Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 8 Picks – Conferences

Big South 3A

Hunter Huss 31 @ Kings Mountain 17

Ashbrook 21 @ Crest 35

North Gaston 14 @ Forestview 35

Burns 21 @ Stuart Cramer 28

Southwestern 2A

South Point 59 @ East Gaston 7

Chase 7 @ Shelby 38

R-S Central 14 @ East Rutherford 56

South Fork 2A

North Lincoln 10 @ East Lincoln 13

Newton-Conover 7 @ West Lincoln 34

Lincolnton 7 @ Bandys 45

Maiden 55 @ Lake Norman Charter 7

Southern Piedmont 1A

Cherryville 17 @ Mountain Island Charter 24

Bessemer City 27 @ Union Academy 13

Pine Lake Prep 14 @ Highland Tech 20

Thomas Jefferson 42 @ Community School of Davidson 14

Forestview Wins Big Following An Emotional Week Of Loss and Grief

                The Jaguars took a break from conference play in their game against East Gaston. Coming into this game, the two teams had one win between them and that was Forestview’s 20-7 win over East Lincoln on the opening week. The game also started out on an emotional note as both teams faced each other with linked arms and joined for a moment of silence on the field to honor long-time Forestview teacher and cross country coach John Hunsucker, who had passed away Monday morning. The cross country team released balloons in the air afterward.

                After that, it was time to play some football. East Gaston got the ball first but were stopped on their first drive. After stopping Forestview on their first drive, the Warriors gave it right back to the Jaguars inside their own 15-yard line. Forestview would make them pay with a one-yard run by Jamarion Dawkins (PAT good).

                The Jaguars went on a tear in the second quarter. Jake Lee would throw for three touchdowns. His first was an 18-yard touchdown pass to Trey Bolch. He also connect with Kyra Peterkin for a three-yard touchdown pass and Cameron Carter for a 13-yard touchdown pass. Dawkins scored his second rushing touchdown from three-yards out. Holt Cloninger’s 26-yard field-goal made it 38-0. A holding penalty in the end-zone would score a safety for the Jaguars. Forestview would lead 40-0 at half-time.

                Jaylen Mims would score Forestview’s only touchdown in the second half with a three-yard touchdown run (PAT good). Holt Cloninger was 6-for-6 for extra point kicks. East Gaston did avoid the shutout when D.J. Maultsby connected with K.J. Dagout for a ten-yard touchdown pass (PAT good).

                “It’s good to get a win. Proud of them. I thought they played well, played hard.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “I appreciate East Gaston and the way they handled things pregame. I thought they were extremely classy and extremely respectful. I told Coach Joyce that he’s got a good group.”

                “We lost a good man this week.” Said Medlin over the passing of John Hunsucker “He touched a lot of kids here and he impacted a lot of our kids, some guys on our football team and they entire cross-country team. It’s been a tough week.”

                Forestview will return to conference play next week as they host North Gaston next week. East Gaston will begin conference play against South Point.

                “They run the option. They’re hard to stop at times. They have a good quarterback and good fullbacks. We’re going to have our hands full. Better get ready.” Medlin said about North Gaston.

                “I felt that early on Forestview did everything they could to keep us in the game. Offensively, there were things there early on that we did not execute at all.” said East Gaston head coach Sean Joyce “We didn’t execute the way we need to execute. Obviously 47-7, there’s a lot of improvement still. I’m hoping with each week that we can continue to get better. I felt like we were playing hard defensively. We were able to get a turnover here and there. Offensively, we got to execute better.”

                “It does not get any easier.” Joyce said heading into conference “South Point comes to our place. It’s a big game for our kids. I hope that emotionally, we can keep that in check and work on things that we can get better.”

                Forestview improves to 2-4 (0-2). East Gaston falls to 0-6.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland County Week 7 Picks

Big South 3A/Southwestern 2A

Kings Mountain 42 @ North Gaston 14

Hunter Huss 48 @ Burns 21

Crest 35 @ Stuart Cramer 14

South Point 42 @ Ashbrook 28*

East Gaston 7 @ Forestview 55*

Shelby 28 @ Mount Pleasant 7*

East Rutherford 45 @ Polk County 13*

Avery County 14 @ Chase 28*

South Fork 2A

West Lincoln 14 @ Maiden 35

East Lincoln 42 @ Lincolnton 14

Bandys 42 @ Newton-Conover 21

Lake Norman Charter 7 @ North Lincoln 55

Southern Piedmont 1A

Mountain Island Charter 41 @ Union Academy 14

Community School of Davidson 21 @ Cherryville 38

Highland Tech 14 @ Bessemer City 28

Thomas Jefferson Academy 45 @ Pine Lake Prep 20

(*) = non-conference game

Mallard Creek Tops Vance In Battle Of Undefeated Teams

                Coming into this game, many felt that this would be a defensive knockdown drag-out battle. It lived up to the billing. The Mavericks would get things started offensively. Quarterback Casey Kelly would throw a long 48-yard pass to Elijah Metcalf to set up the Maverick’s first score. Kelly would connect with Nick Treco for a ten-yard touchdown pass (PAT good) to give the Mavericks an early 7-0 lead.

                That would be pretty much all the offense we would see in the first quarter. Vance would answer that score in the second quarter when Nigel Summerville connected with Power Echols for a three-yard touchdown pass (PAT good).   The Mavericks would go back on top when Kelly hit Coleman Jeffcoat for a 14-yard touchdown reception (PAT good). The Cougars would make a critical mistake with less than two minutes to go in the first half. They muffed a punt near their own 40-yard line. But the Mavericks were unable to capitalize as time would run out.

                The third quarter would be a stalemate. The Cougars were knocking on the door in the third quarter as they made it inside the Mavericks’ 20-yard line. But a fumble kept them from putting points on the board. In the final quarter, the Mavericks would put the game away with a two-yard touchdown run by Kelly (PAT no good). That would make the score 20-7. The Cougars appeared to get within striking distance when Nyier Clark ran 85 yards for a touchdown. But a holding penalty brought it back and Vance would not get another chance. The Cougars lose for the first time this year and the Mavericks remain undefeated.

 

                Mallard Creek will host Lake Norman. Vance will travel to Hopewell.

Hickory Ridge Surges In Second Half, Hammers Independence

                From the early going of the opening game at UNC Charlotte’s Jerry Richardson Stadium, it looked like Independence was poised to take this one. The Patriots got on the board early with a three-yard touchdown run by Antwan Watson midway through the first quarter (PAT good). The Ragin’ Bulls offense was not able to get going in the first half.

                The Patriots were in position to extend their lead over Hickory Ridge later in the second quarter. But that’s when the Ragin’ Bulls defense rose to the challenge. Chris Massey picked off a Luke McPhail pass and took it 77 yards for a touchdown. The Bulls would go for two, but it would be stopped. The Patriots would hold a 7-6 advantage going into half-time.

                That lead would not last very long because the Hickory Ridge offense got going in the second half. Isaiah Littlejohn’s nine-yard touchdown run gave the Bulls a 12-7 lead. The two point conversion try was stopped, however. But it didn’t seem to matter. Logan Cruce would score two touchdowns for the Ragin’ Bulls before this one was over. His first was a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dylan Ellis (PAT no good). His second was an eight-yard touchdown run. He was also score on a two-point conversion to help Hickory Ridge take a commanding 26-7 lead.

                Ick Cirino would ice it with a 31-yard touchdown run (PAT good) to make the final score 33-7. The defense would not allow Independence to get any drives going in the second half. Nick Campany would record the Ragin’ Bulls second interception of Luke McPhail in the second half.

                Independence will host East Mecklenburg. Hickory Ridge will travel to Garinger.

Ashbrook’s Power Rushing Offense, Stifling Defense Too Much For Burns

There were two big questions as Ashbrook hosted Burns for a key conference match-up. Which Burns team would show up? Would Ashbrook continue to start off slow as in previous games? Both questions seemingly got answered as the Green Wave found themselves up 14-0 early in the second quarter and turned a tied ball game at 21 apiece into a 42-21 victory at William Eccles Field.

The Green Wave would capitalize on a Burns fumble midway through the first quarter when Tyresse Nicholas took the ball 29-yards for his first rushing touchdown of the night (PAT good). In the second quarter, quarterback Jakai Grier got in on the fun and scored on a 34-yard rushing touchdown (PAT good) to make it 14-0. The Bulldogs would storm back with a 50-yard touchdown run by Kujuan Pryor (PAT good).

The Bulldogs were in position to tie the game late in the second quarter, but Pryor would fumble and and Ashbrook’s Elijah Batts would return the loose ball 74-yards for a touchdown (PAT good) to make the score 21-7. But they would commit a critical mistake on a personal foul which would be assessed on the kickoff. Jaquan Degree would return it to the Ashbrook 22-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Cam’Ron Sweezy would connect with Rayshun McDowell for the 22-yard touchdown pass (PAT good).

In the second play of the second half, the Bulldogs would tie the game up at 21 apiece with a 57-yard run by Pryor (PAT good). The Green Wave quickly answered with an eight-yard run by Tyresse Nicholas (PAT good). Nicholas would score two more touchdowns (59 ans 2) to help Ashbrook pull away. Korbin Proctor was 6-for-6 on PAT kicks. Nicholas also did a fake punt to help extend a Green Wave drive.

Besides Elijah Batts's fumble recovery for a touchdown, Quan Willis also recovered a fumble early in the game. Trey Byers intercepted a Cam'Ron Sweezy pass in the second half.

"They got a good team. Coach (Devine) does a great job. I think the world of him and his staff." said Ashbrook head coach Brian Andrews "It was good for our guys to get a win in the conference. We got a non-conference game against South Point and we get back into the frying pan against Crest and Kings Mountain so we got our work cut out for us. We got to have a super great week of practice this week coming up."

"I told our team that putting the ball on the ground is the wrong way to go from here on out. We can't afford to do that. If we can get rid of those mistakes, we have a chance to be really good." Andrews said regarding turnovers. His team committed none tonight "Our defense played great. I know they gave up some scores, but still they were tenacious and hard-nosed. Those guys had to earn every yard. I know I asked them to get us some turnovers and surely they responded. We even got a score on defense. I was so excited for them."

"(Nicholas) knew it was going to break sooner or later. Our linemen got the exact alignment that we wanted." Andrews said about Tyresse Nicholas's four-touchdown performance "They came off the ball low and hard. We didn't false start. We didn't fumble the snap. Everybody did their jobs. It's amazing what happens when all the other guys do that."

"I thought our kids played hard. The punt that they faked on us whenever it was, I thought that was the turning point of the ball game." said Burns head coach David Devine "I thought we had the momentum right there and it shifted back to them. I just thought we didn't respond well when it happened. Hats off to (Ashbrook). They're kids played hard and they got a great football team. We just got to go back to work on Monday."

Ashbrook is home again next week as they take on South Point in a nonconference game. Burns will host Hunter Huss.

Ashbrook’s Power Rushing Offense, Stifling Defense Too Much For Burns

There were two big questions as Ashbrook hosted Burns for a key conference match-up. Which Burns team would show up? Would Ashbrook continue to start off slow as in previous games? Both questions seemingly got answered as the Green Wave found themselves up 14-0 early in the second quarter and turned a tied ball game at 21 apiece into a 42-21 victory at William Eccles Field.

The Green Wave would capitalize on a Burns fumble midway through the first quarter when Tyresse Nicholas took the ball 29-yards for his first rushing touchdown of the night (PAT good). In the second quarter, quarterback Jakai Grier got in on the fun and scored on a 34-yard rushing touchdown (PAT good) to make it 14-0. The Bulldogs would storm back with a 50-yard touchdown run by Kujuan Pryor (PAT good).

The Bulldogs were in position to tie the game late in the second quarter, but Pryor would fumble and and Ashbrook’s Elijah Batts would return the loose ball 74-yards for a touchdown (PAT good) to make the score 21-7. But they would commit a critical mistake on a personal foul which would be assessed on the kickoff. Jaquan Degree would return it to the Ashbrook 22-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Cam’Ron Sweezy would connect with Rayshun McDowell for the 22-yard touchdown pass (PAT good).

In the second play of the second half, the Bulldogs would tie the game up at 21 apiece with a 57-yard run by Pryor (PAT good). The Green Wave quickly answered with an eight-yard run by Tyresse Nicholas (PAT good). Nicholas would score two more touchdowns (59 ans 2) to help Ashbrook pull away. Korbin Proctor was 6-for-6 on PAT kicks. Nicholas also did a fake punt to help extend a Green Wave drive.

Besides Elijah Batts's fumble recovery for a touchdown, Quan Willis also recovered a fumble early in the game. Trey Byers intercepted a Cam'Ron Sweezy pass in the second half.

"They got a good team. Coach (Devine) does a great job. I think the world of him and his staff." said Ashbrook head coach Brian Andrews "It was good for our guys to get a win in the conference. We got a non-conference game against South Point and we get back into the frying pan against Crest and Kings Mountain so we got our work cut out for us. We got to have a super great week of practice this week coming up."

"I told our team that putting the ball on the ground is the wrong way to go from here on out. We can't afford to do that. If we can get rid of those mistakes, we have a chance to be really good." Andrews said regarding turnovers. His team committed none tonight "Our defense played great. I know they gave up some scores, but still they were tenacious and hard-nosed. Those guys had to earn every yard. I know I asked them to get us some turnovers and surely they responded. We even got a score on defense. I was so excited for them."

"(Nicholas) knew it was going to break sooner or later. Our linemen got the exact alignment that we wanted." Andrews said about Tyresse Nicholas's four-touchdown performance "They came off the ball low and hard. We didn't false start. We didn't fumble the snap. Everybody did their jobs. It's amazing what happens when all the other guys do that."

"I thought our kids played hard. The punt that they faked on us whenever it was, I thought that was the turning point of the ball game." said Burns head coach David Devine "I thought we had the momentum right there and it shifted back to them. I just thought we didn't respond well when it happened. Hats off to (Ashbrook). They're kids played hard and they got a great football team. We just got to go back to work on Monday."

Ashbrook is home again next week as they take on South Point in a nonconference game. Burns will host Hunter Huss.