Pender out-duels Hobbton once again

The Hobbton Wildcats knew the task was a tall one Friday night when they hosted Pender in one final non-conference football contest. The Patriots came into the game at 4-2 overall, their two losses being close ones against teams that are having strong years thus far. What was a close game at halftime quickly blew up and turned into a blow out as Pender departed Newton Grove with a 68-30 final.

The Wildcats got the ball first and took the opening drive at their own 41-yard line. After facing a long third down, a big pass play aided Hobbton in picking up the first down inside Pender territory. They turned this drive into a great one, as they finished marching down field for the score. With 8:04 on the clock in the first quarter, Hobbton converted on a short run play up the middle for the game’s first score. They converted the PAT and led 7-0.

After their kickoff, the Patriots lined up for their first offensive try at their own 30 yard line. Facing third and short, Jeremiah Johnson got a big run on a sweep around the right side to pickup the needed yards and more, crossing into Wildcats territory. A 15-yard face mask penalty pushed Pender much deeper into the red zone as the Patriots were looking the equalizer. Indeed, Pender did that, getting a run up the middle for the touchdown. They also converted the two-point conversion and with 5:20 left in the first quarter, they led 8-7.

The Patriots’ next kickoff was an onside attempt recovered by Hobbton at the Pender 49-yard line. Facing third down and needing four yards, Wildcats quarterback Joe Corbett aired the ball out toward the end zone but the attempt was incomplete. Now on fourth down, Corbett’s next pass was good enough for a first down to extend the drive. After that, the drive stalled out and the Wildcats tuned the ball over on downs at the Patriots 34-yard line.

From there, Pender went right to work, getting a big run down to around the Hobbton 35-yard line to quickly threaten another score. On the next play, another facemask penalty set the Patriots up just outside the 10-yard line, and three plays later, they scored to push their lead higher. The two-point attempt failed this time and with 17.9 seconds left, Pender led 14-7.

At the end of the first quarter, the Patriots led 14-7 but Hobbton was back on the field offensively at their own 45-yard line.

Now in the second quarter, the Wildcats were facing third down. That’s when Corbett hooked up with Reggie Thompson on a big catch and run down to just inside the 20. Three plays later, Corbett ran the ball up the middle on a designed quarterback run for the score, bringing Hobbton within a point. After an offsides penalty against Pender on the PAT, the Wildcats got the two-point conversion and went back ahead 15-14 with 10:14 left in the first half.

Short kickoffs became the theme as Hobbton returned the favor, putting the Patriots back on offense at their own 47-yard line. This Pender drive was a little more methodical, albeit just as effective. They didn’t have the benefit of a personal foul penalty to give them free yards, but nonetheless the Patriots moved the ball well and eventually scored another touchdown to go back ahead. It was their senior running back that ran in the short touchdown, and another converted two-point try made it 22-15 Pender with 7:05 left before the half.

Yet another short kickoff led to a big kick-catch interference penalty against the Patriots, which put the Wildcats on offense in excellent field possession at the Pender 35-yard line. A pass from Corbett to Thompson put Hobbton down at the 15 and set up a score on another pass from Corbett to Ethan Bridges. The Wildcats converted the PAT and with 4:45 left in the half, the score was all tied up at 22-22.

This game, though, was quickly turning into another shootout. The Patriots went the other way and tacked on yet another touchdown to reclaim the lead right before the half. With just over a minute to go in the half, they were back in the end zone and tacked on another two points to make it 30-22. After that, their kickoff was a long one that put the Wildcats on the field at their own 25-yard line. They couldn’t dial up any magic on this final drive and the teams broke for halftime with Pender leading 30-22 and expected to get the ball first in the second half.

When play resumed, Hobbton got their first defensive stop of the game, holding the Patriots short of a fresh set of downs and taking over offensively at their own 46-yard line. A Corbett to Thompson pass play quickly moved the Wildcats into Pender territory down to the 31-yard line. Unfortunately for the home team, though, the Wildcats couldn’t capitalize and turned the ball over on downs following a succession of incomplete passes.

The Patriots nearly made Hobbton pay for it, but after a lengthy drive down to the 20-yard line, Pender lost the ball on a fumble in the backfield and that’s where the Wildcats took over. This drive suffered a three-and-out, though, and a not-so-great punt put the Patriots back on the field at the Hobbton 38.

This time, the Patriots did score, getting a conversion of fourth down from Johnson to extend the lead. The two-point was again good and as it stood Pender led 38-22 with 2:13 left in the third quarter.

The next drive for the Wildcats ended in disaster as they lost the ball on a fumble in the backfield at their own 20-yard line. After that, it didn’t take long for the Patriots to tack on more points, further extending their lead as the game was beginning to get away. With just over a minute to go in the third quarter, the lead was 44-22 after the PAT was no good.

That’s where the score stood as the game transitioned into the fourth quarter, and things only got worse from there for Hobbton. After another Wildcat turnover, Pender took the ball the other way and added more points, and with 9:56 left in the game, the Patriots led 52-22.

Not to be shut out in the second half, though, the Wildcats finally got on the board again. This came on a Corbett to Thompson catch and run inside the 10, and the two-point try was also converted to make it 52-30 with 7:37 left in the contest.

Hobbton still wasn’t done fighting, either, as they recovered an onside kick at the 50-yard line to keep their offense on the field. They couldn’t do anything with this drive, though, and the Wildcats turned it over on downs.

On cue, the Patriots took the ball the other way and got yet another score, essentially slamming the door shut on any comeback attempts. They also tacked on another two-point try and made it 60-30 with 6:18 left in the game.

It just wasn’t Hobbton’s night as the Wildcats went on to suffer the 68-30 loss.

Hobbton is now 2-5 overall and stands at 0-1 in Carolina 1A Conference play. They’ll get back in conference play next week when they travel to take on county rival Lakewood.