By David Rogers. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — An undefeated Watauga High School varsity football team remained undefeated on Oct. 17 — but the host Alexander Central Cougars exposed some potential Pioneer vulnerabilities if not addressed as the regular season winds down (two games remain, home vs. McDowell then on the road at St. Stephens) — and the state playoffs loom on the nearby horizon. Watauga won, 42-20, but…
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After being stuffed on offense and then sideswiped on defense in the opening two series, the Pioneers were in unfamiliar territory: they trailed, 7-0. How dare those Cougars! Don’t they know Watauga is supposed to dominate from the opening kickoff?
As College Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend!”
The Cougars came into their Homecoming game vs. Watauga with a lackluster 2-6 overall record, 1-2 in Northwestern Conference play. Their losses have come at the hands of good area programs, like Hickory, Statesville and a 48-44 barnburner of a loss on Sept. 19, to South Iredell. A week ago (Oct. 10), they appeared to be gaining some momentum with a 30-28 win over the NWC’s lone 7A (larger school) member, McDowell.
After his Pioneers had rallied to score 21 unanswered points and gone on to defeat Alexander Central, head coach Ryan Habich told reporters his team needed to ignore what the public was filling their heads with, that they were among the best teams in the state.
“That’s ‘rat poison’,” Habich said. “We have to be a blue collar team every game we play. We have to play for our teammates, our school and our community.
“It’s a win and that’s important. I’d rather play bad and win than play good and lose, but we have work to do,” said Habich.
The Series: Burroughs, Shrugging Off Defenders
Looking at some of the numbers, you would almost think ACHS was masquerading as the Pioneers.
Through his ten-plus years at the helm of Watauga’s football program, Habich’s teams have traditionally been known for their solid rushing attack and controlling possession, mixing in some big play passes. Given a dynamic, all-around skillful quarterback in senior Cade Keller and speedy skill players like Evan Burroughs, Nyle Peays, Everett Gryder, Matthew Leon, Bowen Mayo and Kyle Williams, among others, as well as stalwart play upfront led by Brady Lindenmuth, Crue Stoddard, Kwame Carter and Aidan Plemons, Habich has turned up the heat this year with an even more dynamic aerial attack, “… but we still have to be able to run the football,” he said.
Against Alexander Central, the Pioneers only managed 61 yards rushing on 22 carries. On the other side, the Cougars ran the ball 48 times for 183 yards rushing. In fact, they ran almost twice as many offensive plays, 62, vs. 39 by the Pioneers. And that translated to a time of possession advantage in favor of ACHS, 31:34 vs. 16:26 for Watauga.
So how did the Pioneers win? With quick-strike passes to their playmakers. Keller completed 15 of 17 passes for 229 yards and three TDs. He was only sacked once. Mayo, the senior transfer from Virginia, hauled in five passes for 104 yards and a TD. Burroughs caught five passes, too, for 78 yards and two TDs. Tight end Tyler Leyshon added two catches for 27 yards, his longest a 20-yarder on the team’s first drive of the second half.
Watauga didn’t have any 4th downs to convert and they were successful in converting 4-of-5 third down opportunities. By contrast, Alexander Central converted on only 6-of-15 third downs and only three of seven fourth downs. Those four turnovers on downs may not show up in the game stats as turnovers, but those key stops by the defense returned possession to the Pioneers, often with good field position.
What’s more, even though the Pioneers seemed vulnerable on the perimeter, defensively, they had some big plays — including sophomore linebacker John Wilson Mills’ pass interception and 19-yard return for the game’s only turnover (excluding turnovers on downs). The INT near midfield in the second quarter gave Keller & Co. a short field in which to fashion the go-ahead TD, a lead the Pioneers would never relinquish.
Now 8-0 overall, 3-0 in conference, Watauga will brush off their lunch pails and get back to work, preparing for more challenges from the likes of McDowell (Senior Night, Oct. 24) and St. Stephens (in Hickory, Oct. 31) after what might be termed a “high-value wake-up call” against Alexander Central.
The McDowell Titans are 5-3 overall, 1-2 in league play after losing, 41-16. to St. Stephens on Oct. 17. St. Stephens, currently listed No. 3 in the Northwestern Conference standings behind Watauga and Freedom, has a 21-0 win over Alexander Central on their resume, and are reportedly big and strong in the middle and athletic on the perimeter.
Noteworthy
- St. Stephens is the last Northwestern Conference team to beat Watauga, a 26-21 disappointment in Hickory, on Oct. 13, 2017.
- Watauga quarterback Cade Keller and versatile lineman Brady Lindenmuth have been selected to play in the East-West All-Star game on Dec. 21, with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Grimsley High School in Greensboro.
- Pioneer head coach Ryan Habich was named the offensive coordinator for the West team. Freedom’s J.K. Adkins is serving as the West head coach. Other West assistant coaches include Brian Hinson (West Cabarrus), Sherman Holt (Swain County), Jonathan Oliphant (Lake Norman) and Joe Rigsbee (Grimsley).
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