queens to partner with various causes through the year.
Any young ladies interested in the pageant which rewards thousands of dollars in scholarships to the national queens, can contact the national director at: http://www.americashighschoolpageant.com/ or for NC, Gayle Mace at http://www.missnorthcarolinahighschool.webs.com/
CONGRATULATIONS ’94 HFC RED
2011 NCYSA State Cup CHAMPIONS & Region III Semi Finalist
1st HFC team to win a State Cup Title.
Bottom left to right: Daniel Lingerfelt, Kyle Hall, Daniel Adelman, Ross Marnock, Will Ryman
Center left to right: Chris Pendleton, Mackenzie Tittle, Conner Hartman, Matt Brouwer, Diego Souza, Stephen Bridges
Back left to right: Nate Torbett, Chandler Johnson, Cy Gourlay, Zach Joens, Hunter Foreman, and Head Coach Jason ReMine
From Asheville Citizen Times:
History-making run for HFC team
Written by: Andrew Pearson
11:01 PM, Jun. 23, 2011
WEAVERVILLE — Nate Torbett will soon relocate to a new high school in a new city.
And that’s not even the full extent of this summer’s life-altering experiences for the former North Buncombe soccer star.
Torbett and the rest of the Highland Football Club’s 94 Red boys team wrapped up a historic run earlier this week in the semifinals of the U.S. Youth Soccer SouthernRegional Championships in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The 16 and under team out of Asheville was the first from the HFC to ever capture a N.C. Youth Soccer Association State Cup championship, which then qualified it for the regional tourney.
The 94 Red boys lost 1-0 to the Gulf Coast Dynamo (Miss.) on Tuesday and it could be Torbett’s last local game. The rising senior is moving to Rock Hill, S.C., where his mother, Julie, has become the new volleyball coach at Winthrop after a 17-year stint at UNC Asheville.
“We all knew that this was something we could do, but it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” said Torbett, who played defender. “It was such an amazing experience and amazing that we got as far as we did.”
In addition to Torbett, other Western North Carolina boys on the HFC team’s roster included Zach Joens and Daniel Lingerfelt (Asheville High), Cy Gourlay and Ross Marnock (Carolina Day), Mackenzie Tittle (East Henderson), Kyle Hall (Hendersonville), Matt Brouwer and Hunter Foreman (Owen), Will Ryman (Reynolds) and Diego Souza (Roberson).
The proud coach was Jason ReMine. “Personally, this meant a lot to me as someone who once played (for the HFC),” ReMine said. “Everyone on this team put in a lot of hard work to make this happen, both this year and when they were younger.”
The 94 Red advanced to Tuesday’s regional semifinals after a 3-1 win over the Concorde Fire (Ga.) on Monday. Hall and Joens both scored goals in the quarterfinal game, while the third was netted by Newton-Conover’s Chandler Johnson.
Lingerfelt is the younger brother of former Citizen-Times All-WNC Player of the Year Kenneth Lingerfelt and a rising junior at Asheville High. Daniel Lingerfelt played midfielder for the 94 Red boys. “I’m glad that we got to represent Asheville soccer this way,” he said. “It was an exciting and great experience. We not only brought some recognition to local soccer but got to be seen by a lot of college coaches. It was just a fun thing to be a part of.”
