By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Having just started Northwestern Conference volleyball play where the Watauga has a so far unblemished, 3-0 record, the Pioneers hosted two more strong, non-conference opponents on Sept. 23. Call it a “north” day in Lentz Eggers Gym.
BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)
All photographic image by David Rogers, High Country Sports
Western Foothills 3A Conference powerhouse North Iredell was 8-0 in conference and 13-1 overall going into the morning battle vs. Watauga. The Raiders lived up to their record, sweeping the Pioneers, 3-0. Not to take anything away from North Iredell, but the match was closer than a sweep usually reflects: 25-19, 25-16, 28-26, with lengthy rallies, thunderous kill shots, and spectacular digs to keep the ball in play.
Defensively, the teams were evenly matched but the Raiders’ offensive attack seemed to take the Pioneers out of system, many of their sets and attack opportunities coming somewhat off balance.
In an early afternoon tilt against North Henderson, Watauga rallied to win, 3-2 (20-25, 25-23,25-14, 15-25,15-9. Against the Knights, Brooklyn Stanbery and Emma Pastusic forged 29 and 22 kills, respectively. Setting up the offensive attack, Madi Combs and Lainey Gragg did yeoman’s work with 28 and 22 assists, respectively. Defensively, Evie Robbins had 36 digs, Standbery 17 digs, and Olivia Kop 15 digs, while Grace Twillery and Kora Knight showcased their defensive skills with four and three stuff blocks, respectively.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A dink here, a doink there… In many respects, Watauga Soccer’s 2-1 win over South Caldwell in the teams’ 2023 Northwestern Conference league opener could have gone either way. Although one team had to walk away the winner, the other in defeat, it was as entertaining of a high school soccer match as can be.
BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM (click on any image for slideshow mode)
With just over a minute to go in the first half, the Pioneers’ senior striker Omolade Oguntoyinbo came down the right side on a breakaway sprint, a Spartan defender pressuring from behind. Closing in on the penalty box, the action drew the South Caldwell goalkeeper out, away from the net in hopes of smothering the attack, but Oguntoyinbo lofted a shot over the goalkeeper’s desperate hands, the ball bounding into the left side of the net. The Pioneer goal broke what had been a hard-fought, scoreless tie to that point.
Watauga seemed to control possession for much of the game but the Spartans fought back to score their own goal on a header past Pioneer goalkeeper Kyle Painter, who had several difficult, if not spectacular saves over the course of the evening.
Early in the second half, Watauga’s Ben Myers slipped the ball past the South Caldwell goalkeeper for the Pioneers’ second tally — and what proved to be the match’s difference maker. Jossue Galan Alcaraz was credited with the assist.
At time, the Pioneers seemed to pass up clear shot opportunities from inside the penalty box, choosing instead to continue working the ball closer to the goal with the space advantage quickly evaporating.
Pioneer head coach Josh Honeycutt acknowledged after the match that not finishing attack opportunities remains a team problem.
“They didn’t get that from me!” Honeycutt smiled, in response to his players’ seeming reluctance to shoot with an open opportunity. “I was shooting every time I got the chance! It is a combination of things, I think. They watch Premier League too much on TV. There, you move the ball around, pass to the open man and move the ball (closer and closer) until it is just a tap for a goal. We had multiple guys who got the ball in dangerous positions. They have got to put the ball on frame and do it early. At this level there is likely to be a rebound if the ball doesn’t go in and someone should be there to tap it in.
“There is no finding the slot, working the ball into the corners like we are supposed to do. We’re working on those things,” added Honeycutt. “Tonight, the South Caldwell goalkeeper played pretty well but we made him look a little better because we put the ball right to him. If we execute a little better on our finishing, he is going to have a more difficult time defending.”
Midfielder Andrew Hill maneuvers the ball around a South Caldwell defender on Sept. 21. Photographic image by David Rogers
Honeycutt also paid compliments to South Caldwell, acknowledging the improvements in their play.
“That was surprising,” said Honeycutt. “They were much better than I thought they would be. Compared to previous years, they were much more developed, demonstrated an ability to possess and move the ball around. Their coach has been there three or four years now, I think, so the freshmen and sophomores when he joined the program are now his junior and senior leaders and know what he expects. They are buying in. It takes time to rebuild.”
The Spartans’ head coach, Rick Pilato said, “Both teams played extremely well. It was a hard fought game. We have wanted to play at this level and have finally gotten there. Watauga is a very good team, a very strong team, and we are going to be looking forward to them coming down the mountain for the rematch, for sure.
Photographic image by David Rogers
“We played hard. They were giving it all they’ve got and, as a coach, that is all you can ask for,” said Pilato. “There were some unfortunate bounces. We had two off the post. Sometimes you play real well but don’t get lucky. Other times you may not play quite as well, but you get lucky. Watauga played well. We played well. It certainly could have been a 0-0 or 1-1 game, or even 3-3. We take the positives from that and make sure the next time we are a little bit better.”
After an intentionally grueling early season schedule vs. state playoffs caliber, non conference opponents, Watauga is now 3-8-1, and 1-0 in Northwestern Conference play. They will try to keep the NWC league record unblemished on Sept. 25, when they host Alexander Central, another 4A contender in the conference.
BONUS PHOTOS
Midfielder Andrew Hill maneuvers the ball around a South Caldwell defender on Sept. 21. Photographic image by David Rogers
Photographic image by David Rogers
Lade Oguntoyinbo lifts the ball over the goalkeeper;s head to score Watauga’s first goal vs. South Caldwell on Sept. 21. Photographic image by David Rogers
By David Rogers. LENOIR, N.C. — To say that good defense led to outstanding offense is an understatement for anyone watching Watauga Volleyball’s visit to the Hibriten gymnasium on Sept. 20. The Pioneers swept past a much improved Hibriten squad, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-16).
Acknowledging the emerging strength and competitive balance of Northwestern Conference opponents, Watauga head coach Kim Pryor intentionally loaded the 2023 early season, non-conference schedule with historically state playoffs-caliber opponents, like Cox Mill, Cuthbertson, Foard, Hickory and Southwestern Randolph, all contenders at their respective 1A, 2A, 3A, or 4A levels. Not only did the Pioneers emerge with a gaudy 8-1 record after running through that gauntlet (the only loss a tense, 3-0 sweep by the Cox Mill Chargers at home), but it allowed them to hone their defensive skills up and down the Pioneer roster.
Against Hibriten’s strong hitters, libero Evie Robbins recorded 22 digs to lead the defensive effort, but nine other Pioneers also helped keep the ball in play with digs, including another player, Madi Combs, also in double figures with 11 digs.
Keeping the ball in play and putting it in a position to be set for offensive purposes is a precious volleyball skill. Robbins and Combs led the way in not only manufacturing improbable defensive digs, but getting the ball up to where the Pioneer setters could deftly create usable opportunities for the “kill” specialists, Brooklyn Stanbery and Emma Pastusic, in particular.
With 17 assists, Combs was often on the receiving end of Robbins’ digs. With 13 assists, Lainey Gragg picked up the slack in setting up the team’s offensive opportunities.
Six Pioneers recorded kills on the night but it was Stanbery’s 18 kills and Pastusic’s 14 kills that dominated the action at the net.
But offensive kill shots are not the only “action” at the net. We would be remiss not to highlight the eight stuff blocks spread across five Watauga players, including two each by senior middle hitters Sara Marlowe and Kate McCullough, along with sophomore middle hitter Kora Knight.
Now 10-1 on the season overall, 3-0 in Northwestern Conference, the Pioneers will mix in two more strong non-conference opponents before resuming conference play on the road at Freedom on Sept. 25. They will get up early on Saturday, Sept. 23 for a 10 am. non-conference tilt at home against North Iredell (12-1), then face 11-8 North Henderson at 1 p.m. in Lentz Eggers Gym.
By David Rogers. WELCOME, N.C. — After carving out an emotional, big win over 4A rival A C Reynolds in Asheville a week ago, there was bound to be a Watauga “letdown” this week.
Not so with the 2023 edition of the Pioneers, who bludgeoned the Black Knights of North Davidson on Sept. 15, 56-14, and it might not have been that close.
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Everett Gryder dives across the goal line for Watauga’s second TD in 56-14 win over North Davidson, Sept. 15. Photographic image by David Rogers
Watauga didn’t need an equine steed, a lance, or even the steel mail armor that protected the knights of old to defeat the Black Knights. No, the white-knighted Pioneers won the day with well-executed skill and outright grit. They entered the arena with a purpose and completed the mission.
By halftime, the High Country visitors to Palmer Field crafted a 36-7 lead. In the first two quarters of play, quarterback Maddox Greene amassed 307 total yards — 8 carries for 181 yards and 2 TDs, as well as a perfect 5-for-5 passing for 126 yards and a TD.
On the other end of those first half passes? Senior wide receiver Jackson Pryor had caught three of them for 92 yards, capped by a 39-yard TD catch-and-run.
And more than an afterthought was running back Everett Gryder’s 15 carries for 85 yards and 2 TDs.
A good sized Watauga student section was on hand after making the 90-minute-plus drive to North Davidson on Sept. 15, showing good form with their ‘blackout’ theme as the Pioneers battled the Black Knights of North Davidson. Photographic image by David Rogers
In fact, once Gryder dove across the goal line after an 18-yard jaunt to finish the Pioneers’ opening possession, the game was all but decided when North Davidson followed up with a 4-and-out, turnover on downs. On the first play from scrimmage upon Watauga taking possession for the second time, Greene raced 52 yards on a QB keeper over left tackle, weaving his way through and past would-be defenders until pushed out of bounds at the Black Knights’ 1-yard line. Greene’s yeoman effort got the ball close, then it was Gryder who plunged across the middle for his second TD — and the jousting had barely begun, barely midway in the first quarter.
The last time the Black Knights and the Pioneers faced each other was in 2014’s first round of the state playoffs. It was Watauga head coach Ryan Habich’s second year at the helm, and he took his then 8-3 Pioneers to the Lexington suburb of Welcome, N.C. — and hardly felt welcome at all after the Black Knights administered a 52-14 drubbing.
Placekicker Jack Wilson was 8-for-8 on Sept. 15 for Watauga at North Davidson. Photographic image by David Rogers
After the more recent 56-14 shellacking, Habich was asked about keeping the team adequately motivated following the big win last week at A C Reynolds, which came down to Trathon Gragg’s dramatic stopping of the Rockets’ 2-point conversion attempt in the waning moments of the game.
Now in his eleventh year as the Pioneers’ head coach, Habich said he recalled for his players the 2014 score, a time when today’s Pioneers were not that far removed from diapers.
He also cautioned them about what can happen after a big rivalry win, the aforementioned letdown. Habich told them of what happened in 2017. They took a 4-0 non-conference record into conference play and walloped 4A rival, South Caldwell, 48-7, but then traveled to Alexander Central and lost to the Cougars, 38-33, in under-peforming fashion. They followed that up with an emotional, “big win” over longtime rival Hickory in a shootout, 49-42, but then lost on the road to lowly St. Stephens, which had only won two games to that point in the 2017 season vs. five losses.
“We watched film of that game this past week,” said Habich.
Maddox Greene at North Davidson, Sept. 15. Photographic image by David Rogers
Second Half Foibles
The second half started promising enough for North Davidson. After receiving the kickoff, senior quarterback Payton McMillan completed passes of 11- and 7-yards to a pair of junior wide receivers, Ryan Forrest and Damani Chhorn, respectively.
But then the wheels came off of the Black Knights’ offensive chariot when Watauga’s Evan Burroughs stepped in front of a long McMillan pass and returned it 60 yards for a “pick 6” touchdown. With Jack Wilson’s successful PAT kick, the score was 42-7, which also meant the Pioneers needed just seven more points to trigger North Carolina’s “mercy rule” (a running clock for the rest of the game).
Maddox Greene (4) completes pass to Jackson Pryor (9) at North Davidson on Sept. 15. Photographic image by David Rogers
Burroughs effectively pulled that trigger just moments later when he intercepted yet another McMillan pass and returned it 45 yards before being tackled out of bounds at the North Davidson 20-yardline. After a big gain by teammate Ben Gosky put the ball at the ND 3-yardline, Burroughs got a chance to finish the job he had started, carrying the ball the final three yards for the TD. Another Wilson PAT kick, and the mercy rule was on, 49-7, with still roughly five minutes to go in the third quarter.
At that point, Habich and his staff got an opportunity to develop roster depth by inserting numerous reserves and even some young faces from the junior varsity, including Kyle Williams and Matthew Leon, as well as backup QB Matthew Habich taking the reins of the Pioneer offense.
A highlight of the fourth quarter was when senior reserve linebacker Andrew Ward picked off a North Davidson pass and returned the INT 55 yards to the Black Knights’ 10-yardline. The icing on the proverbial cake was Ward lining up on offense as wingback and getting the carry around the left side for the final Watauga TD.
Did we mention Evan Burroughs had a big night at North Davidson on Sept. 15? Photographic image by David Rogers
One of the key, if unheralded performances of the night was by placekicker Jack Wilson, who was a perfect 8-for-8 in PAT kicks. His booming boots were all straight and true and his skill may well be needed as the Pioneers into Northwestern Conference play, should a field goal be needed.
Having started the 2023 campaign undefeated at 5-0, including three straight tough road wins, Watauga now has a bye week before facing South Caldwell and Alexander Central at home, respectively, on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6.
SELECTED TEAM STATS
Total Offense: WAT 422, ND 62
Passing Yards: WAT 126, ND 52
Rushing Yards: WAT 296, ND 10
First Downs: WAT 19, ND 4
3rd Down Conversions: WAT 3-3, ND 1-4
4th Down Conversions: WAT 0-0, ND 0-1
Turnovers
INTs thrown: WAT 0, ND 3
Fumbles Lost: WAT 1, ND 1
Penalties: WAT 3-25, ND 1-15
SELECTED INDIVIDUAL WATAUGA STATS
Maddox Greene (307 total yards, 3 TDs)
5-of-5, 126 yards, 1 TD
9 carries, 181 yards, 2 TDs
Evan Burroughs
2 INTs, 1 defensive TD
5 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD
Everett Gryder
15 carries, 85 yards, 2 TDs
BONUS PHOTOS
Maddox Greene at North Davidson, Sept. 15. Photographic image by David Rogers
Placekicker Jack Wilson was 8-for-8 on Sept. 15 for Watauga at North Davidson. Photographic image by David RogersEverett Gryder dives across the goal line for Watauga’s second TD in 56-14 win over North Davidson, Sept. 15. Photographic image by David RogersMaddox Greene (4) completes pass to Jackson Pryor (9) at North Davidson on Sept. 15. Photographic image by David Rogers
Evan Burroughs (12) with a long ‘pick 6’ INT return on Sept. 15 @ North Davidson. Photographic image by David Rogers
By Zach Smith. WELCOME, N.C. – Looking to finish the 2023 early, non-conference schedule undefeated, Watauga traveled southeast to face North Davidson, Sept. 15. The two squads had only met once previously, in a 2014 playoff game.
While the Black Knights defeated Watauga handily nine years ago, the Pioneers dominated this time around.
Junior quarterback Maddox Greene continued his impressive form, putting up 307 total yards in the first half before being taken out of the game to give fellow junior QB Matthew Habich time to run the stout Watauga offense.
Sophomore Evan Burroughs also showed out, returning one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and adding another score on the ground.
The Pioneers wasted no time scoring as they drove 86 yards after receiving the opening kickoff. Later in the half, Greene exploded for two rushes of 50+ yards, scoring on one.
upsets occur when you take a team for granted.
Head coach Ryan Habich spoke on Greene’s electric first half performance post-game.
“They came out with a different defense than we saw all week,” Habich said. “Basically, we made an adjustment. I told [Greene] ‘If they keep running this defense, we’re gonna run the same play over and over until they make a change.’
“And then, of course, they made an adjustment and went back to their normal defense,” Habich added. “And then we got up so much that we started running our base offense. For every defense, we have a plan for attack.”
The Friday night game, for some teams, could have been a “trap game,” where the favorites can get distracted by an emotional victory in the prior week. Habich explained how he and the rest of the coaching staff kept Watauga focused after their big win at A.C. Reynolds a week ago (Sept. 8).
“Believe it or not, I like to go back to the past, in this case to 2017. We lost to St. Stephens, a team that only won three games that year, I think, and we had a big emotional win over a ranked Hickory for homecoming the prior week. So we turned around on the road and lost to St. Stephens,” Habich said. “We actually watched highlights of that game in class and told the kids ‘Hey listen, we’re a better football team if we execute against North Davidson. We can’t play down to their level.’ Upsets occur when you take a team for granted.”
The Pioneers did execute this time, earning the 42-point margin needed for a running game clock around the halfway point of the third quarter, before finishing their dominant victory, 56-14.
With the win, Watauga is 5-0 for the first time since a COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season. It’s the first time they’ve won their first five games in a full-length season since 2018, where they went on to finish the regular season undefeated.
Habich was confident when speaking about the next stage of Watauga’s season, the Northwestern Conference schedule, where the goal is to win another championship.
“I think we’re really prepared. We’ve played some good football teams and we’ve played some good football teams on the road,” Habich said. “The Maiden win (Sept. 1) was pretty special, then beating A.C. Reynolds at A.C. Reynolds, and beating T.C. Roberson (Aug. 18), too. We’ve just had some close games in the fourth quarter playing two really good football teams. You’re gonna see those teams win a lot of football games this year as they hit conference play.”
Watauga moves to 5-0 on the season while North Davidson falls to 1-4. The Pioneers have a bye on Sept. 22, but return home for a matchup against South Caldwell to open conference play Sept. 29. Kickoff is set for 7:30p.m. The game can be streamed via the NFHS Network.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Finding themselves down 14-8 late in the second quarter against the Black Knights of North Davidson on Sept. 14, the Watauga junior varsity football team’s “mood” darkened, individual players blaming each other and pointing fingers. Then, said head coach Marshall Thomas, the team found leadership — and rebounded in the second half for a 24-14 victory.
BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slide show mode)
Photographic image by David Rogers
“When you are working with freshmen and sophomores at the junior varsity level,” said Thomas after the game, “the leadership roles on a team may not have evolved. Amid the internal conflicts tonight, we had guys step up into those leadership roles and got the team unified in a positive direction. Our execution improved in the second half because of that leadership and that is why we won.”
SELECTED INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Kyle Williams: 9 carries for 105 yards, including two, 2-point conversions
Matthew Leon: 19 carries for 91 yards, plus one fumble recovery
Cade Keller: 7 carries for 96 yards and a TD, 1 fumble recovery
Nyle Peays: 76-yard “pick 6” pass interception and return
Thomas Deiters: One 2-point conversion pass reception
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Admitting that nobody is happy with a losing outcome, Watauga varsity men’s soccer head coach was pleased with the effort and intensity of his Pioneers in a 1-0, non-conference loss to visiting Cox Mill on Sept. 14.
“You never want to lose, obviously,” said head coach Josh Honeycutt after the game, “but I truly feel that this is the best we have played so far this season, really since the Ardrey Kell game. We are starting to figure some things out, defensively. The quality of play was there tonight. We probably should have had at least one goal, probably two. When the ball is bouncing around in the box, we need to do a better job of clearing it out, but when you make it a 1-0 game against a very good opponent instead of a 5-1 loss last time out, we are making strides in the right direction.”
Photographic image by David Rogers
Watauga has one more non-conference game, an 11 a.m. affair vs. Cuthbertson on Sept. 16 at Jack Groce Stadium, looking to improve on the team’s 2-7-1 start.
For Honeycutt and the Pioneers, though, it is all about the preparation. He intentionally schedules state playoffs-caliber opponents in the early season to get his team prepared for the Northwestern Conference slate.
“Our primary goal is to win a conference championship, which gives us a better seeding should we make the state playoffs,” said Honeycutt. “Facing those types of playoff quality teams early gets us ready. Our guys know that.”
Indeed, the 2022 edition of the Watauga varsity opened with a non-conference slate in which they went an identical 2-7-1 in non-conference, but finished the season 13-9-1 including a 9-1 record in winning the NWC conference championship before losing to Weddington in the third round of the 4A state playoffs.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Jumping out to a 2-0 lead over Cox Mill, the Watauga junior varsity men’s soccer team was in perilous territory even if eventually winning the day, 3-1.
“A 2-0 lead is dangerous,” said Watauga JV head coach Vern Collins after all was said an done. “It is still close enough that the opponent can rally and close the gap. And it is also wide enough that your team could get a bit complacent. You have to finish.”
Photographic image by David Rogers
Finishing is what Collins and his staff have been emphasizing the last few weeks during the early, non-conference portion of the 2023 season — and that attention to detail paid dividends against the visiting Chargers. While Cox Mill dropped in a second half goal to narrow the gap, to 2-1, the Pioneers responded with a late goal and played good defense the rest of the way.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It might have been a little closer than expected, but Watauga High School’s young junior varsity volleyball team swept their South Caldwell counterparts on Sept. 13, 2-0 (25-17, 25-19), at Lentz Eggers Gym.
BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click on any image for slideshow mode)
Photographic image by David Rogers
The Spartans’ JVs battled back to narrow deficits a few times, but ultimately could not handle the well-skilled and disciplined Pioneers led by middle blocker Rylee Mitchell, outside hitters Athena Elliott , Gracyn Blanton and Kasey Gragg, as well as sparkling defensive play by libero Bella Wade and setters Ava Zaragoza and Lilli Combs.
SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rylee Mitchell: 6 kills, 2 stuff blocks, 2 service aces
Athena Elliott: 6 kills, 1 dig
Gracyn Blanton: 3 kills, 1 dig
Ava Zaragoza: 6 assists, 3 digs
Bella Wade: 7 digs, 2 service aces, 1 assist
Lilli Combs: 11 assists, 1 service ace, 2 digs
Sophie Kop: 4 digs, 1 service ace
Lillon Henline: 2 service aces, 2 digs
Julia Rowan: 3 kills
BONUS PHOTOS
Athena Elliott with kill attempt vs. South Caldwell on Sept. 13. Photographic image by David RogersMiddle blocker Rylee Mitchell (2) was a big hitter for Watauga JV vs. South Caldwell JV in the 2023 season opener. Photographic image by David RogersPhotographic image by David RogersPhotographic image by David RogersPhotographic image by David RogersLilli Combs (18) serves for Watauga vs. South Caldwell on Sept. 13. Photographic image by David Rogers
