By David Rogers. ASHEVILLE, N.C. — In terms of the most important takeaways for Watauga from the high school football “jamboree” hosted by Asheville HS on Aug. 10, head coach Ryan Habich said, “We have to get more physical.”
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Whether blocking or tackling — or being blocked or tackled — football is an intentionally physical game and good players cannot shy away from the contact. That is at least part of the message Habich seemed to convey to his players after the competitive sessions were all done against three other high school teams from the region: host Asheville, as well as Swain County (Bryson City, Cherokee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park) and David Crockett High School (Jonesborough, Tenn.).
All three of the other schools shared some similarities with Watauga, even if differently. Asheville and Crockett are similar in terms of enrollment, even if the former draws from a more metropolitan school district and Crockett, as well as Swain have more rural enrollments, like Watauga.
“The jamboree format is not really a scrimmage,” said Habich after more than two hours of roundrobin play in which all schools had a chance to compete against one another at least once. “For each session, we play the other schools 10 plays on offense and 10 plays on defense, then we switch opponents.”
When asked what his coaching goals are for this kind of event, Habich was quick to respond.
“What we are trying to do is get everyone on tape. We want film on as many guys as possible, so we can tell not only where we need to improve but who we have. Our ultimate goal is to create depth at every position. Sometimes that is moving a player laterally, from one position to another. Other times that is having a player step up from the sideline,” said Habich.
Overall, Watauga’s first and second team units played well on both offense and defense, showing a lot of promise for the upcoming 2024 campaign, although each of their opponents were able to move the ball at times, even scoring, as did the Pioneers.
Except for being much warmer conditions than what Watauga has more often practiced in, in Boone, the weather was clear and sunny. For all of the players, adequate hydration was a critical part of the practice instructions.
Editor’s Note: For all of the teams, any printed roster did not match the names and numbers of the players, so so obtaining accurate player IDs was problematic.
BONUS PHOTOS
All photographic images by David Rogers for High Country Sports
