HobbsDailyReport.com
LEWIS
CONSISTENT PANTHERS
Hibriten High’s home win over Fred T. Foard on Friday means the Panthers have won six or more games in 11 consecutive seasons and seven or more in all but two of those years.
Clay Lewis’ first season as head coach was 2010:
Year Record
2007 8-5
2008 12-2
2009 13-1
2010 12-3
2011 6-6*
2012 7-5
2013 12-2
2014 6-5
2015 8-6
2016 14-1
2017 7-0
TOTALS 105-36
*–includes 2 forfeit wins from Hickory.
SOURCE: HobbsDailyReport.com research/files.
LENOIR – Hibriten High running back McKinley Witherspoon was a first down waiting to happen on Friday night.
Witherspoon ran 11 times for 159 yards, averaging 14.4 yards per carry, as the Panthers hammered visiting Fred T. Foard 50-6 in a key Northwestern Foothills 2A football game.
HIBRITEN 50
FRED T. FOARD 6
He ran for scores of 43, 64 and 11 yards as Hibriten (7-0, 2-0) remained unbeaten by outgaining the Tigers (5-3, 1-2) by more than 400 yards.
Hibriten has now won six or more games in 11 consecutive seasons and seven or more in nine of those years (see graphic).
On Friday night, the Panthers led 19-0 by halftime after Witherspoon, Aaron Logan and Hayden Wyke rushed for TDs.
When Witherspoon scored a second time, halfway through the third quarter, Hibriten led 33-0.
The Panthers averaged nearly 9 ½ yards per rush en route to beating Foard for the third straight time and for the eighth time in nine meetings.
Foard’s only score came near the end of the third quarter on a pass from quarterback Jack Colosimo to Gavin Shoemaker, their second scoring play of the season.
Hibriten forced Foard into three turnovers and the Panthers have outscored opponents 295-39 this season.
The Tigers, vying to get career win No. 40 for head coach Derrick Minor, fell short and they are in a fourth-place tie with Draughn heading into their bye week.
Foard’s next game is at home on Oct. 20 against Draughn with a 7:30 p.m. start for a conference game.
Hibriten, a game back of Patton and tied for second with West Iredell after collecting career win No. 64 for head coach Clay Lewis, goes to Draughn for a conference game next Friday (7:30 p.m.).