Bandys’ Joshua Williams (34) looks for yardage on one of his three carries on Friday night in the Trojans’ home game against Bunker Hill. Bandys ran for more than 220 yards but the Bears surprised them and won 12-9 at Butler Stadium./MICHELLE THOMPSON PHOTO
SOUTH FORK 2A ROUNDUP
Ethan Rhodes throws for 5 TDs as Maiden pounds St. Stephens
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Cannon Bridges led visiting West Lincoln High on both sides of the ball Friday night as the Rebels remained unbeaten by routing Fred T. Foard 41-7, winning the Battle of Hog Hill for the fourth time in five seasons.
PONDER
Bridges ran 27 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns and added 11 tackles – two for lost yardage – and three sacks as West Lincoln improved to 3-0 in Darren Ponder’s first season as head coach.
Xander Pendergrass provided 10 carries for 56 yards and two scores and Mason Huitt ran for 49 yards on five carries and a score for West Lincoln.
Chandler Carpenter had six tackles (one for lost yardage) and one sack, Pendergrass had six tackles and Huitt made four tackles and had an interception for the Rebels.
Foard (0-4) was shutout a week after scoring 52 points at home against Draughn but falling 55-52.
Bunker Hill 12, Bandys 9
The Bears stunned the Trojans, snapping their 10-game home win streak, to gain their first victory of the season and the third since Patrick Clark became head coach.
Bunker Hill (1-3) had an early 6-0 lead before Bandys (3-1) took a 7-6 lead on a 10-yard scoring run by Chris Culliver and PAT by Jesse Pope. The score was set up by a pass of more than 40 yards from Parker DeHart to Parker Styborski.
The Bears went in front 12-7 on a 9-yard TD run by Kaden Robinson in the second quarter.
Bandys pulled within three points when Mason Edmondson sacked Bunker Hill quarterback Carson Elder for a safety.
The Trojans had won two straight and four of their last five against the Bears, who now trail in the all-time series 34-27-1.
The victory was the first for Bunker Hill in Butler Stadium since 2013, and Bandys had won 12 of the last 13 times the Bears had visited.
Bandys lost for only the third time in 18 games since Tom Eanes became head coach two years ago (other losses at Hickory, at Hibriten).
Chris Culliver (1), who had 42 rushing yards on six carries, scores Bandys’ only TD on Friday night in the Trojans’ 12-9 home loss against Bunker Hill./MICHELLE THOMPSON PHOTO
Maiden 41, St. Stephens 14
Maiden quarterback Ethan Rhodes had the hot hand, throwing for five TDs – three to Brennan James and twice to Dylan Abernethy – as the host Blue Devils (3-1) rolled past the Indians (1-2).
The Blue Devils extended their win streak in the series to eight straight and improved to 31-5 against St. Stephens since 1980.
Rhodes, who came in leading the South Fork 2A in passing at nearly 220 yards a game, hit Abernethy for scores of 15 and 6 yards and found James for TDs on throws that covered 42, 27 and 35 yards.
Abernethy, who had nine catches for 194 yards, and James each have six TD receptions this season.
Maiden led 21-0 after one quarter and 34-7 at the half.
St. Stephens’s first score, with about a minute left in the half, came on a 17-yard pass from quarterback Connor Williams to Zach Lee. The Indians’ other score was a 1-yard run by Chance Yang.
Lee had a dozen catches for more than 100 yards.
Sakarri Morrison (34) and Keagen Covington (5) try to wrap up a Hendersonville rusher in Friday’s game at Hendersonville, where the Bearcats scored in the final minute to win 38-31./HENDERSONVILLE TIMES PHOTO
Hendersonville 38, Newton-Conover 31
Woodson Hunter scored on a 1-yard run with less than a minute to play as Hendersonville (3-1) nipped the visiting Red Devils (2-1) in a game that did not kick off until around 9:30 p.m. because of bad weather.
Hunter also had a 53-yard scoring run with about four minutes to go in the third quarter that opened Hendersonville’s lead to 31-17.
The Bearcats grabbed an early 14-0 lead on a 35-yard TD run by Jayelon Gaines and, after a fumble recovery at the Red Devils’ 9, a 10-yard pass from Hunter to Dorian Allen.
The Red Devils threw for two scores and a 14-all tie and Hendersonville broke a 17-all tie with two scores in a span of three minutes in the third quarter.
East Lincoln 41, North Gaston 21
The Mustangs (3-0) won at home by racing to a 35-0 lead by halftime.
Quarterback Justin Barnette threw for three scores and Austin Smith had a TD reception and ran for one score.
Running back Lucas McConnell had a TD catch and added a rushing score for East Lincoln.
Paulie Menegay picked up a fumble on defense and scored for the Mustangs, who improved to 15-13 since David Lubowicz became head coach three seasons ago.
Lincolnton 14, East Gaston 3
The Wolves (2-2) got rushing TDs by Amontre Finger and Tiaje Ross to hand Joe Glass his first home victory as head coach.
Finger scored on a 5-yard run with about five minutes to go in the first quarter and Ross’ 5-yard TD run came with nine minutes to play.
East Gaston (0-3) kicked a field goal with less than a minute to play in the first half and trailed 7-3.
Glass picked up his 51st career victory a week after his first Wolves win – over North Gaston on the road 0-0 got him No. 50.
Lake Norman Charter 42, Highland Tech 27
The Knights (1-3) got the first win of the second tenure of Bob McKay as head coach out of the way by downing the Rams in Gastonia.
Lake Norman Charter scored 30 of its points in the second half, dropping Highland Tech to 1-2.
No other game details were available.