HobbsDailyReport.com
TAYLORSVILLE – Alexander Central High had another big offensive outburst on Friday night – 662 yards with 535 of that rushing – to crush visiting McDowell 55-21 and remain undefeated.
The Cougars (8-0, 4-0 Northwestern 3A-4A) got 218 yards rushing on 15 carries and two touchdowns from running back Bryson Godfrey and 167 on 22 carries and a TD by Devon Weiss.
ALEXANDER CENTRAL 55
McDOWELL 21
Alexander Central quarterback Gunnar Anderson, who came in approaching 1,300 yards of total offense, added 64 rushing yards and completed 10- of 12 passes for 127 yards and two TDs.
The Cougars were ahead 26-21 after McDowell (1-7, 0-4) scored on a 79-yard pass from quarterback Ben Ballew to Trevor Pearson.
Alexander Central did the rest of the game’s scoring, four TDs over the final 10 minutes, 50 seconds.
Anderson ran 42 yards for a TD and added a two-point conversion run for a 34-21 lead with 10:50 to play. About 2 ½ minutes later, Weiss scored on a 5-yard run to extend the lead.
With 4:12 to go, Steven Montgomery scored on a 35-yard run and Anderson threw a two-point conversion pass to Curtis Evans.
The Cougars scored with 1:57 to go on a 7-yard run by Tevin Clark.
McDowell, held to 86 rushing yards on 32 carries, scored on three passes by Ballew, who completed 17 of 23 for 233 yards. He hit Julio Olivo for a score in the first quarter, Seth Phillips (six catches for 47 yards) in the third quarter for a TD and Pearson for a score.
Kendall Flowers had five catches for 74 yards for Alexander Central, including a 32-yard TD pass from Anderson that broke at 7-all tie in the second quarter.
Alexander Central had 30 first downs and outgained McDowell 662-319.
Isaac Chapman’s’s nine tackles and three sacks sparked the Cougars’ defense with Lyndon Strickland adding eight tackles and a sack.
For McDowell, Adam Randolph had nine tackles and Tice Edwards and Andrew Randolph each added eight.
The Cougars and Titans were meeting for the first time since 2008, with Alexander Central now having won six straight over McDowell and four straight in Taylorsville.
Alexander Central’s next game is Friday night (7:30 p.m.) at home against St. Stephens.
McDowell has a conference game next Friday night, also at 7:30 p.m., at Watauga.