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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’s win over East Burke in Fat Friday 50 by a 12-7 final score in AV¶ÌÊÓƵ 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.

“I’m extremely excited for our players,� Adkins said. “It was so exciting seeing the stadium full. It’s 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.

“It’s special, obviously. Winning a Fat Friday game is special. This is a hotly contested rivalry that’s been back-and-forth over the years. Any time you can beat your crosstown rival in that setting, that’s special in itself.�

After the Cavaliers (0-2) won last year’s 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’ 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.

“I think right now, we’re playing phenomenal defensively,� Adkins said. “Coach (Mark) Duncan’s 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’ll give us chances to win games.�

Eleven of East Burke’s 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’ lone lead of the game, which came 7-6 after the defensive touchdown.

“I came out wanting the ball,� Walker said. “I talked to my receiver coaches and quarterback coaches all week about how I wanted the ball. I didn’t 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.�

Walker, known better among his teammates as “Chunk,� also caught a 39-yard TD from Davis for the Patriots’ first points of the season in the first quarter of Week 1 against Bunker Hill.

“My mama gave it to me when I was a baby,� 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’s 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’ QB and head coach know they can’t rely too heavily on big plays.

“We just have to work more on it,� Davis said of finding consistency. “We have to try to get in more of a rhythm early on. I feel like once we do that, we’ll be fine.�

Added Adkins: “We’ve got guys who can make big plays, but you can’t live off of them. You have to have some sustained drives and move the chains. We’re not doing a good job right now of blocking and that’s something that we’ve got to fix.�

Competitive Cavs

Though the Cavaliers couldn’t 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’ theme of competitive ballgames.

Friday’s 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’s, 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’s 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.