HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Previews for Friday’s Week 4 varsity games

Tom Eanes has guided Bandys to 15 wins in 17 games since he became head coach of the Trojans. Tonight, they are at home against nearby rival Bunker Hill and going for their 11th straight home win in Garry Butler Stadium./MICHELLE THOMPSON PHOTO

Bandys battles Bunker Hill, chases  11th straight home victory

 

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By CHRIS HOBBS

HobbsDailyReport.com

A brief look at Friday’s varsity football games involving teams from the South Fork 2A, Northwestern Foothills 2A and Northwestern 3A-4A:

BUNKER HILL (0-3)

at BANDYS (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY’S BROADCAST: Bunker Hill at Bandys, 7;30 p.m.

The Trojans go for their 11th straight home victory when they battle the Bears for the 52nd time.

Bandys has won two straight and four of the last five in the series and has been particularly tough on Bunker Hill in Butler Stadium, winning 12 of the last 13 matchups played there.

 

ST. STEPHENS (1-1) at MAIDEN (2-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Blue Devils have beaten the Indians seven times and in all but five of their matchups since 1980.

In the last nine times on the field, Maiden has won eight and the St. Stephens win was in 2011, an after-the-fact forfeit (inadvertent use of an ineligible player) after the Blue Devils won at home.

FRIDAY’S BROADCAST: South Caldwell at Hibriten, 7:30 p.m.

SOUTH CALDWELL (2-1)

at HIBRITEN (2-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Panthers have won three straight in a series they unofficially trail in 20-21-1, but they’ve each won nine times in games played at Hibriten since 1980.

South Caldwell last won in Storie Stadium 20-16 in 2015 and has had a tough time with the Panthers since starting the series by going 10-4-1 against them in the first 15 battles.

FREEDOM (2-1)

at PATTON (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

The Patriots have won 11 of 12 all-time matchups with the Panthers, including two straight, and they’ve never lost at Patton.

Freedom head coach Luke Little, in his second year in Morganton with an 11-4 record guiding the Patriots, goes for career win No. 99.

WEST LINCOLN (2-0)

at FRED T. FOARD (0-3), 7:30 p.m.

They call this game The Battle of Hog Hill, and the Rebels go for their fourth win in it in the last five seasons.

It’s the 32nd meeting since 1980 with the Tigers holding an edge of 16-15 although West Lincoln has won at Foard in two of the last three games there.

Foard still chases the first win for head coach Ryan Gettys in his return to coaching. He’s in his second tenure there and stuck at 30 career wins.

SOUTH IREDELL (1-2)

at ALEXANDER CENTRAL (2-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Vikings pursue their seventh straight victory in the series and 11th in 13 games against the Cougars after they began playing in 1991.

This is the first matchup since 2016, and the Vikings are 5-1 in Taylorsville with the Cougars’ only home win over South Iredell coming in 1996 (30-18).

HICKORY (0-3) at HUNTER HUSS (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

Old rivals from the era when they both played 4A football in a league with Charlotte schools meet for the 24th time, with the Huskies having won three of the last four games in the series.

They played their first game in 1968.

Hickory head coach Russell Stone is two wins shy of 275 for his career but has won only 11 of his 26 games since taking over the Red Tornadoes three seasons ago.

NEWTON-CONOVER (2-0)

at HENDERSONVILLE (2-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Red Devils go for a 3-0 start that would even Steven Pack’s record as their head coach at 7-7.

They’ve never played in the modern era (if at all), and this is the first time the Bearcats have played a local team in the regular season since 2014, when they faced Maiden at Maiden while playing in the same 1A league with the Blue Devils.

DRAUGHN (1-2) at CHERRYVILLE (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

The Wildcats and Ironmen play for the seventh time with Cherryville going for its third straight win in the series.

Cherryville leads the series 4-2 and has won two of the three games played in Gaston County, as Draughn’s only win there was eight years ago.

ASHE COUNTY (0-3)

at WEST CALDWELL (0-3), 7:30 p.m.

It’s Game No 105 for Mike Biggerstaff as head coach of the Warriors and his fourth game in his second tenure at West Caldwell. He is the all-time winningest head football coach at West Caldwell with 75 victories.

WEST IREDELL (1-1)

at STATESVILLE (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

The Greyhounds are off to an unbeaten start but the Warriors, with a bye last week, have had two weeks to work out some kinks (they were shutout 25-0 by South Iredell in their last game).

Statesville rolled 42-0 last season at West Iredell.

WILKES CENTRAL (2-1)

at WATAUGA (2-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Pioneers hope to rebound well after suffering the season’s first loss last Friday, giving up more than 60 points to Winston-Salem Reagan.

EAST GASTON (0-2) at LINCOLNTON (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

New head coach Joe Glass has 50 career wins, achieved last Friday with a victory over North Gaston, and now shoots for his first Wolves win – and points — in Battleground Stadium.

In its only home game so far, Lincolnton fell 12-0 to South Point.

NORTH GASTON (1-2)

at EAST LINCOLN (2-0), 7:30 p.m.

The Mustangs battles the Wildcats, looking for a 3-0 start in Denver, N.C., and for career win No. 15 for third-year head coach David Lubowicz.

LAKE NORMAN CHARTER (0-3)

at HIGHLAND TECH (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

Quarterback Jeff Womack has played well early for the Knights but they haven’t won under head coach Bob McKay, who this year returned for his second time as their head coach.

Womack threw for 322 yards and three scores last season against the Rams, who won 35-28 in Huntersville.

MITCHELL COUNTY (3-0)

at McDOWELL (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Mitchell County tries to remain unbeaten in a matchup against the Titans, who they had little trouble with on the mountain last season (42-14 victory).

McDowell, after scoring more than 40 points in a home win over East Burke, did not score last Friday night and fell 3-0 to Patton.

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