Game of the Week: East Lincoln (4-2)(2-0) @ Lincolnton (5-1)(2-0): No doubt, this should decide the Southern Piedmont 2A/1A Conference Title. The Mustangs did have a two-game slide earlier this year, but it appears that it’s now a distant memory. Lincolnton has been running on all cylinders lately. In fact, none of their games since their South Point loss have been close at all. They have averaged 49 points a game, but have allowed only 10. These past two weeks, the Mustangs have outscored their opponents 103-20. Look for this to be a shootout, but look for the Wolves to pull away in the end.
My pick: Lincolnton 35 – East Lincoln 23
Ashbrook (3-2)(1-1) @ South Point (6-0)(2-0): Ashbrook got back to their winning ways last week as they trounced North Gaston 42-7. But, the South Point Red Raiders will be a much different breed. South Point has been in only two tight matches this year. Both of those team, though, are ranked high in the state poll in their respective classifications. Ashbrook will have their hands full trying to stop Leeper and company. The Green Wave will also find it a challenge to move the ball on South Point’s defense. South Point held a potent Hunter Huss offense to just three points and less than 100 yards of total offense.
My pick: South Point 45 – Ashbrook 13
Forestview (1-4)(0-1) @ North Gaston (0-6)(0-2): There is only one win between these two programs this year. North Gaston is hungry for their first win since 2009 and their first conference victory since 2007 when they advanced all the way to the 3A State Title Game. A win on Homecoming would boost the morale of the young Wildcats squad. With one win under their belts this year, Forestview hopes to build momentum and possibly make a late run for the post-season. A loss would put a big damper on those plans.
My pick: Forestview 34 – North Gaston 27
Hunter Huss (5-1)(1-1) @ Kings Mountain (2-4)(0-1): Hunter Huss watched their perfect season come to a crashing halt last week. That loss was a 42-3 slamming by South Point. Now, it’s time to rebound as they travel to Kings Mountain. Kings Mountain is currently on a two-game losing skid. The schedule does not really get any easier for either of these teams. Kings Mountain will have to face Ashbrook, North Gaston, Crest and Forestview while Huss will have Freedom, Crest, Forestview and Ashbrook. With only two wins for the season, Kings Mountain finds themselves in danger of falling out of playoff contention with a loss.
My pick: Hunter Huss 21 – Kings Mountain 17
Crest (4-2)(2-0) @ A.C. Reynolds (3-2)(0-2): Crest takes a break from conference play and rolls up to Asheville to face A.C. Reynolds. The Rockets started the season 3-0, but have dropped two straight. The Chargers started the season 1-2, but have won three straight. The Rockets have taken the last two from Crest. The Chargers hope to put an end to that. It’s usually a competitive game between the two and this year should be no exception.
My pick: A.C. Reynolds 27 – Crest 24
Highland Tech (0-6)(0-2) @ North Lincoln (0-6)(0-2): one of these 0’fers will get their first win of the season. The question is which one? North Lincoln has only reached double-digits once and has been shut out once. The Rams have been shutout twice, but have scored double-digits twice. Something is going to have to give in this one.
My pick: North Lincoln 20 – Highland Tech 13
Cherryville (2-4)(1-1) @ West Lincoln (3-3)(2-0): West Lincoln hopes to remain perfect in SP2A/1A conference play. Cherryville hopes to get another win. After dropping a tough one to previously winless Bessemer City, the Ironmen are hoping to save face against another rival. West Lincoln has been a Jekyll and Hyde team. Before winning at Lake Norman Charter last week, the Rebels dropped two straight home games. Look for them to move to 3-0 in conference play.
My pick: West Lincoln 27 – Cherryville 14
Lake Norman Charter (3-2)(0-2) @ Bessemer City (1-4)(1-1): Lake Norman Charter is looking for their first conference win in the SP2A/1A. Outside the conference however, they are 3-0. Bessemer City got their first win of the season last week as they took down Cherryville 20-14. Can the Yellow Jackets make it two in a row or will Lake Norman Charter have a little too much for Bessemer City?
My pick: Lake Norman Charter 17 – Bessemer City 14
Patton (0-6)(0-2) @ Shelby (2-4)(0-1): The Golden Lions salvaged their season in time when they took down Kings Mountain 24-21 in overtime. Shelby is now looking to win two straight when they host winless Patton. Last year, Patton was Shelby’s breakout game and the game when Shelby snapped a four-game losing streak. Shelby won that game 51-21. Look for similar results in this game.
My pick: Shelby 41 – Patton 6
Burns (5-1)(1-0) @ Chase (6-0)(2-0): On paper, this should be a really exciting match-up. However, Burns may have a little too much for the Trojans. Chase has not faced anybody of the same caliber as Burns. Look for the Bulldogs to take down their second undefeated team in a row.
My pick: Burns 34 – Chase 14
East Gaston (2-4)(0-2) @ Harding University (2-4)(0-1): The Warriors are hoping to snap their two-game losing streak and get their first win in the MEGA-7 this year. The Rams are also looking to end their two-game losing streak as well. The loser of this game could find themselves fighting to even have an outside chance at contending for a post-season berth.
My pick: East Gaston 27 – Harding 20
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland County Recap and Rankings
Crest 47 – Forestview 28 – Octavius Wallace had another big game for the Jaguars, rushing for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wallace also registered 21 tackles on defense. However, that was not enough as Forestview dropped their conference opener to Crest. Chargers quarterback Michael Gullatte passed for 170 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown. Quortez Wright rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers scored their highest total for the year at 47. Their previous was 34 against Q Foundation.
South Point 42 – Hunter Huss 3 – South Point jumped out to a 21-3 lead at half-time and never looked back, cruising to an easy 42-3 victory over Hunter Huss. Troy Leeper scored all but one of South Point’s touchdowns. Tyler Bray scored the last one. Leeper, at this pace, will have 2,000 yards rushing before the regular season is even over.
Ashbrook 42 – North Gaston 7 – Ashbrook got back on track after two straight losses, beating North Gaston 42-7. After being able to muster up 28 points in a come-from-behind bid that fell short against Hunter Huss, the Wildcats saw no such success against Ashbrook.
Shelby 24 – Kings Mountain 21 (OT) – Shelby may have saved their season with the overtime win over Kings Mountain. A loss in this would have put them behind the 8-ball. The Golden Lions will resume conference play as they host Patton.
Bessemer City 20 – Cherryville 14 – The Yellow Jackets got their first win of the season at the expense of arch-rival, Cherryville. That could prove to be huge later.
Lincolnton 49 – Highland Tech 0 – No surprise here and it wasn’t even that close as Lincolnton was up 35-0 in the first quarter and 42-0 at half-time.
West Lincoln 35 – Lake Norman Charter 20 – The Rebels gave Lake Norman Charter another dose of what the SP2A/1A conference is like. In fact, the Rebels led 28-7 at half-time. West Lincoln remains undefeated in SP2A/1A action.
East Lincoln 47 – North Lincoln 7 – Talk about another team calling it an early night after being up so high. The Mustangs jumped out to a 41-0 half-time lead and scored only one more time after that. The Knights did get on the board late though.
Burns 28 – Freedom 27 – The Bulldogs escaped a tight game with a win. Those two teams are supposed to be the top 3A teams in the South Mountain 3A/2A conference. Burns will face another undefeated team this Friday. They will take on 6-0 Chase.
Olympic 48 – East Gaston 14 – With the game tied at 8-8 early on, the Trojans seized control and never looked back as they handed East Gaston their second straight loss. The Warriors are now 2-4 and 0-2 in the MEGA-7 conference.
Big South 3A
South Point – 6-0 (2-0)
Crest – 4-2 (2-0)
Hunter Huss – 5-1 (1-1)
Ashbrook – 3-2 (1-1)
Kings Mountain – 2-4 (0-1)
Forestview – 1-4 (0-1)
North Gaston – 0-6 (0-1)
Southern Piedmont 2A/1A
Lincolnton – 5-1 (2-0)
East Lincoln – 4-2 (2-0)
West Lincoln – 3-3 (2-0)
Bessemer City – 1-4 (1-1)
Cherryville – 2-4 (1-1)
Lake Norman – 3-2 (0-2)
North Lincoln – 0-6 (0-2)
Highland Tech – 0-6 (0-2)
South Mountain 3A/2A
Chase – 6-0 (2-0)
East Rutherford – 5-1 (2-0)
Burns – 5-1 (1-0)
Freedom – 5-1 (1-1)
Shelby – 2-4 (0-1)
R-S Central – 0-5 (0-2)
Patton – 0-6 (0-2)
MEGA-7
Charlotte Catholic – 6-0 (2-0)
Berry Academy – 5-1 (2-0)
Olympic – 5-1 (1-0)
West Mecklenburg – 3-3 (1-1)
Harding – 2-4 (0-1)
East Gaston – 2-4 (0-2)
Garinger – 0-6 (0-2)
South Point 42 – Hunter Huss 3 – South Point jumped out to a 21-3 lead at half-time and never looked back, cruising to an easy 42-3 victory over Hunter Huss. Troy Leeper scored all but one of South Point’s touchdowns. Tyler Bray scored the last one. Leeper, at this pace, will have 2,000 yards rushing before the regular season is even over.
Ashbrook 42 – North Gaston 7 – Ashbrook got back on track after two straight losses, beating North Gaston 42-7. After being able to muster up 28 points in a come-from-behind bid that fell short against Hunter Huss, the Wildcats saw no such success against Ashbrook.
Shelby 24 – Kings Mountain 21 (OT) – Shelby may have saved their season with the overtime win over Kings Mountain. A loss in this would have put them behind the 8-ball. The Golden Lions will resume conference play as they host Patton.
Bessemer City 20 – Cherryville 14 – The Yellow Jackets got their first win of the season at the expense of arch-rival, Cherryville. That could prove to be huge later.
Lincolnton 49 – Highland Tech 0 – No surprise here and it wasn’t even that close as Lincolnton was up 35-0 in the first quarter and 42-0 at half-time.
West Lincoln 35 – Lake Norman Charter 20 – The Rebels gave Lake Norman Charter another dose of what the SP2A/1A conference is like. In fact, the Rebels led 28-7 at half-time. West Lincoln remains undefeated in SP2A/1A action.
East Lincoln 47 – North Lincoln 7 – Talk about another team calling it an early night after being up so high. The Mustangs jumped out to a 41-0 half-time lead and scored only one more time after that. The Knights did get on the board late though.
Burns 28 – Freedom 27 – The Bulldogs escaped a tight game with a win. Those two teams are supposed to be the top 3A teams in the South Mountain 3A/2A conference. Burns will face another undefeated team this Friday. They will take on 6-0 Chase.
Olympic 48 – East Gaston 14 – With the game tied at 8-8 early on, the Trojans seized control and never looked back as they handed East Gaston their second straight loss. The Warriors are now 2-4 and 0-2 in the MEGA-7 conference.
Big South 3A
South Point – 6-0 (2-0)
Crest – 4-2 (2-0)
Hunter Huss – 5-1 (1-1)
Ashbrook – 3-2 (1-1)
Kings Mountain – 2-4 (0-1)
Forestview – 1-4 (0-1)
North Gaston – 0-6 (0-1)
Southern Piedmont 2A/1A
Lincolnton – 5-1 (2-0)
East Lincoln – 4-2 (2-0)
West Lincoln – 3-3 (2-0)
Bessemer City – 1-4 (1-1)
Cherryville – 2-4 (1-1)
Lake Norman – 3-2 (0-2)
North Lincoln – 0-6 (0-2)
Highland Tech – 0-6 (0-2)
South Mountain 3A/2A
Chase – 6-0 (2-0)
East Rutherford – 5-1 (2-0)
Burns – 5-1 (1-0)
Freedom – 5-1 (1-1)
Shelby – 2-4 (0-1)
R-S Central – 0-5 (0-2)
Patton – 0-6 (0-2)
MEGA-7
Charlotte Catholic – 6-0 (2-0)
Berry Academy – 5-1 (2-0)
Olympic – 5-1 (1-0)
West Mecklenburg – 3-3 (1-1)
Harding – 2-4 (0-1)
East Gaston – 2-4 (0-2)
Garinger – 0-6 (0-2)
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 5 Recap
South Point 45 – Kings Mountain 9: South Point got off to a slow start only leading Kings Mountain 17-9 at the beginning of the third quarter. But once the Raiders got rolling, Kings Mountain had no answers. South Point rolled up 28 straight points to blow the Mountaineers out. Troy Leeper, in just week five, now has over 1,000 yards rushing. At this rate, he will hit 2,000 before week 11.
Standings
Lincolnton 50 – Forestview 18: Lincolnton continues to show why they are #1 in 2A in the state. Forestview, on the other hand, continues to struggle. The Wolves jumped out to a 28-0 on the Jaguars and led 36-6 at half-time. Forestview did cut the lead to 36-12 at the start of the third quarter, but would get no closer. Forestview starts conference this week as they host Crest.
Hunter Huss 36 – North Gaston 28: Up 30-0 in the third quarter, the Huskies looked like they would cruise to an easy victory. However, the Wildcats stormed back outscoring the Huskies 28-6 the rest of the way. Huss is 5-0 to start the season, but will more than likely see that streak come to a screeching halt as they take on South Point.
Crest 24 – Ashbrook 13: Crest has won two straight games. Ashbrook has lost two. After struggling offensively their first two out of three games, it looks like the Chargers have put it together. The 2010 3AA Runner-ups look to build on their offense as they travel to Forestview. Ashbrook will be striving to get back on track as they host North Gaston for Homecoming.
East Lincoln 56 – Bessemer City 13: The Mustangs got back on track after losing two straight heart-breakers. After putting up 42 points last week, the Yellow Jackets did not score their first points until the fourth quarter after East Lincoln did all their damage.
Berry Academy 45 – East Gaston 38: For the second straight week, the Warriors found themselves behind 20+ points in the first half. This time they were down 25-0 in the second quarter before they started storming back. Unfortunately, they were not able to complete the comeback like they did against East Lincoln.
Cherryville 43 – North Lincoln 14: The Ironmen opened up conference play with a win after suffering two straight blowout losses. If there are any silver linings for the Knights, it’s the fact they reached double-digit scoring for the first time this year. However, it does not get any better from there. The Knights travel to county rival, East Lincoln, this Friday.
Burns 38 – Q Foundation 12: Nothing surprising about this score. The Bulldogs continue to roll and will take their 4-1 start to unbeaten Freedom as they begin conference play. This will, no doubt, be for the conference title. It’s highly unlikely anyone else in the conference will challenge either one of these two teams.
Freedom 35 – Shelby 21: This is probably the worst start a Shelby team has ever seen. Last year, they were 2-4 before winning four of their last five regular season games en route to a fourth round playoff appearance. They lost that game 21-14 to Salisbury. Now the Golden Lions are hoping to at least make the playoffs. They host Kings Mountain Friday night and both are looking to rebound from both of their losses last Friday. It will get a little easier for the Lions as they have winless teams, Patton and R-S Central, coming up. But they also have unbeaten Chase and 4-1 teams, Burns and East Rutherford.
Standings
Big South 3A
South Point (5-0)(1-0)
Hunter Huss (5-0)(1-0)
Crest (3-2)(1-0)
Forestview (1-3)(0-0)
Ashbrook (2-2)(0-1)
Kings Mountain (2-3)(0-1)
North Gaston (0-5)(0-1)
Hunter Huss (5-0)(1-0)
Crest (3-2)(1-0)
Forestview (1-3)(0-0)
Ashbrook (2-2)(0-1)
Kings Mountain (2-3)(0-1)
North Gaston (0-5)(0-1)
Southern Piedmont 2A/1A
Lincolnton (4-1)(1-0)
East Lincoln (3-2)(1-0)
West Lincoln (2-3)(1-0)
Cherryville (2-3)(1-0)
Lake Norman Charter (3-1)(0-1)
Bessemer City (0-4)(0-1)
Highland Tech (0-4)(0-1)
North Lincoln (0-5)(0-1)
East Lincoln (3-2)(1-0)
West Lincoln (2-3)(1-0)
Cherryville (2-3)(1-0)
Lake Norman Charter (3-1)(0-1)
Bessemer City (0-4)(0-1)
Highland Tech (0-4)(0-1)
North Lincoln (0-5)(0-1)
South Mountain 3A/2A
Freedom (5-0)(1-0)
Chase (5-0)(1-0)
East Rutherford (4-1)(1-0)
Burns (4-1)(0-0)
Shelby (1-4)(0-1)
R-S Central (0-4)(0-1)
Patton (0-5)(0-1)
Chase (5-0)(1-0)
East Rutherford (4-1)(1-0)
Burns (4-1)(0-0)
Shelby (1-4)(0-1)
R-S Central (0-4)(0-1)
Patton (0-5)(0-1)
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Wolves show no signs of a let-down, roll Forestview
Any Lincolnton fan or coach that worried about the Wolves having a let-down after their 42-14 beating of Shelby, quickly saw those fears dissolve as the Wolves jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and a 36-6 lead at half-time.
Lincolnton quarterback, Patrick Rendlemen, accounted for four out of Lincolnton’s seven scores. Three of them were passing touchdowns and one of them was a rushing touchdown. He also accounted for 148 yards passing and 64 yards rushing making it 212 yards total. Lincolnton tallied a total of 307 yards total offense.
Jalen Littlejohn (44 yards) and Jonathan Gidney (12 yards and 2 yards) each accounted for receiving scores for the Wolves. Michael Cunningham (12 yards), Jaden Angle (13 yards) and Dee Littlejohn (one yard) each accounted for rushing touchdowns.
Octavious Wallace, who returned from missing last week’s game, shined once again. He rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a 35-yard pass for a touchdown. The Jaguars mustered up 270 yards of offense.
Forestview was their own worst enemy at times. The Jaguars had two high snaps go over the punter’s head, one resulted in a touchdown. The other resulted in a missed field-goal. The Wolves were lined up to go for a field-goal toward the end of the first half but three straight off-sides penalties buried Forestview and the Wolves would capitalize with the Rendleman to Gidney two-yard touchdown pass.
“We really came into it wanting to control the clock a bit and get some first downs.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “But, then they jumped on us with a couple of scores early and it’s tough. It’s hard to keep the team up and realize it’s a long game. So you want to keep it close early and that was our goal and to try and grind it out a bit, but unfortunately Lincolnton’s a great team. They just jumped on us quick.”
“We haven’t even started conference play. They haven’t crowed a champion that I know of.” Medlin said “We’re just going to keep fighting. We just got to get better every week. We got 7 games left. We got a busy week next week with 3 games in 8 days and all that good stuff. Even in a loss tonight you could see some positives. We had dome leaders step up.”
“I think we played really well. Forestview’s a very dangerous team.” said Lincolnton head coach Scott Cloninger “Those two tailbacks they have can fly all over the field. We were able to run the ball and have some success throwing the ball. (Patrick Rendleman) threw the ball well and threw it on time. We got the great receivers outside and I don’t use them near enough. That’s what we’ve trying to implement the last couple of weeks.”
About a possible let-down after beating Shelby last week, Cloninger said “That’s one thing we talked about. That’s what we’ve done before. We beat a quality Shelby team and we came back and loss next game to an inferior team. I think we came out focused and ready to play.”
Lincolnton resumes conference play next week at home against Highland Tech. Forestview begins conference play at home against Crest.
Lincolnton quarterback, Patrick Rendlemen, accounted for four out of Lincolnton’s seven scores. Three of them were passing touchdowns and one of them was a rushing touchdown. He also accounted for 148 yards passing and 64 yards rushing making it 212 yards total. Lincolnton tallied a total of 307 yards total offense.
Jalen Littlejohn (44 yards) and Jonathan Gidney (12 yards and 2 yards) each accounted for receiving scores for the Wolves. Michael Cunningham (12 yards), Jaden Angle (13 yards) and Dee Littlejohn (one yard) each accounted for rushing touchdowns.
Octavious Wallace, who returned from missing last week’s game, shined once again. He rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a 35-yard pass for a touchdown. The Jaguars mustered up 270 yards of offense.
Forestview was their own worst enemy at times. The Jaguars had two high snaps go over the punter’s head, one resulted in a touchdown. The other resulted in a missed field-goal. The Wolves were lined up to go for a field-goal toward the end of the first half but three straight off-sides penalties buried Forestview and the Wolves would capitalize with the Rendleman to Gidney two-yard touchdown pass.
“We really came into it wanting to control the clock a bit and get some first downs.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “But, then they jumped on us with a couple of scores early and it’s tough. It’s hard to keep the team up and realize it’s a long game. So you want to keep it close early and that was our goal and to try and grind it out a bit, but unfortunately Lincolnton’s a great team. They just jumped on us quick.”
“We haven’t even started conference play. They haven’t crowed a champion that I know of.” Medlin said “We’re just going to keep fighting. We just got to get better every week. We got 7 games left. We got a busy week next week with 3 games in 8 days and all that good stuff. Even in a loss tonight you could see some positives. We had dome leaders step up.”
“I think we played really well. Forestview’s a very dangerous team.” said Lincolnton head coach Scott Cloninger “Those two tailbacks they have can fly all over the field. We were able to run the ball and have some success throwing the ball. (Patrick Rendleman) threw the ball well and threw it on time. We got the great receivers outside and I don’t use them near enough. That’s what we’ve trying to implement the last couple of weeks.”
About a possible let-down after beating Shelby last week, Cloninger said “That’s one thing we talked about. That’s what we’ve done before. We beat a quality Shelby team and we came back and loss next game to an inferior team. I think we came out focused and ready to play.”
Lincolnton resumes conference play next week at home against Highland Tech. Forestview begins conference play at home against Crest.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 5 Picks
Game of the Week: Ashbrook (2-1) @ Crest (2-2): The winner of this game may lock up second place in the Big South 3A behind league favorite, South Point. Ashbrook suffered their first set-back in their home-opener against Olympic 34-28. The Chargers have been up and down. Nobody thought that Crest would have two losses under their belt at this point in the season. The Chargers will try and avoid having their third one in five games and avoid going 0-1 in conference play for two years straight. Ashbrook looks to extend their road winning streak to three games. Look for a defensive showdown in this match-up.
My pick: Ashbrook 21 – Crest 17
Kings Mountain (2-2) @ South Point (4-0): Kings Mountain gave South Point a run for their money last year before falling 24-21 in overtime. This year, the Mountaineers have struggled offensively and they will really need to step up in order to stop the Red Raiders’ potent offense. South Point’s FB Troy Leeper could be on pace to accumulate 2,000 yards this year as he has 800 in the first four weeks alone. Don’t look for this game to be as close as last year’s game.
My pick: South Point 42 – Kings Mountain 14
Forestview (1-2) @ Lincolnton (3-1): The Jaguars finally got in the win column last week in a wild and crazy game against Bessemer City. Forestview RB Dominique Adams broke the county record with 338 yards rushing and had 7 touchdowns (1 on a punt return). Bessemer City also had highlights in that game as Jalen Adams ran for 225 yards and accounted for 4 scores (1 receiving). The Jaguars defense will have to improve their game in order to have a shot in this game. The Wolves, except for their 35-21 loss to South Point, have not been held to any lower than 35 points so far this season. Their defense has allowed just 10 points average in those other three games.
My pick: Lincolnton 42 – Forestview 14
Hunter Huss (4-0) @ North Gaston (0-4): Could this be an offensive shootout? Both teams mustered up over 400 yards of offense last week. Both scored over 20. However, one of them gave up 41 points while the other only gave 21. The Huskies held a 23-0 lead over Concord before seeing the Spiders rally to put up 21. Did fatigue from a short week play a role in that? The Wildcats offense is getting better every week, but must improve their defense in order to be competitive in the Big South 3A.
My pick: Hunter Huss 42 – North Gaston 28
Berry Academy (3-1) @ East Gaston (2-2): These two teams were conference foes in 2003 and 2004 when Berry was in the Big South 3A. Now they are conference rivals again. This time, Berry is much improved since going 0-22 in those two seasons and they will pose a great challenge for the Warriors. East Gaston rebounded nicely after a 63-6 loss to South Point and beat East Lincoln 40-39 after trailing 21-0 against the Mustangs. The Warriors will have to put all four quarters together and remain persistent.
My pick: Berry 35 – East Gaston 31
Cherryville (1-3) @ North Lincoln (0-4): After suffering two straight blowout losses, the Ironmen are looking for a win to put those two setbacks behind them. The Knights are hoping to at least score in double-digits. Either way, look for the Ironmen to get back to their winning ways.
My pick: Cherryville 24 – North Lincoln 6
Shelby (1-3) @ Freedom (4-0): After winning 9-3 against Crest, the Golden Lions came back down to Earth as they were beaten handily by Lincolnton 42-14. This time, they travel to take on undefeated Freedom in their conference opener. The Golden Lions are in danger of haiving one of their worse starts in school history at 1-4.
My pick: Freedom 35 – Shelby 14
East Lincoln (2-2) @ Bessemer City (0-3): The Yellow Jackets scored a season-high 42 points in a 58-42 loss to Forestview and Coach Larry Boone is pleased with the team’s improvement. Now they must focus on their conference opener against East Lincoln. The Mustangs blew a 21-0 lead to East Gaston last week before falling 40-39. The Mustangs should be fired up for this game after losing two straight.
My pick: East Lincoln 49 – Bessemer City 14
Q Foundation (0-3) @ Burns (3-1): The Bulldogs faced their first loss of the season in a 45-42 overtime loss to South Point. The Bulldogs actually trailed 42-21 before mounting a comeback. No such effort may be needed against Q Foundation. The Bulldogs should pull away early in this one.
My pick: Burns 48 – Q Foundation 6
North Iredell (0-4) @ West Lincoln (2-2): The Rebels took one on the chin last week. They were shut out 28-0 by East Rutherford. The Rebels look to avoid being upset by winless North Iredell. Their closest game was a 32-30 loss to North Stokes so don’t think the Raiders aren’t capable of pulling the upset.
My pick: West Lincoln 27 – North Iredell 20
Davidson Community School (1-2) @ Highland Tech (0-3): Can Highland Tech get a win this week? The Davidson Chargers got their first win of the season last week against Kestrel Heights 39-9.
My pick: Davidson Community School 28 – Highland Tech 12
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 4 Recaps
South Point 45 – Burns 42 (OT): Who would not want to see this one again? Up 42-21, the Red Raiders looked like they had it in the bag. However, Burns came storming back and forced the game into overtime. Will anybody in the Big South give South Point that kind of game?
Forestview 58 – Bessemer City 42: Forestview was just a touchdown away from a total record-breaking win. RB Dominique Adams amassed 338 yards and 7 touchdowns in the game. What looked like a fairly quiet first half with Forestview leading 21-6 turned into an all-out score-fest in the second half.
Olympic 34 – Ashbrook 28: Ashbrook lost their RB Angelo Crawford for the game and lost the game itself. Good news is he should be back this Friday in their conference opener against Crest.
Hunter Huss 23 – Concord 21: The Huskies only had less than three days to prepare for the Spiders, but those two days of practice were enough for them to muster up the win. The Huskies were up 23-0 before Concord stormed back to score 21 unanswered points, but they were able to hold off the Spiders’ rally.
Crest 26 – T.C. Roberson 15: Crest got back on track as they took down Roberson. Now the only burning question is can Crest keep that going as they host Ashbrook. Crest surprising has not been able to muster up consecutive wins so far this year after having great expectations for the season.
Hickory 41 – North Gaston 21: The Wildcats continue to improve offensively, but now it’s time to put something together defensively. The Wildcats may upset one of their Big South foes this year.
Kings Mountain 23 – Alexander Central 22: Kings Mountain’s win could not have come at a better time. With South Point, Shelby, Hunter Huss and Ashbrook in consecutive weeks, this may give the Mountaineers some new life heading into a daunting Big South Conference.
Lincolnton 42 – Shelby 14: Troubles continue for Shelby. After grabbing their first win of the season last week against Crest 9-3, they found no such luck against Lincolnton. It does not get any easier as they start conference next week at an undefeated Freedom team.
East Gaston 40 – East Lincoln 39: After suffering an embarrassing 63-6 loss to South Point last week, East Gaston saved face with a one-point win over East Lincoln. Down 21-0 in the first quarter, the Warriors rallied to outscore the Mustangs 40-18 the rest of the way.
Chase 52 – Cherryville 10: The Ironmen suffer their second straight blowout loss of the year. These past two weeks alone they have been outscored 94-10. If there is any consolation, they have an 0-4 North Lincoln team next week.
East Rutherford 28 – West Lincoln 0: The Rebels had no answer for the Cavaliers. They fall to 2-2, but are still hopeful to have a second straight winning season.
Bandys 54 – North Lincoln 7: After taking down East Lincoln 26-21, nobody could be surprised by this. The Knights once again are held to single digit scores. The Knights have only three wins in their past 26 games.
Metrolina Christian 64 – Highland Tech 18: Think the Rams are rethinking their decision to rejoin the public schools in football? They might be when they look at who their next opponent will be and that’s SP2A/1A favorite, Lincolnton. The good news is that they have an extra week to prepare.
Big South 3A Records
South Point 4-0
Hunter Huss 4-0
Ashbrook 2-1
Crest 2-2
Kings Mountain 2-2
Forestview 1-2
North Gaston 0-4
South Piedmont 2A/1A
Lincolnton 3-1 (1-0)
West Lincoln 2-2 (1-0)
East Lincoln 2-2
Cherryville 1-3
Bessemer City 0-3
North Lincoln 0-4
Lake Norman Charter 3-1 (0-1)
Highland Tech 0-3 (0-1)
South Mountain 3A/2A
Freedom 4-0
Chase 4-0
Burns 3-1
East Rutherford 3-1
Shelby 1-3
R-S Central 0-3
Patton 0-4
Forestview 58 – Bessemer City 42: Forestview was just a touchdown away from a total record-breaking win. RB Dominique Adams amassed 338 yards and 7 touchdowns in the game. What looked like a fairly quiet first half with Forestview leading 21-6 turned into an all-out score-fest in the second half.
Olympic 34 – Ashbrook 28: Ashbrook lost their RB Angelo Crawford for the game and lost the game itself. Good news is he should be back this Friday in their conference opener against Crest.
Hunter Huss 23 – Concord 21: The Huskies only had less than three days to prepare for the Spiders, but those two days of practice were enough for them to muster up the win. The Huskies were up 23-0 before Concord stormed back to score 21 unanswered points, but they were able to hold off the Spiders’ rally.
Crest 26 – T.C. Roberson 15: Crest got back on track as they took down Roberson. Now the only burning question is can Crest keep that going as they host Ashbrook. Crest surprising has not been able to muster up consecutive wins so far this year after having great expectations for the season.
Hickory 41 – North Gaston 21: The Wildcats continue to improve offensively, but now it’s time to put something together defensively. The Wildcats may upset one of their Big South foes this year.
Kings Mountain 23 – Alexander Central 22: Kings Mountain’s win could not have come at a better time. With South Point, Shelby, Hunter Huss and Ashbrook in consecutive weeks, this may give the Mountaineers some new life heading into a daunting Big South Conference.
Lincolnton 42 – Shelby 14: Troubles continue for Shelby. After grabbing their first win of the season last week against Crest 9-3, they found no such luck against Lincolnton. It does not get any easier as they start conference next week at an undefeated Freedom team.
East Gaston 40 – East Lincoln 39: After suffering an embarrassing 63-6 loss to South Point last week, East Gaston saved face with a one-point win over East Lincoln. Down 21-0 in the first quarter, the Warriors rallied to outscore the Mustangs 40-18 the rest of the way.
Chase 52 – Cherryville 10: The Ironmen suffer their second straight blowout loss of the year. These past two weeks alone they have been outscored 94-10. If there is any consolation, they have an 0-4 North Lincoln team next week.
East Rutherford 28 – West Lincoln 0: The Rebels had no answer for the Cavaliers. They fall to 2-2, but are still hopeful to have a second straight winning season.
Bandys 54 – North Lincoln 7: After taking down East Lincoln 26-21, nobody could be surprised by this. The Knights once again are held to single digit scores. The Knights have only three wins in their past 26 games.
Metrolina Christian 64 – Highland Tech 18: Think the Rams are rethinking their decision to rejoin the public schools in football? They might be when they look at who their next opponent will be and that’s SP2A/1A favorite, Lincolnton. The good news is that they have an extra week to prepare.
Big South 3A Records
South Point 4-0
Hunter Huss 4-0
Ashbrook 2-1
Crest 2-2
Kings Mountain 2-2
Forestview 1-2
North Gaston 0-4
South Piedmont 2A/1A
Lincolnton 3-1 (1-0)
West Lincoln 2-2 (1-0)
East Lincoln 2-2
Cherryville 1-3
Bessemer City 0-3
North Lincoln 0-4
Lake Norman Charter 3-1 (0-1)
Highland Tech 0-3 (0-1)
South Mountain 3A/2A
Freedom 4-0
Chase 4-0
Burns 3-1
East Rutherford 3-1
Shelby 1-3
R-S Central 0-3
Patton 0-4
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Count week 3 Round-up
South Point 63 – East Gaston 6: The Red Raiders continue to show why they are picked to finish first in the Big South 3A and why they are a strong contender for the 3AA State Title. This is the second time this year that they have been up 42-0 at half-time and the second time they have scored 63 points in one game.
Bandys 26 – East Lincoln 21: The Trojans have snapped a five game losing streak to the Mustangs dating back to 2006. The last time Bandys beat East Lincoln was in 2005. The Trojans won 42-12. The Trojans improve to 3-0 on the season while the Mustangs fall to 2-1.
Lincolnton 55 – Lake Norman Charter 7: Lake Norman Charter got to see a hard dose of what the South Piedmont Conference will be like as they ran into a fierce Lincolnton squad. Not many teams in the SP2A/1A are as strong as Lincolnton and the Knights will win some games in the conference, but will take their lumps as well.
East Rutherford 55 – North Gaston 28: Challenges continue for the North Gaston Wildcats. They are making progress under new head coach Mike Patton, but it will take some time.
Chase 35 – Bessemer City 18: Bessemer City may not be as bad as previously thought. They suffered a 48-8 drubbing by Hunter Huss last week, but almost rebounded against an undefeated Chase team. The Yellow Jackets were down 14-12 early in the third quarter, but could not pull off the upset.
West Lincoln 9 – Fred T. Foard 6: Talk about a defensive struggle. Were the field conditions so bad that it kept both teams from moving the ball consistently or were the defenses that stout?
Burns 35 – Mooresville 14: Burns turned a 14-14 tie at half-time into a 35-14 blowout win over a powerful Mooresville team. Burns remains unbeaten at 3-0.
Shelby 9 – Crest 3 (OT): Shelby got into the winning column by upsetting city rival Crest. The Chargers find themselves in a shocking 1-2 start to being the 2011 season.
Weddington 25 – Kings Mountain 14: That’s the second straight home loss for the Mountaineers. It does not get any easier as they have to make a long trip to Taylorsville this Friday to take on Alexander Central.
Bunker Hill 44 – North Lincoln 0: The struggles continue for the Knights as they fall hard to Bunker Hill. The Bears have knocked out two SP2A/1A teams so far this year.
Draughn 42 – Cherrvyille 0: Draughn was just too good for the Ironmen on that night. The game wasn’t even that close as the Wildcats were up 35-0 at half-time.
Ashbrook 10 – Clover 7 (3OT): It took 3 overtimes to do it, but Ashbrook beats Clover 10-7. The win snaps a 6-year drought for the Green Wave against Clover. Gaston County is 2-1 vs. the Blue Eagles this year.
Hunter Huss 23 – Garinger 14: Hunter Huss stays unbeaten on the year, but they have a short turnaround before Concord comes to town on Friday night. Will Huss be allowed to play the game on Saturday?
Big South 3A
South Point 3-0
Hunter Huss 3-0
Ashbrook 2-0
Crest 1-2
Kings Mountain 1-2
Forestview 0-2
North Gaston 0-3
South Piedmont 2A/1A
Lincolnton 2-1 (1-0)
West Lincoln 2-1 (1-0)
East Lincoln 2-1
Cherryville 1-2
Bessemer City 0-2
North Lincoln 0-3
Lake Norman Charter 2-1 (0-1)
Highland Tech 0-2 (0-1)
South Mountain 3A/2A
Burns 3-0
Chase 3-0
Freedom 3-0
East Rutherford 2-1
Shelby 1-2
R-S Central 0-2
Bandys 26 – East Lincoln 21: The Trojans have snapped a five game losing streak to the Mustangs dating back to 2006. The last time Bandys beat East Lincoln was in 2005. The Trojans won 42-12. The Trojans improve to 3-0 on the season while the Mustangs fall to 2-1.
Lincolnton 55 – Lake Norman Charter 7: Lake Norman Charter got to see a hard dose of what the South Piedmont Conference will be like as they ran into a fierce Lincolnton squad. Not many teams in the SP2A/1A are as strong as Lincolnton and the Knights will win some games in the conference, but will take their lumps as well.
East Rutherford 55 – North Gaston 28: Challenges continue for the North Gaston Wildcats. They are making progress under new head coach Mike Patton, but it will take some time.
Chase 35 – Bessemer City 18: Bessemer City may not be as bad as previously thought. They suffered a 48-8 drubbing by Hunter Huss last week, but almost rebounded against an undefeated Chase team. The Yellow Jackets were down 14-12 early in the third quarter, but could not pull off the upset.
West Lincoln 9 – Fred T. Foard 6: Talk about a defensive struggle. Were the field conditions so bad that it kept both teams from moving the ball consistently or were the defenses that stout?
Burns 35 – Mooresville 14: Burns turned a 14-14 tie at half-time into a 35-14 blowout win over a powerful Mooresville team. Burns remains unbeaten at 3-0.
Shelby 9 – Crest 3 (OT): Shelby got into the winning column by upsetting city rival Crest. The Chargers find themselves in a shocking 1-2 start to being the 2011 season.
Weddington 25 – Kings Mountain 14: That’s the second straight home loss for the Mountaineers. It does not get any easier as they have to make a long trip to Taylorsville this Friday to take on Alexander Central.
Bunker Hill 44 – North Lincoln 0: The struggles continue for the Knights as they fall hard to Bunker Hill. The Bears have knocked out two SP2A/1A teams so far this year.
Draughn 42 – Cherrvyille 0: Draughn was just too good for the Ironmen on that night. The game wasn’t even that close as the Wildcats were up 35-0 at half-time.
Ashbrook 10 – Clover 7 (3OT): It took 3 overtimes to do it, but Ashbrook beats Clover 10-7. The win snaps a 6-year drought for the Green Wave against Clover. Gaston County is 2-1 vs. the Blue Eagles this year.
Hunter Huss 23 – Garinger 14: Hunter Huss stays unbeaten on the year, but they have a short turnaround before Concord comes to town on Friday night. Will Huss be allowed to play the game on Saturday?
Current Records:
Big South 3A
South Point 3-0
Hunter Huss 3-0
Ashbrook 2-0
Crest 1-2
Kings Mountain 1-2
Forestview 0-2
North Gaston 0-3
South Piedmont 2A/1A
Lincolnton 2-1 (1-0)
West Lincoln 2-1 (1-0)
East Lincoln 2-1
Cherryville 1-2
Bessemer City 0-2
North Lincoln 0-3
Lake Norman Charter 2-1 (0-1)
Highland Tech 0-2 (0-1)
South Mountain 3A/2A
Burns 3-0
Chase 3-0
Freedom 3-0
East Rutherford 2-1
Shelby 1-2
R-S Central 0-2
Monday, September 5, 2011
Black Saturday Blow-out
Anybody who expected this to be a close game left disappointed as the Red Raiders cruised out to a 42-0 half-time lead. Troy Leeper scored on runs of 25, 12 and 1 (twice). Devan Robbins scored twice as well, once with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Horne and his second touchdown was a three-yard run in the third quarter. Dan Johnson, Ramon Costner and Tyler Bray each accounted for one score.
In fact, it only took three plays to get South Point on the board. Patrick Horne runs of 38 and 6 set up a fullback Troy Leeper touchdown run at the Warriors one-yard line. The Warriors attempted to muster up a drive of their own on the ensuing drive, but would stall around the Red Raiders’ 35-yard line. South Point would make them pay on their next drive. Leeper scored his 12-yard touchdown run to cap off the drive.
The Red Raiders, it seemed, could do no wrong as they scored at will. Seemingly lulling East Gaston to sleep with their punishing ground attack, the Red Raiders took to the air as Patrick Horne hit Devan Robbins for a 40-yard touchdown pass. The defense would continue to smother East Gaston’s offense and the special teams would make their presence known. Ramon Costner returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown to boost South Point to a 28-0 lead.
Things continued to get worse for East Gaston as Leeper would punch in his third touchdown of the night with a 25-yard run. The Warriors tried to make something happen as quarterback Jarke Hopkins appeared to break loose for a big gainer, but a costly fumble inside their 40-yard line did the Warriors in. The Red Raiders showed no signs of stopping as Leeper scored again, this time from the one-yard line.
In the start of the second half, the Warriors looked like a different team. Hopkins broke loose for a 42-yard run to get a big first down. Gary Gore capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to put the Warriors on the board. The kick would be blocked, however
That would be the only thing that went the Warriors’ way the rest of the night. Tyler Bray answered East Gaston’s only score with a 33-yard dash into the end zone. The Warriors would get deep into the Red Raiders territory again late in the third quarter. They would attempt a field-goal early in the fourth, but the Red Raiders’ special teams stood tall again as they blocked the field-goal. That makes two blocked kicks by the special teams on this night.
South Point would add two more scores before this one was over and those were without Horne and Leeper in the line-up. Robbins’ three-yard touchdown run and back-up wing-back Dan Johnson’s four-yard run into the end zone late in the fourth quarter gave South Point a 63-6 victory.
The Red Raiders never punted on the night and Dayton Rogers was 9-for-9 on his extra points.
South Point will be home again next week as they host Burns. East Gaston will be back at home against East Lincoln.
Quotes from the South Point-East Gaston game
Sean Joyce
“They whipped all four quarters. The scoreboard is pretty evident of that. From the first play to the last play, they lined up and whipped us. We took it! I thought we would dig down a little bit deeper and fight. South Point’s a very good team. They beat a Lincolnton team last week that was pretty good and we knew coming in that they were very talented. I thought we were a little better than what we showed tonight. I told the guys at half-time that this is not the last game of the season but I would like for us to get better.”
“We came out (in the second half) and actually executed properly. It wasn’t scheme, it was sound football. Actually, South Point runs the same offense that we do and they do a better job of executing it and that’s my fault. I hold myself accountable for that because I’m the head coach. We got a lot of work to do.”
Mickey Lineberger
“It’s a total Red Raider victory. Our kicking game did well. We scored in the kicking game and on a punt return. Our kickoff coverage kept them deep. Our defense swarmed and got to the ball. We didn’t let them have a lot of breathing room. We played Red Raider defense. We probably had 8 or 9 people on the tackle and that was big. Offensively, I don’t think we punted. It was about as good a night offensively as we could have. We were able to throw the ball, we’ve been working on our passing game and working on some counters and things like that we were able to execute them today. Our reads were better. All in all, it was a total team win. The guys on the scout team did a great job in getting us ready. They imitated East Gaston pretty good and our boys had the right attitude and work ethic and I think we improved this week I think we got better. ”
“Our defense got after them (Chris McDowell and Jarkevius Hopkins). They made it happen. You know, our best defense is probably when we got the ball on offense and keep it away from people and go down and score. When people start looking up and they’re down a couple of scores or three scores, then people start panicking.”
“Burns is good in all phases of the game. This will be by far the biggest challenge we have had this year. We need to work hard and we need to play the best that we can play but it’s going to be a big challenge. We look forward to the match-up.”
“We can block better. We can read better. We’ve missed some tackles. We can improve on all phases of the game. We are not there yet. We got a long way to go. We’re working for perfection and hopefully we’ll get there.”
About this team and the 2003 team
“Two different teams. Two different personalities. A lot of water under the bridge. That team played 16 ball games, we’ve played three.”
In fact, it only took three plays to get South Point on the board. Patrick Horne runs of 38 and 6 set up a fullback Troy Leeper touchdown run at the Warriors one-yard line. The Warriors attempted to muster up a drive of their own on the ensuing drive, but would stall around the Red Raiders’ 35-yard line. South Point would make them pay on their next drive. Leeper scored his 12-yard touchdown run to cap off the drive.
The Red Raiders, it seemed, could do no wrong as they scored at will. Seemingly lulling East Gaston to sleep with their punishing ground attack, the Red Raiders took to the air as Patrick Horne hit Devan Robbins for a 40-yard touchdown pass. The defense would continue to smother East Gaston’s offense and the special teams would make their presence known. Ramon Costner returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown to boost South Point to a 28-0 lead.
Things continued to get worse for East Gaston as Leeper would punch in his third touchdown of the night with a 25-yard run. The Warriors tried to make something happen as quarterback Jarke Hopkins appeared to break loose for a big gainer, but a costly fumble inside their 40-yard line did the Warriors in. The Red Raiders showed no signs of stopping as Leeper scored again, this time from the one-yard line.
In the start of the second half, the Warriors looked like a different team. Hopkins broke loose for a 42-yard run to get a big first down. Gary Gore capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to put the Warriors on the board. The kick would be blocked, however
That would be the only thing that went the Warriors’ way the rest of the night. Tyler Bray answered East Gaston’s only score with a 33-yard dash into the end zone. The Warriors would get deep into the Red Raiders territory again late in the third quarter. They would attempt a field-goal early in the fourth, but the Red Raiders’ special teams stood tall again as they blocked the field-goal. That makes two blocked kicks by the special teams on this night.
South Point would add two more scores before this one was over and those were without Horne and Leeper in the line-up. Robbins’ three-yard touchdown run and back-up wing-back Dan Johnson’s four-yard run into the end zone late in the fourth quarter gave South Point a 63-6 victory.
The Red Raiders never punted on the night and Dayton Rogers was 9-for-9 on his extra points.
South Point will be home again next week as they host Burns. East Gaston will be back at home against East Lincoln.
Quotes from the South Point-East Gaston game
Sean Joyce
“They whipped all four quarters. The scoreboard is pretty evident of that. From the first play to the last play, they lined up and whipped us. We took it! I thought we would dig down a little bit deeper and fight. South Point’s a very good team. They beat a Lincolnton team last week that was pretty good and we knew coming in that they were very talented. I thought we were a little better than what we showed tonight. I told the guys at half-time that this is not the last game of the season but I would like for us to get better.”
“We came out (in the second half) and actually executed properly. It wasn’t scheme, it was sound football. Actually, South Point runs the same offense that we do and they do a better job of executing it and that’s my fault. I hold myself accountable for that because I’m the head coach. We got a lot of work to do.”
Mickey Lineberger
“It’s a total Red Raider victory. Our kicking game did well. We scored in the kicking game and on a punt return. Our kickoff coverage kept them deep. Our defense swarmed and got to the ball. We didn’t let them have a lot of breathing room. We played Red Raider defense. We probably had 8 or 9 people on the tackle and that was big. Offensively, I don’t think we punted. It was about as good a night offensively as we could have. We were able to throw the ball, we’ve been working on our passing game and working on some counters and things like that we were able to execute them today. Our reads were better. All in all, it was a total team win. The guys on the scout team did a great job in getting us ready. They imitated East Gaston pretty good and our boys had the right attitude and work ethic and I think we improved this week I think we got better. ”
“Our defense got after them (Chris McDowell and Jarkevius Hopkins). They made it happen. You know, our best defense is probably when we got the ball on offense and keep it away from people and go down and score. When people start looking up and they’re down a couple of scores or three scores, then people start panicking.”
“Burns is good in all phases of the game. This will be by far the biggest challenge we have had this year. We need to work hard and we need to play the best that we can play but it’s going to be a big challenge. We look forward to the match-up.”
“We can block better. We can read better. We’ve missed some tackles. We can improve on all phases of the game. We are not there yet. We got a long way to go. We’re working for perfection and hopefully we’ll get there.”
About this team and the 2003 team
“Two different teams. Two different personalities. A lot of water under the bridge. That team played 16 ball games, we’ve played three.”
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