NORTHWESTERN 3A-4A ROUNDUP: Freedom rolls past Alex Central, shares league lead

Caldwell sets single-game receiving yardage mark in Patriots’ win

 

HobbsDailyReport.com

TAYLORSVILLE – Getting a single-game school record 225 receiving yards from Dezmond Caldwell lifted visiting Freedom High to a victory on Friday night that has the Patriots tied for the Northwestern 3A-4A football lead.

Freedom clobbered host Alexander Central 38-6 as quarterback Jayden Birchfield completed 19 of 28 passes for 328 yards and two scores – both to Caldwell on big yardage plays – to improve to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the league.

Caldwell had nine catches for his record, grabbing an 85-yard TD pass from Birchfield with 10 minutes, 56 seconds left in the first half and a 67-yarder about 4 ½ minutes later that opened Freedom’s lead to 22-6.

Freedom travels to South Caldwell for a league game on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., and Alexander Central, after losing two straight games, goes to McDowell for a Friday conference game at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday night, the Patriots outgained the Cougars 409-152.

Freedom limited Alexander Central to seven first downs and 125 rushing yards, 93 of those by A.J. Miller on 11 carries.

The Patriots forced three fumbles and had the ball for more than 27 minutes in thrashing the Cougars.

DayDay Burgess led Freedom defensively with 11 tackles, including 1 ½ for lost yardage and he joined DayDay Roddy and Nick Rhoney with fumble recoveries. Nine of Jee Hardy’s 10 tackles were solos and he had three for lost yardage of 15 yards, added a sack that set the Cougars back 13 yards and forced a fumble.

Tray Lackey had a game-high 12 tackles for Alexander Central and JaiKwan Tilley added 10 and Isaac Chapman made six tackles, two for lost yardage plus a sack and Lucas Walker had two tackles for minus 14 yards among his six tackles for the Cougars.

Birchfield and Larry Luke each had a rushing TD for Freedom, which won its sixth straight game since a season-opening loss at Shelby.

Birchfield threw for more than 300 yards for the second time in three games. Unofficially, he has thrown for 1,727 yards and 17 TDs this season.

Caldwell’s unofficial stats are 42 catches for 753 yards and 10 TD receptions with three of his last four scores on passes of at least 66 yards.

St. Stephens 55, West Caldwell 7

HICKORY – Running back Xavian King came off a 300-yard game and ran for 127 on nine carries on Friday night as the Indians won handily at home.

King had scoring runs of 38, 16 and 41 yards – the first three St. Stephens scores – and Nathaniel Vera added two rushing TDs as the Indians improved to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Northwestern 3A-4A. They are alone in third place.

St. Stephens outgained the Warriors (0-7, 0-3) 335-109 and held West Caldwell to 73 rushing yards on 30 carries.

The Indians led 35-0 after one quarter and 48-0 at halftime.

St. Stephens travels to play unbeaten Watauga in Boone on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in a conference battle while the Warriors have their homecoming night against Hickory (Friday, 7:30 p.m.)

Watauga 43, Hickory 23

HICKORY – Running back Jaiden Bond ran for nearly 250 yards, scoring three times, as the Pioneers (7-0, 2-0) won. They’re tied for first place with Freedom.

Watauga ran for more than 520 yards as Bryce Satterfield had more than 170, and the Pioneers completed a single pass for minus 2 yards.

The game was tied at 14 at the half with quarterback Bryce Stober and running back Cody Young each running for a score for Hickory (3-43, 1-2).

Bond had scoring runs of 19 and 54 yards in the final quarter for Watauga.

Stober had nearly 180 yards passing – hitting Jaylen Harper nine times for more than 100 yards. Stober has thrown for 100 or more yards in four straight games and Harper, unofficially, has 34 catches for 495 yards in his last four games.

Watauga is at home Friday at 7:30 p.m. to face St. Stephens in a league game.

Hickory, in a four-way tie for fourth place after losing its second straight game, plays at winless West Caldwell in a league game on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

McDowell 48, South Caldwell 28

HUDSON – The Titans gathered 495 yards on offense, riding a 300-yard passing game by quarterback Adam Randolph to a road victory that gives McDowell the league’s 4A bid into the state playoffs.

McDowell and South Caldwell are the only 4A schools in the Northwestern 3A-4A and the game winner each year earns the postseason bid.

Randolph went 11 of 13 for 300 yards with three scoring throws as the Titans improved to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the league. He broke his own school record for single-game yardage that he’d earlier set this season with 298 yards against R-S Central.

Randolph threw five times for 146 yards and two scores to his twin, Andruw, and Dakota Effler had four catches for 103 yards and a TD for the Titans.

J.C. Olivio, McDowell’s top rusher this season, added a career-high 150 yards on 28 carries and ran for four TDs.

McDowell is at home Friday at 7:30 p.m. for a conference game against Alexander Central while the Spartans (2-5, 1-2) entertain Freedom, also at 7:30 p.m., on homecoming night in Hudson.

 

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