By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Even though Watauga failed to move the ball much on their first offensive possession to start the game with a three-and-out, it hardly mattered. The Pioneers played the kind of complementary football frequently advertised by head coach Ryan Habich as the team’s goal, en route to a convincing, 43-19 win in the first round of the NCHSAA 4A Football Playoffs.
With the win, No. 4 seeded Watauga advances and will host No. 13 Mallard Creek on Nov. 22. The Mavericks advanced with a 34-9 win over No. 20 seeded Lake Norman.
Complementary football, indeed. Faced with a 4th-and-5 situation from their own 38 yard line on the game’s first offensive possession, the Pioneers lined up as if they were going to roll the dice and try converting on fourth down. With the wind at his back and nobody back deep for the Tigers to receive a punt, quarterback Maddox Greene executed a perfect “quick kick.” A favorable bounce set the ball rolling and rolling and rolling… where the special teams pursuit downed the ball at the Ragsdale 15-yard line.
“That was very intentional,” said Habich after the game. “That play flipped the field.”
After special teams turned a negative into a positive, it was time for the defensive unit to have an impact, too.
Much of Ragsdale’s offense revolves around running back Fabian Diggs, who averaged close to 200 yards per game in total yards and nearly 150 yards per game rushing. He is athletic, elusive and has a sprinter’s speed (he competes for Ragsdale’s track team in the 100 meters, long jump and triple jump in the spring, as well as the 55 meters indoor).
On the Tigers first possession, starting from their own 15 yard line, as expected quarterback Braylon Louis started by handing the ball off to Diggs. The Pioneer defense limited him to two yards on first down then, led by senior defensive lineman Callan Riordan, the Pioneers tackled Diggs for a 7-yard loss. Pinned back on his own 10-yard line, Louis looked to pass down the left sideline, which is where the Pioneers’ defensive back Nyle Peays swooped in to pluck the ball in midair and race 24 yards to the end zone for a “pick six.” The interception gave the Pioneers momentum with an early lead and made a statement: they were not going to be intimidated.
The Pioneer defense again proved a stopper on Ragsdale’s next possession — after Jack Wilson’s kickoff sailed into the end zone for a touchback, canceling any Ragsdale hopes for a Diggs kickoff return. With Watauga’s Luke Edmisten, Landon Smith, Matthew Leon and Riordan filling the gaps in the line of scrimmage and applying pressure, Ragsdale was only able to run five plays and gain 13 yards before being forced to punt.
With adjustments made on the fly after the first series, it was time for Watauga’s offense to get in on the complementary football act — and unleash QB Maddox Greene. After modest gains on keepers the first two plays, Greene found himself running through a big gap left by his offensive linemen, burst into the second level, breaking tackles, weaving through defenders and angling toward the right sideline. What began as a keeper up the middle morphed into a 61-yard foot race, with Greene “breaking the tape” as he crossed the goal line for the TD. Another Jack Wilson PAT kick, and the Pioneers had a 14-0 lead with still 5:48 left in the first quarter.
Ragsdale’s efforts to respond were muted. Watauga’s defensive efforts were again led by Smith, Edmisten, Leon and Dillon Zaragoza. The two teams traded penalties, but still the net result was a three-and-out for the visitors from Jamestown (a suburban town wedged between High Point and Greensboro).
The Tigers having to punt from their own 13 yard line gave Watauga good field position, Burroughs backpedaling for a fair catch at the Ragsdale 38. Greene and running back Everett Gryder combined for 30 yards rushing over six plays before Burroughs scooted around the outside and into the end zone to widen the Pioneer lead. A surprise rushing PAT by Cade Keller gave Watauga a 2-point conversion and a commanding, 22-0 lead with the second quarter barely begun.
This time, though, Ragsdale mounted the kind of offensive response expected from one of the top teams in the powerful Metro 4A Conference, which placed seven teams in the 32-team 4A West bracket for the playoffs.
Highlighted by Louis passes to Diggs of 22 and 27 yards, the Tigers fashioned a 13-play, 71 yard drive that kept Watauga’s offense off the field for almost five and a half minutes, shrinking the Pioneer lead to a more manageable deficit at 22-7.
After halftime, Ragsdale cut into the Pioneer lead even more, fashioning a 12-play, 88 yard drive that took another 5:31 off the clock before Louis punched into the end zone for a 1-yard TD keeper. It was preceded the kind of rushing production for which Diggs was known, ripping off big chunks of 13 and 25 yards in and amongst Louis passes to Aiden Young and Jahveer Branch. Although Wrenn Gardner’s PAT kick into a strong, gusting wind sailed just wide of the left goalpost upright, Ragsdale was threatening to turn the game around, now trailing by only nine points at 22-13.
Undaunted, Watauga looked like it was going to fashion a ball control, grinding offensive possession of its own. With chunks of gridiron real estate being churned up by Burroughs, Gryder and Greene, Watauga advanced from its own 25 yard line to the Ragsdale 34. That’s when, on 3rd-and-1, the Pioneer offensive braintrust brought in the unexpected, what Mike the PA announcer described as “razzle-dazzle chicanery trickeration”: a double reverse, “flea flicker” lateral of the ball back to Greene, who rifled a dart to Dillon Zaragoza all by himself in the right flat. The senior WR calmly collected the pass and waltzed across the goal line. Another Jack Wilson PAT kick and the Pioneers had recaptured their double-digit advantage, 29-13, regained momentum and very possibly took the wind out of Ragsdale’s proverbial sails.
The Tigers might well have been done, but weren’t quite done in. Behind a defensive holding penalty against Watauga, Ragsdale was given a second chance and capitalized with a 37 yard Diggs run up the right sideline. A 14-yard TD bass from Louis to Branch allowed the Tigers to again tighten the deficit, to 29-19, but a failed 2-point conversion attempt around the right side fell short.
With the game clock having ticked into the fourth quarter, Watauga iced the game with two more scores and a dominating defensive effort.
In speaking with reporters afterwards, Habich noted that the 4A West bracket was among the most competitive in the nation, according to what some of his players had researched on MaxPreps. To come away with the win, the veteran head coach credited the Pioneer defense for limiting Diggs and the offense for making key adjustments for the second half.
“We found ways to move the football,” Habich said, before adding, “We talk all year about complementary football. We had that 3-and-out (to start), punted, but then our defense scored.”
Habich added that he was really pleased with his players and coaches, saying, “This is a big time win for our program.”
Looking forward, Habich described the upcoming game in Round 2 vs. Mallard Creek as a great opportunity. He said his message to the Pioneer players after the Ragsdale win was that when you get into the playoffs, especially into the second round and beyond, all of your opponents are very athletic and well coached, so they have to be at the top of their game.
“Our players respect everyone, but fear no one,” said Habich.
