Eastern Randolph wins; now aims to keep conference win streak alive

RAMSEUR — A 24-game winning streak in any sport is worth taking notice and those involved in that winning streak certainly have something they can be very proud of.

Eastern Randolph High School’s varsity football team will look to extend a very impressive conference run Friday night as the Wildcats open the Four Rivers Conference season by hosting Northwood. ER will be looking to extend a league winning streak of 24 straight games, a streak that started Oct. 1, 2021 in a win over Southwestern Randolph and has included five straight unbeaten league seasons.

“We talk about it, they are aware of it,” veteran coach Burton Cates said. “I don’t want them not to be aware of it and it’s something we take a lot of pride in.”

The streak means every player who steps on the field wearing the green and gold has never lost a conference game in their high school careers.

“It feels great,” senior Houston Harrelson said of the streak. “It started before we were even here, but being able to continue that legacy from the people before us, we just have to try and keep it going.”

The Wildcats enter league play after a convincing 43-15 win over West Stanly last Friday night that evened their record at 3-3. ER received four rushing touchdowns from Kobe Walker, a stingy defense against a Colts team that had topped the 28-point barrier in three of its four previous games, and three interceptions on defense, one that was returned 70 yards for a touchdown by Cainan Glover, who also hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass from Cade McCollum.

“This sets a high ceiling for us,” Harrelson said. “We just have to be a team that plays together. We’ve been struggling. Either our offense would do well or our defense would do well, but we hadn’t fully come together. Seeing this game, I feel confident that our offense and defense have come together and we will play well in the conference games.”

Walker’s scoring runs came from 7 and 4 yards in the first half, when ER grabbed a 23-7 halftime advantage, and from 15 and 18 yards in the second half. Walker finished with 164 yards on 18 carries.

“Everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing, nothing more and nothing less and just executing,” said Walker, who added that must happen in the conference season. “We need to keep tradition going. We got to keep it going. I don’t want to see it end my senior year.”

The 3-A Wildcats have played a tough non-league schedule. ER has dropped games to 6-A squads Southern Alamance, Union Pines and Asheboro, while defeating 4-A teams Randleman, Providence Grove and West Stanly.

“Non-conference is getting us ready for the conference,” lineman Maddux Carson said. “That’s why we play the tough teams at the beginning.”

The last time ER dropped a conference game was on April 2, 2021, a 17-0 loss to Randleman. That is the season that was delayed until March because of COVID-19.

“The hard work we put in and the schedule we played, it’s time to play your best ball,” Cates said. “Tonight was a complete game.”

Senior quarterback McCollum, who was 10-for-24 for 132 yards against West Stanly, said he knows what the Wildcats must do the next four games.

“We improved since last week and we got to keep playing four quarters and not letting up in the second or third quarter,” he said. “Laying it all out the entire game. (The conference winning streak) is a good thing to brag about, but we have to keep it going.”

The opportunity comes Friday night.