HobbsDailyReport.com
CHARLOTTE – Quarterback Chris Walton found Michael Neel three times on scoring plays covering 116 yards as Charlotte Catholic High rolled past visiting West Caldwell 43-7 in a first-round state 3A football playoff game on Friday night.
No. 1 CATHOLIC 43
No. 16 W. CALDWELL 7
Walton threw TD passes of 35, 53 and 40 yards as the top-seeded Cougars (12-0) advanced to a second-round home game next Friday against No.8 Stuart Cramer (8-4).
Cramer won a postseason game for the first time in school history, eliminating No. 9 Concord 21-20 at Cramer on Friday night.
Catholic got two early scoring runs by running back Milan Howard, one a 75-yard run, and had a safety as it built a 15-0 lead in the first quarter against the 16th seeded Warriors (6-6).
Walton came into the game having thrown for 1,146 yards and 17 TDs with only two interceptions.
West Caldwell’s only score, after it was behind by 43 points, came on an 8-yard run by Taye Dula.
The win was Catholic’s third in the postseason over West Caldwell, all in the first round. The Cougars won a 2003 game 42-6 at Catholic and a 2004 game 35-6 in Charlotte.
West Caldwell — which won only 16 games over a 10-year stretch with no state playoff bids — is 23-15 over the last three seasons with three trips to the postseason.
The Warriors have won only three of their 11 state playoff games on the road in school history.