By Zach Smith. ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Gritty, hard-working and “blue collar” have been terms used in the past to describe the mentality of Watauga High School football by head coach Ryan Habich. Those traits were on display Aug. 23, when the Pioneers defeated TC Roberson in a tough, low-scoring contest, 14-0.
Junior Matthew Leon scored the 2024 edition of Watauga football’s first points late in the first quarter. With the ball on the Rams’ 24-yard line, Leon broke through the offensive line with explosive speed, crossing the goal line without a defender in sight.
Late in the half, another Habich mantra — “win the middle eight [minutes]” (last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half) — was reinforced. Senior Landon Smith pounced on a fumble coughed up by TC Roberson quarterback Laron Mills, providing the Pioneers a golden opportunity to extend their lead with a short field. Five plays later, senior Maddox Greene powered his way to a four-yard score with less than 15 seconds on the clock.
While the Watauga offense was largely stifled, the Pioneer defense was stellar against an athletic Rams team. The Pioneers forced four fumbles, two of which resulted in turnovers, while intercepting two passes to create four Roberson turnovers.
Ryan Habich praised his defense for their performance post-game.
“Defensively, I thought we played really good,” Habich said. “We played assignment football, and that’s a big thing about our program. We want to play complimentary football. I thought we did that.”
Watauga’s offense was never able to find a groove in their win over TC Roberson. The longest run that didn’t result in a touchdown for the Pioneers was 13 yards, which is uncharacteristic for a Habich-led team. He spoke on the team’s struggles in the run game.
“We didn’t block very well,” Habich said. “When that happens, it’s not a good situation for us. We’re trying to find different ways that we can pop running backs through [the offensive line], and we’re not blocking.”
Habich compared his team’s performance to the Pioneers’ previous bout with the Rams in 2023, an even closer game in which Watauga emerged winners of a one-point contest, 13-12. He pointed out that his squad improved drastically in the following weeks.
“It’s that first game,” Habich said. “It’s like the same thing that happened last year when we played TC Roberson, and we got better. I told the guys at the game, ‘continuous improvement.’”
Watauga opens the season 1-0 with their victory over TC Roberson. The Pioneers return to action Aug. 30, traveling to Avery County for a High Country rivalry game. Kickoff is slated for 7:30p.m.
