By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Perfect weather for long distance running marked the Firetower Project cross country races at Appalachian State’s State Farm Intramural Fields and the Don Kennedy Trails.
The men’s and women’s high school divisions were dominated by Watauga and West Henderson harriers. Brianna and Gwendolyn Anderson swept the first two spots in the women’s division (19:38.91 and 19:43.70, respectively), with eight Pioneers finishing in the top 15. West Henderson countered with six athletes in the top 15, among the 51 runners from seven schools.
Don Kennedy, namesake for the Don Kennedy Trails at State Farm Intramural Fields was on hand for the Firehouse Project races. He is believed to have been the first Mountaineer XC athlete to earn All-American recognition. Photo by David Rogers
Other top finishers for the Pioneer women included Savannah Duval (Sr., 5th), Rachel Cathey (Jr., 7th), Janie Beach-Verhay (Fr., 10th), Andriana Rink (Sr., 11th), Maddie Bollman (Soph., 14th), and Sydney Cate Townsend (Fr., 15th).
In the men’s division, Watauga’s Will Bradbury finished second (16:43.95) behind West Henderson’s Hudson Rice in first (16:28.49). West Henderson took four of the top six spots, while the Pioneers placed seven in the top 16.
Bradbury, a sophomore, was followed by fellow Pioneers Collin Anderson (Jr.) in eighth, Roman Sibaja (Jr.) in ninth, Elliott Taft (Fr.) in 11th, Sam Nixon (Jr.) in 14th, Jonah Norris (Soph.) in 15th and Sam Rex (Soph.) in 16th. Sixty-seven athletes competed in the high school men’s division, from seven schools.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Three days in a row of women’s tennis at Watauga High School and it was a third day of domination on Sept. 14 for the Pioneers. Sweeping the six singles matches and losing only the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles pairing, Watauga defeated Freedom, 7-2.
At No. 1 singles, Watauga sophomore Sienna Davidson had only a little bit of trouble in overcoming the Patriots’ senior No. 1, Ellie Deacon, 6-4, 6-2. Pioneer senior teammate Madison Ogden dispatched Freedom sophomore Emily Kania, 6-1, 6-1, then Watauga’s No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 athletes didn’t surrender a single game, all winning 6-0, 6-0.
Freedom got a measure of revenge in capturing the first two doubles matches, with Deacon and Sara Byrd Succop combining to defeat Pioneers Abbi Shuman and Laurel West, 8-4, and Patriots Leah Kirksey and Kania getting the best of Serena Jewell-Miller and Logan Highfield, 8-4.
Jewell-Miller and Katie Harrison avoided a complete doubles sweep for the Pioneers by defeating Freedom’s Zofia Losada and Lucy Yelton, 8-1.
By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — Whether spiking a kill, demonstrating ballet between sets, or even mishitting a serve into the net, Watauga’s women’s volleyball team had fun on Sept. 14 in Hudson, against South Caldwell. They staged a 3-set sweep of the Spartans, 25-15, 25-8, 25-13.
Pioneer head coach Kim Pryor said after the match that one of the challenges for this week has been getting her charges to focus on the task at hand, even with it being the first Northwestern Conference match of the still young season.
Watauga outside hitter Faith Watson (left) hits a kill shot past a South Caldwell defender on Sept. 14, at the Spartan campus in Hudson. Watauga won in straight sets. Photo by David Rogers
“This week is homecoming at Watauga, so there are a lot of things related to that going on, including all of the homecoming events Friday night. Before the match, I stressed the importance of focusing on volleyball for this night and they did, wonderfully,” said Pryor.
Senior middle blocker and outside hitter Brooke Scheffler said that the team’s strategy against South Caldwell was to keep as much pressure on the Spartans as possible.
“We know they have a very big hitter, so the goal was to keep them off balance, to not let her teammates set her up with good opportunities. I think that pressure was a big difference maker for this match,” said Scheffler.
Pioneer libero Kenzie Baldwin serves against South Caldwell on Sept. 14, in the first Northwestern Conference match of the 2022 season. Watauga won, 3-0. Photo by David Rogers
Scheffler once again put together one of the more robust stat lines on the night, with 15 kills, 24 assists, 2 service aces, 10 digs, and even adding a stuff block to her resume.
Senior Carolina Farthing, also an outside hitter, amassed 20 kills over the course of the three sets.
Other stat leaders included Cam Norris (18 assists, 1 service ace, 2 digs), Evie Robbins (13 digs, 2 service aces), Kenzie Baldwin (16 digs, 3 assists), and Faith Watson (9 kills, 4 stuff blocks, 1 dig).
With the win, the Pioneers improve to 10-1 overall, 1-0 in Northwestern Conference play. Their next action is on the road, in Taylorsville against Alexander Central (3-5, 0-1). The Cougars lost to Ashe County on Sept. 14 in its conference debut, 20-25, 19-25, 25-19, 20-25.
The South Caldwell defender doesn’t stand a chance against this kill shot by Watauga’s Carolina Farthing (22). Photo by David Rogers
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — After T.C. Roberson sophomore Erika Fransheska dispatched Watauga sophomore Sienna Davidson in the No. 1 singles match on Sept. 13, some of the Pioneer supporters feared that the women’s tennis rematch results would be similar to the 7-2 drubbing on the Rams’ home court in Asheville, on Aug. 24.
But things could hardly have gone better for the Pioneer women after that first setback. They swept the rest of the day’s eight matches to win, 8-1.
“We came to play today,” said Watauga head coach Jennifer Pillow. “I am so proud of these young women’s perseverance and resilience.”
The Pioneers resume Northwestern Conference play on Sept. 14, when they host Freedom.
SINGLES
TCR Erika Fransheska Mendez def. WAT Sienna Davidson 6-2, 6-3
WAT Madison Ogden def. TCR Lauren Denton 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
WAT Amira Younce def. TCR Rainie Richards 6-2, 6-2
WAT Larisa Muse def. TCR Sydney Selmensberger 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7)
WAT Alaina Muse def. TCR Kara Lynch 6-3, 6-2
WAT Laurel West def. TCR “Singles Rams” 6-0, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)
DOUBLES
WAT Ogden-Younce def. TCR Fransheska Mendez-Richards 8-4
WAT Davidson-Abbi Shuman def. TCR Lynch-Maddie Yeatman 8-2
WAT Muse-Muse def. TCR Mehar Chatha-Grace Yang 8-0
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was another near-sweep of a conference opponent for Watauga women’s tennis on Sept. 12. This time, their Northwestern Conference victim was Lenoir-based Hibriten.
The Pioneers lost only the No. 6 singles match to the visiting Panthers, going 8-1 on the day.
“We won five out of six singles matches, so I am very pleased with that result,” said the Pioneers head tennis coach, Jennifer Pillow, while the doubles matches were still being decided. “I have seen a lot of really good smart playing by our athletes today, with their placement of the ball. They are moving very well today. We have been working on putting the ball away and they have done a good job of it in these matches against a well-coached Hibriten team.”
Photo by David Rogers
Pillow noted that she has eight seniors on the 2022 fall edition of the Pioneers, with a good sprinkling of underclassmen, including some sophomore and freshman standouts, so it is challenging at times to get everyone competitive court time.
The Pioneers have two more home matches this week, the first a Sept. 13 encounter vs. T.C. Roberson (6-1) to whom they lost, 7-2, in Asheville on Aug. 24 for their only blemish on the season’s record. They stay at home on Sept. 14 in another conference match, this one against Freedom (0-3), before going back on the road Sept. 19 at Ashe County and Sept. 21 at South Caldwell.
SINGLES
WAT Sienna Davidson (Soph.) def. HIB Natalie Jones (Jr.) 6-2,6-2
WAT Madison Ogden (Sr.) def. HIB Charlotte Gardner (Sr.) 6-3, 6-0
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Even though Watauga’s Sept. 12 men’s soccer match will be recorded as a 1-0, non-conference loss to Northwest Guilford, the Pioneers left Jack Groce Stadium knowing they had battled toe to toe with one of the better high school teams in western North Carolina.
The Vikings of Northwest Guilford (5-2-1) are ranked at No. 45 out of the more than 400 North Carolina varsity programs and No. 10 in the NCHSAA 4A West half of the state, according to MaxPreps. Even before Monday night’s match with the Pioneers, the Greensboro-based Vikings sported a national ranking of No. 243 out of the 2,298 varsity programs monitored by MaxPreps. Now 2-5 on the still young season with the West Caldwell outcome still pending, Watauga was ranked No. 233, statewide, among all programs in North Carolina before Monday’s loss, receiving credit for a strong strength of schedule in non-conference play.
Watauga’s Ben White outmaneuvers a NW Guilford player and turns upfield on attack, Sept. 12, at Jack Groce Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
“I am proud of this team tonight,” said Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt after the match. “Nothing to be embarrassed about at all. This was a very good opponent and our guys battled to the end. In fact, their one goal may just as well have been more our fault than their good play, although they took advantage.”
For most of the match the Vikings appeared equally as skilled as Watauga and maybe a half-step quicker to the ball. In the last 10 minutes, however, the Pioneers seemed to gain the upper hand, playing a good part of the remaining time in NW Guilford’s defending half. Sharply played combinations in Watauga’s attacking third of the field didn’t yield any goals for the host Pioneers, but underlined the young Pioneers’ fitness and resilience as they mounted scoring threats to the final buzzer.
Strong defensive play by the Vikings were able to turn away most of the scoring threats organized by the Pioneers, who managed only two shots on goal, one by Micah Duvall and another by Curtis Sevensky. Goalkeeper Kyle Painter recorded six saves on the night.
Watauga forward Curtis Sevensky (10) sprints ahead of a Northwest Guilford defender to play the ball on Sept. 12, attacking up the right sideline in the first half of the non-conference match at Jack Groce Stadium. Photo by David Rogers
Next up for the Pioneers is quick trip down the mountain on Sept. 13, to West Caldwell, to play the final 1 minute, 20 seconds that remained when a Warrior player was seriously injured last week and the game was called with the Pioneers threatening to close its 2-1 deficit. The game was delayed for well over a half hour while an ambulance was called to transport the injured athlete to a nearby hospital.
Asked for an update before the Sept. 12 match, Honeycutt reported that the injuries were not as severe as first feared, the athlete suffering a concussion and neck strain.
“No one has satisfactorily explained yet why the game was called with just a minute and a half remaining,” said Honeycutt. “The rules provide for only two reasons for a game to be called, and those are dangerous weather conditions or an unruly crowd. So play should have been resumed to finish out the match. Our guys work hard and deserve the opportunity to finish the game, so we will go down for that final 1:20.”
On Sept. 15, the Pioneers will receive another strong test on the road, at Davidson Day. The 7-2 Patriots are ranked No. 202 nationally and No. 35 statewide. The Pioneers return home for two more strong non-conference tests next week, vs. Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, 3-3-1) on Sept. 19 and Cox Mill (Concord, 6-0-3) on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
By David Rogers. LAWNDALE, N.C. — For three-quarters of the Sept. 9 high school football game between host Burns and visiting Watauga, both teams had answers. But with a 21-point scoring outburst in the fourth quarter that took advantage of Pioneer turnovers, the Bulldogs gave their enthusiastic home crowd a lot to cheer about in carving out a convincing, 48-28 win.
The night started promising enough for Watauga, its defensive unit holding Burns to a three-and-out on the Bulldogs’ opening possession. Then, in trademark grinding fashion, the Pioneers marched to the game’s first score after a 10-play drive that took four and a half minutes off the clock — and kept Burns’ offense off the field. Watauga covered the 78 yards with quarterback Maddox Greene and senior running backs Will Curtis and Trey Thompson trading carries before Greene surprised everyone on 1st-and-10 from the Burns 24-yard-line with a pass to senior wide receiver Jackson Pryor. The TD pass drew the proverbial “first blood” for the High Country visitors. Placekicker Grant Kight’s PAT kick sailed through the uprights cleanly to make the score midway through the first half, 7-0.
Burns High School junior running back Jeremiah Norris breaks into the open to score a second half TD against Watauga on Sept. 9.
Burns didn’t waste any time answering, orchestrating a 9-play drive to produce a touchdown and PAT that took just under three minutes.
And that was the way most of the first three quarters went, the schools trading touchdowns. Watauga held the slightest of advantages when Burns’ placekicker missed a field goal and an extra point after his team’s final TD of the third quarter, leaving the score at 28-27 entering the last stanza.
Trailing, Burns had possession going into the fourth quarter but failed to convert on a 4th-and-5 opportunity at the Watauga 31-yard-line. The Pioneer defense did its job, setting up the offense for a potential go-ahead opportunity that would have made it a two-score game. Prospectively, they would also have taken a substantial amount of time off the game clock.
Even for a game almost two hours’ driving distance from Boone, Watauga’s student section was well represented on Sept. 9 in Lawndale as the football team took on Burns — and well costumed, to boot.
But only two plays into their first possession of the final period, the Pioneers joined the “Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda Club” when Burns punched the ball out of running back Will Curtis’ arms, then recovered the fumble at the Watauga 37. Given a short field, it took Bulldog quarterback Ben Mauney just four plays to get Burns into the end zone, finished off with a 16-yard scamper around and through a legion of Pioneers by versatile running back Jeremiah Norris.
On the subsequent kickoff, Watauga’s Trey Thompson gave the Pioneers’ offense relatively good field position with a 20-yard return, but two plays later the Bulldogs forced yet another fumble and turnover, again giving the home side a short field to work with, offensively. It took only five plays for the Mauney-directed offense to get the job done, with running back Ryan Thompson getting the call to rush the ball into the end zone from five yards out. This time, placekicker Ansley Camacho’s PAT kick was good, giving Burns a 42-28 lead and only 6:19 left before game’s end.
The Burns’ defense held on Watauga’s next possession, forcing a three-and-out, then the Bulldogs use eight plays to grind out an insurance touchdown, the drive featuring senior wide receiver Lemont Wilson’s rushing carries of 5, 13, 3, and 3 yards before fellow senior Thompson punched the ball the remaining one-yard across the goal line with just 53 seconds left.
Oops. The referees caught this face mask penalty against Burns as the defensive lineman turns Watauga’s Greene after a sizable gain on Sept. 9, in Lawndale.
“We didn’t execute, plain and simple,” said Watauga head coach Ryan Habich after the game. “In one respect, I am happy about this because we needed to know you can’t take anything for granted. You have to play the whole game. Overall, I was pleased with our players’ effort and we have some terrific young men on this team, but we have to improve on execution if we want to achieve our goals of a conference championship and home field advantage in the playoffs.”
Asked what the team needs to do to fix its execution problems, sophomore quarterback Maddox Greene said, succinctly, “More practice and better practice.”
Watauga (3-1 overall, 0-0 in Northwestern Conference) will have a week to work on things before next Friday, Sept. 16, when they return to the friendly confines of Jack Groce Stadium for “Homecoming” and a final non-conference game. Their opponent will be High Country rival, Ashe County (2-2, 0-0). On Sept. 9, the Huskies suffered a 51-29 loss to a strong Mt. Airy team.
SELECTED TEAM STATS
Total Offense: WAT 329, BUR 459
Time of Possession: WAT 25:45. BUR 22:15
Rushing Attempts-Yards: WAT 48-302, BUR 42-207
Passing Completions/Attempts/Yards: WAT 2/4/27. BUR 15/20/252
Passing TDs-INTs: WAT 1-0, BUR 2-0
Fumbles-Lost: WAT 3-3, BUR 0-0
Penalties: WAT 5-30, BUR 7-55
3rd Down Conversions: WAT 4/7 (57%), BUR 4/11 (36%)
4th Down Conversions: WAT 1/2 (50%), BUR 2/4 (50%)
By David Rogers. LENOIR, N.C. — All but 1:20 had ticked off the game clock on Sept. 8, with West Caldwell holding a tenuous, 2-1 lead over Watauga men’s soccer. And that is when the game was called after a more than half-hour delay while school officials and EMS first responders tended to a seriously injured Warrior midfielder.
The player apparently went up for a contested header, shoulder to shoulder with an unidentified Watauga player, and collapsed immediately to the ground screaming in agony. Trainers and coaches got the player stabilized and holding still while waiting for paramedics and an ambulance to transport him to a hospital. As he was being moved to load onto a gurney, it was apparent that any movement was excruciatingly painful for the young man. The early reports on the sideline were that it was believed to be a neck-related injury but that has not been confirmed.
Play leading up to the moment of injury was fast-paced, marked by outstanding play on both sides of the ball. The Pioneers dominated possession, estimated at approximately 80 percent of play and keeping the ball while pressuring the West Caldwell defenders.
After a scoreless first half, within the first 10 minutes of the second half West Caldwell capitalized on a well-placed free kick from the left side, the ball crossing the face of the Watauga defended goal only to be punched into the net by a Warrior for the game’s first goal. Less than five minutes later, West Caldwell was able to push in a second goal as the ball caromed wildly off one player or another in front of the net.
Finally, with roughly 10 minutes to go in the game, the Pioneers’ forward line got in on the scoring action with Stryker Ward credited for the goal and Emmit Coffey getting the assist.
After the medics had cleared and teams shaken hands on the “no decision” result, Watauga head coach Josh Honeycutt said, “That was a first for me, the first time I witnessed a player being removed from the field in an ambulance. Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with that player and his West Caldwell soccer family. It was a very unfortunate end to this game.”
Of his team’s play, Honeycutt added, “We were complacent coming out of halftime. I told the guys during the break that just because we are dominating possession and controlling it 70-80 percent of the time, it does not mean we are going to win the game. We have to find ways to get the ball into the net. We have to find ways to score goals. It seems like we are doing everything else except that, scoring. We need someone to step up, to be hungry for goals.”
Next up for Watauga are four more, highly competitive non conference matches, including home against Northwest Guilford (Sept. 12), on the road at Davidson Day (Sept. 15), home against Ardrey Kell (Sept. 19), and home vs. Cox Mill (Sept. 21). The Pioneers open Northwestern Conference play at South Caldwell on Sept. 26 and at Alexander Central on Sept. 28 before a first home conference match vs. Hibriten on Oct. 3.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a straight set sweep on Sept. 7 at Lentz Eggers Gym, but visiting Hickory rallied to challenge Watauga volleyball’s roster depth, 25-11, 25-18 and 25-21.
The Pioneers’ big hitters, seniors Caroline Farthing and Brooke Scheffler, powered their way through the contest with 22 and 11 kills, respectively. Scheffler added 18 assists to her stat line, along with a serving ace, two stuff blocks and eight digs, reflecting her balanced production all across the court.
Brooke Scheffler puts the ball in play on Sept. 7 during Watauga’s 3-set sweep over Hickory at Lentz Eggers Gym.
Junior Evie Robbins and senior Cam Norris were backcourt leaders, defensively, keeping the ball in play with 14 and 15 digs, respectively, and near flawless with only one receive error each.
“Hickory is a pretty solid team,” said Farthing after the match. “They’ve lost a few players since last year, but they are still pretty solid. Tonight we got to prove that we have a really deep bench.”
Farthing credited the closer results in the second and third sets to some of those personnel changes, something the Pioneers can afford to experiment with in early season, non-conference matches.
Under the watchful eye of an umpire, Watauga senior Faith Watson (5) spikes the ball across the net during the Pioneers Sept. 7 home win vs. Hickory.
“We had completely different lineups,” explained Farthing. “Usually we come right out into the flow of things (with those changes), but tonight we had some communication issues.”
By late in the third set, Watauga had fixed the communication issues and staged their own rally to pull away from the Red Tornadoes.
Before the match, assistant coach Casey Gragg, on behalf of the team and school, presented head coach Kim Pryor with a hi-res team photo embedded on a plaque to commemorate Pryor’s 200th win. She has coached many of the Watauga athletes since they were in grade school, at different levels.
Watauga volleyball head coach Kim Pryor, left, received a plaque commemorating her 200th coaching win from assistant coach Casey Gragg on behalf of the players, coaching staff and school before the Sept. 7 match vs. Hickory.
Watauga is now 7-1 on the still young, non-conference season, the only loss coming on the road at North Iredell on Aug. 19. The Pioneers continue to face strong opposition on Sept. 10, again on the road in a tri-match format against Northwest Guilford of Greensboro and Hough High School of Charlotte suburb, Cornelius.
SELECTED WATAUGA STATS
Evie Robbins – 1 assist, 15 digs
Kenzie Baldwin – 3 assists, 2 service aces, 14 digs
By David Rogers. BAKERSVILLE, N.C. — It was a battle of ‘Neers, a study in contrasting “blue collar” offensive styles. It was thrilling, Friday night football at its best — and it was especially good for Watauga football fans, whose team rallied from behind to defeat 1A powerhouse, Mitchell, 28-21.
It could easily have been a different result and that is what makes for a good football game. A costly turnover and a mental lapse by the host Mitchell Mountaineers are all that kept the 2021 state runner-up team at the 1A level from upsetting a strong 4A team in Watauga. Key difference makers: a Mitchell fumble on the opening kickoff and a well-executed onside kick by Watauga in the fourth quarter.
Both offenses were workmanlike in their approach to having possession. Passes were a rarity, even if they came at critical junctures and contributed to “moving the sticks” or, in some cases, resulted in touchdowns. Both sides seemed intent on keeping the ball on the ground and running down the clock while keeping the other team’s offense off the field.
It was ‘blackout’ night for the Pioneers’ student section, which had a terrific turnout for an away game an hour and a half away from Boone. Photo by David Rogers
But that is where the similarities start and finish. The well-coached Mitchell team takes a bludgeoning approach, with a big, athletic offensive line that dominates the line of scrimmage and a pair of powerful backs in QB Chad Giarrusso, an Avery County transfer, and RB Gage Young to take advantage. Watauga, explained head coach Ryan Habich after the game, uses a more complex, precision-based blocking scheme to get its playmakers into space. Both approaches worked on this night.
The Pioneers made short work of a short field after recovering the opening kickoff fumble, which effectively meant that the visitors would have an “extra” opportunity to work with the football barring any later turnovers. As the game unfolded into a one-score difference by the final whistle, that extra possession would prove a treasure.
Watauga’s Maddox Greene (4) prepares to stiff-arm a Mitchell defender on Sept. 2, in the Pioneers 28-21 win in Bakersville.
After recovering the opening fumble, the Pioneers started at the Mitchell 36. Watauga used senior running back Trey Thompson to get the ball to the Mountaineers’ 28, then a gritty, 4-yard “keeper” by QB Maddox Greene to get a first down at the MIT 24. Greene immediately moved the chains again with an 11-yard run. Senior running back Will Curtis took it the rest of the way on a 13-yard jaunt off right tackle and into space before high-stepping it into the end zone. Watauga had scored with seeming ease and Pioneer fans may have been tempted to think, “This is going to be a blowout.”
Not so fast. On its ensuing possession, Mitchell bulldozed its way through the Pioneer defense to return the scoring favor. The powerful Mountaineer ground attack kept Watauga’s offense off the field a full seven minutes before Giarrusso followed his blockers across the goal line. A straight and true PAT kick by the versatile Giarrusso knotted the score at 7-7.
All too often for Pioneer fans, Mitchell’s Gage Young (26) got into the defensive secondary behind the powerful blocking of the Mountaineer offensive line. Photo by David Rogers
Watauga returned the clock-burning favor for the remaining three-plus minutes of the first quarter and another, two-plus minutes of the second stanza. Greene, Thompson, Curtis and and Cole Horine chewed up the gridiron real estate in chunks before Curtis punched the ball into the end zone for his second TD in as many offensive possessions. Placekicker Grant Kight made good for his second PAT of the still-early night, giving Watauga a 14-7 lead.
Watauga tight end Isaiah Shirley hauls in pass from QB Maddox Greene in Watauga’s 28-21 win over Mitchell HS, in Bakersville. Photo by David Rogers
Although Watauga had just completed a 12-play, 80-yard drive to keep Mitchell’s offensive grinders off the field for over five minutes of playing time, the Mountaineers one-upped them with another plow horse worthy drive of 13 plays that covered 65 yards and took 9:16 off the clock. They scored with just 56 seconds remaining before intermission on a 7-yard pass over the middle from Giarrusso to Enrique Huaroco. The first half fittingly ended, the scored knotted at 14-14.
The third quarter was a pushme-pullyou affair. Although Watauga chewed up almost five minutes off the game clock, the Pioneers were unable to get past their own 40-yard line on the first offensive possession of the second half before Mitchell took over.
There was no thunder and lightning in the Mountaineers’ first possession of the half. It was all thunder, with Giarrusso and Young taking turns ripping off five- and six-yard gains behind an offensive line hellbent on domination. On the eleventh play of the drive, Giarrusso tucked the ball in for a 4-yard keeper to paydirt, giving Mitchell a 21-14 lead and only 1:09 remaining in the third quarter.
Mitchell quarterback Chad Giarrusso gets across the goal line in the first half against Watauga on Sept. 2, a game the Pioneers rallied to win in the 4th quarter, 28-21.
Giarrusso’s kickoff didn’t make it to the end zone, Watauga’s Curtis fielding the ball at his 5-yard-line and producing a respectable 27-yard return. Two plays later, Cole Horine helped the Pioneers establish momentum going into the fourth quarter by finishing the third with an 18-yard carry and a first down. Watauga kept that momentum going into the final period, even overcoming an offensive holding penalty as they crossed midfield. The 13-play drive culminated with a one-yard TD plunge by Curtis, with 6:46 remaining in the game to tie the game at 21-21.
Watauga quickly got the ball back with an onside kick by Josh Bellinger, alertly recovered by Asa Nelson.
With Greene again at the helm, the Pioneers took possession at their own 45 yard line and manufactured yet another clock consuming drive, going the 55 yards in 10 plays while taking all but 1:39 off the clock. Greene scored the TD with a 2-yard keeper, while Kight was successful on the PAT kick to give Watauga a still nervous, 28-21 lead.
Watauga senior RB Trey Thompson high tails it down the sideline after getting around the perimeter on the right side, Sept. 2, in the Pioneers’ 28-21 win over Mitchell.
Pioneer fans were nervous, to be sure, when a short kickoff and a 28-yard return by the Mountaineers’ Young presented a short field opportunity for Mitchell’s offense to try to tie the game and send it to probable overtime. Two false start penalties didn’t help the home team’s cause, however. With 38 seconds remaining and a first-and-10 on the Watauga 39-yard line, Giarrusso lofted a pass intended for Huaroco on the left side. The Pioneer defense applied a lot of pressure as Giarrusso was looking to pass and he got a little too much air under it. Greene, playing cornerback on defense, took advantage and leaped in front of Huaroco for the game-securing interception.
“The only way we were going to stop them was by getting an onside kick,” said Watauga head coach Ryan Habich, afterwards, “because we were not stopping them (defensively). They whipped us up front. They controlled the ball.”
Habich reinforced the idea that although the results might be the same, the two offenses are substantially different.
Mitchell’s Enrique Huaroco (32) waits in the end zone for a pass from QB Chad Giarrusso on Sept. 2. In spite of the play, visiting Watauga outlasted the Mountaineers, 28-21. Photo by David Rogers
“Our offense is more about options with more trickery,” said Habich. “Theirs is more about running right at you and they ran right at us. We couldn’t stop them, but I am proud of our guys for finding ways to win. This was a good football team that we played tonight.”
On the losing side, Mitchell head coach Travis Pitman was blunt.
“It sucks to lose. We don’t like to lose,” said Pitman. “Our team played well with a backup quarterback, a guy who had never before played a varsity game. We did a lot of great things and we have to build off those, but we also have to get better. One game does not make a season.”
In assessing Watauga’s performance and any difference makers, Pitman noted, “Number one they have a senior who is going to NC State (TE/DE Isaiah Shirley). I don’t have that kid. They also have some kids who are faster than mine. And they are coached as good as my kids. At the end of the day, whoever makes the least number of mistakes is going win and we made the most mistakes.”
Next week, Mitchell hosts Andrews High School, a 52-6 victor over North Buncombe on Sept. 2 and coming to Bakersville with a 3-0 record. Watauga stays on the road visiting Lawndale, N.C., to play against Burns. The Bulldogs lost on Sept. 2 to Kings Mountain, 27-0, but defeated Crest, 35-12 a week earlier and Forestview, 42-0, on Aug. 19.
SELECTED TEAM STATS
Total Offense — WAT 317 yards, MIT 217
Time of Possession — WAT 29:36, MIT 18-24
Rush Attempts/Yards — WAT 46-300, MIT 32-197
Passing Yards — WAT 17, MIT 30
Turnovers — WAT 0, MIT 2
3rd Down Conversions — WAT 6/10 (60%), MIT 4/6 (67%)
4th Down Conversions — WAT 2/2 (100%), MIT 1/1 (100$)
