Jayvees smother Patriots
By Steve Behr

sports@wataugademocrat.com

By the time most of those at Jack Groce Stadium had settle in, Watauga’s jayvee football team held a 7-0 lead. By the time they left, they saw two teams combine to score 86 points.

Watauga never let up offensively and rolled to a 51-35 victory over Freedom on a chilly Monday night. The game was played Monday because of bad weather last week.

Watauga quarterback Devan Corum ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more to lead the Pioneers into their showdown at A.C. Reynolds this Thursday. They’ll have to play without Corum, who is not allowed to play in more than eight quarters in one week. He’ll play linebacker for the Watauga varsity Friday at home against A.C. Reynolds.

Backup Caleb Watson will start at quarterback Thursday.

“We’ve got to practice hard the next two days and work hard,” Pioneers jayvee coach Pete Hardee said.

“Devan Corum’s getting pulled up to the varsity, but the last time Caleb Watson started, we put 36 points on the board against East Burke.”

Corum continued to give a possible look into the Watauga future by making big plays against a Freedom defense that struggled to stop the Pioneers. Corum scored touchdown runs of 9, 4 and 82 yards, while passing for touchdowns of 25 and 49 yards, both to Travis Oliver.

Corum hit 10-of-19 passes for 126 yards and two interceptions. He also rushed 14 times for 197 yards and had seven attempts go for at least 10 yards.

“It’s fun to call offensive plays when you have a quarterback like Devan,” Hardee said. “The line worked hard tonight. The receiving corps, we’ve got a lot of confidence in all of our receivers. We executed tonight.”

Corum’s completions were split between two receivers. Oliver finished with five catches for 89 yards, while Beckett Bathanti had five receptions for 67 yards.

Watauga’s offense rolled up 376 yards.

The 49-yarder gave Watauga a 51-29 lead and made up for a 75-yard kickoff return Oliver had that went for a touchdown, but was called back because of a penalty, in the third quarter. Ryan Puett scored on a 5-yard touchdown run he set up with a 31-yard burst the play before.

Watauga scored quickly after the Pioneers recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff. Puett went 26 yards for the touchdown run, giving the Pioneers a 7-0 lead 35 seconds into the game.

It was 7-7 when Corum scored on a 9-yard touchdown run. After forcing a Freedom punt, Watauga marched 69 yards, a drive capped by Corum’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Oliver.

Corum’s 4-yard touchdown run gave the Pioneers a 28-7 lead, through Freedom quarterback Dean O’Neal answered with a 26-yard touchdown run to pull the Patriots to 28-13 at halftime.

But Corum delivered a knockout blow with his 83-yard run, which opened the second half. Though Freedom continued to match the Pioneers with touchdowns, the Patriots never got closer than two scores the rest of the game.

Baker Stanley added a 5-yard touchdown run to give Watauga a 45-21 lead and though Freedom answered with a touchdown and two-point conversion, Corum hit Oliver for a 49-yard touchdown to claim a 51-29 lead. O’Neal closed out the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run, his third TD of the game.

“We worked hard for a week and a half running the football and I think it paid off tonight,” Hardee said. “We blocked better up front and we worked hard, especially in the rain last week.”