HobbsDailyReport.com
CATAWBA – Isaiah Talbert had two scoring runs and added seven tackles and a sack on defense Friday night to spark Bandys High’s home victory over rival Bunker Hill in the first non-conference meeting between the old rivals.
BANDYS 33
BUNKER HILL 7
The Trojans beat the visiting Bears 33-7 in the 60th game of a rivalry that began in 1959 when both schools were inaugural members of the old Southern District 7 2A. They played in the same conference every year through last year but are now in different leagues after statewide realignment.
Talbert had a 44-yard TD run to start the scoring for Bandys (2-1) and his 62-yard scamper had the Trojans in front 20-0 at halftime.
TRENT LOWMAN
Sandwiched between Talbert’s two TD runs was a 56-yard scoring run by Ethan Howard, who finished with 96 yards on eight carries. He unofficially has 389 rushing yards in three games this season.
Elijah Clarke added a 7-yard rushing TD and Coby Morgan’s 3-yard TD run gave Bandys a 33-0 lead.
The victory was the 20th for Trojans head coach Trent Lowman, a former starting quarterback at Bandys, and comes in his fifth season. Only former head coach Tony Paroli reached 20 wins in a shorter span of time – three seasons – and Lowman joins Dick Foster and Randy Burroughs as 20-game winners by their fifth season. Lowman’s dad (Randy) — the school’s winningest head football coach — got win No 20 in his sixth season.
The Trojans beat the Bears for the 12th time in the last 13 games at Butler Stadium and they now lead the series 37-22-1.
Bandys has won five of the last six meetings and in 19 of the last 23.
The Trojans close their non-league schedule on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at home, facing Hickory for the first time since 2008. They’ll follow that on Sept. 22 with their South Fork 2A opener, playing at archrival Maiden.
Bunker Hill (0-4) goes to West Wilkes on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. game, its first there since a first-round state playoff game in 1980 that West Wilkes won 16-14.
The Bears start their Northwestern Foothills 2A schedule on Sept. 22 at home, playing league favorite Hibriten. They have not played the Panthers since 2008.