Published: 11:56 PM, 10/30/2009

Last updated: 12:52 PM, 11/17/2009

By: Steve Behr Sports Editor

By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com
If Watauga's 34-17 victory over Hickory was the final varsity game ever played in Jack Groce Stadium, it was one to remember.

Watauga (6-4, 3-2 NWC) can finish no worse than a tie for third place in the Northwestern 4-A/3-A Conference, no matter what happens next Friday at St. Stephens, the Pioneers' final opponent of the regular season. Should Watauga beat St. Stephens and finish 7-4 there is a good chance the Pioneers could host a state 4-A playoff game, but that is all merely speculation.

What was fact was how the Pioneers pushed the Hickory defense all over the slippery Jack Groce field. Watauga churned out 341 yards on 63 plays, compared to just 174 yards on 39 plays for the Tornadoes (4-6, 2-3 NWC). Watauga finished with 219 yards rushing on 52 carries, including 124 yards on 28 carries by quarterback Devan Corum.

Actually, Corum gained 146 yards overall, but was sacked twice for 22 yards in losses. Logan Smith added 66 yards on 17 carries.

"They definitely have got a lot of talent and they're got a young team," Watauga coach Tim Pruitt said. "For us to be able to do that to somebody who is traditionally good is important. I don't know if our kids realize how traditionally powerful they are, but they have struggled a little last year and this year, without injuries and stuff, the could have come into this game 7-2 or 6-3."

Three of Smith's yards were gained on first-quarter a touchdown run. The TD capped an impressive game-opening 95-yard, 16-play drive that chewed 7:25 off the clock.

It gave the Pioneers a 7-0 lead and set the tone for how physically imposing the Watauga offensively line would play. Watauga held the ball for 33:23 of the 48 minutes played, and converted eight of 15 third downs.

"The time of possession was huge," Pruitt said. "Any time you keep somebody with the great athletes off the field is important. And it was four or five yards and a cloud of dust - if it hadn't rained - because that field would have been dusty."

The wet field or wet football didn't seem to bother Corum, who connected on 7-of-11 attempts for 122 yards. He also did not throw any interceptions.

To its credit, Hickory used big plays to keep the first half close. A 45-yard punt return by Anthony Wilson gave the Tornadoes a first down at the Watauga 18-yard line. Casey Stinson followed a 17-yard gain with a 1-yard touchdown run, which tied the game 7-7 with 6:31 left in the first half.

Watauga answered with the first of Corum's three touchdown passes to Travis Oliver. The first one went for 22 yards and gave the Pioneers a 13-7 lead.

Hickory struck back on its next drive with a 30-yard pass play that set up a 42-yard Patrick Smith field goal, the longest known field goal at Jack Groce Stadium, and pulled the Tornadoes to within 13-10.

Overall, the Tornadoes were limited to 92 rushing yards on 26 carries. Hickory also picked up just 11 first downs, compared to 21 for the Pioneers.

Watauga pulled away in the third quarter with a pair of Corum-to-Oliver TD pass plays. The first went for 28 yards, on a fourth-and-nine, that capped a nine-play, 43-yard drive set up by a Caleb Watson interception.

Oliver beat three Hickory defenders on the play. Corum confessed that he was actually throwing it out of the end zone, but Oliver was able to come down with the ball.

"To be honest with you, I was throwing that back in the end zone to get it out," Corum confessed. "I was trying to get it away. Just throw it in the back of the end zone and to the pylon. I've been throwing with him forever, so it was just timing."

The second went for 24 yards following a Hickory fumble on a kickoff that Kevin Rook forced and Watson recovered. It was third-and-14 when Corum found Oliver wide open in the end zone, giving the Pioneers a 27-10 lead.

Corum said a running play was originally called, but the coaching staff noticed a new player covering Oliver and called an audible.

"They had a backup corner in," Corum said. "We had a run called and coaches saw he was in, so we changed the play and we executed."

The Pioneers led 27-10 when Baker Stanley added a 21-yard touchdown run to cap a 62-yard, seven-play drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters.

Note: Watauga assistant coach Tom Wright officially became the school's athletic director at midnight following the hiring of physical education teacher Dustin Kerley, who was hired this week.

The athletics director position became open when Jeff Link moved on to become an assistant principal, replacing Dave Kincaid, who resigned for personal reasons.


Watauga 34, Hickory 17
Hickory        0 10 0 7 - 17
Watauga      7 6 14 7 - 34

Scoring summary
First quarter
W-Smith 3 eun (Parsons kick)
Second quarter
H-Stinson 1 run (Smith kick)
W-Oliver 22 pass from Corum (Kick blocked)
H-Smith FG 42
Third quarter
W-Oliver 28 pass from Corum (Parsons kick)
W-Oliver 24 pass from Corum (Parsons kick)
Fourth quarter
W-Stanley 21 run (Parsons kick)
H-Reid 1 run (Smith kick)

                            Hickory    Watauga
First downs                    11    21
Rushes-yards            26-92    52-219
Passing yards                 82    122
Passes                     5-13-1    7-11-0
Total plays-yards     39-174    63-341
Punts-avg.               1-11.0    3-31.7
Penalties-yards           3-20    5-45
Fumbles-lost                3-1    1-0

Individuals:
Rushing: Hickory-Stinson 7-64, Wimbush 5-23, Reid 7-18, Wilson 1-8; Watauga-Corum 28-124, Smith 17-66, Stanley 3-29, Rook 2-5.

Passing: Hickory-Barnette 5-13-1 82; Watauga-Corum 7-11-0 122.
Receiving: Hickory-Stinson 3-29, Anderson 1-30, Wilson 1-23; Watauga-Oliver 5-113, Kavanaugh 1-8, Rook 1-1.

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