NORTHWESTERN FOOTHILLS 2A ROUNDUP
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Bunker Hill High’s sudden run of grabbing wins and climbing in the conference football standings continued on Friday night in Claremont.
The Bears (5-4, 4-1) ran their win streak to four games, surviving two fourth-quarter scores by visiting West Iredell to win 17-13.
CLARK
Bunker Hill, coached by Patrick Clark, is in second place in the Northwestern Foothills 2A, a game up on Draughn and West Iredell.
The Bears led 17-3 heading into the fourth quarter but West Iredell (5-4, 2-1) got going in the final 5 ½ minutes to flirt with winning.
West Iredell quarterback Eli Kitchens threw a 64-yard TD pass to Kareen Stevenson and Dylan Lambert added a PAT, making it 17-7.
Stevenson blocked a punt and returned it more than 40 yards for a TD with about 3 ½ minutes to play.
Bunker Hill stopped a two-point conversion run after the Stevenson score to protect its four-point lead.
Early on, the Bears grabbed a 7-0 lead when Chadz Stevenson ran 10 yards for a score and Matt Garcia kicked an extra point.
Carson Elder ran 1-yard for a TD and Garcia kicked a PAT in the second quarter before Garcia made a 37-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first half to make it 17-0.
Elder threw for more than 180 yards and has thrown for more than 700 yards during the Bears’ four-game win streak.
West Iredell is at home Friday night against league-leading Hibriten while the Bears travel to Patton.
Hibriten 48, East Burke 14
Hibriten (8-1, 5-0) moved a step closer to winning the Northwestern Foothills 2A title by pounding the Cavs (2-7, 1-4) in Lenoir.
The Panthers scored 35 points in the opening half and scored twice in the first four minutes of the second half.
Hibriten ran for nearly 350 yards on just 31 attempts, led by running back Noah Isbell gaining more than 130 yards.
East Burke’s Josh Moore had another 100-yard game and cleared 1,000 for the season in the loss.
Quarterback Seth Pruitt threw TD passes to Dawson Langley and Johnny Reynolds for the Cavs’ scores.
Hibriten quarterback Daren Perry had a rushing score and threw TD passes to Marcus Jones in the first and second quarters to spark the Panthers’ offense.
The Morganton News Herald reported East Burke head coach Mark Buffamoyer and wide receiver Luke Coble were ejected from the game. Ejections are subject to possible suspensions by North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) rules, usually for the next game.
The Panthers can wrap up at least a conference title on Friday by beating West Iredell on the road or if Patton beats Bunker Hill.
If Hibriten and Bunker Hill each win Friday, the Panthers will be 6-0, the Bears would be 4-2 and Draughn (if it beats West Caldwell) would also be 4-2.
Hibriten closes the league schedule on Nov. 8 at home against Patton, Bunker Hill will be at home against West Caldwell and Draughn is at home against East Burke.
Patton 27, West Caldwell 15
The Panthers (3-6, 2-3) turned back West Caldwell’s run at back-to-back wins on homecoming night at Patton.
Running back Jackson Vance scored three rushing TDs for the second straight game, giving him six for the season.
West Caldwell, coming off a 14-13 win over Fred T. Foard that snapped a 21-game losing streak, had an early 8-7 lead against Patton.
A fumble recovery in the end zone by defensive tackle Rico Barrino and Weston Fleming’s two-point conversion run put the Panthers up 15-7.
Vance scored on runs in the third quarter and fourth quarter for Patton.
The Panthers moved to 4-0 all-time against the Warriors (1-8, 1-3).
Patton is in fourth place in the conference, a game back of Draughn and West Iredell, and plays second-place Bunker Hill at Patton on Friday night while West Caldwell will be at home against Draughn.