Stallions Clinch Division Title With 48-14 Blowout Win Over Cougars

What looked like was going to be a close game in the first half, turned into a rout midway through the second quarter. South Pointe got on the board first with a 27 yard touchdown pass from Tahleek Steele to Ty Good (Wyatt Grantham PAT good). York Comprehensive answered on the ensuing drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Stephen Oglesby (PAT good). Then the second quarter came and the Stallions retook the lead. Steele connected with Raseac Myles for a 21-yard touchdown pass (PAT good).

The Turning Point

The Cougars drove right back down the field to try and tie the game up. Oglesby was stopped just inches short of the goal line and the Stallions took over and were able to drive the whole 99 yards down the field. Maurice Whitlock capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run (PAT good). After stopping the Cougars on their next drive, the Stallions’ Jaylen Mahoney returned the punt 55 yards for a touchdown (PAT good). South Pointe scored again on their next possession when Steele connected with Isaac Ross for a 16-yard touchdown (PAT good). The Cougars would add to their miseries by allowing the Stallions to recover the ensuing kickoff. Fortunately for them, time ran out.

More Bad News For York

After amassing 100 yards and a touchdown in the first half, York tailback Stephen Oglesby sustained an injury that would end his night early. He did not return after half-time and the Cougars couldn’t seem to fully recover.

The Cougars did have some fight left however. Looking for a screen pass, Tahleek Steele was intercepted by York defensive lineman, Dazaevien Wright. Quarterback Tanner McKinney connected with Ethan Mitchell for a six-yard touchdown pass (PAT good) to cut the Stallions’ lead to 35-14. But that would be all the highlights for York.

The Joe Ervin Show

South Pointe tailback Joe Ervin put the finishing touches on the game with two touchdown runs. He scored one from 16 yards (PAT no good) and another one from nine yards (Max Gonzalez PAT good). He amassed 252 yards rushing total on the night along with the two touchdowns.

What’s next?

York will host Orangeburg-Wilkinson in the South Carolina 4A state playoffs in two weeks. South Pointe will be hosting an at-large team that is TBD.

What he said…

“We just got taken to the wood-shed. That was an old wood-shed butt-whooping.” said York head coach Bobby Carroll “They were much better prepared than us. We could not tackle #2. I worked over there for the first six years that school was in existence and I have never seen a running-back like that. That kid is honestly phenomenal and he can run the football. They went 99 on us after (the goal-line stop) and us jumping off-sides on third down really put the chains in front of us and we were in trouble from that point on. They were just much better than us in every phase of the game. They won four state championships in a row and it shows.”

“I was real concerned about moving the game. It kept on getting postponed. After we got here, I felt good about how the players were getting warmed up and getting loose and we got on the field and played one of the better games we played this year.” said South Pointe head coach Strait Herron “The biggest play was stopping them on the goal line and then later on being able to score again. I think that was kind of the nail in the coffin. I was worried about coming out in the second half. We struggled a little big but our guys did a great job responding.”

“He’s one of the most impressive players that I have seen this year at any game.” Herron said about his tailback Joe Ervin “He is a major Division I type player. People talk about his size but I’m telling you, his feet, his vision, his hips are as good as anybody I have ever seen.”

West Lincoln Shuts Out Rival East Lincoln

                Many teams in the area decided to beat the heavy rains and have their games on Thursday instead of playing on Friday. Two teams who braved the elements and kept their game on Friday were the East Lincoln Mustangs and the West Lincoln Rebels. The Rebels have had a great season, going 7-2. East Lincoln was hoping to punch their ticket to the playoffs. They were 4-5. But at the end of the night, it would be the Rebels left standing.

                It was a defensive struggle the first half. The first quarter was a stalemate. Midway through the second quarter, the Rebels broke the stalemate with a one-yard touchdown plunge by Nakathon Phansook. Brendan Ikard’s run for the two-point conversion made it 8-0. The Rebels had a chance to put points on the board earlier after recovering an East Lincoln fumble. But a penalty backed them up and turn it over on downs. 8-0 would remain the score at halftime.

                The Rebels would add to their lead in the third quarter when quarterback Seth Willis connected with Jesse Hatcher for a 17-yard touchdown pass. Canon Bridges run for the two-point conversion gave the Rebels a 16-0 lead. The Rebels would deliver the knockout punch with less than six minutes to go in the fourth quarter with a two-yard touchdown run by Phansook (PAT failed).

                The Mustangs tried to get a drive going in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout but the Rebels would keep the Mustangs out of the end zone. That would be twice on the night that the Mustangs would go deep in at would be twice on the night that the Mustangs would go deep in Rebel territory and come up empty.

                “Give a lot credit to our players and coaches tonight. Our players played real hard and proud of our coaches and the hard work they put in this week against a tough team, East Lincoln.” said West Lincoln head coach Tom Sain “It’s been a long time since we beaten them. We knew they had a good team. They’re big, they’re physical. They played a really good game. I’m proud of our guys, the way they worked all week and got ready and prepared.”

                “I’m proud of the way our defense stepped up and played tonight against a really good team. They have a lot of offensive weapons.” Sain said about the defense “We knew we’d have to prepare for (Sidney Dollar). He does a great job. He’s such a great athlete. He gets out there and they get the ball to him. We knew we’d have to play real well against him.”

                “We just struggled offensively to get moving and when we did, we got some penalties, turnovers and things of that nature.” Said East Lincoln head coach David Lubowicz “I think (West Lincoln) played a good ball control offense and used the field to their advantage. They were very impressive tonight.”

                “They kept us in every ball game and given us a chance.” Lubowicz said about the defense “We’re just not finishing drives. Kudos to the defense. They have done a great job this whole year. You can only ask so much of a kid before he starts getting tired and giving up some yards and such.”

                West Lincoln beats East Lincoln for the first time since 2004 and the first time at home since 2001. The Rebels are also experiencing their best season in school history. The Rebels (8-2)(4-2) travel to Lake Norman Charter (2-8)(0-6) next week. East Lincoln (4-6)(2-4) hosts Newton-Conover (4-6)(2-4).

Third Quarter Surge Propels Kings Mountain In Rout of Forestview

 

                Coming into this game, the Kings Mountain Mountaineers reeled off two consecutive games forcing 63 points since their 38-21 loss to Hunter Huss. They whipped Ashbrook 63-20 and rolled over Burns 63-21. The Mountaineers found themselves in the midst of a fight in the first half and were down 9-7 at half-time.

                That all changed in the second half. The Mountaineers rolled up 34 unanswered points in the third quarter. Ricaylen Mack got the party started with a 39 yard touchdown run (PAT good). Kaylon Wade gave the Mountaineers a 34-9 lead with two touchdown passes (a 20-yard pass to Chris Brittain and a 23-yard pass to Kobe Paysour). Paysour scored the touchdown in the first half with a 45-yard pass from Wade. Mack scored another touchdown from the one-yard line following a Jaguar fumble (PAT good).

                The Mountaineers’ last score in the third quarter was a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown by Dameon Wilson. Early in the fourth quarter, Belton Pressley returned an interception of his own for a touchdown. That one was from 44 yards out.

                Forestview did score one more touchdown before this was over with a two-yard run by Jacob Ash. The Mountaineers would score one more touchdown with a 72-yard run by James Ussery (PAT good).

                Ricaylen Mack led Kings Mountain’s offense with 165 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Kaylon Wade passed for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Kings Mountain’s Austin Browning was 5-for-6 on extra point kicks. Forestview’s defense got the first points on the board with a safety in the first half. Jake Lee gave Forestview the half-time lead with a one-yard touchdown run (PAT good).

                “Give Forestview credit. They played a great first half. They played hard. We just had too many penalties in the first half. We cleaned things up in the second half and it payed off. It was a good win.” said Kings Mountain head coach Greg Lloyd “(Ricaylen Mack) is getting better. He’s healthier than he’s been all year. So it’s really helping the team and the offensive line did a really good job.”

                “They’re a good team. Proud of the way our kids played, especially the first half. It got away from us and we self-imploded. We made a lot of mental mistakes and that’s how you get a score like that.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “Give them credit. They did what they had to do. I’m proud of our team. We’re going to regroup. We’re going to get ready for next week and see what happens.”

                Kings Mountain (8-2)(5-1) will host Crest (8-2)(5-1) for a battle of second place in the conference. Forestview (3-7)(1-5) will travel to Stuart Cramer (5-4)(3-3).

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Best to Last Week 11

       1.       Hunter Huss

2.       South Point

3.       Crest

4.       Shelby

5.       North Lincoln

6.       Kings Mountain

7.       Stuart Cramer

8.       Mountain Island Charter

9.       West Lincoln

10.   East Lincoln

11.   Bessemer City

12.   Ashbrook

13.   Burns

14.   Forestview

15.   Cherryville

16.   North Gaston

17.   Lincolnton

18.   Highland Tech

19.   East Gaston

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 11 Picks – Conferences

Big South 3A

Hunter Huss 42 @ Stuart Cramer 14

Kings Mountain 49 @ Forestview 21

Ashbrook 28 @ North Gaston 21

Burns 14 @ Crest 35

Southwestern 2A

Chase 7 @ South Point 49

Shelby 20 @ East Rutherford 24

R-S Central 28 @ East Gaston 14

South Fork 2A

East Lincoln 14 @ West Lincoln 28

Lake Norman Charter 14 @ Bandys 48

Maiden 35 @ Newton-Conover 14

North Lincoln 41 @ Lincolnton 14

Southern Piedmont 1A

Thomas Jefferson 41 @ Mountain Island Charter 31

Community School of Davidson 14 @ Bessemer City 20

Cherryville 28 @ Pine Lake Prep 22

Highland Tech 14 @ Union Academy 21

Hunter Huss Moves To 9-0 With Dominant Performance

                The Huskies were looking to remain undefeated and to defend their home turf. The Jaguars are fighting for their playoff lives. The Huskies would not have much trouble tonight as they were all over Forestview 49-10. It was also a big night got Tony Davis who scored three touchdowns on 149 yards receiving. It was also the night Davis made his decision on where to play college ball. He chose to play collegiate ball at Duke.

After the Huskies took a 7-0 lead with a 50 yard touchdown pass from Zo Wallace to Tony Davis. The Jaguars would cut the lead with a 40-yard field-goal by Holt Cloninger. But it was all Huss from there on out.

                Wallace and Davis connected on another touchdown pass with a short screen pass that the Duke commit took all the way 65 yards for a touchdown (PAT good). Wallace would pass for another touchdown early in the second quarter. That would be a five-yard touchdown connection to Malik Corry (PAT good). Davis would catch his third one from Wallace (15 yards) before the half was over. That made it 28-3.

                The Jaguars would try and get more points on the board with another Holt Cloninger field-goal attempt. But it was blocked and Desmond Hope took it 82 yards for a touchdown (PAT good). In the second half, Wallace scored his fifth passing touchdown of the game when he connected with Jaheim Mullen from 34 yards out (PAT good). Lincolnton transfer Jamal Littlejohn got in on the scoring with a 28 yard run (PAT good) to make it 49-3 and that would start the continuous clock.

                The Huskies defense forced four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble). But the Huskies would give the Jaguars a gift toward the end of the game with a muffed punt. That Jaguars would take advantage as backup quarterback Graham Wiggins would connect with Jacob Ash for a 12-yard touchdown pass right before time expired (PAT good).

                “We played great football tonight. I’m very proud of our kids. We’re undefeated at home this season. I’m very proud they protected the dog pound.” said Hunter Huss head coach Jamar McCoy “We try to win in all three phases of the game, not just offense and defense. Our special teams played a big part, blocking a field goal and returning it the distance for a touchdown.”

                “Those kids are a great talent. They’re seniors and we rely heavily on our seniors.” McCoy said about Duke commit WR/DB Tony Davis and WR/DB Jaheim Mullen “They played wonderful ball across the board. Not just those two but Marcus Mauney, Deaven Lowery, Chase Williamson, all those senior stepped up and played great football tonight. They’re leaders and they’re great young men.”

                The Huskies (9-0)(5-0) win on Homecoming night and protect their home turf on their regular season home finale. Their final two games will be at Stuart Cramer and at Ashbrook. Forestview (3-6)(1-4) will host Kings Mountain before traveling to Stuart Cramer.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Best to Last Week 10

       1.       Hunter Huss

2.       South Point

3.       Crest

4.       Shelby

5t.       North Lincoln

5t.       Kings Mountain

7.       West Lincoln

8.       East Lincoln

9.       Stuart Cramer

10.   Bessemer City

11.   Mountain Island Charter

12.   Ashbrook

13.   Burns

14.   Forestview

15.   North Gaston

16t.   Cherryville

16t.   Lincolnton

18.   Highland Tech

19.   East Gaston

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 10 Picks – Conferences

Big South 3A

Stuart Cramer 14 @ Ashbrook 21

Forestview 7 @ Hunter Huss 48

North Gaston 7 @ Crest 42

Kings Mountain 35 @ Burns 21

Southwestern 2A

R-S Central 7 @ South Point 49

East Gaston 7 @ Shelby 52

East Rutherford 42 @ Chase 14

South Fork 2A

Maiden 27 @ East Lincoln 20

Bandys 7 @ West Lincoln 14

Lincolnton 48 @ Lake Norman Charter 28

Newton-Conover 14 @ North Lincoln 35

Southern Piedmont 1A

Mountain Island Charter 48 @ Pine Lake Prep 21

Bessemer City 13 @ Thomas Jefferson 20

Cherryville 21 @ Highland Tech 14

Union Academy 14 @ Community School of Davidson 38

 

South Iredell Rallies In Second Half, Knocks Off West Rowan In Two Overtimes

                This was one of two area games delayed by Hurricane Michael. The South Iredell Vikings played host to the West Rowan Falcons on Homecoming Night. The Falcons looked poised to spoil it for them as they jumped out to a 24-10 half-time lead. The Vikings would outscore the Falcons 28-7 in the second half, taking a 38-31 lead with 2:50 left in the game.

                The Falcons drove down the field to tie the game up with just less than a minute left. Jaden Perry took it in from the one-yard line (PAT good). The Vikings would try and end the game before regulation, but were unable to make it past their own 45 yard line.

To overtime we went! Both teams exchanged field goals in the first overtime. In the second overtime, Holland Dowdy connected with Cullen Smith for the ten-yard touchdown pass. But West Rowan’s possession would not be so successful as Payne Stolsworth was sacked for 20 yards and his next pass attempt would be intercepted in the end zone by Darius Smyre to end the game. Vikings won 48-41.

Perry amassed 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 55-yard touchdown run to open up the scoring for the Falcons. Stolsworth amassed 211 yards passing for West Rowan and three touchdowns, but also had two interceptions. Davis Tadlock amassed 132 yards receiving and would score two touchdowns. Holland Dowdy led the Vikings offense to 129 yards passing, two touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. He started in the second half in place of an injured Ty Everhart. Alterek Adams led the Vikings rushing attack for 106 yards.

South Iredell will travel to take on East Rowan. West Rowan will play host to North Iredell.

 

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

WR – Jaden Perry 60 yard touchdown run – Frederico Cruz kick

SI – Cody Hazzelton 37 Field-goal

Second Quarter

WR – Payne Stolsworth 13 yard touchdown pass to Quay Weeks – Cruz kick

WR – Stolsworth 30 yard touchdown pass to Davis Tadlock – Cruz kick

SI – Gavin Kuld 8 yard touchdown run – Hazzleton kick

WR – Cruz 34 Field-goal

Third Quarter

SI – Holland Dowdy 12 yard touchdown pass to Cullen Smith

WR – Stolsworth 39 yard touchdown pass to Tadlock – Cruz kick

Fourth Quarter

SI – Dowdy 5 yard touchdown run – Hazzleton kick

SI – Jermie Greene 16 yard touchdown run – Hazzleton kick

SI – Will Gordon 28 yard touchdown run – Hazzleton kick

WR – Perry 1 yard touchdown run – Cruz kick

Overtime

Cruz – 35 Field-goal

Hazzleton – 25 Field-goal

Dowdy 10 yard touchdown pass to Smith

Hunter Huss Remains Unbeaten With A Shutout Win Over Crest

                In big games, there are big moments. In big games, big players rise up to the occasion. On the other hand, that’s also when mistakes get magnified. All of this took place in a game where Hunter Huss defeated Crest 14-0 in a key conference matchup.

                The Chargers looked like they might take charge early when they drove deep into Husky territory on their first drive. But a tipped pass that was intercepted by Dontavius Nash, stopping the Crest drive at the 13-yard line. The Huskies were unable to answer and an error just about cost them as a punt sailed over the kicker’s head and he punted it very short to the 31 yard line of Huss.

                The Chargers appeared to go up six when Rae-Kwon Young-Turner took it in for a touchdown, but a holding penalty brought it back. That Chargers ended up settling for a field goal that was partially blocked and no good. That’s two key opportunities missed by Crest.

                First play in the second quarter on a third-and-long play, Huskies quarterback Zo Wallace hit Jaheim Mullen for a short pass that he took 89 yards for a touchdown. A penalty backed them up on the PAT but Trevor Hargett’s kick for the extra point was good. That would be the only score in the first half.

                In the third quarter, the Chargers shot themselves in the foot when they fumbled near their own goal line. The Huskies would make them pay a few plays later when Malik Corry took it in for a one-yard touchdown run (PAT good). The Chargers could not muster any offense after that.

                In the fourth quarter, the Chargers would turn the ball over again as Peyton Kemmerlin was intercepted by Jaheim Mullen. That was three turnovers by the Chargers. The Huskies had none. The Chargers tried getting a drive going at the end of the game to avoid a shutout, but time just simply ran out.

                Zo Wallace led the Huskies offensive attack with 192 yards passing and a touchdown. Jaheim Mullen amassed 106 yards receiving including the 89 yard touchdown reception. Rae-Kwon Young-Turner led Crest with 112 rushing yards.

                “We moved the ball up and down the field early but just couldn’t punch it in. It was a hard-fought game.” said Crest head coach Nick Eddins “I’m proud of our kids for playing so hard. We didn’t execute to the best of our ability. We’ll get better.”

                “Great win! When you can beat a storied program like Crest with a week such as we had with the rain, having to practice inside and not being able to practice yesterday, it’s a major victory for the program. So I’m very pleased and ecstatic of the outcome of the game tonight.” said Hunter Huss head coach Jamar McCoy “We knew coming in that they would be a physical defense. They were big and strong and like to hit you in the mouth. They played smashmouth football, we played smashmouth football. We came out on top tonight and was able to capitalize on some of their mistakes. Offense did not turn the ball over tonight which I’m proud of. We protected the football and that was one of the keys to victory.”

                Hunter Huss (8-0)(4-0) is off to their best start since 1976. They play host to Forestview (3-5)(1-3) next week. Crest (6-2)(3-1) plays host to North Gaston (2-6)(0-4).

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Best to Last

1.       Hunter Huss

2.       Crest

3.       South Point

4.       Shelby

5.       North Lincoln

6.       West Lincoln

7.       Kings Mountain

8.       East Lincoln

9.       Ashbrook

10.   Stuart Cramer

11.   Bessemer City

12.   Mountain Island Charter

13.   Forestview

14.   Burns

15.   North Gaston

16.   Cherryville

17.   Highland Tech

18.   Lincolnton

19.   East Gaston

 

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 9 Picks – Conferences

Big South

Crest 14 @ Hunter Huss 21

Stuart Cramer 42 @ North Gaston 14

Forestview 24 @ Burns 28

Ashbrook 21 @ Kings Mountain 28

Southwestern 2A

South Point 28 @ East Rutherford 14

Shelby 49 @ R-S Central 7

East Gaston 7 @ Chase 28

South Fork 2A

West Lincoln 27 @ Lincolnton 7

East Lincoln 14 @ Bandys 24

North Lincoln 27 @ Maiden 14

Lake Norman Charter 7 @ Newton-Conover 42

Southern Piedmont 1A

Mountain Island Charter 35 @ Community School of Davidson 14

Highland Tech 14 @ Thomas Jefferson 42

Union Academy 14 @ Cherryville 21

Pine Lake Prep 14 @ Bessemer City 24

Forestview Gets First Conference Win Of The Year

                After taking a break from conference play last week, the Forestview Jaguars resumed conference play as they hosted North Gaston on Homecoming Night. The Jaguars and the Wildcats were looking for their first conference of the year. At the end of the night, it would be the Jaguars (3-4)(1-2) that would leave with the 46-22 conference win.

                The Jaguars would start things off with a 29 yard field goal from Holt Cloninger. Jacob Ash would add to that with a 16-yard run for a touchdown (PAT good) and Jake Lee would connect with Trey Bolch for a 14-yard touchdown pass (PAT good) and it was 17-0 off the bat.

                The Wildcats would respond in the second quarter after Kareem Kennedy picked off a Jake Lee pass and returned it deep into Jaguar territory. Donterrio Chambers got the Wildcats on the board with a five-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion run. Holt Cloninger added another field goal for the Jaguars before half-time. That one was from 22-yards out. He was 2-for-4 on field goals in the first half.

                Forestview went right back to work in the third quarter with two touchdown runs from Jake Lee (one from three yards out, one from one-yard out). Early in the fourth quarter, Jacob Ash added another one from three yards out (PAT good). It was 40-8 at that point.

                The Wildcats did score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. One was an 83-yard run by Kennedy and the other, a nine-yard run by Chambers.

                Jake Lee led the Forestview offense with with 226 yards passing, one passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns. Larkin Satterwhite amassed 147 yards receiving. Jalen Mims amassed 106 yards rushing and a touchdown that he scored in the fourth quarter (38 yards). Kareem Kennedy led North Gaston with 179 yards rushing and a touchdown.

                “We played a lot better and a lot harder than last week.” said North Gaston head coach Mike Patton “Fundamentally, we still have to get better. We have to take better care of the football and not have turnovers. I thought our defense made some plays early and I thought they played better at times. We got a lot of young guys on the field. We are still without some players. Next man up has to play and get some experience and play well too.”

                “We had some chances early to get some passes and different things and separate a little bit. It’s our fault for not doing that but I was proud of the guys for the way we responded in the second half.” Said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “I thought our defense played really well. I thought as a unit they played great. Jake (Lee) had a great game. Larkin (Satterwhite) had a great game. I know he had right at 100 yards last week and was the Gazette player of the week. He had another big game this week.”

                Forestview (3-4)(1-2) travels to Burns (2-5)(0-3) next week. North Gaston (2-5)(0-3) hosts Stuart Cramer (4-3)(1-2).

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Best to Last Week 8

1.       Hunter Huss

2.       Crest

3.       South Point

4.       Kings Mountain

5t.       Shelby

5t.       North Lincoln

5t.       West Lincoln

8.       Ashbrook

9.       Stuart Cramer

10.   East Lincoln

11.   Bessemer City

12.   Mountain Island Charter

13.   Forestview

14.   Burns

15.   North Gaston

16t.   Cherryville

16t.   Highland Tech

16t.   Lincolnton

19.   East Gaston