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By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
Unofficial game totals from Maiden High’s 36-33 varsity football victory over Bunker Hill on Friday night at Maiden that extended the Blue Devils’ win streak over the Bears to 32. Maiden (7-1, 5-0) took over first place of the Catawba Valley 2A Athletic by beating the Bears (7-1, 4-1):
MAIDEN 36, BUNKER HILL 33
Bunker Hill 13 13 7 0—33
Maiden 14 14 0 8—36
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
M—Jacob Sigmon 32 pass from Wesley Thompson (Carson Foard kick), 9:18
BH—Elijah Boston 15 pass from Redek Robinson (Alan Bahena Soto kick), 6:42
BH—Xavier McCleave 28 pass from Robinson (kick failed), 5:07
M—Chris Culliver 80 kickoff return (Foard kick), 4:49
Second quarter
M—Culliver 3 rub (Foard kick), 7:58
BH—Kaden Bolick 53 interception return (pass failed), 3:24
M—Ben Gibbs 10 run (Foard kick), 2:32
BH—Jayson Willis 3 run (Soto kick), 49.4
Third quarter
BH—Jaylan Willis 8 pass from Robinson (Soto kickj), 1:53
Fourth quarter
M—Culliver 5 run (Jackson Hensley run)
BH M
First downs 12 22
Rush-yards 35-188 31-144
Passing 11-23-1 20-32-1
Passing yards 160 289
Total offense 348 433
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards 12-85 3-23
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
M: Gibbs 23-151, Thompson 4-minus 17, Culliver 3-12, Team 10-minus 2. BH: Jason Willis 28-164, Talayn Weaver 2-2, Saeed Nasher 1-5, Robinson 4-17.
Passing
M: Thompson 19-30-1 240, Gibbs 1-1-0 49, Team 0-1-0 0. BH: Robinson 11-23-1 160.
Receiving
M: Sigmon 4-63, Culliver 9-67, B. Ford 2-24, Mishner 2-86, Gibbs 3-49. BH: Boston 6-50, McCleave 2-78, Luke Kelley 1-2, Jaylin Willis 2-30
THE TIGHT ONES
The lowest winning margins in the Bunker Hill-Maiden varsity football rivalry since 1980:
Points Score At Year
1 M 27-26 at BHill 1992
Game stars: Ernie Ellis, 3 rush TDs; M: Antoine Ikard, rush TD, conv. run
2 BH 24-22, OT at Mdn 1987
Game stars: BH: Paul James, 3 rush TDs; M: Robby Hollowqy2 rush TDs
3 M 36-33 at Mdn 2022
Game stars: BH Jayson Willis 164 yards rushing, 1 TD M: Chris Culliver 2 rush TDs, 80-yard KO return TD
5 BH 24-19 at Mdn 1985
Game stars: BH: Xeno Williams, 2 rush TDs, pass TD; M: Danny Hipps 27-yard reception from Matt Forner, same for conversion
5 M 18-13 at Mdn 1995
Game stars: BH: Darnell Lyerly, 105 yards rush, 1 TD; M: Chris Ramseur, 29-171, 3 rush TDs
SOURCE: HobbsDailyReport.com research and files.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
First quarter
Maiden scores on second play of its second possession, 32-yard pass from Thompson to Sigmon… Bears drive 76 yards – it includes 50-yard pass from Robinson to Boston – and scores on 15-yard pass from Robinson to Boston…Bears get go-ahead score, Robinson to McCleave for 28 yards … Culliver takes kickoff 80 yards for TD at 4:49 left, Maiden up 14-13.
Second quarter
Maiden extends lead to 21-13 when Culliver takes a pitch right and goes 3 yards for a TD… Kaden Bolick intercepts Thompson, going 53 yards up the left sideline for a TD
CULLIVER
(Blue Devils 21, Bears 19)… Maiden takes ensuing kickoff and goes 65 yards for a TD; key play a 37-yard Thompson to Mishner pass that had a 10-yard personal foul penalty accessed as well; 2 plays later Gibbs scores on a 10-yard run… Bears get ball at 2:32 left in half and score, highlighted by a 74-yard run by Jayson Willis, who scored on a 3-yard run, leaving Maiden up 28-26 at the half.
Third quarter
Bears grab the lead, 33-28, when they take a punt at the Maiden 41 and start seven-play drive. Maiden is called for pass interference on a third-and-7 at the Maiden 16, moving the ball to the Maiden 8… Robinson hits Jaylon Willis for the score, putting Bears up 33-28 after a PAT by Soto.
Fourth quarter
Maiden forces a punt with 11:49 to play, eventually face a fourth-and-goal at the Bunker Hill 25, gives up ball on downs at 6:25 mark… Blue Devils force a punt but then give ball back on downs with 3:21 to play…. Bunker Hill goes three-and out, punting with 1:34 to play… Maiden starts drive at its 30 with a 49-yard pass from Gibbs (playing halfback) to Mishner… Thompson threw 8 yards twice to Culliver, making it first-and-goal at the Bears 5, Culliver goes 5 for a TD with 46 seconds to play… Maiden adds two-point conversion when Thompson, under pressure, throws to his left… The ball was behind lineman Jackson Hensley, who grabbed it and ran in for the two points.
GAMES NOTES
REID
Maiden moved into first place alone in the Catawba Valley 2A Athletic, improving to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the conference… Bunker Hill is in second place, 7-1 overall and 4-1 in league games… Maiden has won 32 straight games over Bunker Hill since 1980, including 15 in a row at Maiden… Since 1980, the teams have combined for 69 points or more in just three other games – 69 in 2015 (Maiden 46-23) and 116 in 2011 (Maiden 70-46)… Maiden head coach Will Byrne picked up his 63rd victory (63-16)… The Bears are 17-3 since Albert Reid became head coach… Updates, unofficial season stats: BH: Jason Willis has 598 rushing yards in four games; Robinson is 107-183-10 for 1,442 yards passing; McCleave has 32 catches for 548 yards; Boston has 34 catches for 305 yards; M: Gibbs has 939 rushing yards; Thompson is 79-129 for 1,024 yards; Culliver has 47 catches for 1,070 yards…. Next games, Friday: Newton-Conover at Bunker Hill, 7:30 p.m.; Lincolnton at Maiden, 7:30 p.m…. If Maiden wins or Bunker Hill loses, Maiden would clinch no worse than a title tie and gain the league’s No. 1 state 2A playoff bid.
SERIES NOTES
Maiden has won 37 of the 42 match-ups since 1980… The Bears’ five wins: 20-6 in 1980, 24-19 in 1985, 24-22 in overtime in 1987, 24-12 in 1988 and 24-8 in 1989… In the 1989 game at Maiden, the Bears’ stars were QB Lee Miller and RB Jermaine Mason. Miller, now athletic director of Catawba County Schools, ran 36 and 27 yards for TDs and threw a 27-yard TD pass to Junior McDaniel with K Casey Smith hitting a 36-yard field goal – his third of the year – and three PATs… Mickey Farr had a 2-yard TD run and conversion run for the Blue Devils… Bunker Hill came into that game at 3-1, beating Fred T. Foard, falling to St. Stephens and gaining one-point wins Chase and Mooresville… Miller had six TD runs and seven TD passes that season while Mason ran for 14 TDs, had a scoring reception and one interception return and one punt return for scores… Friday’s three-point win margin was the lowest since Maiden won 27-20 at Bunker Hill in 2004.
