Red Raiders Pull Away From Ashbrook In Emotional Game

                This is one of those games that had a lot of twists to it. Ashbrook head coach Brian Andrews returns to play a team he has helped coach for many years. His son, Zane, still plays for South Point. On staff is John Devine, who was the head coach of two of the Red Raiders last three state titles (2003 and 2009). South Point head coach Adam Hodge faces two of his former head coach.

                All those emotions would have to be put to the side as the two teams kicked off. The Red Raiders won the toss and deferred. A holding penalty on the kickoff pushed Ashbrook deeper into their own territory. Forcing the Green Wave to punt, the Red Raiders were set up in great field position. Jake Alexander put South Point on the board with a two-yard touchdown run. Cade Ratliff’s extra point made it 7-0.

                Ashbrook would counter punch that with a touchdown drive of their own. British Brooks would put Ashbrook on the board with a four-yard touchdown run. The extra point was no good however so South Point maintained a 7-6 lead. Each team would be stopped on their ensuing drives.

                Midway through the second quarter, the Red Raiders broke that stalemate with a 14-yard touchdown run by Scottie Lee. The extra point kick by Ratliff made it 14-6. Ashbrook would manage to put a drive together before halftime. But with less than a minute to go, the Green Wave had to go to the air but South Point shut it down.

                South Point got the ball back in the second half and went right back to work. Lee extended the Red Raiders’ lead with a 29-yard touchdown run. Ashbrook was down but not out. A two-yard run by Antwon McClee and the extra point by Korbin Proctor cut the Red Raiders’s lead to 21-13. But that would be as close as the Green Wave would get. Jake Alexander added another touchdown for South Point late in the third quarter (37 yards out).

                The Green Wave appeared to have some hope in the fourth quarter when the Red Raiders muffed a punt and were flagged for defensive pass interference. But they were unable to capitalize. Alexander’s 25-yard touchdown run put the nail in the coffin. Cade Ratliff was 5-for-5 on extra point kicks.

                Jake Alexander led South Point’s rushing attack with 268 yards and three touchdowns. British Brooks led Ashbrook with 135 yards rushing and a touchdown.

                Ashbrook resumes conference play next week as they host Crest, a 40-13 winner over Stuart Cramer. South Point will begin conference play at home against East Gaston. The Warriors lost 56-31 to Blacksburg, SC.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 7 Picks

Ashbrook 7 @ South Point 35

Burns 21 @ Hunter Huss 42

North Gaston 14 @ Kings Mountain 31

Stuart Cramer 7 @ Crest 35

East Gaston 14 @ Blacksburg, SC 34

Lincolnton 14 @ East Lincoln 21

Maiden 42 @ West Lincoln 14

North Lincoln 28 @ Lake Norman Charter 14

Bessemer City 42 @ Highland Tech 14

Cherryville 14 @ Community School of Davidson 31

Union Academy 14 @ Mountain Island Charter 28

Pine Lake Prep 20 @ Thomas Jefferson 34

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 6 Best to Last

1. South Point (5-0) bye
2. Shelby (5-1) lost 25-0 to South Pointe, SC
3. Kings Mountain (4-1)(1-0) won 48-14 over Stuart Cramer
4. Crest (3-2)(1-0) won 35-6 over Forestview
5. Hunter Huss (3-2)(1-0) won 20-17 (OT) over North Gaston
6. Ashbrook (3-2)(2-0) won 55-35 over Burns
7. Stuart Cramer (3-2)(0-1) lost 48-14 to Kings Mountain
8. Bessemer City (5-0)(1-0) won 22-21 over Mountain Island Charter
9. Mountain Island Charter (3-2)(0-1) lost 22-21 to Bessemer City
10. Thomas Jefferson (5-0)(1-0) won 26-7 over Cherryville
11. North Gaston (2-3)(0-1) lost 20-17 (OT) to Hunter Huss
12. West Lincoln (3-2)(1-0) won 56-49 over North Lincoln
13. Burns (1-4)(0-1) lost 55-35 to Ashbrook
14. North Lincoln (1-4)(0-1) lost 56-49 to West Lincoln
15. East Lincoln (2-3)(1-0) won 28-7 over Lake Norman Charter
16. Lincolnton (1-4)(0-1) lost 35-14 to Newton-Conover
17. Forestview (1-5)(0-2) lost 35-6 to Crest
18. East Gaston (1-4) bye
19. Cherryville (2-3)(0-1) lost 26-7 to Thomas Jefferson
20. Highland Tech (2-3) lost 42-20 to Community School of Davidson

This week's match-ups

　
Ashbrook @ South Point

Burns @ Hunter Huss

North Gaston @ Kings Mountain

Stuart Cramer @ Crest

Lincolnton @ East Lincoln

Maiden @ West Lincoln

North Lincoln @ Lake Norman Charter

East Gaston @ Blacksburg, SC

Bessemer City @ Highland Tech

Cherryville @ Community School of Davidson

Union Academy @ Mountain Island Charter

Pine Lake Prep @ Thomas Jefferson

Byes: Forestview, Shelby

Chargers Open Conference Play With Crushing Defeat of Forestview

                It took the Chargers a quarter and a half to get going. But once they did, it was hard to stop them. Crest would take the ball deep into Forestview territory on their first drive of the game, but would fumble inside the Forestview five-yard line. The Jaguars would recover at the one-yard line, but would not be able to advance the ball.

                Crest tailback Davion Pryor got the Chargers on the board with a six-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Peyton Kemmerlin added to that with a five-yard run of his own. Evan Davis was 2-for-2 on extra point kicks in the first half.

                Forestview did stop Crest on their first drive and sustained a drive that took about five minutes off the clock, but a mishandled snap on fourth down near the Crest 30-yard line left the Jaguars coming away empty. That gave Kemmerlin enough time put another rushing touchdown on the board for Crest before the end of the third quarter. That one was from four yards out.

                It was more of the same in the fourth quarter. Jalin Graham got in on the action with a 14-yard touchdown run. Davis’s extra point made it 28-0. Elijah McCaskill got Forestview on the board with a 14-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed however.

                Crest’s Quenten Zanders scored the final touchdown with a 47-yard run. Davis was 5-for-5 on extra point kicks. That made the final score 35-6. The Chargers amassed 434 of total offense. The Charger defense held Forestview to 128 total yards offense and came up with two interceptions. Damean Spikes and Quenten Zanders each had interceptions.

                 “It’s always great to get the first win in conference play, 1-0. That’s our goal every week to go 1-0 and stay in first place.” said Crest head coach Nick Eddins.

                 In previous games, the Chargers have been unable to score more than 20 points. They scored 35 in their conference opener. Eddins said “I thought we left some points out there but the kids did a good job. We played some good teams the first four weeks. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot sometimes. Thought we could have scored more but we’ll take however many it takes to win. It's not about how many points we score, I'm just worried about the win.”

 

                Eddins said regarding his defense’s performance “That’s been every week with our defense. Crest has always been known for defense, always will be known for defense and our guys do a great job. Coach Radford prepares his kids and his staff.”

                “They’re a good team. We battled with them. I thought we competed.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “It was 14-0 late in the third quarter. We had it down at about the 30, had a turnover. That kind of took the air out of us. We gotta make plays. But I’m proud of my guys. They fought hard.”

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 6 Picks

Kings Mountain 20 @ Stuart Cramer 14

Crest 35 @ Forestview 14

Hunter Huss 41 @ North Gaston 21

Ashbrook 35 @ Burns 20

Lincolnton 14 @ Newton-Conover 41

Shelby 20 @ South Pointe (SC) 35

North Lincoln 27 @ West Lincoln 17

Lake Norman Charter 14 @ East Lincoln 27

Mountain Island Charter 21 @ Bessemer City 31

Thomas Jefferson 41 @ Cherryville 14

Highland Tech 14 @ Community School of Davidson 34

Midseason Area Conference Predictions

Big South 3A

1. Crest
2. Kings Mountain
3. Hunter Huss
4. Stuart Cramer
5. Ashbrook
6. Burns
7. North Gaston
8. Forestview

Southwestern 2A

1. South Point
2. Shelby
3. East Rutherford
4. R-S Central
5. Chase
6. East Gaston

South Fork 2A

1. Newton Conover
2. Maiden
3. North Lincoln
4. Bandys
5. East Lincoln
6. Lincolnton
7. West Lincoln
8. Lake Norman Charter

Southern Piedmont 1A

1. Bessemer City
2. Thomas Jefferson
3. Mountain Island Charter
4. Union Academy
5. Community School of Davidson
6. Pine Lake Prep
7. Cherryville
8. Highland Tech

 

Chargers Rally In Second Half To Top Previously Unbeaten Warriors

                Talk about a game of big plays, momentum swings, turnovers, some sloppy plays and a few controversial calls. This game had it all. Early on, the Chargers would go for it on fourth down in their own territory but a high snap caused Charger quarterback Peyton Kemmerlin to take a sack. That set Weddington up in great field position. But Demorreay Surratt would intercept a pass from Weddington quarterback Whitner Litton on the next play.

                Crest would drive down deep into Warrior territory but would commit their first of three turnovers with a fumble. Weddingto would get on the board first when Litton would connect with Max Brimigion for a 42-yard touchdown pass. Ian Williams’s extra point made it 7-0. A muffed punt by the Warriors would set up Crest’s first score in the second quarter. Davion Pryor got the Chargers on the board with a three-yard touchdown run. Evan Davis’s extra point tied it up.

                The Chargers were not done turning the ball over. Max Brimigion came up with an interception that bounced off a Crest receiver’s hand. Brimington would make Crest pay when he hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Litton. The extra point failed however and that was huge. The Warriors would extend their lead midway through the third quarter with another Litton to Brimigion connection. That one was from ten yards out. The two-point conversion pass failed, however.

                The Chargers would answer that score with a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown by Kemmerlin. The extra point kick by Evan Davis cut Weddington’s lead to 19-14. The Warriors would muff the kickoff and the Chargers would be back in business. That was Weddington's second muff in the game. Each team had three turnovers. The Chargers would not capitalize as they would be stopped on fourth-and-short on the eight-yard line. It looked like they initially had the first down but officials ruled it short.

                Things would not get better for Weddington nevertheless. Crest stopped them on their next drive. A bad punt by the Warriors would set the Chargers up around the 30-yard line. Crest took advantage as they would take the lead for the first time with a Kemmerlin 25-yard touchdown pass to Gage Long. The two-point conversion run was stopped just short so the score remained 20-19. The Warriors tried to march down the field but Litton was sacked at the one-yard line by B.J. Ramseur. Litton’s pass on the next play fell incomplete and the Chargers were able to run out the clock.

               "What a great football game. It came down to the last play just like I've been telling my kids all week long." said Crest head coach Nick Eddins "Weddington is ranked #4 in the state and they are the defending state champs. Coach Carson does an unbelievable job. I knew it was going to come down to that and I'm just glad we come out on top. Our kids made enough plays to win the game. I'm very proud of the kids and our staff."

              "I'd like to wrestle anybody that says we didn't have a tough schedule because I believe ours was the toughest in the state." Eddins said of their nonconference schedule that included three defending state champions Shelby (2AA), South Point (3A) and Weddington (3AA) "It's just going to get us ready for the end of the season and tough conference games down the road. We'd love to be 4-0, but we'll take 2-2 and move on."

              "We play a great football team. Crest is always good. We're a good football team also." said Weddington head coach Tim Carson "But we made a little too many mistakes. Crest made some mistakes also but they just came out on top tonight. We forced some turnovers early that kept the score down and gave us some momentum. We got 13 points in the first half. But it's a game of momentum. They just came out in the second half and started running the ball really well and got some scores. Defense has got to stand up and make a stand."

               Crest improves to 2-2 while Weddington falls to 3-1. The Warriors will host Sun Valley next Friday. The Chargers will travel to Forestview to begin conference play.

McNeil’s Four Touchdowns Lead North Gaston In Blowout Win Over Lincolnton

                Both teams were coming off their first wins of the season. The Wildcats took down East Lincoln 28-7. The Wolves romped East Gaston 51-12. The night would belong to North Gaston, however. Quarterback Isaiah McNeil would get the night started with a 34-yard touchdown run. Michael Chafin’s extra point kick was good. The Wolves would claw back with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Terrell McClain to Tyreke Hollis. Brian Sedano’s extra point tied it.

                The Wildca ts would go on a tear from there. Two touchdown runs by McNeil (43 and 13) and a one-yard touchdown run by Kareem Kennedy on fourth-and-goal gave the Wildcats a 28-7 advantage at half-time. It didn’t stop there. Arthur Kennedy got in on the fun with a 20-yard touchdown run. Chafin’s extra point kick made it 35-7.

                The Wolves were down but not out. A 22-yard touchdown run by Tyshawn Harris cut the Wildcats’ lead to 35-13. But North Gaston’s offense would not be stopped. On the first play on the ensuing drive, McNeil extended the Wildcats’ lead with a 51-yard touchdown run. Lincolnton, however, would answer with a long run of their own a few plays later. Harris cut the Wildcats lead to 42-19 with an 82-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed though.

                Late in the third quarter, the Wildcats became their own worst enemy with penalties backing them up. North Gaston was forced to punt for the first time early in the fourth quarter. The Wolves seized the opportunity and capped off the drive with another score. McClain connected with Hollis for another touchdown pass, this time from 15 yards out. The two connected on the two-point conversion. But that would be as close as Lincolnton would get.

                North Gaston put the nail in the coffin with a five-yard run by Kareem Kennedy. Michael Chafin was 7-for-7 on extra point kicks. McNeil led the Wildcats with 235 yards (179 rushing and 56 passing) and the four rushing touchdowns. The Kennedys combined for 155 yards with Arthur scoring one touchdown and Kareem scoring two. Tyshawn Harris led the Wolves with 224 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Terrell McClain amassed 122 yards passing and two touchdowns.

                “It was a great game. Our team is getting better. Our offensively, we’re getting better. Defensively, we’re getting better.” said North Gaston head coach Mike Patton “We got to learn when we get a big lead like we had tonight to continue to play with intensity and not make mistakes. We did that in the second half a little bit.”

                “Lincolnton is a good team. They’re always well-coached and they are always going to play to the final whistle. That’s what we told our kids at half-time. They’re not going to lay down.”

                “I think the offense is slowing down a little bit more for him now to the point where he’s making better decisions. He’s taking what the defense gives him and I think that’s a natural thing that happens in this offense.” Patton said of his quarterback McNeil and his performance “That’s only his fourth game at starting quarterback. He’s getting better and starting to make better decisions.”

                “We just didn’t do the little things that we need to do to become a good football team.” said Lincolnton head coach Ledford Gibson “Too many little mistakes, turnovers, blown assignments, missed tackles, missed blocks. It’s a lot of little mistakes that we made that if we are going to become a good football team that we have to correct. We didn’t quit. That’s one thing I was proud of them for is that they didn’t come out and they didn’t give up. They clawed back and they tried. It’s just silly little things that we’re not doing well right now.”

                Both teams start conference play next week. North Gaston (2-2) will host Hunter Huss (2-2). Lincolnton (2-2) will travel to Newton-Conover (3-0).

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 5 Best to Last

1. South Point (4-0) won 28-0 over Clover
2. Shelby (4-0) won 21-14 over Crest
3. Stuart Cramer (3-0) bye
4. Kings Mountain (3-0) won 27-17 over Cuthbertson
5. Crest (1-2) lost 21-14 to Shelby
6. Hunter Huss (2-2) lost 28-27 to Hickory
7. Bessemer City (3-0) bye
8. Thomas Jefferson (4-0) won 41-13 over Trinity Academy
9. Ashbrook (2-2) won 40-26 over Forestview
10. West Lincoln (2-1) lost 22-20 to Fred T. Foard
11. Mountain Island Charter (2-1) bye
12. Burns (1-2) won 31-23 over East Rutherford
13. North Lincoln (1-2) lost 40-36 to Alexander Central
14. Forestview (1-3) lost 40-26 to Ashbrook
15. Lincolnton (1-2) won 51-12 over East Gaston
16. North Gaston (1-2) won 28-7 over East Lincoln
17. East Gaston (1-3) lost 51-12 to Lincolnton
18. East Lincoln (0-3) lost 28-7 to North Gaston
19. Cherryville (2-2) won 29-28 over Draughn
20. Highland Tech (2-2) lost 36-7 to Lake Norman Charter

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 5 Picks

Stuart Cramer 7 @ South Point 28

Shelby 24 @ Kings Mountain 14

Forestview 17 @ Providence Day 24

Weddington 17 @ Crest 20

Lincolnton 34 @ North Gaston 27 (Thurs. - Make up game)

East Lincoln 31 @ East Gaston 21

Hendersonville 14 @ Burns 35

West Lincoln 35 @ East Burke 10

North Lincoln 14 @ Bessemer City 17

Commonwealth 6 @ Mountain Island Charter 51

British Brooks's Four Touchdown Performance Leads Ashbrook In Win Over Forestview

                It didn’t start out the way the Ashbrook Green Wave wanted. Running-back Deandre Britt fumbled at the Ashbrook 16-yard line on the first play. The Jaguars took advantage as Jake Lee connected with Javari Rice for the 16-yard touchdown pass. The extra point conversion was mishandled however. It took the Green Wave a couple more drives to get going. But once they did, they didn’t look back.

                British Brooks got Ashbrook on the board with a one-yard run for a touchdown. Korbin Proctor’s extra point gave the Green Wave a 7-6 lead. Brooks would score again from ten yards out. After that, quarterback Hayden Welle got in on the fun when he attempted a quarterback sneak from the Green Wave 32-yard line. That ended up being a 68-yard touchdown run and before you knew it, the Green Wave was up 20-6. The Jaguars did strike back before the quarter ended. Jake Lee found Jalen Neely-Baldwin on a short pass that he took 26 yards for a touchdown. Holt Cloninger’s extra point cut it to 20-13. That would be the half-time score.

                Things would get worse before they got better for Forestview in the second half. A one-yard quarterback sneak by Welle and a seven-yard touchdown run by Brooks gave Ashbrook a 34-13 lead. The Jaguars would go into their bag of tricks to get back into this one when tailback Aaron Bennett threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jake Long. The extra point was blocked so the score stood at 34-19. Forestview opted for the onside kick, but it was unsuccessful. That just gave Ashbrook a shorter field to work with. Brooks would put it away with a 17-yard touchdown run. That extra point was also blocked. Not content to go away, the Jaguars put one more score on the board. Lee connected with Long for a 71-yard touchdown pass to get the Jaguars closer. But they would not get any closer. The Green Wave wins their second consecutive game 40-26 and are 1-0 in conference play.

                British Brooks led Ashbrook’s power run game with 176 yards and four touchdowns. Hayden Welle pitched in with 115 yards and two touchdowns. The Green Wave’s offense amassed 456 total yards (429 yards rushing). Jake Lee led Forestview 233 yards passing and three touchdowns and one fumble. Jake Long led all receivers with 144 yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars would amass 283 yards of total offense. Most of it was through the air.

                “We’re still trying. Some things are getting better but there some things we need to get better at.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “(Ashbrook) is a great team. They are a much better team than they were week 1. We need to eliminate the bad plays and make more good plays. We have to overcome penalties.”

                “I’m proud of our guys tonight. There are some things I’d like to have back. We fought for all four quarters and just made some advances on becoming more of a team.” said Ashbrook head coach Brian Andrews “Our practices have become a little more intense because we pretty much laid it on the line for our players and told them what’s at stake and how we want things done. We are not going to settle for anything less. We’ve been healthier than we’ve been in the first two games as well.”

“I was proud of Coach Eccles and the offensive staff.” Andrews said of Ashbrook’s 40-point offensive performance “They all worked really hard. Our running-backs ran hard. Our quarterback had a great game and made some good decisions on pitches. He kept it when he needed to. I’m just proud of our offense by taking care of that second half like we needed to finish them off.”

Ashbrook will have a bye week next before traveling to Burns. Forestview will travel to Providence Day.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 4 Picks

Forestview 14 @ Ashbrook 21

Clover, SC 17 @ South Point 24

Crest 14 @ Shelby 28

Hickory 7 @ Hunter Huss 48

East Gaston 27 @ Lincolnton 31

North Gaston 21 @ East Lincoln 28

West Lincoln 27 @ Fred T. Foard 13

North Lincoln 14 @ Alexander Central 31

Kings Mountain 35 @ Cuthbertson 14

East Rutherford 28 @ Burns 31

Jimmy Draughn 28 @ Cherryville 24

Lake Norman Charter 27 @ Highland Tech 14

Thomas Jefferson 51 @ Trinity Academy 13


　

In The Battle Of The Reds, Devils Spear Tornadoes

It took some time for Newton-Conover to get going. They suffered some red zone woes in the first quarter. They were stopped at the Hickory four-yard line. The Red Tornadoes were not able to get a drive going however. The Red Devils got the ball back inside the 50 and made it to the Hickory red zone again, but did not punch it in until the second quarter.

The Red Devils were able to reach the end zone on the first play in the second quarter. On fourth and goal from the 18, quarterback Shamar Baker hit Ernie Squarles for the 18-yard touchdown pass. The Red Devils went for the two-point conversion and Baker was able to run it to give Newton-Conover the 8-0 lead. The Red Tornadoes would get a drive going. A 53-yard pass from quarterback Derrien Phillips to Kevin Shuford ignited Hickory and they were able to cap it off with a Phillips 16-yard pass to Antonio Parks. The Tornadoes tried to match the Devils point for point on the two-point conversion try but were unsuccessful.

Hickory stopped Newton-Conover on the ensuing drive and made it near the Red Devil ten-yard line. But the drive was stopped when Phillips was intercepted by James Woods near the goal line. The Red Devils would strike again when Baker hit Jahiem Mullen for a short pass that he took 53 yards for a touchdown. Addison Hayes’s extra point kick made it 15-6.

The Red Tornadoes would once again turn to big plays to get back into the game. Derrien Phillips would hit Jaekwon Staton for a 36-yard pass that bounced off a Red Devil defender’s hand. Phillips would take the ball in himself from the two-yard line to put Hickory’s next touchdown on the board with just eight seconds to go. Harrison Boston’s extra point kick cut the lead to 15-13. But that was enough time for Myles Baker to return the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown before half-time. The extra point kick by Addison Hayes was good and the Red Devils took the 22-13 lead to half-time.

In the second half, things continued to right for the Red Devils and continued to go wrong for the Red Tornadoes. Tylor Stinson extended the Red Devils’ lead with a 25-yard touchdown run. Shamar Baker ran it in for the two-point conversion. The Red Devils fumbled on their next drive, but the Red Tornadoes would fumble it back a few plays later. Stinson would score another touchdown for the Red Devils, this time from 24 yards out. Baker would hit Ernie Squarles for the two-point conversion to make the score a dominant 38-13 score.

The defense would get in on the scoring when defensive end Jordan Thompson took a Hickory fumble seven yards for a touchdown. The Red Tornadoes would score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the score a little closer. Phillips connected with A.J. Chisholm for a nine-yard touchdown pass and took the last one in himself for a one-yard scoring run. The final score was 45-26.

Hickory will face another tough challenge next Friday as they travel to Hunter Huss. The Huskies narrowly lost to Clover 42-41 in overtime. Newton-Conover will travel to face East Burke. East Burke lost to Freedom 48-8.

Week 3 Capsules and Scores

No moral victories for Hunter Huss: Though the Huskies stood toe-to-toe with a very strong South Carolina 5A team in Clover, that wasn’t much consolation for the Huss crew.

“I’m not disappointed in my kids one bit. Our kids played their hearts out. We are a small 3A school coming down here to play a 5A school.” said Hunter Huss head coach Jamar McCoy “Right now, the kids are not feeling any moral victory type feeling. They’re definitely down because they lost. We expected to come down here and win. That’s how we practice. I don’t care if it’s a 5A school out of SC or a 6A school out of Texas. We expect to win on Friday night.”

High Praise For Clover Quarterback, Garrett Miller: “Garrett Miller raises that bar every week.” said Clover head coach Brian Lane “I’m so proud of what he’s been through the past five months getting him ready to run this offense and he’s shining with it. I’m proud of him.”

Brian Lane On Second Half Adjustments “We felt like they were going man. We felt like if we empty the backfield some, we can get the matchups like we wanted. Jaylin Lane did a good job catching two touchdown passes there to get our momentum going and Garrett Miller ran the football well over sprint outs. That’s kind of what happened there on offense. On defense, (Hunter Huss) changed quarterbacks so we had to get somebody spying that quarterback. After he gashed us for two long runs, we got somebody spying him and that’s what helped us in the end.”

Crawford Chandler led the Huskies offense with 161 yards rushing, 62 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns (3 rushing, 2 receiving). Zo Wallace amassed 118 yards passing and 2 touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown and 1 interception. Garrett Miller led Clover’s offense with 177 yards passing and 5 touchdowns (2 passing and 3 rushing).

Happy But Not Satisfied: South Point head coach Adam Hodge was happy with his Red Raiders’ 42-0 shutout over Forestview. That was his first shutout as a head coach. But he was not satisfied as he spotted some ‘little things’ that they need to get better at.

“You just find the little things you did wrong. Instead of looking at the score, look at how many yards they got.” Hodge said “Why’d they get so many yards? Because they ran up field or because you didn’t do this or because you didn’t play this coverage correctly and you didn’t get lined up. You just have to find every little detail you can find and say ‘We can’t do that.’ We got to get better. That’s the goal. Doesn’t matter what the score is, you still want to get better. As what coach (Mickey) Lineberger used to say, the biggest room in the world is room for improvement.”

Jake Alexander led the Red Raiders offense with 115 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Scottie Lee passed for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns. All but 23 of those yards went to Ray Grier. Mario Brandon came up with two inteceptions on defense.

Week 3 Scores:

Stuart Cramer 51 – East Gaston 13

West Lincoln 52 – Cherryville 20

Fred T. Foard 40 – North Lincoln 26

Bessemer City 35 – Chase 0

Shelby 48 – Burns 7

Kings Mountain 38 – T.C. Roberson 21

Ashbrook 18 – East Lincoln 3

South Point 42 – Forestview 0

Thomas Jefferson 44 – Chatham Central 12

South Davidson 31 – Highland Tech 14

Clover, SC 42 – Hunter Huss 41 (OT)

Huskies Fall Short In Overtime Defeat To Clover

                We have all heard the saying “Football is a game of inches” and that the one yard you are trying to get is the toughest yard. Those statements couldn’t be any truer as the Hunter Huss lost 42-41 in overtime to Clover off a failed two-point conversion play that was just inches short of the goal line.

                Football is also a game of momentum swings, opportunities and missed opportunities. There were plenty of those throughout the game. A Clover fumble early in the game put the Huskies in business. The Huskies made it to Clover’s four-yard line but were backed up with penalties that pushed them to the 30-yard line. But it didn’t seem to matter as quarter Zo Wallace connected with WR/backup QB Crawford Chandler for a 30-yard touchdown strike.

Later in the first quarter, the Huskies would return the favor. They would also fumble deep into their own territory setting the Blue Eagles up in great field position. Blue Eagles quarterback Garrett Miller answered the score with a one-yard touchdown run. The Huskies put themselves in grave danger with a fumble on the kickoff return. But two plays later, the Huskies would still it back with a sack and forced fumble of Miller. But Hunter Huss would not be able to capitalize.

 Miller would give the Blue Eagles the lead in the second quarter with a 24-yard touchdown run. Miller would use his arm late in the quarter to extend the lead when he connected with Jaylin Lane for a 43-yard touchdown pass. Nick Sciba was 3-for-3 on extra points in the first half.

The second half would see a huge momentum swing as it became the Crawford Chandler show. The Huskies stuck to the ground and pound game for most of the second half, but it was a 12-yard touchdown pass from Wallace to Chandler that got the second half party started. The Eagles would answer immediately with another Miller touchdown pass to Lane. This one was from 43 yards out. The score was 28-14.

Then Crawford Chandler went to work. Taking a direct snap from center at the 20-yard line, he found a big hole and took it the distance for an 80-yard touchdown run. His 27-yard run early in the fourth quarter tied the game. His 42-yard touchdown run gave the Huskies the lead for the first time since the first quarter with seven minutes to go. Trevor Hargett was 5-for-5 on extra point kicks.

The Blue Eagles did not go away however. David Hall answered the bell for Clover with a 23-yard touchdown run. Sciba’s extra point kick tied it with just under three minutes to go at 35-35. Backed up at their own three-yard line, Wallace completed a deep pass to Chase Nixon that put it just inside the 50 at the Clover 49-yard line. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty would back them up to the 36. The Huskies could not move it any further and were forced to punt close to the end of regulation.

In overtime, the Blue Eagles got the ball first and on the first play, Miller took it the whole ten yards for a touchdown. Sciba would remain perfect with his kicks at 6-for-6. With the help of a Clover facemask penalty on the first play, the Huskies were set up at the five-yard line. Dallas Danner was just one-yard short of getting in, but Zo Wallace finished it with a quarterback sneak into the end zone.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Clover moved the Huskies half the distance on their extra point try and they opted for the win on the two-point conversion. But the Blue Eagles defense stifled the attempt. The Blue Eagles have defeated all their Gastonia opponents, Ashbrook (56-26), Forestview (41-5) and Hunter Huss (42-41), but they face another Gaston County opponent next week as they travel to South Point in Belmont. Hunter Huss will face Hickory on Friday.

Red Raiders Blank Jaguars

                The South Point Red Raiders came to Forestview’s Joe Alala Stadium wearing their white jerseys and black pants. The last time South Point came to Forestview with that combo was in 2009 and that was the only time they lost at Forestview. The score was 21-20. Tonight would see no such repeat as it was all South Point tonight 42-0.

                The Red Raiders received the ball and did not miss a beat. Fullback Jake Alexander capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Cade Ratliff’s extra point made it 7-0. The Jaguars stalled on their first drive and that would be a constant problem the entire night. On the Red Raiders next drive, they went to the air. Quarterback Scottie Lee connected with Ray Grier for a 40-yard touchdown reception. Ratliff’s extra point made it 14-0.

                Down 14-0, the Jaguars knew they had to get something going. Being forced to punt, the Jaguars faked it when punter/kicker Holt Cloninger instead ran it 40 yards into Red Raiders territory. That would unfortunately be the biggest play for Forestview offensively in the first half. The Jaguars were also able to force a South Point fumble in the first quarter.

                The Red Raiders put another touchdown on the board in the second quarter when Lee connected with Grier again, this time with a 49-yard touchdown pass. The extra point kick was good. Both teams missed field goals in the second quarter. The score would remain 21-0 at half-time.

                The Jaguars did start to come to life in the second half. Sparked by a 44-yard pass from Jake Lee to Jake Long, the Jaguars were able to make it deep into Red Raiders territory at the five-yard line. But Lee would be intercepted in the end zone by Mario Brandon. He would have two on the night. That seemed to knock out what life Forestview did have.

                Late in the third quarter, a big mistake doomed Forestview. The Jaguars would fumble a punt return deep in their territory and South Point’s Nathan Hamilton returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. The Red Raiders would continue the onslaught in the fourth quarter. Alexander scored on a three-yard touchdown run and wingback/backup fullback Ty Tinker finished it off with a four-yard touchdown run.

                Forestview will travel to play Ashbrook next week. South Point will host Clover. Clover plays at home against Hunter Huss tonight.

Stormy Night For East Gaston As Stuart Cramer Rolls To 3-0

                You could get the feel of how the game would go early on. Even though the weather conditions at the time were calm and no stormy weather was in sight, the action on the field was a different story. Three plays and 42 seconds into the game was all it took for the Stuart Cramer Storm to set the tone. Quarterback Luke Carpenter capped off the three-play 50-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run. Devin Baldwin’s kick made it 7-0. East Gaston would contribute to their demise early. A bad snap on the punt pinned them at their own ten-yard line. But the defense would get a moral victory as the Warriors held the Storm out of the end zone. Cramer had to settle for a Baldwin 28-yard field goal to make the score 10-0.

                The Storm would continue to thwart the Warriors. The Storm got the ball back at the 50 once again. This time it only took one play to reach the end zone. Jaylen Rocquemore, Cramer’s other quarterback, ran the ball 50 yards for a touchdown. Baldwin’s kick made it 17-0. But soon, Cramer would start making mistakes. Penalties and turnovers would stop the Storm’s ensuing drives. A fumbled quarterback-tailback exchange and a muffed punt by Jaylin Truesdale kept East Gaston in the game. The Warriors would give momentum right back when quarterback Kobe Creamer was intercepted in the end zone by the Storm’s Landon Helton.

                The Storm made them pay. Early in the second quarter, Kaiser Kayton got on the board with a 24-yard touchdown run. Big plays were plenty for the Storm as Demarrick Floyd scored on a 60-yard touchdown run. The Storm did use some pass plays by their two quarterbacks, Carpenter and Rocquemore. Rocquemore connected with Ethan Lurry with a 62-yard touchdown pass. Many of those yards came after the catch.

                Down 37-0, the Warriors finally answer back. A 45-yard pass play from Kobe Creamer to his brother, Jalen Creamer, and a personal foul on the Storm set the Warriors up at the three-yard line. Kobe Creamer took it in himself on a three-yard run play to get East Gaston on the board. Caleb Hager’s extra point made it 37-7.

                The Storm stormed back with another touchdown pass. This time it was from Carpenter to tight-end Kendall Karr from 33 yards out. Baldwin was 4-for-5 on his extra point kicks in the first half. 44-7 would be the half-time score. The third quarter was a stalemate.

                Carpenter scored the Storm’s final touchdown in the fourth quarter from three-yards out and the clock started to run continuously. East Gaston was able to get one final touchdown on the board as the final seconds ticked away. Creamer scored his second touchdown of the night with a six-yard run. No extra point conversion was attempted. The final score was 51-13.

                Robert Truesdale, Caleb Clemmer, John Griffin, Dylan Collins, Denorrian Lindsay, Sam Julen and Jackson Concannon each reginstered tackles for loss for the Storm. Truesdale and Will Waddell each registered a sack while Collins and Griffin combined for a sack. Landon Helton, Gabe Washington and JyKise Booker each got an interception. Washington and Griffin each recovered Warriors fumbles. East Gaston’s Chase Blackburn registered one sack, three tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.  Caleb Hager and Preston Osborne also had fumble recoveries.  Donnell Maultsby grabbed the Warriors only interception in the game.

                “Stuart Cramer is a good team. They have an effective offense and a defense that gets after it.” said East Gaston head coach Sean Joyce “I felt like our guys fought hard. We’re still having a hard time moving the ball. It was a combination of youth and injuries. We’ve got several injuries.”

                Chase Blackburn’s big night on defense looked to be one of the few highlights for East Gaston “Chase Blackburn makes a lot of plays defensively. He’s got a motor that does not stop.”

                “I thought our guys played hard. It’s still early in the season. We got some things to clean up and get better at. Hopefully we can do that.” Said Cramer head coach Ben McMillan “Our guys on defense are swarming around getting to the ball. Those guys got a lot of experience over there and play hard. It’s good to see them making plays.”

“I think we got a few weapons there on offense. We were able to run the ball and threw it around more tonight than we did the last couple of weeks. We got some good talented receivers but they are still kind of young so we’re still trying to break them in. Our runningbacks did a great job and our offensive line paved the way for us.”

East Gaston travels to play Lincolnton next week. Stuart Cramer has a bye week, but will be on the road for the first time this season as they travel to play cross-town rival, South Point.