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A lot of things happened on Friday night.
Fred T. Foard won big over Patton for its first 4-0 start since 1981. St. Stephens held on against Hickory for the first time since 1993. In a game that's usually close, Newton-Conover topped Maiden 36-7. And those Bears from Bunker Hill finally picked up a win after 22 straight losses.
In what has already become a historic prep football season in Catawba County, the final year that all seven teams will be in the same league has yet to disappoint. If someone would have predicted the three teams that are currently tied for the lead in the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A-3A Conference — Fred T. Foard, Hibriten and Newton-Conover — most people would have probably laughed at them.
Those are the three teams that are laughing now. The Tigers (4-0, 2-0) are shocking everybody, the Panthers (4-0, 2-0) are sneaking up on people and the Red Devils (4-0, 2-0) are just flat out dominant. While Hibriten was off, Fred T. Foard and Newton-Conover didn't just win, they won in convincing fashion. The Tigers racked up 363 yards offensively in a 48-7 rout of Patton Friday, where Patton didn't score until 15 seconds left in the contest. The Red Devils used a strong second half to send Maiden home with its third straight loss. With the way the first five weeks of the season have played out, it looks as if those three teams are going to fight it out for the final CVAC crown, which gets broken up when statewide realignment begins next school year. Of course there are still seven playing dates remaining, which means anything can happen. How about those Bears: It took 23 games, but Bunker Hill (1-3, 1-1) got a win for second-year head coach Ron Turner. It took more than four quarters of football to do it, but John Seagle's 10-yard touchdown run in overtime sent the Bears to a 29-22 victory against host West Caldwell and some much needed confidence. Trailing 14-6 in the third quarter, the Bears scored 16 unanswered points to take a 22-14 lead. The Warriors (0-4, 0-2) tied the game with 56 seconds left, but the Bears didn't break, scoring on their first possession in overtime. They stopped West Caldwell from scoring, too. After all the heartbreakers Bunker Hill has had to endure, this one should go a long way in rebuilding a team's confidence in itself and the school for which it plays. How about those Indians: Ever since their season-opening 43-14 drilling of West Lincoln, the Indians' offense has sputtered. They couldn't have picked a better night to wake it up. Behind three TDs from running back Caleb Peterson, St. Stephens (3-1, 1-1) picked up its first win against Hickory since 1993. The 28-21 contest was played at Barger Stadium, home to the last Indians' victory in the series 15 years ago. The three scoring drives they had Friday — drives of 68, 70 and 70 yards — were more than they had managed in their previous two games combined. While Hickory (2-2, 1-1) managed a second-half comeback, St. Stephens held strong, with Peterson finding the end zone on a go-ahead 2-yard run with 7 minutes to play. With the Indians' only loss coming to unbeaten Newton-Conover, they are in good position to take one of the two league 3A playoff berths. With the Red Devils and Red Tornadoes behind it, St. Stephens has a legitimate shot at finishing with only two more losses. The Indians host Hibriten this week, and are at Fred T. Foard on Nov. 7. Tigers make history, too: Fred T. Foard just keeps surprising people.
Two weeks ago, the Tigers won at Maiden for the first time since 1982. Last week, they started 4-0 for the first time since 1981. Can they keep it up? The offense has been stellar, averaging just over 40 points per game, tied with Hibriten. The defense is tops in the league at allowing just seven points per game. It'll be interesting to see what the league's top two scoring defenses do against each other Friday night when Newton-Conover comes to town. Red ones win — big: The halftime score of the Maiden-Newton-Conover game Friday night was much more indicative of how the Blue Devils-Red Devils game should be. The score was 7-0 Newton-Conover. The final score ended up being 36-7, Newton-Conover. That's not what we're used to seeing when these two teams meet. So far this year, Maiden has been searching for answers. It has lost three straight. It can't stop the run. And it's having trouble running itself. Polar opposites, Newton-Conover can do all the things Maiden can't, and then some. It leads the league in team rushing and boasts the league's leading rusher in Dorian Jones. The Red Devils are also No. 3 in the state 2A poll. Simply put, they're just better. |
