HobbsDailyReport.com
HUDSON – South Caldwell High closed a one-win football season on Friday night that included a postseason appearance.
After gaining a first-round bye and a No. 2 West seed in the West 4A bracket, the Spartans took their shot at seventh-seeded Hickory Ridge and were outmatched in a 55-28 loss in Hudson.
No. 7 HICKORY RIDGE 55
No. 2 SOUTH CALDWELL 28
Hickory Ridge (11-2) earned a third-round game next Friday at No. 6 Vance (10-3) by winning, with No. 5 East Forsyth (9-4) and No. 1 Harding (11-1) also still alive in the West.
The Spartans finished 1-11 in Marc Kirkpatrick’s first season as head coach, winning their spot in the postseason as the top-finishing of two 4A schools in the Northwestern 3A-4A (they beat McDowell to earn the spot).
Hickory Ridge, a 41-0 winner in the opening round over West Charlotte, rode a big passing game by quarterback Dylan Ratliff to victory. He threw for nearly 260 yards and four touchdowns and the Spartans were down 34-7 by halftime.
Hickory Ridge led 20-0 after one quarter and was ahead 27-0 when South Caldwell scored its first points on an interception return TD by Spencer Piercy.
Ratliff’s fourth scoring pass came in the final 10 seconds of the opening half. When he scored his only rushing TD — in the third quarter with about three minutes left in the quarter — Hickory Ridge led 48-7.
Avery Raynor led South Caldwell, which had about 240 yards on offense, and Harry Sullivan ran for two TDs in the fourth quarter for the Spartans.
South Caldwell dropped to 11-14 in the postseason in the loss and to 7-5 in state playoff games in Hudson.
Kirkpatrick was guiding the 15th Spartans team to advance to the state playoffs; his father, Red, coached the first South Caldwell teams to reach the postseason (in 1977, the first year the school was open, it played for a state 3A title).
With the bye factored in, the Spartans appeared in the second round for the seventh time in school history.
Since beating North Surry, South Rowan and Brevard to reach the 1977 state title game – Western Guilford defeated South Caldwell – the Spartans’ only other Round 2 bids were in 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2015.
Two years ago, South Caldwell reached the third round.
The Spartans were involved in a bit of a state playoff oddity in 2005. After they beat Alexander Central and Hoke County, they lost at Crest in the third round. When it was discovered the Chargers had violated eligibility rules and had to forfeit, the Spartans were not advanced to the state semifinals.
Greensboro Grimsley also gained a forfeit from Crest in the West final, then faced unbeaten Greenville Rose in the state title game, and Rose won 21-0.