"2010 Wonder Football Scrapbook"
2010 South Piedmont Conference Champions
2010 Athletic Program
Positions
Kannapolis-29 Statesville-25
STATESVILLE — Much maligned in the first half, Kannapolis’ passing game connected on two game-changing plays after intermission.That was just enough for the Wonders, who outlasted Statesville 29-25 in the season opener on a muggy Friday night at Greyhound Hollow.Martel Campbell hit Keeon Johnson for a 28-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter, and that was the dagger.Johnson ran a beautiful route and forced the Statesville defender to slip.It’s a good thing, because Johnson was all alone. He could afford to stop and wait on the underthrown ball to arrive before running unimpeded into the end zone.That touchdown pass came after a 1-for-5 passing performance in the first half, that included two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.Johnson’s score made it 29-25, and the Wonders’ defense made sure it held up.
“Honestly, we feel like we played a heckuva football game,” Statesville coach Randall Gusler said. “Kannapolis was supposed to come in here and roll over us, and they were in a daggone dog fight. We’re proud of our young men.”
Young is the key word. With sophomores all over the field, it took the Greyhounds a while to get going. Once the offense get in gear, it was easy to see why Statesville coaches switched to a spread offense.Tristan Mumford ran well between the tackles, quarterback Carlis Parker was his usual elusive self and Josh Gaither hauled in five passes for 51 yards. Four of Gaither’s catches, and 50 of those yards, came on one drive midway through the second quarter.It was the first signs of life from the Greyhound offense, and it didn’t slow down. Mumford scampered in from 4 yards out to make it 15-15 near halftime.The lead swelled to 25-15 Statesville after Zach Gettys hit a 38-yard field goal and Parker scrambled in from 2 yards out.Then came the game-changer.Campbell, Kannapolis’ quarterback, extended the next drive with a tough 10-yard completion to Teven Jones, who ran a perfect comeback route on fourth and 9. Xavier Stanback made it 25-22 Statesville with his 5-yard run a few plays later, which ultimately set the stage for Johnson’s game-winning touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
“We just came together,” Stanback said. “We had to come together as a team in the second half and play hard throughout the game.”
Parker rushed for 67 yards and passed for 51 for the Greyhounds while Mumford added 47 rushing yards. Shyheim Millsaps returned an interception 50 yards for a score in the first quarter.
“We’re going to get better from here,” Gusler said. “We made a few mistakes, but they are correctable mistakes. We’re excited about the rest of
the season.”
UNC recruit Travis Riley ran for 106 yards on 22 tough carries. Stanback added 78 yards on the ground while Campbell contributed 71 rushing yards.
“Honestly, we feel like we played a heckuva football game,” Statesville coach Randall Gusler said. “Kannapolis was supposed to come in here and roll over us, and they were in a daggone dog fight. We’re proud of our young men.”
Young is the key word. With sophomores all over the field, it took the Greyhounds a while to get going. Once the offense get in gear, it was easy to see why Statesville coaches switched to a spread offense.Tristan Mumford ran well between the tackles, quarterback Carlis Parker was his usual elusive self and Josh Gaither hauled in five passes for 51 yards. Four of Gaither’s catches, and 50 of those yards, came on one drive midway through the second quarter.It was the first signs of life from the Greyhound offense, and it didn’t slow down. Mumford scampered in from 4 yards out to make it 15-15 near halftime.The lead swelled to 25-15 Statesville after Zach Gettys hit a 38-yard field goal and Parker scrambled in from 2 yards out.Then came the game-changer.Campbell, Kannapolis’ quarterback, extended the next drive with a tough 10-yard completion to Teven Jones, who ran a perfect comeback route on fourth and 9. Xavier Stanback made it 25-22 Statesville with his 5-yard run a few plays later, which ultimately set the stage for Johnson’s game-winning touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
“We just came together,” Stanback said. “We had to come together as a team in the second half and play hard throughout the game.”
Parker rushed for 67 yards and passed for 51 for the Greyhounds while Mumford added 47 rushing yards. Shyheim Millsaps returned an interception 50 yards for a score in the first quarter.
“We’re going to get better from here,” Gusler said. “We made a few mistakes, but they are correctable mistakes. We’re excited about the rest of
the season.”
UNC recruit Travis Riley ran for 106 yards on 22 tough carries. Stanback added 78 yards on the ground while Campbell contributed 71 rushing yards.
"Sights from the Statesville Game"
Kannapolis-45 South Rowan-7
KANNAPOLIS — Based on what happened with each team in its opening game, it appeared South Rowan had more of a chance to notch back-to-back wins over rival A.L. Brown than one would’ve originally thought.However, the Wonders were much better this week — even without Travis Riley — and the Raiders regressed, especially on offense. The result was a dominating 45-7 win for Brown in its home opener at Memorial Stadium Friday night.For one night at least, Brown had no trouble scoring points without Riley, who was sidelined with a leg injury. The Wonders (2-0) exploded for three touchdowns in a span of just
over three minutes during the second quarter to build a 24-0 lead, and never looked back.
“We did not play well last week (in a comeback win over Statesville),” Brown head coach Ron Massey said. “But I thought they came together and accepted the challenge we gave them this week in practice.”
South head coach Jason Rollins may give that same kind of challenge to his Raiders (0-2) next week.After scoring 30 points in the opener against Salisbury, South was shut out by Brown until Mark McDaniel's 25-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. The Raiders were manhandled at the line of scrimmage on both sides for most of the game.
“We didn't show up to play, and you can take it for what it’s worth,” Rollins said. “I think the kids were jacked up and wanted to show that they could come out here
and compete.
“I’m not disappointed in our kids. I think they fought hard. But the game’s played between the tackles, and if you lose between the tackles, there’s not an answer there.”
With Brown dominating that area of the field, Wonder running backs and receivers found plenty of open space to make big plays. The Raiders found none in a first half in which they gained they gained just 55 total yards, and almost half of that came on their final possession.
“You saw it the second half last week against Salisbury that when we get low and do our job, things happen,” Rollins said. “When we decide we want to do something else and want to be a different group, then it doesn’t. That’s the difference in this ballgame.”
Brown took almost eight minutes off the clock with its first drive, which was capped by Brenden Brown’s 18-yard field goal.They struck much quicker for all the rest of their scores. Quarterback Martel Campbell completed three passes on a seven-play drive, capped by a 14-yard touchdown catch by wideout Teven Jones on
a fade route that made it 10-0 with 7:02 left in the second quarter.South went three-and-out, Brown junior Damien Washington broke a 22-yard punt return and Wonders scored on their next offensive play. Junior running back Demetrius Jackson kept his legs churning at the line and broke into the clear for a 52-yard touchdown run.Jackson got more touches with Riley out and finished with 104 yards on eight carries.
"(Without Riley) we’ve got to rely on some big plays,” Massey said. “We’ve got some kids that are capable of it.” ‘
The Raiders again couldn't get a first down and Jones broke loose down the near sideline on the punt return, taking it back 54 yards for the score that made it 24-0 with 3:51 left in the half.
“It was a shocker,” Rollins said of the three-touchdown onslaught. “You can’t explain it. You’ve just got to find a way to keep kids plugging away and keep doing what you do.”
South did pick up two first downs in its next series — it had three in the half — to move into Kannapolis territory for the first time in the game. It came with less than two minutes left in the half.
“I thought our defensive line did a great job of constricting holes for them to run the veer with and we stayed in position most of the night and took care of everything,”
Massey said about shutting down South’s offense.
The Raiders moved the ball much better in the second half, but got nothing to show for it except McDaniel’s scoring run. They opened the third quarter by marching to the Brown 20 but stalled on downs.The Wonders then scored on back-to-back offensive plays for the second time. Washington made a nice catch over the middle and held on after being hit at the goal line for a 23-yard touchdown reception.After South quarterback Nathan Lambert lost a fumble on the snap and the Wonder recovered, Xavier Stanback ran through an empty left side of the South defense for a 21-yard scoring run, pushing the lead to 38-0 late in the third.Kannapolis rushed for 262 yards as a team, while Campbell was more efficient and mistake-free. He completed 6 of 10 passes for 96 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
“I thought Martel stepped up a little bit tonight and did a good job running the offense, and our backs stepped up,” Massey said. “I thought all our backs ran extremely well and we made some good catches.
“When they started to put a lot of people in the box what we didn’t do last week was throw the ball well and we did tonight.”
South totaled 125 of its 163 rushing yards in the second half. Fullback Ricky Sherrill gained 70 of his team-high 76 in the last two quarters.
“We still believe that we can play with anybody," Rollins said. “I’ve told everybody that we’re not going to use being young as an excuse. We're not going to be that group that says we're rebuilding.”
over three minutes during the second quarter to build a 24-0 lead, and never looked back.
“We did not play well last week (in a comeback win over Statesville),” Brown head coach Ron Massey said. “But I thought they came together and accepted the challenge we gave them this week in practice.”
South head coach Jason Rollins may give that same kind of challenge to his Raiders (0-2) next week.After scoring 30 points in the opener against Salisbury, South was shut out by Brown until Mark McDaniel's 25-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. The Raiders were manhandled at the line of scrimmage on both sides for most of the game.
“We didn't show up to play, and you can take it for what it’s worth,” Rollins said. “I think the kids were jacked up and wanted to show that they could come out here
and compete.
“I’m not disappointed in our kids. I think they fought hard. But the game’s played between the tackles, and if you lose between the tackles, there’s not an answer there.”
With Brown dominating that area of the field, Wonder running backs and receivers found plenty of open space to make big plays. The Raiders found none in a first half in which they gained they gained just 55 total yards, and almost half of that came on their final possession.
“You saw it the second half last week against Salisbury that when we get low and do our job, things happen,” Rollins said. “When we decide we want to do something else and want to be a different group, then it doesn’t. That’s the difference in this ballgame.”
Brown took almost eight minutes off the clock with its first drive, which was capped by Brenden Brown’s 18-yard field goal.They struck much quicker for all the rest of their scores. Quarterback Martel Campbell completed three passes on a seven-play drive, capped by a 14-yard touchdown catch by wideout Teven Jones on
a fade route that made it 10-0 with 7:02 left in the second quarter.South went three-and-out, Brown junior Damien Washington broke a 22-yard punt return and Wonders scored on their next offensive play. Junior running back Demetrius Jackson kept his legs churning at the line and broke into the clear for a 52-yard touchdown run.Jackson got more touches with Riley out and finished with 104 yards on eight carries.
"(Without Riley) we’ve got to rely on some big plays,” Massey said. “We’ve got some kids that are capable of it.” ‘
The Raiders again couldn't get a first down and Jones broke loose down the near sideline on the punt return, taking it back 54 yards for the score that made it 24-0 with 3:51 left in the half.
“It was a shocker,” Rollins said of the three-touchdown onslaught. “You can’t explain it. You’ve just got to find a way to keep kids plugging away and keep doing what you do.”
South did pick up two first downs in its next series — it had three in the half — to move into Kannapolis territory for the first time in the game. It came with less than two minutes left in the half.
“I thought our defensive line did a great job of constricting holes for them to run the veer with and we stayed in position most of the night and took care of everything,”
Massey said about shutting down South’s offense.
The Raiders moved the ball much better in the second half, but got nothing to show for it except McDaniel’s scoring run. They opened the third quarter by marching to the Brown 20 but stalled on downs.The Wonders then scored on back-to-back offensive plays for the second time. Washington made a nice catch over the middle and held on after being hit at the goal line for a 23-yard touchdown reception.After South quarterback Nathan Lambert lost a fumble on the snap and the Wonder recovered, Xavier Stanback ran through an empty left side of the South defense for a 21-yard scoring run, pushing the lead to 38-0 late in the third.Kannapolis rushed for 262 yards as a team, while Campbell was more efficient and mistake-free. He completed 6 of 10 passes for 96 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
“I thought Martel stepped up a little bit tonight and did a good job running the offense, and our backs stepped up,” Massey said. “I thought all our backs ran extremely well and we made some good catches.
“When they started to put a lot of people in the box what we didn’t do last week was throw the ball well and we did tonight.”
South totaled 125 of its 163 rushing yards in the second half. Fullback Ricky Sherrill gained 70 of his team-high 76 in the last two quarters.
“We still believe that we can play with anybody," Rollins said. “I’ve told everybody that we’re not going to use being young as an excuse. We're not going to be that group that says we're rebuilding.”
"Sights from the South Rowan Game"
Kannapolis-7 Thomasville-20
KANNAPOLIS — Thomasville’s Kesean Green accepted the opening kickoff at his 9-yard line, and green-shirted A.L. Brown players started tumbling to the Memorial Stadium grass.Green followed a sprinting convoy of blockers all the way to the end zone, and Thomasville jumped on A.L. Brown just 15 seconds into Friday’s highly anticipated non-conference contest.Thomasville won 20-7 with wicked defense and a world-class kicking game.
“That opening kickoff, our kids executed beautifully,” Thomasville assistant coach Dickie Cline said. “Every blocker got the man that was marked, and Kesean shot it. Momentum-wise, it was huge, and we were able to sustain it.”
A.L. Brown’s defense couldn’t have played much better, but it wasn’t enough. Quin Riley, Thomasville’s outstanding back, needed 31 carries to hammer out 90 yards.
“I’ll give him his props, he’s a great back and he ran very hard, but for the most part we stopped him,” Brown defensive lineman Mark Goodjohn said.
But Brown’s offense sputtered with five turnovers and never did find any rhythm on a miserably inefficient night.
“We didn’t play well at all offensively, but Thomasville had a lot to do with it,” A.L. Brown coach Ron Massey said. “Defensively, I don’t think we’ll see a better front seven, and they’ve got a great free safety back there. They have a ton of team speed.”
A.L. Brown star running back Travis Riley, out with leg and knee injuries, may have made a difference with his 200 pounds of muscle, but the only contribution he could make on his crutches was the inspirational value that came from his appearance at midfield for the pregame coin toss.Brown QB Martel Campbell tossed four interceptions (Davonte Gordon-Hunter picked him off three times), but in fairness to Campbell, he was always throwing while being buried by onrushing Bulldogs or fleeing for his life.
“Without Travis we’re limited offensively, “ Massey admitted. “That means our quarterback has got to make some plays for us.”
A major part of Brown’s offensive struggle was field position. Thomasville kicker Lawson Hodges not only boomed two field goals and two PATs, but his kickoffs always reached the end zone.Brown (2-1) was staring at 80 yards of real estate all night long and working against a tremendous defense. That’s why it managed just one scoring drive.Handed field position by a Brown fumble, Thomasville (3-0) took a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter when southpaw quarterback Sam Nelson scrambled to his left on a third-and-8 play and hit wideout Sharaun Mouzone for a 23-yard touchdown.
“Their quarterback was better than what we’d seen on film,” Massey said. “We didn’t know he could make that play. He did a great job buying time with his legs, and that let his receiver come all the way across the field.”
Without Riley, Brown’s running attack is three scatback-types — Xavier Stanback, Demetrius Jackson and Damien Washington — and the Wonders struggled to pick up positive rushing yardage the entire first half.
“We just weren’t the same offense we were last week against South Rowan,” right tackle Sheldon Saddler said. “Guys were doing the best they could, but our offense is a lot different now without the big back. Travis was just going to run people over. Now we’ve got to work at staying with our blocks longer.”
Hodges kicked his first field goal for a 17-0 halftime lead after Thomasville kept a drive alive by converting a fourth-and-4 at Brown’s 39.Another turnover in the third quarter allowed Hodges to boot another field goal, and Brown needed a super defensive play by Jericho Rivers to stave off a touchdown.Brown drove 80 yards to score late in the third quarter. Washington’s legs got the march going, and Campbell capped it with a plunge from the 1. That made it 20-7, but the Wonders’ last gasp came when Campbell was intercepted on a fourth-and-7 pass from the Thomasville 17 with four minutes left.
“That was a tough-fought game, and I can’t say enough about our defense,” Cline said. “Travis Riley is a great player, for sure, and we wish him all the best. I’m sure they miss him, but they’ve still got a ton of weapons over there. That’s a fine football team, and this is just a great win for us.”
“That opening kickoff, our kids executed beautifully,” Thomasville assistant coach Dickie Cline said. “Every blocker got the man that was marked, and Kesean shot it. Momentum-wise, it was huge, and we were able to sustain it.”
A.L. Brown’s defense couldn’t have played much better, but it wasn’t enough. Quin Riley, Thomasville’s outstanding back, needed 31 carries to hammer out 90 yards.
“I’ll give him his props, he’s a great back and he ran very hard, but for the most part we stopped him,” Brown defensive lineman Mark Goodjohn said.
But Brown’s offense sputtered with five turnovers and never did find any rhythm on a miserably inefficient night.
“We didn’t play well at all offensively, but Thomasville had a lot to do with it,” A.L. Brown coach Ron Massey said. “Defensively, I don’t think we’ll see a better front seven, and they’ve got a great free safety back there. They have a ton of team speed.”
A.L. Brown star running back Travis Riley, out with leg and knee injuries, may have made a difference with his 200 pounds of muscle, but the only contribution he could make on his crutches was the inspirational value that came from his appearance at midfield for the pregame coin toss.Brown QB Martel Campbell tossed four interceptions (Davonte Gordon-Hunter picked him off three times), but in fairness to Campbell, he was always throwing while being buried by onrushing Bulldogs or fleeing for his life.
“Without Travis we’re limited offensively, “ Massey admitted. “That means our quarterback has got to make some plays for us.”
A major part of Brown’s offensive struggle was field position. Thomasville kicker Lawson Hodges not only boomed two field goals and two PATs, but his kickoffs always reached the end zone.Brown (2-1) was staring at 80 yards of real estate all night long and working against a tremendous defense. That’s why it managed just one scoring drive.Handed field position by a Brown fumble, Thomasville (3-0) took a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter when southpaw quarterback Sam Nelson scrambled to his left on a third-and-8 play and hit wideout Sharaun Mouzone for a 23-yard touchdown.
“Their quarterback was better than what we’d seen on film,” Massey said. “We didn’t know he could make that play. He did a great job buying time with his legs, and that let his receiver come all the way across the field.”
Without Riley, Brown’s running attack is three scatback-types — Xavier Stanback, Demetrius Jackson and Damien Washington — and the Wonders struggled to pick up positive rushing yardage the entire first half.
“We just weren’t the same offense we were last week against South Rowan,” right tackle Sheldon Saddler said. “Guys were doing the best they could, but our offense is a lot different now without the big back. Travis was just going to run people over. Now we’ve got to work at staying with our blocks longer.”
Hodges kicked his first field goal for a 17-0 halftime lead after Thomasville kept a drive alive by converting a fourth-and-4 at Brown’s 39.Another turnover in the third quarter allowed Hodges to boot another field goal, and Brown needed a super defensive play by Jericho Rivers to stave off a touchdown.Brown drove 80 yards to score late in the third quarter. Washington’s legs got the march going, and Campbell capped it with a plunge from the 1. That made it 20-7, but the Wonders’ last gasp came when Campbell was intercepted on a fourth-and-7 pass from the Thomasville 17 with four minutes left.
“That was a tough-fought game, and I can’t say enough about our defense,” Cline said. “Travis Riley is a great player, for sure, and we wish him all the best. I’m sure they miss him, but they’ve still got a ton of weapons over there. That’s a fine football team, and this is just a great win for us.”
"Sights from the Thomasville Game"
Kannapolis-35 Kings Mountain-32
KINGS MOUNTAIN — Momentum can change in an instant In Friday night’s 35- 32 A.L. Brown victory against Kings Mountain at John Gamble Stadium, the critical moment arrived late in the second quarter. The host Mountaineers had just taken a 24-7 lead and 1:06 remained in the first half.Rather than try to get into halftime and regroup, the Wonders went to their hurry-up passing game. On a long throw down the left sideline from Wonders’ quarterback Martel Campbell, it appeared the Mountaineers were in position for an interception. Yet the ball bounced off the hands of the defender and right to Brown receiver Dillon Robinson for the catch at the Mounties' 18. One play later Campbell hit Keeon Johnson for a score to get the visitors within 10 points at the break.
“It was a deflected ball and we should have had it,” Kings Mountain head coach Greg Lloyd said recalling the pivotal play. “Instead, they had cut it to 10 and were getting the ball to start the second half.
“We’ve got to learn that when someone else gets the momentum, we’ve got to make plays and make stops.”
A.L. Brown came out the second half with major adjustments on both sides of the ball. After giving up 215 yards through the air in the first half to Kings Mountain quarterback Cameron Harris, the Wonders (3-1) stepped up their pass rush. They also got their running game going and finished with two backs, Campbell and Demetrius Jackson, topping the 100-yard mark.
“We underestimated the receivers, 15 (Tim Hines) and 1 (Cedric Thompson) and they ran right by our corners,” said Brown head coach Ron Massey “We started getting more pressure in the second half.
“On offense, we found something at halftime we felt we could do and Martell responded well for us. I’m real proud of these kids. We didn’t quit when we were down
24-7.”
A.L. Brown scored 28 straight points to lead 35-24 with 5:07 remaining. The Mountaineers (2-2) finally got in gear on an 83-yard march, culminated by Harris’ 14-yard fourth-and-goal dash to the corner for a score with 1:46 left. Harris passed to Robbs out of the backfield for the two-point conversion to make it 35-32.On the ensuing kickoff, the ball bounced loose for a moment but Wonder Andrew Leslie came out of the pile with the football and the Mountaineer offense never got another snap.
“We’ve got the potential to be a good football team,” said Lloyd, whose Mountaineers host South Point next week. “But we're going to have to take care of the ball and
we're going to have to stop people.”
Harris had 287 yards passing on the night for the Mounties, but two crucial fumbles helped derail their hopes. A.L. Brown, which played turnover-free football on the night, will host Robinson High next Friday.Massey liked the way his Wonders responded after falling behind by 17.
“It was a better atmosphere at the half after we scored,” Massey said. “We were down 10 (at halftime) but getting the ball in the second half. I'm real proud of the effort the kids made.”
“It was a deflected ball and we should have had it,” Kings Mountain head coach Greg Lloyd said recalling the pivotal play. “Instead, they had cut it to 10 and were getting the ball to start the second half.
“We’ve got to learn that when someone else gets the momentum, we’ve got to make plays and make stops.”
A.L. Brown came out the second half with major adjustments on both sides of the ball. After giving up 215 yards through the air in the first half to Kings Mountain quarterback Cameron Harris, the Wonders (3-1) stepped up their pass rush. They also got their running game going and finished with two backs, Campbell and Demetrius Jackson, topping the 100-yard mark.
“We underestimated the receivers, 15 (Tim Hines) and 1 (Cedric Thompson) and they ran right by our corners,” said Brown head coach Ron Massey “We started getting more pressure in the second half.
“On offense, we found something at halftime we felt we could do and Martell responded well for us. I’m real proud of these kids. We didn’t quit when we were down
24-7.”
A.L. Brown scored 28 straight points to lead 35-24 with 5:07 remaining. The Mountaineers (2-2) finally got in gear on an 83-yard march, culminated by Harris’ 14-yard fourth-and-goal dash to the corner for a score with 1:46 left. Harris passed to Robbs out of the backfield for the two-point conversion to make it 35-32.On the ensuing kickoff, the ball bounced loose for a moment but Wonder Andrew Leslie came out of the pile with the football and the Mountaineer offense never got another snap.
“We’ve got the potential to be a good football team,” said Lloyd, whose Mountaineers host South Point next week. “But we're going to have to take care of the ball and
we're going to have to stop people.”
Harris had 287 yards passing on the night for the Mounties, but two crucial fumbles helped derail their hopes. A.L. Brown, which played turnover-free football on the night, will host Robinson High next Friday.Massey liked the way his Wonders responded after falling behind by 17.
“It was a better atmosphere at the half after we scored,” Massey said. “We were down 10 (at halftime) but getting the ball in the second half. I'm real proud of the effort the kids made.”
"Sights from the Kings Mountain Game"
Kannapolis-45 J.M. Robinson-14
KANNAPOLIS — Anyone thinking injury-plagued A.L. Brown might be more vulnerable in the SPC may want to think again.Even without their top two running backs heading into the season, the Wonders showed they still have plenty of talent and big-play ability left. Just ask Jay M. Robinson after Brown blitzed the Bulldogs for 35 first-half points en route to a 45-14 rout in each team's league opener Friday night.The Wonders (4-1, 1-0) scored on their first three possessions, got touchdowns from five different players and had five scores that covered more than 25 yards.
“We felt like we had not put it together and fortunately tonight, I thought we did on both sides of the ball,”
Brown head coach Ron Massey said. “We had a lot of big plays from different people. We’ve got that capability. We’ve got some running backs and some receivers and everything on offense.”
Splitting time between quarterback and tailback, Damien Washington rushed for 141 yards, including long touchdowns on consecutive carries, while Martel Campbell was 5 of 5 passing for 153 yards and two touchdowns. The Wonders racked up 14 first downs and 355 total yards in the first half alone.
“The whole team just stepped up,” Washington said. “We put it together and put points on the board.”
Brown’s first scoring drive of eight plays was its longest by far. A diving 29-yard reception by wideout Dillon Robinson and a 20-yard run by Demetrius Jackson, the third different Wonder to start at tailback in five
games, set up a 4-yard touchdown run by R.J. Gill. The fireworks for the Wonders were just beginning, though.
Their next drive started from midfield and took just four plays with Jackson running for 10 and then dragging
a couple of Robinson defenders into the end zone for a 26-yard score to make it 14-0 less than seven minutes into the first. Brown took over at its own 12 on the next series, but needed just two plays. After Jackson ran for 17, wideout Teven Jones got behind the secondary and Campbell hit him almost in stride for a 71-yard score. The last two scores of the half belonged to Washington. Running through an enormous gap at the line, he sprinted untouched for a 76-yarder that made it 28-0 with 7:48 left in the second.
"I was like ‘Wow, that’s a big ol’ hole,’ ” Washington said. “I just ran right through it and thanked my blockers after I got to the end zone.”
Two minutes later — the next time he touched the ball — Washington improvised, taking a sweep left and cutting it back through the middle for an electrifying 45-yard score.
“We’re going to take them any way we can get them,” Massey said of all the big plays. “If we can make a big play, we’re going to make them. But we want to be consistent in what we’re doing. We want to run the option to start with and throw the ball when we need to, and I thought we did all those things tonight.”
The only times Brown didn't score in the first half were when it lost a fumble early in the second quarter and when it took a knee to end the half. The Wonders then opened the third quarter with 4-play, 63-yard drive. Campbell and Keeon Johnson combined for 50 of the yards on two receptions, including a 30-yard score in which Johnson was open by about 30 feet. The throw wasn't great, but Johnson had more than enough time to gather it in before falling backward into the end zone.
“I just got off the ball real quick, turned my around, saw the ball and just caught it,” Johnson said.
“When you see a player down you have to step up as a leader and make big-time plays. I think we’re doing pretty well so far. The past two "
Johnson's score made it 42-0 with 9:08 left in the third and that was the last series for most of Brown's starters. Brenden Brown tacked on a 34-yard field goal late in the third.As impressive as the Wonders' offense was, their defense was quietly the equal, shutting out a Robinson team that came in averaging 35 points a game for the first three quarters. Robinson quarterback Joey Bastine was sacked five times in the first half and the Bulldogs managed only 105 yards — more than half of which came on their final drive, which stalled at the Kannapolis 11.
“We felt like we had not put it together and fortunately tonight, I thought we did on both sides of the ball,”
Brown head coach Ron Massey said. “We had a lot of big plays from different people. We’ve got that capability. We’ve got some running backs and some receivers and everything on offense.”
Splitting time between quarterback and tailback, Damien Washington rushed for 141 yards, including long touchdowns on consecutive carries, while Martel Campbell was 5 of 5 passing for 153 yards and two touchdowns. The Wonders racked up 14 first downs and 355 total yards in the first half alone.
“The whole team just stepped up,” Washington said. “We put it together and put points on the board.”
Brown’s first scoring drive of eight plays was its longest by far. A diving 29-yard reception by wideout Dillon Robinson and a 20-yard run by Demetrius Jackson, the third different Wonder to start at tailback in five
games, set up a 4-yard touchdown run by R.J. Gill. The fireworks for the Wonders were just beginning, though.
Their next drive started from midfield and took just four plays with Jackson running for 10 and then dragging
a couple of Robinson defenders into the end zone for a 26-yard score to make it 14-0 less than seven minutes into the first. Brown took over at its own 12 on the next series, but needed just two plays. After Jackson ran for 17, wideout Teven Jones got behind the secondary and Campbell hit him almost in stride for a 71-yard score. The last two scores of the half belonged to Washington. Running through an enormous gap at the line, he sprinted untouched for a 76-yarder that made it 28-0 with 7:48 left in the second.
"I was like ‘Wow, that’s a big ol’ hole,’ ” Washington said. “I just ran right through it and thanked my blockers after I got to the end zone.”
Two minutes later — the next time he touched the ball — Washington improvised, taking a sweep left and cutting it back through the middle for an electrifying 45-yard score.
“We’re going to take them any way we can get them,” Massey said of all the big plays. “If we can make a big play, we’re going to make them. But we want to be consistent in what we’re doing. We want to run the option to start with and throw the ball when we need to, and I thought we did all those things tonight.”
The only times Brown didn't score in the first half were when it lost a fumble early in the second quarter and when it took a knee to end the half. The Wonders then opened the third quarter with 4-play, 63-yard drive. Campbell and Keeon Johnson combined for 50 of the yards on two receptions, including a 30-yard score in which Johnson was open by about 30 feet. The throw wasn't great, but Johnson had more than enough time to gather it in before falling backward into the end zone.
“I just got off the ball real quick, turned my around, saw the ball and just caught it,” Johnson said.
“When you see a player down you have to step up as a leader and make big-time plays. I think we’re doing pretty well so far. The past two "
Johnson's score made it 42-0 with 9:08 left in the third and that was the last series for most of Brown's starters. Brenden Brown tacked on a 34-yard field goal late in the third.As impressive as the Wonders' offense was, their defense was quietly the equal, shutting out a Robinson team that came in averaging 35 points a game for the first three quarters. Robinson quarterback Joey Bastine was sacked five times in the first half and the Bulldogs managed only 105 yards — more than half of which came on their final drive, which stalled at the Kannapolis 11.
"Sights from the Jay M. Robinson Game"
Kannapolis-56 Central Cabarrus-14
CONCORD — Someone seeing only the final score may never know how ugly things were for A.L. Brown early in Friday night’s SPC game at Central Cabarrus.That’s because the Wonders were so dominant later on.
After a sloppy first quarter that featured six fumbles, Brown regrouped in plenty of time to record the expected blowout win, scoring 49 unanswered points — including 42 in the second half — in a 56-14 victory. The Wonders (5-1, 2-0) trailed winless Central early in the second quarter and were one play away from being down again at the half. After that, though, it was smooth sailing.
“I think they were embarrassed,” Massey said of the difference in his team after halftime. “I hope they were embarrassed with the first half. I think they came out to play in the second half.”
Quarterback Martel Campbell completed only five passes in the game, but three of them went for touchdowns, including two in a 28-point third-quarter blitz that turned a tie game into a runaway.
“In the first half, we didn’t really have our minds right and weren’t ready to play,” Campbell said. “They came out and gave us a fight and that was a wake-up call for us at halftime. We realized we had to come out here and play Kannapolis football.”
Kannapolis football on defense is about forcing turnovers and the Wonders recorded six in the game, including three in the third quarter which led to 21 points. It was a reversal of the first half when Brown fumbles led to both Central touchdowns.
“The second half they turned the football over and we didn’t,” Massey said.
The domination started less than a minute into the second half when Central quarterback Jarod Garrick was hit near his own goal line and fumbled. Linebacker Quin Gill recovered the ball in the back of the end zone for the touchdown to put the Wonders ahead 21-14.Later in the period, Brown’s offense struck for three touchdowns in a span of less than three minutes.Campbell hit Keeon Johnson over the middle for a 29-yard score, and after a fumble recovery by lineman Jericho Rivers, Damien Washington flew around right end for a 22-yard scoring run. Safety Kaleel Hollis then made an easy interception on Central’s next possession. One play later, Teven Jones caught an 18-yard pass from Campbell in the back of the end zone to make it 42-14 with 3:06 left in the quarter.Jones also had a 53-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, finishing with three catches for 81 yards.
“The offensive line did an amazing job tonight of giving me a lot of time and we like our matchups with our wide receivers,” Campbell said. “They’re great athletes and I like our chances against anybody so we were able
to make some plays in the passing game tonight.”
Demetrius Jackson added a 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and R.J. Gill’s 20-yard run with under two minutes left capped the scoring.Jackson (12 carries for 160 yards) had given the Wonders a quick lead with a 62-yard score on the third play of the game.But that was one of the few things Brown did well in the
first half.Its next series began with two shotgun snaps sailing past Campbell — one was well over his head. Campbell recovered both of them, but the Wonders fumbled four more times — including another on the snap — before the first quarter ended, and lost all of those.
“We just didn’t execute,” Massey said. “Field conditions shouldn't matter. I was very disappointed in how we took care of the football in the first half. It was just a lack of concentration. We scored on the first series and thought it was going to be easy and they relaxed and just didn’t execute.”Central (0-6, 0-2) took advantage on a pair of touchdown passes by Garrick, who was subbing for injured starter Jamaal Klugh. Receiver Aaron Johnson caught both of them, including a 55-yarder that came off a tipped ball. The second one put the Vikings up 14-7 just a over a minute into the second quarter.
“The catches they made were great catches,” Massey said. “I didn’t think we were in bad position. We ask our
corners to do a lot in coverage and that’s going to happen sometimes.”
After Jones’ touchdown midway through quarter tied it, Central had a chance to go back ahead right before halftime, but stalled on downs at the Brown 2. Each team fumbled seven times and lost five in the game. Central had four in the second half while also being held without a single first down.The Wonders probably can’t afford the same sloppiness next week against improved Cox Mill.
“I thought last week we did an excellent job coming out and this week we didn’t,” Massey said. “Maybe it was going on the road. You never know. If I knew how 16, 17-year old kids were going to react, I’d write a book and be a billionaire. It’s different every week.”
After a sloppy first quarter that featured six fumbles, Brown regrouped in plenty of time to record the expected blowout win, scoring 49 unanswered points — including 42 in the second half — in a 56-14 victory. The Wonders (5-1, 2-0) trailed winless Central early in the second quarter and were one play away from being down again at the half. After that, though, it was smooth sailing.
“I think they were embarrassed,” Massey said of the difference in his team after halftime. “I hope they were embarrassed with the first half. I think they came out to play in the second half.”
Quarterback Martel Campbell completed only five passes in the game, but three of them went for touchdowns, including two in a 28-point third-quarter blitz that turned a tie game into a runaway.
“In the first half, we didn’t really have our minds right and weren’t ready to play,” Campbell said. “They came out and gave us a fight and that was a wake-up call for us at halftime. We realized we had to come out here and play Kannapolis football.”
Kannapolis football on defense is about forcing turnovers and the Wonders recorded six in the game, including three in the third quarter which led to 21 points. It was a reversal of the first half when Brown fumbles led to both Central touchdowns.
“The second half they turned the football over and we didn’t,” Massey said.
The domination started less than a minute into the second half when Central quarterback Jarod Garrick was hit near his own goal line and fumbled. Linebacker Quin Gill recovered the ball in the back of the end zone for the touchdown to put the Wonders ahead 21-14.Later in the period, Brown’s offense struck for three touchdowns in a span of less than three minutes.Campbell hit Keeon Johnson over the middle for a 29-yard score, and after a fumble recovery by lineman Jericho Rivers, Damien Washington flew around right end for a 22-yard scoring run. Safety Kaleel Hollis then made an easy interception on Central’s next possession. One play later, Teven Jones caught an 18-yard pass from Campbell in the back of the end zone to make it 42-14 with 3:06 left in the quarter.Jones also had a 53-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, finishing with three catches for 81 yards.
“The offensive line did an amazing job tonight of giving me a lot of time and we like our matchups with our wide receivers,” Campbell said. “They’re great athletes and I like our chances against anybody so we were able
to make some plays in the passing game tonight.”
Demetrius Jackson added a 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and R.J. Gill’s 20-yard run with under two minutes left capped the scoring.Jackson (12 carries for 160 yards) had given the Wonders a quick lead with a 62-yard score on the third play of the game.But that was one of the few things Brown did well in the
first half.Its next series began with two shotgun snaps sailing past Campbell — one was well over his head. Campbell recovered both of them, but the Wonders fumbled four more times — including another on the snap — before the first quarter ended, and lost all of those.
“We just didn’t execute,” Massey said. “Field conditions shouldn't matter. I was very disappointed in how we took care of the football in the first half. It was just a lack of concentration. We scored on the first series and thought it was going to be easy and they relaxed and just didn’t execute.”Central (0-6, 0-2) took advantage on a pair of touchdown passes by Garrick, who was subbing for injured starter Jamaal Klugh. Receiver Aaron Johnson caught both of them, including a 55-yarder that came off a tipped ball. The second one put the Vikings up 14-7 just a over a minute into the second quarter.
“The catches they made were great catches,” Massey said. “I didn’t think we were in bad position. We ask our
corners to do a lot in coverage and that’s going to happen sometimes.”
After Jones’ touchdown midway through quarter tied it, Central had a chance to go back ahead right before halftime, but stalled on downs at the Brown 2. Each team fumbled seven times and lost five in the game. Central had four in the second half while also being held without a single first down.The Wonders probably can’t afford the same sloppiness next week against improved Cox Mill.
“I thought last week we did an excellent job coming out and this week we didn’t,” Massey said. “Maybe it was going on the road. You never know. If I knew how 16, 17-year old kids were going to react, I’d write a book and be a billionaire. It’s different every week.”
"Tragedy in The Wonder Family"
On Monday October 4, 2010 the 2010 Varsity football season took on an entirely new meaning. On this day in the early morning hours on a lonely stretch of Mooresville Road Wonder linebacker Dajon Torrence would be killed in an automobile crash just outside the city limits of Kannapolis. Traveling with Dajon was his brother Darius Willis who survived. Head Coach Ron Massey would have the very unpleasant task of informing his players of the tragic death of their brother in school that day. The remainder of the 2010 season would be dedicated to the memory of their fallen brother. Little did anyone know, but the prior game at Central Cabarrus would be Dajon's last game of football with his fellow teammates. In the weeks to come the outpouring of community sympathy and support was overwhelming. Though competition continued the true meaning of love and spirit would be learned as perfect strangers as well a rival teams went out of their way to show their support to the family and to the Wonder football program.
The Cox MIll game would be the first game the Wonders would play following the tragic death of Dajon. The games that followed speak of the resolve the Wonders had to complete a perfect SPC campaign, and become South Piedmont Conference Champions for their brother Dajon. Below the article of the Cox Mill game is a special slideshow created by Friday Nights in K-Town in memory of Dajon. The slideshow is made up of photos taken from the last five games of the regular season by the editor. May we never forget that lives are more important than touchdowns.
The Cox MIll game would be the first game the Wonders would play following the tragic death of Dajon. The games that followed speak of the resolve the Wonders had to complete a perfect SPC campaign, and become South Piedmont Conference Champions for their brother Dajon. Below the article of the Cox Mill game is a special slideshow created by Friday Nights in K-Town in memory of Dajon. The slideshow is made up of photos taken from the last five games of the regular season by the editor. May we never forget that lives are more important than touchdowns.
Kannapolis-35 Cox Mill-21
CONCORD — As the visiting fans began to pour out of the bleachers, there was one A.L. Brown player walking in the opposite direction, parting the sea of green and white.His teammates were shaking hands with the opposition, but after Friday’s emotional 35-21 win over Cox Mill, Brown senior linebacker Quinn Gill could think of only one person he wanted to share an embrace with.About halfway up the concourse, he fell into the arms of Crystal Willis, his aunt and the mother of Wonders linebacker Dajon Torrence, who was killed in an auto accident earlier this week. As the two shared an embrace, all traffic stood still around them.
“I was in tears, just going through a lot of emotions,” said Gill, wearing his cousin’s No. 44 jersey. “After every
game it was just me and him laughing and what not. She’s all I have of him now except for his little brother. The emotions were going through me, and I just knew I had to go up there to her.”Still somewhat in shock after
Torrence’s death Monday morning, Gill and the rest of his teammates have yet to fully grieve and cope with their loss. Yet, they found some sense of normalcy Friday by playing in memory of their fallen teammate.
“It was very emotional all week through school,” Wonders (6-1, 3-0 SPC) quarterback Martel Campbell said. “Football was kind of a way to release it all.”
Despite a slow start, the Wonders led 14-0 at halftime and tacked on two third-quarter scores to put the game out of reach. Brown finished with 447 yards of offense and didn’t surrender any points until early in the fourth quarter. The Wonders opened the game by running through a banner that read: “We’re all on board Flight 44,” but they didn’t need to air it out to win. Brown rushed for 324 yards, getting balanced contributions from Damien Washington (126 yards), Xavier Stanback (95) and Demetrius Jackson (71).Despite racking up
nearly 400 yards of offense, Cox Mill (4-2, 1-2 SPC) punted twice and had four turnovers (two on downs, one interception and one fumble) on its first six drives.
“When it was time to grieve, they grieved, but when it was time to go to work on the practice field, they went to work,” Brown coach Ron Massey said of his players. “They handled it extremely well. We’re just happy we could come out and play well and get a victory.”But it wasn’t as easy, especially early on, as the final score indicated. Perhaps showing the toll that such a devastating loss can have on a tight-knit group of teenagers, the Wonders struggled with their focus early. The defense surrendered a number of big gains on the first two Cox Mill drives, and the offense fumbled away a golden scoring opportunity in Charger territory on the game’s second drive.
If it weren’t for miscues by the Chargers – a dropped pass on the first drive of the game and a fumble deep in Brown territory on the third drive – Cox Mill could have led by two scores.
“To beat a team of this caliber you can’t make any mistakes,” said Cox Mill coach Greg Neuendorf, whose team played without injured tailback Jhaquille Hankerson. “We weren’t able to do that tonight. We would have loved to have been up 14-0.”
Instead, the Chargers’ mistakes allowed the Wonders to escape unscathed until they were locked in on the task at hand. First-half touchdown runs from Campbell and Washington were followed by a third-quarter scoring scamper from Stanback and a touchdown pass from Campbell to Teven Jones, ending any chance of a comeback.The Wonders gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter, but by that point they were already celebrating a win for their senior teammate and his family.
“It was tough,” Gill said. “It was hard not having him by my side. I just played my hardest for him. … It meant everything to me [to get a win]. I know if it had been me, if the shoe had been on the other foot, he would have done the same thing for me.”
“I was in tears, just going through a lot of emotions,” said Gill, wearing his cousin’s No. 44 jersey. “After every
game it was just me and him laughing and what not. She’s all I have of him now except for his little brother. The emotions were going through me, and I just knew I had to go up there to her.”Still somewhat in shock after
Torrence’s death Monday morning, Gill and the rest of his teammates have yet to fully grieve and cope with their loss. Yet, they found some sense of normalcy Friday by playing in memory of their fallen teammate.
“It was very emotional all week through school,” Wonders (6-1, 3-0 SPC) quarterback Martel Campbell said. “Football was kind of a way to release it all.”
Despite a slow start, the Wonders led 14-0 at halftime and tacked on two third-quarter scores to put the game out of reach. Brown finished with 447 yards of offense and didn’t surrender any points until early in the fourth quarter. The Wonders opened the game by running through a banner that read: “We’re all on board Flight 44,” but they didn’t need to air it out to win. Brown rushed for 324 yards, getting balanced contributions from Damien Washington (126 yards), Xavier Stanback (95) and Demetrius Jackson (71).Despite racking up
nearly 400 yards of offense, Cox Mill (4-2, 1-2 SPC) punted twice and had four turnovers (two on downs, one interception and one fumble) on its first six drives.
“When it was time to grieve, they grieved, but when it was time to go to work on the practice field, they went to work,” Brown coach Ron Massey said of his players. “They handled it extremely well. We’re just happy we could come out and play well and get a victory.”But it wasn’t as easy, especially early on, as the final score indicated. Perhaps showing the toll that such a devastating loss can have on a tight-knit group of teenagers, the Wonders struggled with their focus early. The defense surrendered a number of big gains on the first two Cox Mill drives, and the offense fumbled away a golden scoring opportunity in Charger territory on the game’s second drive.
If it weren’t for miscues by the Chargers – a dropped pass on the first drive of the game and a fumble deep in Brown territory on the third drive – Cox Mill could have led by two scores.
“To beat a team of this caliber you can’t make any mistakes,” said Cox Mill coach Greg Neuendorf, whose team played without injured tailback Jhaquille Hankerson. “We weren’t able to do that tonight. We would have loved to have been up 14-0.”
Instead, the Chargers’ mistakes allowed the Wonders to escape unscathed until they were locked in on the task at hand. First-half touchdown runs from Campbell and Washington were followed by a third-quarter scoring scamper from Stanback and a touchdown pass from Campbell to Teven Jones, ending any chance of a comeback.The Wonders gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter, but by that point they were already celebrating a win for their senior teammate and his family.
“It was tough,” Gill said. “It was hard not having him by my side. I just played my hardest for him. … It meant everything to me [to get a win]. I know if it had been me, if the shoe had been on the other foot, he would have done the same thing for me.”
"Sights from the Cox Mill Game"
"A Picture Tells the Emotional Story"
Remembering Dajon #44
"Dajon Torrence Memorial Slideshow"
(Click Play Button Above for Music then Click Play Button Below Top Left Corner to Start Slideshow)
Kannapolis-21 Mt Pleasant-13
KANNAPOLIS — Coaches often say teams play the way they practice, so Ron Massey saw this coming all week.
“We had a terrible week of practice, and it showed tonight,” Massey, A.L. Brown’s head coach, said after the Wonders escaped Memorial Stadium with a 21-13 SPC win over Mount Pleasant on Friday night.
“Hopefully it will be a wake-up call for our kids.”
Losses by Concord (to Cox Mill) and Hickory Ridge (to Northwest Cabarrus) allowed the Wonders (7-1, 4-0) to claim sole possession of first place in the league. They were outgained and outplayed by gritty Mount Pleasant (2-6, 0-4) but made enough plays in the last five minutes to avoid suffering their first-ever loss to the Tigers.
“It was just a very poor effort on our part,” Massey said. “I don’t know if our kids were spent emotionally after last week. I told them coming off the practice field on Tuesday, ‘Mount Pleasant isn’t going to roll over for nobody.’ Our kids read too much of the newspapers and looked at scores and saw that they lost their first three (SPC) games. They just didn’t come out here and play like they should.”
Two fourth-down plays less than two minutes apart played a huge part in determining the outcome. Mount Pleasant trailed 14-13 with 4:35 left when it faced fourth-and-3 from its own 38. Quarterback Hunter Cannon had a open hole on a keeper to the right side, but defensive lineman Mark Goodjohn tripped him up behind the line.
Cannon was able to dive forward, but he came up short of the first down by less than a yard.
“That was a big play,” Massey said.The Wonders took over, but an offense that struggled mightily in the second half quickly fell into a fourth-and-5 hole with three minutes to go. Martel Campbell hit wideout Teven
Jones along the sideline for an 11-yard reception that could’ve gone for more had Jones stayed on his feet after a spin move.
“That’s one of my favorite routes,” Jones said. “I thought I was going to stay up, but I slipped. I was kind of disappointed, but at least we got the first down to keep the drive alive.”
After a false start penalty, Jones got behind the Tigers’ secondary and hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Campbell to produce an eight-point lead with 2:18 remaining.
“That felt really good,” said Jones, who finished with team-highs of four catches for 72 yards. “I was frustrated for the whole game because we weren’t passing the ball that much.”
Cannon and Mount Pleasant did the majority of the throwing — and moving — all night. The Tigers used a mix of short passes and keepers by Cannon to control the ball, a formula that has allowed them to keep most of their games close into the fourth quarter.
In this one, they mounted one more drive to try and tie it. Cannon completed four passes — the last two covering 17 and 14 yards — to move from the Mount Pleasant 23 to the A.L. Brown 23 with 42 seconds left.
Cannon then made his only mistake of the night, underthrowing a receiver in the end zone and allowing defensive back J.P. Lott to make a routine, game-ending interception at the 10.
“He weighs 145 pounds, and he gave it all he had,” Mount Pleasant coach Mike Johns said of Cannon, a senior who accounted for 319 total yards and both of the Tigers’ touchdowns. “I just hate that the ball slipped out of his hand.
“I don’t like to use the word ‘luck,’ but that’s the way the season’s been. We just need a break sometime this season.”
The Wonders scored touchdowns on two of their four possessions but managed just three first downs in the second half until Jones’ fourth-down catch.They were held to 112 total yards in the last two quarters and only 246 for the game. Campbell was their leading rusher with 48 yards.
“You’re being nice when you say not real good,” Massey said when asked about his team’s performance on offense. “It was pretty lethargic to be honest with you.”
Campbell did complete 9 of 14 passes, including a couple on the Wonders’ first scoring drive. Damien Washington finished it off with a 12-yard run that helped tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.Brown then took the lead in the final minute of the first half when Demetrius Jackson’s 1-yard run capped a 77-yard march. Mount Pleasant responded with a long drive after taking the second-half kickoff, and Cannon’s 2-yard touchdown pass to twin brother Christian Cannon made it 14-13.The Wonders kept the one-point lead thanks to a key block of the extra point by senior Jerrod Lipscomb.Brown’s Tevin Jones had blocked a 38-yard field-goal attempt in the first half. Mount also had two other drives stopped on downs inside the Wonders’ 30.
“Give Mount Pleasant a whole lot of credit,” Massey said. “They outplayed us. They probably should’ve won the ballgame."Their defense did a great job, and their offense kept us on our heels.”
“We had a terrible week of practice, and it showed tonight,” Massey, A.L. Brown’s head coach, said after the Wonders escaped Memorial Stadium with a 21-13 SPC win over Mount Pleasant on Friday night.
“Hopefully it will be a wake-up call for our kids.”
Losses by Concord (to Cox Mill) and Hickory Ridge (to Northwest Cabarrus) allowed the Wonders (7-1, 4-0) to claim sole possession of first place in the league. They were outgained and outplayed by gritty Mount Pleasant (2-6, 0-4) but made enough plays in the last five minutes to avoid suffering their first-ever loss to the Tigers.
“It was just a very poor effort on our part,” Massey said. “I don’t know if our kids were spent emotionally after last week. I told them coming off the practice field on Tuesday, ‘Mount Pleasant isn’t going to roll over for nobody.’ Our kids read too much of the newspapers and looked at scores and saw that they lost their first three (SPC) games. They just didn’t come out here and play like they should.”
Two fourth-down plays less than two minutes apart played a huge part in determining the outcome. Mount Pleasant trailed 14-13 with 4:35 left when it faced fourth-and-3 from its own 38. Quarterback Hunter Cannon had a open hole on a keeper to the right side, but defensive lineman Mark Goodjohn tripped him up behind the line.
Cannon was able to dive forward, but he came up short of the first down by less than a yard.
“That was a big play,” Massey said.The Wonders took over, but an offense that struggled mightily in the second half quickly fell into a fourth-and-5 hole with three minutes to go. Martel Campbell hit wideout Teven
Jones along the sideline for an 11-yard reception that could’ve gone for more had Jones stayed on his feet after a spin move.
“That’s one of my favorite routes,” Jones said. “I thought I was going to stay up, but I slipped. I was kind of disappointed, but at least we got the first down to keep the drive alive.”
After a false start penalty, Jones got behind the Tigers’ secondary and hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Campbell to produce an eight-point lead with 2:18 remaining.
“That felt really good,” said Jones, who finished with team-highs of four catches for 72 yards. “I was frustrated for the whole game because we weren’t passing the ball that much.”
Cannon and Mount Pleasant did the majority of the throwing — and moving — all night. The Tigers used a mix of short passes and keepers by Cannon to control the ball, a formula that has allowed them to keep most of their games close into the fourth quarter.
In this one, they mounted one more drive to try and tie it. Cannon completed four passes — the last two covering 17 and 14 yards — to move from the Mount Pleasant 23 to the A.L. Brown 23 with 42 seconds left.
Cannon then made his only mistake of the night, underthrowing a receiver in the end zone and allowing defensive back J.P. Lott to make a routine, game-ending interception at the 10.
“He weighs 145 pounds, and he gave it all he had,” Mount Pleasant coach Mike Johns said of Cannon, a senior who accounted for 319 total yards and both of the Tigers’ touchdowns. “I just hate that the ball slipped out of his hand.
“I don’t like to use the word ‘luck,’ but that’s the way the season’s been. We just need a break sometime this season.”
The Wonders scored touchdowns on two of their four possessions but managed just three first downs in the second half until Jones’ fourth-down catch.They were held to 112 total yards in the last two quarters and only 246 for the game. Campbell was their leading rusher with 48 yards.
“You’re being nice when you say not real good,” Massey said when asked about his team’s performance on offense. “It was pretty lethargic to be honest with you.”
Campbell did complete 9 of 14 passes, including a couple on the Wonders’ first scoring drive. Damien Washington finished it off with a 12-yard run that helped tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.Brown then took the lead in the final minute of the first half when Demetrius Jackson’s 1-yard run capped a 77-yard march. Mount Pleasant responded with a long drive after taking the second-half kickoff, and Cannon’s 2-yard touchdown pass to twin brother Christian Cannon made it 14-13.The Wonders kept the one-point lead thanks to a key block of the extra point by senior Jerrod Lipscomb.Brown’s Tevin Jones had blocked a 38-yard field-goal attempt in the first half. Mount also had two other drives stopped on downs inside the Wonders’ 30.
“Give Mount Pleasant a whole lot of credit,” Massey said. “They outplayed us. They probably should’ve won the ballgame."Their defense did a great job, and their offense kept us on our heels.”
"Sights from the Mt Pleasant Game"
Kannapolis-28 Hickory Ridge-13
HARRISBURG — A.L. Brown isn’t winning any beauty contests lately, but it keeps accomplishing the task of winning of SPC games.A mix of first-half offense and second-half defense, with a special teams play in between, was enough for the Wonders to beat host Hickory Ridge 28-13 on Friday night and remain perfect in conference play.
“Any win is good,” A.L. Brown coach Ron Massey said. “Don’t let anybody tell you different.”
The Wonders (8-1, 5-0) were shut out on offense in the second half, but so was Hickory Ridge thanks to a Brown defense that came up with stops in two crucial situations.Teven Jones’ 41-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the third quarter gave the Wonders a 15-point cushion, and their ‘D’ made sure it
stayed that way.
“We didn’t execute well offensively but had some big plays,” Massey said. “The punt return was big. The defense did a great job shutting them down after turnovers. We gave up yards, but we kept them out of
the end zone in the second half.
“I thought it was a great effort in the second half.”
Hickory Ridge (4-5, 3-2) was handed a golden opportunity to close the gap late in the third quarter when quarterback Martel Campbell fumbled a snap and the Ragin’ Bulls recovered at the Brown 4.After a 2-yard run by Hickory Ridge standout Brian Baltimore, the Wonders got a sack and linebacker Andrew Leslie stacked up Baltimore for a 1-yard loss. On fourth down, the Bulls tried a halfback pass by Baltimore, but Brown wasn’t fooled and cornerback Tevin Jones knocked the ball down.
“Holding them down there was big,” Massey said. “If they make it a one-possession game, it gets a little bit
different.”
Hickory Ridge mounted one more comeback bid, beginning a drive with 6:49 left in the fourth. The Bulls picked up four first downs to move from their own 16 to the Wonders’ 17. Baltimore then caught a short pass and carried the ball inside the 10, but a hit by defensive end Shane Harris jarred the ball loose. Defensive back J.P. Lott recovered it at the 1 with just over two minutes left, and the Wonders ran out the clock.
“We made a couple mistakes in the first half, and they got points off a couple plays,” said Brown defensive end Dominique Phifer, who had a fumble recovery in the first half. “At halftime the coaches gave us a real good pep talk. You could say they put the fear of God in us and we just came out and played ball. That’s it.”
Brown prevailed despite totaling just four first downs and 40 yards of offense in the second half. Hickory Ridge had only 110 yards in last two quarters but finished with a 310-199 edge for the game, the second straight
contest that Brown has won despite being outgained.
“Stats are important,” Hickory Ridge head coach Marty Paxton said. “You can look back and see how you did, but when the big one up there on that scoreboard says they have more points than you do, that’s the one that counts the most, as everybody knows.”
The defensive second half came in stark contrast to a seesaw first one that twice saw touchdowns scored on consecutive plays from scrimmage.Brown’s best drive of the night was its first, a 12-play, 73-yard march that was capped by Demetrius Jackson’s 7-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1. Hickory Ridge got the 73 yards and score back on one play when Baltimore found a crease on a sweep and took it the distance.Phifer’s fumble recovery at the Hickory Ridge 14 early in the second quarter set up a 7-yard touchdown catch by Jackson coming out of the backfield, also on a fourth-down play. The Bulls answered back on the next possession when receiver Luke Robinson outplayed Tevin Jones for the ball on a 21-yard touchdown reception that made it 14-13.After the kickoff, Brown’s Damien Washington broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown run.When Teven Jones returned the punt untouched for a score and Brenden Brown kicked his fourth extra point, the Wonders had 28 points less than two minutes into the second half. Washington was Brown’s leading rusher with 71 yards.
Campbell completed 6 of 16 passes for 52 yards.
“We’ve got to do a better job as coaches trying to figure out how to run this offense,” Massey said. “People give us different looks every week, but we’ve got to be able to adjust better, and we didn’t tonight.”
Still, the Wonders can clinch a share of yet another conference championship by beating Northwest Cabarrus next week.
“I thought we played a lot better than we did last week, and we’ve just got to try and keep getting better,” Massey said. “We’ve got two games left in the conference. We’ve got to try and get those and try to get a little better before we get in the playoffs.”
“Any win is good,” A.L. Brown coach Ron Massey said. “Don’t let anybody tell you different.”
The Wonders (8-1, 5-0) were shut out on offense in the second half, but so was Hickory Ridge thanks to a Brown defense that came up with stops in two crucial situations.Teven Jones’ 41-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the third quarter gave the Wonders a 15-point cushion, and their ‘D’ made sure it
stayed that way.
“We didn’t execute well offensively but had some big plays,” Massey said. “The punt return was big. The defense did a great job shutting them down after turnovers. We gave up yards, but we kept them out of
the end zone in the second half.
“I thought it was a great effort in the second half.”
Hickory Ridge (4-5, 3-2) was handed a golden opportunity to close the gap late in the third quarter when quarterback Martel Campbell fumbled a snap and the Ragin’ Bulls recovered at the Brown 4.After a 2-yard run by Hickory Ridge standout Brian Baltimore, the Wonders got a sack and linebacker Andrew Leslie stacked up Baltimore for a 1-yard loss. On fourth down, the Bulls tried a halfback pass by Baltimore, but Brown wasn’t fooled and cornerback Tevin Jones knocked the ball down.
“Holding them down there was big,” Massey said. “If they make it a one-possession game, it gets a little bit
different.”
Hickory Ridge mounted one more comeback bid, beginning a drive with 6:49 left in the fourth. The Bulls picked up four first downs to move from their own 16 to the Wonders’ 17. Baltimore then caught a short pass and carried the ball inside the 10, but a hit by defensive end Shane Harris jarred the ball loose. Defensive back J.P. Lott recovered it at the 1 with just over two minutes left, and the Wonders ran out the clock.
“We made a couple mistakes in the first half, and they got points off a couple plays,” said Brown defensive end Dominique Phifer, who had a fumble recovery in the first half. “At halftime the coaches gave us a real good pep talk. You could say they put the fear of God in us and we just came out and played ball. That’s it.”
Brown prevailed despite totaling just four first downs and 40 yards of offense in the second half. Hickory Ridge had only 110 yards in last two quarters but finished with a 310-199 edge for the game, the second straight
contest that Brown has won despite being outgained.
“Stats are important,” Hickory Ridge head coach Marty Paxton said. “You can look back and see how you did, but when the big one up there on that scoreboard says they have more points than you do, that’s the one that counts the most, as everybody knows.”
The defensive second half came in stark contrast to a seesaw first one that twice saw touchdowns scored on consecutive plays from scrimmage.Brown’s best drive of the night was its first, a 12-play, 73-yard march that was capped by Demetrius Jackson’s 7-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1. Hickory Ridge got the 73 yards and score back on one play when Baltimore found a crease on a sweep and took it the distance.Phifer’s fumble recovery at the Hickory Ridge 14 early in the second quarter set up a 7-yard touchdown catch by Jackson coming out of the backfield, also on a fourth-down play. The Bulls answered back on the next possession when receiver Luke Robinson outplayed Tevin Jones for the ball on a 21-yard touchdown reception that made it 14-13.After the kickoff, Brown’s Damien Washington broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown run.When Teven Jones returned the punt untouched for a score and Brenden Brown kicked his fourth extra point, the Wonders had 28 points less than two minutes into the second half. Washington was Brown’s leading rusher with 71 yards.
Campbell completed 6 of 16 passes for 52 yards.
“We’ve got to do a better job as coaches trying to figure out how to run this offense,” Massey said. “People give us different looks every week, but we’ve got to be able to adjust better, and we didn’t tonight.”
Still, the Wonders can clinch a share of yet another conference championship by beating Northwest Cabarrus next week.
“I thought we played a lot better than we did last week, and we’ve just got to try and keep getting better,” Massey said. “We’ve got two games left in the conference. We’ve got to try and get those and try to get a little better before we get in the playoffs.”
"Sights from the Hickory Ridge Game"
Kannapolis-20 Northwest Cabarrus-13
KANNAPOLIS — Timing is everything and Travis Riley picked the perfect time to make an impact in his return.
Playing his first game since tearing two ligaments and fracturing his tibia in the season opener, Riley was relatively quiet through the first three quarters against rival Northwest Cabarrus Friday night.But with the score tied and the game up for grabs, A.L. Brown's standout running back ripped off a vintage tackle-breaking Riley run to set up the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and the Wonders held on for a 20-13 victory.
"I wanted to score on it," Riley said of the key 27-yard gain. "I didn't get to, but yeah, it brought back a couple memories. It felt good."
Two plays after that, Martel Campbell scored the game-winner on a 7-yard run - the last of three touchdowns the senior quarterback accounted for on Senior Night as the Wonders clinched at least a share of another SPC
championship.
"A lot of people probably don't think we're playing real good," Brown head coach Ron Massey said. "But say what you want, we're 6-0 in the conference and 9-1 so our kids are doing something right."
Indeed the Wonders haven't exactly made it look easy and Northwest pushed them to the wire, rallying from an 11-point second half-deficit and almost pulling off a miracle at the end. With the seven-point lead, Brown appeared close to putting the game away by picking up three first downs and moving into field-goal range with under two minutes to play.However, facing 2nd and 6 from the Northwest 10, the Wonders elected to throw and a miscommunication between Campbell and receiver Teven Jones resulted in an interception in the end zone by Northwest's Natoine Moses. Moses returned the ball to the Trojans' 42, and with 1:20 to go they had a chance to tie it.
"We made it scary," Massey said.
Quarterback Colby Williford scrambled for 16 yards and a first down to the Kannapolis 39, but then threw an errant deep pass down the sideline into double coverage and defensive back Shequez Weaks intercepted it with 40 seconds left.
"They had two wideouts (on that side) and I knew they were going deep at the end of the game situation so I just had to be back deep and I luckily got the pick," Weaks said.
It was the third turnover forced by the Wonders in the game. The other two helped lead to Brown's first two
touchdowns.
"Our defense works hard every week and we try to make the best of every situation," defensive lineman Gerald Holt said. "We come out and play hard every down, every play and it worked out for us tonight in the long run. We came through when we needed it the most."
An interception by linebacker Andrew Leslie at Northwest's 36 set up Campbell's 27-yard touchdown run that made it 6-2 midway through the second quarter.Holt then recovered a fumble at the Trojans' 26 on the first possession of the second half. Three plays later, Jones caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in the back of
the end zone to make it 13-2.
"That was big for us," Massey said of the points off turnovers. "Our defense played well in spurts."
The Wonders needed the help against a stingy Northwest defense, which surrendured few big plays and enabled the Trojans to stay within striking distance.
"It always is (a tough battle) with them," Massey said. "They're well-coached and we knew their defense was good."
The Trojans, who had grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first quarter when Campbell fell down in the end zone, finally got points from their offense when Jordan Russ' 4-yard run capped a 50-yard drive following a good kickoff return. Northwest then got a break when Williford tried to run for the two-point conversion and fumbled, but teammate Dontre' Posey recovered the ball in the end zone to make it 13-10. After a Brown three-and-out,
the Trojans moved 41 yards for the tying 32-yard field goal by Bradley Pinion with 10:22 left in the fourth quarter. A 10-yard run for a first down by Williford (11 carries, 78 yards) and a Brown personal foul penalty keyed the drive. The Wonders had eight penalties for 70 yards in the second half.However, they answered with their longest drive of the game - a nine-play, 73-yard march - at just the right time.
Campbell started it with a 12-yard run, Xavier Stanback had a 9-yard run for a first down and Campbell ran for another nine. On 3rd and 1, Riley ran off right tackle and broke a pair of tackles before being barely tripped up from behind at the Trojans' 9.
"I thought he might get away right there," Massey said. "A healthy Travis probably would have, but it's good to have "31" back on the field. I think the kids were really happy to see him get back out here."
Campbell then finished it off by faking a handoff and running off the left side for the decisive score. He rushed for 112 yards on 14 carries and completed 8 of 11 passes for 112 yards.
"I thought he did a great job of running the offense and taking advantage of what they gave us," Massey said.
"Their linebackers are fast-flowing so we tried to do some misdirection, and he's tough to bring down."
Brown rushed for 200 yards as a team, with Riley gaining 57 on 12 carries. The fourth-quarter run was by far his
longest.
"I expected I'd be back," he said. "Nobody else did, but I knew I was coming back.
"My legs aren't as strong as they used to be because I haven't been lifting real heavy in the weight room. But other than that I felt real good."
Playing his first game since tearing two ligaments and fracturing his tibia in the season opener, Riley was relatively quiet through the first three quarters against rival Northwest Cabarrus Friday night.But with the score tied and the game up for grabs, A.L. Brown's standout running back ripped off a vintage tackle-breaking Riley run to set up the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and the Wonders held on for a 20-13 victory.
"I wanted to score on it," Riley said of the key 27-yard gain. "I didn't get to, but yeah, it brought back a couple memories. It felt good."
Two plays after that, Martel Campbell scored the game-winner on a 7-yard run - the last of three touchdowns the senior quarterback accounted for on Senior Night as the Wonders clinched at least a share of another SPC
championship.
"A lot of people probably don't think we're playing real good," Brown head coach Ron Massey said. "But say what you want, we're 6-0 in the conference and 9-1 so our kids are doing something right."
Indeed the Wonders haven't exactly made it look easy and Northwest pushed them to the wire, rallying from an 11-point second half-deficit and almost pulling off a miracle at the end. With the seven-point lead, Brown appeared close to putting the game away by picking up three first downs and moving into field-goal range with under two minutes to play.However, facing 2nd and 6 from the Northwest 10, the Wonders elected to throw and a miscommunication between Campbell and receiver Teven Jones resulted in an interception in the end zone by Northwest's Natoine Moses. Moses returned the ball to the Trojans' 42, and with 1:20 to go they had a chance to tie it.
"We made it scary," Massey said.
Quarterback Colby Williford scrambled for 16 yards and a first down to the Kannapolis 39, but then threw an errant deep pass down the sideline into double coverage and defensive back Shequez Weaks intercepted it with 40 seconds left.
"They had two wideouts (on that side) and I knew they were going deep at the end of the game situation so I just had to be back deep and I luckily got the pick," Weaks said.
It was the third turnover forced by the Wonders in the game. The other two helped lead to Brown's first two
touchdowns.
"Our defense works hard every week and we try to make the best of every situation," defensive lineman Gerald Holt said. "We come out and play hard every down, every play and it worked out for us tonight in the long run. We came through when we needed it the most."
An interception by linebacker Andrew Leslie at Northwest's 36 set up Campbell's 27-yard touchdown run that made it 6-2 midway through the second quarter.Holt then recovered a fumble at the Trojans' 26 on the first possession of the second half. Three plays later, Jones caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in the back of
the end zone to make it 13-2.
"That was big for us," Massey said of the points off turnovers. "Our defense played well in spurts."
The Wonders needed the help against a stingy Northwest defense, which surrendured few big plays and enabled the Trojans to stay within striking distance.
"It always is (a tough battle) with them," Massey said. "They're well-coached and we knew their defense was good."
The Trojans, who had grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first quarter when Campbell fell down in the end zone, finally got points from their offense when Jordan Russ' 4-yard run capped a 50-yard drive following a good kickoff return. Northwest then got a break when Williford tried to run for the two-point conversion and fumbled, but teammate Dontre' Posey recovered the ball in the end zone to make it 13-10. After a Brown three-and-out,
the Trojans moved 41 yards for the tying 32-yard field goal by Bradley Pinion with 10:22 left in the fourth quarter. A 10-yard run for a first down by Williford (11 carries, 78 yards) and a Brown personal foul penalty keyed the drive. The Wonders had eight penalties for 70 yards in the second half.However, they answered with their longest drive of the game - a nine-play, 73-yard march - at just the right time.
Campbell started it with a 12-yard run, Xavier Stanback had a 9-yard run for a first down and Campbell ran for another nine. On 3rd and 1, Riley ran off right tackle and broke a pair of tackles before being barely tripped up from behind at the Trojans' 9.
"I thought he might get away right there," Massey said. "A healthy Travis probably would have, but it's good to have "31" back on the field. I think the kids were really happy to see him get back out here."
Campbell then finished it off by faking a handoff and running off the left side for the decisive score. He rushed for 112 yards on 14 carries and completed 8 of 11 passes for 112 yards.
"I thought he did a great job of running the offense and taking advantage of what they gave us," Massey said.
"Their linebackers are fast-flowing so we tried to do some misdirection, and he's tough to bring down."
Brown rushed for 200 yards as a team, with Riley gaining 57 on 12 carries. The fourth-quarter run was by far his
longest.
"I expected I'd be back," he said. "Nobody else did, but I knew I was coming back.
"My legs aren't as strong as they used to be because I haven't been lifting real heavy in the weight room. But other than that I felt real good."
"Sights from the Northwest Cabarrus Game"
Kannapolis-28 Concord-21
CONCORD — The A.L. Brown Wonders were ringing the Victory Bell and their fans were beginning to savor the return of their bragging rights.Brown coach Ron Massey may have been the only man wearing green at Bailey Stadium without a smile on his face. Friday’s 28-21 win over Concord was a joyous regular-season finish for the Wonders, but it was obvious the journey had taken a toll on their leader.
“It’s a great feeling,” Massey said with a stoic expression. “This group of kids has been through a lot Obviously losing Travis [Riley] early and then the death of Dajon Torrence. It’s been a tough year. It really
has. I’m so proud of our young men, because they’ve acted like young men.”
A knee injury sidelined the Wonders’ best player in the season opener and their mettle was tested again midseason when Torrence, a key defensive cog and a team leader, was killed in a car crash. However, the team
never faltered, winning eight straight games to finish the season. Considering what they’ve already been through, Concord’s early 7-0 lead wasn’t much of an obstacle for the SPC-champion Wonders (10-1, 7-0), who will be seeded in the playoffs as an undefeated team. Their loss to Thomasville will not count toward seeding. Playing in his second game since returning from injury, Riley carried the load for Brown in the second half. He finished with 153 yards on 19 carries, 14 of them coming after halftime. His 14-yard score gave Brown the lead in the second quarter, and his 39-yarder had the same result in the third. Massey had serious doubts about Riley’s availability earlier this week due to soreness in his knee. However, he credited his senior with putting forth a gutsy effort when the Wonders needed it most.
“Travis had a great game tonight,” said Brown quarterback Martel Campbell, whose 19-yard scramble on third-and-15 sealed the win with two minutes left. “He’s been waiting to get back on the field. Finally he got his opportunity in a big game, and he did what he does – make big plays for us.”
Concord made its fair share of big plays, too. Quarterback B.J. Beecher, who was 13-for-28 passing for 232 yards, tossed touchdowns on Concord’s first and final first-half drives. Trailing by two scores, he hooked up with Marsalis Moore on a 69-yard completion and then hit Alex Salado on an eight-yard touchdown pass with 4:36 left in the game. However, the Spiders were plagued by drops, poor throws and an inability to move the ball on the ground – they had just 24 rushing yards on 13 carries. A second-half fumble and interception Beecher’s accuracy faded as the rain worsened after the break –didn’t help either.
“Especially in the third quarter when it was raining so hard, we were having trouble keeping the balls dry,” Concord coach Glen Padgett said. “A couple of passes slipped out of B.J.’s hands. They were bigger than we were up front. We knew that, and they were able to control the line of scrimmage. That was the key.”
Still, the Spiders had their chances. Clinging to a seven-point lead, the Wonders started their final possession at their own 30.Soon enough it was third-and-15 and Campbell took the shotgun snap and rolled left, looking to throw. When the play broke down, he found loads of running room to the right and sprinted for the first down,
clinching the safe return of the Victory Bell.The Wonders enter the postseason with momentum and, perhaps more importantly, all the confidence in the world.
“This game means so much,” Campbell said. “You can’t put it into words. We had a disappointing performance against them last year. So, we had this circled on our calendar for 365 days. To be able to come out here and
get this win is huge for us.
“I feel like we’re high on energy right now going into the playoffs. We just hope it develops as we go further and further.”
“It’s a great feeling,” Massey said with a stoic expression. “This group of kids has been through a lot Obviously losing Travis [Riley] early and then the death of Dajon Torrence. It’s been a tough year. It really
has. I’m so proud of our young men, because they’ve acted like young men.”
A knee injury sidelined the Wonders’ best player in the season opener and their mettle was tested again midseason when Torrence, a key defensive cog and a team leader, was killed in a car crash. However, the team
never faltered, winning eight straight games to finish the season. Considering what they’ve already been through, Concord’s early 7-0 lead wasn’t much of an obstacle for the SPC-champion Wonders (10-1, 7-0), who will be seeded in the playoffs as an undefeated team. Their loss to Thomasville will not count toward seeding. Playing in his second game since returning from injury, Riley carried the load for Brown in the second half. He finished with 153 yards on 19 carries, 14 of them coming after halftime. His 14-yard score gave Brown the lead in the second quarter, and his 39-yarder had the same result in the third. Massey had serious doubts about Riley’s availability earlier this week due to soreness in his knee. However, he credited his senior with putting forth a gutsy effort when the Wonders needed it most.
“Travis had a great game tonight,” said Brown quarterback Martel Campbell, whose 19-yard scramble on third-and-15 sealed the win with two minutes left. “He’s been waiting to get back on the field. Finally he got his opportunity in a big game, and he did what he does – make big plays for us.”
Concord made its fair share of big plays, too. Quarterback B.J. Beecher, who was 13-for-28 passing for 232 yards, tossed touchdowns on Concord’s first and final first-half drives. Trailing by two scores, he hooked up with Marsalis Moore on a 69-yard completion and then hit Alex Salado on an eight-yard touchdown pass with 4:36 left in the game. However, the Spiders were plagued by drops, poor throws and an inability to move the ball on the ground – they had just 24 rushing yards on 13 carries. A second-half fumble and interception Beecher’s accuracy faded as the rain worsened after the break –didn’t help either.
“Especially in the third quarter when it was raining so hard, we were having trouble keeping the balls dry,” Concord coach Glen Padgett said. “A couple of passes slipped out of B.J.’s hands. They were bigger than we were up front. We knew that, and they were able to control the line of scrimmage. That was the key.”
Still, the Spiders had their chances. Clinging to a seven-point lead, the Wonders started their final possession at their own 30.Soon enough it was third-and-15 and Campbell took the shotgun snap and rolled left, looking to throw. When the play broke down, he found loads of running room to the right and sprinted for the first down,
clinching the safe return of the Victory Bell.The Wonders enter the postseason with momentum and, perhaps more importantly, all the confidence in the world.
“This game means so much,” Campbell said. “You can’t put it into words. We had a disappointing performance against them last year. So, we had this circled on our calendar for 365 days. To be able to come out here and
get this win is huge for us.
“I feel like we’re high on energy right now going into the playoffs. We just hope it develops as we go further and further.”
"Sights from the Concord Game"
Playoffs Begin
1st Round
Kannapolis-21 Hickory Ridge-18
KANNAPOLIS — What started out so easy for A.L. Brown in Friday night's 3AA first-round game ended up being anything but.After jumping out to a 21-3 lead over SPC foe Hickory Ridge in the second quarter, the top-seeded Wonders somehow found themselves hanging on for their playoff life late in the fourth.
"We weren't expecting much and when we came out we figured we hit them hard and had already put them down," Brown linebacker Andrew Leslie said after the Wonders barely held on 21-18 to avoid a stunning collapse and an equally-shocking upset loss.
Never mind Hickory Ridge being put down. The Ragin' Bulls simply dominated from late in the second quarter on and probably should've won. Only a bend-but-don't-break Brown defense and two Hickory Ridge miscues on special teams in the fourth quarter saved the Wonders (11-1), allowing them to advance to a second-round meeting with Statesville.
"Give Hickory Ridge a lot of credit," Brown head coach Ron Massey said. "They played extremely well. Offensively they had us on our heels on defense. But this thing is all about just finding a way to win, and that's
why I'm proud of our kids. They found a way to win at the end."
Even without its starting quarterback, Hickory Ridge moved the ball at will most of the night, but failed to convert once it got inside the Brown 10.The two biggest missed opportunities came in the fourth quarter. Down by three, the Ragin' Bulls put together two impressive drives for the tying or go-ahead score, moving to the Brown 7 early in the period and then to the Wonders' 8 with a little over two minutes left.
Both times, Brown's worn-out defense which was battling cramps found ways to get stops — a tackle for a five-yard loss by Dominique Phifer and a pass knockdown by Gerald Holt were key plays — and force field-goal attempts.
"They had all the momentum down here twice and our kids came through," Massey said.
And both times bad snaps cost Hickory Ridge. The first one was high and threw off kicker Shannon Drugan's timing and he booted the ball straight into the ground. The second one was even higher and Drugan was tackled for a 22-yard loss.Brown took over with 2:05 left and used three runs by Travis Riley to pick up two first downs and run out the clock.The Ragin' Bulls, who have had snapping issues on offense all season, were forced to use their JV long snapper in this game.
"He did the best he could do," Hickory Ridge coach Marty Paxton said. "But if we put it in the end zone we don't have to worry about the field goal."
In all, the Ragin' Bulls made their way inside the Brown 10 five times in the game and scored only 10 points in those trips.
"That's the reason they're 11-1, because they can stop you from getting in the end zone," Paxton said. "They
definitely do a great job here on defense."
That Brown defense was on the field the vast majority of the game, surrenduring 205 yards to Hickory Ridge
star Brian Baltimore and giving up a 65-yard touchdown pass on a trick play, but it never gave up the lead.
"The kids deserve a lot of credit for rising up at the end," Massey said. "What happened in between we've got to get better at, but I was real proud of the way they played."
Massey couldn't say the same for the offense, which fizzled after a sizzling start, putting all the onus on the defense.After scoring easily on three of their first four possessions, the Wonders had four three-and-outs and two turnovers their next six times with the ball. One Martel Campbell interception set up a Hickory Ridge touchdown and another thrwarted a drive inside the Bulls' 5.
"We turned the ball over, we didn't execute well, we'd get a first down and then would miss a blocking assignment or get a bad snap," Massey said. "We just didn't play well."
Perhaps it was too easy at the start.Brown's three touchdown drives used all of six plays. First, Campbell converted a Leslie fumble recovery into a 6-yard scoring run. Teven Jones then hauled in a 27-yard touchdown pass and Damien Washington broke away for a 58-yard score that made it 21-3 with 4:55 before halftime.Hickory Ridge fought back with the long touchdown on a pass by receiver Luke Robinson, then missed a chance to score again right before the end of the half, but capitalized on Campbell's interception with a 7-yard run by Baltimore and two-point conversion pass to close within three early in the third.Hickory Ridge ran 66 offensive plays in the game, compared to just 44 for Brown, and outgained the Wonders for a second straight time.Riley and the offense were off the field for large chunks of time, but he was a force late, gaining 75 of his team-high 96 yards in the second half.
"It was hard because on the sideline you get cold and you've got to get your legs back under you going out there," Riley said. "But I thought this team showed good composure to hang on for this win. You've got to give the defense credit for that."
Said Leslie: "It's not how we wanted to do it, and we've got a bunch of things to figure out on Monday
but we're going to go hard. We've got a lot to play for right now so we've got to start getting focused."
"We weren't expecting much and when we came out we figured we hit them hard and had already put them down," Brown linebacker Andrew Leslie said after the Wonders barely held on 21-18 to avoid a stunning collapse and an equally-shocking upset loss.
Never mind Hickory Ridge being put down. The Ragin' Bulls simply dominated from late in the second quarter on and probably should've won. Only a bend-but-don't-break Brown defense and two Hickory Ridge miscues on special teams in the fourth quarter saved the Wonders (11-1), allowing them to advance to a second-round meeting with Statesville.
"Give Hickory Ridge a lot of credit," Brown head coach Ron Massey said. "They played extremely well. Offensively they had us on our heels on defense. But this thing is all about just finding a way to win, and that's
why I'm proud of our kids. They found a way to win at the end."
Even without its starting quarterback, Hickory Ridge moved the ball at will most of the night, but failed to convert once it got inside the Brown 10.The two biggest missed opportunities came in the fourth quarter. Down by three, the Ragin' Bulls put together two impressive drives for the tying or go-ahead score, moving to the Brown 7 early in the period and then to the Wonders' 8 with a little over two minutes left.
Both times, Brown's worn-out defense which was battling cramps found ways to get stops — a tackle for a five-yard loss by Dominique Phifer and a pass knockdown by Gerald Holt were key plays — and force field-goal attempts.
"They had all the momentum down here twice and our kids came through," Massey said.
And both times bad snaps cost Hickory Ridge. The first one was high and threw off kicker Shannon Drugan's timing and he booted the ball straight into the ground. The second one was even higher and Drugan was tackled for a 22-yard loss.Brown took over with 2:05 left and used three runs by Travis Riley to pick up two first downs and run out the clock.The Ragin' Bulls, who have had snapping issues on offense all season, were forced to use their JV long snapper in this game.
"He did the best he could do," Hickory Ridge coach Marty Paxton said. "But if we put it in the end zone we don't have to worry about the field goal."
In all, the Ragin' Bulls made their way inside the Brown 10 five times in the game and scored only 10 points in those trips.
"That's the reason they're 11-1, because they can stop you from getting in the end zone," Paxton said. "They
definitely do a great job here on defense."
That Brown defense was on the field the vast majority of the game, surrenduring 205 yards to Hickory Ridge
star Brian Baltimore and giving up a 65-yard touchdown pass on a trick play, but it never gave up the lead.
"The kids deserve a lot of credit for rising up at the end," Massey said. "What happened in between we've got to get better at, but I was real proud of the way they played."
Massey couldn't say the same for the offense, which fizzled after a sizzling start, putting all the onus on the defense.After scoring easily on three of their first four possessions, the Wonders had four three-and-outs and two turnovers their next six times with the ball. One Martel Campbell interception set up a Hickory Ridge touchdown and another thrwarted a drive inside the Bulls' 5.
"We turned the ball over, we didn't execute well, we'd get a first down and then would miss a blocking assignment or get a bad snap," Massey said. "We just didn't play well."
Perhaps it was too easy at the start.Brown's three touchdown drives used all of six plays. First, Campbell converted a Leslie fumble recovery into a 6-yard scoring run. Teven Jones then hauled in a 27-yard touchdown pass and Damien Washington broke away for a 58-yard score that made it 21-3 with 4:55 before halftime.Hickory Ridge fought back with the long touchdown on a pass by receiver Luke Robinson, then missed a chance to score again right before the end of the half, but capitalized on Campbell's interception with a 7-yard run by Baltimore and two-point conversion pass to close within three early in the third.Hickory Ridge ran 66 offensive plays in the game, compared to just 44 for Brown, and outgained the Wonders for a second straight time.Riley and the offense were off the field for large chunks of time, but he was a force late, gaining 75 of his team-high 96 yards in the second half.
"It was hard because on the sideline you get cold and you've got to get your legs back under you going out there," Riley said. "But I thought this team showed good composure to hang on for this win. You've got to give the defense credit for that."
Said Leslie: "It's not how we wanted to do it, and we've got a bunch of things to figure out on Monday
but we're going to go hard. We've got a lot to play for right now so we've got to start getting focused."
"Sights from the 1st Round Hickory Ridge Game"
Kannapolis-28 Statesville-14
KANNAPOLIS — Nobody will likely argue that Martel Campbell is the most gifted high school quarterback around, but A.L. Brown head coach Ron Massey believes one thing that he does possess is the ideal mindset for a signalcaller.Campbell demonstrated that Friday night, shaking off a poor start to help dig Brown out of an early two-touchdown hole and guide the top-seeded Wonders to a 28-14 win over Statesville in the second round of 3AA playoffs at Memorial Stadium.Campbell threw an interception in the first half that was returned for a touchdown, but bounced back for the go-ahead touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, later added a touchdown pass to Teven Jones and finished the game with 225 total yards.
"He's the perfect personality at quarterback," Massey said. "If he makes a mistake he doesn't dwell on it. He doesn't lose his composure and he just keeps competing. That says a lot for the young man."
On the strength of Campbell's running and passing along with some timely defensive stops, Brown (12-1) returned to the third round, where it will renew its playoff rivalry with Charlotte Catholic in the final of Midwest pod next week.
"This is a special group of kids," Massey said. "It doesn't matter what we do or how we play, they find a way to
get it done. They've just got a lot of heart and I'm real proud of them. Nothing's easy when you get to the second round and this is the third straight year we get to play (after) Thanksgiving and that says something
special."
Practice for the Wonders next week looked in doubt when Statesville (7-6) struck for two touchdowns in a span of a just over a minute for a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.But with a senior leading the way a quarterback, Brown didn't panic - even when running backs Xavier Stanback and Damien Washington were lost to injuries.That just meant more work for Campbell and Travis Riley.
"In the playoffs it's all about composure," Campbell said. "Each team is going to go through their ups and
downs, but the team that keeps its composure and rallies behind each other the best is usually the team that wins the game. And we rallied behind each other when we got down early."
The Wonders erased the deficit almost as quickly as it fell into it, scoring twice in the last 2:23 of the half to get back even.Campbell keepers of 13 and 12 yards and a 18-yard pass to Jones set up Riley's 2-yard score that made it 14-7.Brown's defense forced a three-and-out and Jones' 28-yard punt return then set the Wonders back up at the Statesville 37. A cutback run by Riley gained 18 yards, Keeon Johnson's reception got nine more and Riley ran 10 yards off right tackle to tie it at 14-14 with 1:02 left in the half.
"Getting the two scores right before half was big," Massey said. "It gave us a little momentum and put some doubt in their mind, I think."
Using the running of quarterback Carlis Parker and running back Triston Mumford moved the ball on its first two possessions in the third quarter. But an interception by safety Kaleel Hollis at the Brown 8 thrwarted the first drive and the Wonders forced a punt from near midfield on the second.Brown took over at its 20 and began a methodical 16-play, 80-yard march to take its first lead. It overcame a 1st-and-21 hole at the start when Campbell's quarterback sneak gained two yards on a 4th and inches from the Wonders' own 29.Campbell followed with a 16-yarder keeper, threw to Johnson for a 5-yard catch to convert a third down and then broke several tackles on an 11-yard gain to the Statesville 25.The Wonders then got a break with a pass interference penalty against the Greyhounds that set up 1st and goal at the 10. Campbell was tackled for a rare loss on first down, but on third down from the 12, threw over the middle where a cutting Jones made the catch in the front of the end zone for the touchdown with 11:14 left in the fourth.
"That's a play we practice all the time," Campbell said. "It didn't work out exactly how we drew it up, but we were able to score on it and that's all that matters. (Jones) was running a drag, but he was supposed to be
shallower and the tight end (Quadar Goldsmith) was running a deeper drag. I was going for the tight end, but he undercut it."
The Wonders' defense again followed a score by its offense with a stop, as linebacker Andrew Leslie shot
through the line to tackle Parker for a three-yard loss on 3rd and 2 and force a Greyhound punt.
"After the running back didn't cross the quarterback's space I knew it was going to be an outside zone-type play with the quarterback," Leslie said. "When I shot the gap I had to break my feet down because he's got some speed and some moves so I had to get him by the legs as best I could. Third down, that's just my job, I guess, and I love it."
Brown then made it a two-score game with less than five minutes to go. A 37-yard reception by Demetrius Jackson helped set up Campbell's 21-yard touchdown run around the left side.Campbell rushed 19 times for a team-high 119 yards in the game, most of the damage coming on straight keepers up the middle.
"Depending on how they were going to play the option we knew we would have to do that some," Massey said. "They weren't going to let us run the option. They took that away from us so our kids did a good job of adapting and doing some other things."
Meanwhile, after missing on his first five pass attempts, Campbell completed 8 of his last 9 for 106 yards.
"Starting off things just weren't clicking like we wanted them to," he said. "But as the game went on our timing got better and we saw areas we wanted to exploit and we were able to pick up some good gains."
The Wonders totaled 273 rushing yards, with Jackson adding 71 and Riley finishing with 64.Parker and Mumford each rushed for 90 yards for the Greyhounds. Parker had a 9-yard touchdown run to open the scoring, but completed just 8 of 17 passes for 62 yards.
"We had to make some adjustments at half and get their quarterback on lockdown," Leslie said. "But I was so proud of our offense. Martel was just a whole other person tonight. I'm so glad for the way he played and glad to see Travis back on the field scoring touchdowns. I just love to see our offense doing good."
"He's the perfect personality at quarterback," Massey said. "If he makes a mistake he doesn't dwell on it. He doesn't lose his composure and he just keeps competing. That says a lot for the young man."
On the strength of Campbell's running and passing along with some timely defensive stops, Brown (12-1) returned to the third round, where it will renew its playoff rivalry with Charlotte Catholic in the final of Midwest pod next week.
"This is a special group of kids," Massey said. "It doesn't matter what we do or how we play, they find a way to
get it done. They've just got a lot of heart and I'm real proud of them. Nothing's easy when you get to the second round and this is the third straight year we get to play (after) Thanksgiving and that says something
special."
Practice for the Wonders next week looked in doubt when Statesville (7-6) struck for two touchdowns in a span of a just over a minute for a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.But with a senior leading the way a quarterback, Brown didn't panic - even when running backs Xavier Stanback and Damien Washington were lost to injuries.That just meant more work for Campbell and Travis Riley.
"In the playoffs it's all about composure," Campbell said. "Each team is going to go through their ups and
downs, but the team that keeps its composure and rallies behind each other the best is usually the team that wins the game. And we rallied behind each other when we got down early."
The Wonders erased the deficit almost as quickly as it fell into it, scoring twice in the last 2:23 of the half to get back even.Campbell keepers of 13 and 12 yards and a 18-yard pass to Jones set up Riley's 2-yard score that made it 14-7.Brown's defense forced a three-and-out and Jones' 28-yard punt return then set the Wonders back up at the Statesville 37. A cutback run by Riley gained 18 yards, Keeon Johnson's reception got nine more and Riley ran 10 yards off right tackle to tie it at 14-14 with 1:02 left in the half.
"Getting the two scores right before half was big," Massey said. "It gave us a little momentum and put some doubt in their mind, I think."
Using the running of quarterback Carlis Parker and running back Triston Mumford moved the ball on its first two possessions in the third quarter. But an interception by safety Kaleel Hollis at the Brown 8 thrwarted the first drive and the Wonders forced a punt from near midfield on the second.Brown took over at its 20 and began a methodical 16-play, 80-yard march to take its first lead. It overcame a 1st-and-21 hole at the start when Campbell's quarterback sneak gained two yards on a 4th and inches from the Wonders' own 29.Campbell followed with a 16-yarder keeper, threw to Johnson for a 5-yard catch to convert a third down and then broke several tackles on an 11-yard gain to the Statesville 25.The Wonders then got a break with a pass interference penalty against the Greyhounds that set up 1st and goal at the 10. Campbell was tackled for a rare loss on first down, but on third down from the 12, threw over the middle where a cutting Jones made the catch in the front of the end zone for the touchdown with 11:14 left in the fourth.
"That's a play we practice all the time," Campbell said. "It didn't work out exactly how we drew it up, but we were able to score on it and that's all that matters. (Jones) was running a drag, but he was supposed to be
shallower and the tight end (Quadar Goldsmith) was running a deeper drag. I was going for the tight end, but he undercut it."
The Wonders' defense again followed a score by its offense with a stop, as linebacker Andrew Leslie shot
through the line to tackle Parker for a three-yard loss on 3rd and 2 and force a Greyhound punt.
"After the running back didn't cross the quarterback's space I knew it was going to be an outside zone-type play with the quarterback," Leslie said. "When I shot the gap I had to break my feet down because he's got some speed and some moves so I had to get him by the legs as best I could. Third down, that's just my job, I guess, and I love it."
Brown then made it a two-score game with less than five minutes to go. A 37-yard reception by Demetrius Jackson helped set up Campbell's 21-yard touchdown run around the left side.Campbell rushed 19 times for a team-high 119 yards in the game, most of the damage coming on straight keepers up the middle.
"Depending on how they were going to play the option we knew we would have to do that some," Massey said. "They weren't going to let us run the option. They took that away from us so our kids did a good job of adapting and doing some other things."
Meanwhile, after missing on his first five pass attempts, Campbell completed 8 of his last 9 for 106 yards.
"Starting off things just weren't clicking like we wanted them to," he said. "But as the game went on our timing got better and we saw areas we wanted to exploit and we were able to pick up some good gains."
The Wonders totaled 273 rushing yards, with Jackson adding 71 and Riley finishing with 64.Parker and Mumford each rushed for 90 yards for the Greyhounds. Parker had a 9-yard touchdown run to open the scoring, but completed just 8 of 17 passes for 62 yards.
"We had to make some adjustments at half and get their quarterback on lockdown," Leslie said. "But I was so proud of our offense. Martel was just a whole other person tonight. I'm so glad for the way he played and glad to see Travis back on the field scoring touchdowns. I just love to see our offense doing good."
"Sights from the 2nd Round Statesville Game"
(Second Round Photos Courtesy of David Livengood)
"Travis Riley Post Game Interview"
Kannapolis-7 Charlotte Catholic-45
KANNAPOLIS — A.L. Brown certainly knows by now that just about the only to way beat Charlotte Catholic is to keep scoring with the Cougars’ machine-like offense.Unfortunately for the Wonders, they couldn't do that for very long this time.Top-seeded Brown scored on its first possession Friday night, and then never again, while second-seeded Catholic got points on all five first-half drives, rolled to a 24-point halftime lead and handed the Wonders a season-ending 45-7 loss in the third round of the 3AA playoffs at Memorial Stadium.
“Their offensive line is probably the best (Catholic line) I’ve ever seen,” Brown head coach Ron Massey said. “They're well-coached and just a very good football team. Not to say that we’re not a good football team. I'm proud of these kids. Sometimes you just play somebody that’s better than you, and we played somebody that was better than us tonight.”Brown finished the season 12-2, and for the fourth time in six years, the end came at the hands of the Cougars (14-0). The only time in the previous five tries that the Wonders have beaten Catholic, it took a touchdown pass in the final seconds to do it. Brown couldn’t stay close enough in this one.
After Keeon Johnson's 56-yard touchdown reception gave the Wonders a 7-3 lead, they failed to get a first down on three consecutive series.Catholic’s unstoppable offense had no such such problem, moving the ball at will and finding the end zone three straight times to build a 24-7 lead with just over four minutes left
in the second quarter.
"We kept our defense out there too much in the first half," Massey said. "We had to move the ball offensively because they are that good offensively. You get in a game like this and sometime it snowballs on you and it kinda did.”
Brown couldn't move early because Catholic shut down its running game. With the speed threat of Damien Washington out with a leg injury, the Cougars bottled up the middle. Travis Riley was held to just 10 yards on six carries in the first half.Down by 17 late in the half, Massey and the Wonders tried for a first down on 4th and 1 from their own 21, but Riley was stuffed for no gain.We just got to a point on fourth down where we had to keep it out of their hands and they've got an answer for everything,” Massey said.After the stop, Catholic capitalized on the short field with fullback Steven Bevilacqua’s 15-yard touchdown run around left end that made it 31-7 with 1:21 left in the half.
The Cougars were their usual rushing juggernaut, totaling 194 yards in the first two quarters and 358 for the game.But also as usual, they were extremely effective the few times they threw the ball. Quarterback C.J. Brodowicz completed four of his five passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns.Wingback David Herlocker was wide open when he caught a 3-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-goal play that made it 17-7 and again late in the third quarter on a 69-yard catch-and-run score.
“"We knew we could've thrown (more),” longtime Catholic head coach Jim Oddo said. “They were all up on the line. But we only did it when we had to"”
Brown defensive back Shequez Weaks had pretty good coverage on a play in the second quarter, but Catholic tight end Nick Funck made a better play on the ball down the middle of the field and turned it into a 68-yard touchdown.We'’ve played them for five years and we’ve tried to run two or three different fronts against them and they just tie you in and then go over the top with the pass,” Massey said. “They make you devote so much to
the run that it makes it tough on those secondary people.”Massey reluctantly abandoned his running game late in the first half and quarterback Martel Campbell threw the Wonders down the field on three straight possessions, but they couldn't convert with points. A sack on Campbell derailed a drive right before halftime, Campbell was intercepted inside the Cougars' 10 on the opening drive of the third quarter and then lost a fumble on 1st-and-goal from the Catholic 9 on the next possession.
We didn’t score, and you've got to score against them," Massey said. "That's the whole thing. If you don’t
score with them you're not going to be in the game.”
Campbell did put up impressive passing numbers, completing 21 of 36 passes for 250 yards. Johnson finished with 104 yards on six catches and Teven Jones had seven receptions for 65 yards.Catholic wingback Nick Johnson rushed for a team-high 121 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Bevilacqua finished with 120 yards.They wouldn't give up up front and we didn't give up, but they just had a better backfield,” defensive lineman Mark Goodjohn said.
Even the Cougars' special teams exceled. Placekicker Jesse Roy kicked a 49-yard field goal and had four kickoffs for touchbacks.
"You can't really throw them off their game,” Brown linebacker Dominique Phifer said. They're a very focused team, well-coached and strong players and altogether they were just the better team tonight.”
Still, the Wonders were more successful than most would've thought when Riley was sidelined by his
knee injury in the season opener. They also dealt with the death of teammate Dajon Torrence along the way.
“"I told them I wouldn't trade places with anybody,” Massey said. "They've meant a lot to me as a coach with what they had to go through this year. They grew up a lot this year. They'll bounce back. They won another conference championship and got to the third round again. There's a lot to be proud of.”
“Their offensive line is probably the best (Catholic line) I’ve ever seen,” Brown head coach Ron Massey said. “They're well-coached and just a very good football team. Not to say that we’re not a good football team. I'm proud of these kids. Sometimes you just play somebody that’s better than you, and we played somebody that was better than us tonight.”Brown finished the season 12-2, and for the fourth time in six years, the end came at the hands of the Cougars (14-0). The only time in the previous five tries that the Wonders have beaten Catholic, it took a touchdown pass in the final seconds to do it. Brown couldn’t stay close enough in this one.
After Keeon Johnson's 56-yard touchdown reception gave the Wonders a 7-3 lead, they failed to get a first down on three consecutive series.Catholic’s unstoppable offense had no such such problem, moving the ball at will and finding the end zone three straight times to build a 24-7 lead with just over four minutes left
in the second quarter.
"We kept our defense out there too much in the first half," Massey said. "We had to move the ball offensively because they are that good offensively. You get in a game like this and sometime it snowballs on you and it kinda did.”
Brown couldn't move early because Catholic shut down its running game. With the speed threat of Damien Washington out with a leg injury, the Cougars bottled up the middle. Travis Riley was held to just 10 yards on six carries in the first half.Down by 17 late in the half, Massey and the Wonders tried for a first down on 4th and 1 from their own 21, but Riley was stuffed for no gain.We just got to a point on fourth down where we had to keep it out of their hands and they've got an answer for everything,” Massey said.After the stop, Catholic capitalized on the short field with fullback Steven Bevilacqua’s 15-yard touchdown run around left end that made it 31-7 with 1:21 left in the half.
The Cougars were their usual rushing juggernaut, totaling 194 yards in the first two quarters and 358 for the game.But also as usual, they were extremely effective the few times they threw the ball. Quarterback C.J. Brodowicz completed four of his five passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns.Wingback David Herlocker was wide open when he caught a 3-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-goal play that made it 17-7 and again late in the third quarter on a 69-yard catch-and-run score.
“"We knew we could've thrown (more),” longtime Catholic head coach Jim Oddo said. “They were all up on the line. But we only did it when we had to"”
Brown defensive back Shequez Weaks had pretty good coverage on a play in the second quarter, but Catholic tight end Nick Funck made a better play on the ball down the middle of the field and turned it into a 68-yard touchdown.We'’ve played them for five years and we’ve tried to run two or three different fronts against them and they just tie you in and then go over the top with the pass,” Massey said. “They make you devote so much to
the run that it makes it tough on those secondary people.”Massey reluctantly abandoned his running game late in the first half and quarterback Martel Campbell threw the Wonders down the field on three straight possessions, but they couldn't convert with points. A sack on Campbell derailed a drive right before halftime, Campbell was intercepted inside the Cougars' 10 on the opening drive of the third quarter and then lost a fumble on 1st-and-goal from the Catholic 9 on the next possession.
We didn’t score, and you've got to score against them," Massey said. "That's the whole thing. If you don’t
score with them you're not going to be in the game.”
Campbell did put up impressive passing numbers, completing 21 of 36 passes for 250 yards. Johnson finished with 104 yards on six catches and Teven Jones had seven receptions for 65 yards.Catholic wingback Nick Johnson rushed for a team-high 121 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Bevilacqua finished with 120 yards.They wouldn't give up up front and we didn't give up, but they just had a better backfield,” defensive lineman Mark Goodjohn said.
Even the Cougars' special teams exceled. Placekicker Jesse Roy kicked a 49-yard field goal and had four kickoffs for touchbacks.
"You can't really throw them off their game,” Brown linebacker Dominique Phifer said. They're a very focused team, well-coached and strong players and altogether they were just the better team tonight.”
Still, the Wonders were more successful than most would've thought when Riley was sidelined by his
knee injury in the season opener. They also dealt with the death of teammate Dajon Torrence along the way.
“"I told them I wouldn't trade places with anybody,” Massey said. "They've meant a lot to me as a coach with what they had to go through this year. They grew up a lot this year. They'll bounce back. They won another conference championship and got to the third round again. There's a lot to be proud of.”