All Three Phases Shine Early On For Shelby

                When two defending state champions get together for a playoff matchup, it is usually one for the books. It also comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes. Things took off early for Shelby. Special teams set the tone early when Monroe was forced to punt. Jayden Borders received the punt and he took it 57 yards for a touchdown.

                Monroe seemed poised to respond to the early the score as they made it to the Shelby 23-yard line. But penalties would back the Red Hawks up. Quarterback Trey Shephard was sacked on consecutive plays. The second one was deadly as Shelby’s Michael Carson forced a fumble and Tre Ross returned the fumbled 51 yards for a Shelby touchdown.

                Before you could blink, it was 14-0. The Golden Lions’ offense finally got in on the action as Jwan “Truck” Sims punched one in for three yards. Ethan Triplett’s kick for the extra point made it 21-0. Then came a bright spot for Monroe. Ty’Quavious Brewer received the ensuing kickoff and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown. Bryan Diaz-Ryes’s extra point cut the lead to 21-7 and that’s what it would be going into half-time.

                Neither team could get much going offensively in the second half. Both defenses were stingy for the entire third quarter. Mistakes hurt both teams as both were plagued by penalties in this game. In the fourth quarter, the Golden Lions were able to completely pull away. After being backed up by a holding penalty to Monroe’s 18-yard line, quarterback Malik Surratt found Darius Fuller wide open in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Triplett was 4-for-4 on extra points.

                After giving up a season high 33 points last week to Hunter Huss, Shelby’s defense limited Monroe to 32 yards total offense.

                “I’m happy for our kids. They put in a lot of work this week and all season to get to this point.” said Shelby head coach Lance Ware “This is a goal that each team sets every year. Going into next Saturday, there will be 16 teams and we are happy to be one of them.”

                “They’re all a little bit different.” Ware said of each state title “But they all still come down to defense this time of year. Defense and having to make a drive in the fourth quarter to seal the game and that’s what our guys did tonight.”

                “It sounds cliché but we’re just enjoying the ride. This group is so special in what they have accomplished this season. We’ve said from day 1 that this group has not won a state championship. They’ve bought into that and they want to leave their own mark.”

                “It was two good teams, two state champions playing each other.” said Monroe head coach Johnny Sowell “You can’t spot a state champion 14 points. Mistakes hurt us. The biggest was penalties. We make a big play and see the yellow flag. We can’t be in 2^nd and long or 3^rd and long situations. Defense played great. The ball on the ground at times and just couldn’t get on it.”

                Shelby will play Northside-Jacksonville in the 2AA State Championship game. That game will be played at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

Shelby Gives Up Season High 33 Points, But Pulls Away For Win

                Last week, both Shelby and Hunter Huss defeated their playoff opponents 41-0. The Huskies have scored 32 or more points in nine out of the previous ten weeks. The Huskies only gave up double digit scored twice in that timespan. Shelby has been held below 30 points only twice this year and have only had four games where they gave up double digit points to their opponents. Something had to give.

                Early on, it was Hunter Huss that was doing the giving. Jwan “Truck” Sims got Shelby on the board early with a 20-yard touchdown run. The extra point was no good however. Things got worse before they got better for the Huskies. Zo Wallace was intercepted by C.J. Ross. Ross took it 60 yards for another Shelby touchdown. Ethan Triplett’s extra point was good.

                The Huskies, however, would not roll over. After running some wildcat plays, the Huskies put Crawford Chandler in at quarterback. He hit Antwanez Barnett for a 37-yard touchdown pass. Trevor Hargett’s kick made it 13-7. The Golden Lions responded with a Malik Surratt 55-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Borders. The extra point was good. The Huskies threw a 55-yard touchdown pass of their own. It was another Chandler to Barnett connection. The two-point conversion try was no good however.

                After stopping Shelby, Chandler and Barnett connected for another touchdown pass. This time it was from 56 yards. That would be 148 reception yards for Barnett with three touchdowns off of three receptions in the first half. Things soured for the Huskies again late in the second quarter. Two special teams gaffes by Huss (a muffed punt and a fumble on a kickoff return) put Shelby in position to pull away. Two touchdown passed from Surratt to Darius Fuller (36 yards and 22 yards) put Shelby on top 34-19 at half-time.

                In the second half, the Huskies came out with a vengeance. Crawford Chandler cut Shelby’s lead with a 14-yard touchdown run. The Huskies’ onside kick was successful and they got another chance. They took advantage. Chandler threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night. This time, it was a 25-yard pass to Anthony Davis. The Huskies opted to just go for the kick instead of the two-point conversion. Hargett’s kick was good and Shelby’s lead was once again cut to just one-point at 34-33. Hargett was 3-for-4 on extra point kicks on the night.

                The Golden Lions would pull away in the fourth quarter. Two touchdown runs by Jwan “Truck” Sims (5 yards and 23 yards) put the game away for Shelby. Ethan Triplett was 5-for-6 on extra point kicks. That made the final 48-33. That is the most points Shelby has given up on the year. Their previous high was 19 in a 21-19 over county and conference rival, Crest.

                “The only way we can look at it is we survived and advanced.” said Shelby head coach Lance Ware “Hunter Huss gave us everything. It was a great game. I thought it was back and forth with a lot of momentum changes.”

“They made some plays. They had three completions in the first half, all for touchdowns. They had a great plan for what they did. They moved the ball on us more than anyone else has. We did not have one of our best defensive games. We give a lot of credit to Hunter Huss. Coach (Jamar) McCoy had his team prepared and gave us the best shot we’ve had all year. Our defense still found a way to make plays when they had to with a pick-six and causing a few fumbles. I thought special teams was going to be a big deal coming in and it was. It was more of the turnovers on special teams.”

“I know Monroe is an excellent football team.” Ware said of his next opponent “They’re very good on defense and very fast. They’ve played right after us last year (in the state championship games). I have a ton of respect for Coach Sowell and what he’s done. It should be a heck of a ball game.”

Shelby will host Monroe next week in the battle of the defending state champs. Shelby won the 2A last year while Monroe won the 2AA. The Red Hawks defeated East Lincoln 27-0.

“We knew all along, scouting them and looking at film all week, we wanted to attack their secondary and that’s what we did.” said Hunter Huss head coach Jamar McCoy “Major turnovers killed us. There’s not much you can say after a loss like this to play such a great team and great program so close. You look at it and you know that you really gave it away with the turnovers so these kids are hurting. At the end of the day, it’s football, it’s life. It happens. When you play a football club like this, you have to play perfect football. We didn’t do that tonight. Too many penalties, too many turnovers.”

Malik Surratt led Shelby’s offense with 187 yards passing and three touchdowns. Jwan “Truck” Sims amassed 113 yards and three touchdowns. Crawford Chandler led the Huskies with 219 yards passing, 61 yards rushing, and five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing). Shelby’s C.J. Ross and Damien Key each had an interception. Shelby also recovered three fumbles on the night. Hunter Huss recovered two.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Round 3 Playoff Picks

Hunter Huss 7 @ Shelby 24

Pisgah 7 @ South Point 49

Hendersonville 14 @ Lincolnton 42

East Lincoln 10 @ Monroe 24

Mountain Island Charter 31 @ Murphy 27

Powerful Rushing Attack Propels Raptors Past Gryphons

The second round of the NCHSAA 1A West playoff bracket featured two teams from the same conference. The Mountain Island Charter Raptors hosted conference rival, Thomas Jefferson. The Raptors initially beat the Gryphons 31-13 in the third week of the regular season. However, that would be one of the games the Raptors had to forfeit later. Thomas Jefferson was hoping to earn an on-the-field victory tonight. That would be a tall task.

The Raptors struck first. On fourth down, the Raptors went for it and scored with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Holcomb to Eric Gallman II. Carson Pledger’s kick for the extra point gave the home team an early 7-0 lead. The Gryphons would strike back. They too went for it on fourth down and scored on the play. Nomi McMullens hit Maxx Robbins for a 17-yard touchdown pass. The extra point kick by Grant Hernandez tied the game.

The Gryphons forced the Raptors to punt on the ensuing drive. But they, themselves, had their drive stall. Aapri Washington stopped the Thomas Jefferson drive with an interception and the Raptors would capitalize. Freshman Elijah Burris put the Raptors back on top with a two-yard touchdown run. Pledger’s extra point was good. The Gryphons responded again with another McMullens pass to Robbins. This time it was from 15 yards out. The extra point would fail however.

It got worse before it got better for Jefferson as Burris would answer the score on the first play on the ensuing drive. He took it 66 yards for a touchdown. The extra point kick made it 21-13. Thomas Jefferson would not go away. Quarterback McMullens took it in himself for a two-yard touchdown run with just around a minute to go before half-time. The two-point conversion try failed and the score remained 21-19.

Thomas Jefferson got the ball to start the second half and they went to work. The Gryphons took the lead with another Nomi McMullens touchdown pass to Maxx Robbins. The 29-yard touchdown pass and Hernandez’s extra point kick put the Gryphons on top 26-21. But that would be the end of their fun.

It would be a Raptor onslaught from there. Aapri Washinton’s 51-yard touchdown run put Mountain Island Charter back on top 28-26. Thomas Jefferson came up empty on the next drive and had to put. They pinned the Raptors deep but it didn’t seem to matter. Terrell Hager extended the lead with a 95-yard touchdown run. The PAT failed, however. It would still be a one-score game. But not for long. Washington put the Raptors up by two scores with a 23-yard touchdown run. Pledger’s kick made it 41-26.

The Gryphons were not down for the count yet. Early in the fourth quarter, McMullens hit Robbins for a ten-yard touchdown pass. That was their fourth touchdown connection. Hernandez’s kick would cut the lead to eight points. That would be as close as the visiting team would get as the host Raptors shut the door on any comeback hopes.

Touchdown runs by Hager (57 yards) and Washington (72 yards) ended any comeback hopes. The Gryphons did put another touchdown on the board with a four-yard run by Miller Outten with less than five minutes to go. The onside kick was recovered by Mountain Island Charter and they would be able to run out the clock and seal the 54-40 victory.

Terrell Hager led the Raptors rushing attack with 275 yards and two touchdowns. Aapri Washington amassed 213 yards and three touchdowns. Elijah Burris rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Nomi McMullens led the Gryphons with 300 all-purpose yards (179 passing and 121 rushing), four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Running-back Bill Lay amassed 89 yards rushing. Maxx Robbins hauled in all four of McMullens's touchdown passes. He and Tucker Greene combined for 154 of the receiving yardage.

"I think we got a lot of stuff to clean up defensively. I think offensively, we are clicking at the right time. I think if you key on one player on any situation, others will step up." said Raptors head coach Robert Washington "Our motto is next man up. We made it harder than it was supposed to be. Our guys came out with surprisingly low energy so we had to fire the boys up. The biggest thing is that we made adjustments. Our defensive staff was constantly challenging our defense."

"We were working on putting Aapri back at quarterback. It worked so we didn't go away from it. We tried to stay with the hot hand at the time." Washington said of his strategy "It was kind of like chess because we were moving some players around because we had to figure out what was the best matchup because watching film, I thought they would do one thing but they came out and did something totally different. Once we knew they were trying to get (Robbins) in the game, we put Aapri on him and he couldn't do anything else after that."

"Tonight the best team won." said Gryphons head coach Jerry Cash "Don't know if we can change a whole lot. Our kids played hard. We had a really good year. There will be another day. (McMullen) is just a sophomore. He's going to be a good player for us. (Bill Lay) is a junior. We have 20-something kids that are juniors that are coming back next year. We only lose six seniors on this team so we will be looking for a good year next year."

Mountain Island Charter will travel to Murphy next week. The Bulldogs beat Winston-Salem Prep 42-18. Thomas Jefferson finishes with a 10-3 record.

Fourth Quarter Burst Gives Patton First Ever Playoff Win

                The Patton Panthers in their short history have not won a playoff game. But that changed Friday night as they traveled to take on Forestview. The Panthers left Joe Alala Stadium with a 35-17 win, ending the Jaguars’ season. Things looked bleak for the Panthers early on when the center snapped the ball over quarterback Joe Eakin’s head. Forestview recovered inside the 10 and the Jaguars would score two plays later. Chapperal Smith’s two yard touchdown run gave the Jaguars the early 7-0 lead.

                The Panthers tied the game up early in the second quarter with a six-yard run by Ty Causby. The Panthers were primed to take the lead later in the second quarter, but were stopped on 4^th-and-1. The score would remain 7-7 at half-time.

                The Jaguars retook the lead in the third quarter with a 47-yard run by Jayveon Love. Patton would counter that with a long run of their own. Joe Eakin’s 46-yard run tied the game at 14-14. That would be the score going into the fourth quarter.

                After being stopped inside their own 20, the Jaguars settled for a 36-yard field goal by Holt Cloninger. But things would come apart for Forestview after that. William Brawley gave Patton the lead with a 56-yard touchdown run. The Jaguars tried to get something going on their ensuing drive, but a fumble by Jayveon Love gave Patton the ball back. Eakin took it in on the next play for a 50-yard touchdown run.

A fumble by Jalen McCree on the kickoff put the Panthers back in business. Brawley put the exclamation point on the game with a 45-yard touchdown run. An interception thrown by Mac England would allow Patton to just run the clock out.

Brawley led the Panthers offense with 231 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Eakin amassed 226 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Jayveon Love led Forestview with 133 yards and a touchdown.

Patton will travel to take on Pisgah, a 20-13 winner over Carson.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Round 1 Playoff Picks

Patton 20 @ Forestview 27

Franklin 31 @ Stuart Cramer 21

West Henderson 7 @ South Point 55

Ashbrook 14 @ Jay M. Robinson 41

Parkwood 13 @ Hunter Huss 37

Ledford 13 @ Kings Mountain 20

North Surry 7 @ Shelby 48

East Rowan 7 @ Crest 28

Burns 34 @ North Forsyth 17

North Moore 13 @ Bessemer City 20

Cherryville 7 @ Whiteville 27

Andrews 7 @ Mountain Island Charter 51

Bishop McGuiness 13 @ Thomas Jefferson 45

 

I’ve Seen You Before: Hunter Huss will be hosting a first round playoff game for the third time in four years. The last time the Huskies hosted a playoff game, they faced Parkwood. The Rebels whipped the Huskies 37-7. The Rebels and the Huskies also met in the third round in the previous year. The Rebels also won that one. The score was 24-14. The Huskies are looking for some payback in this game and with the way they have been playing, they are very likely to get it. Third time is a charm.

Long Travel: The Cherryville Ironmen will probably have the longest travel in the first round of anybody in the area as they travel to Whiteville. The travel time is estimated at around 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Most Favorable Match-up: Nobody could have gotten a more favorable draw than the Mountain Island Charter Raptors (8-3). They draw a 2-9 Andrews squad. The Raptors have scored 49 points or more points the past 7 weeks and should continue to put up numbers against the Wildcats.

Most Challenging Match-up: Ashbrook will have to travel to take on a top-seed in Jay M. Robinson at 9-2. The Green Wave just barely squeezed into the playoffs with a 4-7 record. The Bulldogs have scored 42 or more points in 6 of their games. The Green Wave could keep it close early, but look for Robinson to pull away in the second half.

Forestview Sticks To Ground Game, Grinds East Gaston 48-6

                With it being Senior Night, the Forestview Jaguars wanted to make sure they gave their seniors a strong home finale and they didn’t disappoint. It was junior running-back Jayveon Love that got the night started with a one-yard touchdown run. Love also scored a 39-yard touchdown run to give Forestview the 14-0 advantage in the first quarter.

                In the second quarter, more players got in on the scoring. Senior Nate Whitaker gave Forestview a 21-0 lead with a one-yard touchdown run. Fellow senior Chapperal Smith added to the Jaguars’ lead with a 26-yard touchdown run. The Jaguars were in position to go up 35-0 toward the end of the third quarter, but Love fumbled before going into the end zone. The Warriors got the ball back at the 20. But they wouI didn’ld not capitalize and the score remained 28-0 at half-time.

                Things kept getting better for Forestview and getting worse for East Gaston in the second half. Chapperal Smith’s 22-yard touchdown run put the Jaguars up 35-0. Dylan Disarro was 5-for-5 on extra point kicks on the night. Jayveon Love got back in action midway through the third quarter. One fourth-and-two at their own 34 yard line, he stormed through the Warriors defense with a 66-yard touchdown run. The extra point was missed however.

                The Warriors tried to get something going offensively, but disaster struck. Quarterback Nick Ferens fumbled the ball at the 44-yard line. Jaguars’ outside linebacker Jacob Ashe returned it 44-yards for the touchdown. Dawson Armstrong’s extra point kick made it 48-0. The clock ran continuously from that point forward.

                East Gaston was able to get on the scoreboard at the end of the game with a four-yard run by Nick Ferens. The two-point conversion try was thwarted, though.

                Jayveon Love led the Jaguars rushing attack with 219 yards and three touchdowns. Chapperal Smith Amassed 166 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Ferens led East Gaston with 114 all-purpose yards (55 rushing and 59 passing).

                “Forestview’s not a bad team. They were well coached tonight. Even though we’re still thin, I thought our guys fought hard. I didn’t do a good job making adjustments early. That’s on me. I got to do a better job to put our guys in better situations to make plays.” said East Gaston head coach Sean Joyce “Nick (Ferens) is one of the best, if not the best, players in the conference. He’s got a bright future. He’s definitely played well for us.”

                “There were some big holes. All the backs made some good runs. We come close to shutting them out so our defense played really well. I thought we were aggressive.” said Forestview head coach Chris Medlin “I’m just proud of our seniors ending their regular season on a positive note.”

                “It will be good to have a week off. It gives us some time to get some rest and get back at it. We should be full tilt next week and have everybody back.”

                Forestview finishes regular season play at 7-4 overall and 5-2 in conference play. East Gaston finishes 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the conference.