BOONE - Jack Groce Stadium erupted, every fan on the home side of the stadium was on their feet, and with six minutes left in the first quarter after a long and methodical drive, the Watauga Pioneers struck first. Thanks to a Bryce Satterfield touchdown run. The Pioneer faithful were electric, you could tell how much this game meant to them just from atmosphere inside the stadium. The Pioneers on the field looked every bit as good as they did when we were watching film throughout the week.
Next it was Weddington's turn. The Warriors relied on the ground game exclusively on their first drive of the game, with both Will Shipley and Wayne Dixie taking turns running through the Pioneer defense. Weddington's first drive was capped off by a Will Shipley 10-yard touchdown. With the score all tied at 7, this third round playoff game had the feeling of an instant classic.
The ensuing drive for the Pioneers did not end so favorably, tasked with a 4th down and short, Head Coach Ryan Habich elected to roll the dice and go for the 1st down. A gutsy call but one we agreed with wholeheartedly, unfortunately for his team the Weddington defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and came through with a huge stop, and that was the turning point in the game, going forward it was all Weddington.
The second quarter was more of the same for the Weddington, allow your veteran offensive line to control the line of scrimmage and hand it off to Will Shipley and Wayne Dixie and watch them grind out positive yardage, they each had a touchdown in the quarter. For Watauga it was hard for them to gain any positive momentum, the Warrior defense just kept coming with with big stop after big stop and come half time the Warriors held a 21 to 7 advantage. The biggest shock in the 1st half was that Weddington had not even attempted to pass the football, the were starting the express their will against a Watauga defensive line that just could not stop their two headed rushing attack.
The third quarter started off about as well as you could have hoped for if you were Warrior fan. Will Shipley scored his 3rd touchdown of the night, and you could feel the emotion start coming out of Jack Groce Stadium.
Watauga came out of the half like a team who knew its season was slowly starting to slip away, the Pioneers played with such intensity and passion, they just could not stop the Warriors rushing attack. The first offensive drive of the 2nd half for Watauga was off to a great start. The Pioneers were driving the ball down the field, but just as they are starting to gain some momentum, they bust out a trick play and Jackson Greene throws an interception right into Max Brimigion's waiting arms.
Warrior quarterback Whitner Litton only threw the football twice all game, they were both completions and they were both touchdowns to his favorite target Max Brimigion.
Come 4th quarter time it was an insurmountable lead for the Warriors as they led 42 to 7. The Warriors at that point put in more of the second and third team players as they could gain valuable playoff experience. For Watauga Junior tailback Jaiden Bond scored a late touchdown to make the score more respectable at 42 to 14, and that turned out to be the final score in Boone.
Players of the game:
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| Teams line up to shake hands, after the final whistle. |
Weddington: Will Shipley 3 touchdowns, and 165 yards rushing.
Watauga: Jaiden Bond 1 touchdown and 105 yards rushing.
Watauga will no doubt be back in contention next season, this team returns multiple starters, and having another off season to prepare and get better will help than tremendously. This team is a lot better than the final score indicated.
For Weddington, next is a trip to Mount Tabor for the 3AA Western Final. The Spartans will be Weddington's toughest test yet.
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