Crest Crushes Forestview, Ending The Jaguars Best Season

                Five offensive plays by the Crest Chargers were all it took to gain a 14-0 lead over visiting Forestview early in the first quarter. Willie Green’s 32-yard run and Trey Harbison’s one-yard touchdown plunge into the end zone set the tone for the night. A Green eleven-yard touchdown pass to Traquan Hopper made it 21-0 in the first quarter.

                Backed up inside their own ten-yard line, a mishandled pitch from Crawford intended for Moe Neal set Crest up for another score. Harbison scored on a two-yard run to make it 28-0 with just over ten minutes to go in the second quarter. A 37-yard touchdown pass from Green to Preston Huskie gave Crest a 35-0 advantage. Alex Trejo’s 29-yard field-goal made it 38-0 and that would be the half-time score.

                Forestview got the ball to start the second half, but the Charger defense just kept on smothering the Jaguar offense. Things continued to go the Chargers way. After Forestview punted, Jordan Oates took the ensuing punt 67 yards for a touchdown.

                With the score now 45-0, the clock started to run continuously. Harbison, Green and other starters did not play in the second half. Trey Williams’s one-yard touchdown run and Trejo’s kick made it 52-0 Crest. Trejo was 7-for-7 on extra points. He also became the school’s all-time leader in field-goals while teammate Harbison set a country record for touchdowns.

                Forestview was able to avoid the shutout with a John Crawford 30-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Mills in the fourth quarter. But that was pretty much it.

                Moe Neal finished the game with -5 yards rushing. John Crawford amassed 121 yard passing with most of them coming in the second half.

                “They have a fantastic team, no question about it.” Forestview head coach Chris Medlin said “It got snowballing early and it got hard to stop. If I was going to lose, I’d rather do it to a great team.”

                “It’s important for us to be physical.” Crest head coach Mark Barnes said “We were productive with the run game and we were able to run the ball effectively.”

                “Our defense has done it all year. We’re used to them playing well. We have lived off our defense consistently.”

                The Chargers (14-0) will host South Point, a team they beat earlier this year 35-13. The Red Raiders beat East Rowan 42-32.

Gaston and Lincoln Round 3 Playoff Picks

Game of the Week: 2AA #5 Lincolnton (11-2) @ #1 East Lincoln (13-0): Rematch time! The Mustangs won the matchup between these two and won the SD7 2A conference, but the Wolves are looking to avenge the 49-27 loss to the Mustangs. Nobody has been able to stop the high-powered Mustang offense this year. Their offense has been held below 30 points only once this year and that was against North Lincoln. The Mustangs escaped with a 28-27 win. Since then, the Mustangs have scored 50 points a game.

Lincolnton has only allowed 20 points or more in three games, including the loss to East Lincoln. The Wolves have allowed 17 points a game. The Wolves are hopeful at slowing Surratt and company down, but their offense will need to sustain long drives and keep the East Lincoln offense off the field.

This will likely be much closer than the last time they met.

My pick: East Lincoln 35 – Lincolnton 28

3A #4 Forestview (11-2) @ #1 Crest (13-0): The Jaguars, for the second year in a row, are playing on the weekend of Thanksgiving. They are hoping for the same success they had this time last year. The Chargers will be a tall task for Forestview. They are allowing an average of five points a game and have pitched six shutouts. Only three teams have scored double-digits on Crest. The Chargers’ closest game of the year came against arch-rival, Shelby. The Golden Lions held a 10-0 lead at half-time, but saw it wither away in a 21-13 Crest victory.

The Jaguars, on the other hand, score an average of 40 points a game. They have only been held below 30 points once and that was against Kings Mountain in a week three 35-21 loss. The Jaguars are led by Division 1 prospect, Moe Neal.

This could be a very low-scoring game.

My pick: Forestview 19 – Crest 17

#15 East Rowan (7-6) @ #6 South Point (9-4): More and more #15 seeds are coming out and making noise. Last year #15 Parkwood in 2AA, and this year #15 East Rowan. The Red Raiders made a statement last week by whipping #3 Concord 37-21. East Rowan lost to that same team 29-12. So the odds in this one favor the Red Raiders. But it’s a different season in the playoffs.

Will the Mustangs be ready to stop Jaquan Brooks, Rylan Ethertan, Clemson recruit Tanner Muse and Jeffrey Pearsall? Ever since their 0-2 start, nobody has really slowed them down. The Mustang offense will have to account for Muse in the defensive backfield too.

My pick: South Point 35 – East Rowan 21

 

Forestview Reaches Another Milestone

                 Playoffs? Been there! Second round? Been there too! How about winning over ten games? Not until tonight! Coming in with a 10-2 record the Jaguars hoped to set a new record by getting their eleventh win. They did exactly that in their 37-13 victory over Pisgah. Not only did they manage that but Moe Neal became the first Forestview running back to surpass over 2,000 yards in a single season. The Jaguars also play on the Thanksgiving weekend for two consecutive years.

                The Jaguars got things started with a one-yard plunge by defensive tackle/fullback Tate Payne. Trey Heavener’s extra point made it 7-0. The Black Bears would answer that score with a touchdown of their own. Quarterback Lucas Hall’s three yard touchdown run and Mason Fox’s extra point tied the game up.

                An interception by Caleb Mills put Forestview back in business after being stopped on their previous possession. Moe Neal got on the board with a 29-yard touchdown run. The kick was blocked, however. Another interception in the first half, this time by Montavis Rogers, put Forestview in very god field position. But mistakes and penalties backed them up and they ended up having to punt it back to Pisgah.

                Unable to punch it in the end-zone, the Black Bears settled for a 27 yard field-goal by Mason Fox. The score was 13-10 at half-time. The Black Bears would turn it over one more time before this was over. It was on their first drive in the second half. Josh Freeman tipped a pass from Hall and intercepted it. He returned the interception to the 13-yard line. Neal did the rest with the 13-yard touchdown run on the next play. Heavener’s kick gave Forestview the 20-10 advantage.

                Pisgah did manage a long drive that chewed up plenty of clock in the third quarter. The drive went into the fourth quarter, but stalled inside the Forestview ten-yard line. The Black Bears settled for another Fox field-goal. This time it was from 24 yards out.

                With the Black Bears closing in, the Jaguars knew they had to make something happen. And they did! They were backed up on their own 17-yard line. Quarterback John Crawford threw a pass to Caleb Mills near midfield and he took it all the way to five-yard line. The Jaguars were stopped on third down so they settled for a 31-yard field-goal by Trey Heavener. That gave Forestview a 23-13 lead with less than seven minutes to go.

                Time was running out on Pisgah. On fourth-and-six at midfield, Lucas Hall’s pass intended for Joseph Inman fell incomplete. On the ensuing play, Moe Neal gashed through the Bears’ defense for a 50-yard touchdown run. Heavener’s kick made it a three-possession game. Forestview would add another touchdown late when linebacker/fullback Jaylen McCree rumbled in from the seven-yard line, dodging what looked like the entire Pisgah defense.

                That was all she wrote!

                “We knew coming in we would be outmanned so we had to get physical with them early.” said Bears head coach Brett Chappell “We had Moe Neal bottled up for most of the night, but he broke our backs (with the 50-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter).”

                “We took our shots early.” Chappell said of his team’s interceptions early in the game “But it did not kill us. Our defense came up big.”

                “Eleven wins, first time ever.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “Playing on Thanksgiving two years in a row and first time having a (Forestview) running-back rush for 2,000 yards. A lot of firsts these past two years. I think the only thing that's left is to win a championship.”

                “Lights out!” Medlin said of the defense “They have only given up 13 points a game since the end of the regular season.”

               Moe Neal finished the night with 131 yards and three touchdowns and has 2,028 yards on the season. John Crawford passed for 133 yards. All them went to Caleb Mills.

                Forestview will travel to play former Big South openent, Crest, next week.

Gaston and Lincoln Round 2 Playoff Picks

Game of the Week: 3A: #6 South Point (8-4) @ #3 Concord (12-0): Last year, South Point’s playoff run ended at the hands of the Concord Spiders. But the Red Raiders are hoping for some payback and redemption. South Point had a rough start to begin the year off as they were 1-3. But they have won eight of their last nine games. Of all the games they have lost, none of them have been on the road. So that could work in South Point’s favor. Concord is coming off a third consecutive undefeated regular season. They are two-time 3A runners up, losing to Havelock both times. The Spiders’ only concern now is getting past a dangerous South Point team.

Prior to last year’s meeting, the Red Raiders and the Spiders met three times, all three were in South Point. In 2000, South Point won 28-13. The Red Raiders won again in similar fashion in 2001, 26-13. But when they met in 2003, it wasn’t even close. The Red Raiders ran away with a 69-21 victory, in route to their 2003 state title. Look for this game to be as close as last year’s matchup.

My pick: South Point 28 – Concord 21

3A #5 Pisgah (9-3) @ #4 Forestview (10-2): For the first time in school history, Forestview makes back-to-back appearances in the second round of the playoffs. The Jaguars are hoping for the exact same result as last year when they edged Freedom 35-34. These two teams have never met before, but Black Bears head coach Brett Chappell has faced the Jaguars in the past. That was ten years ago (2004) when East Henderson, the team he coached then, visited Forestview and left with a 29-13 victory.

But this is a different year and a different ball game. Look for this to go down to the wire.

My pick: Forestview 35 – Pisgah 28

1AA #5 Starmount (9-3) @ #4 Bessemer City (9-3): Bessemer City advances to the second round of the playoffs by squeaking past North Moore 28-21. They will have a much tougher test against a hot Starmount squad coming off a 75-27 win over Cherryville. Look for another defeat of a Gaston County team at the hands of the Rams.

My pick: Starmount 42 – Bessemer City 14

2AA #13 Parkwood (7-5) @ #5 Lincolnton (10-2): Parkwood made a deep playoff run last year as a #15 seed. This year, they are hoping to do it as a #13 seed. They had a great start of it last week by whipping #4 seed, Hunter Huss, 37-7. But the Wolves will be a tall task for the Rebels, especially in Lincolnton where they have not lost a game this year. All their wins at home were very lopsided. Lincolnton is coming off a 48-14 romping of conference rival, Newton-Conover. Midnight is likely going to come early for Cinderella this time. A win for the Wolves would likely set up a rematch with county-rival, East Lincoln. The Mustangs rolled the Wolves 49-27 earlier.

My pick: Lincolnton 42 – Parkwood 21

2AA #9 R-S Central (8-4) @ #1 East Lincoln (12-0): R-S Central got past Bandys last week in a 29-26 back-and-forth battle. The Hilltoppers will have their hands full against East Lincoln, however. The Mustangs have been rolling through their opponents. Their last eight games were decided by deficits of 21, 22, 31, 34, 35, 48 and 56 points respectively. R-S Central probably won’t have the firepower to match East Lincoln.

My pick: East Lincoln 55 – R-S Central 14

Special Team Woes Doom Warriors Early

It was a cold night at Forestview’s Joe Alala Stadium. Of course, that’s playoff football for you. After taking a 34-0 beating from Forestview last week, East Gaston was looking to serve some cold revenge on the Jaguars. However, an unsuccessful onside kick to open the game, a fumbled kick return and a kickoff return for a touchdown given up made the Warriors feel left out in the cold.

Forestview capitalized on all of the Warriors special team woes. Moe Neal put Forestview on top 13-0 with just ten minutes to go in the first quarter with runs of 19 and 5. But East Gaston did respond with a 36 yard touchdown pass from Alex Adams to Austin Woods. Matt Marks’s extra point made it 13-7.

But Caleb Mills’s 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Trey Heavener’s extra point extended Forestview’s lead to 20-7. Neal added another touchdown run, this time from 28 yards out. East Gaston was not done shooting themselves in the foot. Adams attempted a screen pass, but was intercepted by Daryl McNeil. A personal foul penalty put the ball at the five-yard line. Isaiah Sanders took it in from there with a five-yard run. Heavener’s kick made it 34-7.

Neal would score his last touchdown of the night from three yards out to lead Forestview to a 41-7 half-time lead. Neal finished with 136 yards rushing and the four touchdowns all in the first half.

Logan Melsior got Forestview’s only touchdown of the second half with an eleven yard touchdown run. The Jaguars would continue subbing and putting in different players in the second half.

The Warriors did get an oh-by-the-way touchdown late in the fourth quarter with a Tyler Spurling touchdown plunge from the one-yard line.

“We just emphasized that we need to start off strong.” Forestview head coach Chris Medlin said “We haven’t done that the past three weeks. (Capitalizing on the onside kick) was a good way to start. ”

“I felt like the game was well in hand.” Medlin said, referring to sitting Moe Neal and John Crawford in the second half, up 41-7 “We subbed as many as we could. That playing time is very valuable.”

The Jaguars also won the turnover battle 4-2. They have won the turnover battle 8-3 in these two games combined.

“We felt coming in, we had a great week of practice.” East Gaston head coach Sean Joyce said “We took a risk early with the onside kick. That was a high risk/high reward play. Then we fumble on the ensuing kickoff and allow a kickoff return for a touchdown.”

“No disgrace! We have come a long way. I am excited for the future here at East Gaston.”

Forestview will host Pisgah next week. The Black Bears edged Hibriten 16-13 in Canton.

Gaston and Lincoln Round 1 Playoff Picks

Game of the Week: 3A #13 East Gaston (5-6) @ #4 Forestview (9-2): You Again? Just a week after the Jaguars defeated East Gaston 34-0 to claim the Big South conference title outright, they draw the Warriors again. The Jaguars are no strangers to rematches. In fact, the Jaguars had one three years ago against Kings Mountain. Forestview defeated the Mountaineers 21-12 in the regular season finale to claw into the playoffs. However, they faced them a week later in the playoffs and were slaughtered 43-13. The Jaguars are 0-3 in playoff rematches. They faced South Point in the playoffs two consecutive years (2009 and 2010) and lost both. Forestview is hoping to flip the script on that. They should be able to if they stay focused. But the Warriors are a dangerous team and have some extra incentive for this game. East Gaston has not won a playoff game since 2006. Their last playoff win was a 34-28 decision against Mount Tabor. East Gaston also had a rematch with a conference foe that year. That opponent was Ashbrook. The Warriors beat the Green Wave 32-28 in the regular season, but trounced them 44-15 in the first round. Look for this game to be much closer than last week’s Forestview blowout.
My pick: Forestview 34 – East Gaston 27

2A #12 Newton-Conover (7-3-1) @ #5 Lincolnton (9-2): Lincolnton also hosts a team they beat in regulation. The Wolves blew the Red Devils out 51-8 in Newton earlier. The Red Devils are looking for some payback, but Lincolnton will be very tough on this night. The Red Devils in three of their past four games have given up over 30 points. Newton-Conover will have to tighten up on defense in order to have a chance in this rematch because Lincolnton’s defense has been pretty stingy.
My pick: Lincolnton 38 – Newton-Conover 22

3A #11 Fred T. Foard (6-5) @ #6 South Point (7-4): South Point had a very tough start at the beginning of the year going 1-3. But they won six of their last seven games, with their only loss being to conference champ, Forestview. The Red Raiders are 2-4 at home, but are 5-0 on the road. This one will be at home, though since the Red Raiders are a #2 seed from their respective conference and the Tigers are a wildcard from theirs. Each team enters the playoffs with only one win over a team with a winning record. South Point should take this one easily though.
My pick: South Point 31 – Fred T. Foard 14

3AA #15 Ashbrook (5-6) @ #2 Cuthbertson (8-3): Ashbrook limps into the playoffs after losing three of their last five games. Last week they surrendered the victory bell to rival, Hunter Huss, in a 20-14 game. The Green Wave hopes to put this behind them as they travel to face the Cuthbertson Cavaliers. These two met in the regular season last year with Ashbrook winning 33-0. So the Cavaliers may have payback in mind. This game could go down to the wire.
My pick: Cuthbertson 31 – Ashbrook 24

2AA #13 Parkwood (6-5) @ #4 Hunter Huss (4-7): Another matchup from last year takes place in the first round of the playoffs. Last year, Parkwood eliminated the Huskies from the playoffs in the third round 24-14. Now the Huskies are looking to return the favor. Huss got the Big South conference’s top 2A seed and that is why they are hosting the Rebels. This should be a competitive matchup just like last year.
My pick: Hunter Huss 24 – Parkwood 20

2AA #16 Smoky Mountain (2-9) @ #1 East Lincoln (11-0): 2-9? Why is this team in the playoffs again? Well, the Smoky Mountain Mustangs likely won’t be in it for long. This first round battle of the Mustangs will be anything but. Look for East Lincoln to roll right to the second round. The last time the host Mustangs were even in a close game was in a 40-33 win over Forestview.
My pick: East Lincoln 56 – Smoky Mountain 14

3AA #9 Kings Mountain (8-3) @ #8 West Henderson (7-4): Kings Mountain had the ups and downs this season, but finished the regular season on a high note, winning the last two games. They have to travel to take on the Falcons of West Henderson. The Falcons have won only one game at home this year so this could favor the Mountaineers. But there’s a reason they play the game.
My pick: Kings Mountain 28 – West Henderson 21

1AA #13 North Moore (6-5) @ #4 Bessemer City (8-3): For the second straight year the Yellow Jackets stumble into the playoffs following a loss to their arch-rival, Cherryville. Last year, they were bounced from the first round with a 36-21 loss to Avery County. But the Yellow Jackets should put the sting in North Moore and advance to the second round.
My pick: Bessemer City 42 – North Moore 14

1AA #12 Cherryville (4-7) @ #5 Starmount (8-3): After winning three of their last five, including last week’s win over Bessemer City, Cherryville is shown no love as they travel to a dangerous Starmount team. The Ironmen have not won a game on the road. The Rams, on the other hand, have only lost one game at home. The odds don’t favor Cherryville in this one.
My pick: Starmount 35 – Cherryville 7

Forestview comes alive in the second half, clinches title outright

                It took Forestview until the second half to really get going. But once they did, East Gaston simply had no answers. John Crawford’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sanders was Forestview’s only score in the first half. East Gaston had a chance to tie it up before half-time, but fumbled at the five-yard line.

                In the second half, the Jaguars went right to work. Crawford capped off the opening drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Mills.  Trey Heavener’s kick made it 14-0. The Jaguars extended the lead to 21-0 with another Crawford pass. This time, it was a seven yard touchdown pass to Moe Neal.

                The Jaguars would put the game away in the fourth quarter with a five-yard touchdown run by Moe Neal. Heavener’s kick made it 28-0. Backup quarterback Colton Guthrie punched one more in from the one-yard line. The extra point was blocked.

                The Jaguars also won the turnover battle 4-1. The Jaguars forced two fumbles in the first half and snagged two interceptions in the closing minutes. East Gaston had an interception late in the first half.

                Moe Neal led Forestview with 145 yards rushing, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. Crawford accounted for 118 total yards (80 passing and 38 rushing) and three touchdowns. Alex Adams led East Gaston with 104 yards passing.

                The Jaguars clinch their first ever outright conference title. The Jaguars also pitch their first home conference shutout since 2008, when they beat North Gaston 45-0.

                “I’m tickled to death. We have a great group of kids.” Said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “We got great guys on offense and defense. We lost lots of great players from last year’s team. We set some expectations and this group is buying in.”

                Prior to this game, Forestview went three out of four games without allowing a touchdown in the first half. Though they were down 6-0 to Ashbrook before escaping with a 48-22 win. They were up 14-6 on Huss at half-time allowing only two field-goals before pulling away 36-12. In their matchup with North Gaston, they were up 21-3 at half-time. They won 42-17.

                “Defense was lights out. 34-0 to nothing against a darn good football team.” Medlin said “East Gaston did a good job and they played hard (against us).”

                “Moe Neal is good.” Said East Gaston head coach Sean Joyce “I felt in the first half we did a great job defensively to give us a good chance.”

                “At half-time, it should have been 7-7. We hit a pass and we fumbled at the five-yard line. We tell the kids to continue to fight and don’t look at the scoreboard to determine your efforts.”

                “Getting into the playoffs is big.” Joyce added “We get to have another week. This group can be dangerous. They have been tight, believe in each other and is the best group I have been a part of.”

                Both teams will find out who they will play next Friday, later on today when the playoff brackets come out.

Forestview clinches a share of the conference title, #1 3A spot in Big South

                The Jaguars were hopeful of clinching a share of the conference title and the conference’s #a playoff spot in the 3A division. Whelp, they did just that in their convincing 36-12 win at Hunter Huss. The Jaguars can clinch the title outright for the first time in school history a win over East Gaston Friday.

                The Jaguars started off slow and did not get on the board until the second quarter. Early on, it looked as though the Huskies would score the first touchdown when a Husky defender picked off a John Crawford pass and took it all the way to the end-zone. But a roughing the passer penalty took the touchdown off the board.

                Hunter Huss would however get on the board first with a 27-yard field-goal from Seth Jones. But that would be the only time the Huskies had the lead. The Jaguars would storm back. They would try the fullback dive, but fumbled it in the end-zone. However, Forestview did recover it for a touchdown.

                With just a minute to go in the half, Forestview got the ball back. Moe Neal gashed up the gut of the Hunter Huss defense and took it all the way for a 67-yard touchdown run. Trey Heavener’s extra point made it 14-3. But the Huskies had enough time for Jones to kick another field-goal. This time, it was from 37 yard out. 14-6 would be the score at half-time.

                In the second half, Forestview went back to work. A four-yard touchdown from Neal gave the Jaguars a 20-6 lead. Heavener’s kick made it 21-6. But Hunter Huss was not done. Andrew Jordan’s touchdown pass to Maurice Smith cut the Jaguars’ lead to 21-12. The extra point was blocked, however, and that kept it at a two-possession score.

                But that would be as close as the Huskies got. A 19-yard touchdown pass from John Crawford to Moe Neal and a four-yard touchdown run by Montavis Rogers made the score 34-12. The Jaguars were in position to go for another touchdown, but this time they would fumble and lose it. Da’shaun Currence scooped up the loose ball and ran it out to the 12-yard line. But a holding penalty in the end-zone forced a safety and the Huskies had to punt it off.

                Each team had two lost fumbles in this game.

                “Sometimes, you have to win games like this.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “I’m happy to get the share of the conference title and the #1 spot in conference.”

                “I’m thrilled to death to get a win on Monday Night. Since I’ve been a head coach this is the first time we have won on Monday Night. Lost earlier this year to East Lincoln (40-33), last year to (Huss) 24-20 and in 2007 (55-52).”

                Forestview is actually 3-4 when playing on Monday Nights. All three of those wins are on the road.

                “It will be a tough game.” Medlin said about his team’s upcoming game with East Gaston “We know what is at stake. This would be the team’s first ever outright conference title.”

                Forestview will host the Warriors Friday. East Gaston started the season off 0-3 but have won five of their last seven, including a 50-6 win over Stuart Cramer, Monday Night.

                “This is a tough one to lose.” said Huss first-year coach Jamar McCoy “We get that interception returned for a touchdown. If not called back, it’s a new ball game. Forestview is a pretty good team.  They have athletes and good sized linemen that you have to find Moe Neal.”

                Even though the Huskies have clinched the top seed in the 2A division of the conference, McKoy and his Huskies are not satisfied.

                “Ashbrook is still a major game for us. Our goal is to win that bell.”

                Huss will travel to take on the Green Wave Friday. Ashbrook won 54-14 over Lake Norman Charter.