Commentary: WHS wants grid fans to feel blue
By Steve Behr, sports editor

sports@wataugademocrat.com

Watauga’s football program wants its fans to have the blues.

Oh, not the type that one feels after losing a girl, going bankrupt on the stock market or cheering for the Cubs for 100 years. Not the type that can come with meeting with the IRS, finding out that the little noise under the hood will cost $500 just for parts, or finding out that the autographed Micky Mantle baseball card found at a flea market is a fraud.

No, the Pioneers want their fans to catch a wave — a blue wave.

They want their fans to grab anything that resembles the dark blue jerseys the Pioneers wear and put them on for Watauga’s showdown with A.C. Reynolds. It’s going to be cold, so don’t be afraid to wear that blue sweatshirt over that jacket. It may stretch a bit, but it will be worth it.

It’s very possible that the game will sell out, so make sure to either get to Jack Groce Stadium four hours early, or use the shuttle the school provides from Boone Mall to the stadium. The blue and white bus will take you to the front door and will take you back.

Why all of this talk about blues? Certainly the Pioneers won’t want their fans to feel blue during and after the game. Watauga goes into Friday’s showdown with a 7-3 overall mark, 4-1 in the Northwestern 4-A Conference.

A.C. Reynolds, 7-2 overall, is 5-0 in the NWC. A win over the Rockets gives Watauga a share of the NWC championship.

That’s right. A league title. Last year, Watauga made it to the fourth round of the state 4-A playoffs, but did not claim a league championship. A.C. Reynolds, still the team to beat in this league, won it with a perfect 6-0 mark.

This is a good football team coming into Jack Groce tonight. They’ve won every NWC championship except one since they entered the league in 2001. They just don’t have a team — they have a program.

And they’re a little ticked off. Reynolds was in line to win another 4-A state championship, only to see Watauga derail those plans with a 24-23 victory, in Asheville, in the third round.

Be sure that they’ve circled Friday’s date on their calendars with a big, ugly green pen.

However, it’s not like Watauga goes into the game completely helpless. The Pioneers boast one of the top football players in the state in running back/safety Eric Breitenstein, a solid passing game and an improved offensive line. They’ve bent, but rarely broken on defense and have jelled into a pretty good football team

Tonight, they ask for your help. They want you to catch the blue wave.

It’s time for this town to have the blues.