HS FOOTBALL NOTES: Spartans’ new head coach enjoying young team

By CHRIS HOBBS

HobbsDailyReport.com

Still two weeks away from debuting as head coach at his alma mater, South Caldwell High head football coach Marc Kirkpatrick is excited about guiding a “super young” team.

In an e-mail to HobbsDailyReport.com on Saturday, the former Spartans quarterback said he got an opportunity to play a lot of players in Friday’s scrimmage against East Burke as part of the Burke County Jamboree at Patton.

Though no official scores are kept in scrimmages, the Spartans outscored the Cavs 19-14.

“We’re still looking for the right combination(s) on both offense and defense,” Kirkpatrick said. “The defensive line has stepped up so far. We have many areas to improve on, but we did show lots of improvement from Wednesday to Friday.”

South Caldwell scrimmaged on Wednesday at Fred T. Foard with the Tigers, Bessemer City and West Iredell.

The Spartans make their debut under Kirkpatrick — whose dad (Red) was the school’s first head football coach when since-closed Granite Falls and Hudson Highs merged – on Aug. 25 against Kings Mountain in Hudson.

“We’re looking forward to a good week of practice and putting the right players in the right places,” Marc Kirkpatrick said.

The Spartans have already had a costly injury as Nate Monroe, their leading returning rusher with just 11 carries for 67 yards last season as a junior, broke his collar bone on Aug. 5 and is lost for the season.

Kirkpatrick said several players have stepped up since Monroe was injured. The top underclassman on the 2016 roster in terms of rushing yardage is now Dustin Herman (10 carries, 41 yards as a sophomore).

The Spartans, 2-9 last season and 2-5 in the Northwestern 3A-4A to tie for fifth place, have 23 returning lettermen and nine of their 13 returning starters are on offense.

Patton’s big 1-2: Patton could easily have the most prolific running game in the new Northwestern Foothills 2A.

The Panthers will begin to find out more about that on Friday when they open at home against Hunter Huss.

Quarterback Joe Eakin and running back William Brawley rank 1-2 among leading returning rushers in the new conference – Eakin at 175.3 yards per game with 29 rushing TDs in 12 games and Brawley at 126.1 per game and 13 rushing scores in 13 games last season.

Patton held West Henderson scoreless on Friday in a scrimmage at the Burke County Jamboree and Brawley had two rushing TDs.

Eakin and Brawley each ran for more than 100 yards five times last season – against Draughn, Wilkes Central, Hickory, Forestview and Canton Pisgah.

They were especially tough at Wilkes Central, where the Panthers won 72-52 and against Forestview in a 35-17 home victory in a first-round playoff game.

Eakin had 24 carries for 315 yards and six rushing TDs and Brawley added 19 carries for 320 yards and two rushing TDs against Wilkes Central.

In the Forestview game, Eakin ran 24 times for 243 yards and two rushing TDs and Brawley posted 23 carries for 233 yards and two rushing TDs.

Their unofficial season totals, combined: 401 carries for 3,618 yards (9.02 yards per carry) and 42 rushing TDs, which means Patton netted a rushing TD once every 9.5 times one of those two tucked it and ran.

Phillips shines: As he did last season in a two-win season, Hickory quarterback Darrien Phillips may prove to be a handful for defenders.

He played well on Friday night, when the Red Tornadoes nipped West Lincoln 21-14 as part of a four-team scrimmage at Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Phillips has new HHS head coach Russell Stone excited.

Phillips is the top returning passer in the Northwestern 3A-4A with unofficial totals last season of 1,713 passing yards – 155.7 yards per game – with 22 TD throws. He also ran for 49.8 yards per game and another six TDs.

Hickory’s opener is Friday at Barger Stadium against Statesville.

Mayfield back at Maiden: Maiden did not score in a scrimmage Friday against Alexander Central at Lenoir-Rhyne University and is working with a familiar face at quarterback.

Keygan Mayfield, who played in the backfield last season at Davidson Day as a junior, is back at Maiden for his senior season.

He had 14 carries for 211 yards and, defensively, made 5.2 tackles a game and picked off two passes last season at Davidson Day.

Maiden, of course, faces developing some offensive threats after the graduation of quarterback Caleb Farley, who (unofficially) provided 4,342 yards – and 77.1 percent – of the Blue Devils’ total offense.

Maiden’s opening game is Friday night at Fred T. Foard.

Will Cavs throw more?: If early signs in their two scrimmages are an indication, East Burke’s passing game will be improved this season.

New head coach Mark Buffamoyer will soon decide on a starter.

Senior Grant Fubright, a converted wide receiver, is getting a look-see as is sophomore Seth Pruitt.

Pruitt threw well in a scrimmage at Bandys on Wednesday and then also have a 70-yard completion to Ayden Lail, the Cavs’ top returning receiver, against South Caldwell in a Friday scrimmage.

East Burke’s opening game is Friday night at home against West Caldwell.

New leg at Freedom?: The Patriots won six games last season without much of a kicking game, at least field goal-wise.

Phillip Pieto, a senior, kicked 24 PATs but no field goals.

Onyx Velez hit two field goals on Friday in Freedom’s scrimmage against South Iredell at the Burke County Jamboree, where those two teams combined for 66 points.

Freedom’s season-opening game – and the debut of new head coach Jim Bob Bryant – comes Friday in Morganton against Shelby.

In case ya missed it: Newton-Conover head coach Matt Beam became the latest area head coach to reach 100 career wins when the Red Devils beat Bandys 31-29 on the final night of the regular season in 2016.

Beam, whose head-coaching record also includes stints as North Lincoln and Burns, is 100-52-1 in 12 seasons.

He goes for win No. 101 – and his 20^th win with the Red Devils on Friday when Newton-Conover opens against Bunker Hill in Gurley Stadium.

These head coaches are within striking distance of some milestones this season – Tom Eanes of Patton needs 11 to hit 150 for his career… Clay Lewis is three shy of 60 at Hibriten… Butch Carter of Alexander Central needs nine wins to reach 120.