Eastern Randolph starts slow but wins big to move on

RAMSEUR — It’s a debate that has gone on for as long as byes have been implemented in high school sports: Is it better to play in the first round of a tournament or have a bye while your opponent plays and remains in a competitive setting?

There’s definitely arguments for both sides, but there’s little debate that after a bye, it takes a while for the team to shake off the rust when it returns to competition. 

It may have taken the Eastern Randolph High School varsity football team a little longer than hoped to shake off the rust in Friday’s second round of the NCHSAA state 3-A playoffs against Union Academy, but once that rust came off, a bright, shiny team emerged with a dominating performance.

The third-seeded Wildcats broke away from a slim seven-point lead by scoring 29 unanswered points in a span of 6 minutes and 37 seconds of the second half to record a 43-7 win over the Cardinals to advance to the third round for the fourth straight season. ER (9-2) was ousted in third-round action in 2024 and 2022, while reaching the fourth round in 2023.

Traveling to ER Friday night will be sixth-seeded Walkertown, a team that moved into the third round after a 67-0 win over Wheatmore. The 9-1 Wolfpack have won four straight, all by shutouts, defeating McMichael 60-0, Carver 30-0, Morehead 34-0 and Wheatmore 67-0. That’s a 191-0 point differential in the last four wins.

At ER, it took the Wildcats a while to get going.

“The first half was rusty,” ER veteran coach Burton Cates said after the Wildcats returned to the field for the first time since Oct. 30. “We didn’t execute like we have been. But I’m really proud of the way we played in the second half. We made some adjustments and they went out there and took care of it.”

Not right away.

The Cardinals took the second-half kickoff and drove 77 yards in 14 plays, taking 7:34 off the clock, culminating the drive with a 1-yard sneak from sophomore quarterback Nico Mendoza. That cut their deficit to 14-7 and the Wildcats still couldn’t find a way to slow down the short passing attack of Mendoza and his receivers. Mendoza would end up 25 of 36 for 203 yards.

While the Cardinals had the long, time-consuming drive to draw within a touchdown, it took Cade McCallum and the Wildcats one play, an 80-yard touchdown run by McCallum, to get that touchdown back.

That opened the floodgates as after an interception by Aiden Goodman, James Combs broke free for a 44-yard scoring run, Chance Holdaway hauled in a 36-yard TD strike from McCallum and Combs returned an interception — ER’s fifth pick and sixth forced turnover — 42 yards for a touchdown. That made it 43-7 with 9:28 to play.

“We knew we had a slow start, so everybody just picked it up, said let’s go,” Combs said. “Sometimes we mess up, but after that we get back in it and try to get it again.”

The Wildcats’ first two drives of the game ended with an interception and a turnover 

on downs. ER started without leading rusher Kobe Walker, who had registered 942 yards and 15 touchdowns coming in. Walker injured a hamstring during the Wildcats’ bye week and tweaked it last Tuesday. He continually informed the coaching staff he would be alright, so he took the field in the second quarter. A couple of runs netted five yards, but on his third carry, he broke through the defense for a 43-yard gain to the 13, where he scored from on his next carry.

After an interception by Day’Veion Ford got the ball right back, Walker scored on a 3-yard run to make it 14-0.

“I was pumped, I was ready to go in and do something for my team,” said Walker, who did not play defense where he had been one of the top linebackers in the state. “I knew we could do it, but it took awhile to get comfortable because it’s been awhile since we played because of the bye week.”

Walker said although he was feeling good mentally after the win because it allows us “to get another week of football in,” he admitted his hamstring was still a serious issue. Walker finished with 98 yards rushing on just six carries and added a two-point conversion run in the second half.

Combs added 95 yards on eight carries along with his interception return for a score for ER. 

“Him and James run hard, we need them 

both healthy,” Cates said. “Kobe kept saying he was here for us. That’s his mentality.”

No doubt the Wildcats will need Walker and Combs on both sides of the ball against the Wolfpack, who have scored 462 points this season, while allowing fewer than 14 points per contest.