HobbsDailyReport.com
LENOIR – Not much changed for Patton High on Friday night when it got a second shot at Hibriten this season.
Facing Hibriten on the road for the second time in three weeks netted the same outcome this time as well, a 35-0 loss in the second round of the state 2AA playoffs.
No. 2 HIBRITEN 35
No 10 PATTON 0
Hibriten also beat Patton 35-0 in Lenoir to close the Northwestern Foothills 2A regular season and win the league title by one game.
Hibriten (13-0, West No. 2 seed) advances to the third round next Friday at home, facing No. 3 Franklin (13-0).
Third-seeded Franklin advanced with a 14-7 home win over Canton Pisgah.
Hibriten’s defense again played a big role on Friday night, holding Patton (9-4) to fewer than 120 yards and producing three turnovers and a defensive touchdown.
Skylin Thomas scored both of Hibriten’s second-half TDs, on a 45-yard run late in the third quarter, and he returned a fumble 45 yards with about 8 ½ minutes to play for the game’s final TD.
Running back McKinley Witherspoon ran for 90-plus yards, including a TD run of 29 yards in the first quarter, as Hibriten built a 21-0 lead by halftime. That was Witherspoon’s 32nd rushing TD of the season.
Hibriten had almost 330 yards of total offense and Patton, which set a school record for single-season wins, ran more plays than Hibriten but rushed for fewer than 90 yards.
Hibriten won for the 27th time in 28 games, keeping alive its chance to get deep into the playoffs again. Last season, playing in class 3A, the Panthers reached the semifinals before losing to South Point.
If Hibriten eliminates Franklin, it would return to a state semifinal and be at home on Dec. 1. The teams left in the opposite bracket are No. 4 Mount Pleasant (11-2) and No. 8 Shelby (11-2), who will play next Friday at Mount Pleasant.
Mount Pleasant, playing at home, advanced by ousting Fred T. Foard 28-14 while Shelby avenged a conference loss at South Point by beating the top-seeded Red Raiders 33-23 in Belmont.
Shelby is vying for a fifth straight state title.