Category: High School

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Defying all the high school football pundits who forecast visiting A C Reynolds (Asheville) would win the rematch from a year ago, Watauga had all of last week’s problems corrected in running away from the Rockets, 48-21.

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By all accounts, the Sept. 13 meeting between Watauga and A C Reynolds was between two of western North Carolina’s strongest programs, even if it turned out a bit one-sided. Even in the rainy, wet conditions at Jack Groce Stadium, the Pioneers saw near perfect execution in all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams to take their non-conference schedule to 4-0.

Senior quarterback Maddox Greene led the Pioneer attack on offense, carrying the ball 22 times for 128 yards and three touchdowns before giving way to junior QB Cade Keller midway through the fourth quarter. To complete his robust stat line, Greene completed 10 of 14 passes for 126 yards and two TDs.

The Pioneers won the toss and elected to receive, starting the opening possession from their own 20 yard line. It was patented Pioneer football on the first drive, going 80 yards in 15 plays and, just as importantly, taking 6:07 off the game clock before getting the first TD.

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He was a big recruit and we did not want him to take over the game.

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Early down yardage often came difficult for Watauga, going up against a stout and aggressive A C Reynolds front seven. At least in part, that explains much of the Pioneers’ production through the air, being put in 3rd- and 4th-down passing situations. Without question, among the best stat lines on the night for the home team: converting nine of 12 (75 percent) third downs and a perfect two-for-two (100 percent) in fourth down opportunities.

Watauga rolled up 409 yards of total offense, proving pretty balanced at 228 yards rushing and 181 yards through the air.

With two players committed to Division 1 schools and a 6-5, 223 lb. junior quarterback in Ely Hamrick with six Division 1 offers already (including from App State, Kentucky, East Carolina, Charlotte, Toledo and Virginia), A C Reynolds came to the High Country with a rich athletic pedigree.  Two losses against strong Winston-Salem area 4A schools East Forsyth and West Forsyth serve as bookends to a thrashing, 51-21 victory over perennial 2A powerhouse Shelby just two weeks ago.

So, at least on paper, Watauga’s defensive unit knew they had a challenge in front of them: containing the Rockets’ playmakers. They succeeded, limiting ACR to just 235 yards of total offense. The visitors had mild success on third down, converting 60 percent (6-of-10) of their opportunities, but came up emptyhanded in two fourth down “go for it” opportunities.

ACR running back Max Guest is committed to play at App State next year and head coach Ryan Habich said after the game that a key component of the Pioneers’ defensive strategy was to keep the ball away from him and to contain him when he did have the ball.

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We don’t fear teams like we used to.

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The grinding, ball control Watauga offense that kept the ball out of A C Reynolds’ hands for much of the game helped advance the Pioneers’ defensive strategy. Kickoffs away from him neutralized Guest as a kick return threat. And individual, in-your-face defensive performances helped prevent him from breaking off any long plays. The Pioneer defense limited Guest to just 17 yards rushing on six carries. He caught three passes, but they were only good for 10 yards gained.

In spite of A C Reynolds’ significant size advantage in their offensive line, Watauga’s defensive unit was able to record five QB sacks, two by Brady Lindenmuth and one each by Callan Riordan, Caleb Dewey and Matthew Leon.

On special teams, Watauga continued to play well, including kicking the ball away from Guest. They recovered a couple of onside kicks in the process, one that was recorded as a fumble by the Rockets and rolled some 15-20 yards within inches of the sideline where it was alertly recovered by junior defensive back Kyle Williams.

After beating A C Reynolds two years in a row, head coach Ryan Habich was understandably enthused by his team’s performance.

“That was a big time win,” Habich told reporters after the game. “I am really proud of our kids. I thought we played a complete game. We talked last week of being sloppy in certain parts of the game (against Maiden), but tonight we played sound in all phases. We didn’t have too many mistakes. We had a turnover, but I really like our our team responded after that.

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Especially when you get in the red zone, you have to score points.

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“Maddox Greene played a heckuva game making the reads,” Habich added, “because A C Reynolds was a very aggressive defense. They loaded the line of scrimmage and brought (the pressure). I thought we did a very good job of managing the game and our defense didn’t let that Division I running back (Guest) run all over us.”

Many of the high school football observers around the state had A C Reynolds winning this game either by a little or a lot, especially after last week’s sloppy performance by Watauga when, by Habich’s own admission, “We are not a very good football team right now, somewhere between a JV and a Varsity.”

Watauga’s fast start to this one and using over half of the first quarter game clock on the opening possession was important in Habich’s view.

“That is a huge drive,” said Habich, of the opening possession, “especially the way we marched the ball down the field. That was a good, aggressive defense (we were facing). We marched down and then executed on a trick play. It was the same play that Trathan Gragg dropped the pass last year in the playoffs against Mallard Creek. But Maddox made a great throw under pressure and Trathan wasn’t going to drop this one. I am really proud of the way our kids executed. Especially when you get in the red zone, you have to score points.”

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They brought a fight to A C Reynolds tonight.

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Habich acknowledged how important it was to keep the ball away from Guest.

“That No. 5 is an Appalachian State commit for next year. He was a big recruit and we did not want him to take over the game. When he is back there and they are moving him around, I thought our special teams’ coaches did a really good job of kicking away from him. All of those calls were audibles at the line of scrimmage. We may have lost some field position (by kicking short), but people don’t realize that if you kick it (deep) to the 10 yard line and No. 5 picks it up, he may very well take it all the way back for a touchdown,” said Habich.

Now in his twelfth year at the helm of the Pioneer program, Habich noted some changes to the mindset of the Watauga players, as a whole.

“(A C Reynolds) is a big-time program with high expectations… but our kids were ready,” said Habich. “I am really proud of our kids. We don’t fear teams like we used to. In my first few years at Watauga, we would play teams like A C Reynolds and people were (questioning) why we (would put them on our schedule). I said eventually we are going to be beating teams like this. Our kids aren’t (intimidated) by these big-time programs. They were ready for this fight. They brought the fight to A C Reynolds tonight.”

Reynolds had two areas of unusual concern on the night. One was the number of penalties that negated positive plays on both offense and defense. ACR was flagged seven times for 64 yards while Watauga was more disciplined in drawing two penalties for 10 yards.

Perhaps it was the wet weather, but the other area of concern was the large number of dropped passes. Numerous times, Hamrick made good throws only to have the intended receiver muff the reception.

Up next for Watauga is a Homecoming date at Jack Groce Stadium, hosting North Davidson. Then the Pioneers have a bye week before starting Northwestern Conference play on Oct. 4, at South Caldwell, then again on the road at Alexander Central on Oct. 11.

SCORING SUMMARY

• 1st Quarter
  • WAT – TD, Trathan Gragg, 10-yard pass from Maddox Greene (6-0)
  • WAT – PAT, Jack Wilson (7-0)
  • WAT – TD, Maddox Greene, 45 yard rush, PAT failed (13-0)
• 2nd Quarter
  • ACR – TD, Ely Hamrick, 1 yard rush (13-6)
  • ACR – PAT, Rossi Santelia (13-7)
  • WAT – TD, Maddox Greene, 2-yard rush (19-7)
  • WAT – PAT, Jack Wilson (20-7)
  • WAT – TD, Evan Burroughs, 2-yard rush (26-7)
  • WAT – PAT, Jack Wilson, (27-7)
• 3rd Quarter
  • WAT – TD, Evan Burroughs, 12 yard pass from Maddox Greene (33-7)
  • WAT – PAT, Jack Wilson (34-7)
• 4th Quarter
  • WAT – TD, Maddox Greene, 5-yard rush (40-7)
  • WAT – PAT, Jack Wilson (41-7)
  • ACR – TD, Tremaine Keeter, 20-yard pass from Ely Hamrick (41-13)
  • ACR – PAT, Rossi Santelia (41-14)
  • WAT – TD, Matthew Leon, 1-yard rush (47-14)
  • WAT – PAT, Jack Wilson (48-14)
  • ACR – TD, Ely Hamrick 3-yard rush (48-20)
  • ACR – PAT, Rossi Santelia (48-21)

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Total Yards of Offense: ACR 235, WAT 409
• First Downs: ACR 11, WAT 20
• Rushing Attempts-Yards: ACR 19-98, WAT 53-228
• Passing Completions-Attempts-Yards: ACR 11-21-141, WAT 11-15-181
• 3rd Down Conversions: ACR 6/10 (60%), WAT 9/12 (75%)
• 4th Down Conversions: ACR 0/2 (0%), WAT 2/2 (100%)
• Penalties: ACR 7-64, WAT 2-10
• Time of Possession: ACR 19:21, WAT 25:12

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• WAT – Maddox Greene: 10-14-126, 2 TDs
• WAT – Cade Keller: 1-1-55
• ACR – Ely Hamrick: 11-21-141, 1 TD, 2 sacks

Receiving

• WAT – Evan Burroughs: 3 catches, 89 yards, 1 TD
• ACR – Temaine Keeter: 4 catches, 47 yards, 1 TD
• WAT – Landon Smith: 2 catches, 46 yards
• ACR – Wes White: 1 catch, 46 yards
• ACR – Cavalli Montgomery: 1 catch, 25 yards
• WAT – Trathan Gragg: 2 catches, 23 yards, 1 TD
• ACR – Tyvon Patterson: 2 catches, 13 yards

Rushing

• WAT – Maddox Greene: 22 carries, 128 yards, 3 TDs
• ACR – Ely Hamrick: 4 carries, 52 yards, 2 TDs
• WAT – Matthew Leon: 5 carries, 46 yards, 1 TD
• WAT – Everett Gryder: 14 carries, 45 yards
• WAT – Evan Burroughs: 6 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD
• ACR – Max Guest: 6 carries, 17 yards
• ACR – Tyvon Patterson: 6 carries, 16 yards
• ACR – Jayden Smith: 3 carries, 13 yards

OTHER SCORES OF INTEREST

• Mount Airy 42, Ashe County 0
• Gaffney 31, Freedom 0
• Starmount 58, North Wilkes 0
• South Point 30, Hibriten 14
• McDowell 49, Avery County 21
• North Davidson 21, Walkertown 20
• Bandys 35, South Caldwell 6
• Burns 28, Alexander Central

BONUS PHOTOS

By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — The often erratic weather in the High Country reared its head Sept. 13, but that didn’t keep the Watauga offense from showing out in their matchup against perennial powerhouse AC Reynolds. The Pioneers moved to 4-0 on the season, defeating the Rockets in a rainy blowout, 48-21.

Senior quarterback/cornerback Maddox Greene showed his ability on both sides of the ball, producing five touchdowns while making key tackles on defense. 

Watauga opened the game with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took over half of the first quarter, a contrast to the usual “NASCAR” offense that head coach Ryan Habich employs. The Pioneers followed their opening score with another touchdown late in the first stanza, before Reynolds quarterback Ely Hamrick drove his squad to the end zone early in the second frame.

Watauga responded with four consecutive touchdowns, widening the gap to 34 points early in the fourth quarter. AC Reynolds hit paydirt two more times before the game clock reached zero, but it was too little, too late for the Rockets.

Ryan Habich shared his thoughts on Watauga’s second victory in as many years over AC Reynolds, postgame.

“Who would’ve thought that we’d beat AC Reynolds two years in a row?” Habich said. “That’s a huge win for our program, for our school and our community. I’m really proud of the kids, I thought we played a complete game.”

Watauga typically uses a fast-paced offense, dubbed the “NASCAR offense” by Habich. In their victory over AC Reynolds, the Pioneers shifted to a slower, more time-consuming style. Habich talked about how that played into the coaching staff’s game plan.

“That was the game plan, to keep the ball away from AC Reynolds’ offense,” Habich said. “When you keep the ball away from that offense, it frustrates them. They start forcing balls and start pushing the ball down the field. That was the game plan. When you can get a 15-play drive and then score a touchdown, that’s huge. I think it takes the wind out of the other team.”

AC Reynolds senior running back Max Guest is a crucial player for the Rockets, and was a focus for the Watauga defense. The App State commit was largely held in check by Habich’s squad.

“I thought our defense did a really good job,” Habich said. “When you play a special player like Max Guest… we wanted to stop the run. We want to make sure that we’re covering the receivers, but we want to stop their running back (Guest). We put a lot of effort on that throughout the week in practice and our defensive coaches did a tremendous job. Our defense is playing some pretty good football this year.”

Watauga moves to 4-0 on the season, the last undefeated school in the Northwestern Conference. The Pioneers host North Davidson Sept. 20 in their final matchup in non-conference play. Kickoff is set for 7:30p.m..

By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — A different varsity volleyball team representing Watauga High School took to the court on Sept. 11 at South Caldwell, even if the faces above the jerseys were all the same. With slick offensive and defensive execution, the Pioneers defeated the Spartans, 3-0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-15).

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The night before hosting Hickory in the final non-conference match of the 2024 season, Watauga seemed out of sync with one another. As head coach Kim Pryor told reporters later, “We didn’t play Watauga volleyball.”

 

What a difference 24 hours can make. And the contrast started right from the opening point when the two longtime Northwestern Conference adversaries engaged in the longest rally of the night. Powerful hits, courageous digs, sharply executed passes and assists… they were all there in the opening point — eventually won by the visiting Pioneers.

Watauga’s powerful outside hitter, Emma Pastusic, recorded 16 kills in the three sets to lead the Pioneers’ attack, but her kills were matched by the frontline quartet of Kora Knight (6 kills), Grace Twillery (7), Grace Phelps (5) and Hadleigh Windish (4).

The breadth of scoring came with the support of solid setups by Lainey Gragg, who effectively distributed the kill opportunities for 34 assists.

Adding to the Pioneer effectiveness were four service aces, including two by Pastusic and one each by Kaitlyn Darner and Gragg.

Defensively, Grace Twillery led the team with six stuff blocks, with Kora Knight adding two and Pastusic another.

Also defensively, eight Pioneers were credited with digs to keep the ball in play, led by Darner (11 digs), Caroline Childers (10), Pastusic (8), Lilli Combs (7), Gragg (6), Phelps (3), Twillery (2) and Windish (1).

Pastusic has returned from an early season elbow injury, but is now back in mid-season form.

“We came down here really confident that we were going to play well,” said Pastusic. “Our rotations were really good and everybody played great tonight. Our passing was outstanding and that really helped us win the game.”

The setter, Gragg, emphasized the Pioneers’ playing as a team.

“We grew together tonight and played as a team and when you play as a team you can do just about anything you want,” said Gragg afterwards. “We played together and wanted to win.”

Freshman libero Caroline Childers has emerged as an anchor on the Pioneer back row.

“We dived (for balls) well tonight,” said Childers. “And we communicated really well. We were particularly good on serve receive and defense, blocking and digging.”

Pressed for how she felt as a freshman playing on varsity, Childers said, “It is such an honor and a great experience for me. I am so happy to be able to play with such amazing teammates. They are all so good and make up such a good team. We all get along really well. We love each other.”

Childers said she has been playing volleyball since she was in second grade.

“Tonight we played with confidence,” said head coach Kim Pryor. “We played with poise. We got back to Watauga volleyball, how we play. I am proud of how the girls responded after a couple of losses.

Casting the pre-conference record aside, Pryor said, “We were 0-0 before this match and now we are 1-0 in conference. That is all that matters. I have been telling the team that we are so well prepared for what is to come (in the conference schedule) by those tough non-conference games. I am excited about what is to come.”

After winning the first point, Watauga won the next three in the opening set to go up 4-0, then gave up a couple of points to South Caldwell, making the score 4-2. Then, with Childers serving, the Pioneers went on an 8-0 run to gain separation. Asked about Childers’ success in serving, Pryor was candid.

“As a team, we got back to aggressive serving. You don’t play volleyball to be careful. You play it to be aggressive. You make aggressive mistakes and those mistakes are OK. We got back to our aggressive game and our settled game, team volleyball,” said Pryor.

Asked what constitutes ‘aggressive serving,’ Pryor said, “It is serving to different spots on the floor. It is serving with some velocity on the ball. It is making sure we aren’t serving straight to people and getting the ball to places where it is hard for our opponents to pass.”

Next up for the Pioneers is a second road contest with yet another Northwestern Conference 4A rival, at Alexander Central in Taylorsville. First serve is slated for approximately 6 p.m., after the junior varsity game. The Cougars finished their preseason slate, 4-5. They lost their conference opener at Ashe County, 3-0.

SELECTED WATAUGA STAT LEADERS

• • Emma Pastusic: 16 kills, 1 stuff block, 2 service aces, 8 digs
  • Caroline Childers: 10 digs, 2 assists
  • Lainey Gragg: 34 assists, 1 service ace, 6 digs
  • Grace Phelps: 5 kills, 3 digs
  • Grace Twillery: 7 kills, 6 stuff blocks, 2 digs
  • Kaitlyn Darner: 11 digs, 1 service ace
  • Kora Knight: 6 kills, 2 stuff blocks
  • Hadleigh Windish: 4 kills, 1 dig
  • Lilli Combs: 7 digs

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BOONE, NC — Watauga cross country runners captured 15 of the top 16 places in the Men’s Division of a Northwestern Conference tri-meet on Sept. 10, hosting South Caldwell and Hibriten at the Don Kennedy Trails section of App State’s State Farm Intramural Fields.

Pioneer senior Will Bradbury finished the 5000-meter run in 16:41 to top the field, with South Caldwell’s Bryce Corpening crossing the line in the No. 2 position (18:03). Watauga’s  Calvin Zwetsloot, James Bostrom, Elliott Taft, Grady Gates, Samuel Rex, Haines Heistand, Zeke Walker, Doyle Casey, Jonah Norris, Brian Newmark, Andres Roman, Issac James, Charles Langley and Holden Womak rounded out the top 16.

In the Women’s Division, Watauga freshman Cali Townsend led a pack of Pioneers taking 18 of the top 20 spots, including a sweep of No. 1 through No. 5, including Annabelle Stewart at No. 2, Janie Beach-Verhay No. 3, Lainey Johnston No. 4, and Grace Scantlin No. 5 before Hibriten’s Ama Higgs crossed the line at No. 6.

MEN’S DIVISION

 

WOMEN’S DIVISION TOP 20

By David Rogers, BOONE, N.C. — After playing a powerful Cox Mill team on the road “… like it was the fourth round of the playoffs…” and taking the Chargers to a fifth set on Sept. 5 before losing, 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 21-25, 33-31, 13-15), Watauga came home to an “off” night in its rematch with Hickory on Sept. 10, losing 3-0 to the Red Tornadoes.

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All photographic images by David Rogers for High Country Sports

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Although the Pioneers arguably played better at home against Hickory than they did on Aug. 13, when they lost 3-0 (16-25, 19-25, 14-25), head coach Kim Pryor was not satisfied.

“We didn’t play well today,” said Pryor. “We didn’t play our game. At Cox Mill (last week) we played like it was a final four or final two (in the playoffs). Tonight we did not. We made quite a few mistakes at critical moments. It was just execution, playing together.

“The good news is that preconference (matches) prepare us for what’s to come,” added Pryor in looking ahead at Northwestern Conference competition. “We’ll hit tomorrow hard and start conference play against South Caldwell… This wasn’t one of our better nights. We need to come back strong for conference play.”

The Red Tornadoes’ head coach Jason Stephens seemed relieved after the game, knowing that in the Aug. 13 match Watauga was missing some players.

“First and foremost, Watauga was a lot better here since they had everybody healthy. It was a fun, competitive game. I’m just really proud of my kids. I thought we passed well against some really good hitters and we serve received well. We are improving as the season goes on,” said Stephens.

The Pioneers, now 3-6 as they went through non-conference play, begin Northwestern Conference competition on Sept. 11 at South Caldwell. Scheduled time for the varsity match is 6 p.m.

SELECTED WATAUGA STATS

• Emma Pastusic: 15 kills, 1 solo block, 2 block assists, 6 digs, 11 serve receives
• Ashlyn Smith: 8 kills
• Caroline Childers: 12 digs, 27 serve receives
• Lainey Gragg: 5 digs, 21 assists
• Quinn Haines: 1 service ace, 5 assists
• Lilli Combs: 1 service ace, 4 digs
• Kora Knight: 2 block assists

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Nary a cloud in the sky but lightning struck Jack Groce Field on Watauga’s first play from scrimmage on Sept. 6. Junior running back Everett Gryder ripped through a tiny gap in visiting Maiden’s defensive line, broke into the secondary and outsprinted the remaining Blue Devils’ defenders for a 66-yard touchdown, setting the tone for an eventual, 24-13 Pioneer win.

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The play at least temporarily gave the host Pioneers some momentum as they struggled after that, but the win improves Watauga’s early season record to 3-0.

In one sense, Maiden flipped the script on Watauga, the Blue Devils controlling possession for almost two-thirds of the game with a grinding, ball control offense — historically, Pioneer-style. Maiden’s offense just couldn’t seem to overcome errors when they needed to most, including penalties on what otherwise might have been scoring plays.

We are not a very good football team right now.

Watauga leveraged the Maiden miscures for some quick scores, but the overall performance of the Pioneers did not sit well with head coach Ryan Habich.

“We made a lot of mistakes across the board and we made those mistakes on both sides of the ball. It just isn’t Watauga football,” declared Habich after the last whistle had blown. “We’re a mixture between JV and varsity right now. We are not a very good football team right now and it is all my fault. It falls on the head coach. I have to do a better job with the discipline. Right now, I am not very happy the way we are playing football, on both sides of the ball.”

Habich did have high praise for the special teams units.

“One area that I am proud of is special teams,” he said. “They didn’t give up a big play, they tackled well, and they made a difficult field goal. Jack Wilson did a heckuva job making that field goal (24 yards, to put Watauga up by two scores, 24-13).”

Sporting brand new, all-black uniforms with white numerals for their first home game of the season in front of packed grandstands, the Pioneers may have been a little too “hyped up” at the beginning, Habich admitted in speaking with reporters.

Those new black uniforms… that is lunch pail black… we have to have that ‘blue collar’ mindset.

“We have some returning guys, but I don’t think they realize that the mistakes they make in practice are being carried over into games,” said Habich. “And when you play upper echelon competition like we will face next week (against A C Reynolds)… well, if we play this way, it is going to be a short game here at Jack Groce. It will be a running clock (against us). So we have to do a lot better. We have some great kids here at Watauga, with high academics, but we can’t be complacent here. We have had a lot of success here these last several years but we aren’t going to just walk out there and beat people. We have to execute and we have to get that mindset.

“Those new black uniforms… that is lunch pail black,” added Habich. “We have to have that blue collar mentality that brings that lunch pail to every game. Today, we were too undisciplined with false starts and other pre-snap penalties. That just is not Watauga football.”

Bright Spots

The coach’s critique aside, there were some bright spots offensively and defensively, even though Watauga only had possession of the football for 11:22 vs. Maiden’s 29:45.

Many will argue that Gryder’s opening 66-yard TD run was the best offensive play of the game. The second and third best offensive plays arguably came a couple of series later, with 3:05 left in the first half — and the circumstances proved fortuitous.

The series was set up when Watauga faced a 4th-and-short on their own 27-yard line, but an illegal procedure penalty against the left side of the offensive line pushed the ball back, forcing the Pioneers to abandon going for a 4th down conversion.

Quarterback Maddox Greene’s punt was fielded at the Maiden 35-yard line, but the Blue Devils return man on the play, Hampton Reed, lost control of the ball as he started forward and the fumble was recovered by the Pioneers’ Landon Smith and Thomas Dieters.

So the fourth down punt moved the ball forward about 40 yards from where the Pioneer drive had stalled. As many football coaches like to do after that kind of dramatic turnover, especially in the opponent’s half of the field, it was time for what Habich calls “a shot play,” with a little razzle dazzle mixed in.

“We used the play last year against Mallard Creek, in the playoffs,” Habich recalled. “It was just a different combination of players.”

From his quarterback position, Greene handed the ball off to wide receiver Evan Burrough in motion, crossing to the left. Burroughs flipped the ball back to Gryder on a reverse, then Gryder passed the ball back to Greene on the right side. All the movement behind the line of scrimmage sucked up the Maiden secondary, leaving wide receiver Landon Smith deep downfield to catch Greene’s 40-yard pass at the goal line for a second Pioneer TD.

“Landon made a good play there,” said Habich. “On that play, everybody executed and the offensive line gave Maddox excellent protection.”

Defensive Gems, Too

In the second half, even though Maiden was moving the football with short runs and short to medium passes, Watauga’s defense stiffened at two critical points. Faced with 4th-and-short on two different occasions, Maiden was unable to convert.

Case in point: with 8:02 remaining in the third quarter and trailing by just one touchdown, 14-7, Maiden had successfully moved the ball to the Watauga 25-yard line and was looking at 3rd-and-2, poised to convert and keep the drive going. But Pioneer senior linebacker Trathan Gragg stopped two consecutive rush attempts by two different Maiden players. First, he drove quarterback Grant Lawing for no gain on a QB keeper, then he stopped running back Cohen Jenkins for just a 1-yard gain, Maiden turning the ball over on downs.

Led by Greene, it only took the Pioneers three plays to find the end zone after taking over at their own 24-yard line. On a keeper through the middle of the line, Greene sliced through the Blue Devils’ big guys upfront, wrestled free from a would-be tackler, and was finally collared after a 26-yard run, to midfield. The only thing that stopped him from breaking free and running the distance was, literally, a horse collar tackle that did not get flagged, apparently unseen by the officials.

Gryder rushed for three yards, but then it was Greene’s show again. On another keeper, he patiently waited for a gap to open, sprinted through it and into the secondary, swerved toward the right sideline around anyone with hopes of stopping him. After Greene’s 47-yard scamper to paydirt, Wilson’s third PAT of the evening put the Pioneers ahead by two scores, 21-7.

Another bright spot for the Pioneer defense came early in the 4th quarter, with Watauga leading 21-7. Maiden closed out the third frame with an 8-play, grinding drive that moved the ball from their own 15 to Watauga’s 42-yard line. When the Blue Devils’ Grant Lawing dropped back to pass and looked to the right flat, he apparently didn’t see Watauga senior defensive back Dillon Zaragoza, who turned around just in time to see the ball coming directly to him for easy pickings. He caught the ball for the game’s only pass interception, then said “thank you” with a 21-yard INT return.

Occurring early in the fourth quarter at the 11:11 mark, Zaragoza’s defensive gem all but put the game away when Watauga drove to the 5-yard line, setting up the 24-yard field goal by Wilson from the right hash mark.

Even with the good stuff that happened, Habich was far from satisfied, repeating his cautionary counsel that if his offense and defense played the same way next week, against A C Reynolds, the outcome would not be a positive result.

“We just can’t make those mistakes,” said Habich.

SELECTED TEAM STATS (kept by Jonathan Watson)

• First Down: MAI 18, WAT 11
• Total Offense: MAI 303, WAT 312
• Rushing Offense: MAI 35 carries, 133 yards, WAT 29 carries, 272 yards
• Passing Offense: MAI 17-28-172, 1 INT; WAT 1-4-40, 1 TD, no INTs
• Penalties: MAI 4-25, WAT 8-60
• 3rd Down Conversions: MAI 6-13 (46%), WAT 3-7 (43%)
• 4th Down Conversions: MAI 3-6 (50%), WAT 0-0
• Sacks By: MAI 0. WAT 2
• Turnovers
  • Fumbles Lost: MAI 1, WAT 0
  • Interceptions Thrown: MAI 1, WAT 0
• Time of Possession: MAI 29:45, WAT 11:22

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS (kept by Jonathan Watson)

Passing

• MAI – Grant Lawing: 11-18-106, 1 INT
• MAI – Josh Stover: 6-10-66
• WAT – Maddox Greene: 1-4-40, 1 TD

Rushing

• WAT – Maddox Greene: 11 carries, 105 yards, 1 TD
• WAT – Everett Gryder: 8 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
• WAT – Matthew Leon: 6 carries, 60 yards
• WAT – Evan Burroughs: 3 carries, 10 yards
• MAI – Kendall Roberts: 12 carries, 53 yards, 1 TD
• MAI – Josh Stover: 10 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD
• MAI – Cohen Jenkins: 7 carries, 25 yards

Receiving

• WAT – Landon Smith: 1 catch, 40 yards, 1 TD
• MAI – Raheim Misher: 7 catches, 62 yards
• MAI – Hampton Reed: 5 catches, 61 yards
• MAI – Keyahjae Smyre: 2 catches, 24 yards
• MAI – Ta’len Maze: 2 catches, 21 yards

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. LENOIR, N.C. — With a blistering time of 16:18 over the 5,000-Meter course at the Lenoir Aquatic and Fitness Center on Sept. 4, Watauga senior Will Bradbury finished over a minute and a half ahead of No. 2 runner Bryce Corpening of South Caldwell (18:00). Close behind were two more Pioneers, junior Calvin Zwetsloot (No. 3, 18:08) and sophomore James Bostrom (No. 4, 18:33) in the Men’s Division of the Northwestern Conference Pre-Conference Season Opener.

Watauga senior Jonah Norris (No. 7, 19:17) and sophomore Grady Gates (No. 8, 19:18) completed Watauga’s top 5 finishers for calculating the team results, which were dominated by the Pioneers among the five competing schools and their 66 student athletes in the men’s division.

In the larger, 86-runner field of the Women’s Division, Watauga freshman Cali Townsend led a 1-2-3-4-5-6 team sweep, crossing the finish line of the 5,000-Meters course No. 1 (20:25), followed by fellow Pioneers Annabelle Stewart (No. 2, 20:28, senior), Janie Beach-Verhay (No. 3, 21:08, junior), Josephine Walker (No. 4, 22:35, sophomore), Lainey Johnston (No. 5, 22:37, sophomore) and Lily Kimbrough (No. 6, 22:38). With the top 5 finishers, Watauga recorded a perfect team score of 15 points.

Team Scores, Men

  1 Watauga                19      1    2    3    6    7    8    9  
      Total Time: 1:31:34      Average: 18:18.80      1-5 Split: 3:00
  2 Alexander Central      45      4    5   10   11   15   16   21  
      Total Time: 1:37:58      Average: 19:35.60      1-5 Split: 2:17
  3 Freedom                87     12   13   17   20   25   26   29  
      Total Time: 1:48:12      Average: 21:38.36      1-5 Split: 4:11
  4 Hibriten               117    14   18   22   31   32   34    -  
      Total Time: 1:58:28      Average: 23:41.60      1-5 Split: 7:05
  5 Ashe County            121    19   23   24   27   28   30   33  
      Total Time: 1:59:18      Average: 23:51.56      1-5 Split: 3:12

Team Scores, Women

  1 Watauga                15      1    2    3    4    5    6   13  
      Total Time: 1:47:13      Average: 21:26.60      1-5 Split: 2:12
  2 Ashe County            67      7    8   15   17   20   26   27  
      Total Time: 2:02:36      Average: 24:31.20      1-5 Split: 3:25
  3 Alexander Central      70      9   12   14   16   19   24   29  
      Total Time: 2:03:39      Average: 24:43.76      1-5 Split: 2:29
  4 South Caldwell         101    10   21   22   23   25   32   33  
      Total Time: 2:11:50      Average: 26:22.00      1-5 Split: 3:12
  5 Hibriten               118    11   18   28   30   31    -    -  
      Total Time: 2:15:14      Average: 27:02.76      1-5 Split: 4:39

Top 30, Men’s Division

  1 Will Bradbury         12 Watauga              16:18.00      1
  2 Bryce Corpening       11 South Caldwell       18:00.00       
  3 Calvin Zwetsloot      11 Watauga              18:08.00      2
  4 James Bostrom         10 Watauga              18:33.00      3
  5 Zachary Zirkle        12 Alexander Central    18:40.00      4
  6 Griffin Duncan        12 Alexander Central    18:58.00      5
  7 Jonah Norris          12 Watauga              19:17.00      6
  8 Grady Gates           10 Watauga              19:18.00      7
  9 Zeke Walker           11 Watauga              19:18.60      8
 10 Samuel Rex            12 Watauga              19:19.00      9
 11 Lucas Ritchie         12 Alexander Central    19:21.00     10
 12 Elliott Taft          11 Watauga              19:26.00       
 13 Haines Heistand       12 Watauga              19:32.00       
 14 Levi Anderson         11 Watauga              19:39.00       
 15 Samuel Harris         12 South Caldwell       19:42.00       
 16 Nicholas Haney        11 Alexander Central    20:02.00     11
 17 Christopher Uren      12 Freedom              20:05.00     12
 18 Brian Newmark         10 Watauga              20:06.00       
 19 Doyle Casey           11 Watauga              20:06.70       
 20 Jonah Griggs          12 Freedom              20:28.00     13
 21 Austin Whittington    10 Hibriten             20:30.00     14
 22 AJ McAulay            11 Watauga              20:54.00       
 23 Evan Sherrod           9 Alexander Central    20:57.00     15
 24 Isaac James           10 Watauga              21:00.00       
 25 Charles Langley       12 Watauga              21:07.00       
 26 Holden Womak          11 Watauga              21:15.00       
 27 Caden Horn             9 Alexander Central    21:26.00     16
 28 Nick Chiota            9 Freedom              21:26.80     17
 29 Alexander Bruch       10 Hibriten             21:27.00     18
 30 Cohen Lemly           10 Ashe County          21:32.00     19

Top 30, Women’s Division

  1 Cali Townsend          9 Watauga              20:25.00      1
  2 Annabelle Stewart     12 Watauga              20:28.00      2
  3 Janie Beach-Verhay    11 Watauga              21:08.00      3
  4 Josephine Walker      10 Watauga              22:35.00      4
  5 Lainey Johnston       10 Watauga              22:37.00      5
  6 Lily Kimbrough         9 Watauga              22:38.00      6
  7 Emory Taylor          12 Ashe County          22:54.00      7
  8 Evie Pyles            12 Ashe County          23:48.00      8
  9 Makenzi Pyatte        11 Alexander Central    23:49.00      9
 10 Clara Noble           11 South Caldwell       24:01.00     10
 11 Ama Higgs             10 Hibriten             24:06.30     11
 12 Lydia Hendren         12 Alexander Central    24:06.80     12
 13 Riley Benson           9 Watauga              24:19.00     13
 14 Julia Benson           9 Watauga              24:20.00       
 15 Susanna Goff          10 Watauga              24:21.00       
 16 Hope Cox              11 Alexander Central    24:22.00     14
 17 Mia Grace Llibre      12 Watauga              24:26.00       
 18 Abby Bingham          12 Ashe County          24:27.00     15
 19 Sophie Parker         10 Watauga              24:36.00       
 20 Sydney Townsend       11 Watauga              24:57.00       
 21 Ava Smith             12 Alexander Central    25:03.00     16
 22 Audrey Satterwhite    10 Ashe County          25:08.00     17
 23 Anna Norris           11 Watauga              25:11.00       
 24 Carrie Bradbury       10 Watauga              25:13.00       
 25 Katherine Rex         10 Watauga              25:37.00       
 26 Bailey Collins        11 Watauga              25:39.00       
 27 Noelle Bollman         9 Watauga              25:43.00       
 28 Kara Schneider        12 Watauga              25:48.00       
 29 Aaliah Macias         10 Hibriten             26:13.00     18
 30 Tessa Roupe           12 Alexander Central    26:18.00     19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By David Rogers. NEWLAND, N.C. — Lightning struck twice on Aug. 30, literally and figuratively.

Watauga’s football team blitzed the Avery County Vikings, 56-7, in a storm-shortened game that was mercifully stopped at halftime.

Watauga-Only Scoring Summary

Q1

• • WAT: TD – Maddox Greene rushes for 43 yards (5 plays, 80 yards, 1:51)
  • WAT: PAT – Jack Wilson kick is good
  • WAT: TD – Matthew Habich pass from Maddox Greene, for 35 yards (5 plays, 95 yards, 1:25)
  • WAT: PAT – Jack Wilson kick is good

Q2

• • WAT: TD – Everett Gryder rush for 5 yards (6 plays, 72 yards, 2:47)
  • WAT: PAT – Jack Wilson kick is good
  • WAT: TD – Landon Smith, 55-yard pass from Maddox Greene (1 play, 55 yards, 0:10)
  • WAT: PAT – Jack Wilson kick is good
  • WAT: TD – Everett Gryder rush for 16 yards (4 plays, 59 yards, 1:15)
  • WAT: PAT – Jack Wilson kick is good
  • WAT: TD – Matthew Leon, 66-yard pass from Maddox Greene (2 plays, 55 yards, 0:46
  • WAT: PAT – Jack Wilson kick is good
  • WAT: TD – Maddox Greene rush for 8 yards (3 plays, 20 yards, 0:23)
  • WAT: PAT – Jack Wilson kick is good
  • WAT: TD – Carson Gunnell-Beck fumble return for 20 yards (0-0)
  • WAT: PAT – Jack Wilson kick is good

.

By Zach Smith. NEWLAND, N.C. — Looking to win their second road matchup in as many weeks, Watauga traveled to face long-time, High Country rival Avery County Aug. 30. A weather-shortened game couldn’t slow the Pioneers down as they routed the Vikings, 56-7.

After holding Avery County scoreless in the opening drive, Watauga needed just five snaps to reach the end zone. That drive set the tone for the Pioneers, who scored on all but one of their eight possessions.

Maddox Greene was instrumental in Watauga’s blowout victory. The senior quarterback was responsible for five touchdowns, three of them coming via the Pioneers’ efficient pass game. After throwing an interception on his second pass of the night, Greene completed nine consecutive targets including scoring attempts of 35, 53 and 66 yards. 

Junior running back Everett Gryder had his best performance of the season as well. The top Watauga running back in 2023 tallied 89 yards on eight carries, breaking through the goal line twice — and that was before halftime, when the game was called because of lightning in the area. 

Senior Carson Gunnell-Beck punctuated Watauga’s victory with a 19-yard defensive touchdown with under a minute left in the first half. With Avery County quarterback Kaleb Liner lined up under center, Gunnell-Beck tore through the offensive line and snatched the ball before breaking a tackle and sprinting to the end zone.

Following halftime, a lightning delay led to a meeting between head coaches where the decision was made to end the game.

Watauga head coach Ryan Habich spoke on the contrast between his squad’s victory over Avery County and their much tighter win at TC Roberson Aug. 23.

“We worked a lot on the basics, the fundamentals on both sides of the ball,” Habich said. “[We] worked on the pass protection. Last week we did not do a very good job with our pass protection.”

While the decision to end the game at halftime was mutual between Watauga and Avery, Habich expressed disappointment for some of his younger players who missed an opportunity to get involved in the game.

“That’s the disappointing thing about when a game gets called at halftime,” Habich said. “We were gonna play a lot of kids, so I’m a little disappointed for them that they didn’t get in.”

Watauga’s away game at Avery County is their last road trip until early October. Habich shared his thoughts on what it means to the players to have a lengthy homestand against quality opponents.

“We’re excited about playing at Jack Groce [Stadium],” Habich said. “Our kids love representing our community at Jack Groce. I think if you look at our record over the 11 years I’ve been here, our teams have done a really good job playing at home. We play for more than just ourselves.”

Watauga begins their three-game homestand Sept. 6 against Maiden. The Pioneers will look to open their season 3-0 for the third straight season at 7:30p.m.