Watauga High School at Ragsdale

Photo by Don Williams - www.LpPhotos.com

Round 1 had some elements of concern beyond the typical concerns of playoff football. With our starting center Elliott Cobb having a broken thumb and unable to play center, there was concern about how that would effect the cohesiveness of the offensive line. With Elliott injured Matt Martin got his first varsity start. As the game went on Tyler Ritter moved over from his guard spot to play some center as well. This move put Elliott back in the game at guard. All 3 boys gave it their all and should be proud of their efforts. Elliott played with a broken thumb, Matt got his first varsity start, and Tyler played center in a game for the first time ever.

Now to the game - It was a beating! The team really played well after what I think many would consider a somewhat slow start. After Kasey Redfern kicked a FG to put our team up 3 to zip we had a couple of punts then turned up the gas! For the 2nd time in 2 weeks we scored a TD in the last 30 seconds of the first half.

Below is the article from the High Point Enterprise.

Ragsdale surges into second round of playoffs!

by Daniel Kennedy

JAMESTOWN – A contest that started slowly for the No. 3 seed gave way to three explosive quarters for the Ragsdale Tigers, as they notched a 31-0 rout of Watauga in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs.

An efficient passing game and bruising rushing attack paced a balanced offense that put plenty of points on the board for the team’s stifling defense, which led Ragsdale to its 12th win of the season.

Quarterback Luke Heavner sparked the dynamic unit by completing 15 of his 20 attempts through the air.

The junior signal-caller developed a solid rapport with Desean Anderson and Tyquan Roberts throughout the night, as he found Anderson seven times for 66 yards and one of the team’s four touchdowns. Roberts received five passes for another 51 yards and narrowly missed a 12-yard TD reception in the first quarter.

Kasey Redfern’s 29-yard field goal stood as the lone Tiger points until Chris Armwood’s 44-yard punt return in the second quarter set up a 1-yard touchdown run from Heavner with 7:12 left in the half. On Ragsdale’s next possession, Heavner lobbed a beautiful fade pass to Anderson in the corner of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown to make it 17-0 heading into the half.

In putting the finishing touches on its victory, the Tigers handed the ball to D-onovan Smith to eat up the clock in the second half. Smith punished the Pioneer defense with a barrage of inside rushes, carrying 21 times for 95 yards.

The Tigers will look to continue their undefeated run Friday night in advancing to face No. 6 seed Sun Valley at Kenneth T. Miller Stadium.

Scoring summary

Watauga 0 0 0 0 — 0

Ragsdale 3 14 14 0 — 0

R – Redfern 29 FG, 7:02, 1st

R – Heavner 1 run (Redfern kick), 7:12, 2nd

R – Anderson 7 pass from Heavner (Redfern kick), 0:42, 2nd

R – Shouse 23 pass from Heavner (Redfern kick), 4:23, 3rd

R – McQueen 41 interception return (Redfern kick), 3:20, 3rd