HobbsDailyReport.com
STATESVILLE – Still playing in a high gear, Hibriten High remained unbeaten in varsity football on Friday night.
The visiting Panthers crushed West Iredell 48-0 to stay in a tie for first place in the Northwestern Foothills 2A with Patton, setting up a battle with the Panthers for the league title on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Hibriten.
HIBRITEN 48
WEST IREDELL 0
Hayden Wike ran for two TDs, helping Hibriten gain a 21-0 lead, and five other Panthers scored as they improved to 10-0, 5-0 and reach 10 wins for the 10th time in school history.
HIBRITEN’S HIGHLIGHTS
A look at the previous nine teams in Hibriten High football history that won 10 or more games:
Year Record Head coach
1979 10-2-1 Ted Luckadoo
2002 10-3 Chuck Cannon
2003 13-2 Chuck Cannon
2004 10-3 Chuck Cannon
2008 12-2 Chuck Cannon
2009 13-1 Chuck Cannon
2010 12-3 Clay Lewis
2013 12-2 Clay Lewis
2016 14-1 Clay Lewis
SOURCE: HobbsDailyReport.com research/files.
Wike opened the scoring on a 22-yard run and McKinley Witherspoon followed with a 13-yard TD run. Wike’s 1-yard run, after the Warriors (5-5, 3-2) fumbled a punt, gave West Iredell a three-score lead.
Syklen Thomas added a TD run and Charles Tassinari returned an interception for a score to boost Hibriten’s lead to 35-0.
Taylib Howell’s run and an interception return for a TD by Shrine Bowl- bound Miles Simon closed the scoring.
Hibriten won for the fourth straight time over West Iredell, and the Panthers have also won four straight at West Iredell.
The Panthers are 24-1 in their last 25 games, improving head coach Clay Lewis’ record to 67-22. He’s in his eighth year in a program that has been a model of consistency in the last decade.
The loss dropped West Iredell to 5-5 and to 3-2 in the league. The Warriors are tied for third with Fred T. Foard and meet the Tigers in Newton at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night.
West Iredell has had five straight losing seasons, hasn’t won more than five games since 2011 and is trying to earn its first postseason bid in six seasons.