By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C.- It was perfect weather for playoff football in Boone Friday night (Nov. 10) and Watauga football put on a show, stunning Mallard Creek, 20-14.
Mallard Creek may have been the No. 18 seed, but the Mavericks were heavily favored coming to the High Country. Mallard Creek finished second in their conference, which includes teams such as Hough and Chambers, two teams who made their own way into the second round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs. Early in the season, the Mavericks held Buford (GA), the current No. 16 team in the nation according to MaxPreps, to just 10 points. Watauga didn’t let any of this phase them, and played near-perfect football to move on to the third round of the playoffs.
In terms of starts, the Pioneers came out swinging. Head Coach Ryan Habich made the risky decision to go for it on fourth down on the opening drive of the game with the ball spotted at the Mallard Creek 42 yard line, and junior quarterback Maddox Greene did what he’s done all season- create magic. Greene sold the option and took the ball himself to the end zone, earning a crucial seven points in what proved to be a tight, defensive matchup. Greene went on to earn 278 total yards in the game, accounting for all three Watauga touchdowns.
Later in the game, Greene found an open Morgan Henry for a 20-yard strike after a fake end-around to Evan Burroughs, which regained the lead for Watauga after an earlier Mallard Creek touchdown. The Pioneers would hold on to their seven-point lead into halftime.
Mallard Creek struck first in the third quarter, tying the game back up. The 14-14 score held until late in the fourth quarter. With just over 90 seconds remaining, Greene found senior tight end Jackson Pryor, who made an impressive catch over the Mallard Creek defensive back, delivering the decisive blow to the Mavericks. Mallard Creek would attempt to piece together a game-winning drive, but the final pass fell to the ground as the clock hit zero, and Jack Groce Stadium erupted with cheers.
Habich was elated following the game, reminding his players of how big of a win this was for the team. He went over his gameplan post-game.
“We knew it was gonna be very difficult,” Habich said. “We had to take some shots, we had to get some quick plays and score like that.”
Habich also explained how daunting the task at hand was for the Pioneers.
“It was tough,” Habich said. “I mean, blocking those guys was tough, how athletic they were. That was like a college defense we were going against.”
Greene reiterated how tough of a defense Watauga was up against and how he, along with the rest of the offense, adapted.
“They had a great defense, we knew that coming in,” Greene said. “When they started taking Matthew [Leon], we just knew that we had to get four to five yards per play. Keep doing that, keep moving the ball slowly.”
Habich was also sure to credit his defense for holding Mallard Creek to just 14 points.
“Our defense did a tremendous job of not giving up the big play,” Habich said. “We knew they were a defensive team, but they have such good athletes, Division I talent out there. To win in the playoffs, you gotta play complimentary football, and that’s what we’re about here at Watauga. Offense, defense and special teams all playing well.”
Habich made it clear that this was not just one of the biggest wins in Watauga’s season, but in the entire state.
“This might be the biggest upset in North Carolina in a long time,” Habich said. “We shocked a lot of people in the state of North Carolina tonight.”
Watauga’s next matchup is against Independence, a team that Mallard Creek defeated in the first week of the season. The game will be back at Jack Groce Stadium and kickoff is set for 7:00p.m..
