Alexander Central 35 Freedom 7
Taylorsville: Fight or flee ! After a gut wrenching loss last week to Hibriten, Alexander Central’s Football Team chose to fight and fight well on Friday night. The visitors from Morganton would find the Cougars determined to pronounce themselves as a formidable foe.
The Cougars dominated Freedom 35-7 . The visiting Patriots can confirm you can’t score if you don’t have the ball. ACHS had the ball 36:03 compared to Freedom’s 11:57. They did it with a bruising ground game and throw it when they please offense.
The Blue and Gold took the opening kick and marched it 74 yards in 10 plays. QB Tanner Moore hit tight end Maddox Fairchild from 29 yards. Kicker Carson Davis added the point after touchdown and it was 7-0.
Alexander Central scored again after marching 84 yards in 11 plays. Fullback Sawyer Chapman-Mays ran in from 3 yards, it was 14-0 with 10:02 left in the second period.
AC would strike again after recovering a pooch kick at the Patriot 32. Braydon Rowe would find paydirt from 7 yards and the home team led 21-0
Freedom would put their lone points of the night on the scoreboard with 3:26 left in the first half when Kaden Davis hit Kayden Lytle with a 30-yard td pass. The teams went to half with the Cougars leading 21-7
Coach Butch Carter’s Cougars made it 28-7 after a 86 yard, 10 play drive. Mays scored from 6 yards.
Alexander Central would cap the night with a 4th quarter, 3-yard run by QB Tanner Moore.
Sophomore fullback Sawyer Chapman-Mays carried the ball 33 times for 172 yards. Most of those yards came after contact. Senior Braydon Rowe gained 113 yards on 18 carries. ACHS rushed for 318 yards.
Tanner Moore was 5-6 passing for 117 yards and a score.
The Cougars out gained Freedom 435 to 188.
Sawyer Chapman-Mays led the ACHS defense with 5 tackles.
Alexander Central finishes the regular season 5-5 and 3-2 in Northwestern Conference play. It seems all but certain they will be a part of the State 4A Playoff that begin next Friday.
The playoff pairings will be released Saturday by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Freedom ends the season at 3-7.