The Buckin' Elks shut out a rebuilding Davidson program, which graduated its entire starting lineup after last season.
"(Davidson) did not have the horsepower to match the Mountaineers or the Elks, and were dispatched by both teams 5-0," Elkin coach Walter Triplette said.
The showdown between Elkin and Appalachian State proved much fiercer. The Mountaineers swept the first round and held a 3-0 lead. The Buckin' Elks won two of three in round two, but Appalachian held them off for a 5-3 team win.
"We are starting a junior and two sophomores -- a new starting lineup for us," Triplette said. "Our guys are talented but young and were surprised by the level of athleticism and speed shown by Appalachian."
Ralph Turner, who captained the 2005-06 Elkin team, now starts for ASU.
"He had warned his team of the danger in taking the Elks lightly," Triplette said. "The fencing was fierce in the last round, the Elks realizing that they were competitive with a good college club, and the mountaineers realizing that also, but determined not to lose to a high school squad."
Junior Brian Rector and sophomores Steve Deck and Cameron Blackburn comprise Elkin's starting lineup.
The Elks' B team includes Brett Pardue, Breceda Rodriguez, Hannah Rector and Dan Wilson. This group beat Davidson's B team 5-2 and Appalachian State's B team 5-4.
A team of Elkin junior high fencers -- Drew Shinkle, Abby Triplette and Noah Smith -- surprised the B teams from ASU and Davidson, earning several victories.
"The college students were not aware that the junior high fencers had been fencing for several years and discovered too late that skill is not determined by size," Coach Triplette said.
The high school season will open for the Elks on Nov. 10 in Greensboro, with Morehead, East Chapel Hill and Bishop McGuinness among the teams participating.
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