Category: High School

By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — A 5th straight Northwestern Conference championship is in the record books after Watauga galloped past Ashe County, 56-28, in Husky Stadium on Oct. 28. The Pioneers now wait on the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A seeding process to take place on Oct. 29, which will determine the first round matchups of the state championship tournament.

 

At one point during the past week, the Pioneer coaches and players had little or no idea what athletes the team would be fielding against the Huskies. It has been a year of adversity for the 2022 Pioneers, so when the flu ran through a majority of the players last weekend and early in the week, it was just another challenge to overcome. According to one school official, player temperatures were running as high as 105 degrees on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, with many not breaking until Tuesday and Wednesday. Some got only a Thursday practice in for the week, making preparations particularly difficult for the Huskies’ “Air Raid” offensive attack.

“Early in the week, we had only 17 players at practice out of 43 on the roster,” said Habich, obviously relieved that he had most, if not all of his non-injured players back in uniform by 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday.

But play they did, and to great effect.

In the game’s early minutes, it appeared that neither team wanted to play defense. In Ashe County’s opening possession, the Huskies moved the ball in chunks down to the Watauga 13 before Pioneer senior Isaiah Shirley tackled the Huskies’ star running back, Matthew Peterson, in the backfield for a 3-yard loss on 2nd and 10. After moving the ball effectively to that point, Ashe County was in two-down territory with a first down available to them at the 3-yard line, but two incomplete passes later — one of them broken up on a big defensive play by Cole Horine — and the Pioneers were taking possession of the ball deep in their own territory.

No worries for the Pioneers, however, as sophomore QB Maddox Greene found a gap behind perfect offensive line execution to break into the second level and sprint 67 yards on the first play from scrimmage. Three plays later, the talented QB workhorse finished off the remaining 10 yards for the game’s first TD and a Grant Kight PAT kick made the score, 7-0.

But that was just the beginning of the early offensive fireworks. After a promising, 20-yard kickoff return by Ashe County’s Luke Peterson, on the first play from scrimmage a shifty, hard-nosed Matthew Peterson found daylight off right tackle and rambled 71 yards up the right sideline for the Husky response and a TD. Much to the delight of Ashe County’s Senior Night crowd, a 2-point conversion attempt was good when Ian Graybeal passed across the middle to normal QB, Blake Peters, giving the Huskies a slim, 8-7 lead with still 7:23 left in the first quarter.

And yet, Watauga had its own big plays in mind as an answer. Running back Will Curtis set the stage with a 48-yard kickoff return, then Greene wove through and outsprinted Husky defenders on the first play of the possession for a 40-yard TD run. Another Kight PAT kick put the Pioneers ahead, 14-8, with sideline pundits calculating that at the rate the two teams were tallying touchdowns, 88 points would be on the scoreboard by halftime.

But Watauga began to show that it could make big plays on defense, too. On the Huskies first play of their next possession, Greene (playing defensive back) leaped high to pluck a Peters pass from the grasp of Husky receiver Tanner Poe, giving the ball right back to the Pioneers with good field position.

On the ensuing, clock-eating drive that has become a trademark of head coach Ryan Habich’ 10 years at the helm of the Pioneers, Greene, Curtis, and wingback Trey Thompson combined to move the ball to the Husky 9-yardline before tight end Isaiah Shirley jumped high to catch a Green pass over the outstretched hands of an Ashe County defender then, once he landed in the end zone, kept possession long enough for the nearest referee to thrust his arms in the air, indicating a TD. A second or two later, the ball came out of Shirley’s hands, prompting howls of protest from the Husky sideline and grandstands that the pass should have been ruled incomplete.

The Greene-to-Shirley connection completed the first quarter scoring with the Pioneers sporting a 21-8 lead, but when Ashe County capitalized on a 4th and 1 run by Matthew Peterson for a TD to open the second quarter, it was still only a one-score game. However, a 4-yard TD run up the middle on a wingback counter play by Trey Thompson, then a 27-yard pass from Greene to junior wide receiver Jackson Pryor with just 10 seconds remaining before intermission were enough to all but put away the game for the visiting Pioneers, 35-14 at halftime.

“This was a special night,” said head coach Habich after the game. “It was a long week. I don’t know how many people know that the flu bug went through Watauga High School over last weekend and early this week. Between varsity and JVs, we had 46 players miss practice… There were key players that were out, sick. It was one of those weeks where you want to win a conference championship but your preparations are compromised. A lot of credit goes to our players for stepping up and finding a way to win tonight.”

Habich was quick to admit that his charges didn’t play great defense and the Huskies’ senior running back, Matthew Peterson, had a lot to do with that.

“That No. 28 is a special player and we knew that going in,” said Habich, “but our offense did a good job of scoring every time they touched the ball until the very end (after the Pioneers had gone up 56-14 early in the 4th quarter and Watauga was giving valuable playing time to its younger reserves).”

Habich commended his offense for controlling possession and scoring, especially in the “middle eight.”

“Scoring just before halftime like that, to go up 35-14… We call it the ‘middle eight,’ the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half,” said Habich. “Scoring just before half then getting the ball after halftime and going up 42-14, we began to feel pretty good about the outcome. We had a pretty tough time with that running back, Peterson, but our offense stepped up.”

Habich offered a forewarning for the upcoming playoffs.

“Our defense is going to have to step up in the playoffs. We are going to play some really good teams and we are not going to be able to score as easily as we did tonight against better competition. Ashe County was much improved tonight, especially with that running back, than in the earlier non-conference game we played in Boone. And we didn’t tackle very well. We have to improve that,” said Habich.

Habich concluded his post-game remarks with a clear note of appreciation for his Pioneer players.

“I am really proud of these guys. This is my tenth year here and for the team to win five straight conference championships and go undefeated in conference play this year, that is something that this senior class has left a legacy and is pretty special here in Watauga County,” Habich said.

Given the undefeated record in Northwestern Conference play and only one loss against Burns in non-conference competition, Watauga is sure to get a high seed in the 4A West bracket.

“The 4A West is brutal,” said Habich, “especially with all of those Charlotte and Winston-Salem teams. Whoever we get, the good news is that at least for the first round we are likely to be playing at home, in Jack Groce Stadium. So we probably will not be going on the road and, up here, this time of year the weather can be our friend, too.”

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Total Offense – WAT 478, ASHE 381
• Passing Yards – WAT 69, ASHE 232
• Rushing Yards – WAT 409, ASHE 149
• Penalties – WAT 4/50, ASHE 2/30
• Turnovers – WAT 0, ASHE 1
• Time of Possession – WAT 22:26, ASHE 24:54
• 3rd Down Conversions – WAT 3/7 (43%), ASHE 3/8 (38%)
• 4th Down Conversions – WAT 2/3 (67%), ASHE 1/4 (25%)

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• • ASHE Blake Peters 26/36, 232 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
  • WAT Maddox Greene 4/6, 69 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT

Rushing

• • WAT Maddox Greene 20 carries, 217 yards, 3 TDs
  • ASHE Matthew Peterson 17 carries, 154 yards, 2 TDs
  • WAT Will Curtis 10 carries, 80 yards, 2 TDs
  • WAT Trey Thompson 8 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD

Receiving

• • ASHE Matthew Peterson 5/70, 2 TDs
  • ASHE Colin Estes 10/60
  • WAT Jackson Pryor 2/54, 1 TD
  • ASHE Tanner Poe 5/50
  • ASHE Ian Graybeal 4/40
  • WAT Isaiah Shirley 2/15, 1 TD

 

 

 

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Although the North Carolina High School Athletic Association website originally listed the Watauga vs. Sun Valley volleyball match in Round 4 of the state tournament for Saturday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m., we received notification from Watauga athletic director Dustin Kerley on Friday that the match will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, instead, still in Lentz Eggers Gym.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — If ever pre-game warmups foreshadowed an offensive edge held by one team over another, it was Oct. 27, in the Round 3 match hosted by Watauga vs. Charlotte-area rival, Marvin Ridge. The Pioneers won in five sets, 3-2 (25-15, 25-23, 24-26, 21-25, 15-9).

Both sides had obviously powerful outside and middle hitters, but at first glance the Mavericks were less consistent in setting up the ball for the kill shots. Maybe it was just pre-match jitters, but in the set-to-kill warmups before the match, the Marvin Ridge setters were neither as crisp nor accurate in their assist opportunities, setting the ball too close to the net, too far back, too short, or too long. By contrast, Pioneer setters Cam Norris and Brooke Scheffler rarely missed.

At least in sets 1 and 2, both won by Watauga, the accuracy of the kill shot sets may well have proven the edge the Pioneers needed. And yet, Marvin Ridge came storming back to take the third and fourth sets, forcing the fifth set tiebreaker.

For the Pioneers, it was a game of monster digs against the Mavericks, who seemed to have a slight height advantage. No fewer than five Watauga athletes were in double digits in digs, led by Caroline Farthing (30), Kenzie Baldwin (27) and Brooke Scheffler (25), with strong contributions defensively by Evie Robbins and Cam Norris with 18 digs each.

Offensively, senior hitters Farthing (33 kills), Scheffler (25 kills, 25 assists), and Norris (24 assists) were the featured attack mainstays.

With the win, No. 2 seeded Watauga advances to the 4A West Bracket semifinals (quarterfinals of the whole state tournament) against the No. 3 seed, Sun Valley, which survived its own 5-set challenge from Ardrey Kell. The semifinal match will be hosted by Watauga at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Lentz Eggers Gym.

In the upper half of the 4A West bracket, No. 1 Reagan was upset by No. 8 South Iredell, 3-2, which will now face No. 4 Hough on Oct. 29.

Over in the 4A East upper bracket, another No. 8 seed defeated a No. 1 seed when Cardinal Gibbons dispatched Chapel Hill, 3-0. Cardinal Gibbons will now face No. 4 Middle Creek on Oct. 29 (2 p.m.). The Middle Creek Mustangs advanced by sweeping No. 12 Hoggard, 3-0.

In the lower half of the 4A East bracket, No. 11 Green Level leveled No. 8 Pinecrest, 3-0, and will now face No. 2 Millbrook, a 3-2 winner over Ashley in Round 3, with the East bracket semifinal set for 1 p.m. on Oct. 29.

SELECTED WATAUGA STATS

• Kenzie Baldwin 1 kill, 10 assists, 3 service aces, 27 digs
• Evie Robbins 1 assist, 18 digs
• Cam Norris 1 kill, 24 assists, 18 digs
• Faith Watson 3 kills, 2 stuff blocks, 5 digs
• Brooke Scheffler 25 kills, 25 assists, 2 stuff blocks, 25 digs
• Caroline Farthing 33 kills, 30 digs
• Brooklyn Stanbery 1 kill, 4 service aces, 1 dig
• Sara Marlowe 1 kill, 4 stuff blocks, 1 dig
• Emma Pastusic 3 kills, 1 stuff block, 1 dig

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A 1-0 halftime lead was just the beginning for what would become a second half barrage for the Watauga men’s soccer team, beginning with an own goal by visiting Ashe County in the early minutes of the second frame. The Pioneers went on to celebrate Senior Night with a 5-1 win over the Huskies.

Dominating possession with one-touch passing and disruptive defense in the first half, the Pioneers still had trouble finishing off attack opportunities. That all changed after the break. The own goal opened the flood gates, as the Pioneers went on to tally four more in the second half, by three different players.

Nathan Bishop led with two goals, both after halftime, while Andrew Hill and Micah Duvall also got in on the scoring action. Emmit Coffey recorded the first half score with approximately 10 minutes to go in the opening frame.

With the win, the Pioneers clinch sole possession of first place for the 2022 Northwestern Conference season.

SELECTED WATAUGA STATS

• Nathan Bishop 2 goals, 1 assist
• Emmit Coffey 1 goals
• Noah Jamison 1 assist
• Micah Duvall 1 goal
• Andrew Hill 1 goal, 1 assist

SELECTED IMAGES FROM THE OCT. 26 MATCH — All photos by David Rogers

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — In many athletic competitions, defense wins the day. That was certainly the case on Oct. 25 when Watauga volleyball survived a barrage of kill shots from an exceptionally athletic, even powerful Mallard Creek team in Round 2 of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A Volleyball Championships, at Lentz Eggers Gym.

It was a 3-0 sweep, but the margin of difference was much narrower. The set scores: 25-19, 25-21, 27-25.

In the first two sets, the teams battled evenly in the early going until Watauga would edge out to a nervous, five- and six-point lead, only to have Mallard Creek come back and tie the match. Toward the end of both sets, the Pioneers took advantage of hitting errors by the Mavericks and secure the set victories.

The third set had a personality all its own, as Mallard Creek jumped out to an 8-1 lead before the Pioneers circled their wagons and began closing the deficit, finally tying the set at 14-14. From there it was back and forth the rest of the way as the teams pushed the set into overtime where Watauga finally prevailed, 27-25.

“Mallard Creek has some tall, athletic basketball players who are becoming good volleyball players,” said Watauga senior outside hitter Caroline Farthing after the competition. “They are powerful… In that third set, I think we got complacent, thinking we had already won the match because of winning the first two sets. So we had to get ourselves back on the task at hand.”

Watauga head coach Kim Pryor said later that for a Round 2 game Mallard Creek was an exceptional opponent.

“We don’t typically see this high quality opponent in a Round 2 match,” said Pryor. “They are very aggressive, with very powerful hitters like us. This was really good for us in preparing for what is to come because they don’t get any less competitive.”

The next tournament opponent, in Round 3, will also be hosted by the No. 2-seeded Pioneers, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m.

The Rest of the Story

What is remarkable about Watauga’s match vs. Mallard Creek is that the Oct. 25 match was a revisit of the 2021 Round 2 matchup at Lentz Eggers Gym. The Mavericks’ athleticism was clearly evident in that contest, but the volleyball skills were obviously lacking. Fast forward to 2022, and the same athleticism was there but there had been dramatic improvement in their volleyball skills, especially in digging, keeping the ball in play, and setting up their powerful outside hitters and middle blockers. In 2021, Mallard Creek lost the Round 2 match by the same 3-0 set score, but more decisively, 25-16, 25-12, 25-19.

When asked about her team’s dramatic improvement in volleyball skills over the last 12 months, Mallard Creek head coach Kimmy Kwok, who joined the Mavericks in 2020 and is an active coach in Charlotte area club volleyball, explained, “A lot of our focus in the past year has been on building team chemistry, along with skills, learning to play better together.”

SELECTED WATAUGA INDIVIDUAL STATS

• Kenzie Baldwin 16 digs, 2 assists
• Evie Robbins 12 digs
• Cam Norris 25 assists, 1 kill, 8 digs
• Faith Watson 1 kill, 1 dig
• Brooke Scheffler 19 kills, 15 assists, 3 service aces, 11 digs
• Caroline Farthing 19 kills, 1 service ace, 15 digs
• Brooklyn Stanbery 1 service ace
• Kate McCullough 2 digs
• Sara Marlowe 1 kill
• Emma Pastusic 6 kills, 1 assist

ROUND 2 SCORES

4A West, Upper Bracket

• No. 1 Reagan def. No. 16 Northwest Guilford, 3-0
• No. 8 South Iredell def. No. 9 Providence, 3-0
• No. 5 T C Roberson def. No. 12 East Forsyth, 3-1
• No. 4 Hough def. No. 13 Lake Norman, 3-1

4A West, Lower Bracket

• No. 3 Sun Valley def. No. 14 Cox Mill, 3-1
• No. 6 Ardrey Kell def. No. 11 Western Guilford, 3-0
• No. 10 Marvin Ridge def. No. 7 Grimsley, 3-1
• No. 2 Watauga def. No. 18 Mallard Creek, 3-0

4A East, Upper Bracket

• No. 1 Chapel Hill def. No. 16 Laney, 3-0
• No. 8 Cardinal Gibbons def. No. 9 Gray’s Creek, 3-0
• No. 12 Hoggard def. No. 5 Cleveland, 3-2
• No. 4 Middle Creek def. No. 13 Green Hope, 3-0

4A East, Lower Bracket

• No. 3 Pinecrest def. No. 19 New Hanover, 3-0
• No. 11 Green Level def. No. 6 D.H. Conley, 3-0
• No. 7 Ashley def. No. 10 Pine Forest, 3-0
• No. 2 Millbrook def. No. 18 Apex Friendship, 3-1

 

 

 

By David Rogers. MORGANTON, N.C. — If ever a high school men’s soccer team heeded a head coach’s pre-game exultations, there was none better than Oct. 24 at the Catawba River Soccer Complex. Northwestern Conference leader Watauga dominated host Freedom, 6-1.

Just moments before the Pioneers took the field, head coach Josh Honeycutt reminded his players that it was Freedom’s “Senior Night.”

“They are winless in conference play,” said Honeycutt. “They have nothing to play for except pride and they would like nothing better than to upset the league leader, Watauga, on their Senior Night. We have a target on our backs. So go out there and put this game away early and keep your feet on the accelerator.”

And they did just that. Barely a minute had gone by when senior striker Emmit Coffey pushed the ball in front of a Patriot defender near midfield and dribbled at a full sprint toward the goal with the defender in hot pursuit. Just inside the penalty box, the Patriot backline player made an ungainly tackle attempt that sent Coffey sprawling — but a penalty kick was Coffey’s just reward. Senior midfielder Luke Hunter sent the PK scooting past the goalkeeper and into the net, Watauga taking an early, 1-0 lead.

The Pioneers dominated possession from the start and disrupted the Patriots’ opportunities at every turn. Only another couple of minutes had gone by when junior midfielder Micah Duvall dribbled down the left sideline, edged toward the goal, and delivered a crossing kick that was pounded into the upper reaches of the net by Stryker Ward on one-touch contact with the ball.

From there, the rout was on, punctuated by more first half goals by Coffey and Nathan Bishop, and second half exclamation points into the net by Bishop and Andrew Hill.

Afterward, Honeycutt observed, “We did our jobs from the beginning. We controlled possession and pressed on defense. I couldn’t be prouder of this team’s performance tonight.”

Considering that the Catawba River Soccer Complex proved an awkward venue for a league match on Freedom’s Senior Night, the game between Freedom and Watauga was mishap free. Adjacent fields were host to pee-wee flag football games and other youth soccer contests, with whistles galore and easily audible. Somehow, the Patriots and the Pioneers were able to ignore the unrelated whistles, especially considering that a Freedom drum corps, talented as they were, pounded the sounds of percussion throughout the match, just a few feet from the field and between the two grandstands. The combination of random whistles that could have potentially interrupted play and the beat-beat-beat, rata-tat-tat of the drums made for a surreal playing environment for a league match.

Next up for Watauga (10-8-1 overall, 8-1 Northwestern Conference) is a home finale to the regular season against Ashe County (9-9-3, 1-6-2), before the beginning of the state playoffs. That Senior Night match is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 26, with varsity kickoff slated for 6 p.m. In the previous meeting of the regional rivals, Watauga edged the Huskies on Oct. 10, 3-2.

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Foregone conclusions are not permitted in athletic competition. That’s why they play the games. And yet, after twice sweeping Alexander Central in the regular season, Watauga’s 3-0 sweep (25-15, 25-14, 25-20) of the Cougars in the first round of the NCHSAA 4A state volleyball tournament may have been expected by the many Pioneer fans in Lentz Eggers Gym.

An interesting tidbit in this matchup was that Alexander Central drew the proverbial first blood (first point) in each of the three sets. Especially in the first two sets, the Cougars battled evenly with the Pioneers in the early going, even securing a 9-9 tie in the second frame. But each time Watauga would pull away behind some combination of good service runs, effective setting, forceful kill shots and good ball placement.

“It is always hard to beat a good team three times in any given season,” said Watauga head coach Kim Pryor after the match. “Teams grow and develop as a season progresses. We never come into a match expecting to win because we have to have our focus and be prepared. Alexander Central is a great ball control team, so being on top of our game was vitally important.”

Although Watauga has been without a couple of team members because of illness, the depth of the Pioneer roster was clearly evident against the Cougars. Pryor employed several player combinations throughout the match and both the individual and team performances rarely slipped.

“We do have a lot of depth,” said Pryor. “We have a lot of girls who can step in at any time.”

One of the more impressive performances among the individual Pioneers against Alexander Central was by libero Kenzie Baldwin, who recorded 25 digs in the three sets.

“I feel like at times there are balls I can’t get to, but today I gave it my all to get to those balls hit in my general direction,” said Baldwin, afterwards. “At this point in the season, in the playoffs, that’s what we need to be doing, giving our all no matter what game it is and what role we are playing. I like it when balls get hit to me. ”

Brooke Scheffler’s performance included a “triple-double” with 18 kills, 15 assists and 15 digs, reflecting her remarkable versatility.

“I am not like Kenzie in that not all balls are hit to me, but I do get the touches because of being a setter. Being able to get those reps in at setter, because I had never been in that role before this year, has really helped me grow throughout the season. I continue to focus on getting better at the position,” said Scheffler. “I want to put up a good ball.”

Scheffler offered kudos for Alexander Central, saying, “They have some really good, all-around versatile players. I don’t remember every time we played them this year, but they definitely came up today and were firing away. They want to win, too, and we have a target on our backs.”

Watauga was awarded the No. 2 seed in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 4A West bracket, behind No. 1 seed Reagan High School, of Pfafftown. By advancing into the second round, the Pioneers will host No. 18-seeded Mallard Creek on Oct. 25. The Mavericks upset No. 15 Charlotte Catholic, 3-2, in a first round match in Charlotte on Saturday.

SELECTED WATAUGA INDIVIDUAL STATS

• • Kenzie Baldwin 25 digs, 3 assists, 1 service ace
  • Camryn Norris 22 assists, 3 service aces, 5 digs
  • Faith Watson 5 kills, 1 stuff block, 2 digs
  • Brooke Scheffler 18 kills, 15 assists, 15 digs
  • Caroline Farthing 13 kills, 1 assist, 1 service ace, 8 digs
  • Brooklyn Stanbery 3 kills
  • Kate McCullough 2 kills, 1 assist, 1 stuff block
  • Madi Combs 3 service aces
  • Emma Pastusic 3 kills, 1 service ace

Other first round 4A results:

West Bracket, Upper Half

• • No. 1 Reagan 3, No. 32 South Mecklenburg 0
  • No. 16 Northwest Guilford 3, No. 17 Asheville 1
  • No. 8 South Iredell 3, No. 25 Myers Park 0
  • No. 9 Providence 3, No. 24 Weddington 2
  • No. 5 T C Roberson 3, No. 28 SW Guilford 0
  • No. 12 E. Forsyth 3, No. 21 A C Reynolds 0
  • No. 13 Lake Norman vs. No. 20 Palisades (score unavailable)
  • No. 4 Hough 3, No. 29 Cuthbertson 0

West Bracket, Lower Half

• • No. 3 Sun Valley, No. 30 Hickory Ridge 0
  • No. 14 Cox Mill vs. No. 19 W. Forsyth (score unavailable)
  • No. 6 Ardrey Kell 3, No. 27 E. Mecklenburg 0
  • No. 11 Western Guilford 3, No. 23 Northern Guilford 0
  • No. 7 Grimsley 3, Butler 0
  • No. 10 Marvin Ridge 3, No. 23 Davie 0
  • No. 18 Mallard Creek 3, No. 15 Charlotte Catholic 2
  • No. 2 Watauga 3, No. 31 Alexander Central 0

East Bracket, Upper Half

• • No. 1 Chapel Hill 3, No. 32 Fuquay-Varina 0
  • No. 16 Laney 3, No. 17 Corinth Holders 1
  • No. 8 Cardinal Gibbons 3, No. 25 Topsail 0
  • No. 9 Gray’s Creek 3, No. 24 Wakefield 1
  • No. 5 Cleveland vs. No. 28 New Bern (score unavailable)
  • No. 12 Hoggard 3, No. 21 Clayton 0
  • No. 13 Green Hope 3, No. 20 Leesville Road 0
  • No. 4 Middle Creek 3, No. 29 Richmond 0

East Bracket, Lower Half

• • No. 3 Pinecrest 3, No. 30 Panther Creek 2
  • No. 19 New Hanover 3, No. 14 Southern Alamance 2
  • No. 6 D.H. Conley 3, No. 27 Northern Durham 0
  • No. 11 Green Level 3, No. 22 East Chapel Hill 0
  • No. 7 Ashley 3, No. 26 Apex 1
  • No. 10 Pine Forest 3, No. 23 Garner 2
  • No. 18. Apex Friendship 3, No. 15 Heritage 0
  • No. 2 Millbrook 3, No. 31 Jordan 0

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — More than doubling the offensive production of an opponent while controlling possession twice as long is usually a good formula for winning football games. Watauga’s Pioneers did just that on Oct. 21, defeating a large, athletic Freedom High School contingent, 49-14, at Jack Groce Stadium. With the win, Watauga leaves little doubt that they deserve at least a share of the Northwestern Conference championship in 2022 — with one regular season fixture remaining to potentially secure sole claim to the conference title.

It was Senior Night in Boone, a packed grandstand filled with well-wishers for an accomplished senior class of football players, as well as members of the marching band, cheerleading squad, and Pacers dance team. Emotions ran high, with buoyant smiles and tearful eyes recognizing the precious moments heralding the life changes a-coming for the young men and women of the Class of 2023.

For some high school football teams, the Senior Night festivities might prove to be distractions from the task at hand. That wasn’t the case for Watauga, which took care of business early and often against the Patriots. Behind a punishing ground attack and a forceful defense, the Pioneers jumped out to a 35-0 lead at intermission and put an exclamation point on their dominance late in the third quarter, triggering the “mercy rule” running clock at 42-0 before letting their feet ease off the throttle by playing second tier and younger team members.

“Some teams like to run up the score and produce more impressive stats,” acknowledged Pioneer head coach Ryan Habich, after the game. “That isn’t us. We didn’t want to let Freedom stay close because you can see the many good athletes they have. But with a big lead, we want to get our younger backups in. They come to the same practices and put in the same work as the starters and deserve the chance to perform on the field. Plus, that gameday experience helps them develop. We may need them this year when it is time for ‘next man up,’ and at the very least their playing now provides a foundation for next year.”

As North Carolina high schools head into a final regular season weekend before the state playoffs, Watauga left little doubt that it deserves a shot at least a shot at the 4A state title with its decisive win over Freedom. Rolling up 467 yards of total offense, including 395 yards rushing while limiting the Patriots to just 202 yards of offense is certainly persuasive enough, but controlling possession of the ball for 32:00 and allowing Freedom just 15:26 speaks well of both the Pioneers’ offense and defense.

By game’s end, Watauga had two rushers over the century mark behind an impressive offensive line performance. Senior Will Curtis carried the ball 22 times for 137 yards, including four touchdowns, and sophomore QB Maddox Greene rambled 113 yards on 11 carries, with one TD. Senior wingback Trey Thompson didn’t get into the end zone on this night, but contributed significantly to the Pioneers’ early dominance with 12 carries for 66 yards rushing. In that critical second half, senior running back Josh Bollinger added 7 carries and 57 yards to all but complete Watauga’s rushing production.

Of significance in this matchup, the Pioneer defense produced three turnovers, including two recoveries of forced fumbles as well as a pass interception by Morgan Henry on the second play of the third quarter. The two fumble recoveries by the Pioneers occurred on sacks of Patriot QB Landon Cox. On Freedom’s opening possession, Watauga defensive end Brody Martin was credited with the forced fumble that was recovered by Jackson Pryor at the WAT 49-yardline. Later in the first half, Cox was sacked on 1st and 10 by Watauga’s Jackson Lang, the fumble recovered by Morgan Henry.

In a final league test to close out the regular season on Oct. 28, Watauga will take on an always dangerous Ashe County team in West Jefferson. The Pioneers dispatched the Huskies, 55-21, in a final non-conference tilt on Sept. 16, but a more seasoned Ashe County defending their home turf could prove troublesome for Watauga.

“They have a high-powered offense and Coach (Brian) Hampton always throws defensive schemes at us that we haven’t seen,” said Habich of his upcoming opponent,” so this will be a challenge for us. Plus, they are more familiar with playing on their natural grass field.”

After defeating a 4A rival, South Caldwell on Oct. 21 in a 56-48 shootout, the 3A-level Huskies’ offense may well prove a test for Watauga. Look for the Pioneers to control possession with its vaunted rushing attack to keep Ashe County’s offense off the field. And when they are on the field, expect Watauga to be playing “in your face” football, with pressure from the defensive line to disrupt Ashe County’s opportunities.

SCORING SUMMARY

Team	Qtr	Time	Scoring Play	FRE	WAT
WAT	1	8:34	TD – Will Curtis 4-yard run, PAT kick by Grant Kight	0	7
WAT	1	3:13	TD – Will Curtis 1-yard run, PAT kick by Grant Kight	0	14
WAT	2	10:18	TD – Will Curtis 4-yard run, PAT kick by Grant Kight	0	21
WAT	2	4:21	TD – Maddox Greene 23-yard run, PAT kick by Grant Kight	0	28
WAT	2	2:40	TD – Cole Horine 18-yard pass from Maddox Greene, PAT kick by Grant Kight	0	35
WAT	3	4:24	TD – Will Curtis 24-yard run, PAT kick by Jackson Lang	0	42
FRE	3	1:54	TD – #18 pass from Jaylen Barnett, PAT kick by Jake Kota	7	42
WAT	4	5:15	TD – Parker Fisher 35-yard pass from Matthew Habich, PAT kick by Jackson Lang	7	49
FRE	4	4:41	TD – Jaylen Barnett 65-yard run, PAT kick by Jake Kota	14	49

 

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• • Total Offense – FRE 202, WAT 467
  • Yards Passing – FRE 121, WAT 72
  • Yards Rushing – FRE 81, WAT 395
  • Penalties – FRE 5/50, WAT 7/70
  • Turnovers – FRE 3, WAT 0
    • INTs thrown – FRE 1, WAT 0
    • Fumbles/Lost – FRE 3/2, WAT 0/0
  • Punts/Avg. Distance – FRE 3/34.0, WAT 0/0
  • Time of Possession – FRE 15:26, WAT 32:00
  • 3rd Down Conversions – FRE 1/7, WAT 6/8
  • 4th Down Conversions – FRE 0/2, WAT 1/2

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• • FRE Landon Cox 9-15, 99 yards, 1 INT
  • WAT Maddox Greene 2-6, 37 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT Matthew Habich 1-1, 35 yards, 1 TD
  • FRE Jaylen Barnett 2-2, 22 yards, 1 TD

Rushing

• • WAT Will Curtis 22 carries, 137 yards, 4 TDs
  • WAT Maddox Greene 11 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
  • FRE Jaylen Barnett 3 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT Trey Thompson 12 carries, 66 yards
  • WAT Josh Bollinger 7 carries, 57 yards

Receiving

• • FRE #18 3 receptions, 59 yards, 1 TD
  • FRE Sacred Baylor 5 receptions, 45 yards
  • WAT Parker Fisher 1 reception, 35 yards, 1 TD
  • WAT Isaiah Shirley, 1 reception, 19 yards
  • WAT Cole Horine, 1 reception, 18 yards, 1 TD

WATAUGA DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS

• • Morgan Henry 4.5 tackles, 1 QB sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 INT
  • Isaiah Shirley 4.5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss
  • Brody Martin 1 forced fumble
  • Jackson Pryor 1 fumble recovery, 0.5 tackle for loss
  • Jackson Lang 1 forced fumble, 1 sack

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Leading start to finish, Watauga sophomore Will Bradbury crossed the finish line for the Northwestern Conference Cross Country Championships a little more than 30 seconds ahead of second place harrier, Collin Anderson, a Pioneer junior. Bradbury’s 17:04 and Anderson’s 17:35 led a cavalcade of Pioneer runners, including four of the top six finishers and five of the top 10, and eight of the top 15.

In the women’s race, Watauga was even more dominant. Gwendolyn Anderson Brianna Anderson and Savannah Duvall finished 1-2-3, but only Freedom’s Katie Deacon separate the top three from Pioneers Virginia St. Clair, Andriana Rink, Rachel Cathey, and Sullivan McAulay in the 5-6-7-8 positions. To put an exclamation point on the Pioneer dominance, Janie Beach-Verhay crossed the finish line in 10th, giving Watauga eight of the top 10 among the 65 runners representing the six NWC teams.

Watauga’s top two finishers, Anderson and Anderson, were the only athletes to finish the 5000m course under 20 minutes, in 19:48 and 19:59, respectively. It was an accomplishment that head coach Randy MacDonough described as impressive given the weather. Temperatures had plunged in the late afternoon from near 40 to a reported wind chill of 21 degrees Fahrenheit.

Watauga’s men’s team captured first place team honors with 23 points with its top five scoring runners finishing in the top 10. Alexander Central followed in a distant second place, with 77 points, and South Caldwell was third, with 91. The men’s division had 80 runners among the NWC’s six competing teams.

The Pioneer women’s team finished even closer to a perfect team score, with its top five scoring runners all finishing in the top six. Ashe County scored 65 points to finish second and Freedom was third with 73 points.

“I felt goo the entire race,” said top men’s fiinisher Will Bradbury. “It is really important in these cold conditions to get good and warm just before the race.”

Gwndolyn Anderson rushed “to get some clothes on” in the frigid temperatures before talking with High Country Sports and describing her race.

“The Freedom runner went out hard,” said Anderson. “You might even say she out too hard. She was comfortably ahead as she cam through the first mile, but Brianna and I just worked together to reel her in, managing it by the end of the second mile. I passed her going up the hill.”

Watauga now looks to run in the NCHSAA West 5A Regionals event on Oct. 29, hosted by Providence High School at Charlotte’s McAlpine Park. For those who qualify, the North Carolina state meet is Nov. 5, in Kernersville.

INDIVIDUAL MEN’S TOP FINISHERS

1. Will Bradbury, Watauga 17:04
2. Collin Anderson, Watauga 17:35
3. Rylan Sedlacek, Hibriten 17:40
4. Roman Sibaja, Watauga 17:47
5. Colby Anderson, Freedom 17:59
6. Sam Nixon, Watauga 17:59
7. Noah Farmer, Ashe County 18:00
8. Thomas Campbell, Alexander Central 18:07
9. Parker Bowman, South Caldwell 18:16
10. Eilliott Taft, Watauga 18:20
11. Jadent Buchholz, Hibriten 18:28
12. Zachary Zirkle, Alexander Central 18:28
13. Maxwell DePriest, Watauga 18:37
14. Jonah Norris, Watauga 18:37
15. Sam Rex, Watauga 18:38
16. Calvin Zwetsloot, Watauga 18:57
17. Alex Gremmell, Watauga 19:17

Other Watauga men’s team runners included Silas Powell, Santino Wood, Miles Page, Davis Crymes, Kade Maiden, Elijah Healy, and Zeke Walker, all finishing in the top 30.

INDIVIDUAL WOMEN’S FINISHERS

1. Gwendolyn Anderson, Watauga 19:48
2. Brianna Anderson, Watauga 19:59
3. Savannah Duvall, Watauga 20:27
4. Katie Deacon, Freedom 20:51
5. Virginia St. Clair, Watauga 21:03
6. Andriana Rink, Watauga 21: 10
7. Rachel Cathey, Watauga 21:14
8. Sullivan McAulay, Watauga 21:16
9. Sherry Billings, Ashe County  21:19
10. Janie Beach-Verhay, Watauga 21:31
11. Sydney Cate Townsend, Watauga 21:44
12. Leah Kirksey, Freedom 21:59
13. Sadie Buchanan, Watauga 22:00
14. Emily Kania, Freedom 22:01
15. Maddie Bollman, Watauga 22:04
16. Abilene Dollar, Ashe County 22:25
17. Ellary Smith, Watauga 22:30

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Pulling up to the Watauga High School parking lot on Oct. 17, you just knew it was going to be an electric atmosphere in Lentz Eggers Gym for the Northwestern Conference rivalry match between the Pioneers and Ashe County. It was a 3-0 sweep (25-9, 25-16, 25-21) for Watauga on Senior Night, but the entertaining action was well worth the price of admission.

Especially after the Huskies’ junior varsity prevailed over Watauga with a third set tiebreaker in the curtain-raiser contest, the enthusiasm and anticipation among the visiting Ashe County supporters jamming the south grandstands was palpable for a potential varsity upset. And, to their delight, in both of the first two sets the Huskies drew first blood.

But by midway through both sets the Pioneers firmly took control with aggressive playmaking, in attack mode. The Huskies’ greatest offense threat, arguably, is in the form of junior outside hitter, Paige Overcash. With the Pioneers’ attacking kill shots and serves away from Overcash, many of the attempts by the Huskies to keep the ball in play and setup the powerful junior hitter were more off-balance.

“We know Paige is a good hitter,” said Watauga senior outside hitter Faith Watson after the match. “She is very tall and very smart with her hits. We tried to put blocks on her the best we could, to kind of front her. We also knew that she is smart enough to hit around our blocks, so we have been preparing our defense for her all week. We tried to put pressure on their defense, especially on the serve receive, because the harder the ball is to the setter the harder it is for them to get a good set to slam the ball back at us.”

Another senior Pioneer outside hitter, Caroline Farthing provided a slightly different assessment.

“Last time out against Ashe County, they had super good defense and they attacked really well,” said Farthing. “We knew coming in they would be really scrappy in keeping the ball in play and, from what we saw last game, could be really strong on offense. Ashe County is a super confident team. They came into the last match ready for us, very prepared. Tonight, I think we were more prepared than they were. They didn’t find Overcash as much in this match. I don’t know whether it was the serve/receive or what, but they didn’t find her as much until the third set.”

Pioneer head coach Kim Pryor understood the significance of the matchup when she said, “On both sides of the net, there was some high level volleyball being played. I was proud of our girls for being mentally prepared. We attacked from the beginning. When your opponent is attacking hard, it is hard to get the ball to where you want it to go. Because of our attack, it was a game changer in keeping the ball away from Overcash’s kill shots, especially. I am proud of our girls for their attack all they way through. In our last match with Ashe County, we spent a lot of time trying to place the ball. Tonight we just attacked and hit balls with force. It makes it difficult for a team to get their offense going when our offense is so forceful.”

Farthing also put a premium on the proverbial “7th man”, in terms of the gym atmosphere.

“It was a packed house and we really appreciate all the people who came out to support us, especially on Senior Night. And, really, all the Ashe County supporters, too. It made for a great atmosphere with a lot of excitement,” Farthing added.

For all of the Watauga athletes and coaches, this Senior Night was especially emotional.  Pryor held back tears in sharing that Senior Night is the beginning of the end of her time with so many of the young women who have become her friends.

“I have coached so many of these players since they were young girls, just starting out playing volleyball. We have had a lot of shared experiences through the years,” said Pryor.

Now 20-2 overall on the season and an undefeated 10-0 in Northwestern Conference play, the Pioneers will now turn their attention to the state playoffs. According to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association website, the seeding will be announced on Oct 20, with first round play on Oct. 22. There is a high probability that Watauga will be at home for the first round, based on the team’s record.

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATS VS. ASHE COUNTY ON OCT. 17

• • Kenzie Baldwin 10 digs, 2 service aces
  • Evie Robbins 7 digs, 1 service ace
  • Cam Norris 19 assists, 4 digs
  • Faith Watson 4 kills, 1 dig
  • Brooke Scheffler 15 kills, 19 assists, 2 stuff blocks, 8 digs
  • Caroline Farthing 19 kills, 1 stuff block, 2 service aces, 7 digs
  • Sara Marlowe 2 kills, 3 stuff blocks, 1 dig
  • Emma Pastusic 5 kills, 2 stuff blocks, 1 dig