Six Watauga football seniors sign to play at the next level

Curtis committed to Wheaton College, the Horine twins will play at East Tennessee State University, and Temple will join Shirley at NC State. Thompson (Davidson College) and Shirley (North Carolina State) previously signed offers on Dec. 21.

Watauga football head coach Ryan Habich was effusive in his praise of the gridiron graduates.

“I’ve been here for almost 11 seasons, and this is the largest group that we’ve had commit to go play collegiate football,” Habich said. “On behalf of the entire Watauga football coaching staff, I’d like to congratulate you (the assembled crowd) and all these student athletes. This is an exciting time for Watauga as we celebrate your accomplishments, and we’re excited for these six players as they go on to play football the next level.”

Since 2014, Watauga High School has had 29 players go on to play collegiate football — all under Habich’s tutelage.

“We know that Will, Carlton, Isaiah, Trey, Cole and Levi will also be ready for the grind of college football. All six played a major role in the success of Watauga football over the last three seasons — winning three conference championships — and all bought into our team’s core values and put them into action,” Habich said. “All six were part of our 2022 Unity Council, which was our leadership group that helped our team be a player-led team throughout the year. They are great teammates, they didn’t care about getting all the credit and were willing to play any position or role that would benefit the team.”

After Habich announced that the six seniors had averaged a weighted GPA of 4.17 in high school, the gathered attendees broke out in a round of applause. Earning such high grades would be an impressive success all on it’s own, but the six multi-sport stars also do extracurricular activities year-round.

The six players will employ their academic and athletic talents at their chosen universities, yet each brings something different to the table once they don a set of football pads.

Curtis was a first-team all-conference player twice, and was a two-way player as well. Curtis rushed for 1,323 yards and 26 touchdowns alongside 24 tackles and one sack. He also recorded three pass breakups and one interception. Curtis committed to Wheaton as a running back.

“I’d like to thank God, my family, my coaches, and my teammates and friends who have supported me through this journey,” Curtis said. “To my family, thank you for teaching me how to stay in the fight, to be mentally tough and just how to be a good young man. I want to thank my coaches for teaching me lessons not only about football but also about life. I want to thank all of my brothers that I played with, I cannot ask for a better team. I’ll remember each and every one of you guys. I also want to thank the community for showing your support and giving us a reason to put our whole heart out on the field. I’m super excited about playing at Wheaton College, it’s a college that will challenge me mentally, physically and spiritually. I’m beyond blessed to get this opportunity.”

Carlton Horine is a three-time all-conference player. Carlton started at quarterback his sophomore year to help lead the Pioneers to a conference title. As a senior, Carlton had 54 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, three pass breakups and was tied with his brother for a team-leading four interceptions defensively. On offense in 2022, Carlton rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and had two receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown. Carlton committed to play football at ETSU as a linebacker and strong safety.

“I want to start by thanking all my friends for coming out and supporting us,” Carlton said, “and to thank my parents for making a big sacrifice throughout the years — I know it wasn’t always easy. Next, I want to thank my coaches for pushing us to reach our full potential and helping with the recruitment process. I want to thank Hannah (Blevins, athletic trainer). I definitely hung out with Hannah more than I wanted to, but I don’t know what I would do without her. Lastly, I want to thank all my teammates throughout the last four years, they’re really what made it all worth it.”

Cole Horine is a two-time first-team all-conference player, and played on both sides of the line of scrimmage. As a senior on defense, Cole had 42 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, eight pass breakups and was tied with Carlton with four interceptions. On offense, Cole rushed for 229 yards and one touchdown, while collecting nine receptions for 140 yards and four touchdowns. Like his brother, Cole signed to play linebacker and strong safety at ETSU.

“First off, I’d like to thank my family — especially my mom — for sacrificing so much to help me achieve my goal. Next, I’d like to thank all my coaches for pushing me to become the man and the football player I am today — always believing in me and trusting me to make plays on the field,” Cole said. “I’d also like to thank all my teammates for making my experience fun and memorable over the last four years, and lastly I’d like to thank all my friends for always being there for me through the ups and downs, just always supporting me.”

Thompson made the first-team all-conference list twice as a running back and led Watauga in rushing as a junior. Despite missing several games during his senior year due to injury, Thompson rushed for more than 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns across his final two seasons. Thompson has committed to play as a running back at Davidson.

“I thank everyone for coming to support us today,” Thompson said. “Specifically, I want to thank my parents for sacrificing their time and effort to help me achieve my goals, my coaches for helping me grow, and my teachers helping me academically. All six of us intended to play college football, and we now have the opportunity to achieve that goal. I also want to thank everyone in the community who has helped us — parents, teachers and teammates included. I really appreciate all you do.”

Shirley was a three-time all-conference player, playing varsity since his freshman year, not losing a single in-conference game all four years. On defense Shirley was so dominant that many teams ran plays to the opposite side from where he lined up. Despite that, Shirley had 51 tackles, seven sacks and 16 tackles for loss in his senior year. On offense, Shirley had six receptions for 60 yards and was a primary blocker, with 87% of runs following Shirley’s blocks. Shirley looks set to play on the defensive line at NC State.

Shirley graduated high school early and has been spending his spring training with the Wolfpack football team. In fact, the NC State commit woke up at 5:45 a.m., attended film session and training before driving home Friday to attend the signing ceremony. Shirley’s adoptive family — The Temples — were there to witness the celebration of success that their children had achieved.

“I’m thankful for my family, for supporting me and giving love since the fifth grade, and I’m thankful for all my friends, teammates and coaches,” Shirley expressed. “Thanks for all you guys sticking up for us and supporting us. I want to also thank Hannah (Blevins). She did a lot for me while I was here, she is is a great trainer, we need to hold on to her.”

Temple — Shirley’s adoptive brother — was selected as a first-team, all-conference linebacker his junior season. During that season, Temple had 35 tackles, three sacks and five tackles-for-loss. Temple suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of his senior year when he tore his ACL. In spite of the trying circumstances, Temple was still a large part of the success of the 2022 conference winning squad with his senior leadership. The surgery on Temple’s ligament was successful, and he enjoyed a full winter season on the Watauga swim team as part of his recovery process.

“First off, I never thought I would have this opportunity to go play at NC State,” Temple said with a beaming smile. “I wouldn’t be in this position without God, my family, teammates, coaches and friends. I want to thank my mom and dad for raising me how you did, you’re always hard on me and you instilled a very hard work ethic in me. There were times I didn’t really want to go outside and chop wood or do any projects like digging a ditch with Isaiah. But it’s all paid off to get to where I am. I also want to thank the community. Y’all have all shown so much support, and it just shows how interconnected we all are.”

The six future collegiate student athletes seem primed for a bright future, and all of them credit their families and the people of Watauga County who helped them reach the collegiate level.