Young scores 5 rushing TDs as Hickory hammers West Caldwell
HobbsDailyReport.com
MARION – Alexander Central High rebounded from two straight losses in a big way on Friday night, running for almost 500 yards to pound host McDowell 49-0 in Northwestern 3A-4A football.
Three Cougars – A.J. Miller (10-125), Tevin Clark (14-115) and Steven Montgomery (6-108) – had 100-yard games as Alexander Central (6-2, 2-2) rolled past the Titans (3-5, 1-3).
Alexander Central ran its win streak in the series to seven.
The Cougars are tied for third place with Hickory and St. Stephens as they prepare to visit St. Stephens for a conference game on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
McDowell will be at home Friday night at 7:30 p.m., facing unbeaten Watauga.
Alexander Central scored in the opening minute of the game at McDowell, on a 52-yard run by Montgomery at the 11-minute mark and Oscar Lopez’s PAT made it 7-0.
Less than five minutes later, Clark ran 6 yards for a TD and a 14-0 lead.
The Cougars led 35-0 at the half after Easton Rhoney ran 28 and 41 yards for TDs and Miller scored on a 29-yard run, all in the second quarter.
Clark’s 5-yard TD run with 3:53 to go in the third quarter and Dayente Calhoun’s 1-yard scoring run with a minute to play closed the scoring.
Alexander Central outgained McDowell 495-229, holding the Titans to 55 rushing yards on 25 carries.
Titans quarterback Adam Randolph completed 17 of 24 passes for 174 yards, six of those going to Richard Handy for 64 yards.
Rhoney had 76 rushing yards on three carries and the Cougars had seven players gain at least 22 yards.
The game featured only one punt, by McDowell, and the Titans lost three fumbles.
Jordan Brown led Alexander Central’s defense with 10 tackles and Tray Lackey added nine. Isaac Chapman had six tackles, a sack and 1 ½ tackles for lost yardage while Rhyeem Craig made three hits for lost yardage. Brown, Chapman and JaiKwaun Tilley recovered fumbles for the Cougars.
Andrew Davis led McDowell defensively with seven tackles and Drew Green added five.
Hickory 68, West Caldwell 21
LENOIR — Running back Cody Young ran for nearly 200 yards and quarterback Bryce Stober threw for 151 yards as the Red Tornadoes won on the road.
Young had scoring runs of 46, 3, 19, 23 and 15 yards as Hickory (4-4, 2-2) won to share third place with Alexander Central and St. Stephens.
The Red Tornadoes did not have to punt and bolted to a 48-14 lead by halftime.
The opening half featured three TD runs by Young, two field goals by Harrison Boston, two TD passes by Stober to Davis Amos and Jaylin Harper’s 99-yard kickoff return for another score.
Young (unofficially) has rushed for 639 yards since making his first start five games ago while Stober is fast approaching 1,500 passing yards for the year. He will need 19 against South Caldwell on Friday night (7:30 p.m.) at Barger Stadium.
West Caldwell (0-8, 0-4) goes to Freedom for a 7:30 p.m. game and then has games at home against McDowell and Watauga.
Without a win, the Warriors will encounter their fourth winless season in school history (0-11 in 2008, 2011, 2012). They were 16-9 in the previous two seasons and 23-15 over the previous three heading into this season.
Freedom 58, South Caldwell 12
HUDSON – The visiting Patriots beat the Spartans for the sixth straight time and have won 24 of 29 games against South Caldwell since 1980 – after rolling to a victory behind their running game.
Freedom (7-1, 4-0) shares the conference lead with Watauga after rushing for five scores against the Spartans (2-6, 1-3).
Jee Hardy had runs of 66 and 4 yards as Freedom built a 38-0 lead.
Freedom quarterback Jayden Birchfield threw 52 yards to Demorian Burgess and 65 yards to C.J. Hayden to open the scoring and give the Patriots a 16-0 advantage.
Birchfield ran for a TD and threw 37 yards to Hayden for another Freedom score.
The Patriots– who have won seven straight since a season-opening loss to Shelby – face winless West Caldwell in Morganton on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
South Caldwell travels to Hickory for a 7:30 p.m start on Friday.
Freedom needs a win to keep pace with Watauga, and the Patriots go to Boone a week from Friday.
Watauga 49, St. Stephens 7
BOONE — Anderson Castle threw for three TDs and Bryce Sattterfield ran for two and returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score as the Pioneers (8-0, 4-0) pounded the Indians (3-5, 2-2).
Castle saw his most extensive action at quarterback in his third game back from injury. He got hurt in the first quarter of the season’s first game and missed the rest of that game and for others before returning.
Watauga led 14-0 after one quarter after Castle ran 59 yards for a TD and Satterfield had a 29-yard scoring run.
Sattterfield’s 1-yard run in the second quarter helped the Pioneers lead 21-0 at the half.
Castle threw first TD passes of the second in the third quarter, 58 yards to Eli Suggs and 56 yards to Grant Oliver.
St. Stephens’ only score came on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Connor Williams to wide receiver Zach Lee.
The Pioneers outgained the Indians 422-275, surviving a 31-carry, 155-yard rushing game by Xavian King. Williams threw for 87 yards, six of those passes to Lee for 79 yards.
King, unofficially, has 930 rushing yards this season.
The victory avenged a loss at St. Stephens last season that came with Watauga in contention for a league title.
Watauga goes to McDowell for a Friday 7:30 p.m. game, then faces Freedom in Boone on Oct. 26.
St. Stephens, tied with Hickory and Alexander Central for third place, is at home Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Alexander Central. The Indians also have games left at South Caldwell and at Hickory.