Football Recap: Joshua Bauman and Tanner Payne Secure Win for West Carteret + How To Watch

West Carteret extended their winning streak to three on Friday, bumping them up to 3-1. They took down the Dixon Bulldogs 67-51. The Patriots' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Tanner Payne

Passing Yards (Career)

09/19/25 vs Dixon	406
10/11/24 @ White Oak	403
10/04/24 vs Dixon	396
09/26/24 vs North Pitt	282
10/25/24 @ Swansboro	259

Leading West Carteret to victory were Tanner Payne and Joshua Bauman. Payne threw for 406 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 16.9 yards per attempt, while Bauman gained 306 total yards and five touchdowns. Those 406 passing yards gave Payne a new career-high. A healthy portion of Payne's aerial production (166 yards to be exact) went to D'Jabrien Murray, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

West Carteret was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 234 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.

Having lost for the first time this season, Dixon fell to 4-1. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (42), they still had to take the loss.

Despite the loss, Dixon still got an impressive performance from JJ Gulat, who rushed for 371 yards and five TDs while picking up 12.4 yards per carry. Gulat's rushing production has been exceptional for a while as that marked his 11th straight game with at least 103 rushing yards dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Sean Delaney, who rushed for 136 yards and one score on only nine carries.

Coincidentally, West Carteret and Dixon will both be playing Swansboro the next time they take the field. The Patriots will head out to face the Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, while the Bulldogs will host them at 7:00 p.m. on October 3.