For second straight season, 1-point game decides PAC title

RAMSEUR — Most high school football teams have one running back they like to feature. A tough, hard-nosed individual who can chew up yardage and help move the offense down the field.

Some football teams are fortunate to have a pair of running backs who can contribute to the ground game. This keeps the running backs fresher and gives opposing teams another weapon they have to try and control.
But when a team has three running backs it can turn to in any scenario or in any part of a game, that is special. Eastern Randolph is a special football team.

The ER running back trio of Lucas Smith, Kobe Walker and James Combs rushed for a combined 320 yards and sparked a fourth-quarter 57-yard scoring drive that featured all runs as the Wildcats posted a 27-26 victory over Randleman Friday night for their fourth straight Piedmont Athletic Conference championship.

The Wildcats (10-0) have now won 20 straight league games, which is every conference battle in the four-year realignment period.

“I wouldn’t say we’re surprised because we know the work we put in and we know what it takes to get there,” said senior Lucas Smith, who rushed for 125 yards on 15 carries. “Every day we think about it and we want it, but it’s not the end goal.”

ER has used a stout rushing attack all season, with all three sharing the limelight. Sophomore quarterback Cade McCallum has certainly shown a great deal of progression through the season, thanks in part to a running game that is very difficult to contain.

“James has such great balance, Lucas has strength and balance and Kobe has speed and balance,” veteran ER coach Burton Cates said. “He has explosive speed. When he gets out, it's hard to catch him.”

In the go-ahead touchdown drive that was finished with 4:42 to play, Smith carried four times for 28 yards, including a three-yard scoring run, Combs once for four yards and Walker five times for 34 yards. Walker rushed for 151 yards on just 15 carries, averaging just a tick over 10 yards per carry. 

And as with all teams, the running game begins on the offensive line. ER features a much-improving offensive line that included Will Staker, Maddox Carson, Eber Castanon, Peyton DeWitt and Jackson Hare.

“I have to thank the offensive line,” Walker said. “Without them, none of that would happen. They controlled the line up front all game and we just carried the ball and got yards.”

Smith agreed.

“The offensive line made the holes and we ran through them,” Smith said. “They started rough this season, some of them didn’t know what to do. The offseason is what really brought us in. Every day coming to work. All of them wanted to work, all of them wanted to get better, all of them put the hours in. 

“When you see that as a running back, it makes you want to go harder.”

The offensive line spent a great deal of time working together in June and July and that extra work is paying off.  

“You have to go back to the summer when they worked by themselves at Southeast Middle School as a group. They would lift weights and then go work on fundamentals. That time in June and July really brought them together. (The running backs) say nothing but positive things about the offensive line.”

There’s also a special mindset.

“We have a lot of dogs on our team,” Stalker said. “We are a gelled-together team. When we come off the ball, we kill everybody.”

The Tigers looked pretty gelled-together as well, especially after suffering an upset loss to Trinity the week before, as they battled back to score with just 2:42 left on a 30-yard pass from John Kirkpatrick to Chase Farlow, who caught scoring passes of 80 and 30 yards in the contest. But the potential game-tying PAT went wide and the Wildcats were able to use their strong running game to run out the clock.

After DaSean Shamberger pounced on the onsides kick, Walker carried four straight times for 33 yards to force the Tigers to use all their timeouts. A couple of kneel-downs ended the game.

The one-point win matched the 22-21 victory the Wildcats recorded over the Tigers last season. ER now leads the overall series 25-10.

RHS quarterback John Kirkpatrick threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. 

Now, both teams will have an extra week to get ready for the playoffs. The NCHSAA added a week to the regular season because of Hurricane Helene to allow the teams in the Western part of the state to schedule missed games.

And when the playoffs do start, expect the Wildcats to unleash their three-headed monster once again.