HobbsDailyReport.com
In what arguably could be the biggest football win in Stuart Cramer High history, the Storm opened the season at home on Friday night by beating Lincolnton 40-7.
Cramer opened the non-conference game with a score when Denorrian Lindsay returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown.
The Storm then held the Wolves to 185 yards of offense and got two TDs from sophomore Tyreese Morris to beat a team that last year generated more than 7,000 yards of total offense and won 13 games.
“It’s a big win for us, considering it’s the season opener and Lincolnton is a traditionally strong program,” Cramer head coach Ben McMillan told The Gaston Gazette. “I think it shows how much we have improved. We still have a long ways to go, but I am real proud of the effort of the guys tonight.”
That included six sacks and three fumble recoveries that kept the Wolves in check.
Kaiser Kayton had 80 rushing yards and Morris gained 72, the report by The Gazette said.
Cramer, opened to help with growth in the Belmont and Mount Holly are of Gaston County, won five games two years ago and went 7-5 last year.
Lincolnton, which has won 34 games in the previous three seasons, will try to rebound on Friday when it plays at home against defending state champion South Point.
Hunter Huss 49, Patton 20: The visiting Huskies won a season-opening game behind Dallas Danner (15 carries, 104 yards, two TDs) in Morganton.
Sophomore quarterback Zo Wallace completed 7-of-10 passes for 124 yards and two TDs – bot to Savion Falls (5-104).
Patton quarterback Joe Eakin, limited to seven carries for 78 yards, left the game with an injury with about 6 ½ minutes to play.
William Brawley, a 1,000-yard rusher last season for the Panthers, had nine carries for 98 yards and a TD.
Patton has the second of four straight home non-league games on Friday, facing R-S Central at 7:30 p.m.
West Lincoln 43, Draughn 7: Nakathon Phansook ran for 176 yards and two scores as the Rebels handily won their season opener at home.
Phansook — who had four carries for 30 yards against Draughn in a 27-14 loss last season – was part of a big rushing night for West Lincoln.
Brendan Ikard added 87 rushing yards and a TD and Seth Willis posted 60 yards and scored a TD for the Rebels.
Draughn ran for 206 yards, paced by Tyler McKinney with 81 on eight carries, but threw for only three yards.
The teams were playing a season-opener against each other for the fifth straight year. They had split the previous four games and the Wildcats had won the last two meetings.
West Lincoln won’t play again until Aug. 31, facing Cherryville at West Lincoln.
Draughn will be at home Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Freedom.
Watauga 35, Asheville Roberson 34: Using a bit of razzle dazzle on a game-winning drive, the Pioneers won their opener for the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Ryan Habich.
Watauga scored the go-ahead TD with two minutes, five seconds to play when quarterback Anderson Castle got the ball to Jackson Greene, who threw it to Jayden Bond for the score.
Bond had 206 all-purpose yards and the Pioneers’ offense had more than 400 yards.
Asheville Roberson always moved the ball well and combined the teams generated more than 820 yards of total offense.
Watauga ran for 346 yards, getting 118 and a score from Bryce Satterfield and 95 and a TD from Ben Critcher.
Ty Gossett, the Rams’ quarterback, went 23-of-35 for 185 yards and a TD and ran for two other scores.
Watauga plays on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Avery County.
Forestview 7, East Lincoln 6: The Jaguars nipped the Mustangs in Gastonia, getting a late interception to protect their lead in a game that had nine turnovers.
Jackson Moore intercepted an East Lincoln pass with 48.2 seconds to play to seal the win, The Gaston Gazette reported.
Cameron Jackson’s 40-yard interception return was Forestview’s only score and Christian Parks scored for East Lincoln. Parks had gained 76 yards rushing at that point, The Gazette reported, and had only one yard the rest of the way.
The loss spoiled the debut of David Lubowicz as the Mustangs’ head coach. His team lost despite outgaining Forestview 311-17.
East Lincoln is idle on Friday before returning to Gaston County to play at Ashbrook on Sept. 1. All four of the Mustangs’ non-conference games are against teams from Gaston County.