by Lloyd Combs
Sports Reporter 
  It was a good win for Honaker.
  Win or lose, it wasn’t such a good day for Haysi.
  Kevin Lester’s bases-loaded double in the sixth lifted Honaker to a 6-4 win over arch-rival Haysi Friday night and into sole possession of first place in the Black Diamond District.
  Haysi lost one of its favorite sons, popular teacher and basketball coach David Sutherland, less than 24 hours before Friday evening’s contest at Flanagan Dam.
  Sutherland, who battled cancer for several years, died Thursday night in a Pikeville, Ky. Hospital after a bout with pneumonia.
  Behind one of Sutherland’s former players, pitcher Lance Compton,  Haysi took an early lead. Compton singled home Haysi’s first two runs in the first inning and made it stand up on the mound until Honaker scored four runs in a two-out rally in the sixth.
  “It was a tough day,” Haysi coach Dewayne Stanley said. “We didn’t dwell on (that). There (was) plenty of time for that. But Dave would have been proud of the way (our kids) played tonight.”
  Honaker got one critical hit, one key defensive play and clutch relief work from Adam Honaker, who threw three shutout innings to get the win after robbing Justin Stanley of an RBI hit in the fourth.
  “(Adam Honaker’s catch) was a momentum-changer,” Honaker coach Tom Harding said. “That was a huge play.
  Kevin Lester’s hit was big. Lance made a good pitch.
  Kevin just went with it and hit it to right field.
  “Adam has struggled somewhat this year, but he did a heck of a job the last three innings.”

  Willie Burks delivered the game-winning hit to cap a wild comeback effort by Hurley as the Rebels rallied for an 8-7 Black Diamond District win over visiting Twin Valley Friday afternoon.
  Burks belted a two-run double to cap an amazing five-run rally as Hurley (5-3, 2-2) overcame a 7-2 deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning.
  Gary Blankenship was 4-for-4, with a home run, a double and two singles among Hurley‘s 11 hits.
  Blankenship contributed a solo home run to the seventh-inning outburst. Nathan Jackson hit a solo homer for the Rebels in the fourth.
  Freshman Justin Vandyke survived a seven-run rally by Twin Valley in the third and allowed just six hits overall to earn his fourth win in five decisions.
  Vandyke shut out the Panthers over the final four innings.
  Ethan Prater’s two-run double keyed the seven-run third inning for Twin Valley (3-8, 0-3), which scored all its runs in the frame.
  Hurley hosts Haysi in BDD  play Friday afternoon.
  Twin Valley travels to Council for a BDD contest Tuesday.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  For more information on how to subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.  

  Hurley’s Nathan Justus, along with Danny Wilson and Ermlas Mekonnen of Mountain Mission were the top individual winners among the boys, while the Lady Challengers’ Yonas Haile and Rebecca Salmeron were multiple winners among the girls.
  But it was depth that led the Haysi boys and Twin Valley girls to the team honors at an open track and field meet Wednesday at Twin Valey Middle School.
  Caleb Powers (discus, second in the shot put) and Allen Owens (triple jump, second in the 300 meter hurdles) led Haysi, which easily won the boys meet, 160-89 over the second-place Challengers.
  Nikki Honaker won both hurdles and Julie Ratliff won the high jump for Twin Valley. Kaitlin Wimmer placed in the top four in four events for the Lady Panthers, including second-place finishes in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes.
  The Lady Panthers edged Mountain Mission by just 12 points, 129-117.
  Salmeron won both the 400 and the long jump. Haile won the 1600 and 3200 meter runs. Teammate Zakia Lghzaoui won the triple jump and placed in five events overall.
  Elizabeth Tamene of Mountain Mission won the 800 meter run.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  For more information on how to subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.