NORTHWESTERN FOOTHILLS 2A ROUNDUP: Anderson sparks Bunker Hill in first win for new head coach

Hibriten blows out Foard, runs win streak to 23 games in a row

 

HobbsDailyReport.com

COX CHASING 2,000 YARDS…
Draughn High quarterback Braxton Cox is approaching 2,000 passing yards this season as the Wildcats prepare to play on Friday night at Hibriten. His last seven games, in the order played (all totals are unofficial):
Opponent                 Passing/Yds       TDs
Freedom                      11-26-2/260               0
Brevard                        15-33-4/118               1
Cherryville                  17-31-2/205               0
Avery County             20-36-2/312              2
W. Iredell                   24-48-1/309              1
Patton                         14-28-3/141              0
Bunker Hill                27-43-0/395             2
TOTALS                     128-245-14/1,740      6
Per game                18.2-35-2/248.5      0.85
SOURCE: HobbsDailyReport.com research and files.

VALDESE – Quarterback Desmond Anderson had his second straight big game on Friday for Bunker Hill High, making it a special one for first-year head coach Patrick Clark.

Anderson threw for 101 yards and two TDs and ran for three short-yardage scores as the Bears — after building a three-TD lead — won 37-20 on the road over Draughn for Clark’s first career coaching win.

CLARK

Clark came to Bunker Hill after serving as an assistant coach at Maiden and guided the Bears (1-7, 1-2 Northwestern Foothills 2A) to a victory that snapped a nine-game losing streak.

Draughn head coach Chris Powell is still searching for his first victory when the Wildcats (0-8, 0-3) travel to defending conference and state 2AA champion Hibriten on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Bears will enjoy homecoming night on Friday, also at 7:30 p.m., when they battle East Burke in a league game.

On Friday night, Anderson threw a 23-yard pass to Raheem Carson to open the game’s scoring and also provided scoring runs of 1, 8 and 5 yards. That gave him a hand in seven TDs in the last two games, as he ran for a TD and threw for another the week before in a home loss to Fred T. Foard.

On Friday night, Bunker Hill led 14-0 after Anderson’s first scoring run and a conversion run by Kaliq Ramseur in the first quarter. It was 21-0 after Anderson found Ramseur for a 57-yard score in the first quarter.

Draughn battled back, closing within 21-14 at the half, after quarterback Braxton Cox threw 30 yards for a TD to Jesse Gullett and Levin Cunningham scored on a 1-yard run.

The Bears started the second-half scoring with Dylan White’s 35-yard field goal – his first of the year – and added an 8-yard TD run by Anderson to lead 30-14.

Cox, who completed 27 of 43 passes for a school single-game record 395 yards, hit Nick Chrisco with a 6-yard TD pass, leaving the Bears up 30-20 after three quarter.

Anderson’s 5-yard TD run for Bunker Hill closed the scoring.

Bunker Hill won despite being outgained 494-324, with Adrian Powell rushing 17 times for 130 yards and Anderson adding 50 yards on 15 carries.

Cox had eight rushes for 47 yards for the Wildcats and he threw eight times to Denver Treadway for 129 yards, eight times to Gullett for 120 yards and four times to Chrisco for 82 yards.

Unofficially, Cox is the most prolific passer in the Greater Hickory area’s three leagues this season at 1,815 yards in eight games. He has thrown for at least 118 yards in six straight games and Friday’s game was his third with 300 or more yards (also 312 against Avery County and 309 against West Iredell).

Hibriten 53, Fred T. Foard 14

LENOIR – The Panthers turned a showdown for first place into a mismatch quickly on Friday night, scoring 27 points in the first quarter and leading 46-7 by halftime at home.

Hibriten won for the 23rd straight time behind running backs Gee Witherspoon (nine carries for 121 yards, four TD runs) and Marqwone Jones (6-101, 1 TD).

Hibriten is at home Friday at 7:30 p.m. for a league game, facing winless Draughn, while Foard has an open date before playing at Draughn on Oct. 19.

The Panthers (7-0, 2-0) opened the scoring on a 62-yard punt return by Karson Pilkenton. By the end of the first quarter, they added TD runs of 42 and 38 yards sandwiched around Witherspoon’s first TD run of 17 yards.

Foard (3-5, 2-1), which had a three-game win streak halted, was down 46-0 before its first score, a 7-yard run by running back Corey Siemer with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.

Siemer had the only score of the final quarter, a 2-yard run with about seven minutes to play. He ran 27 times for 116 yards – his fifth straight 100-yard game – and (unofficially) is at 1,040 this season.

Foard shares third place with Patton.

Patton 29, East Burke 7

ICARD – Weston Fleming and Bryson Ratliff each ran for two TDs on Friday night as the visiting Panthers rolled by the Cavs.

Fleming had runs of 75 and 8 yards in the first quarter while Ratliff ran 45 yards and 9 yards, both in the third quarter, as Patton (4-4, 2-1) handed East Burke (1-6, 0-2) its sixth straight loss.

Patton has won three straight over the Cavs and took the all-time series lead at 6-5 by winning.

It was 14-7 at the half and Ratliff’s first TD run came with about eight minutes left in the third quarter, pushing the Panthers’ lead to 20-7.

Carson Caswell had a tackle in the end zone for a safety, making it 22-7, and Ratliff soon added his second TD run – with just more than five minutes left in the third quarter, give Patton a 22-point lead.

Patton shares third place with Fred T. Foard heading into a conference game on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Patton against West Iredell, which shares the league lead with Hibriten.

East Burke will be on the road Friday at 7:30 p.m. for a conference game at Bunker Hill.

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