Category: High School

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Whether you call it reversal of fortune or mirrored redemption, the Oct. 17 high school men’s soccer match between Watauga and Alexander Central at Jack Groce Stadium was a “backatcha” moment for the host Pioneers.

After dropping a 3-0 decision to the Cougars on the road in an early season matchup on Sept. 28, the Pioneers returned the “favor” on Oct. 17, defeating the Cougars by the same 3-0 margin.

With the win, Watauga maintains its slim lead over Hibriten for first place in the Northwestern Conference standings. Although the Pioneers hold a slim advantage by virtue of their Oct. 3 defeat of the Panthers at Jack Groce Stadium, any combination of a Pioneer loss and Hibriten running the table and winning out for the remainder of the regular season would reverse the two two teams atop the NWC standings. A critical juncture in the schedule: Oct. 19 when the Pioneers travel to Lenoir to play Hibriten on the Panthers’ home turf.

Against Alexander Central, the teams battled to a 0-0 halftime score, although Watauga arguably won the possession battle even if unable to put the ball in the net. Then, early in the second half, the Pioneers’ junior midfielder Keowen Arguello broke through for the match’s first goal. Junior striker Stryker Ward followed that up with two more goals in the balance of the second half to put the match away.

“We controlled possession the entire game,” said Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt, “so credit Alexander Central for not allowing us to score in the first half. But we finally found the net in the second half with Arguello’s score, then closed things up with Ward’s two goals.”

Next for the Pioneers is the key Oct. 19 match at Hibriten.

NORTHWESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. Watauga (6-1 NWC, 8-8-1 overall)
2. Hibriten (5-1, 13-2-3)
3. South Caldwell (3-3-1, 9-4-3)
4. Alexander Central (3-3-1, 4-7-3)
5. Ashe County (0-4-2, 8-7-3)
6. Freedom (0-5-2, 5-9-3)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — They came from as many as three different generations, but humility, grit, passion, sense of family, support, self-discipline… these were all terms shared on Oct. 15 at the Watauga High School Hall of Fame Banquet, “Night of Champions.” Many of those words were eloquently introduced by keynote speaker, Dustin Kerns, head men’s basketball coach at Appalachian State University, but echoed by the recipients and their presenters, along with heartfelt thankfulness for the honors and recognition received.

Former school board member and longtime supporter of Watauga athletics, Ron Henries, served as emcee and reflected back to his long tenure to the area and community that “adopted” him so generously some 53 years ago.

Athletic director Dustin Kerley was a principal facilitator for the night, making sure that everyone that contributed to the evening’s events were recognized, as well as handing out the actual Hall of Fame certificates and plaques to the honorees.

But it was Kerns, the inductees and their presenters that brought smiles, laughs and even a few tears in recalling the exploits of athletic teams long gone from the hallowed halls, the importance of athletics’ and even other extra-curricular activities to personal development as a young person growing up, and the contributions of that early participation to individual successes once the trophies have been placed fireplace mantels or stored away, and the accolades faded into the past.

The 90-plus minute ceremony, preceded by a generous meal in the Commons area of the school’s center, was at once emotional, thought-provoking, and entertaining.

The following members, with brief summaries of their accomplishments, were inducted into the Watauga Pioneer Athletics Hall of Fame:

Jerry Harmon, Athlete

Jerry is a 1971 graduate who played football and track & field. He was team Co-Captain in 1970 and named Watauga Player of the Week on several occasions. Jerry was named All Northwestern Conference as a Linebacker, tight end, and kicker in 1970. He signed a scholarship offer to play at Appalachian State University who at the time was Division 1. They dropped down to Division 1AA in the 1980’s. He also participated in track and finished fifth in the state (Western NC High School Athletic Association) in 1971 in the Shot Put with a throw of more than 47 feet.

High School Accomplishments

• Started at linebacker and tight end in 1969 and 1970
• Led team in tackles in 1970
• Led team in receptions and yardage receiving in 1969 and 1970
• Handled kickoff and extra point/field goal duties
• Kicked first field goal in Watauga history
• Kicked a 32 yard field goal in the last minute of the game to help Watauga beat Newton Conover in 1970

College Accomplishments

• Led App State Freshman Team in scoring in 1971
• Set App State field goal record with a 44 yard field goal in 1972
• Led App State in scoring in 1974
• Set record for most field goals in a game with 3
• Set record with most field goals in a season with 10
• Set records for points in a season and career by a kicker
• Twice named Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week
• First Team All Southern Conference in 1974
• Broke own field goal record by kicking a 47 yard field goal at the end of the game to help App State beat East Carolina 23 to 21 in 1974

Billy Herring

Billy is a 1983 graduate who was on the swim team. He qualified for the State Swim Meet all 4 years. Billy’s freshman year he qualified with the relay teams. In his sophomore & junior season he qualified individually and as a relay member. In Billy’s senior year he was State Champion in men’s backstroke, State runner-up in men’s butterfly and 3rd place in men’s 200-yard medley relay. Watauga finished 5th as a team his senior year.

Billy attended UNC Wilmington and was a member of the swim team. He was an all conference swimmer in 1985 and held the 200 backstroke school record for 4 years before it was broken in 1989. Also in 1985 Billy was the team MVP along with qualifying for the Eastern Region NCAA Championships in the 100 and 200 backstroke.

Eafton Hill

Eafton is a 2000 graduate who played basketball. She led the team to a final four appearance in her senior season. She went on to play and letter three years at Wake Forest University. She was invited to tryout for the 2001 Junior National Team. She also played one year at Drury University.

• 1st team All Conference Freshman, Junior and Senior seasons
• East-West All Star Game
• NC-SC All Star Game
• Charlotte Observer All Region Team
• State Playoff All Region Team as a freshman
• Holds school records in blocks in a season and career.

Mary Sheryl Horine

Mary Sheryl is a 1981 graduate who played tennis, basketball, softball and track & field. In tennis she was MVP three years, Conference Player of Year three years, State sectionals four years, State regionals three years, State finals one year. In basketball Mary Sheryl was MVP two years, All conference two years, and Conference Player of the Year one year. In her senior year, Mary Sheryl was All Conference and Conference Player of the Year in three sports in the Northwest 3A conference.

Tennis

• 1978: MVP, All conference, Athletic Honor Roll
• 1979-81: MVP, All conference & Conference player of the year, Athletic Honor Roll
• 1978: State sectionals, singles
• 1979: State regionals 2nd round, doubles
• 1980: State finals, doubles
• 1981: State sectionals, singles
• First WHS Athlete to be named “Conference Player of the Year” 3 consecutive years in the same sport (Tennis)

Basketball

• 1979-80: MVP, All Conference
• 1981: MVP, All Conference, Conference Player of the Year

Softball

• 1978 Athletic Honor Roll
• 1980 All conference
• 1981 MVP, All Conference, Conference Player of the Year

Additional Awards

• 1980 — First student athlete to have lettered in 4 sports in one year (tennis/basketball/softball & track as a junior) 1981- WHS Hall of Fame Award for student athletes
• 1981- Senior department award for girls in athletics- All conference and Conference Player of the Year in 3 sports 1981- US Army Reserve National Scholar & Athlete Award

College Accomplishments

1984: UNC Chapel Hill Ski Team- Conference Champs, MVP, 6th place in Giant Slalom at the National Collegiate Ski Association U.S. National Championships held in McCall, Idaho

Coach Bill Mauldin

Coach Bill Mauldin served from 1970-1986. He coached football, basketball, golf, and track & field. He received the NC Football Coaches Association Lifetime Achievement Award. Coach Mauldin received honorary lifetime membership in the NC Coaches Association. He was the head football coach from 1978 to 1986 and was the head coach for the 1978 State Champion Football Team.

• 1975 — Golf Conference Champions
• 1977 — Track Conference Champions
• 1977 — Northwestern Conference Coach of the Year
• 1977 — 1979 and 1981 — Football Conference Runner-Up
• 1978 — Western NC Football team of the year
• 1978 — NC 3-A Football State Champions
• 1978 — Western NC Coach of the Year
• 1978 — Kelloff North Carolina Coach of the Year
• 1979 — ‘84 — Board of Directors, NC Coaches Association
• 1980 — Shrine Bowl Coach
• 1980 — Northwestern Conference Champions
• 1987-1991 — Head Coach, Catawba College
• 1988 — SAC-8 Conference Champions
• 1988 — Catawba College makes NAIA Playoffs

Coach Marc Payne

Coach Marc Payne served as head basketball coach at Watauga High School from 1989 — 2002 and as athletic director from 1991 — 2002. His record at Watauga was 182-153 and led his team to a conference championship in the 1998-99 season. During the 2001-02 season Coach Payne marked his 400th win of his career.

In his career Coach Payne coached basketball, football, baseball, and golf. He coached 37 years of basketball at three different schools, Beaver Creek, Watauga, and Ahe County. His career record is 573-383. His teams have won 13 regular season conference championships, 7 conference tournament championships, 5 sectional championships, made 4 regional appearances and had a 3rd place finish in the State Tournament.

Additionally, in 2018 Coach Payne was inducted into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. He is also in the George Whitfield Hall of Fame, the NCADA Hall of Fame and the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. Coach Payne is the recipient of the 2007 National Interscholastic Athletics Administrators Association Distinguished Service Award.

Complete lifetime basketball statistics and awards:

• 1974-79 Head Basketball Coach – Beaver Creek High School
• 1979-80 Assistant Basketball Coach – USC-Coastal Carolina College
• 1980-89 Head Basketball Coach – Beaver Creek High School
• 1989-02 Head Basketball Coach – Watauga High School
• 2002-12 Head Basketball Coach – Ashe County High School

Records

• Beaver Creek HS 14 years, 231-128 64% 359 games
• Watauga HS 13 years, 182-153 54% 335 games
• Ashe County HS 10 years, 161-102 61% 263 games
• Total: 37 years, 574-383 60% 957 games

Accomplishments

• 13 – Regular Season Conference Championships (78, 79, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 99, 09, 10, 12)
• 7 – Conference Tournament Championships (82, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 09)
• 5 – Conference Tournament Runner-ups (79, 83, 99, 11, 12)
• 5 – Sectional Tournament Championships (78, 84, 86, 88, 09)
• 4 – Sectional Tournament Runner-ups (79, 82, 85, 89)
• 4 – Regional Tournament Appearances (84, 86, 88, 09)
• 1 – 2A State Tournament – 3rd Place (1978)
• 11 — Teams ranked in the Northwest NC Final Poll
• 6 — Teams ranked in the NC Top Ten Final Poll
• 17 – Coach of the Year Awards
• 1989 NCHSAA Region 7 Male Coach contributing most to HS Athletics
• 1989 West Basketball Coach – NCCA McDonald’s 40th Annual East-West All-Star Game
• 1988 and 1990 Head Coach of Region 7 State Games of NC
• 2000 Head Coach of NC All-Stars in NC-SC Carolinas Classic
• George Whitfield Hall of Fame
• NCADA Hall of Fame
• NCHSAA Hall of Fame

Special Contributor: Dan Shelton

Dan was an integral part of the behind the scenes happenings of 3 sports, football, basketball and baseball. Filmed football 1999-2010

• Filmed basketball 2002-2009
• Baseball PA, scoreboard and music 2002 to present
• Booster club for 7 years including 5 as president
• Charter member of Will Dicus foundation

1997 Women’s Track Team

The 1997 team won the state championship by 41 points. No other team even scored 41 points. They were also conference and regional champions. At the State Championships the team scored points in 8 events. Scoring points in individual events for the team were Marina Chase, Catherine Hall, Brenday Taylor, and Lindsay Taylor. The team also won the 1600m relay and were 2nd in the 4x800m relay. In addition, the team won the prestigious TacoBell/Reebok Track & Field Classic in Columbia SC.

1997 Track Team Coaches

Head Coach: Randy McDonough

Assistant Coaches: Steve Breitenstein, George Trivette, Leigh Wallace, and Joel Williams.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — If you hadn’t been at Jack Groce Stadium on Oct. 14 and only saw that Hibriten controlled the football for 28:33 while Watauga had possession for just 19:27, you might suspect that the Panthers won a grinding high school football game. That would prove way off target as the Pioneers rolled to a 55-7 win over the visiting Panthers — and it wasn’t even that close.

Just about everyone in the stadium, or at least on the sidelines and in the press box, knew that Hibriten was going to be without at least seven starters, including not just the starting quarterback but the Panthers’ top backup. So the question of the night was: how deep is the Hibriten roster and could they keep up with what has emerged as Watauga’s multi-faceted offense.

Answer: a resounding “no.”

There were a number of big plays by the Pioneers in the first two quarters of the football game, perhaps none any more emblematic of the night than a second quarter series when Watauga already had a 34-0 lead, with just  1:34 remaining before intermission. A freshman quarterback thrust into a starting role, on 2nd-and-10 Hibriten’s Avin Crawford ran right on an apparent option play. He was hit at the line of scrimmage while attempting a pitchout to a halfback — and the ball instead flew awry and was plucked from the air by Pioneer junior linebacker Morgan Henry in stride, headed to the end zone. The Blowing Rock School alum outraced all defenders for a fumble recovery TD. With a successful PAT attempt by Grant Kight, the Pioneers had a commanding, 41-0 lead with 1:01 left before halftime.

Among the many regulations governing North Carolina high school football, one of them is a “mercy rule” that when any opponent is ahead by 42 points in the second half, the clock continues to run, without stopping, shortening what has become an onslaught. Following Henry’s fumble recovery TD and with just over a minute left on the clock in the opening half, Watauga was one point shy of the 42-point trigger. It appeared that the mercy rule would have to wait until the second half.

But after successive, incomplete passes by Hibriten on 2nd, 3rd and 4th downs, Watauga got the ball back its own 34-yard line with 10 seconds to go before the end of the second quarter. And that was just enough for senior running back Will Curtis to bounce out to the right side, wrestle free from a would-be tackler and sprint down the sideline 66 yards for yet another Pioneer TD. The score insured that the second half would be played with a running clock.

Without question, on this night the Pioneer defense took every advantage of its created opportunities. In addition to Henry’s fumble return for TD, defensive back Cole Horine had a “Pick 6” pass interception late in the first quarter. On 2nd and 10, the ball at Watauga’s 28-yard line, Hibriten’s Crawford spotted wide receiver Chase Trivette briefly open near the 15, but Horine jumped in front of it and sprinted right, turning upfield near the Panthers’ sideline and outraced all defenders the length of the field for the touchdown, putting Watauga ahead, 20-0.

Just a half minute ahead of Henry’s fumble recovery for TD, Horine capped off a big night with a 26-yard TD pass from sophomore QB Maddox Greene.

Noteworthy on the night was the unencumbered return of wingback Trey Thompson, who suffered an early season upper body injury. On a counter play off right tackle that he described later as his favorite play, Thompson shot through a gap opened up by the offensive line at the Panthers’ 22, broke into the second level and no one could catch him before crossing the goal line without a Hibriten player within 15 yards of him.

Offensively, Curtis carried the ball 13 times for the Pioneers, rolling up 125 yards rushing, including two more TDs, giving him 16 on the season while averaging more than 110 yards rushing per game for the eight contests so far in 2022. Thompson carried the seven times for 67 yards, including the TD scamper.

Greene mixed things up on the night, completing 3-of-5 passes for 56 yards through the air, including the Horine TD reception. Greene also rushed 7 times for 28 yards, getting the ball across the goal line once on the ground for a TD.

Knowing in advance that Hibriten might be shorthanded, Watauga head coach Ryan Habich said afterwards that it still had to be business as usual for his Pioneers.

“We played at our level. We talked about it, that they were shorthanded. They have a very dynamic quarterback that did not play and a backup quarterback-receiver that did not play, either. So they had some guys out,” said Habich. “I think we did a good job — not great — executing, but that is what we want to do. We want to give perfect effort regardless of the game circumstances, even when we have our backups in… (In a situation like this) you want to play your game. That’s how you get upset. You want to play at a high level, especially in that first half. If you get up, like we did, then you have a chance to play everyone on the sideline. In the second half with the clock running, we played a lot of guys.

“Our coaches are coaching them up, how to tackle, tackle low, not missing tackles, because we need to rely on those guys,” added Habich. “Things change in the course of a game. Sometimes you have starters that go out and you have new guys going in. We lost a few (offensive and defensive) backups that were playing on special teams, due to injury. We had to play a lot of guys tonight, and some of them in positions they hadn’t played or practiced in before. It is good to be able to play a lot of kids in a game like this. The important thing is that even with them having some guys out, we played at our level and did not make this a close game. We kept our foot on the gas pedal and going forward.”

Of Crawford, Hibriten’s freshman QB for the night, Habich had a lot of praise.

“I thought he did really good, getting thrown into the action after being pulled up from the JVs because the Hibriten QB had a high ankle sprain. He showed a lot of potential,” said Habich. “But our defensive line is pretty good with guys like Isaiah Shirley. We did a pretty good job against the option. Hibriten did a good job of keeping the ball away from us at times, but in the end we found ways to make plays.”

Habich had special praise for his defense.

“Cole Horine had the Pick 6. He read it good and taking it to the house was a big play. And Morgan Henry at outside linebacker, playing the option… Our guys were playing responsibility football. Whether starters or backups, they were in position to make plays. When your defense makes big plays like that, it helps out your offense, big time,” said Habich.

Isaiah Shirley becomes third Pioneer since 2016 to be selected for Shrine Bowl

Now in his 10th year as head coach of the Watauga program, Habich was quick to applaud the recent selection of Isaiah Shirley to play in the Carolinas’ Shrine Bowl Game.

“This makes the third player that Watauga has had in the Shrine Bowl since 2017,” said Habich, “after Josh Hedley in 2017 and Anderson Castle in 2019. I got to coach in the 2016 game and it is a special game. They take the top 44 players in North Carolina, so we feel very blessed to have a player selected.”

After the game, the NC State-committed Shirley told High Country Sports that he was honored, “But I am very thankful for my teammates and coaches who helped me develop. I am excited for the chance and think it will be fun.”

Two more Northwestern Conference matchups stand between Watauga and an undefeated league title, an Oct. 21, “Senior Night” home game against always dangerous Freedom and a road contest at regional rival Ashe County to close out the regular season on Oct. 28.

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Total Offense – WAT 373, HIB 224
• Passing – WAT 3/5/56, HIB 6/18/70
• Rushing – WAT 35/317, HIB 29/154
• Penalties – WAT 5/55, HIB 5/30
• Turnovers – WAT 0, HIB 2
• Time of Possession – WAT 19:27, HIB 28:33
• 3rd Down Conversions – WAT 5/6 (83%), HIB 1/9 (11%)
• 4th Down Conversions – WAT 1/1 (100%), HIB 3/6 (40%)

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• HIB Avin Crawford 6/18/70, 0 TDs, 1 INT
• WAT Maddox Greene 3/5/56, 1 TD, 0 INTs

Rushing

• WAT Will Curtis 13 carries, 125 yards, 2 TDs
• WAT Trey Thompson 7 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
• HIB Gerard Felder 3 carries, 47 yards
• HIB Avin Crawford 7 carries, 40 yards
• WAT Eli Bailey 1 carry, 38 yards, 1 TD
• WAT Maddox Greene 7 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD
• HIB John Patterson 3 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD

Receiving

• WAT Jackson Pryor 2 catches, 30 yards
• HIB Bryce Horton 2 catches, 30 yards
• WAT Cole Horine 1 catch, 26 yards, 1 TD
• HIB Jake Absher 1 catch, 22 yards

WATAUGA’S INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS

• Carlton Horine 4 tackles
• Cole Horine 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 INT
• Morgan Henry 2.5 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 fumble return for TD
• Jackson Pryor 2 tackles, 1 tackle for loss

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a chilly, mid-autumn night at Jack Groce Stadium on Oct. 13. There was no snow, but plenty of “flurries” in the second half of Watauga men’s soccer match against Freedom High School (Morganton) as the Pioneers scored six unanswered goals — most with less than 25 minutes remaining in the game — to win, 6-0.

Once the Patriots’ goalkeeper allowed a Noah Jamison shot to sail over his head into the back of the net a few minutes into the second half, it was game-on for the Pioneers. Keowen Arguello and Curtis Sevensky paced Watauga with a pair of goals each, but it was Jamison and Micah Duvall who started things off with a goal apiece. Three of the Pioneer goals came within five minutes of each other, midway through the half.

Between the two goalkeepers used by the Patriots, the Freedom statistician recorded 13 saves by the visitors’ keepers of shots on goal by the Pioneers.

Among the four assists was a rare one awarded to goalkeeper Kyle Painter to open the night’s scoring. He sent a long pass from inside his own penalty area downfield where it was quickly collected by Jamison and sent to the Freedom-defended net.

Commenting on that particular play, Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt described the importance of distributing the ball effectively.

“That was huge. When we can rely on our keeper, center backs or outside backs to distribute the ball to get us into dangerous situations, then it gives us an advantage. It means we don’t always have to work the ball up through midfield, although we want to at times. We don’t always want to be a long ball team, but that was a great counterattack moment,” Honeycutt said.

Of the overall tenor of the match, Honeycutt stated what was obvious to the many Pioneer fans in the stands.

“It was a tale of two halves,” added Honeycutt. “In the first half, we weren’t quite crisp and sharp like we have been most of the week. It wasn’t bad soccer, it just wasn’t great soccer… Being the third game of the week, we might have been a little bit tired, so it was a slow start, not clean.”

Honeycutt was quick to point out the difference in second half play, after some minor adjustments.

“In the second half, we came out like gangbusters. Super crisp. Clean ball, making great passes, finding great opportunities and executing to put them away. The second half was a much better, family team effort than the first,” said Honeycutt.

After a rigorous non-conference schedule that saw the Pioneers up against some of North Carolina’s best 4A-level programs, when the results were much tighter and wins much harder to come by, Watauga is harvesting the fruit of that intentionally tougher scheduling.

“We’ve grown. We’ve come together as a team, realizing that we can play for one another and use each other to get a team win. And now that we are connecting, we are getting dangerous opportunities — and we are finishing. That is a observation because earlier in the year we struggled a bit to find the back of the net,” said Honeycutt.

“Our non-conference schedule was very difficult,” the now veteran coach continued. “We are talking about some of the best teams in the state, so obviously it is unlikely for us to score 6 goals, 8 goals, and such against those kind of teams. That prepared us for conference games.”

During the more competitive non-conference matches, Watauga seemed to control a lot of possession, but had trouble keeping it in the attacking third of the field, much less scoring.

“Yes, we are doing a better job of realizing that we can throw numbers in the box and still be OK, defensively. Early in the season there was a mentality that ‘These teams are good. They can score on us. So we need to be defensive.’  As a consequence, the opportunities that we got were one or two men trying to get take advantage of those opportunities in the attacking third. Now we are realizing that our defense is solid and we can play good team ball. So we can throw numbers in the box. We are going to get opportunities. They are going to be dangerous. We are going to finish them (by scoring goals) — but we are still going to be solid, defensively.”

Now 5-1 in conference play and 7-8 overall, Watauga is tied atop the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference standings with Hibriten, whose only loss came at the feet of the Pioneers. On Monday, Oct. 17, Watauga faces a rematch challenge with Alexander Central (3-2-1 in NWC, 4-6-3 overall), the only conference team to defeat the Pioneers in the 2022 campaign, a 3-0 decision at the Cougars’ campus on Sept. 28. The Pioneers will look to exact a measure of revenge on their Jack Groce home turf.

Watauga will close out the regular season with a pair of away games at Hibriten (Oct. 19, and looming as a potential decider of conference supremacy) and Freedom (Oct. 24) before the regular season finale at home against Ashe County (Oct. 26).

NORTHWESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS THRU REPORTED MATCHES, OCT. 13

1. Watauga (5-1 NWC, 7-8-1 overall)
2. Hibriten (5-1, 13-2-3)
3. Alexander Central (3-2-1, 4-6-3)
4. South Caldwell (3-3, 9-4-2)
5. Ashe County (0-4-2, 8-7-3)
6. Freedom (0-5-1, 5-9-2)

SLIDESHOW (All images credited to David Rogers)

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By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga sophomore and No. 1 singles player Sienna Davidson breezed through her championship match, 6-0, 6-1, over teammate Larisa Muse on Oct. 11, in the 4A Northwestern Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament. Meanwhile, the Pioneers’ senior tandem of Madison Ogden and Amira Younce combined to beat Alexander Central seniors Emmy Rogers and Taylor Sharpe. 6-1, 6-1, in the doubles final. The tournament was played on Watauga’s home court.

In singles, as the No. 1 seed Davidson had a bye into the semifinals where she shut out Alexander Central’s Adisyn Eckard, 6-0, 6-0. In the quarterfinals, Eckard prevailed over South Caldwell’s Gracie Fisher with a hard fought, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6) decision.

As the No. 2 seed in singles, Watauga’s Muse received a bye into the semifinals’ bottom half of the bracket, where she faced South Caldwell’s Victoria Villacorte, winning 6-0, 6-2. In her quarterfinal matchup, Villacorte advanced with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout over Alexander Central’s Ella Deal.

The Pioneers now await their Oct. 21-22 pairings in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A West Regional, hosted by Hough High School in Cornelius.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Just by looking at the Watauga score sheet, you had to know that the final, afternoon non-conference match on Oct. 8 matching the Pioneers against the Rams of T.C. Roberson (Ashville) was a thriller. Although Watauga lost, 3-2, in the 5-set nail biter, the tough competition was just what head coach Kim Pryor was hoping for in her mid-season scheduling.

“Of course winning is more fun,” said Pryor, “but whatever the outcome these really close matches featuring outstanding play on both sides of the net are entertaining volleyball. And we had a lot of that great play this afternoon.”

The Pioneers took the Rams right to the edge in the first set, losing by 23-25, before coming back to take the second set in more dominant fashion, 25-12. They followed that up with another win in the third set, 25-18, which put Watauga just one set win away from sweeping their Oct. 8 opponents in the non-conference tri-match. They had beaten 3A power Fred T. Foard (Newton) in the first match of the morning, 3-1, also a match that could have gone either way.

But the Rams rallied to even things up 2-2 by winning the fourth set, 22-25, then followed that up with an overtime win in the fifth set, 14-16.

Now the Pioneers (17-2 overall, 7-0 in Northwestern Conference) look ahead to three matches to finish regular season conference play, first at Hibriten on Monday, Oct. 10, then at Freedom on Wednesday, Oct. 12, then returning home to finish the regular season slate against Ashe County in Lentz Eggers Gym, on Monday, Oct. 17.

SELECTED WATAUGA STATS AGAINST T.C. ROBERSON

• Kenzie Baldwin 1 kill, 1 assist, 2 service aces, 13 digs
• Evie Robbins 2 service aces, 7 digs
• Camryn Norris 20 assists, 1 service ace, 11 digs
• Faith Watson 2 kills, 3 stuff blocks
• Brooke Scheffler 25 kills, 19 assists, 2 stuff blocks, 2 service aces, 9 digs
• Caroline Farthing 18 kills, 2 stuff blocks, 3 service aces, 15 digs
• Kate McCullough 3 stuff blocks
• Sara Marlowe 1 kill, 6 stuff blocks
• Madi Combs 1 service ace, 1 dig
• Emma Pastusic 6 kills, 2 stuff blocks, 3 digs

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Volleyball matches don’t get to be much more fun than the Oct. 8 morning contest at Lentz Eggers Gym between Northwestern Conference perennial champion Watauga and NCHSAA 3A heavyweight, Fred T. Foard high schools. In the end, the Pioneers prevailed, 3-1 (19-25, 25-14, 28-26, 25-20), and it is just what WHS head coach Kim Pryor had in mind for scheduling a pair of power opponents on an early autumn Saturday, just past the middle of the regular season.

Coming into their Oct. 8 non-conference match, Watauga and Foard had something in common. The Pioneers’ only loss was an early season (Aug. 19), 3-2 defeat at the hands of North Iredell, which competes in the same Western Foothills 3A Conference as the Tigers of Fred T. Foard. As recently as Oct. 5, Foard dropped its second league encounter to the Olin, N.C. school that sits atop the Western Foothills conference standings, undefeated, with the Tigers in second.

All four of the sets played in Lentz Eggers Gym on Saturday were nail biters, filled with rallies, runs, powerful kill shots, resounding blocks, and keeping-the-ball-alive digs. It was as good of a high school volleyball match as the High Country is likely to see.

“They run your emotions high and low, but those sorts of matches are what makes volleyball fun,” acknowledged Pioneer head coach Pryor afterward. “And this sort of well-skilled opponent is just what we needed, to help us polish our game for the upcoming 4A state playoffs where we are more likely to meet teams like this beginning in Round 1 and they only get better and better as you advance.”

Later in the day, Watauga dropped its second match of the season to yet another 4A power, T C Roberson of Asheville, 3-2. The Pioneers split with Roberson in 2021, knocking the Asheville team out of the playoffs in their second meeting.

“There is a good chance we will see Roberson again, in the state tournament,” said Pryor, “so this was a good opportunity to see what they have this year.”

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS FOR WATAUGA VS. FOARD

• Kenzie Baldwin 4 assists, 2 service aces, 21 digs
• Evie Robbins 1 service ace, 20 digs
• Camryn Norris 26 assists, 1 service ace, 8 digs
• Faith Watson 3 kills, 2 stuff blocks, 1 dig
• Brooke Scheffler 24 kills, 24 assists, 2 stuff blocks, 1 service ace, 12 digs
• Carolina Farthing 27 kills, 1 stuff block, 3 service aces, 13 digs
• Kate McCullough 3 stuff blocks, 1 dig
• Sara Marlowe 1 kill, 3 stuff blocks
• Emma Pastusic 4 kills, 1 stuff block, 2 digs

By David Rogers. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — By no stretch of the imagination was the Oct. 7 football contest between Watauga and Alexander Central high schools the “prettiest” game of the 2022 season. At times it was downright ugly, but the Pioneers eventually found a way to spoil the Cougars’ Homecoming Night with a nervous, 34-20 victory.

A 59-yard return by Watauga’s Josh Bollinger on the opening kickoff had the High Country visitors thinking their trip down the mountain would be worth it, but a fumble by sophomore QB Maddox Greene as he crossed the goal line on a keeper behind right tackle saw Alexander Central recover the ball in their own end zone for a touchback. It was a combination of positive and negative plays that would be repeated over and over again on the night, leaving both sidelines as well as the many fans in the grandstands exasperated, to be sure.

On Alexander Central’s very first play from scrimmage, QB Tanner Moore lofted a long pass down the right sideline, sailing over the outstretched arms of a Pioneer defender trying for an interception — and into the waiting arms of Cougar wide receiver Luke Hammer. The speedster turned after the catch, angled across the field toward the opposite side of the field, and got to the Watauga 5-yard line before the Pioneers’ Jackson Pryor was able to run him down.

Deadpanned a photographer on the Watauga sideline, “Well, that was an inauspicious beginning for the Pioneers.”

And yet, the Pioneers’ defense was up to the challenge. The Cougar efforts to get the ball into the end zone were turned back, highlighted by an Isaiah Shirley QB sack that resulted in a three yard loss on 2nd and 4, pushing the Cougars back to the 7-yard line. ACHS running back Mason Chapman-Mays was able to gain five yards on 3rd down, but Moore’s pass on 4th and 2 sailed beyond the outstretched arms of his receiver in the right flat of the end zone, turning the ball over to Watauga on downs.

So with 7:14 left in the first quarter, the Cougar Homecoming crowd had seen long marches up the field by both teams, but no points on the scoreboard. And Watauga faced a daunting, 98-yard offensive challenge.

Led by Greene at QB, the Pioneers wiggled their way out of danger. A 5-yard run up the middle by Will Curtis, a 9-yard pass from Greene to Carlton Horine, and a 10-yard amble up the right sideline by Cole Horine gave Watauga room to operate. A 5-yard defensive encroachment penalty and another run up the middle by Curtis got the ball out to the 35 and the offensive possession began to look promising. But Greene was stripped of the ball by a Cougar defender after a 7-yard run and ACHS recovered at the Pioneer 42 yard line, giving Alexander Central a short field for putting points on the board.

The Cougars’ Chapman-Mays brothers were dynamic on the night and on this particular offensive possession, Sawyer Chapman-Mays ripped off large gains of 16 and 12 yards before the Pioneer defense again stiffened at their own 14. Faced with 3rd-and-6, Moore aimed a pass that had a little too much air under it toward the right flat, near the goal line. Watauga defensive back Carlton Horine stepped in front of the receiver to pluck it from the air for an INT, then raced down the sideline in front of jubilant Pioneer teammates with fellow wide receiver Pryor running interference in front of him. Horine seemed to run out of gas on the long sprint and a desperate Cougar defender pushed him out of bounds at the Alexander 2, but Watauga had again escaped trouble after a second, opening quarter turnover.

Three plays later, Curtis managed to poke the ball across the goal line and the visitors from Boone scored the game’s first points as the first quarter clock was ticking toward zero.

A short kickoff by Watauga gave the Cougars good field position at their own 40-yard line as the quarter ended, but on the first play of the drive Mason Chapman-Mays fumbled on a 4-yard rushing loss and the ball was recovered by the Pioneers’ Brody Martin. Four Watauga plays later, Greene waltzed into the end zone for a TD and after another Grant Kight PAT, Watauga had a 14-0 lead.

But in terms of numbers, this first half of high school football had more offensive frustrations on both sides than the several Homecoming princesses who were disappointed in not being crowned “Queen.”

Highlighted by a 40-yard pass-and-run from Moore to Hammer for another long Cougar aerial gain, Alexander Central put together an 8-play, 62-yard drive that stalled at the Pioneer 4, ending in a turnover on downs when Isaiah Shirley stacked up Sawyer Chapman-Mays at the line of scrimmage for no gain on 4th and 1.

Although Curtis shot through a gap and bulled his way to a 39-yard gain on Watauga’s next play, the drive immediately stalled and Greene’s quick kick on 4th down was blocked and recovered by ACHS at the Pioneer 33. This time, the Cougars were able to get the ball into the end zone for a touchdown, even shrugging off an offensive shift penalty to get on the scoreboard for the first time of the evening. The 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Cougars at a 14-6 disadvantage to the Pioneers.

Watauga could get little going in the ensuing possession, eventually seeing Greene slide to the ground just across midfield to run out the clock before intermission.

Except for the Pioneers being called for an offsides penalty on their patented fake kickoff to open the second half, the long Homecoming ceremony at halftime may have been just what these longtime high school rivals needed. After receiving the kickoff, Alexander Central orchestrated a 13-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a TD. Another 2-point conversion attempt failed, but the Cougar deficit had been shrunk to just 2 points, 14-12, and the Watauga offense had been kept off the field for more than seven minutes of the third quarter.

Any hopes that the Cougar faithful harbored for a Homecoming rebound, though, were quickly dashed when the Pioneers’ Curtis returned the kickoff 22 yards to midfield and Greene & Co. went to work. Aided by a defensive face mask penalty, it took only 6 plays for the Pioneers to find the end zone with a 9-yard pass from Greene to Cole Horine.

Another brilliant defensive stand by Watauga forced an Alexander Central punt and just four plays later Curtis crossed the goal line to finish a 15-yard TD run. With a 27-12 lead and just over 10 and a half minutes remaining in the game, Alexander Central’s hopes for a Homecoming win were dimming.

The Cougars did not go away quietly, however. A six-play offensive possession took ACHS 60 yards, ending with yet another Moore to Hammer TD aerial for the final 15 yards. Another 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving Alexander Central a full touchdown short of the lead, 27-20, but with still 8:45 left on the game clock.

And it got just that much more exciting for the Cougar fans jamming the home grandstands when Nate Erkman recovered the host’s onside kick at the 50-yard line. Alexander Central had only to march the short field and potentially tie the game or even win it with a TD and a successful 2-point conversion.

But it was not to be. Cole Horine picked off the family’s second interception of the night, flipping the field’s ownership back again to the visiting Pioneers. Another 6-play drive orchestrated by Greene, and Watauga put an exclamation point on their Taylorsville invasion by putting the game out of reach, 34-20, with little time remaining.

Afterwards, Watauga head coach Ryan Habich was thankful for the win, but not happy with his team’s less than perfect execution and performance. He said the Pioneers cannot expect to face Hibriten, Freedom and Ashe County and win if they play the same way, and he emphasized that the team’s first goal for the season is to win the Northwestern Conference championship and qualify for the state playoffs as the No. 1 seed from the conference.

 

“Beating the two other 4A teams in the conference, South Caldwell and Alexander Central, accomplishes very little if we don’t win out. The top 4A seed in the playoffs goes to the 4A seed with the best conference record.” he said.

“Coach Habich always picks a word to define our season before it begins and this year it is ‘Resilience,’” said Isaiah Shirley after the game. “That is who we are. We find a way. It wasn’t our best effort tonight, by any means, and we must get better. But we found a way to win tonight against a very good opponent.”

After playing seven games to open the season, five of them on the road, the Pioneers (6-1 overall, 2-0 in Northwestern Conference) return home to Jack Groce Stadium for the next two tests against Hibriten (Oct. 14) and Freedom (Oct. 21), before closing out the regular season at Ashe County on Oct. 28.

SCORING

• 1st Qtr. 00:05 WATAUGA – Will Curtis 1 yd run (Grant Kight kick), 3-2 1:18 7 – 0
• 2nd Qtr. 11:01 WATAUGA – Maddox Greene 10 yd run (Grant Kight kick), 3-36 0:54 14 – 0
• 2nd Qtr. 02:41 ACHS – Sawyer Chapman-Mays 1 yd run (Mason Chapman-Mays pass failed), 6-33 2:09 14 – 6
• 3rd Qtr. 04:46 ACHS – Tanner Moore 6 yd run (Tanner Moore pass failed), 13-60 7:14 14 – 12
• 3rd Qtr. 01:53 WATAUGA – Cole Horine 9 yd pass from Maddox Greene (Grant Kight kick), 6-49 2:47 21 – 12
• 4th Qtr. 10:39 WATAUGA – Will Curtis 15 yd run (Grant Kight kick failed), 4-44 1:10 27 – 12
• 4th Qtr. 08:45 ACHS – Nate Erkman 15 yd pass from Tanner Moore (Chad Lasher pass from Tanner Moore), 5-70 1:48 27 – 20
• 4th Qtr. 04:47 WATAUGA – Maddox Greene 2 yd run (Grant Kight kick), 6-57 3:08 34 – 20

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Total Offense, Yards — WAT 304, ALE 331
• Passing Yards — WAT 55, ALE 130
• Rushing Yards — WAT 249, ALE 201
• Fumbles-Lost — WAT 2-2, ALE 1-1
• Interceptions By-Return Yards — WAT 2-104, ALE 0-0
• Penalties — WAT 4-45, ALE6-54
• 3rd Down Conversions — WAT 3/6 (50%), ALE 5/10 (50%)
• 4th Down Conversions — WAT 0/1, ALE 0/2
• Time of Possession — WAT 22:21, ALE 25:39

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing

• ALE Tanner Moore 3-8, 130 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
• WAT Maddox Greene 3-4, 55 yards, 1 TD

Rushing

• WAT Maddox Greene 16-115, 2 TDs
• ALE Sawyer Chapman-Mays 23-95, 1 TD
• WAT Will Curtis 14-82, 2 TDs
• ALE Nate Erkman 5-54
• WAT Carlton Horine 6-43, 1 TD
• ALE Mason Chapman-Mays 9-39
• ALE Tanner Moore 7-13, 1 TD
• WAT Trey Thompson 3-12

Receiving

• ALE Luke Hammer 2-115
• WAT Jackson Pryor 2-46
• ALE Nate Erkman 1-15, 1 TD
• WAT Cole Horine 1-9, 1 TD

WATAUGA DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS

• Isaiah Shirley 12 tackles (4 solo), 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss
• Brody Martin 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss
• Carlton Horine 8 tackles (5 solo), 1 INT with 96 yard return
• Cole Horine 8 tackles (4 solo), 1 INT with 8-yard return