Editor’s note: Game stories on Hickory and St. Stephens will be posted separately on the website.
CARTER
HobbsDailyReport.com
A.J. Miller ran for 99 yards and Tevin Clark added 78 and two scoring runs on Friday night, leading Alexander Central High to a 40-7 road victory in its season-opener against Burns.
The Cougars (1-0) exploded for 20 points in the third quarter after leading 7-0 at the half, and rolled to a victory that featured 367 rushing yards. They gained 7.4 yards per carry and threw only four times as head coach Butch Carter picked up career win No. 122 and started his third season leading the Cougars.
Alexander Central held the Bulldogs (0-1) to 143 yards – 121 of it rushing – and their only score came late in the third quarter.
Jordan Brown led the Cougars’ defense with eight tackles that included one for a 6-yard loss while Lyndon Strickland had six tackles and Isaac Chapman had two for lost yardage among his four hits.
Strickland forced a fumble and helped Alexander Central limit Burns to one third-down conversion in 10 attempts.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Cougars went up 7-0 when Clark scored on a 1-yard run and Oscar Lopez added a PAT.
Strickland’s 12-yard rushing TD with eight minutes, 41 seconds left in the opening half extended
Alexander Central’s lead to 13-0.
About four minutes later, Clark scored from the 9 and the lead widened to 20-0.
Kujuan Pryor’s TD run for Burns made it 20-7 but the Cougars closed the third-quarter scoring with 50 seconds left in the quarter on a 74-yard TD run by Easton Rhoney.
The final two scores for Alexander Central — both in the last quarter — came on a 23-yard run by Miller and a 20-yard run by Dayente Clahoun.
Miller’s 99 rushing yards surpassed his season total from 2017 in one game (unofficially six carries for 65 yards in 2017) while Clark had 78 yards against the Bulldogs after gaining 76 in last year’s opening game.
Alexander Central, last season’s Northwestern 3A-4A champion, next plays Wilkes Central on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Taylorsville.
Watauga 36, Asheville Roberson 12
Playing without their starting quarterback, the Pioneers didn’t skip a beat and won their first game of the season.
Watauga starting quarterback Anderson Castle went down on the third play of the game, The Watauga Democrat reported, and he did not return. Castle left the field with a splint on his left wrist.
Backup quarterback Jackson Greene came in and completed three passes for 120 yards and one TD and running back Bryce Satterfield, the leading returning rusher in the Northwestern 3A-4A, ran for 142 yards on 25 carries and TDs on runs of 18 and 24 yards.
Jaiden Bond, another key returning player for the Pioneers on offense, finished with 125 rushing yards and two scores on 10 carries. He broke a run 71 yards for a TD.
“It’s the thing we talk about throughout the year,” Watauga head coach Ryan Habich told The Democrat of Castle’s early injury. “We can’t control the event.
“That’s the thought we had. It was the second or third play of the game and he’s a 1,500-yard rusher and he gets hurt right there. I think the energy on our sideline was really good. It was next man up.”
Watauga led 7-0 after one quarter and 27-6 at halftime.
The Pioneers had 444 yards on offense and held Roberson quarterback Ty Gossett to 152 yards passing as he went 14 of 30.
Watauga won for the 44th time in 63 games under Habich, who started his 11th season as a head coach (94-33) and his sixth in Boone.
The Pioneers’ home opener is Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Ashe County.
East Burke 42, West Caldwell 0
Twin brothers Brett and Chase Childers came up with interceptions as the Cavaliers (1-0) opened their season by pounding the Warriors in Lenoir.
Brett Childers returned his pick 41 yards for a touchdown and Chase Childers returned one of his for a TD and another inside the West Caldwell 5 as East Burke collected career win No. 13 for head coach Mark Buffamoyer.
Buffamoyer has three wins as Cavs head coach; his other 10 came as head coach at West Caldwell (2004-2007).
McDowell 22, R-S Central 7
Titans quarterback Adam Randolph threw for 298 yards, second-most in school history, as McDowell opened the season in Marion with a victory.
Randolph completed 12 of 18 passes, two of them for scores, and McDowell gained nearly 370 yards on offense.
Adam Randolph’s twin brother, Andruw, had 11 catches for 120 yards and one score for the Titans, who also got two receptions for 109 yards by J.C. Olivo.
The McDowell News reported Adam Randolph’s passing total is second in school history for a single game to a 348-yard game against Asheville Roberson in 2014.
McDowell, winning for the eighth time in 24 games under head coach Andy Morgan (third season), goes on the road Friday at 7:30 p.m. to face Avery County.