Bennett, Sigmon score twice each as East Burke wins big at West Caldwell

Junior quarterback Carter Bennett broke the century mark on the ground for the first time at the varsity level, rushing 24 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns as East Burke won 48-8 at West Caldwell on Friday.

Bennett also completed 11 of 16 passes for 106 yards, ran for three two-point conversions, and passed for two-point conversions twice to RJ Williams as the Cavaliers (2-4, 2-1) won for the second time in three weeks since opening Western Piedmont 3A/4A Conference play.

With the team's top two running backs – Burke County leading rusher Ossie Burkeen and preseason projected starter Zayne Newman – both sidelined by injuries, sophomore Brayden Sigmon saw his first varsity action and filled in admirably with 70 yards and two TDs on 18 carries to go with a two-point run.

Sigmon ran for the Cavs' longest score of the night, covering 15 yards with 7:26 left in the third quarter, to push EB's 30-point halftime margin to 40-2 and usher in the running clock.

Williams (five catches, 36 yards) ran for a TD, as did Trevor Fraley, who added two tackles for loss on defense.

Cayson Mooneyham had a team-high 37 receiving yards plus an interception, tackle for loss, and two pass breakups for the Cavs' defense, which also got big contributions from Daniel Cook (team-high 10 tackles; two for loss, including a sack), Kendale Cook (six tackles), Joseph Lee (forced fumble), Aiden Pyatte (tackle for loss), and Jesiah Rees (five tackles, one for loss).

West Caldwell scored a first-half safety on an EB high punt snap that bounced out of the end zone, and its second-half TD came on a one-play drive on a 51-yard pass.

WATAUGA 42, FREEDOM 20

The Pioneers spoiled the Patriots’ homecoming on Friday in Morganton, scoring touchdowns on all four of their first-half possessions en route to a 22-point victory in both teams’ Northwestern 6A/7A Conference opener.

Each squad was unbeaten entering the contest, which saw Watauga earn its 42nd consecutive conference win dating back to 2017 as well as its 10th straight victory over Freedom (5-1, 0-1 NWC) since a 54-21 loss in Boone during the 2015 season. As for the Pats, they fell short in their bid to start 6-0 for the first time since 1999.

Watauga found the end zone three times in the opening quarter, first on a 3-yard run from Bowen Mayo that capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive to begin the game. The Pioneers’ other first-quarter TDs came on a 1-yard scamper from Matthew Leon at the 2:59 mark and a 41-yard pass from Cade Keller to Nyle Peays with 1:39 left.

After going three-and-out the first two times it had the ball, Freedom put together an 11-play, 80-yard series that ended when Kaden Davis scored from 5 yards out with 9:14 remaining in the second period. Other plays of note during the drive included runs of 15 and 10 yards from Jaiveon Belin, a 19-yard pass from Davis to Kobe Johnson, a 14-yard pass from Davis to Ty Adkins, and a 12-yard run from Julius Dominguez.

Watauga responded with another scoring drive, however, with Everett Gryder crossing the goal line from 3 yards out to give the visitors a 28-7 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the Pats cut the deficit to 28-14 via a 25-yard scoring strike from Davis to Adkins with 4:16 remaining, but the Pioneers answered with a 77-yard TD burst from Keller less than a minute later before Kyle Williams intercepted a Freedom pass to set up a 15-play, 74-yard drive that ended when Keller connected with Gryder for a 25-yard TD pass with 8:16 left in the fourth.

From there, Davis accounted for the final score when he notched a 3-yard TD run with 3:28 to play.

Despite the loss, Freedom became the first team to notch a takeaway against the Pioneers this fall when Belin recovered a Watauga fumble midway through the third period. Additionally, the 20 points scored by the Pats were the most allowed by the Pioneers.

Freedom kicker Ian Clark recorded touchbacks on three of his four kickoffs – his last one was an onside kick attempt that was recovered by Watauga following the Pats’ final TD – and made a pair of extra-point attempts. On the other side, the Pioneers’ Miller Hankins made all six of his PATs to improve to 35-for-35 on the season.

Finally, although he got off to a slow start through the air, Davis ultimately passed for more than 100 yards, something he has done in every game this year.