By Nathan Ham
The Weddington Warriors came to the High Country and played the spoiler role in Watauga’s quest for a perfect season.
The visitors gave up an opening drive score to Watauga, but then put the clamps down on the Pioneer scoring attack while piling up 42 points on the way to a 42-14 win.
Weddington advances to take on #3 Mount Tabor this Friday for a spot in the 3AA Championship.
The Pioneers got on the board first with a six-yard run by Bryce Satterfield early in the first quarter. Weddington tied things up at 7-7 with a 10-yard rushing TD from Will Shipley.
In the second quarter, the Warriors took their first lead on the night thanks to a 12-yard run by Wayne Dixie after the Pioneers came up short on a fourth down attempt near midfield.
Shipley scored his second touchdown of the night to put Weddington up 21-7 at the half.
The Warriors got the ball to start the third quarter and quickly found the end zone once again. Shipley broke off a long run that set Weddington up inside the Watauga five-yard line. He finished off the drive with his third score of the night, this one from two yards out to put Weddington up 28-7.
On Watauga’s next possession, Weddington’s D.J. Chao picked off a pass from Jackson Greene near midfield. The Warriors turned that miscue into points of their own when quarterback Whitney Litton tossed a one-yard touchdown to Max Brimigion to put the visiting team up 35-7 late in the third quarter.
After another failed fourth down conversion attempt, the Warriors drove down the field again and much like the last drive, Litton and Brimigion connected for another touchdown, this one a three-yard pass with 10 minutes left in the game. Weddington held a commanding 42-7 lead.
Watauga’s Jaiden Bond added an 11-yard touchdown run late in the fourth, making the final score 42-14.
The Pioneers finished the 2018 season with an overall record of 13-1.
Despite only being able to score twice, the Pioneers still found success moving the football, rushing for 249 yards on 43 carries, just under six yards per carry. Bond led the way with seven carries for 105 yards and a touchdown. Satterfield carried the ball 16 times for 74 yards and a score. Quarterback Anderson Castle had 75 yards on 15 carries and was 5-for-8 passing for 85 yards.
Grant Oliver was the team’s leading receiver with two catches for 54 yards. Bond added one reception for 16 yards and Jake Watson had two catches for four yards.
Defensively, Eli Suggs finished with a team-high 10 tackles. Watson had nine tackles and a forced fumble, Braeden Myers had eight tackles, Ben Critcher finished with eight tackles, Zach West had six tackles, Bond had six tackles and Greene finished with five tackles and recovered a fumble.
Regardless how the season ended last week, the Watauga Pioneers have a whole lot to be proud of. The players and coaches have worked hard all year long to get to this point and the community has rallied around this team and been a great influence.
“The community and our fans have been great, they have done a really good job of getting out here on those cold nights and the student section does a great job of getting here and supporting the team,” said Dustin Kerley, Watauga High School’s Athletic Director.
Kerley is also the assistant head coach, tight ends coach and special teams coach.
“This year has really given our guys the opportunity to be successful. I think it starts with the coaching staff and the head coach setting the vision, setting expectations and standards in place,” Kerley said. “Our kids have been working hard every day and they have done a phenomenal job of not being satisfied and continue to work hard each day to get to where we are right now.”
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