By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com
It's still not exactly certain if Watauga can earn a home playoff game with a victory over St. Stephens Friday night.
However, Watauga (6-4, 3-2 NWC) can accomplish plenty should they go to Hickory and beat the Indians in a game that begins at 7:30 p.m. For starters, they can clinch third place in the Northwestern 4-A/3-A Conference. The Pioneers' only league losses were to the top two teams in the NWC standings, Hibriten and Alexander Central. Those teams play each other Friday.
Watauga can also clinch a seven-win season for the third time in four years. After winning 13 games in 2006 and 12 games in 2007, the Pioneers can finish the regular season Friday with a 7-4 mark.
They'll have to take on St. Stephens without fullback/defensive tackle Robbie Sherrill, who broke the bottom of his tibia in the Pioneers' 34-17 victory over Hickory last Friday. It's likely that Sherrill is out for the season, meaning that Pioneers coach Tim Pruitt must find replacement defensive tackles and fullbacks.
At fullback, Kevin Rook and Jacob Gilliam will likely fill the position.
Defensively, Chris Poole is likely to be the first option. Sherrill leaves big shoes to fill since he leads the Pioneers with 79 tackles with two sacks.
Poole has 10 tackles, one for a loss of two yards.
"Chris Poole will have to step up," Pruitt said. "He has seen spot duty at all the line positions and now he's the starter, so we'll see what he can do."
Watauga still has its weapons on offense, namely quarterback Devan Corum, running back Logan Smith and receivers Travis Oliver and Trey Kavanaugh. Corum is in a battle to lead the NWC in passing, having connected on 77-of-167 passes for 1,258 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Corum also leads the team in rushing with 646 yards and five touchdowns.
His favorite receiver is Oliver, who has caught 28 passes for 675 yards and eight touchdowns. Oliver, who caught five passes for 113 yards and three TDs against Hickory, was nominated for the Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year award.
Oliver leads the team with 737 all-purpose yards and defensively, he has 21 tackles and three pass breakups.
Kavanaugh is right behind Oliver with 26 catches for 367 yards and a touchdown. He is second to Oliver in total yards with 707, including a kickoff return of 94 yards that went for a touchdown.
Smith is second on the team in rushing with 548 yards and 11 touchdowns. Baker Stanley is third in rushing with 283 yards and four touchdowns.
Both Smith and Stanley also contribute defensively. Smith, a linebacker, is third on the team in tackles with 66, while Stanley, a safety, has 26 tackles.
They take on a St. Stephens team that has had some close losses and has weapons of its own. Quarterback Tanner Wilson leads the Indians' spread offense by passing to Kayln Hoyle and Taylor Martino.
The player Watauga will have to find when on offense is Marcus Byrd, a 6-foot-4 standout defensive end who can create havoc with offenses. He also is on the Indians' offensive line.
"He may be the best lineman in the conference," Pruitt said.
He and Tyler Bjerg, another 6-4 defensive end, will try to slow down Watauga's offense.
Roy Carter, the former coach at North Wilkes and St. Stephens, and who also ran for congress in the eighth district, is the defensive coordinator.
"They've kind of been a hard-luck team," Pruitt said. "They've been in every game and gave Hibriten the best game of any team in the conference. They've got good players."