Eastern Randolph dominates Randleman, 35-14

RAMSEUR  — There have been many constants for the Eastern Randolph High School varsity football team since Burton Cates took over for his second stint as head coach in 2018. The Wildcats are going to swarm to the football defensively and take advantage of extra opportunities afforded to them.

Those characteristics paid dividends once again last Friday night as the Wildcats recorded a 35-14 win over Randleman to improve to 2-0 on the season.

ER broke free from a tight game at halftime, extending a 14-7 halftime lead to 35-7 until late in the game.

It was the Wildcats’ fifth straight win in the rivalry as they forced three RHS turnovers while not turning the ball at all. The ER defense allowed just seven rushing yards all game.

“I thought we played hard, didn’t play smart at times,” said Cates, who is in his 41st year as a head coach. “We had some situations in the first half where we really helped them out. But we settled down. It was tough because Southern Alamance never threw the ball and you turn around and play a passing team. It takes a little while to get your sea legs.”

The ER defense, led by Kobe Walker, James Combs, Maddox Carson, Day’Veion Ford, Aidan Goodman and others made things very difficult for the RHS offense, which is led by John Kirkpatrick, one of the top quarterbacks in the area. Kirkpatrick was under constant pressure all game.

“That was one of the keys,” Cates said of containing Kirkpatrick in the pocket. “He can throw it 65 yards without much trouble. If you don’t get pressure on him and he rolls to the right, he can throw it a ton. I thought our secondary played well. They disguised their coverages really well.”

ER took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when it recovered a fumble at the RHS 6-yard line on the very first play of the game and Kobe Walker, who rushed for 148 yards, scored from the 3.

RHS tied the game with a nifty 14-play, 70-yard scoring drive, which culminated with a 2-yard run from Kaden Saunders. 

Then, late in the first half, ER drove the ball down field and although there was a fumble from the RHS 2-yard line, ER’s Chance Holdaway, who would later catch a TD strike from Cade McCallum, fell on the ball in the end zone for a 14-7 lead at the break.

ER opened the second half with a scoring drive as Holdaway caught a 15-yard TD strike from McCallum.

“We scored right before the half and came out in the second half and put it in to make it 21-7,” Cates said. “That helped us quite a bit. If you’re able to score right at the end of the half and then early in the second, it’s big.”

Walker’s second TD run in the fourth quarter and a 42-yard pass from McCallum to Cainin Glover, along with the fifth PAT from Joel Salinas, ended the ER scoring.

RHS backup quarterback Reid Herring threw a TD pass to Nazir Staton for RHS’ final points.

“I mentioned to the coaches right before the game started that the electricity was not here like it is when we usually play Randleman,” Cates said of the past two one-point wins that decided the league title. “We had been successful the last four years and one year they are going to beat us. But it doesn’t have to be this year.”

Randleman will travel to another county rival Friday night as they head to Asheboro to play the 2-0 Blue Comets.

ER will travel to 1-1 Union PInes.