By David Rogers. HUDSON, N.C. — With matching, 4-1 non-conference records, Watauga and South Caldwell meet on Sept. 29 at the Spartans’ stadium in Hudson for their respective Northwestern Conference football season openers. Both have played challenging non-conference opponents.
Watauga won early tilts against T C Roberson (42-13), Maiden (23-19), and Mitchell (28-21) before a Sept. 9 loss down the mountain at Burns (28-48) and a Homecoming win against Ashe County (55-21). South Caldwell did some regional damage, too, opening with a 28-7 win over West Caldwell, then losing to Hickory, 27-54, before closing out the non-conference slate with victories over the Hickory Hawks (28-7), Bandys (31-24), and Hibriten (35-34).
South Caldwell’s offense features a top producer in junior RB Suan Moore, averaging more than 168 yards per game with fellow junior, QB Anderson Raynor, averaging 71.4 yards rushing per game. Through the air, wide receiver J B Robbins is averaging 54 yards per game and TE/WR Tyler Eggers 36.2 yards per game.  Moore and Raynor have recorded 8 and 4 rushing TDs in the young season.
Defensively, cornerback Bryson Genwright has poached three pass interceptions already and middle linebacker Brady Stewart is averaging 8 tackles per game to lead the Spartans. Defensive tackle Dezmond Hackett, Genwright and Stewart have each forced a fumble over the course of the five non-conference games.
The Pioneers counter with a run-heavy offense featuring two athletes averaging more than 100 yards rushing during the non-conference slate. Sophomore quarterback Maddox Greene is averaging 114.4 yards per game and running back Will Curtis is averaging 101.4, and that tandem is bolstered by senior Trey Thompson averaging 61 yards per game. Curtis has scored a team-high total of 7 rushing TDs, closely followed by Greene’s 6 and Thompson’s three. Greene has been on the passing end of 4 TDs through the air, with senior Jackson Pryor on the receiving end of three of those.
Defensively, senior defensive end NC State commit Isaiah Shirley is averaging 6 tackles per game and already has been credited with 3.5 quarterback sacks and a forced fumble. Senior defensive back Cole Horine has hauled in two interceptions, while Greene and Morgan Henry each have one.
According to The Weather Channel, conditions should be near ideal for a football game, with cloudy skies, no precipitation, and temperatures near 63 degrees Fahrenheit at the 7:30 p.m. kickoff, falling to 57 degrees by 10 p.m. It may be breezy, with winds ranging from 8-10 miles per hour.
