A Fairytale Story with a Fairytale Ending

From left to right: Head Coach Ryan Habich, Captains Everett Gryder (4), Thomas Dieters (11), Cade Keller (10), and Brady Lindenmuth (56) posing for a picture with the 6A State Championship trophy after defeating the Middle Creek Mustangs 47-25. Photo Credits: Alex Gonzalez Silva

Alex Gonzalez Silva, Watauga10 Staff

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 season to never forget.

Although the Pioneers lost several key players, the team was able to keep Brady Lindenmuth, who, alongside Matthew Leon, led the team in sacks, and Evan Burroughs, who led the team in receiving yards per game and interceptions per game. Former quarterback Bowen Mayo joined the Pioneers from Jamestown High School in Williamsburg, Virginia, and would prove to be a great asset for Watauga’s Head Coach Ryan Habich, even while playing a different position than he did during his 3-year spell in Virginia.

In late August, the Watauga Pioneers kicked off their non-conference play against fierce rivals, the Ashe County Huskies. It was nothing short of dominant play from the Pioneers as they scored 35 points before halftime, still awaiting a response from the Huskies. It was not until late in the fourth quarter that the Huskies scored their first touchdown of the night, but the Pioneers had already scored an emphatic 56 points on the Huskies to cap off their victory on the night.

Continuing their 3-game sequence of playing on home turf at the beginning of the season, the Pioneers went on to beat T.C Roberson in a 42-0 shutout win, then thrashed championship-studded side Mount Airy 61-7, coming off of 2 undefeated 1A state championships in the past 3 seasons. Watauga’s Ryan Habich named Mount Airy a “powerhouse” and a “star-studded team”, but that would only serve as a testament to his own team as the season kept progressing.

During the one-month period away from Jack Groce Stadium, the Watauga Pioneers came off a few major victories: first, having a bye week, then 2-straight away games remaining on the non-conference slate. The Pioneers pulled off assertive victories against both Erwin and Asheville, with the Pioneers scoring 49 points in both games. Senior wide receiver, Nyle Peays, stood out in the Asheville game with a kickoff return touchdown in the first few seconds of the game.

The Pioneers had begun their conference play with an intense away matchup at Freedom High School. This year, it would be a slightly different conference than the Pioneers were used to. The NCHSAA had expanded the classifications, which meant that the Pioneers went from the 4A to the 6A conference. At the mere beginning of conference play, this matchup at Freedom would go on to determine the winner of the 6A/7A Northwestern Conference. Both teams were undefeated leading up to the night, and both teams had players who could turn a game around. For the Pioneers, it was quarterback Cade Keller, cornerback Evan Burroughs, and running back Everett Gryder. For the Patriots, it was quarterback Kaden Davis, wide receivers Kobe Johnson and JuJu Dominguez. Undoubtedly, the Pioneers came up on top as they thumped the Patriots 42-20 and had a 21-point lead at halftime. Senior running back, Everett Gryder, was heavily relied on throughout the game, having 16 carries, 123 rushing yards, and 2 touchdowns on the night. The Freedom Patriots had struggled heavily on defense, especially against the Pioneers’ running game, with their hands firmly slipping away from the 6A/7A Northwestern Conference title.

After over 35 days away at other venues, the Pioneers were back at Jack Groce Stadium to face off against South Caldwell. The Spartans were left wondering about what went wrong after a horrific 56-0 defeat against the Watauga Pioneers. The Pioneers would once again go back on the road to face off against Alexander Central, then return to Boone to face off against McDowell, and then, once more in the regular season, travel to St. Stephens to wrap up 6A/7A Northwestern Conference play with the Watauga Pioneers comfortably in the driving seat, winning all of their conference matchups.

The 6A State Playoffs had officially kicked off, and all roads were leading up to the 6A State Championship at Kenan Stadium on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. The Pioneers were handed the first seed, which also gave them a first-round bye. After other teams participated in the first round, the Pioneers were set to play a reverse fixture against familiar conference foe St. Stephens who the Pioneers had faced off against that week prior. Unlike last time, St. Stephen's would have to travel up to Boone to face off against the Pioneers, and there were no surprises about the winner of this game. The Pioneers had majorly improved the score differential from a 28-18 victory at St. Stephens to a rampant 47-6 win in Boone.

The state playoffs would only get more difficult for the Pioneers. During the third round of playoffs, the Pioneers were scheduled to play the Charlotte Catholic Cougars in Boone. The Cougars were the favorites going into the matchup in Boone, as it was a tight game between the Pioneers and the Cougars, with the Pioneers barely hanging on in the fourth quarter before senior Matthew Leon sealed a pick-six in the waning seconds of the game. The Cougars tried to make the best of the last drive on the field before a pass was picked off by senior Everett Gryder, which sealed the game for the Pioneers.

The Fourth Round of the state playoffs was only more of a challenge than the last playoff matchup. Sun Valley was also heavily favored to win the matchup between the Spartans and the Pioneers in Boone. The matchup in Boone was a heavily contested matchup; the Pioneers and the Spartans were practically fighting back and forth, with the Pioneers being down by 7 at the end of the third quarter. The Pioneers fought back with a late touchdown pass from quarterback Cade Keller to wingback Bowen Mayo and a winning field goal from junior kicker Miller Hankins, who was a dual athlete throughout the fall season, participating in playoffs with both the soccer and football programs.

For the first time in 47 years, the Pioneers had made it to the Western Regional Championship against Northern Guilford. The Pioneers were the first seed and were playing in a regional championship in Boone. The Nighthawks from Greensboro were a powerful team, being the second-seeded team in the Western region. The Nighthawks and the Pioneers were back and forth for the entirety of the game where eventually the Pioneers fell behind in the fourth quarter before late game heroics from senior Matthew Leon that had put the game within one point reach before Bowen Mayo caught a 2-point conversion attempt from quarterback Cade Keller which had put the Pioneers up by one point with 47 seconds left in the game. The Nighthawks quickly stormed down the field and eventually attempted a winning field goal from 36 yards that was missed by Northern Guilford’s Kobe Guadardo to send the Pioneers to the 6A State Championship at Kenan Stadium on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Pioneers had written history. Competing in a state championship for the first time in 47 years alone was a milestone achievement for the Pioneers. It wasn’t just a school effort, it was a community effort. Parents, students, and fans had lined up in front of the doors of Watauga High School to send off the championship team from their home in the mountains to the infamous Kenan Stadium at Chapel Hill. Students loaded buses, people lined down Highway 421 with banners and flags to support the Pioneers, all in an effort to hopefully witness their high school football team win their first state championship after a grueling 47 years. An estimated 2,000 people had arrived to support the Pioneers. The clock had struck 4:00 pm, and the state championship had officially kicked off. 

The Middle Creek Mustangs had taken an early advantage in the first quarter, but the Pioneers had something else in mind for the Mustangs. Senior Evan Burroughs, committed to Duke University for baseball, scored three rushing touchdowns, a receiving touchdown, and a pick-six touchdown return, along with two interceptions. Even when the Pioneers were up 41-25 late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Cade Keller connected with wide receiver Nyle Peays to add the final nail in the coffin for Middle Creek, making it 47-25, still awaiting an extra point attempt. 

Just moments before officially having this moment sealed in the history books, Head Coach Ryan Habich wanted to end this season in a fairytale fashion. Senior Cade Keller was shouted at to take a knee just before the snap of the extra point attempt as the Pioneers scored 47 points in their first state championship appearance in 47 years, the Saturday prior having the game sealing touchdown/2-pt conversion with 47 seconds left on the clock and lastly 47 seconds left on the clock when junior Miller Hankins had kicked the winning field goal against the Sun Valley Spartans in the fourth round. After a star-studded performance, Evan Burroughs won the overall MVP award, Cade Keller won the offensive MVP award, and John Wilson Mills won the defensive MVP award.

It was more than a state championship; it was a rural town in Western North Carolina that fought back from a year of rebuilding from the damages of Hurricane Helene, and it was a county that showed up for their high school football team in the most important circumstances of them all. It wasn’t always easy for the Pioneers to reach the pinnacle of North Carolina High School football. The week that the Pioneers were scheduled to compete in a state championship, Jack Groce Stadium and Boone as a whole were covered in snow, barring the soon-to-be state champions from practicing and eventually making practices optional. Regardless of the circumstances, the Pioneers followed their motto of  “Attack” to accomplish an unprecedented feat in the program’s history.