Shelby pulls away from Pioneers
by Steve Behr Sports Editor
SHELBY - Shelby scored 21 points in the second quarter and used that to claim a 34-14 victory over Watauga Friday night at Blanton Memorial Stadium.
Watauga (1-1) trailed 28-0 by halftime and didn't get on the scoreboard until its first drive of the second half. Capitalizing on a 47-yard kickoff return by Trey Kavanaugh that put the ball at the Pioneers' 49-yard line, Watauga drove down to the Shelby 3-yard line. From there, quarterback Caleb Watson scored on a 3-yard touchdown run, pulling the Pioneers to 28-7.
Watauga scored its second touchdown with just 32 seconds left in the game when Mo Gore took a short pass from Ethan Greene and raced 26 yards to the end zone. The play capped a 71-yard, seven-play drive that took just 1:57 to score.
Shelby's running game was on showcase the rest of the game. The Lions piled up 329 yards on the ground, 390 overall. Bryan Moss scored on a 51-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that capped a six-play, 99-yard drive and gave the Lions a 7-0 lead.
Moss, who finished with 142 yards on just seven carries (20.3 yards per carry) added a 71-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave Shelby a 21-0 lead. R.J. Ussery, who scored a 3-yard TD on the first play in the second quarter, added a 51-yard touchdown with 1:06 left in the first half, giving the Lions a 28-0 lead.
Watauga gained 209 total yards on 59 plays, but struggled with its running game for the second straight week. Baker Stanley led the Pioneers with 24 yards on six carries, while Robbie Sherrill gained 22 yards on eight carries.
Greene connected on 6-of-12 passes, including 5-of-6 on the Pioneers final scoring drive, for 89 yards. Watson hit 3-of-12 through the air for 34 yards, giving the Pioneers 123 passing yards.
Alex Fox led the defense with eight tackles and Jordan Pineda had six.
Watauga hosts Avery County Friday at Jack Groce Stadium.
WHS jayvees vs. Ashe County
Watauga's jayvee team opened its season with a 21-14 victory over Ashe County Thursday in West Jefferson.
To see more on Watauga's game with Shelby, please see the Monday edition of the Watauga Democrat.