HobbsDailyReport.com
COUGARS’ BEST
A look at Alexander Central High’s previous varsity football teams that won nine or more games since 1978:
Year Final Record Head coach
1983 11-1 Glenn Wilson
2006 9-4 Chris Deal
2009 11-2 Tom Harper
2010 9-3 Tom Harper
SOURCE: HobbsDailyReport.com research/files.
TAYLORSVILLE – It took Alexander Central High a bit more than nine minutes to score on Friday night then the floodgates opened en route to a 59-21 football victory over visiting St. Stephens.
ALEX CENTRAL 59
ST. STEPHENS 21
After quarterback Gunnar Anderson opened the scoring on a 4-yard TD run with two minutes, 56 seconds left in the first quarter, the Cougars scored four more times to lead the Northwestern 3A-4A game 36-0.
The win — combined with West Caldwell beating Freedom 44-42 on Friday night — locked up at least a share of the conference title for Alexander Central (9-0, 5-0).
The Cougars now have four conference titles since 1978 – this year’s in head coach Butch Carter’s second season at the helm plus one in 2010 under Tom Harper and a 1983 outright title and 1982 shared title under Glenn Wilson.
Carter, who took the Alexander Central job after resigning at South Caldwell, has three league titles as his 2011 and 2012 teams at South Caldwell finished first in the old Northwestern 3A-4A.
A powerful offense and run-crushing defense led the Cougars’ victory over the Indians (3-6, 2-3).
While the defense snuffed St. Stephens’ run game (23 carries for 18 yards), running back Devon Weiss and Bryson Godfrey piled up good yardage and Anderson ran for 92 yards and threw for 113.
Weiss had 24 carries for 153 yards and Godfrey added 121 yards on 11 carries.
Godfrey ran 57 yards for a TD, Anderson found A.J. Miller for a 33-yard TD throw and then hit Kendall Flowers for 15 yards to build a 29-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Steven Montgomery’s 19-yard TD run pushed the edge to 36-0 before the Indians scored their first TD with 9:50 left in the third quarter on a 13-yard pass from Justin Bullock to Chance Benfield.
Godfrey returned a kickoff 91 yards for Alexander Central then Bullock hit Zach Lee on a 44-yard TD throw to make it 43-14.
Tray Lackey got a safety for the Cougars and a 2-yard TD run by Weiss and Tevin Clark’s 3-yard scoring run had Alexander Central up 59-14.
Lee and Bullock hooked up on a 70-yard pass play with 3:02 to go for the final margin.
Alexander Central ran its win streak in the series to seven straight and beat the Indians in Taylorsville for the eighth straight time.
The Cougars’ defense was led by Jordan Brown with seven hits, one a sack, and Montgomery added five tackles.
Xavian King of St. Stephens was held to 18 yards on 13 carries and Jamar Brown finished with 12 yards on two carries.
Bullock completed 9 of 26 for 213 yards and three TDs, throwing to Lee three times for 128 yards.
Alexander Central had the ball for just more than 26 minutes and was 9 of 15 on converting on third or fourth down (2 of 3).
The Cougars’ next game is Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Hickory in Taylorsville. Alexander Central’s regular-season finale is Nov. 3, also in Taylorsville, when South Caldwell visits.
St. Stephens upcoming two games are next Friday at 7:30 p.m. at South Caldwell and Nov. 3 at Hickory.