Enka High School

Enka High School
Location
475 Enka Lake Road

Candler, North Carolina
28715

United States

35°33′08″N 82°39′51″W / 35.552118°N 82.664246°W / 35.552118; -82.664246
Information
TypePublic
Established1955 (71 years ago) (1955)
School district
Buncombe County Schools
Staff63.90 (FTE)
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,037 (2023–2024)
Student to teacher ratio
16.23
ColorsNavy and White
  
Team nameJets
Websiteehs.buncombeschools.org

Enka High School is a public high school in Candler, North Carolina. It is a part of the Buncombe County Schools district.

History

Enka High School was established in 1955. The school is named after the Enka community in Buncombe County, which takes its name from the Dutch pronunciation of the letters N and K, the initials of the parent company of the American Enka Company.

Band

Enka's marching band, the Marching Jets, has had four directors since the program began in 1955. The school hosts the annual Land of the Sky Marching Band Festival, first held in 1975 with four competing bands. By its 50th edition in 2024, the festival had grown to 30 competing bands, and the 2023 festival drew more than 5,000 spectators. The 2024 festival was postponed from September 28 to November 2 because of Hurricane Helene.

Athletics

Enka is a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA). The school colors are navy and white, and its team name is the Jets. Listed below are the different sport teams at Enka:

Softball

The softball team, known as the Sugar Jets, won three NCHSAA 3A state championships in 1996, 2015, and 2016. The 2015 team finished 28–0, was named MaxPreps Medium Schools Team of the Year, and ranked 22nd in the final MaxPreps national rankings. Jennifer Kruk, a 1996 Enka graduate, coached the team for 17 seasons and was named North Carolina Coach of the Year in 2016.

Wrestling

Under coach Mark Harris, the wrestling team won its first state championship in 2016, by winning the NCHSAA 3A individual state championship. The wrestling team also had a run of 14 consecutive conference championships. In 2020, the team won the NCHSAA 3A individual state championship and finished second in the 3A dual team state championship. In 2026, Enka wrestling won the NCHSAA 5A men's individual state championship.

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Enka High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  2. ↑ Enka High School in Candler, NC. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  3. ↑ Doty, Kelly. (September 25, 2024). Enka High celebrates 50 years of the Land of the Sky Marching Band Festival. WLOS. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  4. ↑ Cutshall, Katherine Calhoun. (June 8, 2019). Welkom Bij Het Dorp Enka!. Buncombe County Special Collections. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  5. ↑ Doty, Kelly. (September 25, 2024). Enka High celebrates 50 years of the Land of the Sky Marching Band Festival. WLOS. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  6. ↑ Enka (NC) High School Sports. MaxPreps.com. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  7. ↑ Enka, South Granville Complete Softball Championship Sweeps. North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  8. ↑ 3A Softball Championship Recap: Enka completes sweep of C.B. Aycock with a 5-3 win on walk-off homer by Harris. North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  9. ↑ MaxPreps Recognizes North Carolina Softball Teams. North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  10. ↑ Gerike, Evan. (May 7, 2024). How Enka softball earned NCHSAA playoff win in coach Jennifer Kruk's potential last home game. Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  11. ↑ Beyond the Scoreboard: Wrestling has strong grip in WNC. WLOS. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  12. ↑ Enka wrestling prepare for another run at state title. WLOS. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  13. ↑ 2026 Men's Individual Wrestling State Championship. NCHSAA. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  14. ↑ BRITT, Charles Robin. bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Evan Golden | Actor, Director, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  16. ↑ Kelly Grieve - 2011 Softball Roster. University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  17. ↑ Larry McCall MLB. thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  18. ↑ Eddie McGill Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  19. ↑ Taranto, Steven. (August 18, 2021). Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano to switch spotters starting at Michigan, per report. CBS Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  20. ↑ Womack, Chris. (February 10, 2020). WNC natives have birds-eye view of NASCAR's biggest moments. WLOS. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  21. ↑ Robert Pressley: A man of many hats. Biltmore Beacon Tribune. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  22. ↑ Jerry Reed MLB. thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  23. ↑ Kearns Davis Jr., William. (September 28, 1994). Interview with Judge David Sentelle September 28, 1994. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved June 1, 2025.