Category: High School

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a high school football game that all but defined the concept of “winning ugly.” After leading by 27 points at the end of the third quarter, Watauga let Alexander Central score three unanswered touchdowns in the final stanza, still slipping by the Cougars, 41-34.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

Even while playing a sloppy first half, the Pioneers seemed to be in control of the game, dominating in spite of lackluster execution. B-back Everett Gryder finished the game with 17 carries for 158 net yards rushing and quarterback Maddox Greene also surpassed the century mark rushing, carrying the ball 11 times for 113 net yards. Each player reached the end zone one time for a TD.

Greene did even more damage through the air, completing six of 11 passes for 109 yards and three TDs — to three different receivers: Jackson Pryor, Evan Burroughs, and Trathan Gragg.

After the game, Watauga head coach Ryan Habich was understandably none too happy about letting Alexander Central back in the game and threatening.

“We did not play well. We did not practice well (this week),” said Habich after a lengthy post-game locker room meeting with the players. “We are a young football team that thinks we are better than we are. We are listening to the noise. If we are serious about being a good football team, winning a conference championship, and having a good future in the playoffs, our players need to focus. They have to stop listening to people telling them how good they are and start executing. And it starts at practice.”

Asked to elaborate, Habich said, “If we played a really good football team and it came down to (what happened), I would be fine with it. But we aren’t doing the little things right even at practice. We have higher standards here at Watauga.”

Habich said the entire week of practice leading up to Friday night’s game was really unacceptable.

“I challenged the guys and said if we play (like we are practicing), then we ae going to lose. And we almost lost tonight to a team that I thought we were much better than them,” Habich said.

He repeated that the team’s focus, or lack of focus was the culprit in explaining poor performance.

“We aren’t blocking, we aren’t tackling, we aren’t doing the things we are supposed to do. We have been very successful the last 10 years, so we have high standards. You cannot control the outcomes, but you can control the process. I have been preaching that all along. If people are looking at outcomes and not talking about process, then we are not going to be a very good football team. We want to be a good football team here, but we have to start doing the right things at practice. Our younger kids, our older kids, too, we collectively have to do a better job if we want to be a championship team.”

Asked about his confidence that this would be a necessary wakeup call, Habich said, “It should be a wakeup call. It was a bad week of practice. There were a lot of things (contributing) to that. We had some coaches out. We had some injuries here and there. But those are not excuses. We simply did not play and execute. Tonight should have been a game where we won by a lot so we could get a lot of players in. We couldn’t do that. We had to play the starters the whole game because we were not executing. I am disappointed in how we as a team executed, but I don’t think we prepared well throughout the week.”

The Pioneers (7-0 overall, 2-0 in Northwestern Conference) will try to regain that focus in the coming week as they prepare to face 3A power Hibriten. The Panthers, a perennial 3A power, defeated another NWC and 3A power program, Freedom, on Sept. 29, 35-33, led by running back D K Mitchell.

Now 3-4 overall, 1-1 in Northwestern Conference play, Alexander Central will look to rebound on Oct. 13, at home vs. South Caldwell.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st	09:25	WATAUGA	Evan Burroughs 5 yd run (Jack Wilson kick)
			7 plays, 69 yards, TOP 2:35	0 – 7
	04:02	WATAUGA	Jackson Pryor 6 yd pass from Maddox Greene (Jack Wilson kick)
			6 plays, 44 yards, TOP 3:08	0 – 14
2nd	10:01	ACHS	Garison Millsaps 7 yd pass from Tanner Moore (Carson Davis kick)
			5 plays, 53 yards, TOP 2:06	7 – 14
	08:54	WATAUGA	Evan Burroughs 40 yd pass from Maddox Greene (Jack Wilson kick failed)
			3 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:06	7 – 20
	02:17	WATAUGA	Trathan Gragg 14 yd pass from Maddox Greene (Jack Wilson kick failed)
			8 plays, 77 yards, TOP 4:32	7 – 26
3rd	09:40	ACHS	Tanner Moore 1 yd run (Carson Davis kick)
			5 plays, 54 yards, TOP 2:18	14 – 26
	09:20	WATAUGA	Everett Gryder 28 yd run (Jackson Pryor pass from Maddox Greene)
			2 plays, 84 yards, TOP 0:18	14 – 34
	07:24	WATAUGA	Maddox Greene 11 yd run (Jack Wilson kick)
			3 plays, 11 yards, TOP 1:29	14 – 41
4th	11:52	ACHS	Tanner Moore 24 yd run (Carson Davis kick blockd)
			9 plays, 56 yards, TOP 3:33	20 – 41
	02:17	ACHS	Braydon Rowe 4 yd run (Carson Davis kick)
			12 plays, 70 yards, TOP 5:40	27 – 41
	00:20	ACHS	Jaheim Redmond 7 yd pass from Tanner Moore (Carson Davis kick)
			6 plays, 32 yards, TOP 0:58	34 – 41

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Total Offense: AC 323, WAT 411
• Net Yards Rushing: AC 178, WAT 302
• Net Yards Passing: AC 145, WAT 109
• Turnovers
  • Fumbles Lost: AC 0, WAT 1
  • Interceptons: AC 1, WAT 0
• Penalties (Yards): AC 5 (45), WAT 8 (60)
• Time of Possession: AC 26:04, WAT 21:56
• 3rd Down Conversions: AC 6-of-14, WAT 6-of-10
• 4th Down Conversions: AC 3-of-6, WAT 1-of-2

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• • AC – Tanner Moore: 8-20-145, 1 INT, 2 TDs, 0 sacks
  • WAT – Maddox Greene: 6-11-109, 3 TDs, 1 sack

Rushing

• • WAT – Everett Gryder: 17 carries, 158 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Maddox Greene: 11 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
  • AC – Tanner Moore: 15 carries, 92 yards, 2 TDs
  • AC – Braydon Rowe: 11 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
  • AC – Sawyer Chapman-Mays: 15 carries, 59 yards
  • WAT – Evan Burroughs: 3 carries, 13 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Morgan Henry: 2 carries, 15 yards

Receiving

• • AC – Jaheim Redmond: 3 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Evan Burroughs: 1 catch, 40 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Morgan Henry: 2 catcjes. 37 yards
  • AC – Jeremiah Whitaker: 2 catches, 26 yards
  • WAT – Jackson Pryor: 2 catches, 18 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT – Trathan Gragg: 1 catch, 14 yards, 1 TD
  • AC – Garison Millsaps: 2 catches, 14 yards, 1 TD
  • AC – Wade Queen, 1 catch, 27 yards

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — The four high school divisions of the Blue Ridge Mountain Rentals High Country Classic cross country meet on Sept. 20 saw strong Watauga performances, especially in the Varsity Men’s Division where Will Bradbury continued to set the pace for the Pioneers.

VARSITY MEN’S DIVISION

Watauga’s Will Bradbury finished No. 1 (16:44) and led a team of eight Pioneers finishing in the top 22 of 88 competing student athletes. A junior, Bradbury completed the 5,000 meters course 43 seconds ahead of the No. 2 finisher, Benjamin Notarangelo, of Rock Hill, S.C.’s Northwestern High School.

Watauga had a total of seven runners in the top 11, including sophomore Calvin Zwetsloot (No. 3), sophomore Elliott Taft (No. 4), sophomore Zeke Walker (No. 6), freshman Grady Gates (No. 7), junior Jonah Norris (No. 10) and senior Collin Anderson (No. 11).

TEAM SCORES

1. Watauga – 21
2. Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.) 57
3. Wilkes Central – 113
4. Forsyth Home Educators (Winston-Salem) – 140
5. North Carolina Leadership Academy (Kernersville, N.C.) -144
6. Providence Academy (Johnson City, Tenn.) – 155
7. Enka (Candler, N.C.) – 180
8. Liberty Prep Christian Academy (Mooresville, N.C.) – 203
9. Avery County – 204
10. McDowell (Marion, N.C.) – 268
11. Franklin School of Innovation (Asheville) – 307

VARSITY WOMEN’S DIVISION

With a young team that included a freshman, an 8th grader and a 7th grader in the top three positions, Lexington High School (Lexington, S.C.) ran away with the Varsity Women’s Division team title. The Wildcats dominated the top 10, including the the top six finishers. Freshman Kendra Miles completed the 5,000 meters course in 19:28.00, almost a full minute ahead of teammate Elanorah Patangan (8th grader), who crossed the finish line in 20:26.00. Just three seconds behind was 7th grade student athlete, Brooklynne Cox, in 20:29.00.

Watauga ended the meet as the No. 3 team out of the 10 teams competing. Sophomore Janie Beach-Verhay was the Pioneers’ top finisher at No. 9 among the event’s 79 participants, stopping the clock at 21:04.00. Other scorers for the Pioneer women included senior Rachel Cathey (No. 16), freshman Lainey Johnston (No. 18), junior Sadie Buchanan (No. 20), and freshman Maggie Visser (No. 23).

Other Watauga runners finishing in the top half of the field included Ellary Smith (No. 27), Mia Libre (No. 28), Elyse Rea (No. 31), and Julian Martin (No. 35).

Team Scores

1. Lexington (Lexington, S.C.) – 15
2. Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.) – 53
3. Watauga – 82
4. Providence Academy (Johnson City, Tenn.) – 153
5. Wilkes Central -159
6. Enka (Candler, N.C.)
7. Liberty Prep Christian Academy (Mooresville, N.C.) – 215
8. Forsyth Home Educators (Winston-Salem, N.C.) – 216
9. North Carolina Leadership Academy (Kernersville, N.C.) – 243
10. Avery County – 254

JV MEN’S DIVISION

Watauga showed off its roster depth in the JV Men’s Division, with nine of the top 13 finishers, including a sweep of the top four in a competition featuring 62 student athletes from seven schools. Levi Anderson finished No. 1, followed by Davis Crymes No.2, Silas Powell No. 3, Cameron Nance No. 4, A J McAulay No. 6, Brian Newmark No. 9, Miles Page No. 10, Santino Wood No. 11, and Holden Womak No. 13.

JV WOMEN’S DIVISION

East Mecklenburg sophomore Hadley Kolodziey finished the 5,000 meters course 90 seconds ahead of teammate Megan Palmer to take No. 1 and No. 2 in the race that saw 58 student athletes competing.

Watauga’s Sophia McEvoy was the Pioneers top finisher, at No. 7. Other Pioneer finishers in the top 20 included Scarlett Rupp at No. 15, Hadley Carpenter at No. 17, Kara Schneider No. 18, Madden Maple No. 19, and Anna Norris No. 20.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Whether college or high school, “Homecoming” is always that much better when ye ol’ alma mater prevails with a big win in a fierce rivalry game. So Watauga’s 49-7 dismantling of South Caldwell on Sept. 29 at Jack Groce Stadium will be long remembered by the students and alumni packing the home grandstands.

After Watauga’s sophomore defensive back Evan Burroughs intercepted the Spartans’ Luke Williams pass on just the third play from scrimmage, there was a ripple of hope through the home grandstands that this game would be special. Although Burroughs’ interception return for a touchdown was called back due to a penalty, Watauga had the ball with good field position, near midfield. It was an opening reversal of fortune.

And the Pioneer faithful didn’t have to wait long for the rout to commence. It took only three plays — slashing runs by running back Everett Gryder and quarterback Maddox Greene — for Watauga to get in the end zone, punctuated by Greene’s 21-yard TD run. With Jack Wilson’s PAT kick, September’s full moon rising shone brightly on the Pioneers.

It was a high school football game with just about everything long. Long passes completed for TDs, as well as long passes falling incomplete just over the fingertips of the intended receiver.

There were  LONG touchdown runs by two different Pioneers, each passing the century mark in yards, rushing, for the game. Everett Gryder ran 14 times for 166 yards and two TDs, his longest a 91-yard smash-and-sprint. Teammate Burroughs rushed just twice — for 102 yards, his longest an 83-yard TD scamper.

This game even had a LONG onside kick, Burroughs recovering for the Pioneers at the Spartan 39 when the South Caldwell special teams unit fell asleep on the kickoff.

Except for the fact that Burroughs is only a sophomore and has two and half seasons ahead of him in his high school football career, Homecoming 2023 against South Caldwell could well have been a “career game” for the young athlete. A pass interception, an 83-yard TD run, 102 total yards rushing, a 41-yard pass reception, and a deep onside kick recovery that should well be reclassified as a “heads up” play because the onside kick was unintentional, head coach Ryan Habich admitted after the game. What will you do next, Mr. Burroughs?

Did we say that this game had just about everything? Senior wide receiver Jackson Pryor received a lateral and turned it into a 37-yard TD run. He also had three pass receptions, two for TDs.

there is smart… and then there is football smart.

And this Homecoming game had pageantry in abundance. After their march down and through the stadium grandstands before kickoff, the Pioneers exploded onto the playing field through not just a banner, but a billowing cloud of manufactured smoke. There were the rousing introductions of the Homecoming court at halftime, each prince and princess greeted by lusty, enthusiastic cheers for their classmates from the student section.

Then, of course, there was the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen, both multi-sport stars and top students in Eli Greene and Olivia Burroughs. The look on Greene’s face upon hearing the announcement was worth any waiting.

But the pageantry was not done. The Pacers dance team performed a “high kicks” routine worthy of the Carolina Snowbelles, if not Radio City Music Hall’s Rockettes. Then the marching band’s rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” closed the halftime celebrations.

our defensive guys were flying around tonight.

Was there a second half of football? Of course there was, but when the Pioneers recovered a South Caldwell fumble and Gryder ground out six successive rushes for a total of 24 yards, Greene hit Pryor for the senior’s second TD reception and the mercy rule was on: a running clock.

Habich told reporters later that one of the best things about a lopsided win is that a lot of players see action, which helps the coaching staff develop roster depth at every position.

“That roster depth will be important as we get further into our conference schedule and, hopefully, into the playoffs,” said Habich.

At quarterback, Watauga saw both Matthew Habich and Cade Keller enter the game in relief of Greene, allowing the Pioneer coaches to “see tape” on them. Same at running back, where young speedsters Matthew Leon and Nyle Peays received some opportunities to tote the pigskin.

Critical to Watauga’s Homecoming success was the play of its defensive and special teams units.

“Our defensive guys were flying around the field tonight,” said linebacker and tight end Trathan Gragg after the game. “South Caldwell came out trying to fire on us, tonight. They were trying to do some mis-directions, trying to get us to look the wrong way. But we read our keys correctly and the our guys did a great job. We missed a few tackles, but overall it was a good job by our defense. We’ll work on some things and next week be much more ready to tackle Alexander Central.”

What has become a trademark of Watauga’s special teams performance this season has been its short kickoffs, which don’t lend themselves to the potential long kickoff returns by oftentimes bigger, even more athletic opponents.

“Until we can kick the ball into and beyond the end zone,” said Habich, “we will kick short.”

While with short kickoffs you risk giving your opponent good field position to start their offensive possessions the upside is the potential of a long onside kick recovery, such as manufactured by Burroughs, even if not really an intentional onside kick.

Other Coach Habich soundbites:

• “We got up on them. Our defense made big plays early. We scored big plays right before half.”
• “Our second half wasn’t clean but we got a lot of people in the game and show what they can do on film.”
• “There were some penalties, blown coverages, missed tackles… We have to tighten those tings up.”
• “I liked the way we came out and played at the level we wanted to play at, not at the level of the other team. That’s a challenge every week.”
• “We haven’t played at home for a month, so it is great for us to be back here at Jack Groce Stadium. This is a new season, in conference. We have to win each rung of the ladder. We took care of South Caldwell, now our focus is on Alexander Central.”
• “We didn’t do a very good job tackling their running back, who is a good player. We tackled high. He picked up a lot of yardage their first three games then sat out the next two games, getting healthy. We didn’t do a very good job tackling him and have to improve on that.”
• “Evan Burroughs is a very dynamic player. He is still a young player, only a sophomore. We have to keep going in the right direction, mentally. He could be a very good player for us as we go through conference, go against better competition, and hopefully make the playoffs. But we something we saw last year is Evan is a dynamic player. He is a threat running the football. He is a threat catching the football. We have to make sure he is mentally ready to play varsity against really good competition. If he is, he can be a bigtime threat for us that adds to our others, lack Jackson Pryor, Everett Gryder and Maddox Greene.”
• “We have a base offense every year that is geared toward our personnel. Last year we were more geared toward our running backs. This year we have some guys with speed who can catch the ball really well, like Jackson Pryor, Morgan Henry, Evan Burroughs, Trathan Gragg, all of whom can get out into space. So we can throw the football now in bigtime situations. Plus, this is the third year for Maddox (Greene) throwing the football, so he make good reads. Plus, one of the things we want to do is get the ball out into the perimeter because it opens up our inside run game. If we can run inside and pass the ball, it just makes us better against good competition.”
• “Trathan Gragg is emerging as one of our defensive leaders. There is smart, and then there is football smart. Trathan Gragg is both. He picks things up quickly.”

Watauga stays at home next week, Oct. 6, to host Alexander Central, the other 4A member of the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., at Jack Groce Stadium.

RELATED STORIES

• RELIVING Friday Night Lights: Watauga vs. South Caldwell

By Zach Smith for High Country Sports. BOONE, N.C. – Friday night lights returned to Watauga High this week as the Pioneers continued to roll through their opponents, this time defeating South Caldwell, 49-7.

Entering the contest, Watauga had won three of their previous five games by at least three scores, earning a No. 11 ranking out of all 4A schools in the state via MaxPreps. South Caldwell, on the other hand, took the trip to Boone having lost their last two matchups.
Evan Burroughs had a career game Friday, placing himself all over the stat sheet. The sophomore two-way star recorded an interception, 84-yard touchdown rush and an onside kick recovery, although according to head coach Ryan Habich, the recovery was unintentional.

“We don’t kick the ball that deep because we’re not getting the ball in the endzone,” Habich said. “So we place where we kick the ball.”

Watauga, this year, is known for short kickoffs to prevent long returns. In cases like this week, those kicks can be recovered by the Pioneers, who controlled two kickoffs just before halftime.

The Watauga offensive line dominated the Spartan defense, opening holes that led to two long touchdowns in the first half. Sophomore Everett Gryder was responsible for one of those, a 91-yard foot race down the right sideline. Gryder carried for nearly 170 yards in the game, pushing his season total to over 700.

The rest of the Pioneer offense continued to perform as well, earning a running game clock for the third time this season. Because of their 42-point lead, Watauga was able to give more players time on the field, something Habich is hoping will give his key backup players enough playing time to be prepared in case their numbers are ever called.

“We got a lot of people in the game to see what they can do,” Habich said. “We’re still in the process of creating some depth within our football team, so we got a lot of guys in so they can show what they can do on film.”

Habich also spoke on what Burroughs means to the team going forward and how to keep him on track in his playing career.

“Evan [Burroughs] is a very dynamic player, he’s still a young player,” Habich said. “So, the challenge with Evan is making sure he’s going in the right direction mentally. He could be a very good player for us and we’re going to need Evan to be a very good player for us as we keep going through conference and playing better competition.”

Watauga’s offense kept their impressive run going, improving their scoring average to 42.3 points per game on the 2023 campaign. The defense continued to show out as well, holding their opponent to 14 or less points for the fourth time this season.

The Pioneers are home again next week for a matchup against Alexander Central. Kickoff will be at 7:30p.m. and can be streamed on the NFHS Network.

By Zach Smith for High Country Sports. BOONE, N.C. — It proved to be another runaway win for Watauga, this time making victims out of the South Caldwell Spartans. Here are our pre-game notes and play-by-play.

PREGAME NOTES

• Watauga (5-0) takes on South Caldwell (3-2) at home in the;ir first Northwestern Conference game of the 2023 season.
• Watauga offense is averaging 41.4 points/game
• South Caldwell has not played in a game decided by three or fewer scores
• Teams meet annually in 3A/4A Northwestern Conference play
  • South Caldwell has not beaten Watauga since 2015
  • South Caldwell and Watauga are the two, longest-tenured members of the Northwestern Conference with 4A classification. The only other current member with a 4A classification is Alexander Central.
• The March 29 pairing is “Homecoming” for Watauga at Jack Groce Stadium

Watauga Team Leaders in Non-Conference Play

• QB/DB #4 Maddox Greene (Jr)
• TE/LB #9 Jackson Pryor (Sr)
• RB #44 Everett Gryder (So)
• LB #6 Trathan Gragg (Jr)
• WB/DB #12 Evan Burroughs (So)

South Caldwell Team Leaders in Non-Conference Play

• QB #2 Luke Williams (So)
• RB/FS #12 Suan Moore (Sr)
• FS/RB #22 Sylas Scruggs

PLAY BY PLAY

1st Quarter

• SC wins toss, elects to receive opening kickoff
• SC ball at their own 28
  • Suan Moore carries left for 9 yards
  • Moore tackled for loss of 1 yard

• PENALTY: False start against South Caldwell, 3rd and 7 at SC 31

• TURNOVER! Luke Williams pass intercepted by Evan Burroughs

• Block in the back against Watauga, 1st and 10 at SC 48

 

• Watauga ball at SC 48
  • Everett Gryder carries up the middle for 4 yards

• PENALTY: Offsides against SC, 2nd and 1 and SC 39

• • Gryder carries up the middle for 18 yards

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #4 Maddox Greene 21-yard rush (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

South Caldwell 0 Watauga 7

• SC ball at their own 33
  • SC fumbles the snap, recovered by the offense for loss of 2 yards
• PENALTY: False start against SC, 2nd and 17 at SC 26

• Williams pass complete right to JP Smith for 10 yards
• Williams pass complete left to Bryce Johnston for 6 yards
• Moore carries left for no gain
• Turnover on downs

• Watauga ball at SC 42
  • Greene pass incomplete
  • Gryder carries right for 12 yards
  • Greene carries up the middle for 21 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 8 yards

• TOUHCDOWN WATAUGA

• • #44 Everett Gryder 1-yard rush (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

South Caldwell 0 Watauga 14

• SC ball at their own 33
  • Sylas Scruggs carries for no gain
  • Moore carries left for 15 yards
  • Williams pass complete right to Carter McGhinnis

• PENALTY: Holding against Watauga, 1st and 10 at Watauga 35

• • Scruggs carries up the middle for 7 yards

• PENALTY: Illegal procedure against SC, 2nd and 8 at Watauga 33

• • Scruggs carries for no gain

• PENALTY: False start against SC, 3rd and 13 at Watauga 38

• • Williams sacked for loss of 9 yards
    • Trathan Gragg with the sack
  • SC punts
• Watauga ball at their own 15
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 3 yards

2nd Quarter

• Watauga ball, 2nd and 7 at their own 17

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #12 Evan Burroughs 83-yard rush (1)

• PENALTY: Unsportsmanlike conduct against Watauga, penalty assessed on kickoff

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

South Caldwell 0 Watauga 21

• SC ball at their own 43
  • Scruggs carries up the middle for 12 yards
  • Scruggs carries up the middle for 3 yards
  • Moore carries right for 11 yards
  • Scruggs carries up the middle for 2 yards
  • Williams carries up the middle for 20 yards

• PENALTY: Holding against SC, 1st and Goal at Watauga 19

• • Williams pass incomplete

• PENALTY: Offsetting penalties, replay 2nd down

• • Moore carries left for 9 yards
  • Moore carries left for 5 yards
  • Timeout SC (1)
  • Timeout Watauga (1)
  • Moore carries left for 1 yard
• Turnover on downs

• Watauga ball at their own 4
  • Gryder carries right for 5 yards

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #44 Everett Gryder 91-yard rush (2)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

South Caldwell 0 Watauga 28

• SC ball at their own 43
  • Moore pass complete right to McGhinnis for 29 yards
  • Williams pass incomplete
  • Moore carries left for 9 yards
  • Landon Borders carries up the middle for 5 yards
  • Williams carries right for 2 yards
  • Moore carries for no gain

• PENALTY: Pass interference against Watauga, 1st and goal at Watauga 6

• • Borders carries left for 5 yards
  • Timeout Watauga (2)

• TOUCHDOWN SOUTH CALDWELL

• • #2 Luke Williams 1-yard rush (1)

• • #23 Eli Speagle PAT is good

South Caldwell 7 Watauga 28

• Watauga ball at their own 24
  • Greene pass complete right to Jackson Pryor for 11 yards
  • Greene pass complete right to Burroughs for 41 yards
  • Greene pass incomplete

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #4 Maddox Greene 24-yard pass (1) to #9 Jackson Pryor (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

South Caldwell 7 Watauga 35

• DEEP ONSIDE KICK: Watauga kickoff recovered by Burroughs
• Watauga ball at SC 39
  • Greene pass complete left to Matthew Habich for loss of 2 yards
  • Timeout Watauga (3)
  • Greene pass incomplete

• PENALTY: Delay of game against Watauga, 3rd and 16 at SC 41

• • Greene pass incomplete

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #9 Jackson Pryor 41-yard rush (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

South Caldwell 7 Watauga 42

• ONSIDE KICK: recovered by Watauga
  • Watauga ball at their own 49
  • Greene takes a knee

HALFTIME NOTES

Watauga 

• #4 Maddox Greene is 4-of-8 passing for 74 yards and 1 TD; 2 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD

• #9 Jackson Pryor has 2 pass receptions for 35 yards and 1 TD; 1 carry for 41 yards and a TD
• #44 Everett Gryder has 8 carries for 142 yards (17.8 avg.), 2 TDs

3rd Quarter

• ONSIDE KICK: recovered by SC

• SC ball at Watauga 49
  • Moore carries left for loss of 1 yard
    • Gragg with the TFL
  • Williams carries left for 4 yards
  • Moore carries for no gain
  • Moore carries left for 1 yard
• Turnover on downs
• Watauga ball at their own 45
  • Burroughs carries left for 26 yards
  • Greene pass incomplete
  • Greene tackled for loss of 2 yards
  • Greene pass complete right to Gragg for 8 yards
  • Timeout Watauga (1)
  • Greene pass incomplete
• Turnover on downs

• SC ball at their own 23

• TURNOVER: Williams fumbles, recovered by Watauga’s Gragg

 

• Watauga ball at SC 38
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 2 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 4 yards
  • Gryder carries right for 8 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 4 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 3 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 3 yards

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #4 Maddox Greene 14-yard pass (2) to #9 Jackson Pryor (2)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

South Caldwell 7 Watauga 49

MERCY RULE TRIGGERED (lead by 42 points in 2nd half): Running clock for remainder of game

• SC ball at their own 40
  • Scruggs carries up the middle for 4 yards
  • Scruggs tackled for loss of 4 yards
    • Carson Gunnell-Beck with the TFL
  • Williams carries left for 3 yards
  • Williams pass incomplete
• Turnover on downs

• Watauga ball at SC 43
  • Timeout Watauga (2)
  • Habich carries right for 17 yards

• PENALTY: Offsides against SC, 1st and 5 on SC 21
  • Habich pass incomplete

4th Quarter

• Watauga ball, 2nd 5 at SC 21
  • Matthew Leon carries up the middle for 11 yards

• PENALTY: Holding against Watauga, 1st and Goal at SC 20

• • Habich pass incomplete

• PENALTY: Delay of game against Watauga, 2nd and Goal at SC 25

• • Leon carries up the middle for 4 yards
  • Leon carries left for 10 yards

• TURNOVER! Habich pass intercepted

 

• SC ball at their own 4
  • Zack Freeman carries right for 5 yards
  • McGhinnis pass complete right for 10 yards
  • McGhinnis pass incomplete
  • McGhinnis pass incomplete
  • McGhinnis pass incomplete
  • SC punts
• Watauga ball at their own 35
  • Nyle Peays carries up the middle for 8 yards
  • Peays carries left for 5 yards
  • Cade Keller pass complete right to Landon smith for 9 yards
• TURNOVER! Keller pass intercepted

FINAL SCORE: Watauga 49, South Caldwell 7

Watauga Noteables

• #4 Maddox Greene

• • • Rushing: 6/12, 96 yds, 2 TD

• #9 Jackson Pryor

• • • Receiving: 3 rec., 49 yds, 2 TD

• #44 Everett Gryder

• • • Rushing: 14 car., 166 yds, 11.9 avg, 2 TD

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — For high school volleyball enthusiasts, it doesn’t get much better than the edge-of-your-seat, white knuckle, 5-set thrill-a-minute contest between Watauga and Ashe County on Sept. 27 in Lentz Eggers Gym. The Pioneers survived a vigorous Huskies challenge, 3-2 (19-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-27, 15-9).

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

After surrendering a four-point lead — twice — and eventually falling to Ashe County in the first set, Watauga struck back to win the next two frames before the Huskies forced an overtime win in the fourth stanza. Then, the Pioneers seemed to regain control of things in the No. 5 tiebreaker.

In almost every athletic endeavor, especially team sports, good defense often turns into good offense — and at times spectacular defensive efforts by the Pioneers were the difference makers in this High Country rivalry matchup. Watauga senior outside hitter Brooklyn Stanbery, herself an accomplished power hitter, told High Country Sports after the match the team knew they had their work cut out for them in countering the Huskies’ outside hitter, Paige Overcash.

“Our coaches worked with us a lot the last couple of days on blocking,” said Stanbery, “because we know what Overcash can do. Tonight, that work paid off.”

Indeed it did. Sophomore middle hitter Kora Knight recorded an astonishing 10 stuff blocks, but she was not alone in defending at the net. Senior middle hitters Kate McCullough and Sara Marlowe added six and five stuff blocks, respectively, while junior middle hitter Grace Twillery contributed four. Outside hitters Stanbery and sophomore Emma Pastusic each added two stuff blocks to round out how the Pioneers countered the Husky attack at the net.

Not everything was stopped at the net, however. Many of Overcash & Co.’s power kill shots got through the front line defense, with many kept in play by digs in the back row. Senior libero Evie Robbins recorded close to a single game record with 39 digs, but she was far from alone on this day with Stanbery (15 digs), Madi Combs (13), Pastusic (8), Marlowe (8), Madi Combs (7), Lainey Gragg (7), Olivia Kop (5), Twillery (3), Kasey Gragg (2), and McCullough (1) also contributing digs during their respective turns in the back row.

An important part of the “dig” is where the defender is able to place the ball while keeping it in play. Several of the Pioneers, especially Robbins and Combs, were adept at this skill, the importance of which was noted by head coach Kim Pryor after the match.

“When you have a power hitter like Overcash, oftentimes when those kill shots are dug out to keep the ball alive the hitter’s teammates have relaxed, thinking the point is over with the kill shot, that we are not going to get the ball,” said Pryor. “When our back row libero or defensive specialist can get very usable ball in play and a setter can move the ball back across the court for our own outside hittler, the impact can be very effective because the other team’s defenders may have shifted out of position or are slower in getting to where they need to be.”

On the attacking side of things, Watauga’s Combs had 32 assists, while Lainey Gragg had 19 assists. Those sets allowed Stanbery to ring up 27 kills, Pastusic 26 kills.

Ashe County was also caught off balance by 16 service aces by four Pioneers across the five sets, including Combs (7 service aces), Lainey Gragg (5) Stanbery (2) and Marlowe (2).

“This was exactly what we expected,” noted Pryor after the match. “Ashe County was strong last year and we expected them to be strong again. I knew it would be a fight. You hope to have games like this throughout your season. Every time, it makes you better. The cool thing is having player after player stepping into roles that (we, as coaches) are asking them to do and they get the job done.

 

“Paige Overcash is an amazing player,” said Pryor, “and, really, both sides of their offense are good. Both of these teams play relentless defense and it just makes it that much more fun. Our blocks came on, especially, in the middle and toward the end of the match.”

Pryor was also appreciative of the support shown on this night for high school women’s volleyball.

“We have the best fans,” Pryor said, “and we have a great friendly rivalry with Ashe County. To fill our gym like this for volleyball, it is really amazing.”

The Pioneers (13-2 overall, 5-0 NWC) will continue Northwestern Conference play at South Caldwell on Oct. 2. Ashe County (12-3, 4-1) will look to stay in contention for a conference championship on the same day, hosting Alexander Central (3-12, 2-3). The Pioneers and Huskies will meet again on Oct. 16, the last match of the regular season.

For the Sept. 27 contest, Lentz Eggers Gym was nearly full, which added to the energy in the building.

The junior varsity contest was similarly hotly contested, with the Pioneers recording a close, 2-0 win (26-24, 25-23). Team leaders included Gracyn Blanton, with 13 kills; Ava Zaragoza and Lilli Combs with 10 and 9 assists, respectively; and Bella Wade, with 10 digs.

The Watauga Blue JV team also won, 2-0, to complete the Pioneer sweep.

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A tight, hard-fought loss at No. 1 singles was the only blemish to the Watauga women’s tennis team’s match vs. Hibriten on Sept. 27. Pioneer freshman Addison Cohen pushed her No. 1 counterpart, Panthers senior Natalie Jones, to overtime in both sets losing 6-7 (3-7), 5-7.

The team win pushes the Pioneers’ dual meet record to 12-0 overall, 8-0 in Northwestern Conference on the 2023 season, their first campaign under the mentorship of new head coach Phoebe Boeschen.

 

At No. 2 singles, Watauga sophomore Larson Berry swept by Hibriten senior Paige Grimbeek, 6-3, 6-2, with far less trouble than when the two met on Sept. 11 in Lenoir when Berry won, 2-0, but had to survive a first set score of 7-6 (7-2) before coasting to 6-2 in the second set. Berry is 10-0 so far this season in representing Watauga at No. 2 singles.

At No. 3 singles, another Pioneer sophomore, Kennedy Moore, polished off Hibriten’s Ella Taylor, 6-2, 6-2. For the season, Moore is 10-0 at the No. 2 singles position, 11-1 at No. 2 doubles.

Yet another sophomore on Watauga’s young squad of netters, Fiona Russell dispatched Hibriten senior Maddy Reid, 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 4 singles pairing. Russell is 10-0 at No. 4 singles in 2023, 9-1 in playing for the Pioneers at No. 2 doubles.

One of the few seniors representing Watauga in 2023, Abbi Shuman continued to hit her stride in defeating Hibriten’s Tehya Bley, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 5 singles. Like a lot of her teammates, Shuman is 10-0 at No. 5 singles this season, 12-0 at No. 3 doubles.

A junior, Watauga’s Hatherly Armfield had only a little trouble in disposing of Hibriten sophomore Ally Walker, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 6 singles. Armfield is now 8-2 on the season at No. 6 singles, 10-0 at No. 3 doubles.

The Pioneers also had an unblemished record in the three doubles matches.

• Cohen and Berry teamed up to beat Jones and Taylor at No. 1 doubles, 8-3.
• Moore and Russell combined to take an 8-4 victory over Grimbeek and Reid.
• And the Shuman-Armfield duo got by Bley and Hibriten senior Emma Brown, 8-3.

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Spreading around the attacking opportunities among 10 Pioneers who took shots on goal, host Watauga junior varsity men’s soccer dominated Alexander Central’s JVs on Sept. 25, 4-0, at Jack Groce Stadium.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

Each of Watauga’s four successful shot attempts were by four different players, including freshman midfielder Miller Hankins, sophomore wing Shiris Kandel, sophomore forward Marcelino Cuz Caal, and sophomore forward Lucas Hamilton.

By most estimates, Watauga controlled possession more than 80 percent of the time during the match, the Cougars getting the ball meaningfully into Pioneer territory only four or fives and rarely threatening. Altogether, Watauga took 16 shots on goal and handled five corner kicks. Freshman goalkeeper Rush Brasier recorded just one save in shutting out the Cougars.

Those Pioneers crafting shots on goal included freshman defender Gabe Madritch (1 shot on goal), Hankins (1), midfield David Ganley (1) Kandel (2), midfielder Noah Bauler (4), Cuz Caal (4), Hamilton (1), wing Elijah Cain (1), forward Tegan Martinez (3), and forward Asher Hampton (3).

“We controlled possession nearly the entire game,” said Watauga junior varsity head coach Vern Collins. “They might have gotten the ball into our defending third, three or four times. This allowed us to try out different attacking formations, which allows our players a chance to grow in the game and prepares us for situations we might encounter. For instance, if we find ourselves down a little bit and need to score, we have a formation that puts more numbers in the attack.”

In addressing a previous area of vulnerability, “finishing,” Collins said the team is getting better, but…

“We had so many shots tonight,” said Collins. “We are getting better at putting them on frame, but far too many were going straight at the goalkeeper. We have to get better.”

Along with the Pioneer varsity, the Watauga JVs (8-2-1) will have an opportunity to improve on their skills Sept. 27, 4:30 p.m., at undefeated Hibriten (11-0-1).

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Even with one leg stuck in a proverbial bucket of cement for more than three quarters of regulation time, Watauga Men’s Soccer battled valiantly to push the Pioneers’ Northwestern Conference match vs. Alexander Central to overtime before succumbing, 4-3, on Sept. 25 at Jack Groce Stadium.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click on any image for slideshow mode)

All photographic images by David Rogers

It was a challenging night for the Pioneers, to be sure. They had to play a man down after a controversial “red card” was shown to backline defender Riley Cook early in the first half. The referee initially showed a yellow card but after conferring with a sideline official changed his call to a red card. The officials explained to High Country Sports at halftime, that the card was awarded for “denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity.” They clarified that when a defending player effectively “takes out” an attacking player when the only other defender is the goalkeeper, the rule (Law 12) applies.

After the game, Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt acknowledged the rule, but insisted that it was wrongfully applied in this instance.

“I’m not sure it was an obvious goal-scoring opportunity because nobody had possession of the ball, yet,” said Honeycutt. “I see the argument. I get it, but I think the referee in the middle called it right (the first time). He gave the yellow not knowing whether it was an obvious goal-scoring opportunity or just a loose ball. The side ref overruled him and said she had a better view. He changed his mind (in awarding the red card). I completely disagree.”

Because this proved to be the critical turning point in the match, High Country Sports needed to know more. Quick research led to looking up Law 12 online at U.S. Soccer and its related website, SoccerRefereeUSA.com.  Our review suggests that the rule may have been misapplied for other reasons, too. Honeycutt may have a legitimate criticism.

As explained by SoccerRefereeUSA:

In order for a player to be sent off for denying an “obvious goal-scoring opportunity,” (all) four elements must be present:

• • Number of Defenders — not more than one defender between the foul and the goal, not counting the defender who committed the foul 
    • AUTHOR’S NOTE: This element appeared to be true.
  • Distance to goal — the closer the foul is to the goal, the more likely it is an obvious goalscoring opportunity
    • AUTHOR’S NOTE: The alleged foul occurred roughly halfway from the nearest goal post to the sideline, an estimated 20-30 yards into the field of play (well outside the penalty box). It is a judgment call as to whether the “distance to goal” element was present. Watauga would argue that it occurred too far away from the goal to be fairly applied, Alexander Central would likely say it was close enough.
  • Distance to ball — the attacker must have been close enough to the ball at the time of the foul to have continued playing the ball.
    • AUTHOR’S NOTE: It appeared the attacker and the defender were both in pursuit of the ball, shoulder to shoulder, with neither having yet gained possession.
  • Direction of play — the attacker must have been moving toward the goal at the time the foul was committed.
    • AUTHOR’S NOTE: The players were pursuing the ball straight downfield, not yet angling toward the goal, directly, from this reporter’s view.
  • If any element is missing, there can be no send off for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Further, the presence of each of these elements must be “obvious” in order for the send off to be appropriate under this provision of Law 12. (emphasis added)
    • AUTHOR’S NOTE: Given that not all of the four elements were obviously present, we would contend that Law 12, in this case, was inappropriately applied. In our interview with the officials at halftime, they acknowledged that the foul was not vicious or flagrant, just that the goal-scoring opportunity had been denied with only the goalkeeper available to defend a scoring opportunity taken. 

In filing our report on this game, we have spent extra time in discussing Law 12 and its application because it was a critical turning point in this key Northwestern Conference matchup between two conference championship contenders, with a lot on the line. Our analysis will not change the outcome, but as a result of the red card Watauga was forced to play almost the full match a man down and had to make changes to its defensive formation as well as to the team’s attacking strategy in order to try and manage or counter the Cougars’ extra man advantage — whether or not Law 12 was applied appropriately.

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Here is an interesting sequence of images, showing a dramatic defensive stop by Alexander Central, from Watauga’s shot by Jossue Galan to AC defender Christian Arroyo’s clearing save as the ball is about to enter the goal.

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With the advantage in numbers, Alexander Central scored two more goals in the first half, taking a 2-1 lead into intermission. Thanks to a brilliant, powerful goal by the Pioneers’ midfielder Thomas Moss late in the second half to make the score 2-2, the game was forced into overtime: two, 10-minute halves. From his midfielder position, Moss stormed into a melee some 20 yards out from the goal and ripped the shot past the goalkeeper’s right side.

On a cross off the foot of Ben Myers, Lade Oguntoyinbo laced a go-ahead goal from the left front of the net to put the shorthanded Pioneers up, 3-2, but the Cougars manufactured a couple of goals in each overtime period and played steady defense the rest of the way to craft the 4-3  win. To his credit, the Alexander Central goalkeeper Ethan Holdren had to fashion some spectacular saves to preserve the Cougars’ win.

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Another interesting sequence, involving Thomas Moss (19)… Sliding tackle by AC defender Eli Kerley — or tripping foul?

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One aspect of playing a man down are the likely increased shot opportunities by the opponent, in this case Alexander Central. While allowing four goals, the Pioneers’ senior goalkeeper Kyle Painter tallied 20 saves on the night, facing a barrage of shots by the Cougars.

Soundbites from post-game interview with head coach Josh Honeycutt:

• “I told everyone, especially the midfielders, after we went a man down that it was going to take everything they have. It was going to take a lot of work. That’s why we (stress) fitness. That is why we put in the work at practice. We want our fitness to be at a high level so that no matter what situation we are in we are able to compete… All of our guys put in an unbelievable effort.”
• “I am tired of poor officiating. I really wish we could get some officials who could keep control of the game and call it both ways. They scored a goal off of a deflection when the guy was offsides, but the official took our goal away (under the exact same circumstances). There is no consistency… If one is a goal, the other one is a goal. You have to be consistent.”
• “Like South Caldwell, Alexander Central is much improved. It is a much better conference now, which is a great thing for our sport. We are competing at a much higher level with our conference schools. We may not have given Alexander Central our best tonight, especially being a man down early in the game, but I give them and their coaches credit for putting together a solid team.”
• “Thomas Moss is a phenomenal player and he brings a lot of energy all the time. Some of the guys do, some of the guys don’t and that is frustrating for me because that is what our program is about: energy and effort. Thomas has one of those motors that there is no question when you get him on the field. It is all the energy. He’s getting in on tackles. He is winning the extra balls. He is doing the extra things that make a big difference.”
• “Being down a man, we had to figure out a way to create some more opportunities. Instead of having Mike and Curtis as our outside midfielders, we pulled them back and told them they must defend, but they also had to get forward to give us numbers (in attacking situations) I felt like it worked.”

Next up for the Pioneers is a road game matchup at Hibriten. With the loss, Watauga falls to 1-1 in Northwestern Conference play, 3-9-1 overall, counting an intentionally rigorous non-conference schedule.

BONUS PHOTOS (click on any image for slideshow mode)

RELATED LINKS

• U.S. Soccer Referees