A New Team, the Same Standard

Watauga Varsity Football players run onto the field before facing Erwin, setting the tone for the night’s matchup. “Everybody has been putting in the work,”  said Grant Martin. Photo Credit: Luke Everett.

Anna Tran, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

Coming off a championship-winning season, the Watauga Varsity Football team entered this year with a title to defend and a roster to rebuild. With several key players from last year’s championship team gone, new players have stepped into bigger roles as the Pioneers work to maintain the standard set by last year’s team.

For senior Declan Lippard, one of the captains on the Watauga Varsity Football team, this season has come with its hardships and struggles but has strengthened his leadership skills and perseverance. 

“Last year’s team taught me a lot about accountability and the importance of brotherhood,” said Lippard. “Their brotherhood when you’re on the team was like no other team's bond I’ve ever seen, and it really showed me the family aspect of football.”

Declan Lipped #11 and Jack Bridgeman #54 celebrating on the field at Watauga’s Homecoming Game against Erwin. Photo Credits: Luke Everett

For sophomore Grant Martin, this season marks an important step in his football career as he takes on the field as a first-year varsity player. 

“I definitely think there’s pressure living up to what last year’s team has accomplished,” said Martin. “We lost a lot of people, and it’s a huge shoe to fill. We´re definitely a younger team.”

After spending last season on Junior Varsity, Martin has noticed a clear difference in the intensity and experience of playing on Varsity this year. 

“It’s definitely a huge skill gap between JV and Varsity. All of our starters were seniors,” said Martin. “It’s just amazing how different it is, but we definitely don´t have nearly as many seniors. So next year´s team is gonna be looking for underclassmen.”

After playing in last year’s championship game, Lippard has experienced firsthand the difference between last season and this season as the team builds on last year’s success. 

“We pulled off something that’s a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for this area,” said Lippard. “Coming into this season, we had a very, very big target on our back, lots of big expectations, but on the team we have our own expectations, and those still remain the same.¨

The team continues to hold itself to high standards, emphasizing the hard work, accountability, and commitment each player brings to the field. 

“It’s just standards, consistency, and accountability,” said Lippard. “Our culture is kind of our main expectation.” 

Throughout the season, the team has shown strength in its effort and determination as it reflects on where it needs to improve and grow. 

“I think doing the best of what we got, obviously we lost a lot of people,” said Lippard. “I think this team’s done a great job with not letting that affect our drive. A lot of kids on the team really care about this, work hard, give their hearts fully in the sport.”

With the experience Martin got with the team, Martin highlighted areas where the team still needs to improve to perform more consistently and meet the expectations set for the season.

“I think definitely working as a team, instead of solo, we could do better working together,” said Martin. “We just need to believe in ourselves. I think from all the losses, everybody just kind of doubts us now, including our own team.”

This season has started off on a rough patch with a current record of  2-5, a major difference from last year´s undefeated winning streak. Lippard acknowledged that one of the team´s biggest challenges this season has been adjusting to losing experienced players from last year´s championship-winning roster, forcing the team to work in areas it still needs to improve. 

“We definitely struggle with being young, lots of mental mistakes,” said Lippard. “Don´t have the same developed players that we did last year. We have two returning starters from last year. [We’re] basically starting from scratch.”

Although Watauga faces the challenge of replacing key players from last year’s championship team, the expectations for hard work, accountability, and teamwork remain high. As Martin reflected on the learning curve of the transition to Varsity Football, the faster pace and higher level of competition require players to adapt quickly. Both he and Lippard recognize that the team must continue building on last season’s success to meet those standards.

“Obviously there’s pressure, but that’s kind of outside noise,” said Lippard. “Playing football, you finally got to tune that outside noise out. [You] can’t let that pressure build up and make it hard for you to play and limit your potential.”