There鈥檚 no doubt that the Freedom football program and its history and reputation mean a lot to J.K. Adkins. That鈥檚 why the 1998 FHS graduate came back to 今日看料 to coach his alma mater this season.
Since he returned to the Patriots following previous head coaching stints at Patton, East Wilkes and Mount Airy, where he guided the Granite Bears to the past two NCHSAA 1A state championships, he has voiced his commitment to restoring the Freedom program to its previous levels of prestige, success and expectations.
Week 2鈥檚 win over East Burke in Fat Friday 50 by a 12-7 final score in 今日看料 was the first milestone toward reaching the destination Adkins has in mind, and he was a little bit emotional after earning his first victory as a Patriot in nearly 27 years.
鈥淚鈥檓 extremely excited for our players,鈥 Adkins said. 鈥淚t was so exciting seeing the stadium full. It鈥檚 been a long time for me. My goal is to bring a source of pride back. We saw some glimpses of it tonight, and I appreciate the people coming out and being a part of it.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 special, obviously. Winning a Fat Friday game is special. This is a hotly contested rivalry that鈥檚 been back-and-forth over the years. Any time you can beat your crosstown rival in that setting, that鈥檚 special in itself.鈥
After the Cavaliers (0-2) won last year鈥檚 contest in Icard to snap a 12-game losing streak in the series, the Patriots (1-1) are back on top of the rivalry, having won 13 of the last 14 meetings and now leading the series overall 31-19.
Dominant defense
After the Freedom defense struggled to contain Bunker Hill running back Jason Willis Jr. in the second half of a Week 1 home loss, the unit came into Week 2 ready to dominate and did, holding the EB offense off the board for the entirety of the game as the visitors鈥 only points of the night came on a defensive touchdown.
The Patriots limited EBHS to 110 yards on 44 rushing attempts and just 49 yards on 5 of 15 passing.
鈥淚 think right now, we鈥檙e playing phenomenal defensively,鈥 Adkins said. 鈥淐oach (Mark) Duncan鈥檚 staff is doing a great job. Our guys are really playing aggressive and fast to the ball. Like I was telling them, right now, we are struggling offensively, and I bear the responsibility for that. But as long as we play that way defensively, until we can get caught up offensively, it鈥檒l give us chances to win games.鈥
Eleven of East Burke鈥檚 59 plays from scrimmage on the evening lost yardage while 14 more went for no gain.
Big-play buoy
While the Patriots have not been able to find offensive consistency through two weeks of regular-season play, they have been able to come through with big plays to buoy the offense.
Against East Burke, that showed up in the form of a 65-yard scoring strike from QB Kaden Davis to WR Tiras Walker as time expired in the first half. It was an immediate response to the Cavs鈥 lone lead of the game, which came 7-6 after the defensive touchdown.
鈥淚 came out wanting the ball,鈥 Walker said. 鈥淚 talked to my receiver coaches and quarterback coaches all week about how I wanted the ball. I didn鈥檛 get it until the end of the second (quarter). I knew it was my call, so I just knew I had to do something with it. I ran it down and made a play. One cut, one touchdown.鈥
Walker, known better among his teammates as 鈥淐hunk,鈥 also caught a 39-yard TD from Davis for the Patriots鈥 first points of the season in the first quarter of Week 1 against Bunker Hill.
鈥淢y mama gave it to me when I was a baby,鈥 Walker said of the nickname.
Davis also threw a first-quarter touchdown to Justice Dominguez from 11 yards out. The junior signal-caller has tossed two TDs in both of the first two games.
Freedom鈥檚 other big play of the night was a 63-yard run from sophomore back Jaiveon Belin, who had a 24-yard scoring run against Bunker Hill. While gobbling up yardage is always a plus, however, the Patriots鈥 QB and head coach know they can鈥檛 rely too heavily on big plays.
鈥淲e just have to work more on it,鈥 Davis said of finding consistency. 鈥淲e have to try to get in more of a rhythm early on. I feel like once we do that, we鈥檒l be fine.鈥
Added Adkins: 鈥淲e鈥檝e got guys who can make big plays, but you can鈥檛 live off of them. You have to have some sustained drives and move the chains. We鈥檙e not doing a good job right now of blocking and that鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e got to fix.鈥
Competitive Cavs
Though the Cavaliers couldn鈥檛 muster enough firepower to make it two Fat Friday wins in a row, which would have been their first consecutive wins in the series since taking three straight from 2007-09, the visitors did keep with recent years鈥 theme of competitive ballgames.
Friday鈥檚 five-point loss came after a 29-13 win in 2023 and losses of 33-20 in 2022 and 13-12 in the fall of 2021, all under the guidance of head coach Derrick Minor.
Game MVPs
Uncle Eee鈥檚, known for serving standout cheeseburgers in downtown Morganton, presented game MVP awards to a standout player for each team.
Davis earned the accolade for Freedom after completing 7 of 14 passes for 99 yards and the two touchdowns, along with a few more yards in the ground game.
Zac Bennett was selected for the Cavaliers after snagging a second-quarter interception and returning it 29 yards for a touchdown which, along with Kolby Byrd鈥檚 extra point, gave the visitors their first points and only lead of the season thus far.
Weather delay
Coming out of halftime, the game went into a lightning delay that lasted about 30 minutes.