Category: High School

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — An opportunistic Ragsdale men’s soccer team took advantage of almost every Watauga mistake on Nov. 13 at Jack Groce Stadium, edging the Pioneers, 3-2, and eliminating the High Country’s favorite sons from the state playoffs in Round 2.

That is hardly the end of the story, though. Watauga has a championship pedigree, always contending for a Northwestern Conference title and looking to go deep into the 4A state playoffs. But after losing 13 seniors to graduation a year ago, 2024 was supposed to be a rebuilding year — NOT!

Somebody forgot to tell this year’s roster of five seniors, 10 juniors, and seven sophomores that expectations were low. They promptly went out and recorded an undefeated Northwestern Conference championship season (10-0), going 19-4-2 overall and advancing into the state playoffs’ second round.

Against Ragsdale, Watauga controlled possession for a good portion of the first half but the Tigers fashioned a counterattack after roughly 10 minutes of play that ended with senior midfielder Ethan Lam headiing a ball into the net from a corner kick for the game’s first score.

The Pioneers answered some five minutes later on a long crossing kick from the right side to the middle by midfield David Ganley, to open space just outside 10 yards from the goal face to an awaiting Ben Myers. The well-placed pass from Ganley served to pull the Tigers’ goalkeeper, Jairo Ledezma out, but the senior arrived just a bit too late as Myers’ shot at goal zipped past him and into the net.

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GOOOAAAALLLLL!!! The Ben Myers sequence

 

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Knotting the score at 1-1 proved only temporary, however, as Ragsdale sophomore striker Owen Justice crafted two more goals for the visitors, giving the Tigers a 3-1 lead going into intermission.

The second half was a defensive battle royale, with both teams’ goalkeepers playing central roles in turning back challenging shots for saves. To their credit, Ragsdale looked to protect that 2-goal lead and dropped players into more defensive positions, making Watauga’s mission that much more difficult.

With under 10 minutes to go in the game, however, Quincy Honeycutt proved up to the challenge, leaving Ledezma sprawled out on the right side as he maneuvered past him to tap the ball into the open goal.

Honeycutt’s goal gave the Pioneers inspiration and momentum but they were unable to send the game into overtime with another goal (or win it with two quick goals).

Perhaps more than any other opponent Watauga has played at least in recent games, the Tigers were able to close space more quickly in defense and disrupt Watauga’s one- and two-touch passing for possession and advancement.

After a two-hour bus ride from Jamestown, N.C. (on the eastern outskirts of High Point), Ragsdale was ready to stretch their legs and play.

“We got here in plenty of time,” Ragsdale head coach Brien Braswell said, speaking to his team’s game day preparation. “We scored first but they scored right away, too. We knew this was going to be a good ball game. We knew we had to score goals. We didn’t score as many as we could have because they didn’t make it easy. Watauga is a good team, very fast. They are a class act. We were able to keep them out of the net just long enough.”

For his part, Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt had nothing but praise for his players and what they both endured and accomplished this season, especially post-storm in the condensed conference schedule.

“I am proud of the guys. They fought hard and never quit. I knew they would do their best to battle back,” said the veteran Pioneer coach. We just made a few early defensive mistakes, getting caught high, allowing Ragsdale to get behind and flick the ball on, into space. That cost us.”

Honeycutt added how important it is for his team not to lose focus on the Pioneers’ preferred style of play, keeping the ball on the ground with short, possession-centric passes and working the ball down the field.

“I thought we were the better team, that early in the game we had better possession and in moving the ball but once we allowed their game to dictate our game… It became ‘boom ball’, they started winning. If we keep the ball on the ground and possess, they are just going to chase us and we win the ball game. But we lost control when we started playing their style. It hurt us. They caught us with the counterattack three times and that was the difference in the game.

“Ragsdale is a good team, very fast, which allowed them to take advantage of those counterattacks. If we play a full first half (with our style), I think we win the ball game,” added Honeycutt. “This is the playoffs. In both the first and second rounds we faced teams that may have finished No. 2 or No. 3 in their conference for the regular season, but they are from strong conferences and are really high quality opponents. That was the case for Palisades as well as for Ragsdale. When we get to the playoffs, the seedings don’t mean anything other than we want to be as highly seeded as possible to have home games. We have to play our very best to win in the playoffs, no matter what the opponent’s seeding number is on the bracket.”

Watauga’s five seniors this year includes Curtis Sevensky, Thomas Moss, Orin Ellis, Bennett Munson and Alex Aguilar. That quintet of athletes will be missed, but with 10 juniors and seven sophomores returning from the 2024 roster, but some talented, up and coming freshmen, Watauga is poised for a strong showing in 2025.

BONUS PHOTOS

 

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With an undefeated regular season (10-0), Watauga High School drew the No. 5 seed in the NCHSAA 4A West bracket it was announced on Nov. 10 and will play No. 29 seeded Ragsdale HS (4-6 overall, 2-5 in Metro 4A Conference).

On the surface, comparing an undefeated regular season vs. a 4-6 overall record might be considered the proverbial “feeding lambs to the lions” — but when it comes to the North Carolina state playoffs nothing is certain.

Ragsdale is based in Guilford County and part of the Greensboro/High Point metropolitan area. The Tigers finished the regular season No. 6 in the powerful Metro 4A Conference, with seven conference members receiving 4A West entries into Round 1. Ragsdale is that sixth team, behind No. 1-seeded Grimsley (10-0, 7-0), No. 10 Northern Guilford (9-1, 6-1), No. 11 Northwest Guilford (8-2, 5-2), No. 17 Southeast Guilford (6-4, 4-3) and No. 24 Page (3-7, 3-4), but ahead of No. 32 Western Guilford (4-6, 1-6). In short, even though they are sixth out of eight teams in the Metro 4A, Ragsdale’s admission to the 4A West bracket speaks to its strength of schedule and how very strong the Metro 4A league is.

This explains why every year there seems to be a major upset of higher seeded teams by lower seeded entries. In the 2023 4A West bracket, Round 1 upsets included No. 24 Charlotte Catholic over No. 9 Myers Park, 42-24; No. 19 Mount Tabor def. No. 14 Davie County, 48-26; No.23 Independence over No. 10 Lake Norman, 35-0; and No. 18 Mallard Creek vs. No. 15 Marvin Ridge, 41-7.

What to look for in Ragsdale

The Tigers feature a strong rushing attack and averaged more than 200 yards per game in that department, scoring 15 TDs running the football. At the same time, Ragsdale completed 109 out of 234 pass attempts for 1,148 yards through the air, including nine TDs vs. eight INTs.

Ragsdale’s offense appears to revolve around senior running back Fabian Diggs, who accounted for 1,518 of the Tigers 2,658 total yards during the regular season. In his last game, Nov. 1, in a 45-42 win over Western Guilford, Diggs carried the ball 26 times for 227 yards and a TD. One game earlier, against Southwest Guilford, the senior RB carried 22 times for 178 yards and three TDs.

Although Diggs may be the feature back for the Tigers, they also have core competency in junior QB Braylon Louis. Including seven passing TDs during the regular season, Louis completed 86 of 168 passes (51.2%) for 999 yards. His chief receiving threat is athletic sophomore Anthoney Washington, Jr., who also plays cornerback and safety on defense. Washington averaged a little more than 10 yards per reception during the regular season, catching 30 passes for 304 total receiving yards. His longest was a 51-yarder on Aug. 30, in a 21-20 win over Glenn HS.

The 3A/4A Northwestern Conference of which Watauga is a member and yet again the conference champion only has one other 4A school invited to the 4A West playoffs, the No. 27 seeded Alexander Central. The Cougars will take on No. 6 Mooresville in Round 1.

If Watauga gets by Ragsdale, the Pioneers will host the winner of No. 13 Mallard Creek and No. 20 Lake Norman.

FULL 4A WEST PAIRING FOR ROUND 1

• No. Grimsley vs. No. 32 Western Guilford
• No. 16 Reagan vs. No. 17 Southeast Guilford
• No. 8 Charlotte Catholic vs. No. 25 Porter Ridge
• No. 9 Palisades vs. No. 24 Page
• No. 5 Hough vs. No. 28 South Iredell
• No. 12 Mount Tabor vs. No. 21 Independence
• No. 13 Mallard Creek vs. No. 20 Lake Norman
• No. 4 Watauga vs. No. 29 Ragsdale
• No. 3 East Forsyth vs. No. 30 Butler
• No. 14 West Forsyth vs. No. 19 Cuthbertson
• No. 6 Mooresville vs. No. 27 Alexander Central
• No. 11 Northwest Guilford vs. No. 22 Olympic
• No. 7 Asheville vs. No. 26 Marvin Ridge
• No. 10 Northern Guilford vs. No. 23 West Cabarrus
• No. 15 Sun Valley vs. No. 18 TC Roberson
• No. 2 Weddington vs. No. 31 AL Brown

OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST

• 3A West – No. 9 Freedom vs. No. 24 West Rowan
• 3A West – No. 12 AC Reynolds vs. No. 21 Central Davidson
• 3A West – No. 3 Hickory vs. No. 30 Tuscola
• 2A West – No. 15 Lincolnton vs. No. 18 Maiden
• 1A West – No. 8 South Stanly vs. No. 25 Avery County
• 1A West – No. 12 Mitchell vs. No. 21 Draughn
• 1A West – No. 2 Mountain Heritage vs. No. 31 North Stokes

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — In and amongst a great defensive battle between two really good high school soccer teams, No. 4-seeded Watauga managed to scrape together a goal in the second half to break a scoreless deadlock on Nov. 9, then hung on to defeat No. 29-seeded Palisades (Charlotte) and advance in the NCHSAA 4A West bracket, to Round 2.

On a well-placed corner kick by wing Quincy Honeycutt that was flicked on by striker Asher Hampton, fellow striker Curtis Sevensky powered a shot by the Pumas’ goalkeeper and put the home team in front at Jack Groce Stadium.

“We played excellent defensively and Jude Jackson, our goalkeeper, made a couple of really amazing saves,” said Pioneer head coach Josh Honeycutt after the game. “This was a battle between two really good teams and we had to dig deep to grind out this win. It was truly a team effort and I am really proud of these boys for their heart, tenacity and resilience.”

The first half started out with Watauga dominating possession, at least in the early going, but Palisades battled back and created their own attack opportunities. Only brilliant defensive play on both ends of the field saved the matchup from being a high-scoring affair. Both teams got good looks and good shots. They were just turned away.

4A WEST BRACKET SCORES, ROUND 1

• No. 1 West Forsyth def. No. 32 South Caldwell, 9-0
• No. 17 Charlotte Catholic def. No. 16 East Forsyth, 3-0
• No. 8 Asheville def. No. 25 RJ Reynolds, 3-1
• No. 24 Hough def. No. 9 Hopewell, 2-1
• No. 5 Northwest Guilford def. No. 28 Glenn, 7-0
• No. 21 South Mecklenburg def. No. 12 Ardrey Kell, 2-0
• No. 13 Ragsdale def. No. 20 Mount Tabor, 2-1
• No. 4 Watauga def. No. 29 Palisades, 1-0
• No. 30 AL Brown def. No. 3 Lake Norman, 3-2
• No. 14 Grimsley def. No. 19 Porter Ridge, 1-1 (penalty kicks)
• No. 6 Marvin Ridge def. No. 27 Parkland, 6-0
• No. 11 Cox Mill def. No. 22 Providence, 0-0 (penalty kicks)
• No. 7 Garinger def. No. 26 Alexander Central, 3-1
• No. 23 Mooresville def. No. 10 Reagan, 4-2
• No. 15 Hickory Ridge def. No. 18 Weddington, 3-0
• No. 2 Myers Park def. No. 31 West Cabarrus, 7-1

OTHER SCORES OF INTEREST

• 3A West – No. 4 Hibriten def. No. 29 Carson, 3-0
• 3A West – No. 11 Hickory def. No. 22 West Henderson, 2-1
• 3A West – No. 3 South Point vs. No. 30 Ashe County, not yet reported
• 1A West – No. 3 Avery County def. No. 30 Draughn, 3-1

By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — It has been 41 games since Watauga’s Pioneers lost a 3A/4A Northwestern Conference football contest and the capper may well have been the team’s 63-19 thumping of longtime 4A rival South Caldwell on Nov. 8, at Spartan Field.

A 51-11 halftime score set up a running clock as soon as the High Country visitors scored early in the third quarter. It was almost as an inevitable afterthought.

Senior quarterback Maddox Greene secured another milestone: for the second consecutive year he has more than 1,000 yards rushing the football and 1,000 yards passing the football.

Coming into the game, Greene needed just over 50 yards to complete the 1,000 yard passing standard and he got it, and then some, completing 7-of-12 passes for 142 yards through the air, including three TDs against one interception. He already had the 1,000 season rushing standard, but added on in a big way against South Caldwell in carrying the ball 16 times for 170 yards and a TD.

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An Evan Burroughs Sequence

 

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As the score might indicate, Greene wasn’t alone in big play creativity. Evan “Swiss Army Knife” Burroughs caught six passes (out of six targets) for 99 yards and a hat trick (3) of TDs. He carried the ball five times for 50 yards. And he was in the middle of making lemonade out of some razzle-dazzle lemons — in which he hurled what became a 36-yard TD pass to Greene.

Hollywood could hardly have scripted Burroughs’ “making lemonade” play any better. Greene rolled right, handed the ball off to Everett Gryder sweeping back left on a reverse, who then flipped the ball to Burroughs in the center of the backfield, coming back right on a double reverse. But Burroughs errantly dropped the ball, it bounding to the turf and starting to hop forward with Spartan defenders littering the backfield, wondering where the ball would go next. The athletic junior, though, calmly reached down and picked up the ball and off one foot jumped in the air and delivered the intended pass downfield. Although not the “prettiest” pass in gridiron history, Greene was waiting for it. The senior leaped up, brought it down, and somehow carved a path through and around four would-be tacklers, sprinting to the end zone.

Pioneer head coach Ryan Habich acknowledged after the game how special Burroughs’ abilities are.

“There are very few athletes that could recover from the dropped ball, then jumped in the air to make that pass,” said Habich, smiling in saying that the fumbled ball was not part of the play design.

South Caldwell’s biggest moment came on the Spartans’ first offensive drive. After Watauga’s quick strike score on the game’s opening drive (4 plays, 64 yards, in just 53 seconds) featuring a 43-yard ramble by Greene before a 1-yard plunge into the end zone by Gryder, the Spartans looked to answer. On the first play, junior QB Corbin Mcghinnis found receiver J P Smith along the right sideline, the pass-catch-run covering 60 yards to the Watauga 5-yard line. Two plays later, on punches up the middle by running back Landon Borders, and South Caldwell was in the end zone. South Caldwell elected to go for a 2-point conversion and were successful on a run left by Bryson Genwright, leaving the early score 8-7, in favor of the Spartans.

But that was the only lead of the game for the Hudson hosts celebrating Senior Night. After Pioneer running back Matthew Leon capped off an 8-play, 65 yard scoring drive with a 1-yard dive into the end zone with still a little over 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter, Wilson’s PAT kick was successful this time, giving Watauga a 13-8 lead from which they would never look back.

The rest of the opening quarter was a battle with South Caldwell using nearly five minutes of clock on the next possession but being forced to punt after a couple offsides penalties turned the drive into a three steps forward, two steps back affair. The Spartans seemed to make the best of it with a punt downed at the Watauga 2-yard line, but Greene & Co. were undaunted by the awkward field position.

In fact, Watauga poured it on in the second period, playing inspired football on both sides of the ball. Taking advantage of Spartan turnovers and their own near-flawless execution with the ball in hand, the Pioneers scored 36 more points in the second period, taking the lead at halftime to 49-11. They did it with Greene rushes, Greene passes to Burroughs, Burroughs’ pass to Greene and rushes by Leon and Gryder. Backup QB and placekick holder Cade Keller even got in the act with a surprise 2-point conversion try.

By the second half, Watauga had the luxury of trying different things, just to give the players more experience in certain situations.

“We wanted Maddox to pass, not run in the second half because we know that in the playoffs we are going to rely more on passing,” said Habich later, in part explaining why Greene was even still on the field.

Among the good news for the rout: a lot of athletes saw playing time.

“Everyone on the roster played,” Habich said later, smiling about the position depth he was able to develop with player experience, resting his starting playmakers some — and getting his reserves a chance to prove themselves and having fun.

Watauga finishes the regular season, 10-0, an undefeated regular season they also achieved in 2023 and 2018 before falling deep in the playoffs.

Pairings for the first round are anticipated to be announced on Sunday, Nov. 10. As the top 4A team in the Northwestern Conference, Watauga is likely to receive a high seed and facing a lower seeded opponent but Habich has no illusions about the task ahead. He noted that not only 11 of the top 25 teams in North Carolina coming from the 4A West bracket, but the lower seeded teams coming out of highly competitive metro area conferences, especially from Charlotte, are really good programs who just happened to fall to the very best.

SCORING SUMMARY

• Q1 – WAT – Everett Gryder 1 yard rush for TD; PAT by Jack Wilson kick: 7-0
• Q1 – SC – Landon Brothers 3-yard rush for TD; PAT rush by Bryson Genwright: 7-8
• Q1 – WAT – Matthew Leon 1-yard run for TD; PAT kick failed: 13-8
• Q2 – WAT – Maddox Greene 5-yard run for TD; Greene run for PAT: 21-8
• Q2 – WAT – Evan Burroughs 40-yard pass from Maddox Greene for TD; PAT run by Cade Keller: 29-8
• Q2 – WAT – Maddox Greene 36-yard pass from Evan Burroughs for TD; PAT kick failed: 35-8
• Q2 – WAT – Evan Burroughs 23-yard pass from Maddox Greene for TD: PAT by Jack Wilson: 42-8
• Q2 – WAT – Everett Gryder 1-yard rush for TD; PAT kick by Jack Wilson: 49-8
• Q2 – SC – 42 yard field goal by Armando Gomez; 49-11
• Q3 – WAT – Evan Burroughs 9-yard pass from Maddox Greene for TD; PAT kick by Jack Wilson: 56-11
• Q4 – SC – Kaleb Flores 1-yard rush for TD; PAT run by Corbin Mcghinnis: 56-19
• Q4 – WAT – Cade Keller 8-yard rush for TD; PAT kick by Jack Wilson: 63-19

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Total Yards: WAT 536, SC 256
• Yards Rushing: WAT 40 carries, 346 yards, 5 TDs; SC 21 carries, 77 yards, 2 TDs
• Yards Passing: WAT 9-of-14, 190 yards, 4 TDs; SC 13-of-26, 179 yards
• Penalties: WAT 2-15, SC 8-64
• Turnovers: WAT 1, SC 2
• 3rd Down Conversions: WAT 7-8 (88%), SC 4-9 (44%)
• 4th Down Conversions: WAT 1-1 (100%), SC 0-0
• Time of Possession: WAT 15:18, SC 19:10

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• • SC – Corbin Mcghinnis, 13-26, 179 yards, 1 INT
  • WAT – Maddox Greene, 7-12, 142 yards, 1 INT, 3 TDs
  • WAT – Evan Burroughs, 1-1, 36 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Cade Keller, 1-1, 12 yards

Rushing

• • WAT – Maddox Greene 16 carries, 170 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Matthew Leon 9 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Evan Burroughs 5 carries, 50 yards
  • WAT – Everett Gryder 7 carries, 30 yards, 2 TDs
  • SC – Khian Oates 5 carries, 24 yards
  • WAT – Cade Keller 2 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD
  • SC – Corbin Mcghinnis 3 carries, 19 yards
  • WAT – Nyle Peays 1 carry, 18 yards
  • SC – Kaleb Flores 3 carries, 15 yards, 1 TD
  • SC – Kaden Loritts 3 carries, 12 yards
  • SC – Landon Borders 6 carries, 7 yards, 1 TD

 

 

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — At least one home game awaits Watauga men’s soccer in the NCHSAA 4A West playoffs, it was revealed with the brackets released on Nov. 7. The Pioneers will host Palisades (Charlotte), with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. in Jack Groce Stadium.

As the No. 4 seed, the Pioneers have a dangerous first round pairing vs. the No. 29-seed Pumas, which completed the regular season 12-8 overall, 6-6 and No. 4 in the highly competitive South Meck 4A Conference.

In addition to Palisades, other South Meck 4A members in the 4A West bracket include No. 2-seeded Myers Park (16-0-2 overall, 11-0-1 in conference), No. 12 seed Ardrey Kell (16-2-5, 9-1-2), and No. 21 South Mecklenburg (14-6-4, 7-4-1).

As the No. 2 seed, Myers Park is in the lower half of the bracket and will face off against No. 31 West Cabarrus in Round 1. By luck of the draw and seedings, Ardrey Kell and South Mecklenburg will play each other in Round 1 with the winner potentially facing the winner of Watauga vs. Palisades in Round 3, depending on who advances.

West Foryth (20-1-2 overall, 12-1-1 in Central Piedmont 4A Conference) was awarded the No. 1 seed in the 4A West bracket, and will face Watauga’s latest vanquished foe, South Caldwell, which made the playoffs as the No. 32 seed. Of interest: West Forsyth and Watauga played early in the season, on Aug. 19, and battled to a 3-3 tie.

All three Northwestern Conference 4A schools made the 4A West bracket, with South Caldwell at No. 32 and Alexander Central at No. 26.

Full Round 1 pairings for the 4A West bracket:

• No. 32 South Caldwell @ No. 1 West Forsyth
• No. 17 Charlotte Catholic @ No. 16 East Forsyth
• No. 25 R J Reynolds @ No. 8 Asheville
• No. 24 Hough @ No. 9 Hopewell
• No. 28 Glenn @ No. 5 Northwest Guilford
• No. 21 South Mecklenburg @ No. 12 Ardrey Kell
• No. 20 Mount Tabor @ No. 13 Ragsdale
• No. 29 Palisades @ No. 4 Watauga
• No. 30 A.L. Brown @ No. 3 Lake Norman
• No. 19 Porter Ridge @ No. 14 Grimsley
• No. 27 Parkland @ No. 6 Marvin Ridge
• No. 22 Providence @ No. 11 Cox Mill
• No. 26 Alexander Central @ No. 7 Garinger
• No. 23 Mooresville @ No. 10 Reagan
• No. 18 Weddington @ No. 15 Hickory Ridge
• No. 31 West Cabarrus @ No. 2 Myers Park

OTHER PAIRINGS OF INTEREST

• 3A West – No. 4 Hibriten vs. No. 29 Jesse C. Carson
• 3A West – No. 3 South Point vs. No. 30 Ashe County
• 3A West – No. 11 Hickory vs. No. 22 West Henderson
• 3A West – No. 2 A. C. Reynolds vs. No. 31 Ben L. Smith
• 2A West – No. 4 West Caldwell vs. No. 29 West Wilkes
• 1A West – No. 3 Avery County vs. No. 30 Draughn

By Zach Smith. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Braving the elements on election night, Watauga football traveled to West Jefferson, N.C. for a conference clash with Ashe County. The Pioneers won their 11th straight over the Huskies, 33-6.

BONUS PHOTOS & STATS at bottom

Watauga scored all but one of their touchdowns in the first half, going a perfect 4-4 on drives across the opening 24 minutes. Senior quarterback Maddox Greene was key for the Pioneer offense, accounting for two touchdowns of 40 or more yards on the ground, and another through the air, passing. 

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COMING THROUGH! — Matthew Leon Sequence

 

 

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The Pioneer defense did their job as well, forcing five turnovers on downs while intercepting one of Ashe County quarterback Bryce Peters’ passes. That defense was led by senior linebackers Trathan Gragg and Luke Edmisten, who accounted for 30 total tackles. Gragg was credited with one of two sacks by the team, coming on an Ashe County fourth down conversion attempt in the first quarter.

Watauga head coach Ryan Habich shared his thoughts on the team’s victory, postgame.

“I think we had the talent advantage against Ashe County,” Habich said. “They did a really good job of keeping the ball away from our offense in the first half, doing some onside kicks and some things that we would do if we were at a disadvantage athletically against superior teams.”

Junior Evan Burroughs was key for the Pioneers in this High Country rivalry game. Burroughs accounted for 125 total yards from scrimmage, including a 46-yard pass reception for from Greene for Watauga’s lone score through the air. 

“He’s a very dynamic player,” Habich said later, speaking of Burroughs. “As a junior, he does a really good job for us. He plays that slot receiver position on our offense, which is a mixture between a running back and a slot receiver… Very athletic, very good target for Maddox [Greene].”

The weather in West Jefferson was rainy and in the mid-50s, which some call “football weather.” Habich talked about how the elements affected his game plan.

“Maybe it was more conservative,” Habich said. “More run the ball inside the tackles, maybe a little bit less triple option, a little bit less shotgun, less throwing the football. It’s how the game flows, too. We knew that we had to score in the first half. We were able to run the ball inside. The second half [Ashe County] kind of brought more people inside.”

The Pioneers held Ashe County’s potent, “Air Raid” offense to just 138 total yards, picking up 411 of their own. Maddox Greene accounted for a game-high 151 yards on the ground while averaging nearly 17 yards per rushing attempt.

Watauga returns to action Nov. 8 when they complete a stretch of eight days with three games due to the Hurricane Helene-induced, condensed schedule. Their regular season finale at South Caldwell is slated to kick off at 7:30p.m., in Hudson.

SCORING SUMMARY

• WAT (Q1)- Maddox Greene rush for 41 yards, TD; Jack Wilson PAT is good: 7-0 (6 plays, 58 yards, 2:58)
• ASHE (Q2) – Bryce Peters rush for 1 yard, TD; 2-pt. conversion failed: 7-6
• WAT (Q2) – Maddox Greene rush for 45 yards, TD; Jack Wilson PAT is good: 14-6 (6 plays, 67 yards, 1:52)
• WAT (Q2) – Evan Burroughs pass from Maddox Greene, 46 yards, TD; Jack Wilson PAT is good: 21-6 (1 play, 46 yards, 0:12)
• WAT (Q2) -Matthew Leon rush for 13 yards, TD; 2-point conversion failed: 27-6
• WAT (Q4) – Evan Burroughs rush for 53 yards, TD; Jack Wilson PAT failed: 33-6

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Total Yards, Offense: WAT 411, ASHE 138
• Yards Rushing: WAT 37-358, 4 TDs; ASHE 18-36, 1 TD
• Yards Passing: WAT 3-of-9, 53 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD; ASHE 23-of-43, 118 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD
• Time of Possession: WAT 19:45, ASHE 21:44
• Penalties: WAT 5-55, ASHE 0-0
• Turnovers
  • Fumbles-Lost: WAT 0-0, ASHE 1-1
  • Interceptions: WAT 1. ASHE 1
  • On Downs: WAT 1, ASHE 6
• 3rd Down Efficiency: WAT 1-4 (25%), ASHE 5-15 (33%)
• 4th Down Efficiency: WAT 2-3 (67%), ASHE 2-8 (25%)

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• • ASHE – Bryce Peters: 23-43-118, 1 sack, 1 INT
  • WAT – Maddox Greene: 3-7-53, 1 INT, 1 TD

Rushing

• • WAT – Maddox Greene: 9 carries, 151 yards, 2 TDs
  • WAT – Everett Gryder: 14 carries, 70 yards
  • WAT – Evan Burroughs: 4 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Matthew Leon: 6 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD
  • ASHE – Luke Osborne: 10 carries, 24 yards
  • WAT – Nyle Peays: 1 carry, 12 yards
  • WAT – Cade Keller: 2 carries, 11 yards
  • WAT – Thomas Dieters: 1 carry, 11 yards
  • ASHE – Bryce Peters: 2 carries, 6 yards, 1 TD

Receiving

• • ASHE – Ian Graybeal: 10 catches, 58 yards
  • WAT – Evan Burroughs: 2 catches, 56 yards, 1 TD
  • ASHE – Preston Edgell: 3 catches, 20 yards

 BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — For the first time since Watauga men’s soccer head coach Josh Honeycutt was a player in the 1998-99 academic year, the Pioneers are the undefeated 3A/4A Northwestern Conference regular season champions, finishing league play with a dominant, 7-0 win over 4A rival South Caldwell on Nov. 5.

With the unblemished (10-0) record in conference play and 18-3-2 overall, the Pioneers now await their seeding by the NCHSAA in the upcoming playoffs for the 4A West bracket. Being the top finisher in conference along with eight more wins in a challenging non-conference schedule (early in the season) should earn the Pioneers a top five seeding and a first round home game. The playoffs are set to start on Saturday.

Against South Caldwell on the Spartan’s home turf, Watauga arguably defied the odds. Conditions were wet, it having rained most of the day leading up to kickoff. While the well-manicured football stadium field has a good crown that allows for excellent drainage, the day’s runoff was evident by the large pools of water around the sloping edges, making for moat-like conditions.

Just as the night before, Watauga dominated possession in the early going, but South Caldwell’s defense held firm for most of the first half, including a handful of brilliant saves by junior goalkeeper Armando Gomez. Even if the Spartans rarely threatened in the Pioneers’ defensive third, South Caldwell’s defense kept the home crowd hoping for an upset, at least for the first 31 minutes.

With 9:35 remaining in the first half, the defensive dam broke. Awarded a penalty kick, Watauga midfielder slammed home a driving shot to the right that left Gomez paralyzed and muttering to himself, “They always go to the right.”

Moments later, junior striker Asher Hampton sent the first of two goals on the night searing the back of the net, helping the Pioneers to a 2-0 halftime lead — a lead similar to what Watauga had the night before in Jack Groce Stadium.

But unlike the night before, the Pioneers did not grow complacent. They kept the proverbial “pedal to the metal,” scoring five more goals before their night’s work was done.

First was a goal by Quincy Honeycutt, just nine minutes into the second half, with Ganley credited with an assist. From there, it seemed Watauga was a regular customer at the back of the South Caldwell net.

In the 52nd minute, senior Curtis Sevensky pushed through for the first of his two scores. Five minutes later, Gavin Lapinski got on the scoresheet with a goal, followed by Sevensky’s second goal in the 72nd minute. Hampton finished off the night’s scoring with five minutes remaining in the game, an assist credited to junior midfielder Shiris Kandel.

“I could not be prouder of this team,” Josh Honeycutt said afterwards. “They played a complete game. They played exactly the way we needed to play to get the win. Even in bad weather with sloppy conditions, that is exactly what we did. To finish the regular season undefeated in conference play is unbelievable. To the best of my knowledge, that hasn’t been done by the Pioneers since 1998-99 when I was a player. So that is a super awesome accomplishment. I am proud of these guys and how they battled not just in this game but throughout the season.”

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — In what was almost an ugly Senior Night story for Watauga men’s soccer against Northwestern Conference 4A rival South Caldwell, the Pioneers recovered from second half complacency to defeat the Spartans, 4-2.

The home side took a 2-0 halftime lead into intermission at Jack Groce Stadium, thanks to dominating first half possession and goals by Curtis Sevensky and Asher Hampton. In between, and even after those tallies, Watauga was on attack but failed to capitalize on their opportunities.  The closest they came in the first half was a brilliant header by Alex Aguilar on a nifty crossing pass from Quincy Honeycutt — but the shot clanged off the crossbar to no avail.

While Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt felt afterwards that his charges were somewhat “lazy,” lacking intensity the entire first half, there is no disputing the Pioneers held sway during the opening period in dominating possession, enabling the 2-0 lead at halftime.

But “lazy” morphed into complacency by the Pioneers almost from the beginning of the second half and South Caldwell seemed to flip the switch when it came to possession — and scoring a pair of goals to knot the score at 2-2. Well into the final 10 minutes, that’s where things stood until Gavin Lapinski rocked the ball past the South Caldwell goalkeeper from about 15 yards out and, for good measure, Luke Hamilton did the same a couple of minutes later.

“To me, we were complacent the entire game,” said Honeycutt, “right from the start. We still had a 2-0 lead at halftime but got complacent and the next thing you know we were in a 2-2 game, having to battle back to actually get the win. There is a lot to learn from tonight, but it is a win. That is what I told our players at the end: a win is a win and we’ll take it — but (our play) has got to be better if we are going to go down there tomorrow night for the last regular season game and expect to remain undefeated in conference play.”

Some of Watauga having an “off” night might be explained by having to make some roster adjustments and players in unfamiliar roles on the field due to a couple of key players being unavailable. Most notably, that included Ben Myers, who saw limited minutes on the left side after starting and Evan Mawhinney, who usually replaces Myers on the left without the Pioneers missing a beat. While Mawhinney didn’t play at all due to a bruised knee, held out as a precaution, Myers “tweaked something” early and exited as a precautionary measure.

Quincy Honeycutt took on the challenge of playing from the left side instead of his usual spot on the right, which he normally shares with Aguilar. Hampton, David Ganley, Lapinski, Thomas Moss, Bennett Munson and Hamilton all took on more responsibilities in attack.

Whether what the head coach described as lazy or just uncertainty from being in different roles, Watauga had moments of outstanding one- and two-touch passing that has become a Pioneer hallmark, as well as in outmaneuvering Spartan opponents.

“Myers and Mawhinney give us a lot of speed and a lot of depth, missing them could explain some of the team’s (underperformance),” said Coach Honeycutt. “When you are used to playing on one side or the other, it is definitely an adjustment but we have to make it.”

To complete the regular season schedule, Watauga hopes to finish the 2024 Northwestern Conference competition undefeated when they travel to Hudson to face South Caldwell in their Nov. 5 finale. Then the Pioneers will await knowing their fate for the playoffs, for which Round 1 begins on Saturday, Nov. 9, time and opponent to be determined.

If Watauga wins on Nov. 5 in the regular season finale, the Pioneers will take a 16-3-2 record into the playoffs. As the top 4A team in the Northwestern Conference, High Country Sports predicts the Pioneers will receive a No. 3 or No. 4 seeding in the NCHSAA 4A West bracket, but MaxPreps currently has Watauga ranked No. 13 in a 4A West headed by Winston-Salem area powerhouse West Forsyth (20-1-2), Charlotte-based Myers Park (16-0-2), and Lake Norman (19-2-1).

Other highly ranked teams likely to get Round 1 home games include Reagan (17-4-2), Northwest Guilford (19-2), Garinger (18-4-1), Ardrey Kell (15-2-5), Cox Mill (16-4-2), Charlotte Catholic (16-4), Marvin Ridge (13-4-2), Asheville (15-2-1), and Grimsley (17-4-1).

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By David Rogers. KERNERSVILLE, N.C. — With 175 of North Carolina’s best high school cross country athletes competing, Watauga finished with three women harriers in the top 48 scorers, including freshman Cali Townsend at No. 8, senior Annabelle Stewart at No. 22, and junior Janie Beach-Verhay at No. 48.

Sofi Alexander, a junior at Asheville, topped the field, running the 5,000 meters’ distance in 18:01.23. Townsend was one of three freshmen finishing in the top eight, including Ragsdale’s Elle Dawson (No. 2, 18:02.74) and Cuthbertson’s Colby McCollum (No. 5, 18:13.90). At No. 8, Townsend was less than 15 seconds behind the leader, finishing in 18:16.09.

The other two Watauga scorers were freshman Lily Kimbrough (No. 99, 20:58.61) and  sophomore Susanna Goff (No. 127, 21:49.58).

Other Pioneers competing included sophomore Josephine Walker and sophomore Lainey Johnston.

As a team, the Watauga athletes’ five top scores earned them No. 12 out of the 22 full teams in the 4A class, headed by Cardinal Gibbons, Cuthbertson and Marvin Ridge.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Look closely at the golden leaf fallen to rest against the blue-painted football turf. Surely it is a sign of grand things to come for Watauga when Mother Earth forges a “W.”

For the last home game of the regular season, Watauga played almost perfect complementary football vs. Freedom at Jack Groce Stadium, winning in dominating fashion, 42-6.

When head coach Ryan Habich moved to the High Country to take over the Pioneers’ program in 2013, his son, Matthew, was in first grade along with a bunch of the other 20 now seniors.

“I watched all these kids grow up. So many of them are friends with my son. They are all great, good character young men. I know their parents. So, on a personal level this is a very special group,” said Habich after going through the pre-game Senior Night rituals with all of the other parents and players.

And what a way to celebrate Senior Night on the field, rolling up 338 yards of total offense while limiting the Patriots to just 111. On offense and special teams, Freedom fumbled the ball seven times, losing two of them, and threw one pass interception.

True to form, the Habich-crafted offense dominated time of possession, 21:16 to Freedom’s 16:17. Equally important, when the Pioneers had the football, they did something with it, only punting one time. When Freedom wasn’t punting (three times), they were turning the ball over: two lost fumbles, one pass interception, and two failures to convert in “going for it” on fourth down.

The Pioneers’ senior quarterback Maddox Greene was again the game’s leading rusher, with 11 carries for 99 yards and two TDs. He also completed five of seven passes for 51 yards and another TD. Through this Nov. 1 game vs. Freedom, Greene has carried the ball 103 times for a net of 919 yards gained rushing — and scored 15 rushing TDs. He has completed 53 of 76 passes (69.7 percent) for 890 yards for another 12 TDs vs. just one interception.

“Maddox may be the best high school football player in western North Carolina,” said Habich after the game. “And our center, J T Cook, may be the second best player in western North Carolina.”

On this night, Greene had plenty of help from playmakers all around him, as well as from his offensive linemen, including Cook. Junior running back Everett Gryder carried the ball 12 times for 75 yards. Mostly in the second half, junior running back Matthew Leon carried the ball six times, for 46 yards and two TDs. And with some razzle dazzle, another junior, Nyle Peays, carried the ball just one time but it was outmaneuvering and outsprinting the Patriot defenders for 23 yards and a TD.

Greene only passed seven times in this game, completing five of them, but they were all in critical situations to extend drives. Burroughs was target three times, hauling in all three for a game-high 24 receiving yards. Dillon Zaragoza and Landon Smith each caught one pass, for 17 and 10 yards respectively, with Zaragoza recording a diving TD catch.

Watauga will turn the page pretty quickly in the coming week, with a light practice on Saturday (Nov. 2) and a full practice on Monday before traveling to West Jefferson on Tuesday (Nov. 5) where they will face Ashe County and the Huskies’ “Air Raid” offense. Three days later (in the Hurricane Helene-condensed schedule), the Pioneers end their regular season in Hudson, at 4A rival South Caldwell.

Habich told reporters after the game that coaching offense was relatively easy compared to coaching defense, especially in the Northwestern Conference.

“You run your offense pretty much the same every week. Sometimes you run a little more, other times you pass a little more. The defensive coaches? Against Ashe County they are preparing for the Huskies’ ‘Air Raid’ offense. A couple of days later, they are preparing for a completely different (offensive scheme) at South Caldwell.”

BONUS PHOTOS