vs
| 11/01/24 - Home | 42-6 W |
| 10/20/23 - Away | 54-48 W |
| 10/21/22 - Home | 49-14 W |
| 10/22/21 - Away | 41-0 W |
| 04/01/21 - Home | 21-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Watauga has gone 9-1 against Freedom recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Pioneers will venture away from home to face off against the Patriots at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are still undefeated after five games, but that won't be the case come Friday.
If Watauga beats Freedom with 49 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Pioneers breezed past Asheville to the tune of 49-7 on Friday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Pioneers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 18th, while the Cougars are ranked 79th).
Watauga's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Cade Keller, who rushed for 42 yards and one touchdown, and Everett Gryder, who rushed for 43 yards and a pair of TDs. Gryder also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing one fumble and making three total tackles. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Nyle Peays, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Freedom). They took their matchup last Friday with ease, bagging a 70-20 win over A.C. Reynolds. Considering the Patriots have won four contests by more than 38 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
A big part of Freedom's victory came down to the chemistry between Kaden Davis and his top target Kobe Johnson. Davis threw for 318 yards and six TDs while completing 92.9% of his passes while Johnson picked up 252 receiving yards and six scores. Johnson's longest reception was for an incredible 96 yards. Cam Brown helped Davis out on the ground, rushing for 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Freedom proved: they limited A.C. Reynolds to a paltry 1.2 yards per carry. The team can thank Zaydrian Hausley for the heroic effort on defense: he. Freedom didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.7.
Freedom's defense didn't let Kolton Rymer, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for six sacks. Eddie Branch was especially locked on to A.C. Reynolds' QB and sacked him four times. Freedom received some extra help from Johnson, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Freedom's win bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Watauga, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 5-0.
Friday's game will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Keller and Davis. Keller just won't slow down this season and has thrown 13 touchdowns (and no picks) while averaging 164.6 passing yards per game. Davis has been a dominant force too and has thrown 17 touchdowns while averaging 220.6 passing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for Watauga against Freedom when the teams last played back in November of 2024, as the squad secured a 42-6 win. In that matchup, the Pioneers amassed a halftime lead of 21-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
