The Hobbton Middle Wildcats’ football team dominated the Leopards of Roseboro-Salemburg Middle Tuesday afternoon. The final score was 20-0.
The Wildcats had first chance at the ball and made good on it. They started their drive at their 36 yard line. Milo Brewington orchestrated a flawless 64 yard drive finishing with a 30-yard pass play to Kyrie Best. The PAT was good on a run by DaRon Boykin. The Wildcats were up 8-0 with 5:15 left in the first quarter.
After starting at their 36-yard line, the Leopard drive was stopped by a lost fumble at their 37-yard line with the Wildcats recovering with 2 seconds left in the first quarter.
That drive stalled as the Wildcats lost the handle with the Leopards recovering. That drive ended with a short fourth down try. With 1:26 left in the half, the Wildcats started at their 25-yard line. That drive stalled with the Leopards taking over with 32 ticks left on the clock. On first down, the Leopards’ quarterback Wallace Strickland went down hard and had to leave the game. The Leopards downed the ball to end the half.
The Leopards started the second half at their 45-yard line after a short kickoff. They marched down to the Wildcat 8-yard line where the handoff was fumbled. The Wildcats’ Boykin came out of the pile with the ball and scampered, untouched, 92 yards for the score. The PAT failed. The Wildcats were up 14-0 with 3:28 left in the third quarter.
The ensuing kickoff bounced of the knee of a Leopard bounding back upfield for about 10 yards where RaMir Mallety jumped on it. The Wildcats had the ball in Leopard territory at the 42-yard line. The Wildcats’ Brewington put up a long pass which the Leopard defense read perfectly with Nazir Rodgers picking it off at the Leopard 15-yard line as the third quarter wound down.
With 5:11 left in the game, Brewington returned the favor picking off a Strickland pass and scampering 22 yards for another score. The PAT failed on a run. The score was 20-0, Wildcats.
The Leopards tried again; but, came up short on an incomplete fourth down pass. As there was 35 seconds left, the game was pretty much over at that point.
Following a big rivalry victory over Roseboro-Salemburg, Hobbton Middle School head coach Kelvin Stevens couldn’t help but beam with pride over the way his players performed, both on the field and in character.
“Man, I’m proud,” Stevens said. “To play a game like that against Roseboro, you know what it was, it was pretty big. I think these guys knew it too. We told them the game is a reward, and for them to have the kind of great practices they’ve had these past couple of days, and then go out and do what they did yesterday and get rewarded with a win, I’m proud of them. They really hustled and showed that the black and gold is still making a statement.”
With the win, Hobbton positioned itself in strong contention for the county championship, with one final conference showdown against Sampson Middle still ahead.
“The first time we played them, it wasn’t a conference game,” Stevens explained. “They beat Roseboro last week, and they’re still undefeated in the conference, same as us. So next week will determine the championship since both of us are open the last week of the season. It’s going to be a pretty big ballgame for both sides.”
As the season has progressed, Stevens said he’s seen his young Wildcats transform, not just in skill, but in mindset and camaraderie.
“They’ve grown a lot,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, they’re still trying to get into a routine, but now they’ve found it. They’ve got that routine and they’re just going out there and getting after it. They’re more excited, they’ve built a brotherhood, and they’re determined. They know this is the last time they’ll be playing together as middle schoolers, so they want to represent and leave a mark. They want to be able to come back 20 years from now and say, ‘I was on that middle school football team.’ That’s how they’re playing right now.”
Before kickoff, the Wildcats also made a powerful tribute, carrying three jerseys to honor the three young men from E.E. Smith who recently lost their lives. Stevens said the idea came from a place of compassion, reflection, and respect.
“I was sitting there Saturday, and you just kept seeing it on TV and hearing about it,” Stevens said. “By Monday, I went and talked to the principal and told him what I wanted to do. As a coach, a former player, and a parent, those boys were doing something they loved, playing the game of football. I just felt like we needed to show them some honor before the game started.”
The gesture set the tone for a night filled with heart, focus, and purpose, qualities Stevens says define this year’s Hobbton Middle team.
“They’ve come a long way,” he said. “They’ve grown as players and as young men, and I couldn’t be prouder.”