Saturday, November 24, 2018

Huskies Win Big, Shut Out Chargers Again


                The Hunter Huss Huskies and the Crest Chargers played in a rematch from a game that the Huskies won 14-0 earlier in the year. Both teams played in rematches last week. The Huskies beat Burns 45-6, a team they beat earlier 41-0. The Chargers beat Stuart Cramer 41-14, a team they beat 27-7 earlier in the year. So if that was any indication, it would not bode well for Crest as they sought to avenge their loss in the regular season.

                The Huskies took a 7-0 lead with a three-yard touchdown run by quarterback Zo Wallace (PAT good) on the first play in the second quarter. The Chargers started to get a drive going of their own, but a fumble near the Husky 20-yard line stalled the drive. The Huskies were poised to extend the lead when Zo Wallace connected with Jaheim Mullen for a 58-yard pass play that placed the ball at the Chargers’ eight-yard line. But the Huskies would fumble it the Chargers recovered. They were unable to do anything with it however. Wallace was intercepted by Landon Zanders on the next drive, but the Chargers could not capitalize. As the half was coming to a close, the Huskies got into field goal range but procedure penalties and a sack by Rae-Kwon Young-Turner kept the Huskies from putting points on the board as the half expired.

                In the second half, the Huskies got the ball and got a long drive going that took nearly nine minutes. The drive was capped off on a fourth-and-goal play. That was a one-yard touchdown run by Malik Corry (PAT good). The Chargers would self-destruct from that point forward. A fumble late in the third quarter set the Huskies up near the Chargers’ ten-yard line. Wallace would connect with Jamal Littlejohn for a ten-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter.

                The onslaught was on from there. A Wallace 25-yard touchdown pass to Jaheim Mullen seemingly put the nail in the coffin. The defense would also get in on the scoring. Chase Williamson picked off a pass Crest quarterback Peyton Kemmerlin and took it 46 yards for a touchdown. Trevor Hargett was 5-for-5 on his extra point kicks. Zo Wallace led the Husky offense with 136 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. He was only intercepted once. Jaheim Mullen amassed 124 yards receiving and a touchdown.

                “It was a heavy weight fight for a while. We just couldn’t get anything going. They are really good defensively.” said Crest head coach Nick Eddins “(The drive in the third quarter) was kept alive by an unsportsmanlike penalty which was the story of the first two touchdowns. Can’t do those kinds of things and expect to win big football games. That’s a credit to them. They stuck it to us.”

                “Great team win. The state tournament is alive and in full effect. One down, one more to go.” Said Hunter Huss head coach Jamar McCoy “We will celebrate this win tonight and get ready to exchange film with Charlotte Catholic “We felt that drive in the third quarter was the turning point of the game. We wanted to come out in the second half and just drive the ball and grind it. So Wallace took charge and did a wonderful job.”

                “The nail in the coffin was definitely the interception by Chase Williamson. There were some wonderful blocks up the sideline from some of the guys to spring him for the long run.” McCoy said about the interception return for a touchdown and the defensive performance “Coach Mauney and the defensive staff do a marvelous job of coaching those kids up and having them prepared on Friday nights. We did it tonight without our star linebacker Prince Bemah who will be back in action next week. So we are definitely proud of the output from the defense tonight. He’s not only a great inside linebacker. He’s the emotional leader and he does a wonderful job.”

                The Huskies won 35-0 and have now outscored the Chargers 49-0 in two both games. Hunter Huss will host Charlotte Catholic, a 42-0 winner over Monroe.

Friday, November 23, 2018

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland County Round 2 Playoffs

 
3A
#7 Crest @ #2 Hunter Huss – Hunter Huss 14-7
#5 Kings Mountain @ #4 Statesville – Kings Mountain 35-14
2AA
#5 Ashe County @ #4 Shelby – Shelby 28-14
#10 South Point @ #2 Hibriten – Hibriten 27-24
#16 East Lincoln @ #8 North Lincoln – North Lincoln 24-21
1AA
#5 Bessemer City @ #4 East Surry – East Surry 31-14

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Late Fumble Dooms Cherryville In Loss To Community School of Davidson


                The state playoffs feature a lot of conference rematches. One of those rematches is the Community School of Davidson Spartans at the Cherryville Ironmen. The Spartans defeated the Ironmen earlier this year 42-36 so they were hoping for some payback.

                Things started off good for Cherryville as they would score on their first drive with a four-yard touchdown run by Jayden Blanton (PAT good). Davidson would tie it up in the second quarter with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Austin Fekete to Ryan Renshaw (PAT good). The Ironmen retook the lead with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Harden to Sean Kostiuk (PAT good).  

                The teams would exchange turnovers late in the first half. A fumble near midfield kept the Spartans from being able to tie the game. Andrew Beam of Cherryville intercepted a half-back pass from Langston Samples. The Spartans' Devin Carbonaro intercepted a pass from Dylan Harden near the goal line toward the end of the half. The Ironmen would lead 14-7 at half-time.

                In the second half, the Spartans tied the game up again when Fekete connected with Langston Samples for a six-yard touchdown pass (PAT good). The Ironmen retook the lead early in the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown run by Jayden Blanton (PAT good). But the play that seemed to turn the game around took place on the next drive. In punt formation, kicker/punter Caden Bonoffski made a 28-yard pass to Brandon Ellington to keep the Spartans in business. They capitalized on the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run by Cameron McDonnell (PAT good).

                The Ironmen were unable to get a drive going after that. The Spartans took the lead for the first time with 4:35 to go when Fekete connected with Ryan Renshaw for another touchdown pass. This one was from 35 yards out (PAT good). The Ironmen made a key fourth down pass when Harden connected with Matt Cain to keep the potential game-tying drive alive. But the fumble that took place a play later would seal the deal.

                Jayden Blanton led the Cherryville offense with 149 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Austin Fekete led the Sparans offense with 182 yards passing and three touchdowns.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland First Round Playoff Picks


3AA

#16 Ashbrook @ #1 Watauga – My pick: Watauga 35-14

3A

#15 Burns @ #2 Hunter Huss – My pick: Hunter Huss 48-14

#10 Stuart Cramer @ #7 Crest – My pick: Crest 24-7

#13 West Rowan @ #4 Kings Mountain – My pick: Kings Mountain 42-21

2AA

#13 West Lincoln @ #4 Shelby – My pick: Shelby 28-14

#16 East Lincoln @ #1 Pisgah – My pick: Pisgah 24-14

#9 Smoky Mountain @ #8 North Lincoln – My pick: North Lincoln 31-21

#10 South Point @ #7 Mount Pleasant – My pick: South Point 35-7

1AA

#9 Mountain Island Charter @ #8 Swain County – My pick: Mountain Island Charter 48-21

#12 Highland Tech @ #5 Bessemer City – My pick: Bessemer City 35-12

#10 Community School of Davidson @ #7 Cherryville – My pick: Cherryville 45-38

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Vance Capitalizes On Early Turnovers, Trounces Hough


                On a field that was soggy and messy due to the rains that have hit the area, you had to figure that this would be a sloppy game. That would be the case early on as Hough would fumble two straight kickoffs. Vance would capitalize on both of them.

                Andre White got Vance on the board first with a three-yard touchdown run (PAT failed). Following the second Husky turnover, Joseph Morris extended the Cougars’ lead to 13-0 with a ten-yard touchdown run (PAT good). White would score another rushing touchdown later in the quarter with an eight yard run (PAT failed). Quarterback Nigel Summerville got in on the action when on fourth down, he connected with Nyier Clark for a 35-yard touchdown pass (kick blocked).

                All that scoring was in the first quarter alone. Vance would get into Hough territory in the second half, but would be unable to turn the drive into points. The Cougars fumbled four times throughout the game, losing only two of them. But the Husky offense never got on track.

                “We wanted to slow them down a little bit and get them playing in the mud a little bit.” Said Vance head coach Aaron Brand “We thought we had a good game plan. We knew the field conditions weren’t going to get better. We thought if we can get ahead and make those guys play comeback, then we’d be in a good situation. We got some early touchdowns. We are just happy we were able to come out of here with a victory. Another ten wins for the program. We thought we had the advantage in the run game, especially on this surface. Joe Morris got us set early. Jahlik Cooper had great runs toward the end. Andre White carried the load for most of the game. Nyier Clark and Nigel (Summerfield) made some good throws when we chose to throw the football. We’re super excited about our opportunities.”

                With the win, Vance locked up the #2 spot in the conference and Hough finished third.

               

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Maiden Downs Lincolnton 13-0 In Defensive Struggle


                It was not a pretty win for the Maiden Blue Devils on Senior Night, but it was a win indeed. The Blue Devils beat the Wolves 13-0 and ended the regular season on a high note. Lincolnton’s season ends at 2-9.

                For the most part, this game was a defensive struggle. Both teams had trouble moving the ball. Maiden only led 6-0 at half-time. That was a result of a three-yard touchdown pass from Bain Sipe to Dylan Abernathy (PAT no good). Sipe would connect with Abernathy again in the third quarter for a 75-yard touchdown pass (PAT good).

                That would be all the scoring the Blue Devils would do but it would be enough. The Wolves were not void of highlights themselves as Dejarris Gash intercepted two passes from Sipe to keep Lincolnton in it. But they would not be able to get anything going offensively.

                “I think we played hard defensively. The kids gave us a good shot but offensively, we just made too many stupid mistakes and too many bad plays.” said Lincolnton head coach Ledford Gibson “We get something going then we shoot ourselves in the foot with something bad. We had good opportunities but just couldn’t take advantage of them and they played good defense against us. It just didn’t turn out our way.”

                “It wasn’t pretty. The field’s not pretty either. Had to get the game in.” said Maiden head coach Will Byrne “Defense played lights out. Coach Abernathy’s defensive staff did a great job in game-planning for what they’re doing. KK McDaniel being out and Bain Sipe coming back in at quarterback, with his injury he has not taken a snap in three weeks. But once he got some momentum going, he made some big throws. We scored just enough to get the win. That’s a good Lincolnton football team we just beat right there.”

                “We had the tough, emotional loss to Bandys and we came out flat against West Lincoln and we lose a close one to North Lincoln.” Byrne said about Maiden’s tough conference start “Then we started saying ‘Let’s just play one game at a time and let everything else take care of itself’. Because we had the high expectation of repeating as champions. Sometimes in those games that we lost, the ball doesn’t bounce your way. We’re starting to come together, play together and believe in each other at the right time. That’s the biggest thing moving forward now.”

                Maiden will wait to see who they play in the NCHSAA playoffs. The Blue Devils are expected to compete in 2A.  

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Wade and Paysour Score Two Second Half Touchdowns To Take Down Crest


                With Hunter Huss having won the conference outright with an undefeated season. The Kings Mountain Mountaineers and the Crest Chargers were battling for second place and a better playoff position. It would be a defensive slugfest for most of the first half.

                Crest would hold a 3-0 lead after the first quarter with an Evan Davis 23-yard field-goal. Kings Mountain would tie it up in the second quarter with a 21-yard field-goal by Austin Browning. The Chargers would retake the lead midway through the second quarter with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Kemmerlin to Landon Zanders (PAT good). The Mountaineers would tie it again with a seven yard touchdown pass from Kaylon Wade to Ricaylen Mack (PAT good). The Chargers tried to retake the lead with a late drive that made it inside the Kings Mountain 30, but a bad snap would push them back and they were unable to get closer.

                In the second half, the Chargers retook the lead with a five-yard touchdown run by Kemmerlin (PAT good). The Mountaineers answered it later in the quarter with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Wade to Kobe Paysour. The kick was blocked however so the Chargers maintained a 17-16 lead.

                But late in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers took the lead with another touchdown pass from Wade to Paysour. The two-point conversion failed however. But it would not matter as the Mountaineers would keep the Chargers from scoring as time ran out. Kings Mountain won 22-17.

                Raw-Kwon Young-Turner amassed 156 yards rushing for Crest (8-3)(5-2) while Peyton Kemmerlin passed for 82 yards and a touchdown along with his rushing touchdown. Ricaylen Mack amassed 124 scrimmage yards (111 rushing and 13 receiving) and a receiving touchdown for Kings Mountain (9-2)(6-1). Kaylon Wade passed for 169 yards and three touchdowns. Kobe Paysour was his top receiver with 98 yards and two touchdowns.

                “It was quite a ball game. Crest has an excellent team. I thought we played well. It came down to the very end.” Said Kings Mountain head coach Greg Lloyd “Either team could have won tonight. Kobe made a play right there. I thought our offensive line did a great job tonight. Crest has an excellent defense. They are a well-coached team.”

                “Our kids played hard. They played for 48 minutes and Kings Mountain just made one more play than we did right at the end.” said Crest head coach Nick Eddins “They got a great player. They got him the ball and we missed some tackles and that’s just how it was. It was back and forth. They got a good football team over there. They coach them up. Their kids played hard and our kids played hard.”

                Both are expected to compete in the NCHSAA 3A state playoffs.

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Bandys Claims Conference Title In Hard Fought Game

 
                Both teams are having great seasons. Both teams were undefeated in conference play and were looking to claim that South Fork 2A title. After a back and forth game, it was the Bandys Trojans who were left standing with a 30-29 victory.

                Bandys fullback Ethan Howard got things started with a ten-yard touchdown run (PAT good). The Knights answered that score with a four-yard run by Daniel Carter (PAT good). The Knights took the lead when quarterback Landon Beard connected with Sam Brady for a 14-yard touchdown pass (PAT good). Trojan quarterback Lake Hojnacki tied the game back up with a 40-yard touchdown run (PAT good). 
                The Knights made a critical mistake on a Trojan fourth-down play. A substitution penalty extended a Bandys drive before halftime. The Trojans were able to capitalize and take the lead on it. As time expired, kicker Ben Joseph hit a 32-yard field-goal as time expired giving Bandys the 17-14 halftime advantage.
                The Trojans extended their lead early in the second half with a 17-yard touchdown run by Howard. But North Lincoln would not go away. Landon Beard cut Bandys lead with a three-yard touchdown run. Jake Soorus’s run for the two-point conversion made cut the lead to two points at 24-22. After forcing the Trojans to punt, the Knights blocked a punt that Terry Ferrell took 28 yards for a touchdown. They attempted to go for two but a penalty backed them up on the conversion so they chose to kick the extra point with Christian DeLaney. That gave the Knights a 29-24 advantage.
                But they would not be able to hold the lead as Howard would score his third touchdown of the night with a six-yard run with less than four minutes to go. The two point conversion would fail however. But the Knights could not get a drive going as Chase Clanton came up with the interception to seal the deal for Bandys. Both teams had two turnovers a piece in this game. The Knights’ Daniel Carter recorded an interception and Peyton Wilkie Recovered a fumble. A few plays after that, Nash Shook recovered a fumble for Bandys.
                Bandys locks up the conference’s #1 seed while North Lincoln locks up the #2 seed. Both are expected to play in the 2AA league.
                “I’m just so proud of these young men and how hard they have worked from the time we got there in June to do what they have done in this good of a conference.” said Bandys head coach Tom Eanes “You got give a lot of credit to North Lincoln. What a football team. Coach Bazzle has done a great job over there.”
                “We talked at halftime about tempo. We wanted to be a fast paced football team and we finally got that going a little bit better in the second half. I thought we were in pretty good shape until they blocked that punt. That changed a lot of momentum. But with seven minutes to go, those kids did a great job of getting the ball back and scoring a big touchdown to win it.”
                “We just made too many mistakes at crucial times. We blew some opportunities that we had.” said North Lincoln head coach Nick Bazzle  “But when you’re playing a team like Bandys as good as they are, you can’t make mistakes. When you do, they can come back to haunt you. We’re very proud of the kids. I’m proud of the kids on what they have done and what they have accomplished. They don’t quit. They play hard and that’s all we ask them to do is give their best effort. But I'd like to have some of those missed opportunities back”
 

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Huskies Cap Off Perfect Season With Dominant Performance


                It has been a historically great season for the Hunter Huss Huskies program. It hasn’t been so great for the Ashbrook Green Wave. They have lost five out of their last seven games. They broke their skid last week with a 28-21 win at North Gaston. But they would have no such luck as the Huskies would pitch a 46-0 shutout at William Eccles Field.

                The first half would be a sloppy game with turnovers and penalties. An Ashbrook fumble late in the first quarter would set the Huskies up in great field position. Husky quarterback Zo Wallace would connect with Tony Davis for a 21-yard touchdown pass on fourth down (PAT good). That was their second fourth down conversion on that drive. In the second half on a 3rd-and-16 play, Wallace connected with Jaheim Mullen for a 54-yard touchdown pass (PAT good).

                Later in the second quarter, a strange play occurred. Zo Wallace threw a pass that looked incomplete, but officials ruled that it was a backwards pass and a live ball. Damarius Davis picked up the loose ball near the 45 yard line and run with it. He would fumble near the two-yard line but Dontavius Nash would recover it and take it in for a touchdown (PAT good).

                The second half was more of the same. Jamal Littlejohn extended the Huskies lead with a 70-yard touchdown run (PAT good). Littlejohn scored again early in the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown pass from Wallace (PAT no good). Malik Corry’s four-yard touchdown run (PAT no good) and Dondra Burris’s here-yard run (PAT no good) would put the finishing touches on the Huskies’ big win.

                The win puts the Huskies at 11-0 and gives them their second outright conference title in three years. They also retain the victory bell for another year. But this game came at a cost. Huskies middle linebacker Prince Bemah had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury in the second half. The extent of the injury is unknown.

                “Big win tonight. The field conditions were a little bad. We played the best of our abilities with this field being as soggy, muddy and slippery as it was. So I’m proud of our guys.” said Hunter Huss head coach Jamar McCoy “Too many penalties. We got to correct those. Our defense is fired up every Friday night and ready to go. The way they fly around in practice every week, you can tell they’re a special bunch. Defensive coordinator Tony Mauney called a great game tonight. He’s been on the mark all year with his play-calling. Hats off to him and our defensive staff. On the season, I believe we have five or six shutouts this year.”

                “That’s what we teach our kids, play till the whistle blows and Damarius made a big play.” McCoy said about the backwards pass play in the first half that Huss turned into a touchdown “I’m not sure what the refs saw but he didn’t blow the whistle so the ball was still in play. Sometimes calls go your way. Sometimes they don’t.”

                “We turned the ball over too many times. We didn’t execute on offense. We couldn’t move the ball. Our defense got put in the hole early. We gave them too many chances. You can’t do that against a good football team.” said Ashbrook head coach Brian Andrews “They got a good football team. We’re working to get better. We’re trying to get everybody as healthy as we can. We got a bye week coming up. We don’t know if we’re in the playoffs or not. Got to wait and see.”

                Hunter Huss’s shutouts this year include a season opening 49-0 win over Patton, 45-0 win over North Gaston, 41-0 win at Burns, 14-0 win against Crest and the 46-0 win at Ashbrook last night. The NCHSAA playoffs start in two weeks.

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Final Week Picks - Conferences

Big South 3A

Crest 34 @ Kings Mountain 27
Hunter Huss 42 @ Ashbrook 14
Burns 28 @ North Gaston 24
Forestview 14 @ Stuart Cramer 35

Southwestern 2A

South Point 24 @ Shelby 20
East Rutherford 42 @ East Gaston 7
Chase 35 @ R-S Central 17

South Fork 2A

Bandys 28 @ North Lincoln 21
Newton-Conover 24 @ East Lincoln 21
West Lincoln 48 @ Lake Norman Charter 14
Lincolnton 14 @ Maiden 38

Southern Piedmont 1A

Bessemer City 14 @ Cherryville 24
Mountain Island Charter 40 @ Highland Tech 14
Pine Lake Prep 7 @ Community School of Davidson 45
Union Academy 7 @ Thomas Jefferson Classical 48