Why are private schools competing against public schools in high school sports? The question often asked by athletes, parents, and fans of high school athletics in North Carolina has a hard to pin down answer. While the current system has been in place for many years, fans, coaches, and student athletes often raise questions about the fairness of these competitions.

Watauga High School’s Track and Field is an institution. State, regional, and conference championships are just a few of the honors that the program holds to its name, with storied successes both past and present. Just this past year, Watauga’s men and women’s teams both took home 2nd place in Outdoor Track, while the women finished as champions in the Indoor Track season.

They’re on the field every home game with the football team. They practice 6 hours a week, have 3 team officers, and a coach. And yet, this team is not officially a sport, not Varsity, and not JV. Officially, it’s only a club. Despite all of this, the Pacer Team remains an enthusiastic community, working hard to improve themselves, each other, and hopefully provide some school spirit. The Pacer team is a school dance team that performs at every home football game throughout t

The fastest growing sport in America has come to Watauga. It’s not soccer and it’s not ballet. It’s flag football, the sport with more strategy than tackling. Though the sport is brand new to the high school and the world, there has been no shortage of students who are willing to give the sport a chance.

Celebrate class of 2026's amazing achievements by looking through a 3 minute montage showcasing Watauga's current college commitments. Featuring athlete's planned majors, favorite memories, PRs and more!

Football Head Coach Ryan Habich celebrates the 6A State Championship with players (left to right): Everett Gryder, Thomas Deiters, Cade Keller, and Brady Lindemuth. Photo Creds: Charlie Stumb Abbi Clark, Sports Desk Lead of The Powderhorn High Country pride is strong when it comes to Pioneer athletics. The community shows up and shows out to support Watauga County’s only high school in all that they do. This year especially, school pride has shone bright as Watauga has excell

This photo essay covers the women's XC team throughout its incredibly successful season this school year.

Last year, in the 2024 - 2025 season, the Watauga Men’s Basketball team had a historic season and advanced to the Elite Eight in the state playoffs. Going into this year, head coach Bryson Payne had high hopes for the postseason and a positive outlook to capture similar success from last year. Watauga was seen as an underdog to make a run coming into the postseason last year, but they defied the odds and had one of the most successful seasons to date.

WATAUGA PACERS DANCE TEAM‼️ Here’s a look into the Pacers dance team at the High School and a little bit of background to their dancing career and High school dance experience.

WATAUGA VARSITY CHEER‼️ This video covers senior night for varsity cheer! Here’s a look into these seniors cheer career and their high school cheer experience.

Gaines Hunt describes his sking journey and his love for the sport. Hunt is a freshman at Watauga and is an avid park skier, skiing at an extremely high level for his age. Tune in at this link

With the transition from 4 to 8 divisions in North Carolina High School sports, the journey to state championships has become more accessible to your average team and its participants. As part of the 6A division, Watauga High School has seen huge success this year across its various sports programs. Joining this trend of success is the Watauga Indoor Track team, with multiple relays and individual qualifiers making the journey to Winston-Salem on February 12, 2026. In each ev

The Watauga Pioneer Football Team, who many said were “past their prime,” not only exceeded expectations but defied them. From losing the likes of senior star quarterback Maddox Greene, defensive stand-out Trathan Gragg, and stand-out wide-receiver Landon Smith, it seemed like this season was just going to be a year for growth and improvement for the Pioneers, or worse yet, a season to forget. It ended up being everything but a season of improvement, rather, excellence, and a

The Church Basketball League, more commonly referred to as “church ball”, has been around for many years in the high country. The league consists of 10 teams this year, all of which are represented by churches across Watauga County.

Lanson Gilbert on September 29, 2025 at the Watauga Community Recreation Center swimming in the lap pool during a meet. Photo Creds: Lanson Gilbert. Ella Hudzik, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn For record-breaking swimmers like Addie Wilson and Lanson Gilbert, swimming is their entire life. The typical day in the life of a swimmer on Watauga High School's swim team is dedicated to warm-ups, practices, staying late after school, and pushing themselves to the limit. These two

A nighttime drone image of Beech Mountain Resort in Beech Mountain North Carolina. This image showcases the front side of the mountain including the “Village” with restaurants and retail buildings. The mountain range of terrain is also visible. Photo Creds: VisitBoone.com Harper Costin, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn East Coast ski culture is often framed as a lesser version of its Western counterpart, but in North Carolina, skiing operates on a different set of values. The

If you wandered down to the football field during an Indoor Track and Field practice, you would see a flurry of activity: sprinters and long-distance runners rounding the bends of the track, hurdlers bounding over the hurdles, and jumpers leaping across the sand pits.

This video created by Watauga 10 highlights the Pioneer wrestling team as their season begins. It can be accessed on YouTube through this link:

After years of carrying the weight of expectation, the Watauga Women's Basketball team is entering a season defined less by pressure and more by possibility. With the graduation of a dominant senior class and elite athlete Kate Sears last year, the Watauga Women's Varsity basketball coach, Bill Torgerson, has reshaped his approach with this year's team.

On December 12, 2025, students, teachers, and parents alike made the drive to Kenan Memorial Stadium at UNC Chapel Hill to cheer on the Watauga Pioneers football team as they competed for the 6A North Carolina State Championship. The thrilling game against Middle Creek High School ended in a Watauga win, score 47 - 25, and the Pioneers brought home the state title for the first time since 1978.