Comments from Clover Coach Chad Smith and Forestview Coach Chris Medlin

Chad Smith on the game “Offensively we competed extremely hard in the second half. We made too many mistakes in the first half. Offensively, we jumped offsides and put ourselves in a first-and-15 instead of a first-and-ten and with our style of scheme we can’t do that. Forestview is an explosive football team and to beat a team like that, you have to play disciplined ball and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Smith on Clover’s growth “We’re growing but I’m not a patient person. Last year, I felt we learned how to compete. This year, we need to learn how to win. Right now, we’re making critical mistakes that don’t allow you to do that. Are we a better football team now? Oh yes! Last week, we scored more in one game than we did the first four weeks of last year. We’re getting there, but we have more talent on this team than what we’re showing. That’s ticking me off as a head coach. We’re going to get our kids there.”

Smith on players that stood out “Noah Lindsey did a phenomenal job tonight. He’s a great football player. He controlled the game extremely well especially in the second half and fought his tail off. I’m extremely proud of him. I was proud of R.J. Moore and Coby Hamblen for stepping in there when we had a couple of injuries on offense. The entire offensive line in the second half did a phenomenal job.”

Chris Medlin on the win “It’s great to be 2-0. Two 20-point wins, I’m happy. We got to get better though. We got to put teams away when we have the opportunity and not let them keep coming back and making us have to score again. We need to separate and stay separated. That’s some things we got to work on. We allowed 20 points. We’d like to allow zero but that isn’t terrible against a team that runs as much as they do and grinds it out.”

Medlin on Crawford and Neal “They played well. I’m proud of both of them. The line did some good things too now.”

In preparation for Kings Mountain “We got to make sure we do our normal routine, prepare and play as hard as we can. We’ll be fine.”

Jaguars topple Blue Eagles, sweep their South Carolina foes

 

                The Jaguars did something they have not done in school history and that is beat two teams from South Carolina. Last week, they beat Nation Ford convincingly 48-28. This week, they took down Clover 42-22. That’s three in a row they took from the Blue Eagles after being down 7-1 in the overall series.

                Last week, John Crawford did much of his damage through the air with 197 yards passing. This week, he used his feet and amassed 135 yards rushing and only 92 yards passing. Moe Neal did most of the work with 185 yards rushing and five touchdowns to lead the Jaguars.

                After the Forestview defense stopped Clover on their first drive, the Jaguar offense went to work. Neal scored his first touchdown on an 80-yard burst into the end-zone. Clover would answer that score in the second quarter with a 52-yard touchdown run by Cody Payne. Clover then scored on a two-point conversion to take the 8-7 lead.

                However, Forestview took the lead back toward the end of the first half with a Neal 12-yard run. Neal also scored on a two-point conversion. Things continued to go right for Forestview in the second half. Neal scored on touchdown runs of three and two yards and Trey Heavner’s extra points gave the Jaguars a 29-8 advantage.

                The Blue Eagles would simply not go away. They chipped away at the Jaguar lead with a four-yard touchdown run by R.J. Moore. The two-point conversion failed however. But the Jaguars and Moe Neal shut the door on any Clover comeback hopes in the fourth quarter. This time he took it in from 52 yards to make it 36-14.

                Clover quarterback Noah Lindsey got Clover within two scores again with a two-yard touchdown run with less than five minutes to go. But once again, the Jaguars would not let the Eagles any closer. Set up by a Crawford 36-yard pass to Caleb Mills, Forestview would find the end-zone one more time. This time, it was back-up running-back Maurice Brice with an eight-yard run. The extra point failed though, but it would not matter.

                The Jaguars will be home again as they host Kings Mountain, a 43-15 winner over East Gaston. Clover will host Westwood.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 2 Picks

Game of the Week: Lincolnton (0-1) @ South Point (0-1): Neither team expected to start the season like they did. Lincolnton was upset last week by North Lincoln 26-13. South Point found themselves on the wrong side of a 35-13 blowout. With the loss, the Red Raiders have their 39 game regular season winning streak snapped. Both teams are determined to avoid starting the season 0-2. The Red Raiders have not started 0-2 since 2010. One of those losses was to Lincolnton 43-42 in overtime.  It is not likely the Red Raiders will start 0-2 this time around, but there’s a reason they play the game.

 

My pick: South Point 34 – Lincolnton 27

Ashbrook (1-0) @ Crest (1-0): Crest ended a long losing streak to South Point last week as they smashed the Red Raiders 35-13. Now Crest is hopeful to keep a winning streak of their own alive against another Gaston County opponent. The Chargers have won six straight against Ashbrook including a 23-13 victory in the second round of the playoffs last year. Ashbrook is looking to snap the losing streak against the Chargers. The last time the Green Wave beat Crest was in 2010 when Ashbrook upset Crest 20-17. Ashbrook’s defense pitched a shutout last week in a 23-0 rout of Burns, but the offense sputtered in the second half. To have a chance at a victory, Ashbrook will need to be clicking in both phases.

My pick: Crest 24 – Ashbrook 17

Clover, SC (0-1) @ Forestview (1-0): The Jaguars begin the season with a win for the first time in five years after drubbing Nation Ford 48-28. Now, the Jaguars turn their focus over to Clover. Forestview is hoping to make it three wins in a row over Clover. But the Blue Eagles will have other ideas. Another year under Coach Chad Smith’s system should provide them with much needed growth. Look for this to be much closer than last year’s 41-6 blowout victory.

My pick: Forestview 35 – Clover 21

North Gaston (1-0) @ East Rutherford (0-1): North Gaston started the season off on the right foot and hopes to keep the momentum going. But East Rutherford will be a tougher task than last week’s game. Last year, the Wildcats toppled the Cavaliers 43-42. Could this be another one of those exciting games?

My pick: East Rutherford 27 – North Gaston 24

Hunter Huss (0-1) @ Vance (1-0): Huss’s tough nonconference schedule just got tougher. Vance opened up the season with a dominant 49-0 win over West Mecklenburg. The Huskies lost a tough one to Kings Mountain 34-21. It was 21-0 at some point in the first half. The Huskies are going to need to bring their A+ game in order to be competitive in this game.

My pick: Vance 42 – Hunter Huss 7

R-S Central (1-0) @ Stuart Cramer (0-1): Expect more growing pains for the Stuart Cramer. The Storm dropped their opener against Thomas Jefferson last week 28-7. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 26-15 win over McDowell. This game could get away from Cramer rather quickly.

My pick: R-S Central 35 – Stuart Cramer 7

East Gaston (0-1) @ Kings Mountain (1-0): Kings Mountain is looking to build on last week’s 34-21 victory over Hunter Huss. East Gaston is out to show that they are a completely different team from last year. The Warriors gave East Lincoln a run for their money in the first half last week. They even had a 14-6 lead before watching it dwindle as the Mustangs walked away with a 35-14 win. The Mountaineers will likely be another tall mountain to climb, though. But if East Gaston can show the same fight that they showed against a stout East Lincoln team, this game may get interesting.

My pick: Kings Mountain 38 – East Gaston 21

Shelby (1-0) @ A.C. Reynolds (0-1): If last year’s game with A.C. Reynolds is any indication, this game could be one for the books. Reynolds left Blanton Stadium last year with a 49-42 victory. The Rockets are hoping to avoid dropping two in a row at home as they lost 43-35 to West Forsyth last week. Shelby started the season off on fire, whipping Polk County 50-20. The Golden Lions are hoping to avenge last year’s loss to the Rockets. This could be another back-and-forth game just like last year’s contest.

My pick: Shelby 42 – A.C. Reynolds 38

Q Foundation (0-0) @ East Lincoln (1-0): After struggling early to East Gaston last week, the Mustangs pulled away with the victory (35-14). Don’t look for the Mustangs to have much trouble with the Q Foundation.

My pick: East Lincoln 42 – Q Foundation 6

North Lincoln (1-0) @ West Lincoln (1-0): North Lincoln started the season with a surprising 26-13 upset over Lincolnton. West Lincoln also started off with a win. They topped Draughn 34-21. The Rebels are hoping to put together two consecutive winning seasons. The Knights are just trying to get a winning season, period. This could be a shootout.

My pick: North Lincoln 26 – West Lincoln 20

Highland Tech (0-0) @ Central Academy (0-1): Highland Tech begins their season this week as they travel to Monroe to take on Central Academy. Like last year and the previous years, depth will continue to be a concern for the Rams.

My pick: Central Academy 38 – Highland Tech 0

Jaguars Offense Picks Up Where It Left Off

                The Forestview Jaguars might have answered many people’s questions tonight as they leave South Carolina with a 48-28 victory over Nation Ford. Losing record-setting quarterback, Logan Bradley, and wide receiver, Mykelti Armstrong, left big shoes to fill. But Moe Neal and John Crawford showed tonight that they can carry the slack. Moe Neal finished with 280 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns (two receiving and one rushing). John Crawford finished with 197 yards passing and 56 yards rushing and four touchdowns (three passing and one rushing).

                The Jaguars got on the board first with a Crawford to Neal 11-yard touchdown pass. Trey Heavner’s extra point made it 7-0. The Falcons answered that score with a Cole Martin touchdown pass to Hank Tuipulotu. Lexi Dressing’s extra point tied it up. Crawford and Neal connected again for another touchdown score on the ensuing drive. This time from 23 yards out.

                The Falcons were forced to punt on their next drive and that put the Jaguars back in business. Set up by a 32 yard run by Moe Neal that put the ball at the one yard line, Montavis Rogers put one on the board with a one-yard plunge into the end-zone. Heavner made the extra point again. But Nation Ford would not go away. Martin cut Forestview’s lead in half with a 23-yard touchdown connection to Jordan Helms.

                With just five seconds to go before half-time, Crawford connected with Caleb Mills for a 29-yard touchdown. That would make it 28-14 at half-time. The Jaguars appeared to be primed to go for the jugular early in the third quarter, but their drive stalled at the Falcons’ eleven yard line. Nation Ford once again chipped away at Forestview’s lead with a 29-yard touchdown connection from Martin to Tuipulotu. Dressing remained perfect on her extra points.

                But each time the Falcons got close, the Jaguars shut the door. Crawford this time made things happen with his legs as he dashed six yards for a touchdown score. Martin and Tuipulotu connected again, this time from seven yards. To cut the lead to seven once again (35-28), but that would be as close as the Falcons got. Neal extended Forestview’s lead with a 59-yard touchdown run with just less than five minutes to go.

                With time running out on Nation Ford, they knew they had to make something happen. But Martin was intercepted by Caleb Mills. Montavis Rogers put the nail in the coffin with a 45-yard touchdown run. The kick was blocked, however. Mills intercepted Martin a second time with just a minute to go. That was three interceptions on the night. Marquez Gray got the other interception earlier in the game.

                “There’s a lot we can improve on.” Forestview head coach Chris Medlin said “The way we competed and still being able to overcome some stuff and still put up 48 points against a good team, I’m pleased. A lot of people contributed. We had a lot of big plays both offensively and defensively.”

                Cole Martin amassed 298 yards passing and four touchdowns and three interceptions. Tuipulotu led the Falcons with 140 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

                “I think Forestview has a very good football team.” Falcons head coach Michael Allen said “They executed better than we did tonight. We just got some improving to do on the defensive side of the ball. We were in the game. We had opportunities to get our hands on some balls early and were one strike away from tying it and changing the dynamics of the game, but we didn’t seize the moment.”

                The Jaguars snap a four game losing streak to the Falcons and for the second year in a row, they leave South Carolina with a victory. Last year, they defeated Clover 41-6 in Clover. Prior to that, the Jaguars were 0-8 when going south of the border.

                Forestview will host Clover next week. Nation Ford will head to Boiling Springs.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland County Week 1 Picks

Game of the Week: Crest @ South Point: After falling to the South Point Red Raiders eight straight times, the Crest Chargers feel that this is their best chance to end the losing streak against their former conference rival. Crest was the 3AA State Runner-up last year while South Point made it no further than the third round of the playoffs. But this a new year for both teams. The Red Raiders only return 9 starters from last year, but are always a dangerous squad. Two of those returning starters are quarterback Jaquan Brooks and Safety Tanner Muse. Muse is currently committed to Clemson. This game could be much closer than last year’s 35-16 South Point victory.

My pick: Crest 28 – South Point 24

Burns @ Ashbrook: These two teams met last year with Burns coming away with a 29-24 victory. However, Burns lost a lot from last year including former head coach Matt Beam. Ashbrook, on the other hand, returns 15 starters from a team that finished second in Big South action. Things could get bad before they get better for the Bulldogs.

My pick: Ashbrook 45 – Burns 14

Forestview @ Nation Ford, SC: This will be the eighth annual meeting between these two interstate rivals. However, this has been one-sided lately as the Falcons have taken four straight from the Jaguars including last year’s 57-56 barnburner. The Jaguars hope to snap the losing streak to Nation Ford. The Jaguars will also be confronted with the task of replacing quarterback Logan Bradley and wide out Mykelti Armstrong and many starters on defense. But one of the key returnees is Division I prospect Moe Neal (RB/SB).

My pick: Nation Ford 35 – Forestview 28

Bessemer City @ North Gaston: Bessemer City is expected to be in the running for the Southern Piedmont 1A conference crown, but it’s usually a different ball game when they visit neighboring 3A teams like North Gaston. The Wildcats will have to replace some key players on offense, but they look to be heading in the right direction. Last year was their best season since 2007 when they were the state 3A runner-ups.

My pick: North Gaston 35 – Bessemer City 14

Kings Mountain @ Hunter Huss: After a tough 1-6 start last year, the Huskies made a big turnaround winning five of their last seven games, including to playoffs wins over West Lincoln and Bunker Hill. Their run ended with a 24-14 loss against Parkwood. The biggest piece of their last year, Kerrion Moore, graduated so it will be up to Senior quarterback Andrew Jordan to lead the Huskies. Jamar McCoy takes over the reins of head coach after Steve Gardner stepped down. Kings Mountain, on the other hand, returns the majority of their starting line-up from last year and should be much better than last season’s disappointing 2-9 record.

My pick: Kings Mountain 35 – Hunter Huss 21

Thomas Jefferson @ Stuart Cramer: Welcome to varsity, Stuart Cramer. Thomas Jefferson won’t necessarily be an easy game to break into varsity play against. They are expected to be in the running for the Southern Piedmont 1A conference. The Storm will also have to play their entire season without starting quarterback Noah Oxendine.

My pick: Thomas Jefferson 42 – Stuart Cramer 13

East Gaston @ East Lincoln: East Gaston is looking to put the hardships of last season behind them. East Lincoln is hoping to return to the state title game. They were eliminated in the third round of the playoffs last year by Monroe 34-13. The Surratt brothers return for the Mustangs and that means their offense will be difficult to stop. Last year, the Mustangs defeated East Gaston, but later on had to forfeit. The Mustangs had to forfeit two more wins after that. East Gaston has switched their offense to a spread offense and hopes that will help steer them to more wins and a chance to return to the playoffs.

My pick: East Lincoln 37 – East Gaston 20

Lincolnton @ North Lincoln: North Lincoln faces the first of three county rivals to start the season given they are in a different conference. Lincolnton, with 16 starters back this year, could seriously challenge county rival, East Lincoln, for the Midwestern 2A conference. Lincolnton advanced to the third round of the 2A state playoffs last year and narrowly lost to Reidsville 13-10. North Lincoln brings back 15 from last year and are hopeful to move up in the North Piedmont 4A/3A conference. Since both of these teams are competing in challenging conferences, that’s what makes this opening game very critical for these two.

My pick: Lincolnton 35 – North Lincoln 21

West Lincoln @ Draughn: West Lincoln started off 7-1 last year before dropping their final four games, including the 30-27 playoff loss to Hunter Huss. The Rebels are hoping for another fast start. Look for this to have a similar outcome to last year’s 28-21 West Lincoln victory.

My pick: West Lincoln 24 – Draughn 20

Bunker Hill @ Cherryville: Bunker Hill has taken five straight from Cherryville. Cherryville is another team that is switching things up offensively to hopefully create more opportunities for more wins. Will that be enough to stop the skid against Bunker Hill?

My pick: Bunker Hill 34 – Cherryville 20

Polk County @ Shelby: The Shelby Golden Lions begin the defense of their 2A state championship tonight as they host Polk County. The Golden Lions defeated the Wolverines 38-21 in last year’s opener. The Wolverines will have their hands full with all the speed the Golden Lions are bringing to the table. Look for Shelby to walk away with a convincing win.

My pick: Shelby 45 – Polk County 21