HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Expanded previews of tonight’s Week 11 games

Red Devils visit Maiden for 50th game of

storied series between Catawba County rivals

 

By CHRIS HOBBS

HobbsDailyReport.com

An in-depth look at Friday’s varsity football games involving teams from the South Fork 2A, Northwestern Foothills 2A and Northwestern 3A-4A.

HobbsDailyReport.com co-owners Will Hancock and Myra Hobbs and editor and content coordinator Chris Hobbs are predicting who will wins the games.

Chris Hobbs was 8-2 last week and leads for the season at 98-28. Hancock went 8-2 last week and is 95-31 and Myra Hobbs went 8-2 last week and is 84-42:

SOUTH FORK 2A

NEWTON-CONOVER (6-3, 4-1) at

MAIDEN (6-3, 3-2), 7:30 p.m.

 

The Red Devils and Blue Devils have seldom played varsity football games that were not for high stakes, and the 50^th game of the series fits right in.

Newton-Conover needs a win to keep its separation from Maiden and the winner of tonight’s West Lincoln at East Lincoln game, as that winner will be 4-2 in the league.

If Maiden wins, there’s a three-team tie for second place with one regular season game to go… and that picture could get even muddier if Lincolnton were to upset North Lincoln and then Bandys found a way to also beat North Lincoln next week.

The Blue Devils, led by QB Ethan Rhodes and gotta-know-where-he-is-at-all-times WR Dylan Abernethy, have won four straight over the Red Devils and seven of the last eight meetings, plus four straight at Maiden.

Last year: Maiden won 43-40 in Newton when QB Caleb McDaniel had season-highs of 22 carries for 165 yards rushing and 236 yards of total offense with three rushing scores, two TD passes and a conversion run … Abernathy had five catches for 67 yards and two scoring receptions …Returning RB Allen Wilfong also had season-best’s of 36 carries for 241 yards and four rushing scores for the Red Devils… WR Brandon Johnson, also back for Newton-Conover returned a kickoff 65 yards for a TD, WR Kujuan McClain had nine catches for 109 yards and returning QB Justice Craig threw for 184 yards and a TD.

Did you know?: Maiden leads the all-time series 27-21-1, which includes a 16-6-1 home record against the Red Devils … The teams have one neutral field game, 1988 at Lenoir-Rhyne University when Maiden gave up the home field advantage because of concerns about having enough seating for the game.

Will says: Maiden wins

Myra says: Maiden wins

Hobbs says: Maiden wins

LINCOLNTON (3-6, 1-4)

at NORTH LINCOLN (8-1, 5-0), 7:30 p.m.

North Lincoln can wrap up at least a share of the conference title by winning or if Maiden knocks off Newton-Conover.

The Knights have clearly started to separate themselves from the rest of the league in the last two games, winning 42-0 over Maiden and 43-7 last Friday at Newton-Conover.

RB Jake Soorus is a leader for a solid North Lincoln offense but the best thing about the Knights, who have given up 85 points (the next lowest in the league is 148 by East Lincoln), is their defense.

Lincolnton is in a rebuilding year in its first season under head coach Joe Glass and escaped becoming the first league team that Lake Norman Charter beat since joining the conference. The Wolves scored in the final seconds to win 40-37 last Friday.

A win tonight and another next Friday at Bandys would get Knights head coach Nick Bazzle to 149 career victories heading into the state playoffs.

Last year: North Lincoln won 36-26 at Lincolnton when Soorus ran eight times for 91 yards and three TDs, returning QB Lance Beard ran six times for 68 yards and a score and the Knights attempted only one pass … RB Cayden Wyatt had season-highs of 32 carries for 132 yards and three scores and WR James Woods had 183 yards of total offense for the Wolves.

Did you know?: This is Glass’ 10th game as Lincolnton head coach and his 98th overall and he has 52 career wins… Bazzle is 18-5 at North Lincoln and 147-90 in 19 seasons as a head coach.

Will says: North Lincoln wins

Myra says: North Lincoln wins

Hobbs says: North Lincoln wins

WEST LINCOLN (7-2, 3-2)

at EAST LINCOLN (7-2, 3-2), 7:30 p.m.

There will be a lot of talent on the field tonight in Denver, N.C., when the Rebels face the Mustangs with the two teams heading in at 3-2 each in the league and sharing third place with Maiden.

RB Canon Bridges leads the conference in rushing, and West Lincoln has been solid from the get-go under first-year head coach Darren Ponder.

Ponder has added to the stability the Rebels built in the tenure of now-retired head coach Tom Sain, as they will deliver their fourth straight state playoff bid.

West Lincoln is 16-5 in its last 21 games and will post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 7-3 in 1971 and 6-4 in 1972.

The Mustangs have lost two of their last three after a 6-0 start – including 28-26 at Maiden last Friday when the Blue Devils kicked a field goal as the game ended.

QB Justin Barnett leads East Lincoln, which looks in good position to grab its 15^th consecutive state playoff berth.

Last year: RB Nakathon Phansook ran 22 times for 61 yards and two scores and QB Seth Willis added 122 yards of total offense as West Lincln won 22-0 at home … Returning RB Cole Barber led the Mustangs with 10 carries for 63 yards.

Did you know?: A win tonight will give West Lincoln its seventh season in school history with at least eight wins.

Will says: West Lincoln wins

Myra says: West Lincoln wins

Hobbs says: West Lincoln wins

BANDYS (4-5, 1-4) at

LAKE NORMAN CHARTER (1-8, 0-5), 7:30 p.m.

The Trojans go to Huntersville needing a victory for a number of reasons, chief among them to keep solidly alive their chances of reaching the state playoffs.

Bandys started 3-0, with the third win over 4A South Caldwell on the road, and hasn’t been the same football team since (going 1-5).

Lake Norman Charter has never won a South Fork 2A game (0-19) thought it flirted with getting one last Friday and fell 40-37 at Lincolnton when the Wolves scored in the game’s final minute.

Knights QB Jeff Womack is one of the leading passers in the league.

Bandys is without leading rusher Isaiah Gilchrist for the rest of the season after he broke his right ankle (non-game injury). The injury won’t require surgery but he won’t get back in the lineup.

The Trojans still aren’t throwing the ball much – that’s not the design of head coach Tom Eanes’ option offense – and they could be in a three-way tie for last place if the Knights pull an upset and North Lincoln beats Lincolnton.

The early-season wins and that MaxPreps rankings are in the mix to determine state playoff bids helps Bandys (under the older formats for qualifying the Trojans would probably already be out of the mix because they are in sixth place).

Last year: Bandys won 49-0 at home behind QB Lake Hojancki’s 156 yards passing and three TD throws, two receiving TDs and a TD run by RB Elijah Clarke (2-123 receiving, 5-51 rushing) and RB Ethan Howard’s 18 carries for 165 yards and two TDs.

Did you know?: Bandys has finished with a losing record in three of the previous four seasons … Lake Norman Charter is 4-42 in its conference games since 2013.

Will says: Bandys wins

Myra says: Bandys wins

Hobbs says: Bandys wins

NORTHWESTERN FOOTHILLS 2A

BUNKER HILL (5-4, 4-1) at PATTON (3-6, 2-3), 7:30 p.m.

Anyone giving Bunker Hill head coach Patrick Clark consideration for conference Coach of the Year?

Before the season began, there was speculation the Bears could be better. They’ve delivered on that and are going for their fifth straight victory tonight in Morganton.

A win over Patton would assure Bunker Hill it’s not going to finish any worse than tied for second in the league, which would be the Bears’ conference finish since tying for second place in 2000 (7-5, 4-2 Southern District 7 2A) under head coach Randy Faucette.

Patton is 3-0 against Bunker Hill, winning by eight, 43 and 39 points.

That we are this late in the season and the Bears are still alive mathematically in the chase for a league title should have Bears fans excited.

The last time Bunker Hill was a conference champ in football? That was 1980 when the players nicknamed their unit, which shared a title with Maiden, the AKM (A… Kickin’ Machine).

The last outright varsity football title at The Hill? 1968.

Last year: Patton won 39-0 at Bunker Hill with returning QB Weston Fleming scoring on two 1-yard runs, RB Jamir Epps gaining 80 yards on nine carries with two rushing TDs and RB Bryson Ratliff, who is back, rushing 17 times for 80 yards.

Did you know?: A win by Patton would even head coach Jonathan Browining’s record at 11-11 … The Bears’ best league finish in the previous 18 seasons was a tie for fourth place in the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A in 2010 and a tie for fourth place in the Southern District 7 2A in 2013, both under head coach Scott Conner.

Will says: Bunker Hill wins

Myra says: Bunker Hill wins

Hobbs says: Bunker Hill wins

FRED T. FOARD (1-8, 1-4)

at EAST BURKE (2-7, 1-4), 7:30 p.m.

Note: Game postponed until Monday, 7:30 p.m.

The Tigers come off a bye week to take a run at getting out of 2019 with more than one victory in the second tenure of Ryan Gettys as head coach.

Foard’s only win this season is 26-14 against Patton while the Cavs’ wins are over Highland Tech and West Caldwell.

RB Corey Siemer continues to shine for Foard, which has one win in five trips to Icard since the first matchup in 1994.

East Burke has won the last two games in the series in its stadium, 13-7 in overtime in 2000 and 34-3 there in 2007.

The Cavs have one of the league’s best RBs in Josh Moore, who this season has already become their career rushing leader.

Last year: Fred T. Foard rolled 63-14 at Foard as QB Jack Colosimo ran 24, 47 and 12 yards for TDs and had his third kickoff return TD (82 yards, other two were both 88 yards)… Siemer carried nine times for 233 yards with TD runs of 13, 53 and 57 yards … Moore cleared 1,000 rushing yards for the season with 28 carries for 127 yards and a TD; it was his seventh 100-yard game of the year.

Did you know?: Foard’s 7-9 record against Burke County (versus Draughn, East Burke and Freedom) includes going 1-4 at East Burke and 2-6 in road games… Foard’s win in Icard was 10-7 in 1998.

Will says: Fred T. Foard wins

Myra says: East Burke wins

Hobbs says: East Burke wins

HIBRITEN (8-1, 5-0) at WEST IREDELL (5-4, 3-2), 7:30 p.m.

The Panthers really haven’t skipped a beat in their first season under head coach Sam Mackey.

If Hibriten wins tonight, it wraps up the conference championship. The Panthers have won three straight league crowns and go in to tonight’s game at 52-3 in their last 55 games.

West Iredell is 15-17 in its last 32 games under head coach Monte Simmons, a former Hibriten assistant who has 18 wins since taking the Warriors’ position five years ago.

The QBs in this game are worth watching – Eli Kitchens for West Iredell and Daren Perry for Hibriten.

The Panthers have four straight wins over the Warriors but trail in the series (since 1983) by 10-7.

Last year: RBs Marqwone Jones (8-97, two TDs) and Gee Witherspoon (5-126, two TDs) paced Hibriten in a 56-14 home win in which returning K Griffin Bryson toed eight extra points.

Did you know?: The Panthers last won at West Iredell in 2014 (67-39) and they are 3-4 there since 1983, the other wins coming in 1998 and 2000.

Will says: Hibriten wins

Myra says: Hibriten wins

Hobbs says: Hibriten wins

DRAUGHN (5-4, 2-3) at WEST CALDWELL (1-8, 1-4), 7:30 p.m.

The Wildcats need a victory tonight in Lenoir to become the second-winningest team in school history (the 2011 team went 9-4).

Draughn has lost back-to-back games – by one point at Bunker Hill and by 56 to Hibriten – after a five-game win streak.

QB Braxton Cox is posting big numbers as Draughn sits in a tie for third place with West Iredell.

West Caldwell, with Mike Biggerstaff back as head coach, snapped a 21-game losing streak by beating Fred T. Foard.

Last year: Did not play as Draughn was in the Northwestern Foothills 2A and West Caldwell played in the Northwestern 3A-4A and moved down a classification via an approved petition to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) because of declining enrollment.

Did you know?: Draughn is vying for its third state playoff bid and first since going back-to-back in 2011 and 2012 under head coach Scott Lambert … The Warriors reached the postseason seven times in nine years is Biggerstaff’s first tenure there (1979-1987).

Will says: Draughn wins

Myra says: Draughn wins

Hobbs says: Draughn wins

NORTHWESTERN 3A-4A

WATAUGA (9-1, 5-0)

at FREEDOM (6-3, 3-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Pioneers arrive in Morganton needing a win to close the regular season and to go home as a repeat Northwestern 3A-4A champion.

Watauga has won three straight in a series dominated by the Patriots since 1980 (29-6 Freedom) but they’ll have to bring their ‘A’ game to close out the title.

If Freedom wins and Hickory wins tonight, there will be a three-way tie – the Patriots, the Red Tornadoes and the Pioneers – for first place with one week to go.

The QBs alone, Jayden Birchfield for Freedom and Anderson Castle for Watauga, are worth the price of admission.

Pioneers head coach Ryan Habich says his team is not as athletically gifted overall as the Patriots, but Watauga is winning by playing team ball. That might sound like a cliché, but the pieces have fit.

RB Jaiden Bond is one of the league’s top athletes and the Pioneers have enough of them to make a state playoff run.

What may determine just how far Watauga can go is the matchups; i.e. if the Pioneers draw multiple big (city) schools with deep rosters of athletes, those games will be challenging.

Freedom will get into the state playoffs but hasn’t played well in them the last few years.

Last year: Watauga won 35-16 in Boone behind Castle and Bond with Castle rushing 14 times for 182 yards and scores on runs of 82, 2 and 9 yards and a TD pass … Bond ran six times for 66 yards, moving within 13 of 1,000 for the season … Birchfield went 15 of 32 with two interceptions, throwing for 132 yards and leaving Boone with 2,256 for the year.

Did you know?: In its current three-game win streak in the series, Watauga has outscored Freedom 126-23… The Pioneers’ wins (since 1982) in Morganton in 16 games — 2007, 2016, 2017.

Will says: Watauga wins

Myra says: Freedom wins

Hobbs says: Watauga wins

ALEXANDER CENTRAL (6-3, 2-2)

at HICKORY (3-6, 3-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Cougars and Red Tornadoes don’t play many blowout games and tonight’s game at Barger Stadium could keep the scoreboard operator pretty busy.

Alexander Central got off to a hot start this season but then dropped its first two league games, virtually eliminating contending for a conference title.

Hickory, battling injuries and having to change quarterbacks at least four times, has played its way into the conference race for head coach Russell Stone (276 career wins, 14 at HHS).

Red Tornadoes RB Cody Young brings it as consistently as any offensive skill position player out there but HHS could be outmatched because the Cougars have multiple offensive threats (RB Steven Montgomery, QB Lance Justice, RB A.J. Miller).

With a win tonight and another next Friday against St. Stephens, the Red Tornadoes would be playoff bound with a 5-6 record.

Don’t be surprised if Stone gets some votes/consideration from his peers when they vote for league coach of the year.

Last year: The Cougars won 31-17 in Taylorsville as Montgomery scored his 10th rushing TD of the year, Miller ran 10 times for 62 yards and had three catches for 73 yards — one a TD — and Justice threw for 98 yards… Young had 20 carries for 65 yards and a TD run, his 19th of the year, and QB Bryce Stober ran for 76 yards with a TD and had 163 yards of total offense.

Did you know?: Stone (453) and the Cougars’ Butch Carter (218) have been head coach in a combined 671 games … Carter has a 136-92 record in 19 seasons that includes 32-13 at Alexander Central … HHS had an eight-game win streak in the series from 1995 through 2004.

Will says: Alexander Central wins

Myra says: Hickory wins

Hobbs says: Alexander Central wins

SOUTH CALDWELL (4-5, 1-3)

at ST. STEPHENS (4-5, 1-3), 7:30 p.m.

The Spartans are going to make the state 4A or 4AA playoffs no matter what happens in this game on Springs Road tonight.

The winner of South Caldwell and McDowell (the only 4A teams in the league) automatically earn a state playoff bid … and some years, that’s not a great football team getting into the bracket.

The Spartans aren’t great this year but they have vastly improved from a year ago, led by QB Avery Raynor.

The Indians are still playing with an eye on a state playoff spot, and beating South Caldwell is a need if only for momentum.

St. Stephens closes next Friday against Hickory, a game that could have the Indians going for a 6-5 record.

With the MaxPreps rankings playing a role on who gets in, having back-to-back losses to teams that were under .500 when you played them would not be the numbers the Indians may need if they are to go to the football postseason for the 11^th time in school history.

Last year: South Caldwell won 44-28 in Hudson with Raynor rushing 19 times for 212 yards and three scoring runs with 321 yards of total offense… Returning RB Isaiah Kirby added 11 carries for 69 yards and a TD … QB Connor Williams threw for 100 yards and WR Zach Lee had five catches for 63 yards for the Indians.

Did you know?: Maiden is 13-7 in its last 20 games … The Blue Devils have won or shared a league title only two times in the previous 12 year …  East Lincoln’s record in games at Maiden since 1982 is 2-5.

Will says: St. Stephens wins

Myra says: St. Stephens wins

Hobbs says: South Caldwell wins