Eastern Randolph quarterback Stratton Barwick takes a hit from Mount Airy’s Deric Dandy during Friday night’s Class 1-A game in the state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
RAMSEUR – Eastern Randolph’s football season came to a close with Friday night’s 35-17 loss to visiting Mount Airy in the Class 1-A regional semifinals.
The Granite Bears scored the game’s final 21 points – all in the fourth quarter – to win.
“We had four plays that killed us,” Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates said. “We just didn’t make the plays.”
Eastern Randolph (11-2) had an 11-game winning streak end in dropping the fourth-round game. It was just the second loss in the last 14 home games.
“We played the first half pretty well,” Cates said. “We talked all week, ‘let’s get them to the third quarter and have it close.’ And we did that.”
For the second year in a row, the Wildcats held the No. 1 seed in the West Region and lost a home game. In 2021, that defeat came in the third round.
Still, it’s the most wins in an Eastern Randolph season since the 2006 team won the Class 3-A state championship with a 15-1 record.
Tyler Mason scored three touchdowns for fourth-seeded Mount Airy (13-1). Teammate Caleb Reid gained 141 yards on the ground.
Davonte Brooks scored on a pairing of rushing plays for Eastern Randolph. Yane Jaimes kicked a 23-yard field goal.
Quarterback Stratton Barwick of Eastern Randolph was 6-for-17 for 89 passing yards.
The Wildcats had late-season injuries that created problems. Ladaryan Spinks, an offensive and defensive lineman, missed the last game because of the concussion protocol.
“Injuries at the wrong time and we couldn’t respond from it,” Cates said.
Mount Airy will meet Draughn in this week’s regional final.
