By David Rogers. WELCOME, N.C. — After carving out an emotional, big win over 4A rival A C Reynolds in Asheville a week ago, there was bound to be a Watauga “letdown” this week.

Not so with the 2023 edition of the Pioneers, who bludgeoned the Black Knights of North Davidson on Sept. 15, 56-14, and it might not have been that close.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slideshow mode)

Watauga didn’t need an equine steed, a lance, or even the steel mail armor that protected the knights of old to defeat the Black Knights. No, the white-knighted Pioneers won the day with well-executed skill and outright grit. They entered the arena with a purpose and completed the mission.

By halftime, the High Country visitors to Palmer Field crafted a 36-7 lead. In the first two quarters of play, quarterback Maddox Greene amassed 307 total yards — 8 carries for 181 yards and 2 TDs, as well as a perfect 5-for-5 passing for 126 yards and a TD.

On the other end of those first half passes? Senior wide receiver Jackson Pryor had caught three of them for 92 yards, capped by a 39-yard TD catch-and-run.

And more than an afterthought was running back Everett Gryder’s 15 carries for 85 yards and 2 TDs.

In fact, once Gryder dove across the goal line after an 18-yard jaunt to finish the Pioneers’ opening possession, the game was all but decided when North Davidson followed up with a 4-and-out, turnover on downs. On the first play from scrimmage upon Watauga taking possession for the second time, Greene raced 52 yards on a QB keeper over left tackle, weaving his way through and past would-be defenders until pushed out of bounds at the Black Knights’ 1-yard line. Greene’s yeoman effort got the ball close, then it was Gryder who plunged across the middle for his second TD — and the jousting had barely begun, barely midway in the first quarter.

The last time the Black Knights and the Pioneers faced each other was in 2014’s first round of the state playoffs. It was Watauga head coach Ryan Habich’s second year at the helm, and he took his then 8-3 Pioneers to the Lexington suburb of Welcome, N.C. — and hardly felt welcome at all after the Black Knights administered a 52-14 drubbing.

After the more recent 56-14 shellacking, Habich was asked about keeping the team adequately motivated following the big win last week at A C Reynolds, which came down to Trathon Gragg’s dramatic stopping of the Rockets’ 2-point conversion attempt in the waning moments of the game.

Now in his eleventh year as the Pioneers’ head coach, Habich said he recalled for his players the 2014 score, a time when today’s Pioneers were not that far removed from diapers.

He also cautioned them about what can happen after a big rivalry win, the aforementioned letdown. Habich told them of what happened in 2017. They took a 4-0 non-conference record into conference play and walloped 4A rival, South Caldwell, 48-7, but then traveled to Alexander Central and lost to the Cougars, 38-33, in under-peforming fashion. They followed that up with an emotional, “big win” over longtime rival Hickory in a shootout, 49-42, but then lost on the road to lowly St. Stephens, which had only won two games to that point in the 2017 season vs. five losses.

“We watched film of that game this past week,” said Habich.

Second Half Foibles

The second half started promising enough for North Davidson. After receiving the kickoff, senior quarterback Payton McMillan completed passes of 11- and 7-yards to a pair of junior wide receivers, Ryan Forrest and Damani Chhorn, respectively.

But then the wheels came off of the Black Knights’ offensive chariot when Watauga’s Evan Burroughs stepped in front of a long McMillan pass and returned it 60 yards for a “pick 6” touchdown.  With Jack Wilson’s successful PAT kick, the score was 42-7, which also meant the Pioneers needed just seven more points to trigger North Carolina’s “mercy rule” (a running clock for the rest of the game).

Burroughs effectively pulled that trigger just moments later when he intercepted yet another McMillan pass and returned it 45 yards before being tackled out of bounds at the North Davidson 20-yardline. After a big gain by teammate Ben Gosky put the ball at the ND 3-yardline, Burroughs got a chance to finish the job he had started, carrying the ball the final three yards for the TD. Another Wilson PAT kick, and the mercy rule was on, 49-7, with still roughly five minutes to go in the third quarter.

At that point, Habich and his staff got an opportunity to develop roster depth by inserting numerous reserves and even some young faces from the junior varsity, including Kyle Williams and Matthew Leon, as well as backup QB Matthew Habich taking the reins of the Pioneer offense.

A highlight of the fourth quarter was when senior reserve linebacker Andrew Ward picked off a North Davidson pass and returned the INT 55 yards to the Black Knights’ 10-yardline. The icing on the proverbial cake was Ward lining up on offense as wingback and getting the carry around the left side for the final Watauga TD.

One of the key, if unheralded performances of the night was by placekicker Jack Wilson, who was a perfect 8-for-8 in PAT kicks. His booming boots were all straight and true and his skill may well be needed as the Pioneers into Northwestern Conference play, should a field goal be needed.

Having started the 2023 campaign undefeated at 5-0, including three straight tough road wins, Watauga now has a bye week before facing South Caldwell and Alexander Central at home, respectively, on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6.

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Total Offense: WAT 422, ND 62
• Passing Yards: WAT 126, ND 52
• Rushing Yards: WAT 296, ND 10
• First Downs: WAT 19, ND 4
• 3rd Down Conversions: WAT 3-3, ND 1-4
• 4th Down Conversions: WAT 0-0, ND 0-1
• Turnovers
  • INTs thrown: WAT 0, ND 3
  • Fumbles Lost: WAT 1, ND 1
• Penalties: WAT 3-25, ND 1-15

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL WATAUGA STATS

Maddox Greene (307 total yards, 3 TDs)

• • 5-of-5, 126 yards, 1 TD
  • 9 carries, 181 yards, 2 TDs

Evan Burroughs

• • 2 INTs, 1 defensive TD
  • 5 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD

Everett Gryder

• • 15 carries, 85 yards, 2 TDs

BONUS PHOTOS

By Zach Smith. WELCOME, N.C. – Looking to finish the 2023 early, non-conference schedule undefeated, Watauga traveled southeast to face North Davidson, Sept. 15. The two squads had only met once previously, in a 2014 playoff game.

While the Black Knights defeated Watauga handily nine years ago, the Pioneers dominated this time around.

Junior quarterback Maddox Greene continued his impressive form, putting up 307 total yards in the first half before being taken out of the game to give fellow junior QB Matthew Habich time to run the stout Watauga offense.

Sophomore Evan Burroughs also showed out, returning one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and adding another score on the ground.

The Pioneers wasted no time scoring as they drove 86 yards after receiving the opening kickoff. Later in the half, Greene exploded for two rushes of 50+ yards, scoring on one.

upsets occur when you take a team for granted.

Head coach Ryan Habich spoke on Greene’s electric first half performance post-game.

“They came out with a different defense than we saw all week,” Habich said. “Basically, we made an adjustment. I told [Greene] ‘If they keep running this defense, we’re gonna run the same play over and over until they make a change.’

“And then, of course, they made an adjustment and went back to their normal defense,” Habich added. “And then we got up so much that we started running our base offense. For every defense, we have a plan for attack.”

The Friday night game, for some teams, could have been a “trap game,” where the favorites can get distracted by an emotional victory in the prior week. Habich explained how he and the rest of the coaching staff kept Watauga focused after their big win at A.C. Reynolds a week ago (Sept. 8).

“Believe it or not, I like to go back to the past, in this case to 2017. We lost to St. Stephens, a team that only won three games that year, I think, and we had a big emotional win over a ranked Hickory for homecoming the prior week. So we turned around on the road and lost to St. Stephens,” Habich said. “We actually watched highlights of that game in class and told the kids ‘Hey listen, we’re a better football team if we execute against North Davidson. We can’t play down to their level.’ Upsets occur when you take a team for granted.”

The Pioneers did execute this time, earning the 42-point margin needed for a running game clock around the halfway point of the third quarter, before finishing their dominant victory, 56-14.

With the win, Watauga is 5-0 for the first time since a COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season. It’s the first time they’ve won their first five games in a full-length season since 2018, where they went on to finish the regular season undefeated.

Habich was confident when speaking about the next stage of Watauga’s season, the Northwestern Conference schedule, where the goal is to win another championship.

“I think we’re really prepared. We’ve played some good football teams and we’ve played some good football teams on the road,” Habich said. “The Maiden win (Sept. 1) was pretty special, then beating A.C. Reynolds at A.C. Reynolds, and beating T.C. Roberson (Aug. 18), too. We’ve just had some close games in the fourth quarter playing two really good football teams. You’re gonna see those teams win a lot of football games this year as they hit conference play.”

Watauga moves to 5-0 on the season while North Davidson falls to 1-4. The Pioneers have a bye on Sept. 22, but return home for a matchup against South Caldwell to open conference play Sept. 29. Kickoff is set for 7:30p.m. The game can be streamed via the NFHS Network.

By Zach Smith. WELCOME, N.C. — Game notes and play by play for the final non-conference game of Watauga’s 2023 season.

Pregame Notes

• Watauga (4-0) takes on North Davidson (1-3) on the road
  • Watauga offensive is averaging 37.8 points/game
  • North Davidson has been shut out twice this season
  • Teams have only met once
    • 2014 playoffs, North Davidson defeated Watauga 52-14

Watauga Team Leaders

• QB/DB #4 Maddox Greene (Jr)
• TE/LB #9 Jackson Pryor (Sr)
• RB #44 Everett Gryder (So)
• LB #6 Trathan Gragg (Jr)
• WB/LB #14 Morgan Henry (Sr)

PLAY BY PLAY

1st Quarter

• • Watauga wins coin toss, elects to receive
• Watauga ball at their own 14
  • Maddox Greene carries right for 3 yards
  • Everett Gryder carries left for 3 yards
  • Evan Burroughs carries right for 9 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 2 yards
  • Greene carries up the middle for 20 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 5 yards
  • Burroughs carries up the middle for 5 yards

• Holding against Watauga, 1st and 20 from ND’s 49

• False start against Watauga, 1st and 25 from their own 46

• • Gryder carries right for 1 yard
  • Greene pass complete left to Jackson Pryor for 25 yards
  • Greene carries up the middle for 10 yards

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #44 Everett Gryder 18-yard rush (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

Watauga 7 North Davidson 0

• ND ball at their own 45
  • Payton McMillan pass complete right to Hayden Ross for 7 yards
  • McMillan pass incomplete
  • Zaylen Hayes carries left for 1 yard
  • McMillan carries up the middle for no gain
    • Luke Edmisten on the tackle

• Turnover on Downs

• Watauga ball at their own 47
  • Greene carries left for 52 yards

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #44 Everett Gryder 1-yard rush (2)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

Watauga 14 North Davidson 0

• ND ball at their own 43
  • McMillan pass complete right to Ryan Forrest for 14 yards
  • McMillan pass incomplete
  • McMillan pass incomplete
    • Pryor with the QB pressure

• Facemask against Watauga, 1st and 10 on Watauga 28

• • Hayes carries right for 3 yards

• TOUCHDOWN NORTH DAVIDSON

• • #11 Payton McMillan 25-yard pass (1) to #9 Amir Dalton (1)

• • #13 Connor Dunn PAT is good

Watauga 14 North Davidson 7

• Watauga ball at their own 26

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #4 Maddox Greene 74-yard rush (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

Watauga 21 North Davidson 7

• ND ball at their own 47
  • Hayes carries up the middle for 6 yards
  • Dalton carries left for no gain
    • Edmisten with the tackle
  • McMillan pass complete left to Wesley Henson for 7 yards
  • Dalton tackled for loss of 2 yards
    • Morgan Henry with the TFL
  • McMillan pass incomplete
  • McMillan sacked for loss of 5 yards
    • Carson Gunnell-Beck and Brady Lindenmuth with the sack
  • ND punts

• Watauga ball at their own 13
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 1 yard
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 4 yards
  • Greene pass complete right to Pryor for 28 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 4 yards
  • Burroughs carries right for 10 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 6 yards
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 6 yards
  • Greene carries left for 14 yards
  • Greene carries left for 1 yard
  • Gryder carries up the middle for 6 yards

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #4 Maddox Greene 7-yard rush (2)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

Watauga 28 North Davidson 7

• ND ball at their own 49
  • McMillan pass complete left to Henson for 5 yards
  • McMillan pass incomplete
  • Hayes carries up the middle for 1 yard
  • ND punts

• Watauga ball at their own 1
  • Gryder carries right for 15 yards
  • Burroughs carries right for 6 yards
  • Henry carries left for 5 yards
  • Greene pass complete left to Henry for 17 yards
  • Greene pass complete right to Burroughs for 17 yards

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #4 Maddox Greene 39-yard pass (1) to #9 Jackson Pryor (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

Watauga 35 North Davidson 7

• FUMBLE – ND muffs kickoff reception,
• Watauga ball at ND 44
  • • Edmisten with the recovery

• • Gryder carries up the middle for 5 yards

• Holding against Watauga, 2nd and 15 at ND 49

• • Greene sacked for loss of 5 yards
  • Gryder tackled for no gain
  • Watauga punts
• ND ball at their own 36
  • Dalton tackled for loss of 1 yard
    • Edmisten with the TFL

End of 1st Half: Watauga 35 North Davidson 7

Watauga Noteables

• #4 Maddox Greene
  • • 5/5, 126 yds (25.2/att), 39 long, 1 TD
    • 8 car., 181 yds, 22.6 avg, 2 TD

• #9 Jackson Pryor

• • • 3 rec., 92 yds, 39 long, 1 TD

• #44 Everett Gryder

• • 15 car., 85 yds, 5.7 avg, 2 TD

North Davidson Noteables

• #11 QB Payton McMillan
  • 5/10, 58 yds (5.8/att), 25 long, 1 TD

Start of 3rd Quarter

• Watauga kick out of bounds
• ND ball at their own 37

• • McMillan pass complete right to Forrest for 11 yards
  • McMillan pass complete right to Damani Chhorn for 7 yards

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #12 Evan Burroughs 60-yard INT return (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

Watauga 42 North Davidson 7

• Illegal blindside block against ND on kickoff
• ND ball at their own 24
  • McMillan fumbles, recovers, tackled for loss of 1 yard
  • Dalton carries left for 16 yards
  • McMillan pass complete right to Ross for 4 yards
  • Dalton carries up the middle for 3 yards
  • Dalton carries up the middle for 4 yards
  • McMillan pass incomplete
  • Dalton carries left for no gain
    • Henry on the tackle
• McMillan pass intercepted

• • Burroughs with the INT and a 45-yard return

• Watauga ball at ND 20
  • Ben Gosky tackled for loss of 6 yards
  • Gosky carries left for 23 yards
  • Timeout Watauga (1)

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #12 Evan Burroughs 3-yard rush (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

Watauga 49 North Davidson 7

MERCY RULE TRIGGERED: Running clock for remainder of game

• ND ball at their own 36
  • McMillan carries left for 2 yards
  • Julian Nowak carries up the middle for 2 yards
  • McMillan pass complete right to Forrest for 3 yards
  • ND punts

• Watauga ball at their own 33
  • • #10 Matthew Habich in at QB
  • Matthew Leon carries up the middle for 1 yard

• False start against Watauga, 2nd and 14 at Watauga 29

• • Timeout Watauga (2)
  • Kyle Williams carries right for loss of 1 yard
  • Habich pass complete left to Dillon Zaragoza for 12 yards
  • Williams carries right for loss of 4 yards

• Turnover on Downs

• ND ball at Watauga 36
  • McMillan pass incomplete
  • Ben Leamon carries right for loss of 2 yards

• McMillan pass intercepted

• Andrew Ward with the INT and 55-yard return

• Watauga ball at ND 10

• TOUCHDOWN WATAUGA

• • #3 Andrew Ward 10-yard rush (1)

• • #41 Jack Wilson PAT is good

Watauga 56 North Davidson 7

• Watauga kickoff out of bounds
• ND ball at their own 43
  • Nowak carries left for 27 yards
  • Nowak carries up the middle for 2 yards
  • McMillan pass complete left to Henson for 2 yards
  • Nowak carries left for 4 yards
  • Nowak carries up the middle for 12 yards
  • McMillan pass incomplete
  • Nowak carries up the middle for 9 yards

• TOUCHDOWN NORTH DAVIDSON

• • #25 Julian Nowak 1-yard rush (1)

• • #13 Connor Dunn PAT is good

Watauga 56 North Davidson 14

• • Watauga ball at their own 20

• Fumble recovered by North Davidson

• ND ball at Watauga 25
  • Colby Williams carries left for 3 yards

FINAL SCORE: Watauga 56, North Davidson 14

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Florida State sophomore Matthew Neill raced across finish line some five seconds ahead of UNC Asheville junior Adam Hessler, the duo going 1-2 in the Appalachian State hosted Covered Bridge Open cross country race on Sept. 15, across the Don Kennedy Trails.

Neill finished the 8k course in 24:15.63, with Hessler just behind in 24:20.84.

With all five its scorers finishing in the top 10, the Seminoles of Florida State were the clear winners in the team competition. Appalachian State had two men in the top 10, including No. 5 Oliver Wilson-Cook and No. 9 Calbert Guest, powering the Mountaineers to a second place team finish. Three more App State harriers finished among the top 17 of the 129 competitors from 13 schools.  The three Mountaineers completing the scorers for the hosts included No. 14 Ethan Lipham, No. 15 Garrett Bivens and No. 17 Dwayne Lillie.

Results provided by NCRunners

MEN’S DIVISION TEAM SCORES

1 Florida State 22
2 Appalachian State 51
3 UNC-Asheville 86
4 Radford 119
5 Montreat 133
6 Tennessee Tech 177
7 USC Upstate 231
8 Winthrop 244
9 Lees-McRae 257
10 King 261
11 Brevard 334
12 Mars Hill 339
13 Wofford 348

INDIVIDUAL RACE RESULTS

1 Matthew Neill SO Florida State 24:15.63
2 Adam Hessler JR UNC-Asheville 24:20.84
3 Aidan Ross UNA-Wake Forest 24:21.94
4 Zachary Cloud SR Florida State 24:23.44
5 Oliver Wilson-Cook SR Appalachian State 24:23.73
6 Cooper Schroeder SR Florida State 24:29.21
7 Zach Leachman SR Florida State 24:32.69
8 Coleman Cronk SO Florida State 24:33.69
9 Calbert Guest JR Appalachian State 24:43.86
10 Joshua Daggett JR Radford 24:45.69
11 Joe Farley JR Florida State 24:46.98
12 Patrick Donnelly FR Florida State 24:47.88
13 Andrew Hammel JR Florida State 24:52.24
14 Ethan Lipham SO Appalachian State 24:55.36
15 Garrett Bivens JR Appalachian State 24:58.90
16 Martin Prodanov SR Florida State 25:03.12
17 Dwayne Lillie JR Appalachian State 25:05.85
18 Daniel Hopkins JR UNC-Asheville 25:06.58
19 Ethan Stamey JR Montreat 25:09.77
20 Lucas Bouquot FR Florida State 25:10.11
21 Quinn Jacquez SO UNC-Asheville 25:11.13
22 Jonah Bird SR Appalachian State 25:18.08
23 James Hyland JR Tennessee Tech 25:19.34
24 Clay Kelly JR Radford 25:19.94
25 Dylan Branch SR Montreat 25:20.50
26 Bryce Gilmore FR Wake Forest 25:21.28
27 Paul Specht FR Wake Forest 25:21.91
28 Daren Hinds JR Winthrop 25:24.39
29 Chase Faudi JR Tennessee Tech 25:25.30
30 Yates Hockaday JR UNC-Asheville 25:27.19
31 Tucker Sangster SO Appalachian State 25:28.55
32 Nathan Stamey JR Montreat 25:31.40
33 Max Geckler JR Lees-McRae 25:34.21
34 Ty Garrett UNA-Wake Forest 25:36.37
35 Alex Haines SR UNC-Asheville 25:37.25
36 Sam Sikora JR Radford 25:42.94
37 Ben Datte JR Appalachian State 25:44.22
38 Maxton Sowers SO Radford 25:45.35
39 Luke Richards JR Radford 25:48.19
40 Miceal McCaul JR Tennessee Tech 25:51.35
41 Colin Chapman FR Wake Forest 25:54.45
42 Caleb Wright JR Montreat 25:54.61
43 Nick McCumsey JR Radford 25:55.69
44 Jonas Roach FR UNC-Asheville 26:00.44
45 Andrew Okon JR UNC-Asheville 26:12.28
46 Jackson Nichols JR Appalachian State 26:17.01
47 Caleb Potter JR Montreat 26:21.59
48 Sam Shimanskiy SO USC Upstate 26:22.92
49 Nigel Dos Santos SR USC Upstate 26:24.15
50 Nate Sullivan FR UNC-Asheville 26:26.99
51 Kelvin Kiprop FR Mars Hill 26:30.22
52 Brock Newsome SR UNC-Asheville 26:31.22
53 Ethan Barber JR Appalachian State 26:32.41
54 Dalton Hawley SR Brevard 26:32.84
55 Noah Woodbury JR Winthrop 26:33.97
56 Jordan Keith SR King 26:34.05
57 Philip Riddle FR Montreat 26:34.92
58 Vince Mwangi FR Wake Forest 26:36.64
59 Ian Kelbert SO Lees-McRae 26:37.27
60 Jonah Morris SR Appalachian State 26:37.48
61 Nick Beattie JR Tennessee Tech 26:43.04
62 Liam McDonald SO Radford 26:43.41
63 Monroe Thompkins SR USC Upstate 26:46.28
64 Austin Spencer SR Winthrop 26:57.85
65 Lance Hatcher FR King 26:59.70
66 Sam Hulsey JR UNC-Asheville 27:01.31
67 Carter Sexton SR USC Upstate 27:02.91
68 Josh Booher SR King 27:03.72
69 Mason Sanders JR King 27:03.91
70 Tom Germann SR UNC-Asheville 27:05.12
71 Garrett Spangler SR Brevard 27:05.22
72 Jared Keklak SR USC Upstate 27:11.58
73 Alejo Cobos JR Radford 27:12.28
74 Carson Archie SR Wofford 27:14.80
75 Isaac Legault SO Tennessee Tech 27:23.49
76 Aaron Retana FR Montreat 27:24.76
77 Gabe Herron JR USC Upstate 27:26.77
78 Hunter Smathers FR Montreat 27:29.92
79 Rien Freeman SO Lees-McRae 27:32.03
80 Rene Tamez JR Montreat 27:34.21
81 Cameron Adair SR Lees-McRae 27:36.26
82 Landen Williams FR Montreat 27:37.50
83 Griffin McNeish SO Winthrop 27:38.74
84 Brennen Pierce JR Lees-McRae 27:39.55
84 Sean Kilpatrick FR King 27:39.55
86 Mason Parish SO USC Upstate 27:42.37
87 Dylan Major JR UNC-Asheville 27:45.89
88 Sean Doherty Unattached 28:01.04
89 Liam Jones FR Wofford 28:04.09
90 Jakob Gerlach FR Lees-McRae 28:04.16
91 Maliki Pope SR Mars Hill 28:09.81
92 Eric Perry FR USC Upstate 28:11.69
93 Connor Herold FR USC Upstate 28:16.10
94 Max Davis SR Winthrop 28:16.87
95 Gabriel Hunt FR Mars Hill 28:22.65
96 Devon Brodmyer SR Brevard 28:25.29
97 Derek Staton SR USC Upstate 28:26.98
98 Nolan Weisdorfer JR Winthrop 28:33.79
99 Carter Bradford SO Tennessee Tech 28:41.71
100 Brendan Roper FR Wofford 28:45.21
101 James Moon JR Wofford 28:47.79
102 Ryan Thornburg JR Montreat 28:49.36
103 Ethan Urichko SO Lees-McRae 28:51.51
104 Eddison Bridges FR Lees-McRae 29:04.60
105 Nathan Hopkins SO Wofford 29:06.11
106 Ashton Kirkpatrick SO Lees-McRae 29:07.95
107 Lance Surles FR UNC-Asheville 29:08.44
108 Braxton Cummings FR Mars Hill 29:09.41
109 Jack Tillman FR Wofford 29:20.66
110 Preston Core FR UNC-Asheville 29:27.77
111 John Bolinger SO Wofford 29:40.11
112 Payne Sisson FR Winthrop 29:41.87
113 Jackson Olson SO Lees-McRae 29:46.47
114 Logan Rangnow SO Winthrop 29:46.67
115 Mack Stancil JR USC Upstate 29:50.04
116 Shea Granger FR Brevard 29:50.62
117 Matthew Morin FR Montreat 29:54.13
118 Dillon Shin FR Wofford 30:07.94
119 Ben Gribbins JR Lees-McRae 30:27.63
120 Will Berger SO Wofford 30:29.41
121 Ethan Hearn SO Wofford 30:38.30
122 Ivan Diaz FR Winthrop 30:47.31
123 James Blackwelder JR Wofford 30:57.78
124 Brandon Wright FR Mars Hill 31:44.11
125 Diell Mehmedi SO Mars Hill 31:44.34
126 Luke Childress FR King 32:38.44
127 Adin DeJesus FR Brevard 33:16.20
128 Johnathan McIntyre FR Mars Hill 34:39.63
129 Jake Thomas FR Brevard 38:24.24

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — While Wake Forest and Florida State harriers dominated the “top 10” finishers in the Covered Bridge Open on Sept. 15, Appalachian State used a cluster of scorers junior Jasmine Donohue’s No. 26 finish and junior Catherine Breault’s No. 46 to secure a fourth place team finish.

Out of 119 athletes competing from 14 schools, Florida State senior Alyson Churchill was first to cross the finish line after a 5k run on the Don Kennedy Trails, stopping the clock in 16:08.30, a full 40 seconds ahead of Wake Forest’s second place competitor, freshman Brooke Wilson (16:48.41). The Demon Deacons had five runners place in the top 10, the Seminoles four in the top 11.

Abbey D’Agostino Cooper, now a Boone-based former professional runner at 5,000 meters and U.S. Olympic team member in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, was No. 3 in the Covered Bridge Open identified as running for New Balance, crossing the finish line in 16:59.88.

At No. 26, Donohoe was the Mountaineers’ top finisher in 18:17:44, followed by No. 29 Karson Kane, No. 33 Rhys Ammon, No. 34 Linnea Maynard, and No. 43 Breault.

Statistics provided by NCRunners

WOMEN’S DIVISION TEAM SCORES

1 Wake Forest 23
2 Florida State 36
3 Radford 79
4 Appalachian State 127
5 Tennessee Tech 160
6 UNC-Asheville 162
7 Wofford 229
8 Winthrop 262
9 Lees-McRae 274
10 USC Upstate 318
11 Tusculum 330
12 Mars Hill 340
13 King 343
14 Brevard 379

INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS

1 Alyson Churchill SR Florida State 16:08.30
2 Brooke Wilson FR Wake Forest 16:48.41
3 Abbey Cooper New Balance 16:59.88
4 Caroline Garrett SR Wake Forest 17:08.36
5 Lydia Van Dijk SR Wake Forest 17:12.70
6 Leigh Walters JR Wake Forest 17:25.01
7 Bieke Schipperen FR Florida State 17:28.11
8 Caitlin Wilkey SR Florida State 17:32.40
9 Chloe Wellings JR Radford 17:33.97
10 Madeline Rehm SR Wake Forest 17:35.89
11 Sydney Nowicki JR Florida State 17:38.66
12 Sophie Magson SO Radford 17:39.98
13 Anna Sentner JR Florida State 17:40.59
14 Helen Pacurariu-Nagy SR Tennessee Tech 17:44.72
15 Alyssa Preisano FR Wake Forest 17:47.48
16 Alli Boehm JR Wake Forest 17:47.56
17 Isabel Richardson FR UNC-Asheville 17:59.11
18 Evie McIver SO Florida State 18:02.85
19 MegAnne Gilmore JR Radford 18:03.71
20 Clara Heppner FR Florida State 18:04.64
21 Ella Mickler FR Florida State 18:09.37
22 Mackenzie Hart SO Wake Forest 18:11.76
23 Lily Moore FR Florida State 18:13.95
24 Dani Thompson JR Florida State 18:15.38
25 Mackenzie Brownrigg SR Radford 18:16.11
26 Jasmine Donohue JR Appalachian State 18:17.44
27 Kate McLearen SO Radford 18:22.32
28 Natalie Weiner SR Wake Forest 18:24.54
29 Karsyn Kane JR Appalachian State 18:24.81
30 Grace Wassell FR Wake Forest 18:26.61
31 Ava Povich FR Florida State 18:29.69
32 Abby Seigel JR Radford 18:30.33
33 Rhys Ammon FR Appalachian State 18:31.19
34 Linnea Maynard JR Appalachian State 18:37.19
35 Emily Coddington SR Tusculum 18:37.48
36 Makaleigh Jessee FR Tennessee Tech 18:38.39
37 Gabriella Castro JR Wake Forest 18:40.73
38 Lauren Bing JR Florida State 18:44.74
39 Sophie Lundin SO UNC-Asheville 18:46.20
40 Emma Kennett SO UNC-Asheville 18:55.48
41 Rachel Millirons SR Radford 18:59.94
42 Palmer Walstad FR Wake Forest 19:02.46
43 Catherine Breault JR Appalachian State 19:03.06
44 Ella Moore FR UNC-Asheville 19:04.24
45 Campbell Dille SO Lees-McRae 19:04.31
46 Chloe Wade JR Tennessee Tech 19:06.75
47 Lana Farris JR Appalachian State 19:07.75
48 Becca Hinds FR Wofford 19:11.51
49 Olivia Kemp SO Winthrop 19:12.33
50 Alexus Atkins SR Wofford 19:19.37
51 Bianca Copeman SR Appalachian State 19:20.44
52 Rahab Chepkorir SR Tennessee Tech 19:20.64
53 Deanna Betzer SR Lees-McRae 19:21.84
54 Kayla Fields FR Radford 19:22.07
55 Mia Farley FR Radford 19:27.39
56 Albane Fery FR Wake Forest 19:31.17
57 Madilyn Long JR Tennessee Tech 19:38.07
58 Riley Knoyle FR Tennessee Tech 19:38.89
59 Kimber Keene JR Wofford 19:39.52
60 Inmacaluda Delgado SO Tusculum 19:40.62
61 Clarkson Graham JR Wake Forest 19:45.42
62 Morgan Ruff SR Winthrop 19:46.86
63 Jordan Thornton FR USC Upstate 19:51.46
64 Kylie Thomas FR Florida State 19:53.41
65 Ava Costello SO Tennessee Tech 19:53.55
66 Chloe Gilbert JR Wofford 19:54.29
67 Lexi Taylor FR Winthrop 19:54.46
68 Erin Melitski FR Winthrop 19:55.57
69 Elizabeth Fuller SR Appalachian State 19:56.08
70 Morgan Kornke JR Appalachian State 19:57.38
71 Hayley Stegall FR Tennessee Tech 19:57.61
72 Lauryn Jackson SO Tennessee Tech 19:59.08
73 Hannah Frazer FR Mars Hill 20:01.26
74 Emma Bradford SR Tennessee Tech 20:04.79
75 Abby Granberg JR Appalachian State 20:05.36
76 Alyx Beausoleil SO UNC-Asheville 20:11.21
77 Madison Quinn SO Lees-McRae 20:14.75
78 Lindsey Jenkins SO Mars Hill 20:15.91 8
79 Emily Leo SO UNC-Asheville 20:21.34
80 Frances Tocco SO Wofford 20:27.88
81 Angelina DiBlasi SR Appalachian State 20:33.06
82 Amanda Lowery SO King 20:33.79
83 Makenna Merkley SO Tennessee Tech 20:37.21
84 Ermay Vazquez FR King 20:39.19
85 Zoe Bos FR UNC-Asheville 20:43.53
86 Ava Fowler JR Wofford 20:43.78
87 Hanna Guyton FR UNC-Asheville 20:44.40
88 Amanda Orban SR UNC-Asheville 20:45.13
89 Kaylee Kraver SO Lees-McRae 20:46.97
90 Lauren Sochia FR UNC-Asheville 20:48.21
91 Zoe Capps SR Brevard 20:53.61
92 Maureen Ortiz FR USC Upstate 20:58.62
93 Grace Miller SO USC Upstate 21:04.24
94 Morgan Roberts SR Wofford 21:08.51
95 Addison Ollendick-Smith FR Appalachian State 21:12.17
96 Adalie Harrison SR USC Upstate 21:12.61
97 Sandra Diaz JR Brevard 21:13.53
98 Kristen Hallman FR Wofford 21:14.65
99 Lexie LaDuc FR King 21:22.59
100 Alanie Foster SR USC Upstate 21:37.27
101 Maddie Hamuka SO UNC-Asheville 21:54.65
102 Gabby Sanchez FR USC Upstate 22:04.80
103 Haylea Layne Miller JR Brevard 22:16.48
104 Caroline Bend FR Winthrop 22:27.58
105 Destiny Haller SR King 22:30.22
106 Sophia LeBrun FR Mars Hill 23:00.30
107 Emma Bridges SO Mars Hill 23:00.89
108 Megan Van Etten SR Mars Hill 23:21.56
109 Lauren Sedberry FR King 24:03.88
110 Kaitlyn Rowe SO Lees-McRae 24:36.
111 Alexis Greene FR Lees-McRae 25:09.01
112 Brenna Hicks FR Mars Hill 25:16.04
113 Anahi Reta JR Mars Hill 25:26.61
114 Judy Chellah SR Tusculum 26:15.19
115 Ava Thrift FR Brevard 33:05.54
116 Victoria Caliendo SO Tusculum 33:38.07
117 Silvia Bah JR Tusculum 33:53.10
118 Summer Crist FR Brevard 34:05.26
119 Victoria Sylvester FR Brevard 34:44.18

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Finding themselves down 14-8 late in the second quarter against the Black Knights of North Davidson on Sept. 14, the Watauga junior varsity football team’s “mood” darkened, individual players blaming each other and pointing fingers. Then, said head coach Marshall Thomas, the team found leadership — and rebounded in the second half for a 24-14 victory.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click any image for slide show mode)

“When you are working with freshmen and sophomores at the junior varsity level,” said Thomas after the game, “the leadership roles on a team may not have evolved. Amid the internal conflicts tonight, we had guys step up into those leadership roles and got the team unified in a positive direction. Our execution improved in the second half because of that leadership and that is why we won.”

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Kyle Williams: 9 carries for 105 yards, including two, 2-point conversions
• Matthew Leon: 19 carries for 91 yards, plus one fumble recovery
• Cade Keller: 7 carries for 96 yards and a TD, 1 fumble recovery
• Nyle Peays: 76-yard “pick 6” pass interception and return
• Thomas Deiters: One 2-point conversion pass reception

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Admitting that nobody is happy with a losing outcome, Watauga varsity men’s soccer head coach was pleased with the effort and intensity of his Pioneers in a 1-0, non-conference loss to visiting Cox Mill on Sept. 14.

“You never want to lose, obviously,” said head coach Josh Honeycutt after the game, “but I truly feel that this is the best we have played so far this season, really since the Ardrey Kell game. We are starting to figure some things out, defensively. The quality of play was there tonight. We probably should have had at least one goal, probably two. When the ball is bouncing around in the box, we need to do a better job of clearing it out, but when you make it a 1-0 game against a very good opponent instead of a 5-1 loss last time out, we are making strides in the right direction.”

Watauga has one more non-conference game, an 11 a.m. affair vs. Cuthbertson on Sept. 16 at Jack Groce Stadium, looking to improve on the team’s 2-7-1 start.

For Honeycutt and the Pioneers, though, it is all about the preparation. He intentionally schedules state playoffs-caliber opponents in the early season to get his team prepared for the Northwestern Conference slate.

“Our primary goal is to win a conference championship, which gives us a better seeding should we make the state playoffs,” said Honeycutt. “Facing those types of playoff quality teams early gets us ready. Our guys know that.”

Indeed, the 2022 edition of the Watauga varsity opened with a non-conference slate in which they went an identical 2-7-1 in non-conference, but finished the season 13-9-1 including a 9-1 record in winning the NWC conference championship before losing to Weddington in the third round of the 4A state playoffs.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Jumping out to a 2-0 lead over Cox Mill, the Watauga junior varsity men’s soccer team was in perilous territory even if eventually winning the day, 3-1.

“A 2-0 lead is dangerous,” said Watauga JV head coach Vern Collins after all was said an done. “It is still close enough that the opponent can rally and close the gap. And it is also wide enough that your team could get a bit complacent. You have to finish.”

Finishing is what Collins and his staff have been emphasizing the last few weeks during the early, non-conference portion of the 2023 season — and that attention to detail paid dividends against the visiting Chargers. While Cox Mill dropped in a second half goal to narrow the gap, to 2-1, the Pioneers responded with a late goal and played good defense the rest of the way.

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

• Lucas Hamilton: 1 goal, 1 assist
• David Ganley: 1 goal
• Noah Van Werkhoven: 1 goal
• Shiris Kandel: 1 assist
• Tegan Martinez: 1 shot on goal
• Trace Martinez: 1 shot on goal

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It might have been a little closer than expected, but Watauga High School’s young junior varsity volleyball team swept their South Caldwell counterparts on Sept. 13, 2-0 (25-17, 25-19), at Lentz Eggers Gym.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE (click on any image for slideshow mode)

The Spartans’ JVs battled back to narrow deficits a few times, but ultimately could not handle the well-skilled and disciplined Pioneers led by middle blocker Rylee Mitchell, outside hitters Athena Elliott , Gracyn Blanton and Kasey Gragg, as well as sparkling defensive play by libero Bella Wade and setters Ava Zaragoza and Lilli Combs.

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS

• Rylee Mitchell: 6 kills, 2 stuff blocks, 2 service aces
• Athena Elliott: 6 kills, 1 dig
• Gracyn Blanton: 3 kills, 1 dig
• Ava Zaragoza: 6 assists, 3 digs
• Bella Wade: 7 digs, 2 service aces, 1 assist
• Lilli Combs: 11 assists, 1 service ace, 2 digs
• Sophie Kop: 4 digs, 1 service ace
• Lillon Henline: 2 service aces, 2 digs
• Julia Rowan: 3 kills

BONUS PHOTOS