Football Recap: Watauga Skates Past Asheville with Ease + How To Watch

Watauga won against Erwin last Saturday with 49 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. The Pioneers blew past the Asheville Cougars 49-7. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-7.

Watauga had a senior duo take command as Cade Keller rushed for 42 yards and one touchdown and Everett Gryder rushed for 43 yards and a pair of TDs. Keller got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 69 yards. Nyle Peays got in on the action as well, returning a kick for a touchdown.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Watauga proved: they limited Asheville to a paltry 2.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Thomas Deiters for the heroic effort on defense: he. Watauga's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 5.1.

Pioneers

Previous 5 Games

09/26/25 @ Asheville	49-7
09/20/25 @ Erwin	49-14
09/05/25 vs Mount Airy	61-7
08/29/25 vs T.C. Roberson	42-0
08/22/25 vs Ashe County	56-7

The win keeps Watauga at an undefeated 5-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 51.4 points this season. As for Asheville, they now have a losing record of 2-3.

Looking ahead, Watauga will challenge Freedom at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few points on average (the Pioneers 7, the Patriots 12.4) so any points scored will be well earned. As for Asheville, they will take on T.C. Roberson at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Rams will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each matchup than the last.