HobbsDailyReport.com
VALDESE – Running back McKinley Witherspoon led Hibriten High to a 49-0 road win over Draughn on Friday night, keeping the Panthers undefeated and within a half-game of first place in Northwestern Foothills 2A football.
HIBRITEN 49
DRAUGHN 0
Witherspoon had a 55-yard punt return touchdown and also caught a TD pass in the victory, which came in the Panthers’ first varsity football meeting with the Wildcats.
Hibriten (8-0, 3-0) is in second place in the Northwestern Foothills 2A, a half-game back of Patton.
Skylin Thomas had a 17-yard TD run that put Hibriten in front 21-0. That lead was 35-0 by the time Jaylen Scott hit Witherspoon for a 45-yard TD.
Draughn dropped to 2-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference.
Witherspoon came into the game (unofficially) with 769 rushing yards.
Hibriten evened its record at 8-8 against Burke County’s four schools since 1982 – the Panthers are 1-3 against Freedom in Morganton, 3-0 at Patton and 3-5 against East Burke in Icard.
Hibriten is at home next Friday to play East Burke in a league game while Draughn goes on the road the same night for a conference game against Fred T. Foard. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.