Freedom’s Birchfield sets Burke County
mark with 7 scores, all in first half
HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – On a night of big plays and big point totals, Hickory High running back Cody Young ultimately couldn’t be matched.
Young, making his sixth start of the season, broke the school record for single-game rushing yardage with 361 yards, tied the mark for single-game TDs (7), and scored the game-winner with 17 seconds to play as HHS nipped visiting South Caldwell 55-54.
After the Spartans (2-7, 1-4) went up 54-49 with 1:50 to play on a 25-yard run by Isaiah Kirby, Young scored on a fourth-and-goal play from the South Caldwell 6. He ran right, cut back left and got past the defense for the victory.
Hickory (5-4, 3-2) goes into Friday’s 7:30 p.m. game at Alexander Central tied for third place in the Northwestern 3A-4A behind Watauga and Freedom.
Young tied the TD record of seven set in 1928 by Pinkie James and in 2007 by Darrien Burch, who had runs of 28, 10, 81, 23, 21, 62 and 18 yards in a 74-20 home victory over West Caldwell (he ran 14 times for 295 yards in a 2,208-yard season).
The game featured just shy of 1,285 yards of total offense, with South Caldwell rushing for 571 and finishing with 744 yards of total offense.
Hickory quarterback Bryce Stober threw for more than 170 yards, hitting Jaylin Harper six times for 120, and Spencer Piercy ran for almost 230 yards for the Spartans (2-7, 1-4).
South Caldwell had two other players with more than 100 rushing yards – Samuel Craig and Avery Raynor – and Avery Raynor threw for just shy of 160 yards.
Hickory led 28-16 after one quarter and 35-30 at the half, and the Spartans went into the final quarter leading 46-42.
Young’s scoring runs were for 4, 6, 77 and 31 yards in the first quarter, for 21 yards in the third quarter and for 8 yards before the game-winning 6-yard run.
Craig ran for two TDs for South Caldwell, on an 80-yard run with about two minutes left in the opening quarter and on a 17-yarder in the third quarter. He also caught a TD pass from Avery Raynor with about 6 ½ minutes to go in the third quarter.
Four of the game’s TDs went for 60 yards or more – Young’s 77-yard run, Craig’s 80-yarder, Piercy’s 62-yard run and Harper’s 60-yard TD reception from Stober.
Hickory improved to 11-10 under head coach Russell Stone, who collected career win No. 273, and the Red Tornadoes virtually hold their own fate in their hands the rest of the way. After playing at Alexander Central, the Red Tornadoes face St. Stephens at Barger Stadium on Nov. 2 to close the regular season.
South Caldwell, one of two 4A teams in the league (McDowell is the other), must finish ahead of McDowell to get the 4A playoff bid.
The Spartans are at home on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against St. Stephens and face Alexander Central in Taylorsville on Nov. 2.
McDowell and South Caldwell are each 1-4 in league play (the Titans have games left at West Caldwell and at Freedom).
If the Titans and Spartans tie in the conference standings, McDowell gets the playoff bid via its 48-28 win at South Caldwell on Oct. 5.
Freedom 54, West Caldwell 0
MORGANTON — Quarterback Jayden Birchfield accounted for seven TDs – a Burke County record – as the Patriots (8-1, 5-0) to set up a showdown with Watauga for first place on Friday night in Boone.
BIRCHFIELD
Birchfield passed for four scores, all of 50 or more yards, and ran for three TDs – all in the first half – as Freedom collected career win No. 95 for head coach Luke Little.
With seven scores, Birchfield passed the county record for single-game scoring of six TDs by ex-Freedom running back B.J. Simmons (he had six in three different games in 2014).
Freedom scored on all seven of its first-half drives with Birchfield throwing 60 yards to Desmond Caldwell and 66 yards to C.J. Hayden to get the scoring started.
Birchfield also ran 55 yards for a score and hit Hayden for a 51-yard TD as Freedom opened a 30-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Birchfield’s TDs were a 4-yard run and hitting Caldwell for 77 yards. When Birchfield added a 5-yard scoring run, it ensured a running clock for the rest of the game.
Birchfield has 36 TDs this season, two shy of the Burke County record of 38 held by Emmons.
Birchfield completed six of nine passes for 292 yards and added another 64 yards rushing.
Freedom heads to Watauga (9-0, 5-0) having won eight straight games and leading the series 32-8-1.
West Caldwell plays McDowell in Lenoir on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Watauga visits the Warriors on Nov. 2 to close the regular season.
Alexander Central 28, St. Stephens 13
HICKORY — The Cougars (7-2, 3-2) ran their win streak over the Indians to eight straight behind running back Tevin Clark’s 128 yards rushing on 21 carries and three TDs.
Clark had scoring runs of 1, 47 and 2 yards, his first score wiping out an early 7-0 lead by the Indians (3-6, 2-3) after quarterback Connor Williams threw 58 yards to Zach Lee for a TD.
The Cougars limited St. Stephens to 28 rushes for 46 yards while Williams completed 13 of 21 passes for 225 yards, 11 of them to Lee for 220 yards.
Alexander Central outgained the Indians 329-271 and forced three turnovers.
Colston Yount — who ran 76 yards for a TD with 5:31 left in the third quarter and gave the Cougars a lead of 21-7 — had 86 rushing yards on 10 carries.
St. Stephens was within 21-13 with 5:05 left in the third quarter after Williams threw 53 yards to Lee for a TD.
Clark’s final 2-yard TD run came about 4 ½ minutes later, and Oscar Lopez’s PAT made it 28-13.
JaiKwaun Tilley led Alexander Central with eight tackles while Jordan Brown and Isaac Chapman had seven each. Chapman had 1 ½ sacks and 2 ½ hits for lost yardage.
Chance Benfield’s nine tackles, including a sack and two tackles for lost yardage, sparked St. Stephens’ defense. Jordan Bolling added eight tackles, Zak McLauchlin had seven and Nathaniel Vera had six.
Alexander Central, 24-9 under head coach Butch Carter in his third year in Taylorsville, is tied with Hickory for third place and is at home against the Red Tornadoes on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
St. Stephens is in fifth place and goes to South Caldwell on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Watauga 50, McDowell 13
MARION – Jaiden Bond and Bryce Satterfield combined for 223 yards rushing and four ground game TDs as the Pioneers (9-0, 5-0) remained unbeaten and tied with Freedom for the conference lead.
Freedom visits Watauga on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Bond had 112 yards on six carries and Satterfield added 102 on 13 carries as Watauga dominated, leading 22-0 by halftime.
J.C. Olivio ran 26 times for 133 yards for the Titans (3-6, 1-4), who have lost two straight as they head into a Friday 7:30 p.m. game at West Caldwell.
Andruw Randolph threw for 167 yards for McDowell, which was outgained 409-337 by Watauga.
Satterfield scored twice on 2-yard runs for an early lead by Watauga, and Bond’s 59-yard run in the second quarter made it 22-0.
Bond returned a kickoff 82 yards for a third-quarter TD, and Zach West expanded the lead with scores via a 1-yard run, a 33-yard pass from quarterback Anderson Castle and a 10-yard run.
McDowell ran 56 plays to Watauga’s 38 but went 4-for-14 on third down conversions.
The Pioneers won despite having the ball only 13 ½ minutes to McDowell’s 34:11.