Monday Morning Quarterback - Nov. 7 by Eric Lusk

A WEEKLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE FROM YADKIN VALLEY SPORTS & FOOTHILLS FOOTBALL

Monday Morning

Quarterback Monday, Nov. 7, 2011

Basketball

Five alive

Only a handful of teams still in playoffs By Eric Lusk Editor

The number of teams still playing football in our area decreased considerably after Friday night. Seven teams from the Mountain Valley 1A/2A and seven more from the Northwest 1A/2A suited up for first-round state playoff action. But only five total survived to play another day. Congratulations are in order to Starmount, Wilkes Central, West Stokes, South Stokes and West Wilkes for advancing past round one. All five teams had the benefit of home games. All seven road teams from the two conferences, plus two others playing at home, got knocked off and had to turn in the equipment. Only Starmount and West Stokes will get the benefit of playing at home this Friday. The Rams

will entertain defending 2AA champion Salisbury, while West Stokes will welcome a high-scoring Cuthbertson team that knocked off North Surry in impressive fashion. Wilkes Central, South Stokes and West Wilkes all will travel to hostile territory. The Eagles go to Thomasville, a team that has hit its stride after slow beginnings. South Stokes will play at Monroe, while West Wilkes will drive up the mountain to visit football-crazed Swain County. This week’s round of high school football Survivor will present huge challenges for our teams. But these five teams are still alive right now for a reason – they have risen to past challenges and have overcome many of them. Best of luck to the Rams, Eagles, Wildcats, Sauras and Blackhawks this week.

Monday Morning

In The Rearview Mirror Friday, Nov. 4 Games

1A PLAYOFFS Murphy 54, Alleghany 20 Andrews 28, North Stokes 27 1AA PLAYOFFS Monroe 50, East Surry 6 South Stokes 35, Lake Norman Charter 26 Central Academy 27, Mount Airy 23 Mitchell 33, East Wilkes 8 West Wilkes 54, Cherryville 20 2A PLAYOFFS Starmount 21, East Lincoln 13 Wilkes Central 35, Lexington 34 Thomasville 56, Surry Central 26 2AA PLAYOFFS West Stokes 41, Piedmont 7 Cuthbertson 48, North Surry 33 Forest Hills 51, Forbush 0 Bandys 40, Ashe County 14

On The Horizon

Friday, Nov. 11 Games

A WEEKLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE FROM YADKIN VALLEY SPORTS & FOOTHILLS FOOTBALL

Volume 2 * Issue 12* Nov. 7, 2011 * www.YadkinValleySports.com eric@yadkinvalleysports.com * (336) 835-4121

Eric Lusk

Editor & Publisher

On The Cover

Check YadkinValleySports.com this fall for more details

Pam Lusk

Business Manager

Clockwise from top left: Starmount’s Fondae McDaniel, West Stokes’ Darryl Little, South Stokes’ Jacquan Martin, Wilkes Central’s Austin McConnell and West Wilkes’ Will Shepard

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Monday Morning Quarterback

1AA PLAYOFFS South Stokes at Monroe West Wilkes at Swain County 2A PLAYOFFS Salisbury at Starmount Wilkes Central at Thomasville 2AA PLAYOFFS Cuthbertson at West Stokes

is a digital publication of:

Playoffs Round 1 In Review

First & 10

ence overall. It would speak volumes if the Rams and Eagles could both get through to round three.

Ten things to take away from round one of the state playoffs By Eric Lusk Editor

Wilkes Central rolled the dice at the end and came up a winner. When Dustin Triplett scored a touchdown to pull the Eagles within 34-33 with 1:22 left in the fourth quarter, coach Jeremy Funderburk opted to go for two instead of trying to kick the game-tying PAT. After two Wilkes Central timeouts, Triplett delivered again, and Wilkes Central celebrated an exciting playoff victory against a hard-nosed opponent. Survive and advance any way you can.

South Stokes was the feel good story of the week – and maybe of the whole season. The Sauras played a home football game for the first time since the early 1970s and pleased their fired-up faithful with a 35-26 victory against Lake Norman Charter. According to NCHSAA records, South Stokes has only been in the playoffs 11 times since the state

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

West Stokes is still the hammer. The Wildcats nailed their 12th victory of the season to their 2011 resume, building on a school record. West Stokes’ talented defensive unit held Piedmont to only seven points, the lowest output for any opponent playing a Northwest or MVAC team this week.

We can officially say it’s been a great season for Stokes County football overall. West Stokes is still unbeaten, South Stokes is having its best season in maybe decades and North Stokes came within a whisker or two of joining its county rivals in the second round of the playoffs. The Vikings lost by a point at Andrews on Friday, ending an overachieving season in coach Jason Lippard’s first year with the program at 5-7.

Starmount won its playoff opener but suffered a big loss. The Rams rode the strength of their defense to a pleasing 21-13 victory against East Lincoln. But in the course of the win, they lost their quarterback for the rest of the season. Senior Christian Hurt was taken to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem after getting knocked out of the game in the fourth period following a hard collision. Hurt broke a vertebrae in his neck and had surgery on Saturday, according to statistician Deana King. He will be in a neck halo for up to three months, she said.

Photo by Eric Lusk

Wilkes Central’s football team is still dancing after beating Lexington by one point on Friday night. This Friday will bring a big test at Thomasville.

went to a four-classification system in 1972. This was the Sauras’ first victory during that stretch. South improved to 6-5 on the season with the triumph. CATA is no longer a gimme on the schedule. The arts and technology school from Monroe had won just eight games total in the five-year history of the program heading into Friday’s game against Mount Airy. The Cougars had somehow made the playoffs last season despite having just two victories, losing in the first round to the Granite Bears 416. CATA obviously has improved by leaps and bounds, winning for the sixth time this season with a come-

from-behind 27-23 victory in Mount Airy on Friday. The Cougars quarterback and lead running back would be stars in the Northwest 1A/2A.

We’re one step closer to a Starmount-Wilkes Central rematch. If the Rams and Eagles win Friday night, we’ll have round two between the Mountain Valley 1A/2A rivals on Nov. 18. Starmount and Wilkes Central both have huge hurdles to overcome, though. The Rams will host defending 2AA state champion Salisbury, while Wilkes Central will visit perennial power Thomasville. The MVAC has been much-maligned the past few seasons as a weak conferWWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

In the end, Thomasville coaches opted to send their team off the field without even shaking hands with the Eagles.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association should do away with the pod system for seeding the playoffs. It seems noble to want to keep teams close to home in the early rounds of the post-season. The problem is it has the potential to nullify what you do in the regular season. For example, Starmount was the only undefeated team in the 2A West bracket. Yet the Rams as the No. 1 seed had to play 12th-seeded East Lincoln (64) instead of No. 16 Brevard (37). In terms of seeding, four other teams got “easier” opponents than Starmount. This should be the final year for that kind of convoluted seeding process. Otherwise, why not just draw names out of a hat?

West Wilkes QB Seth Absher

West Wilkes could be a darkhorse in the 1AA bracket. The Blackhawks continue to take care of business, winning for the seventh time in eight games with Friday’s 54-20 dismantling of Cherryville. The ’Hawks have a stern test awaiting Friday at Swain County, but West has shown before that it won’t back down against any opponent. The physical Starmount game from a few weeks ago – the lone loss during the recent stretch of success – could reap dividends this week.

The Surry Central-Thomasville game generated plenty of headlines for all the wrong reasons. What was expected to be a physical clash between an up-and-coming team (Central) and a long-time powerhouse (Thomasville) certainly was. But things also denigrated into a personal-foul fest, with as many as 18 flags thrown for unsportsmanlike conduct.

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Jason Myers

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State Playoffs Revisiting Our Burning Questions

We asked, they answered During pre-game coverage last week, we posed six burning questions about area high school football at www.YadkinValleySports.com. Below are the questions again — and how what transpired on Friday night helped to answer them:

1. Can Starmount avoid a repeat of last year’s first-round knockout? What we wrote: “The Rams sailed into the 2010 state playoffs with an 11-0 overall record, a No. 1 seed and dreams of making a deep run through the 2A brackets. But a night of turnovers and missed opportunities led to a first-round exit against East Rutherford. The Rams are unbeaten with a No. 1 seed again this fall, but you can bet coaches and players have likely approached this week with much more caution and humility after last year’s defeat. East Lincoln (6-4), the 12 seed, is certainly a tough draw in the opening round for a top overall seed, though. If you think about, there are four other teams in the 2A West with games against higher seeded opponents than Starmount. How is that a reward for being the best team in the bracket?” What happened: The Rams fought off East Lincoln for a 21-13 win. Unlike last season, when turnovers and missed opportunities plagued them, Starmount was the team flustering its opponent. East Lincoln committed five turnovers. 2. Can Mount Airy get its 600th win as a program? What we wrote: “The Granite Bears have been playing football for a long time, and good football at that (seven state titles and 26 conference titles among other accomplishments). According to team historian “Daddy Doug” McDaniel, the Bears have the chance to earn their 600th all-time victory tonight. Mount Airy is playing the same foe as last year’s first round, Central Academy, but that opponent appears much improved over 2010. Mount Airy is 15-4 in the playoffs over the last five seasons.” What happened: CATA showed just how much improvement it has made in

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Photo by Eric Lusk

Central Academy players gang up on Ty Simmons of Mount Airy in Friday’s playoff game. Simmons and the Bears played hard but fell 27-23 to CATA. 12 months, dispatching of the Granite Bears 27-23. Mount Airy thought it had a magical victory when Austin Taylor hooked up with Darius Gwyn on a dramatic TD pass in the final minutes. But CATA answered, scoring with 18.2 ticks on the clock to steal the upset. 3. Can Surry Central get its “hambone” offense untracked at Thomasville? What we wrote: “Next to 11-0 West Stokes, the Golden Eagles might be the hottest team in the area heading into the playoffs. Central has won the last four games in large part behind a very effective triple-option offense. Wes Brown has crossed the 1,600-yard mark in rushing for the season, and teammates like Jared Dimmette and Jesse Martin provide more weapons for the ground game. If Brown

fense that could challenge Andrews (No. 6 seed). East Surry (No. 16 seed) has won just twice this year but the Cardinals are still a tough team and played Monroe (No. 3 seed) close last season in the playoffs. Lexington (No. 10 seed) is always tough, and should not be overlooked by Wilkes Central (No. 5 seed). Lexington upset Starmount a couple of years ago in the early rounds.” What happened: Things went according to seeding for the most part. As noted above, Central Academy upset Mount Airy. North Surry also lost at home to a strong but lower seeded Cuthbertson squad. Other than that, the home teams held serve. 5. Will any area teams be preparing for rematches in round two of the playoffs? What we wrote: “There are three scenarios that could unfold tonight that would lead to rematches from the regular season in next week’s playoffs. If West Stokes and North Surry both win tonight, we’ll get round two of the Wildcats-Greyhounds series next week, this time in King. Those two teams played last week, with

Elite Eight Power Rankings How They Fared * Who’s Next?

1. Starmount (11-0)

Last Friday: Beat East Lincoln 21-13 This Friday: Hosting Salisbury

2. West Stokes (12-0)

Last Friday: Beat Piedmont 41-7 This Friday: Hosting Cuthbertson

6. What factor will the weather play? What we wrote: “It rained quite a bit overnight around the area. Even though showers should move out by evening, fields still will be wet and potentially sloppy. That could impact some of the teams that like to rely on speed. But then again, last week’s cold rains didn’t seem to trip up too many foes.” What happened: Thomasville and Surry Central actually postponed their game to Saturday due to wet fields. But other than that, the rainy weather wasn’t much of a factor other than creating some soft field conditions.

3. Wilkes Central (10-1) Last Friday: Beat Lexington 35-34 This Friday: Visiting Thomasville

4. Surry Central (7-4)

Last Friday: Lost to Thomasville 56-26 This Friday: Season Complete

5. West Wilkes (8-3)

Last Friday: Beat Cherryville 54-20 This Friday: Visiting Swain County

6. Mount Airy (8-4)

Last Friday: Lost to CATA 27-23 This Friday: Season complete

7. South Stokes (6-5)

Last Friday: Beat Lake Norman Cht. 35-26 This Friday: Visiting Monroe

8. North Surry (7-4)

crosses 200 yards again tonight, the Eagles could knock off one of the most storied small-schools programs in the state.” What happened: Brown got more than 100 yards but the Golden Eagles couldn’t stop Thomasville’s Shaquan Johnson, who earned 376 yards on 33 carries and scored five touchdowns. Thomasville looked like state title contenders once again, scoring the 56-26 triumph.

Last Friday: Lost to Cuthbertson 48-33 This Friday: Season complete

‘

THEY SAID IT

’

“They couldn’t stop us, and they knew that. I would’ve gone for two in that same situation.”

4. Which road team is primed for an upset victory? What we wrote: “You’d have to think that Surry Central, the number 11 seed in the 2A West, has a good shot at beating No. 4 Thomasville. Surry Central pushed Mount Airy to the limit during the regular season, and the Granite Bears beat Thomasville early in the year. North Stokes (No. 9 seed) has an explosive ofWWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

West Stokes winning 51-7 to close out the regular season. There is also a chance for an East Surry-South Stokes rematch in round two, as well as a Wilkes Central-Surry Central rematch.” What happened: No rematches this week, with North Surry, East Surry and Surry Central losing in round one. We still could have a StarmountWilkes Central rematch if both teams can collect W’s on Friday.

Lexington coach Joe Gaddis in a story for the Lexington Dispatch on Wilkes Central’s decision to try a 2-point PAT near the end of Friday’s game WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

2AA State Playoffs Game Coverage

State Playoffs Game Coverage

WEST STOKES 41, PIEDMONT 7

Defense paves the way for ’Cats By Robert Money Contributing Writer

It was business as usual with the West Stokes Wildcats as the defense smothered the Piedmont Panthers in a 41-7 victory in the first round of the 2AA playoffs Friday night. “That was as a dominant defensive game as we have played all year,” West Stokes Head Coach Jimmy Upchurch said. “Coach (Steve) Whitt and our defensive unit have continued to get better each week. Piedmont is a good physical team and we did not expect to handle them up front as well as we did. Defense definitely won this game tonight. They took away some things we like to do offensively, but the defense more than compensated.” The defense accounted for two of the six touchdowns on the night with Tyler Bullard having a hand in each of them. Bullard laid the hit on Piedmont’s Sam Faulkner that forced a fumble on a third quarter kickoff return and then Demarion Jones scooped the ball and dashed 36 yards for pay dirt. On the Panthers very next possession, it was Bullard again laying another big hit on his third sack of the night forcing another fumble. Defensive lineman, Darryl Little picked the ball up and walked in from the 12-yard line. “That was a quick turn of events for us in the third quarter,” said Upchurch. “We had just scored giving us a two touchdown lead and then in a matter of a few minutes we were up four scores. You could tell that took the wind out of them and they lost that drive. “ Austin Fleming got the Wildcats on the board in the first quarter with a fifteen yard touchdown run off the right side with 5:27 remaining in the quarter. Zane McGhee split the uprights for the 7-0 lead. Piedmont responded after the Wildcats botched a fumbled snap on a punt attempt giving the Panthers first and ten on the Wildcat’s fourteen yard line. They scored on the first play of the second quarter from 13 yards out when Sawyer Baucom hit Brandon Gentry on a swing pass out

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Photo by Jimmy Kuhn / www.JimmyKuhn.com

Demarion Jones with the football is trailed by teammates Zack Manley and Dalton Boles in the Wildcats’ win over Piedmont. West Stokes is now 12-0. of the backfield. Kicker, Taylor Simpson made the point after to knot the score at seven. The Wildcats then went on a thirteen play drive that covered 74 yards in 6:11. Fleming scored his second touchdown of the evening from four yards out. Again, McGhee connected on the extra point and the Cats led 14-7 going into the halftime break. Fleming added a 30-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and Dalton Boles scored the Wildcats’ other touchdown from 5-yards out with 6:21 remaining in the game. McGhee added his fourth extra point of the game, and Matt Hopper connected on his first after Boles’ touchdown to round out the scoring for West Stokes. The Wildcats gained 214 yards on the ground and Fleming connected for

32 yards on 5-for-9 with an interception. Also, Fleming had 108 yards rushing on 17 carries with three touchdowns. Eorn Jenkins finished the game with 69 yards rushing on 11-carries. Defensively for West Stokes, the Cats held the Panthers to 79 total yards with to minus-2 yards rushing on 25-carries. Bullard led the way with 10 tackles, 4 for a loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. With his three sacks, he is now the AllTime Season Sack Leader at West Stokes with 18. He only needs one more sack to tie Calvin Cade’s career sack record of nineteen. Helping Bullard was Brandon Helvey with 9 tackles, 2 for a loss, and an interception. Anthony Wilding and Zack Manley finished with 8 and 7 tackles respectfully. WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

Photo by Jimmy Kuhn / www.JimmyKuhn.com

Tyler Bullard of West Stokes jars the ball loose from a Piedmont ball carrier on Friday night. Bullard had a monster night for the Wildcats, recording 10 tackles (including four for losses), three sackes and two forced fumbles. WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

2011 Football Championship - 2AA 1st Round Kinston| Date Location Agent Notes

9-1 #1

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Kinston HS N/A N/A

4-6 #8

Topsail|

7-3 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Topsail HS N/A N/A

6-5 #5

Northeastern|

9-2 #3

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Northeastern HS N/A N/A

7-4 #6

Bunn|

7-3 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Bunn HS N/A N/A

6-5 #7

Cummings|

9-1 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Cummings HS N/A N/A

6-5 #8

Northwood|

4-6 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Northwood HS N/A N/A

9-2 #5

Reidsville|

8-3 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Reidsville HS N/A N/A

8-2 #6

S Granville|

6-5 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM South Granville HS N/A N/A

8-3 #7

W Stokes|

11-0 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM West Stokes HS N/A N/A

5-6 #8

N Surry|

7-3 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM North Surry HS N/A N/A

5-6 #5

Forest Hills|

7-4 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Forest Hills HS N/A N/A

4-6 #6

S Iredell|

11-0 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM South Iredell HS N/A N/A

4-7 #7

Shelby|

6-5 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Shelby HS N/A N/A

4-7 #8

Chase|

8-3 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Chase HS N/A N/A

5-6 #5

Bandys|

8-3 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Bandys HS N/A N/A

Ashe|

Bunker Hill|

40-14

State Championship

7-5 #2

W Stokes|

12/3/2011 3:00 PM Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State University N/A N/A

12-0 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM West Stokes HS N/A N/A

Cuthbertson|

Forest Hills|

6-6 #5

8-4 #3

11/11/2011 7:30 PM South Iredell HS N/A N/A

S Iredell|

Shelby|

12-0 #2

7-5 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Shelby HS N/A N/A

Chase|

9-3 #4

Bandys|

35-13

NCHSAA Corporate Sponsorships

9-3 #3

Smoky Mtn|

6-6 #2

6-5 #7

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

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11/11/2011 7:30 PM South Granville HS N/A N/A

S Granville|

Date Location Agent Notes

5-6 #2

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Smoky Mountain HS N/A N/A

Dr. Adam Delp

9-3 #3

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

6-5 #6

Smoky Mtn| Date Location Agent Notes

Reidsville|

Date Location Agent Notes

28-13

Newton Conover|

10-2 #5

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

60-13

W Lincoln|

Franklinton|

Date Location Agent Notes

47-6

E Davidson|

10-1 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Cummings HS N/A N/A

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

51-0

Forbush|

Cummings|

Date Date Location Location Agent Agent Notes Notes

33-48

Cuthbertson|

8-3 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

41-7

Piedmont|

10-2 #3

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Bunn HS N/A N/A

Bunn|

Date Location Agent Notes

36-21

Carrboro|

Regional Round

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

27-9

TW Andrews|

Northeastern|

Date Location Agent Notes

7-29

Franklinton|

8-3 #4

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

38-6

St. Pauls|

Sectional Round

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Kinston HS N/A N/A

Topsail|

Date Location Agent Notes

49-28

N Brunswick|

10-1 #1

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

62-32

Swansboro|

Kinston| Date Location Agent Notes

10-7

N Pitt| Date Location Agent Notes

District Round 26-6

SW Edgecombe|

STILL HURTING?

*Higher Seed Hosts Throughout* In the case of two equal seeds meeting in the Regional Final, the team with the higher overall seed (1-16) will host.

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2A State Playoffs Game Coverage

State Playoffs Game Coverage

STARMOUNT 21, EAST LINCOLN 13

muffed punt at midfield but failed to capitalize. That fact put new life into the Mustangs who held on to the ball for more than eight minutes before Jesse Earnhardt took a pass over the middle from quarterback Garrett Young and rambled 25 yards to pay dirt. After the extra point, East Lincoln held a precarious 7-6 edge. The second Mustangs’ turnover, an interception by the Rams’ Eugene Billips that was returned all the way to the six-yard line, didn’t hurt them either, as the defense held on three straight plays and an SHS field goal attempt was short. Late in the third quarter Starmount regained the lead after Jac McCracken topped off a marathon 14-play, 86-yard drive with a four-yard run. A pass from QB Christian Hurt to James Watson made it 14-7 with a minute left in the quarter. After both quarterbacks traded interceptions, a fumble recovery by Rams’ lineman Will Lambert set up his team in superior field position at the 15. Five plays later, backup QB Samuel Stone scored on a one-yard keeper to help make it 21-7 with 9:25 left in the game. Stone entered the game two plays earlier when Hurt, attempting to score met a Mustang defender head on and was shaken up. Hurt, whose night was over, later left the stadium

Rams slow Mustangs in opener By Rick Papsun

Contributing Writer

BOONVILLE – Don’t get too alarmed but there’s a monkey loose somewhere in the suburbs of Boonville. There’s little chance, however, that it will ever be found as it was the proverbial monkey on the collective backs of the Starmount Rams. Last year an undefeated and topranked Rams entered the post season flying high, only to see their season come to a screeching halt at the hands of the 6-5 East Rutherford Cavaliers. This year, the same scenario was set for Starmount, only this time around the opponent was a much stronger East Lincoln (6-4), which brought a high-flying spread offense to the Rams home field. Fortunately, for Starmount, things turned out differently this time around. Sparked by perhaps one of its best defensive efforts of the season and timely plays on offense, Starmount got that early-round playoff monkey off its back with a hard-hitting 21-13 NCHSAA State 2A playoff win over East Lincoln. The Mustangs, the second place team out of the 1A/2A Southern Piedmont Conference, entered the contest scoring 44 points per game and were fresh off a 54-7 drubbing of Cherryville a week ago. But a spirited Rams defensive unit was not to be denied on this night, coming up with countless and timely big plays throughout the evening. “Not to take anything away from any of our opponents, but that there was the toughest teams we’ve played in two years,” SHS boss Scott Johnson said. “We held a team that scores more than 40 a game to just 13. I can’t say enough about how well our defense played

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

for observation at a nearby hospital. East made two valiant attempts at getting back into the game. The first ended on downs, while the next ended in bizarre fashion as Young hit Antwaine McLean across the middle for what appeared to be a touchdown, but in an attempt to stretch the ball over the goal line, McLean fumbled into the end zone for a touchback. The Mustangs finally were able to break through the Rams’ defense late when Bubba McDowell ran it in from two yards out with 33 seconds left. The ensuing onsides kick was recovered by Starmount, putting an end to a hard-hitting slugfest of a first round playoff game. East Lincoln closes its season at 6-5, while the Rams (110) next play host to Salisbury in round two. Johnson knows it will be a challenge. “We’ll have our hands full no matter who we play next week,” he said (before knowing who won the game between Carver and Salisbury). One team is the defending state champ, while the other won it the year before that. But this group of guys right here has got the heart of a champion and I know they’ll be up for the task.”

Photo by Tim Weatherman / www.GataPhotos.com

Starmount’s Eugene Billips goes low to make a tackle against East Lincoln.

against them tonight. They played just great.” In last season’s loss to East Rutherford – and in a second-round upset loss to Lexington in 2009 – the Rams couldn’t seem to catch a break. But on Friday, every time Starmount needed a big play, it seemed like the defense got one. On the night, the SHS defensive unit forced five Mustang turnovers (three fumbles and two INTs) which all came at crucial times in the game. East Lincoln coach Mike Byus was obviously frustrated in his team’s play. “By gosh, everything they were giving us (on defense) we weren’t taking,” he said. “The bottom line is we just didn’t execute. That’s about it.”

On offense, the contest pitted the Rams’ punishing ground game by committee and the Mustangs’ high-flying spread offense. In the end, the Starmount running game was held to just 153 yards, while the East Lincoln passing attack netted 232 yards. However, five turnovers on offense for the Mustangs turned out to be a crucial factor in the eight-point setback. Starmount got on the board early, scoring on its first possession as Fondae McDaniel punched it in from three yards out to culminate at nine-play, 69yard drive. Down 6-0, the turnover situation didn’t hurt the visitors the first time it happened, as Starmount recovered a WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

2A State Playoffs Game Recap

2011 Football Championship - 2A

WILKES CENTRAL 35, LEXINGTON 34

1st Round

Eagles go for 2, advance to round 2 Wilkes Central rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Lexington 35-34 in the opening round of the 2A football playoffs Friday night. Dustin Triplett scored a touchdown on a 5-yard run with 1:22 remaining to pull the Eagles within 34-33. Wilkes Central decided to go for 2, and Triplett got the call again, converting a rushing play to send the Eagles into the second round of the post-season for the second year in a row. “There was no way in the world, when we scored down here, that we were not gonna put the offense on the field and give it to 18 (Triplett),” Funderburk told a reporter from The Lexington Dispatch. “There was no question. The only question was which play.” Central trailed much of the game, including by margins of 21-7, 28-14 and later 34-20 in the fourth quarter. The Eagles notched 21 points in the final period to pull out the squeaker. Coach Jeremy Funderburk’s team improves to 10-1 on the season and will get ready to face Thomasville, which knocked out Surry Central 5626 on Friday. Triplett scored on a 7-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to pull the Eagles to within 34-27. Quarterback Austin McConnell had a long run during that series to set up the touchdown. Triplett then picked off a pass to start what would be Central’s game-winning TD drive. Lexington’s season comes to an end at 4-7. Chasey Caul and Chris Watt also had rushing touchdowns for Wilkes

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Nside (Jax)| Date Location Agent Notes

5-5 #8

E Duplin|

8-2 #4

Roan Rapids|

8-3 #3

7-4 #6

Holmes|

9-0 #2

5-5 #7

Fairmont|

11-0 #1

5-6 #8

S Columbus|

7-3 #4

11/4/2011 7:30 PM South Columbus HS N/A N/A

9-2 #5

Randleman|

9-2 #3

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Randleman HS N/A N/A

6-5 #6

E Bladen|

8-2 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM East Duplin HS N/A N/A

4-7 #7

Starmount|

10-0 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Starmount HS N/A N/A

7-4 #8

Salisbury|

9-2 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Salisbury HS N/A N/A

6-4 #5

Wilkes C|

9-1 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Wilkes Central HS N/A N/A

4-6 #6

Thomasville|

7-4 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Thomasville HS N/A N/A

7-3 #7

Lincolnton|

10-1 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Lincolnton HS N/A N/A

3-7 #8

Jimmy C. Draughn|

8-3 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Draughn HS N/A N/A

5-5 #5

Maiden|

7-4 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Maiden HS N/A N/A

5-6 #6

Polk Co|

8-3 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

Owen|

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Polk County HS N/A N/A

7-5 #6

11/11/2011 7:30 PM East Bladen HS N/A N/A

E Bladen|

State Championship

9-2 #2

Starmount|

12/3/2011 11:00 AM Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State University N/A N/A

11-0 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Starmount HS N/A N/A

Salisbury|

10-2 #4

Wilkes C|

10-1 #3

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Thomasville HS N/A N/A

Thomasville|

8-4 #2

Lincolnton|

11-1 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Lincolnton HS N/A N/A

Jimmy C. Draughn|

9-3 #4 Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

26-13

E Rutherford|

Jordan Matthews|

Date Location Agent Notes

13-7

Madison|

8-3 #4

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

49-14

Brevard|

12-0 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Fairmont HS N/A N/A

S Columbus|

Date Location Agent Notes

56-26

Surry C|

10-0 #2

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

35-34

Lexington|

Fairmont|

Date Date Location Location Agent Agent Notes Notes

24-17

Carver|

8-4 #6

Date Location Agent Notes

21-13

E Lincoln|

Regional Round

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Holmes HS N/A N/A

Holmes|

Date Location Agent Notes

25-21

Providence Grove|

9-2 #5

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

7-8

Jordan Matthews|

N Johnston|

Date Location Agent Notes

20-16

Ern Randolph|

Sectional Round

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

48-17

Wheatmore|

Date Location Agent Notes

WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Fairmont HS N/A N/A

Tarboro|

Date Location Agent Notes

30-6

Croatan|

Date Location Agent Notes

Dispatch. “I would’ve gone for two in that same situation.” This is the second year in a row that Wilkes Central has advanced to the second round. The Eagles played in the “big 2A” bracket last year and went to round three before being ousted by Shelby.

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Holmes HS N/A N/A

12-0 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Northside-Jacksonville HS N/A N/A

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

7-12

N Johnston|

Date Location Agent Notes

Central. Jordan Carlton threw a 30yard halfback pass to Zach Joines for another score. Lexington coach Joe Gaddis said it was a no-brainer that the Eagles go for two after their final touchdown. “They couldn’t stop us, and they knew that,” Gaddis told The

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Roanoke Rapids HS N/A N/A

Nside (Jax)| Date Location Agent Notes

26-34 8-2 #5

Date Location Agent Notes

Wilkes Central’s Dustin Triplett, shown here against Starmount in late October, scored the winning TD and two-point conversion against Lexington.

11/4/2011 7:30 PM East Duplin HS N/A N/A

Tarboro| Date Location Agent Notes

District Round 50-0

Greene C|

Date Location Agent Notes

Photo by Eric Lusk

11-0 #1

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Northside-Jacksonville HS N/A N/A

*Higher Seed Hosts Throughout* In the case of two equal seeds meeting in the Regional Final, the team with the higher overall seed (1-16) will host.

Maiden| Date Location Agent Notes

13-7

NCHSAA Corporate Sponsorships

8-4 #3

Are you comm the promotion o and educate o statewide expo and/or product questions, a North Carolina is your ticket to

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Polk County HS N/A N/A

Polk Co|

9-3 #2

4-7 #7

WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

Sponsorship levels: • Presenting • Platinum • Gold • Silver • Bronze • Donor • Affiliate

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

2A State Playoffs Game Coverage THOMASVILLE 56, SURRY CENTRAL 26

Bulldogs RB tough to bring down By Kelly Snow

Contributing Writer

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(336) 372-3003

THOMASVILLE — The most indelible moment of Saturday’s opening round game between Surry Central and Thomasville had nothing to do with the nearly 400-yard rushing performance by one of the best backs in the state. It wasn’t a play that helped Surry Central stay within shouting distance until the final quarter. Instead, it was the final impression — Thomasville players racing off the field without shaking hands after defeating Surry Central 56-26 Saturday in Thomasville in the opening round of the 2A Midwest Sectional playoffs. The game was marred by a combined 16 personal foul or unsportsmanlike penalties, mostly in the second half, that led to several post-whistle incidents, a couple of meetings with captains and coaches, and police officers standing on the field in between the teams as Bulldog players rushed off the field into their locker room. According to Surry Central coach Monty Southern, his team was lining up to shake hands when Thomasville coach Allen Brown told him that the game had “gotten too chippy” and that he didn’t want his team to shake hands. Several coaches from both teams did greet each other after the game. “I tried to tell the officials they needed to get this thing under control. I wanted to call a meeting, but the officials let it get this way,” Southern said. “When you’re dealing with 16 and 17-year old kids and you let it get physical, it’s going to get physical. We did some things that we regret and I’m sure they did something that their coaching staff regrets. I WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

Photo by Eric Lusk

Despite a solid effort from Wes Brown, Surry Central still lost Saturday.

really hate that we didn’t shake hands. When kids battle that hard all night, they need to walk across the field and say ‘good job’.” Thomasville running back Shaquan Johnson erupted for a whopping 376 yards on 33 carries and five touchdowns despite battling through an ankle injury that occurred early in the second half. Johnson had a pair of scores following the injury, including a dazzling 52-yard run with the final 25 yards coming after and ankle-breaking cut on a Golden Eagle defensive back that stretched the lead to 42-20 with 1:54 to play in the third quarter. The Bulldogs finished with a com-

bined 466 yards rushing. “We knew they were going to give Shaquan Johnson the ball and it’s hard to stop him,” Southern said. “He hits the hole so quickly and made so many big plays in the game. Their offensive line did such a good job tonight blocking our linebackers.” Surry Central appeared to be on the verge of getting blown out of the playoffs after falling behind 21-0 in the first half, but caught a break heading into halftime. Golden Eagle defensive back Jared Dimmette picked off an in ill-advised pass into double coverage with less than 30 seconds to play in the half, and returned it to the Bulldogs’ 14-yard line. Three plays later, running back Wes Brown barreled through the line for a 7-yard, momentum-gaining score. Surry Central was able to get within two touchdowns three times after falling behind big in the first half, but was never closer as Thomasville posted touchdowns on five consecutive drives in the second half. “We had kids that played with a lot of heart tonight and never gave up,” Southern said. “I was tremendously proud of how hard we played and never let up.” Brown ended his junior season with a 138-yard, three-touchdown performance. Quarterback Jesse Martin finished with 88 yards on 17 carries and a 2-yard touchdown run in the second half. The Bulldogs will host Mountain Valley 1A/2A runner-up Wilkes Central on Friday in the second round of the 2A Midwest Sectional. The Eagles advanced in the playoffs with a dramatic 35-34 victory against Lexington in the opening round. NOVEMBER 7, 2011

1AA State Playoffs Game Coverage

SOUTH STOKES 35, LAKE NORMAN CHARTER 26

came on a 29-yard burst, while Withers found the end zone from 28 yards away. Both players also capped their TDs by running in two-point conversions to give the Sauras a 28-14 lead.

Sauras make history with win

Alex Scearce into the shotgun formation to take direct snaps. The Knights scored a pair of TDs, but the Sauras recovered an onsides kick with less than three minutes left and ran

By Eric Lusk Editor

WALNUT COVE -- South Stokes certainly made the most of its first football playoff home game in nearly four decades. The Sauras, who hadn’t hosted a playoff contest in the sport since 1974, surged in the second half to beat Lake Norman Charter 35-26 on Friday night. Jacquan Martin rushed for 259 yards and three touchdowns, while Jaron Withers added another 111 rushing yards and two scores. South Stokes improved to 6-5 overall, assuring itself of at least a .500 season no matter what happens from here on out. The Sauras advance in the 1AA playoffs to face Monroe on the road this Friday night. “It’s been neat. The community was so pumped about this,” South Stokes coach Jonathan Frasher said of playing at home in the playoffs. “I thought we had to beat Surry Central to get a home game, and we played horrendous in that one, especially in the first half. Frasher said Walnut Cove and the school had a buzz about it all last week. A restaurant in town donated a meal to the team. A former coach from the 1970s and 1980s returned and spoke to the squad. “There was a shot of excitement when we heard we had a home playoff game,” Frasher said. The Sauras played tight early on once the game began, the coach said. But the hustles of guys like Martin, Withers, allconference linebacker Zack Singleton, Jerome Benjamin and others loosened everyone up. South Stokes got on the board quickly when Martin found the end zone on a 40-yard run. Lake Norman Charter

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Photo by Jimmy Kuhn / www.JimmyKuhn.com

South Stokes players, shown here in a game earlier this season against West Stokes, got to wear the home jerseys for Friday’s playoff game. That’s something the school hasn’t been able to do in the post-season since the 1970s. The Sauras won 35-26 to advance to round two. answered on its next possession to go ahead 7-6. The Sauras took a 12-7 lead when Withers rushed for a 14-yard score with 6:21 left in the first quarter. That margin held until halftime. Lake Norman Charter took another brief lead in the third period when all-

purpose back Alex Scearce found the end zone on a three-yard run. The second extra point kick of the night from JC Brooks made it 14-12 Knights. But from there, South Stokes ran away for the victory, literally. Martin and Withers both scored touchdowns to close out the third quarter. Martin’s WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

Martin added South Stokes’ final score with 9:27 left in the game on a 26yard run. The Sauras had to endure some lategame drama before they could fully celebrate their historic victory. Lake Norman Charter switched offensive formations late in the game, moving WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

out the clock. “They got in the Wildcat in the fourth quarter and that gave us fits,” Frasher said. “I’m glad they didn’t do that earlier.” Alex Scearce finished with 94 rushing yards to lead the Knights. South Stokes picked off Lake Norman Charter quar-

terbacks three times. Justin Rogers led the Sauras’ defense with nine tackles, six assists and two tackles for loss. “He had his best game,” Frasher said. Withers, who also played defensive back in addition to quarterbacking duties, had an “MVP game,” according to the coach. He finished with seven tackles. Jerome Benjamin was a standout as well. Despite spraining an ankle badly against Surry Central, Zack Singleton gutted it out Friday night, earning six solo tackles and assisting on seven other hits. “He was literally playing on one leg,” Frasher said. “He was not even 50 percent. He didn’t practice all week. But that kid wants to be out there no matter what. He is just a general for us. He gets us in the right positions. He has a lot of intangibles that other kids don’t have.” Frasher knows that Monroe (9-2) will be a tough task this week. The champions of the Rocky River Conference hold the No. 3 overall seed in the 1AA West. The athletic Redhawks beat East Surry 50-6 in their opener Friday. “I don’t see any weaknesses right now,” Frasher said after studying film over the weekend. “They are as good as advertised. It is going to be a tough challenge for us.” But the Sauras plan to savor this playoff week as much as possible. According to N.C. High School Athletic Association records, no other South Stokes team has been to the second round of the state playoffs in football since schools were divided into the current four classification system in 1972. Only 10 other South teams have even made the playoffs at all during that stretch, according to the NCHSAA. Last year’s South Stokes team finished 1-10 after being 0-11 the year before that. “We are entering unchartered territory for our program,” Frasher said. “We are going to have fun with it, too. This is how we are going to approach it.” NOVEMBER 7, 2011

1AA State Playoffs Game Coverage

2011 Football Championship - 1AA

WEST WILKES 54, CHERRYVILLE 20

1st Round

Turning takeaways into points MILLERS CREEK — Head for the mountains is more than a vacation itinerary for West Wilkes. It’s a football destination. West won its state football playoff opener for the second straight year by beating Cherryville 54-20 on Friday night. The Blackhawks, seeded No. 3, will play at No. 2 Swain County next week. Swain beat Avery 63-35. Fullback Hayden Sutphin led West Wilkes (8-3) with 149 yards and scored two touchdowns. Halfback Tyler Woods added 124 yards and scored three times. But it was the defense that made the difference. West forced four fumbles and an interception and converted them all into points. The Ironmen coughed up the ball on their first two possessions and West needed only three plays to take a 13-0 lead. “Our kids are buying into what we’re doing on offense, defense and special teams,” said West Wilkes coach Scott Hallock, “and I personally believe it’s showing right now.” Josh Greer recovered Spencer Stamey’s fumble on the second play of the game, and Sutphin scored two plays later. Two plays after that, Eithen Sheets recovered a Darius Harris fumble and Woods needed only one play, a 21-yard run, for a two-score advantage. Woods added a 58-yard run and quarterback Seth Absher an 8-yard run for a 27-0 lead after one quarter. After Cherryville botched a punt snap, Absher threw an 18-yard

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Ayden Grifton| Date Location Agent Notes

2-8 #8

Gates|

4-6 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

Riverside (Martin)|

6-5 #3

3-7 #6

SW Onslow|

8-2 #2

2-8 #7

Wallace-RH|

10-1 #1

3-7 #8

Goldsboro|

6-4 #4

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Goldsboro HS N/A N/A

6-5 #5

J Kenan|

6-4 #3

11/4/2011 7:30 PM James Kenan HS N/A N/A

4-6 #6

Red Springs|

8-2 #2

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Red Springs HS N/A N/A

4-7 #7

Monroe|

8-3 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Monroe HS N/A N/A

2-8 #8

S Stokes|

5-5 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM South Stokes HS N/A N/A

5-5 #5

W Montgomery|

8-2 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM West Montgomery HS N/A N/A

4-7 #6

Mt Airy|

8-3 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Mt. Airy HS N/A N/A

5-6 #7

Mitchell|

10-1 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Mitchell HS N/A N/A

3-7 #8

Bessemer City|

6-4 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Bessemer City HS N/A N/A

9-2 #5

W Wilkes|

7-3 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM West Wilkes HS N/A N/A

5-6 #6

Swain|

10-1 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

Avery|

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Swain County HS N/A N/A

7-4 #3

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Red Springs HS N/A N/A

Red Springs|

State Championship

9-2 #2

Monroe|

12/3/2011 11:00 AM BB&T Field, Wake Forest University N/A N/A

9-3 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Monroe HS N/A N/A

S Stokes|

6-5 #4

W Montgomery|

9-2 #3

11/11/2011 7:30 PM West Montgomery HS N/A N/A

Central Acad|

6-6 #7

Mitchell|

11-1 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Mitchell HS N/A N/A

Hendersonville|

10-2 #5 Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

54-20

Cherryville|

J Kenan|

Date Location Agent Notes

7-55

Hendersonville|

7-4 #4

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

33-8

E Wilkes|

Goldsboro|

Date Location Agent Notes

23-27

Central Acad|

11-1 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Wallace-Rose Hill HS N/A N/A

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

45-6

N Rowan|

Wallace-RH|

Date Date Location Location Agent Agent Notes Notes

35-26

Lake Norman Charter|

9-2 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

50-6

E Surry|

7-5 #3

11/11/2011 7:30 PM SW Onslow HS N/A N/A

SW Onslow|

Date Location Agent Notes

14-13

Midway|

Regional Round

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

40-18

E Columbus|

5-6 #4

Riverside (Martin)|

Date Location Agent Notes

20-13

E Montgomery|

Sectional Round

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

25-0

Pender|

Date Location Agent Notes

WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Wallace-Rose Hill HS N/A N/A

Gates|

Date Location Agent Notes

42-0

Heide Trask|

Date Location Agent Notes

a tipped pass and returned it to the Cherryville 1, and Woods scored on a 3-yard run for the final margin. Stamey led Cherryville with 85 yards on 120 carries. Harris had 113 yards of total offense. “It’s a good group,” said Hallock. “Lord willing, we can put a good game plan together next week and see if we can’t get another one at Swain. They’re a very good football team. They’re always tough, and it’s even tougher to play at their place. “We’re expecting it to be a dogfight, but we’ll see what happens.”

11/4/2011 7:30 PM SW Onslow N/A N/A

10-1 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Ayden-Grifton HS N/A N/A

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

53-13

Camden|

Date Location Agent Notes

touchdown pass to Garrett Hamby, and Will Shepherd had a 9-yard run for a 41-0 halftime lead. The Ironmen (5-7) came alive in the second half. Harris threw only one pass in the first half, but completed a 49-yarder to John McSwain to put Cherryville on the board at 41-7 in the third quarter. Backup fullback Clay Fuller scored two touchdowns on runs of 3 and 33 yards. Sutphin carried three times for 72 yards on a fourth-quarter drive, scoring his second touchdown on a 1-yard run. Chase Vogt intercepted

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Riverside (Martin) HS N/A N/A

Ayden Grifton| Date Location Agent Notes

35-10 3-7 #5

Date Location Agent Notes

Courtesy photo

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Gates County HS N/A N/A

Dixon|

Date Location Agent Notes

District Round 48-7

E Carteret|

Date Location Agent Notes

Chase Vogt (3) and Hayden Sutphin (22) team up to tackle Cherryville quarterback Darius Harris in Friday’s game. West Wilkes will go to Swain County for round two action this week.

9-1 #1

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Ayden-Grifton HS N/A N/A

*Higher Seed Hosts Throughout* In the case of two equal seeds meeting in the Regional Final, the team with the higher overall seed (1-16) will host.

W Wilkes| Date Location Agent Notes

63-35

Swain|

NCHSAA Corporate Sponsorships

8-3 #3

Are you comm the promotion o and educate o statewide expo and/or product questions, a North Carolina is your ticket to

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Swain HS N/A N/A

11-1 #2

6-5 #7

WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

Sponsorship levels: • Presenting • Platinum • Gold • Silver • Bronze • Donor • Affiliate

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

1AA State Playoffs Game Coverage

CENTRAL ACADEMY 27, MOUNT AIRY 23

Upstart Cougars shock Bears By Eric Lusk Editor

MOUNT AIRY – Central Academy’s football program has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 2007 when the varsity Cougars failed to score in a single game and suffered lopsided defeats by margins like 96-0, 82-0 and 64-0. On Friday night, the technology and arts school from Monroe earned the most monumental victory in its short gridiron history. John Quintero completed a 21yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Blackburn with 18.2 seconds remaining, and CATA knocked off Mount Airy 27-23 in the first round of the 1AA playoffs. The Granite Bears had just taken the lead a minute earlier on a dramatic fourthdown touchdown pass from Austin Taylor to Darius Gwyn. But a couple of miscues in the Granite Bears’ secondary allowed Central Academy to travel 68 yards in six plays to swipe the victory away – only the eighth win for CATA since the program debuted half a decade ago. Mount Airy, which has won 26 conference titles and seven state championships, was going for its 600th win all-time. Obviously, the Granite Bears were in shock after the final whistle, their season now over at 8-4. Central Academy (6-5) advances to play West Montgomery in next week’s second round. The Cougars improved to 5-1 in road games. “Defensively, we didn’t play very well at the end, the last two or three drives,” Mount Airy coach Kelly Holder said. “We just didn’t make the plays to win. No excuses. We just didn’t get it done.” The game had the makings of a defensive struggle for awhile, with Mount Airy holding a 9-0 lead at halftime on the strength of a Dylan Wright field goal and a short touchdown run by Ty Simmons. Simmons found the end zone two other times during the opening half, but a TD run of 16 yards and a TD reception of 42 yards both were called back because of penalties on the Bears. Likewise, a long TD run by Central Academy’s Quintero

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Photo by Eric Lusk

CATA’s Chris Hailey lunges over the goal line for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. was wiped off the board in the first half because of a flag for holding. Mount Airy appeared ready to tack on another score in the third period, moving the ball seemingly at will against a tiring CATA defense. But a drive stalled around the 25 yard line due to a fumble. The Cougars responded by getting on the board for the first time with 29.9 seconds left in the third period, with Quintero completing a 52-yard pass to a streaking Nick Crowell, who sailed into the end zone untouched. The Bears answered quickly, going 64 yards in four plays to surge ahead 16-7. Simmons had a big run of 45 yards during the series, then Kashous Martin went over from the 6 for the score. It took Central Academy just a few plays to get into the end zone again. An eight-yard run by Chris Hailey made it

16-13 Bears. The extra point was missed due to a bad snap. Mount went three-and-out, and Central Academy got possession at its own 23 with just over five minutes remaining. The Bears held firm on the first two plays for zero net yards, but then LaDarius Linen got behind the Mount Airy defense on a third-down pass. Quintero hit Linen in stride, and the play went for 69 yards before David Licea made a touchdown saving tackle at the Bears’ 8. On the next play, Hailey took a handoff over the right side for a touchdown, giving Central Academy its first lead of the game with 4:24 remaining. The next Mount Airy possession had the makings of one of those storybook drives that fans, players and coaches would talk about for years to come. WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

Twice, the Bears faced fourth down and long. Twice they converted. The first conversion saw Austin Taylor roll out to his left and loft a pass to Tanner Joyce for a 37-yard gain. Joyce had to leap between multiple defenders just to make the grab. The second fourth-down play came from the CATA 31. Again, Taylor dropped back and threw to the left side of the field. This time, his jump ball throw came down in the arms of Gwyn along the left corner of the end zone. It didn’t take long for folks along the sidelines to buzz about how similar that play was to Justin Collier’s amazing catch in the 2009 regional final against Robbinsville which helped Mount Airy get back to the state championship game. “To be honest, I really thought that play was going to be wide open. It turned out not to be,” Holder said. “Darius just made a great catch on it. It looked promising there after that, but we just didn’t get it done.” A lot of that had to do with Quintero and his persistent wide receiver corps. Central Academy converted a fourthdown play of its own during the winning TD march. On fourth and 10, Quintero completed a 44-yard pass to Linen to set the Cougars up at the Mount Airy 24 with 45.7 seconds on the clock. Quintero ran to the 21 on the next play before getting dragged down. Then on second down, the senior quarterback found himself on the run, with Choppy Cawley chasing him out of the pocket. But Quintero spotted a wide open Blackburn in the left end zone and hit him with a perfect strike, stunning the Mount Airy crowd with 18.2 ticks left. The Granite Bears returned the kickoff to the 36, then threw two incompletions as time ran out. Simmons finished unofficially with 138 rushing yards on 18 carries. He also had a fumble recovery. Taylor rushed for 76 yards on 12 attempts,while Martin added 46 yards on 13 totes. Joyce caught three passes from Taylor for 63 yards. Hailey was Central Academy’s leading rusher, finishing with 119 yards on 23 carries. Quintero rushed for 74 yards. Linen had 133 yards in receptions. WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

Photo by Eric Lusk

Ty Simmons did his best to will the Granite Bears to victory. The senior rushed for 138 yards on 18 carries and played strong on the defensive side as well. NOVEMBER 7, 2011

2011 Football Championship - 1A 1st Round Manteo| Date Location Agent Notes

9-1 #1

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Manteo HS N/A N/A

2-7 #8

Southside|

5-5 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Southside HS N/A N/A

4-7 #5

Plymouth|

9-1 #3

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Plymouth HS N/A N/A

3-3 #6

Creswell|

8-1 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

2-6 #7

N Edgecombe|

6-3 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM North Edgecombe HS N/A N/A

3-6 #8

Lejeune|

6-5 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Lejeune HS N/A N/A

6-4 #5

Jones|

6-4 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Jones HS N/A N/A

4-5 #6

SE Halifax|

7-4 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM SE Halifax HS N/A N/A

5-5 #7

Albemarle|

10-1 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Albemarle HS N/A N/A

2-9 #8

Union|

3-8 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Union HS N/A N/A

3-7 #5

Lakewood|

6-4 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Lakewood HS N/A N/A

4-7 #6

S Stanly|

8-3 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM South Stanly HS N/A N/A

3-8 #7

Murphy|

7-4 #1

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Murphy HS N/A N/A

2-9 #8

Union Academy|

5-5 #4

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Union Academy HS N/A N/A

5-5 #5

Andrews|

6-4 #3

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Andrews HS N/A N/A

5-6 #6

Rosman|

5-6 #2

Date Location Agent Notes

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Rosman HS N/A N/A

Hayesville|

11/11/2011 7:30 PM SE Halifax HS N/A N/A

State Championship

8-4 #2

Albemarle|

12/2/2011 7:30 PM Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State University N/A N/A

11-1 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Albemarle HS N/A N/A

Princeton|

4-7 #5

Lakewood|

7-4 #3

11/11/2011 7:30 PM South Stanly HS N/A N/A

S Stanly|

9-3 #2

Murphy|

8-4 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Murphy HS N/A N/A

Union Academy|

6-5 #4 Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

28-27

N Stokes|

7-4 #3

SE Halifax|

Date Location Agent Notes

19-7

Robbinsville|

7-5 #4

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

54-20

Alleghany|

Jones|

Date Location Agent Notes

35-0

S Davidson|

7-3 #1

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

33-15

Hobbton|

10-1 #3

11/11/2011 7:30 PM North Edgecombe HS N/A N/A

Lejeune|

Date Date Location Location Agent Agent Notes Notes

16-21

Princeton|

Regional Round

Date Location Agent Notes

56-8

W Columbus|

N Edgecombe|

Date Location Agent Notes

35-20

Rosewood|

6-5 #4

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

28-0

NH-West|

Plymouth|

Date Location Agent Notes

43-42

N Duplin|

Southside|

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

52-6

NH-East|

Sectional Round

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

11/4/2011 7:30 PM Creswell HS N/A N/A

Cape Hatteras|

10-1 #1

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Manteo HS N/A N/A

Date Location N/A Agent N/A Notes N/A

56-0

Columbia|

Manteo| Date Location Agent Notes

34-0

South Creek| Date Location Agent Notes

District Round 61-0

Mattamuskeet|

*Higher Seed Hosts Throughout* In the case of two equal seeds meeting in the Regional Final, the team with the higher overall seed (1-16) will host.

Andrews| Date Location Agent Notes

7-6

NCHSAA Corporate Sponsorships

7-4 #3

11/11/2011 7:30 PM Rosman HS N/A N/A

Rosman|

6-6 #2

4-6 #7

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Sponsorship levels: • Presenting • Platinum • Gold • Silver • Bronze • Donor • Affiliate

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OCTOBER 24, 2011

Conference Reports Northwest 1A/2A

Full Schedules & Results Bishop McGuinness

North Stokes Vikings

Surry Central Golden Eagles

2-8 Overall * 0-7 in Northwest

5-7 Overall * 2-5 in Northwest

7-4 Overall * 5-2 in Northwest

Aug. 20 Aug. 26 Sept. 6 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28

Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

at High Point Christian W (40-12) Open at Highland Tech W (31-6) South Davidson L (16-19) at North Surry* L (13-39) South Stokes* L (6-28) at East Surry* L (6-34) Surry Central* L (26-47) at Mount Airy* L (7-35) at West Stokes* L (0-48) North Stokes* L (6-14)

East Surry Cardinals

Alleghany W (44-22) Patrick County (Va.) W (24-0) at North Iredell W (32-0) at Rosewood L (43-46) South Stokes* L (7-13, OT) North Surry* L (28-63) at Mount Airy* L (13-33) at West Stokes* L (6-45) East Surry* W (34-21) Surry Central* L (45-76) at Bishop McGuinness* W (14-6) at Andrews# L (27-28)

North Surry Greyhounds

at Wilkes Central L (7-48) East Wilkes W (51-0) South Davidson W (33-6) Open at East Surry* W (27-23) Mount Airy* L (33-38) at West Stokes* L (14-34) at Bishop McGuinness* W (47-26) North Surry* W (42-26) at North Stokes* W (76-45) South Stokes* W (36-15) at Thomasville# L (26-56)

West Stokes Wildcats

2-9 Overall * 2-5 in Northwest

7-4 Overall * 4-3 in Northwest

12-0 Overall * 7-0 in Northwest

Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 5 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

at West Iredell L (0-33) at Starmount L (17-30) West Montgomery cancelled Newton-Conover L (9-30) Surry Central* L (23-27) at West Stokes* L (7-17) Bishop McGuinness* W (34-6) South Stokes* W (21-13) at North Stokes* L (21-34) at North Surry* L (26-28) Mount Airy* L (7-31) at Monroe# L (6-50)

Mount Airy Granite Bears

at Forbush at Elkin Ashe County Open Bishop McGuinness* at North Stokes* at South Stokes* Mount Airy* at Surry Central* East Surry* West Stokes* Cuthbertson#

W (33-9) W (61-10) W (33-24) W (39-13) W (63-28) W (45-21) L (33-53) L (26-42) W (28-26) L (7-51) L (33-48)

South Stokes Sauras

8-4 Overall * 5-2 in Northwest

6-5 Overall * 3-4 in Northwest

Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

Starmount Thomasville at Carroll County (Va.) at Central Davidson West Stokes* at Surry Central* North Stokes* at North Surry* Bishop McGuinness* at South Stokes* at East Surry* Central Academy#

L (19-20) W (23-7) W (21-6) W (27-20) L (6-17) W (38-33) W (33-13) W (53-33) W (35-7) L (17-28) W (31-7) L (23-27)

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

at Albemarle Forbush Central Davidson at McMichael at Mount Airy* East Surry* Surry Central* North Stokes* at South Stokes* Bishop McGuinness* at North Surry* Piedmont#

W (9-7) W (38-0) W (27-20) W (28-20) W (17-6) W (17-7) W (34-14) W (45-6) W (34-14) W (48-0) W (51-7) W (41-7)

* denotes Northwest 1A/2A Conference game # denotes playoff game

West Wilkes L (12-14) North Wilkes W (42-13) Open at Alleghany W (34-12) at North Stokes* W (13-7, OT) at Bishop McGuinness* W (28-6) North Surry* L (21-45) at East Surry* L (13-21) West Stokes* L (14-34) Mount Airy* W (28-17) at Surry Central* L (15-36) Lake Norman Charter# W (35-26)

WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

Conference Reports Mountain Valley 1A/2A

Take Care Of Your Athletes At D-Rex

Full Schedules & Results Alleghany Trojans

Elkin Buckin’ Elks

2-10 Overall * 2-6 in MVAC Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

at North Stokes Grayson County North Wilkes* South Stokes at Wilkes Central* Forbush* at East Wilkes* Ashe County* at Elkin* Starmount* at West Wilkes* at Murphy#

1-9 Overall * 1-7 in MVAC L (22-44) L (12-55) W (28-16) L (12-34) L (8-53) L (18-47) L (0-51) L (12-35) W (35-32) L (18-57) L (21-50) L (20-54)

Ashe County Huskies 6-6 Overall * 5-3 in MVAC Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

West Caldwell Watauga at North Surry (E) at Elkin* Starmount* at West Wilkes* North Wilkes at Alleghany* Wilkes Central* at Forbush* East Wilkes* at Bandys#

W (41-6) L (14-32) L (24-33) W (28-6) L (14-51) L (0-31) W (34-7) W (35-12) L (14-29) W (16-11) W (35-6) L (14-40)

East Wilkes Cardinals 3-8 Overall * 3-5 in MVAC Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

West Davidson at Surry Central Elkin* at Starmount* West Wilkes* at North Wilkes* Alleghany* at Wilkes Central* Forbush* Open at Ashe County* at Mitchell#

L (14-26) L (0-51) W (27-7) L (0-28) L (0-17) W (14-13) W (51-0) L (0-35) L (6-26) L (6-35) L 8-33)

Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28

East Montgomery North Surry at East Wilkes* Ashe County* Open at Starmount* West Wilkes* at North Wilkes* Alleghany* at Wilkes Central* Forbush*

Starmount Rams 11-0 Overall * 8-0 in MVAC

L (13-25) L (10-61) L (7-27) L (6-28) L (6-55) L (0-35) W (21-14) L (32-35) L (19-43) L (3-6)

Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

Forbush Falcons North Surry at West Stokes Starmount* at West Wilkes* North Wilkes* at Alleghany* Wilkes Central* Open at East Wilkes* Ashe County* at Elkin* at Forest Hills#

L (9-33) L (0-38) L (5-44) L (13-14) W (36-13) W (47-18) L (0-35) W (26-6) L (11-16) W (6-3) L (0-51)

1-10 Overall * 0-8 in MVAC Thomas Jefferson at South Stokes at Alleghany* Wilkes Central* at Forbush* East Wilkes* at Ashe County* Elkin* Starmount* at West Wilkes* at McDowell

W (33-17) W (55-18) W (57-18) W (24-17) W (21-13)

8-3 Overall * 6-2 in MVAC Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

North Wilkes Vikings Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28

W (20-19) W (30-17) W (44-5) W (28-0) W (51-14) W (55-6)

West Wilkes Blackhawks

4-7 Overall * 4-4 in MVAC Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

at Mount Airy East Surry at Forbush* East Wilkes* at Ashe County* Elkin* Open West Wilkes* at North Wilkes* at Alleghany* Wilkes Central* East Lincoln#

W (55-35) L (13-42) L (16-28) L (0-48) L (13-36) L (13-14) L (7-34) L (14-21) L (18-55) L (22-48) L (7-28)

at South Stokes Avery County at Wilkes Central* Forbush* at East Wilkes* Ashe County* at Elkin* at Starmount* Open North Wilkes* Alleghany* Cherryville#

W (14-12) L (34-35) L (0-34) W (14-13) W (17-0) W (31-0) W (35-0) L (17-33) W (48-22) W (50-21) W (54-20)

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Wilkes Central Eagles 10-1 Overall * 7-1 in MVAC Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4

Surry Central at West Iredell West Wilkes* at North Wilkes* Alleghany* Open at Forbush* East Wilkes* at Ashe County* Elkin* at Starmount* Lexington#

W (48-7) W (55-47) W (34-0) W (48-0) W (53-8) W (35-0) W (35-0) W (29-14) W (43-19) L (17-24) W (35-34)

* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game # denotes state playoff game

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MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

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Back Page Worth 1,000 Words

West Stokes quarterback Austin Fleming leaps over tacklers against Piedmont. The Wildcats are still flying high at 12-0 entering this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game against Cuthbertson. Photo by Jimmy Kuhn / www.JimmyKuhn.com