[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WATAUGA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM

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                           HON. VIRGINIA FOXX

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, December 8, 2006

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, today I want to pay tribute to the Watauga 
High School football team of 2006. The Pioneers of Watauga High School 
in Boone, North Carolina set out with modest expectations and ended up 
just one game away from the state championship for 4A football. Along 
the way, they won 12 games and lost 3, and they set an example of 
character and perseverance that made a lasting impression on their 
school and their community.
  This team frequently came from behind in the second half to win their 
games. Three times in the playoffs for the state championship, they won 
by one point. By scores of 20-19, 24-23, and 15-14, they advanced 
further toward that championship than any team from Watauga County in 
28 years.
  Watauga County, home to the Pioneers of Watauga High School, is a 
place that is used to taking pride in the academic quality of its 
schools but that has not often enjoyed similar success in team sports. 
On the academic side, the Watauga County School system is one of just 
three school systems in the state where all schools made Adequate 
Yearly Progress under No Child Left Behind last year. At Watauga High 
School, students achieve proficiency levels that are better than over 
92 percent of high schools in the state, and average SAT scores are 
consistently well above the state and national average.
  The football team, however, had not enjoyed a winning season in 
several years. They won just 4 games the previous season and only 2 the 
year before that. Success on the football field had to be built from 
the ground level. And as the success of the team gained momentum in 
this special season, it brought a new spirit and energy to Watauga High 
School and indeed to the whole community.
  At the school, art students and teachers created designs for giant 
``W's'' on the football field, and the w's appeared on every door at 
the school. The local Touchdown Club--which is not affiliated with the 
high school--fed the players and their families each Thursday night. 
Local businesses announced their support for the Pioneers on the 
marquees outside restaurants and hotels. In churches and stores, you 
could hear excited conversations about the team's success.
  In the end, they did not capture the state championship, but they did 
achieve something of greater and more lasting importance: they 
demonstrated the values of determination, hard work, and courage in the 
face of adversity. They showed that a past of limited success does not 
stand in the way of a bright future. In proving that history does not 
have to be destiny, they provided a very real example of the best of 
the American dream and they lived at the heart of the American 
experience. Their school and their community are the better for it.

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