Wonder Football 2016 Scrapbook
"Meet the 2016 A.L. Brown Wonders"
"The 2016 A.L. Brown JV Wonders"
"2016 Summer Warriors"
2016 Varsity and Junior Varsity Results
Varsity 2016
Kannapolis-31 Concord-19 Kannapolis-65 South Rowan-7 Kannapolis-48 Northwest Cabarrus-0 Kannapolis-21 Mooresville-23 Kannapolis-35 North Meck-12 Kannapolis-24 Vance-21 Kannapolis-17 J.M. Robinson-14 Kannapolis-7 Hough-21 Kannapolis-7 Mallard Creek-24 Kannapolis-23 West Charlotte-14 Kannapolis-55 Hopewell-6 Playoffs Kannapolis-37 Glenn-29 Kannapolis-19 Davie Co-38 9-4 |
Junior Varsity 2016
Kannapolis-56 Concord-6 Kannapolis-54 South Rowan-0 Kannapolis-40 Northwest Cabarrus-0 Kannapolis-10 Mooresville-19 Kannapolis-46 North Meck-0 Kannapolis-38 Vance-8 Kannapolis-26 Hough-0 Kannapolis-22 Mallard Creek-35 Kannapolis-46 West Charlotte-0 Kannapolis-1 Hopewell-0 (F) 8-2 |
"2016 Wonder Football Preview"
Game #1
Kannapolis
vs
Concord
Mike London-Salisbury Post
With a little more than seven minutes remaining in the second quarter of Thursday night’s Battle for the Bell, the A.L. Brown football team fumbled a snap, and Concord scooped the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Spiders a 13-7 lead. While that might have seemed bad enough for the Wonders, the ball was not the only thing they lost on the play. Quarterback Cordarius Butler went down on the play and was on the field for some time, before being lifted on to stretcher and taken away by an ambulance with an apparent leg injury. Things looked bleak for Butler’s teammates at the time, but after the delay, they scored two quick touchdowns and took a 21-13 lead into halftime. It was a lead they would not relinquish, as the Cream of Cabarrus No. 2-ranked Wonders ultimately defeated No. 1 Concord, 31-19, at Robert C. Bailey Stadium.
A.L. Brown didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, but the Wonders’ steady, ball-controlled offensive attack was the perfect balance to their dominating defense. Coach Mike Newsome’s team had a tall task ahead after losing its offensive leader, but the Wonders continued to push and their offense actually improved. Senior Zach Williamson stepped up and immediately proved himself as a versatile runner, scrambling several times for gains greater than 10 yards. He also did an extraordinary job of stepping into a big-game situation, especially considering his lack of experience. After the game, Newsome praised Williamson.
“He did a great job of managing the game,” Newsome said. He’ll have to step up, and he will, He’s ready for the job, and we’ll move forward with him '
Newsome added that he’s confident in Williamson’s ability to fill his new role and take on the added pressures. After helping the Wonders win to victory, Williamson was emotional for many reasons. Foremost was the pain of seeing a friend suffer through an injury. Williamson said that his performance Thursday night was for Butler.
“I went out there, and I told him I got you, I’ll win it for you,” Williamson said.
That’s what Williamson did, rushing for 28 yards on three carries as well as having a pass that went for 43 yards to Lewis Harris late in the game. While he might not have done much that showed up on the stat sheet, Williamson helped keep the offense moving quickly and limited turnovers.
“I had to go out there and lead the offense,” Williamson said. “I had to tell them, ‘It’s going to be all right, let’s get the job done. Let’s keeping pounding it.’”
Williamson also got a lot of help from his running backs, namely Jahia Mahatha, Ja’querius Bost and EJ Henderson. The Wonders backfield was a committee on Thursday, and it seemed that everyone who touched the ball had their fair share of success.
“We were just picking each other up and telling each other not to fall back from this,” Bost said. “We got to play for (Butler), and keep moving forward.”
Despite the huge loss at quarterback, as well as the obvious momentum shift toward Concord, A.L. Brown found a way to rejuvenate its offense when it needed it most. By pounding the ball on the ground, the Wonders wore down Concord as the game went on. A.L. Brown fans can expect to see multiple players carrying the ball throughout the season.
“It’s going to be running back by committee for us all year long,” Newsome said. “We’ve got some really good guys who can step in there.”
Newsome also praised his boys up front.
“Our offensive line did a great job all night long,” he said. “I really felt that at the end of the game we were dominating them.
Joe Habina -Independent Tribune
Don’t let the number of points fool you. Cream of Cabarrus No. 2 A.L. Brown’s 31-19 victory over No. 1 Concord in the annual Battle of the Bell rivalry high school football game was everything but an offensive showcase. Wonders senior linebacker Steven Howie’s 38-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1 minute, 18 seconds left in the game was the most thrilling and important defensive play in a game full of them at Robert C. Bailey Stadium. Howie’s interception sealed A.L. Brown’s win, allowing the Wonders to maintain ownership of The Bell, and capped a defensive effort that decided the game’s outcome. Howie’s interception came as A.L. Brown was protecting a 24-19 lead. Concord had possession for a second time after Justin Nicholson’s 82-yard punt return closed its deficit midway through the fourth quarter but it couldn’t capitalize. Facing third-and-10 from its 43-yard line, Concord senior quarterback Jacob Irby looked for a target out of the Spiders’ backfield. Howie saw the scheme developing and had a bead on the ball.
“I saw the back come out of the backfield slow,” said Howie. “As soon as he turned his back I knew (the pass) was coming.”
Howie had mostly open field in front of him but had to change directions inside the final 10 yards and dove across the goal line. The touchdown set off a wild celebration that the Wonders were penalized for on the ensuing kickoff. By that time, an extra 15 yards didn’t matter. Kannapolis was on its way to winning consecutive Bell Games for the first time since the 2010 and 2011 seasons. With Thursday’s game being the season opener for both teams, the Wonders also established some momentum for the rest of the season. Turnovers directly led to three of the five touchdowns the teams scored in the first half. With the score tied 7-7 in the second quarter, Concord’s Ja’Nai Spratt picked up a fumble and dashed 34 yards for a score. From his 49-yard line, Kannapolis starting quarterback Cordarius Butler, mishandled a shotgun snap and chased backwards after the ball.
Exiting the ensuing scrum with the ball was Spratt, who darted to the end zone uncontested. Butler was left lying on the turf, coping with an apparent leg injury that delayed the game 15 minutes. He left the stadium in an ambulance and was replaced by senior Zac Williamson. Kannapolis (1-0) was forced to punt on its following possession, and punter Kevon Jacobs launched a 55-yard kick. Concord return man Ikym Hall recovered his own muffed catch at the Spiders’ 10-yard line, only to have Brown’s Nakhor Wise knock it loose again at the 5. The Wonders fell on the loose ball at the 1, and Jahia Mahatha scored standing up on the next play as Kannapolis recaptured the lead, 14-13. Still reeling from that turnover, Concord (0-1) lost the ball again on its ensuing possession. Donovan Spriggs lost control of the ball after catching a short flair pass, and Wise recovered it at the Spiders’ 13-yard line. Brown hurried into a fastbreak offense, reeling off three quick run plays as Mahatha scored from the 3 with 4:50 left in the half.
“I’m very proud of this group of young men,” said Concord coach Glen Padgett. “They got down but they never quit … They made a lot of youthful mistakes tonight that, as the season progresses, will get corrected.”
Kannapolis opened the game’s scoring in the first quarter as it found its running game late in the period, churning out 32 yards of a 45-yard drive on the ground. Mahatha gathered 25 of those yards on five carries.Butler finished the drive with a 5-yard scoring toss to Ja’Querius Bost. On second-and-goal, Butler took a snap and scooted left, connecting with Bost, who shook his defender and cradled the throw inches above the turf. Concord answered Kannapolis’ best offensive drive with its own strong offensive possession. Starting at its own 37 early in the second quarter, Spiders running back P.J. Hall hauled in a screen pass from quarterback Larkin Lancaster and had most of his offensive line in front of him.Hall darted to the left sideline and found separation at the Kannapolis 45. He won an easy race to the goal line as Concord knotted the score 7-7. Spratt’s fumble recovery for a touchdown fewer than two minutes later gave the Spiders their only lead of the game. Joe Habina -Independent Tribune
SCORING SUMMARY
A.L. Brown 7 14 0 10 -- 31
Concord 0 13 0 6 -- 19
Kannapolis- JaQuerius Bost 5 pass from Cordarius Butler (Brian Gutierrez kick)
Concord- P.J. Hall 60 pass from Larkin Lancaster (Landon Trott kick)
Concord- Ja’Nai Spratt 34 fumble return (pass failed)
Kannapolis- Jahia Mahatha 1 run (Gutierrez kick)
Kannapolis- Mahatha 3 run (Gutierrez kick)
Kannapolis- Gutierrez 26 FG
Concord- Justin Nicholson 82 punt return (pass failed)
Kannapolis- Steven Howie 38 interception return (Gutierrez kick)
With a little more than seven minutes remaining in the second quarter of Thursday night’s Battle for the Bell, the A.L. Brown football team fumbled a snap, and Concord scooped the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Spiders a 13-7 lead. While that might have seemed bad enough for the Wonders, the ball was not the only thing they lost on the play. Quarterback Cordarius Butler went down on the play and was on the field for some time, before being lifted on to stretcher and taken away by an ambulance with an apparent leg injury. Things looked bleak for Butler’s teammates at the time, but after the delay, they scored two quick touchdowns and took a 21-13 lead into halftime. It was a lead they would not relinquish, as the Cream of Cabarrus No. 2-ranked Wonders ultimately defeated No. 1 Concord, 31-19, at Robert C. Bailey Stadium.
A.L. Brown didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, but the Wonders’ steady, ball-controlled offensive attack was the perfect balance to their dominating defense. Coach Mike Newsome’s team had a tall task ahead after losing its offensive leader, but the Wonders continued to push and their offense actually improved. Senior Zach Williamson stepped up and immediately proved himself as a versatile runner, scrambling several times for gains greater than 10 yards. He also did an extraordinary job of stepping into a big-game situation, especially considering his lack of experience. After the game, Newsome praised Williamson.
“He did a great job of managing the game,” Newsome said. He’ll have to step up, and he will, He’s ready for the job, and we’ll move forward with him '
Newsome added that he’s confident in Williamson’s ability to fill his new role and take on the added pressures. After helping the Wonders win to victory, Williamson was emotional for many reasons. Foremost was the pain of seeing a friend suffer through an injury. Williamson said that his performance Thursday night was for Butler.
“I went out there, and I told him I got you, I’ll win it for you,” Williamson said.
That’s what Williamson did, rushing for 28 yards on three carries as well as having a pass that went for 43 yards to Lewis Harris late in the game. While he might not have done much that showed up on the stat sheet, Williamson helped keep the offense moving quickly and limited turnovers.
“I had to go out there and lead the offense,” Williamson said. “I had to tell them, ‘It’s going to be all right, let’s get the job done. Let’s keeping pounding it.’”
Williamson also got a lot of help from his running backs, namely Jahia Mahatha, Ja’querius Bost and EJ Henderson. The Wonders backfield was a committee on Thursday, and it seemed that everyone who touched the ball had their fair share of success.
“We were just picking each other up and telling each other not to fall back from this,” Bost said. “We got to play for (Butler), and keep moving forward.”
Despite the huge loss at quarterback, as well as the obvious momentum shift toward Concord, A.L. Brown found a way to rejuvenate its offense when it needed it most. By pounding the ball on the ground, the Wonders wore down Concord as the game went on. A.L. Brown fans can expect to see multiple players carrying the ball throughout the season.
“It’s going to be running back by committee for us all year long,” Newsome said. “We’ve got some really good guys who can step in there.”
Newsome also praised his boys up front.
“Our offensive line did a great job all night long,” he said. “I really felt that at the end of the game we were dominating them.
Joe Habina -Independent Tribune
Don’t let the number of points fool you. Cream of Cabarrus No. 2 A.L. Brown’s 31-19 victory over No. 1 Concord in the annual Battle of the Bell rivalry high school football game was everything but an offensive showcase. Wonders senior linebacker Steven Howie’s 38-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1 minute, 18 seconds left in the game was the most thrilling and important defensive play in a game full of them at Robert C. Bailey Stadium. Howie’s interception sealed A.L. Brown’s win, allowing the Wonders to maintain ownership of The Bell, and capped a defensive effort that decided the game’s outcome. Howie’s interception came as A.L. Brown was protecting a 24-19 lead. Concord had possession for a second time after Justin Nicholson’s 82-yard punt return closed its deficit midway through the fourth quarter but it couldn’t capitalize. Facing third-and-10 from its 43-yard line, Concord senior quarterback Jacob Irby looked for a target out of the Spiders’ backfield. Howie saw the scheme developing and had a bead on the ball.
“I saw the back come out of the backfield slow,” said Howie. “As soon as he turned his back I knew (the pass) was coming.”
Howie had mostly open field in front of him but had to change directions inside the final 10 yards and dove across the goal line. The touchdown set off a wild celebration that the Wonders were penalized for on the ensuing kickoff. By that time, an extra 15 yards didn’t matter. Kannapolis was on its way to winning consecutive Bell Games for the first time since the 2010 and 2011 seasons. With Thursday’s game being the season opener for both teams, the Wonders also established some momentum for the rest of the season. Turnovers directly led to three of the five touchdowns the teams scored in the first half. With the score tied 7-7 in the second quarter, Concord’s Ja’Nai Spratt picked up a fumble and dashed 34 yards for a score. From his 49-yard line, Kannapolis starting quarterback Cordarius Butler, mishandled a shotgun snap and chased backwards after the ball.
Exiting the ensuing scrum with the ball was Spratt, who darted to the end zone uncontested. Butler was left lying on the turf, coping with an apparent leg injury that delayed the game 15 minutes. He left the stadium in an ambulance and was replaced by senior Zac Williamson. Kannapolis (1-0) was forced to punt on its following possession, and punter Kevon Jacobs launched a 55-yard kick. Concord return man Ikym Hall recovered his own muffed catch at the Spiders’ 10-yard line, only to have Brown’s Nakhor Wise knock it loose again at the 5. The Wonders fell on the loose ball at the 1, and Jahia Mahatha scored standing up on the next play as Kannapolis recaptured the lead, 14-13. Still reeling from that turnover, Concord (0-1) lost the ball again on its ensuing possession. Donovan Spriggs lost control of the ball after catching a short flair pass, and Wise recovered it at the Spiders’ 13-yard line. Brown hurried into a fastbreak offense, reeling off three quick run plays as Mahatha scored from the 3 with 4:50 left in the half.
“I’m very proud of this group of young men,” said Concord coach Glen Padgett. “They got down but they never quit … They made a lot of youthful mistakes tonight that, as the season progresses, will get corrected.”
Kannapolis opened the game’s scoring in the first quarter as it found its running game late in the period, churning out 32 yards of a 45-yard drive on the ground. Mahatha gathered 25 of those yards on five carries.Butler finished the drive with a 5-yard scoring toss to Ja’Querius Bost. On second-and-goal, Butler took a snap and scooted left, connecting with Bost, who shook his defender and cradled the throw inches above the turf. Concord answered Kannapolis’ best offensive drive with its own strong offensive possession. Starting at its own 37 early in the second quarter, Spiders running back P.J. Hall hauled in a screen pass from quarterback Larkin Lancaster and had most of his offensive line in front of him.Hall darted to the left sideline and found separation at the Kannapolis 45. He won an easy race to the goal line as Concord knotted the score 7-7. Spratt’s fumble recovery for a touchdown fewer than two minutes later gave the Spiders their only lead of the game. Joe Habina -Independent Tribune
SCORING SUMMARY
A.L. Brown 7 14 0 10 -- 31
Concord 0 13 0 6 -- 19
Kannapolis- JaQuerius Bost 5 pass from Cordarius Butler (Brian Gutierrez kick)
Concord- P.J. Hall 60 pass from Larkin Lancaster (Landon Trott kick)
Concord- Ja’Nai Spratt 34 fumble return (pass failed)
Kannapolis- Jahia Mahatha 1 run (Gutierrez kick)
Kannapolis- Mahatha 3 run (Gutierrez kick)
Kannapolis- Gutierrez 26 FG
Concord- Justin Nicholson 82 punt return (pass failed)
Kannapolis- Steven Howie 38 interception return (Gutierrez kick)
Pre Game Gallery
Action Gallery #1
Action Gallery #2
Action Gallery #3
2016 Great American Rivalry Series
"Hall of Fame Recipients"
This year's recipients of the Great American Rivalry Series Hall of Fame Award sponsored by the United States Marine Corp goes to Gerald Holt of A.L. Brown and B.J. Beecher of Concord Senior High. Congratulations to both of these fine athletes from Friday Nights in K-Town.
Game #2
Kannapolis
VS
South Rowan
David Shaw-Salisbury Post
It took A.L. Brown’s football team all of eight seconds to get up to speed Friday night — and it never slowed down. The host Wonders recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, then scored touchdowns on nine of their 10 possessions in a 65-7 non-conference rout of South Rowan.
“We expected it to be like this,” senior quarterback Zac Williamson said after turning his first varsity start into a back-to-school party. “Every game we play, all we’re ever thinking about is Mallard Creek. We just closed our eyes and imagined that’s who we were playing.”
Brown (2-0) won’t meet its MECKA conference rival until Oct. 21, but it already looks playoff-ready. The Wonders — who outscored Concord a week ago — rushed for 367 yards and scored all of their TDs on running plays.
“They were very quick,” said South linebacker Tyler Belk. “It was nothing we couldn’t handle. We just didn’t have a good game.”
South (0-2) was limited to four first downs and 85 total yards and scored its only touchdown following Austin Hyde’s first-quarter interception. It’s defense, meanwhile, yielded 458 yards and was routinely exposed by big plays. The game’s last 21 minutes and 38 seconds were played with a running clock.
“I personally feel we were in the ballgame all the way into the third quarter,” second-year South coach Daniel Yow said. “From that point out our kids kind of decided the outcome was in hand and just went through the motions. I wasn’t too happy about that.”
There was little for SR to applaud, though the Raiders found themselves within 14-7 when quarterback Austin Chrismon threaded a perfectly placed, 20-yard touchdown pass to wideout Daevonne Harris in the right corner of the end zone late in the first quarter.
“I looked at him in the huddle and said, ‘Go get this,'” Chrismon recalled. “Go get this ball. And he did. It was as simple as that.”
Brown responded as soon as it got the chance. Just four snaps later the Wonders regained a two-touchdown lead when halfback Shymere Scott took a handoff from Williamson, maneuvered around the left flank and took off on a 75-yard TD sprint. Williamson was quick to credit the work of Brown’s offensive line — a 1,260-pound wall of muscle manned by Malachi Lyles, Jeremy Davis, Chandler Teal, Mason Goetting and Aaron Smith.
“There was some great blocking tonight,” Williamson gushed after passing for 91 yards and rushing for 66. “The guys on the line were strong and consistent, just doing what they had to do.”
If South had any chance of getting back into the game it was muffled just 1:11 into the second quarter. Chrismon’s fourth-and-long punt from the goal line was blocked by Brown junior Najee Williams and tumbled out of the end zone for a safety.
“The whole play blew up right in my hands,” Chrismon said. “There was nothing I could do.”
Brown extended its lead to 44-7 by halftime and when Steven Howie scored early in the third period, football’s mercy rule went into effect. Afterward the Raiders were searching for an explanation, but to their credit, not an excuse.
“We know this was a really good 4A team against a 2A team,” Belk said. “A game like this will make us tougher, make us fight a little harder when conference play begins. A.L. Brown is the best team we’ll face all year, no doubt.”
Chrismon, who completed 5 of 8 passes for 49 yards, provided an honest reflection.
“It hurts,” he said. “But it’s over. Now we’ve got to look forward to next week.”
Of course, South is idle next Friday.
“That’s a good thing,” Yow concluded. “Now we know some more of the things we’ve got to work on for next time. We can take a step back, work on fundamentals and reset ourselves.”
It took A.L. Brown’s football team all of eight seconds to get up to speed Friday night — and it never slowed down. The host Wonders recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, then scored touchdowns on nine of their 10 possessions in a 65-7 non-conference rout of South Rowan.
“We expected it to be like this,” senior quarterback Zac Williamson said after turning his first varsity start into a back-to-school party. “Every game we play, all we’re ever thinking about is Mallard Creek. We just closed our eyes and imagined that’s who we were playing.”
Brown (2-0) won’t meet its MECKA conference rival until Oct. 21, but it already looks playoff-ready. The Wonders — who outscored Concord a week ago — rushed for 367 yards and scored all of their TDs on running plays.
“They were very quick,” said South linebacker Tyler Belk. “It was nothing we couldn’t handle. We just didn’t have a good game.”
South (0-2) was limited to four first downs and 85 total yards and scored its only touchdown following Austin Hyde’s first-quarter interception. It’s defense, meanwhile, yielded 458 yards and was routinely exposed by big plays. The game’s last 21 minutes and 38 seconds were played with a running clock.
“I personally feel we were in the ballgame all the way into the third quarter,” second-year South coach Daniel Yow said. “From that point out our kids kind of decided the outcome was in hand and just went through the motions. I wasn’t too happy about that.”
There was little for SR to applaud, though the Raiders found themselves within 14-7 when quarterback Austin Chrismon threaded a perfectly placed, 20-yard touchdown pass to wideout Daevonne Harris in the right corner of the end zone late in the first quarter.
“I looked at him in the huddle and said, ‘Go get this,'” Chrismon recalled. “Go get this ball. And he did. It was as simple as that.”
Brown responded as soon as it got the chance. Just four snaps later the Wonders regained a two-touchdown lead when halfback Shymere Scott took a handoff from Williamson, maneuvered around the left flank and took off on a 75-yard TD sprint. Williamson was quick to credit the work of Brown’s offensive line — a 1,260-pound wall of muscle manned by Malachi Lyles, Jeremy Davis, Chandler Teal, Mason Goetting and Aaron Smith.
“There was some great blocking tonight,” Williamson gushed after passing for 91 yards and rushing for 66. “The guys on the line were strong and consistent, just doing what they had to do.”
If South had any chance of getting back into the game it was muffled just 1:11 into the second quarter. Chrismon’s fourth-and-long punt from the goal line was blocked by Brown junior Najee Williams and tumbled out of the end zone for a safety.
“The whole play blew up right in my hands,” Chrismon said. “There was nothing I could do.”
Brown extended its lead to 44-7 by halftime and when Steven Howie scored early in the third period, football’s mercy rule went into effect. Afterward the Raiders were searching for an explanation, but to their credit, not an excuse.
“We know this was a really good 4A team against a 2A team,” Belk said. “A game like this will make us tougher, make us fight a little harder when conference play begins. A.L. Brown is the best team we’ll face all year, no doubt.”
Chrismon, who completed 5 of 8 passes for 49 yards, provided an honest reflection.
“It hurts,” he said. “But it’s over. Now we’ve got to look forward to next week.”
Of course, South is idle next Friday.
“That’s a good thing,” Yow concluded. “Now we know some more of the things we’ve got to work on for next time. We can take a step back, work on fundamentals and reset ourselves.”
Pre Game Gallery
Action Gallery #1
Action Gallery #2
Candids Gallery
Game #3
Kannapolis
VS
Northwest Cabarrus
AKIEM BAILUM- Independent Tribune
In a game that was rescheduled for Monday due to the effects of Tropical Storm Hermine, the A.L. Brown football team brought a deluge of its own to Kannapolis Memorial Stadium, as its ferocious running attack led the way in its victory over Northwest Cabarrus. A.L. Brown quarterback Zac Williamson, in his second start since an opening-night injury to starter Cordarius Butler, completed seven of his 13 pass attempts for one touchdown and an interception. He also got a lot of help from his running game, which combined for nearly 300 yards on the ground.
“Our big thing tonight was to take care of business, and we took care of business, and it’s on to the next game,” A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome said.
This game got off to a pedestrian start, as the Wonders defense forced Northwest Cabarrus (0-2) into a pair of three-and-outs and penalties hampered A.L. Brown drives. A 12-yard touchdown run by senior running back Steven Howie provided the first points of the night, and a Brian Gutierrez extra point gave the Wonders a 7-0 lead. From that point on, the Wonders poured it on their neighborhood rival, as they spent much of the second quarter working with short fields. By halftime, it was 34-0 in favor of A.L. Brown.
“Having bragging rights with each other and just playing hard against each other,” Williamson said, describing the rivalry. “It’s great. I love it.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The win for the Wonders increased their record to 3-0 on the season, during which time they are averaging 48 points per game.
PLAY OF THE GAME: The opening offensive play for Northwest Cabarrus in the second half was indicative of how the entire game went for both teams, as Trojans quarterback Damien Bertino was intercepted by junior defensive back James Farewell. This gave A.L. Brown another short field to work with as the ball was placed at the Northwest Cabarrus 33-yard line, which later became another Wonders touchdown.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Zac Williamson, A.L. Brown: The Wonders quarterback not only completed seven of his 13 passes for 114 yards, he also contributed to the A.L. Brown rushing attack with several plays on the ground for sizable yardage.
WHAT’S UP NEXT? Coming up on the schedule for A.L. Brown is a non-conference matchup on the road at Mooresville. As for Northwest Cabarrus, its next game will also be non-conference -- at home vs. South Rowan.
GAME SUMMARY
NW Cabarrus 0 0 0 0 -- 0
A.L. Brown 7 27 14 0 -- 48
ALB: Steven Howie 12 run (Brian Gutierrez kick)
ALB: E.J. Henderson 6 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Shymere Scott 29 pass from Zac Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Ja’Querius Bost 4 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Ja’Querius Bost 8 run (kick was no good)
ALB: Shymere Scott 9 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Tyrek Cagle 2 run (Gutierrez kick)
In a game that was rescheduled for Monday due to the effects of Tropical Storm Hermine, the A.L. Brown football team brought a deluge of its own to Kannapolis Memorial Stadium, as its ferocious running attack led the way in its victory over Northwest Cabarrus. A.L. Brown quarterback Zac Williamson, in his second start since an opening-night injury to starter Cordarius Butler, completed seven of his 13 pass attempts for one touchdown and an interception. He also got a lot of help from his running game, which combined for nearly 300 yards on the ground.
“Our big thing tonight was to take care of business, and we took care of business, and it’s on to the next game,” A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome said.
This game got off to a pedestrian start, as the Wonders defense forced Northwest Cabarrus (0-2) into a pair of three-and-outs and penalties hampered A.L. Brown drives. A 12-yard touchdown run by senior running back Steven Howie provided the first points of the night, and a Brian Gutierrez extra point gave the Wonders a 7-0 lead. From that point on, the Wonders poured it on their neighborhood rival, as they spent much of the second quarter working with short fields. By halftime, it was 34-0 in favor of A.L. Brown.
“Having bragging rights with each other and just playing hard against each other,” Williamson said, describing the rivalry. “It’s great. I love it.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The win for the Wonders increased their record to 3-0 on the season, during which time they are averaging 48 points per game.
PLAY OF THE GAME: The opening offensive play for Northwest Cabarrus in the second half was indicative of how the entire game went for both teams, as Trojans quarterback Damien Bertino was intercepted by junior defensive back James Farewell. This gave A.L. Brown another short field to work with as the ball was placed at the Northwest Cabarrus 33-yard line, which later became another Wonders touchdown.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Zac Williamson, A.L. Brown: The Wonders quarterback not only completed seven of his 13 passes for 114 yards, he also contributed to the A.L. Brown rushing attack with several plays on the ground for sizable yardage.
WHAT’S UP NEXT? Coming up on the schedule for A.L. Brown is a non-conference matchup on the road at Mooresville. As for Northwest Cabarrus, its next game will also be non-conference -- at home vs. South Rowan.
GAME SUMMARY
NW Cabarrus 0 0 0 0 -- 0
A.L. Brown 7 27 14 0 -- 48
ALB: Steven Howie 12 run (Brian Gutierrez kick)
ALB: E.J. Henderson 6 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Shymere Scott 29 pass from Zac Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Ja’Querius Bost 4 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Ja’Querius Bost 8 run (kick was no good)
ALB: Shymere Scott 9 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Tyrek Cagle 2 run (Gutierrez kick)
Action Gallery
(Photos Courtesy of Crystal Pearson Photography)
Game #4
Kannapolis
VS
Mooresville
"The Patriotism Bowl"
Mooresville High School, led by a former Cabarrus County coach, handed the A.L. Brown football team its first loss of the season, 23-21, Friday night. The Cream of Cabarrus No. 1-ranked Wonders (3-1) gave up a number of big plays in the first half and attempted a comeback in the second half, even taking the lead. But the Wonders came up short, as a late field goal by Jacob Benjamin helped the Blue Devils (2-2) take the victory.
Mooresville is coached by Marty Paxton, a Concord High School graduate who led the Hickory Ridge program for several years before taking over the Blue Devils last spring. A.L. Brown got on the scoreboard first, as quarterback Zac Williamson connected with Shymere Scott on a 6-yard pass for a touchdown. However, Mooresville responded with 20 unanswered points through the remainder of the first half – a half in which Blue Devils running back Donshell Jetton compiled 150 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. A.L. Brown rallied to take a 21-20 lead, thanks to another touchdown pass from Williamson to Scott in the third quarter and 3-yard run by Jahai Mahatha in the final period. But Benjamin’s kick sealed the outcome and ended the Wonders’ three-game winning streak.
“What our kids have got to understand and learn from this is that the smallest mistakes can make the biggest differences,” Wonders coach Mike Newsome said.
WHAT IT MEANS: After winning their first three games by a combined 118 points, the Wonders now stand 3-1.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Trailing, 23-21, the Wonders had a chance to execute a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils defense forced fourth down, and Williamson was stopped shy of first-down yardage.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Donshell Jetton, Mooresville: It was a banner evening for the Blue Devils senior running back, as he had 23 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone. He also had an 81-yard run to the 5-yard line that put Mooresville in position to score.
WHAT’S UP NEXT: A.L. Brown is idle this next Friday before taking the field for a Sept. 23 home game against North Mecklenburg. Mooresville also is idle next week, but will play host to Statesville in two weeks.
GAME SUMMARY:
A.L. Brown 7 0 7 7 -- 21
Mooresville 14 6 0 3 -- 23
ALB: Shymere Scott 6 pass from Zac Williamson (Brian Gutierrez kick)
M: Lazarus Hayes 1 run (Jacob Benjamin kick)
M: Donshell Jetton 1 run (Benjamin kick)
M: Donshell Jetton 14 run (kick attempt blocked)
AL: Shymere Scott 13 pass from Williamson (Brian Gutierrez kick)
AL: Jahari Mahatha 3 run (Gutierrez kick)
M: Benjamin 25 field goal
Mooresville is coached by Marty Paxton, a Concord High School graduate who led the Hickory Ridge program for several years before taking over the Blue Devils last spring. A.L. Brown got on the scoreboard first, as quarterback Zac Williamson connected with Shymere Scott on a 6-yard pass for a touchdown. However, Mooresville responded with 20 unanswered points through the remainder of the first half – a half in which Blue Devils running back Donshell Jetton compiled 150 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. A.L. Brown rallied to take a 21-20 lead, thanks to another touchdown pass from Williamson to Scott in the third quarter and 3-yard run by Jahai Mahatha in the final period. But Benjamin’s kick sealed the outcome and ended the Wonders’ three-game winning streak.
“What our kids have got to understand and learn from this is that the smallest mistakes can make the biggest differences,” Wonders coach Mike Newsome said.
WHAT IT MEANS: After winning their first three games by a combined 118 points, the Wonders now stand 3-1.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Trailing, 23-21, the Wonders had a chance to execute a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils defense forced fourth down, and Williamson was stopped shy of first-down yardage.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Donshell Jetton, Mooresville: It was a banner evening for the Blue Devils senior running back, as he had 23 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone. He also had an 81-yard run to the 5-yard line that put Mooresville in position to score.
WHAT’S UP NEXT: A.L. Brown is idle this next Friday before taking the field for a Sept. 23 home game against North Mecklenburg. Mooresville also is idle next week, but will play host to Statesville in two weeks.
GAME SUMMARY:
A.L. Brown 7 0 7 7 -- 21
Mooresville 14 6 0 3 -- 23
ALB: Shymere Scott 6 pass from Zac Williamson (Brian Gutierrez kick)
M: Lazarus Hayes 1 run (Jacob Benjamin kick)
M: Donshell Jetton 1 run (Benjamin kick)
M: Donshell Jetton 14 run (kick attempt blocked)
AL: Shymere Scott 13 pass from Williamson (Brian Gutierrez kick)
AL: Jahari Mahatha 3 run (Gutierrez kick)
M: Benjamin 25 field goal
Patriot Guard Escort
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Game #5
Kannapolis
VS
North Mecklenburg
-Henry Hutton Independent Tribune
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – After being idle last week, the A.L. Brown High School football team returned to its winning ways with an easy 35-12 win over visiting North Mecklenburg Friday night at Kannapolis Memorial Stadium. The Wonders, which had suffered a loss at Mooresville on Sept. 9, used a dominant ground game to get off to a promising start in the MECK4A conference over the Vikings (2-4, 0-1). The Wonders are now 4-1, 1-0 in the MECKA 4A. A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome was proud of his offense’s efficiency against North Mecklenburg, as the Wonders put up 411 total yards, including 241 on the ground.
“We felt like as big as North Meck was, and they were bigger than us, our strength and conditioning would be able to push (the Vikings’ defensive line) around,” Newsome said.
That’s exactly what the Wonders did. They dictated the line of scrimmage and the physical tone all night as they put up points with ease in the first half. After receiving the opening kickoff, it only took the Wonders six plays to score the game’s first touchdown, as Jahia Mahatha capped off a dominant drive with a 9-yard run. North Mecklenburg responded with a touchdown of its own, as quarterback Jaelan Anderson tossed a screen pass to Emanuel Wilson, who took it 69 yards for the score to cut the lead to 7-6. However, A.L. Brown then scored 28 unanswered points to bury the Vikings. Mahatha earned his second score of the night, reaching the end zone from 4 yards out. The Wonders scored on their next drive as well, with brilliant play-calling leading to a play-action pass from Zac Williamson to Lewis Harris for a wide-open, 36-yard touchdown. Mahatha and Harris each scored one more touchdown to cap off incredible nights.
“We came in Monday, and we were focused,” Mahatha said.
As great as the offense was, the defense was just as strong Friday night. The Wonders held North Mecklenburg to a mere 12 points, six of which came in garbage time. Despite playing one of the best running backs in the state in Wilson, A.L. Brown kept the Viking offense contained and limited explosive plays.
“(Wilson) may be the best back we face all year long,” Newsome said. “(North Mecklenburg) is very athletic, but our defense is fairly athletic themselves, and they’re really able to control games.”
After coming off a bit of surprising loss two weeks ago, Newsome planned to keep the game fairly simple Friday night against a team he knew his team could beat.
“We have to be able to … control the game defensively and then make plays when we can offensively,” he said.
As simple as it may sound, it worked to near-perfection Friday night.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Wonders had a key refocusing win leading into a huge home game against undefeated Vance team that was idle this week.
PLAY OF THE GAME: After starting a drive with eight consecutive running plays, A.L. Brown quarterback Zac Williamson ran a double play-action pass play and threw a perfect ball before being crushed by the defense. Lewis Harris caught the pass for a 36-yard touchdown.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Lewis Harris, A.L. Brown: The Wonders receiver had four receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns
WHAT’S NEXT? The Wonders will play host to Vance, while North Mecklenburg travels to West Charlotte.
GAME SUMMARY:
North Mecklenburg 14 14 0 7 - 35
A.L. Brown 6 0 0 6 - 12
ALB: Jahia Mahatha 9 run (Brian Gutierrez kick)
NMHS: Emanuel Wilson 69 pass from Jaelan Anderson (kick blocked)
ALB: Mahatha 4 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Lewis Harris 36 pass from Zac Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Mahatha 10 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Harris 39 yard pass from Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
NM: Tre Turner 1 pass from Anderson (conversion failed)
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – After being idle last week, the A.L. Brown High School football team returned to its winning ways with an easy 35-12 win over visiting North Mecklenburg Friday night at Kannapolis Memorial Stadium. The Wonders, which had suffered a loss at Mooresville on Sept. 9, used a dominant ground game to get off to a promising start in the MECK4A conference over the Vikings (2-4, 0-1). The Wonders are now 4-1, 1-0 in the MECKA 4A. A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome was proud of his offense’s efficiency against North Mecklenburg, as the Wonders put up 411 total yards, including 241 on the ground.
“We felt like as big as North Meck was, and they were bigger than us, our strength and conditioning would be able to push (the Vikings’ defensive line) around,” Newsome said.
That’s exactly what the Wonders did. They dictated the line of scrimmage and the physical tone all night as they put up points with ease in the first half. After receiving the opening kickoff, it only took the Wonders six plays to score the game’s first touchdown, as Jahia Mahatha capped off a dominant drive with a 9-yard run. North Mecklenburg responded with a touchdown of its own, as quarterback Jaelan Anderson tossed a screen pass to Emanuel Wilson, who took it 69 yards for the score to cut the lead to 7-6. However, A.L. Brown then scored 28 unanswered points to bury the Vikings. Mahatha earned his second score of the night, reaching the end zone from 4 yards out. The Wonders scored on their next drive as well, with brilliant play-calling leading to a play-action pass from Zac Williamson to Lewis Harris for a wide-open, 36-yard touchdown. Mahatha and Harris each scored one more touchdown to cap off incredible nights.
“We came in Monday, and we were focused,” Mahatha said.
As great as the offense was, the defense was just as strong Friday night. The Wonders held North Mecklenburg to a mere 12 points, six of which came in garbage time. Despite playing one of the best running backs in the state in Wilson, A.L. Brown kept the Viking offense contained and limited explosive plays.
“(Wilson) may be the best back we face all year long,” Newsome said. “(North Mecklenburg) is very athletic, but our defense is fairly athletic themselves, and they’re really able to control games.”
After coming off a bit of surprising loss two weeks ago, Newsome planned to keep the game fairly simple Friday night against a team he knew his team could beat.
“We have to be able to … control the game defensively and then make plays when we can offensively,” he said.
As simple as it may sound, it worked to near-perfection Friday night.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Wonders had a key refocusing win leading into a huge home game against undefeated Vance team that was idle this week.
PLAY OF THE GAME: After starting a drive with eight consecutive running plays, A.L. Brown quarterback Zac Williamson ran a double play-action pass play and threw a perfect ball before being crushed by the defense. Lewis Harris caught the pass for a 36-yard touchdown.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Lewis Harris, A.L. Brown: The Wonders receiver had four receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns
WHAT’S NEXT? The Wonders will play host to Vance, while North Mecklenburg travels to West Charlotte.
GAME SUMMARY:
North Mecklenburg 14 14 0 7 - 35
A.L. Brown 6 0 0 6 - 12
ALB: Jahia Mahatha 9 run (Brian Gutierrez kick)
NMHS: Emanuel Wilson 69 pass from Jaelan Anderson (kick blocked)
ALB: Mahatha 4 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Lewis Harris 36 pass from Zac Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Mahatha 10 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Harris 39 yard pass from Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
NM: Tre Turner 1 pass from Anderson (conversion failed)
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Game #6
Kannapolis
VS
Vance
Joe Habina-Independent Tribune
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – A.L. Brown’s Brian Gutierrez kicked the go-ahead field goal with 2 minutes, 8 seconds left in the game and Nakohr Wise intercepted a pass in his own end zone in the final seconds to help the Cream of Cabarrus No. 1-ranked Wonders upset previously unbeaten Vance, 24-21, in high school football Friday. Wise’s pick was one of three by Kannapolis (5-1, 2-0 in MECKA 4A conference) in the second half. All of them played crucial roles as the Wonders defeated Vance (5-1, 0-1) for the second straight year, holding the Cougars to 35 points below their season average.
“It’s a win that will propel us through the rest of the season,” said A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome. “It’s a huge win. That will pay a tremendous amount of dividends for us in weeks to come.”
Vance’s highly-touted quarterback Kingsley Ifedi passed for 240 yards and added 90 rushing, but Brown’s defense contained him for most of the pivotal second half. Junior defensive lineman C.C. Huntley set the tone for the rest of the game by recovering a Vance fumble at the Kannapolis 29-yard line with 1:19 left in the second quarter. Sherard Sutton and Ja’Querius Bost caught touchdown passes of 10 and 52 yards, respectively, from Zac Williamson as A.L. Brown stayed even with Vance at halftime, 14-14. Ifedi ran for both of the Cougars’ first-half scores. On Vance’s second offensive play of the second half, Equaris Baldwin returned an interception 53 yards to the Vance 1-yard line. Tyrek Cagle scored on the next play to give the Wonders a 21-14 lead. Jeremiah Hall’s 1-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter tied the game for Vance.
Midway through the final period, Kannapolis linebacker Steven Howie applied a heavy rush on Ifedi, and Wise intercepted his hurried throw at the A.L. Brown 48 and returned it to the Cougars’ 39. The Wonders drove to the Vance 5-yard line before Gutierrez’s field goal put them ahead for good. On its final possession, Vance reached the Brown 18 before a chess match ensued between Newsome and Vance coach Aaron Brand. Facing fourth-and-3, Vance lined up for a field goal attempt but called a timeout before the snap. The Cougars returned from the sideline and set up for a traditional play before Kannapolis called timeout. Finally, a Wonders encroachment penalty gave Vance a first down, and two plays later Wise intercepted Ifedi in the end zone with 1.6 seconds left.
“The linebackers played their role (on the interception),” said Wise. “(Sutton) helped me out with the big man (covering receiver Michael Roberts). I just made a play on the ball. It was all team work, nothing by myself.”
WHAT IT MEANS: A.L. Brown remains at least tied for the MECKA 4A conference lead while Vance, which was expected to compete for a league title, started its conference schedule with a loss.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Equaris Baldwin’s 53-yard interception return to the Vance 1-yard line early in the third quarter set up a Kannapolis touchdown, giving the Wonders some insurmountable momentum.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Nakohr Wise, A.L. Brown: The senior defensive back's interception midway through the fourth quarter led to the game-winning field goal. Another Wise interception in his own end zone with 1.6 seconds left in the game sealed the Wonders’ victory.
NOTEWORTHY: A.L. Brown’s Brian Guiterrez kicked his first field goal since the season-opener at Concord. For the season, he is 30-for-31 on extra-point attempts, including going 3-for-3 Friday.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?: Vance stays in the MECKA conference and plays host to West Charlotte on Oct. 7, while A.L. Brown visits former MECKA rival Jay M. Robinson for a non-conference game.
GAME SUMMARY:
Vance 14 0 0 7 -- 21
A.L. Brown 14 0 7 3 -- 24
V-Kingsley Ifedi 13 run (Odavion Bush-Smiley)
K-Sherard Sutton 10 pass from Zac Williamson (Brian Gutierrez kick)
V-Ifedi 2 run (Bush-Smiley kick)
K-JaQuerius Bost 52 pass from Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
K-Tyrek Cagle 1 run (Gutierrez kick)
V-Jeremiah Hall 1 run (Bush-Smiley kick)
K-Gutierrez 22 FG
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – A.L. Brown’s Brian Gutierrez kicked the go-ahead field goal with 2 minutes, 8 seconds left in the game and Nakohr Wise intercepted a pass in his own end zone in the final seconds to help the Cream of Cabarrus No. 1-ranked Wonders upset previously unbeaten Vance, 24-21, in high school football Friday. Wise’s pick was one of three by Kannapolis (5-1, 2-0 in MECKA 4A conference) in the second half. All of them played crucial roles as the Wonders defeated Vance (5-1, 0-1) for the second straight year, holding the Cougars to 35 points below their season average.
“It’s a win that will propel us through the rest of the season,” said A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome. “It’s a huge win. That will pay a tremendous amount of dividends for us in weeks to come.”
Vance’s highly-touted quarterback Kingsley Ifedi passed for 240 yards and added 90 rushing, but Brown’s defense contained him for most of the pivotal second half. Junior defensive lineman C.C. Huntley set the tone for the rest of the game by recovering a Vance fumble at the Kannapolis 29-yard line with 1:19 left in the second quarter. Sherard Sutton and Ja’Querius Bost caught touchdown passes of 10 and 52 yards, respectively, from Zac Williamson as A.L. Brown stayed even with Vance at halftime, 14-14. Ifedi ran for both of the Cougars’ first-half scores. On Vance’s second offensive play of the second half, Equaris Baldwin returned an interception 53 yards to the Vance 1-yard line. Tyrek Cagle scored on the next play to give the Wonders a 21-14 lead. Jeremiah Hall’s 1-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter tied the game for Vance.
Midway through the final period, Kannapolis linebacker Steven Howie applied a heavy rush on Ifedi, and Wise intercepted his hurried throw at the A.L. Brown 48 and returned it to the Cougars’ 39. The Wonders drove to the Vance 5-yard line before Gutierrez’s field goal put them ahead for good. On its final possession, Vance reached the Brown 18 before a chess match ensued between Newsome and Vance coach Aaron Brand. Facing fourth-and-3, Vance lined up for a field goal attempt but called a timeout before the snap. The Cougars returned from the sideline and set up for a traditional play before Kannapolis called timeout. Finally, a Wonders encroachment penalty gave Vance a first down, and two plays later Wise intercepted Ifedi in the end zone with 1.6 seconds left.
“The linebackers played their role (on the interception),” said Wise. “(Sutton) helped me out with the big man (covering receiver Michael Roberts). I just made a play on the ball. It was all team work, nothing by myself.”
WHAT IT MEANS: A.L. Brown remains at least tied for the MECKA 4A conference lead while Vance, which was expected to compete for a league title, started its conference schedule with a loss.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Equaris Baldwin’s 53-yard interception return to the Vance 1-yard line early in the third quarter set up a Kannapolis touchdown, giving the Wonders some insurmountable momentum.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Nakohr Wise, A.L. Brown: The senior defensive back's interception midway through the fourth quarter led to the game-winning field goal. Another Wise interception in his own end zone with 1.6 seconds left in the game sealed the Wonders’ victory.
NOTEWORTHY: A.L. Brown’s Brian Guiterrez kicked his first field goal since the season-opener at Concord. For the season, he is 30-for-31 on extra-point attempts, including going 3-for-3 Friday.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?: Vance stays in the MECKA conference and plays host to West Charlotte on Oct. 7, while A.L. Brown visits former MECKA rival Jay M. Robinson for a non-conference game.
GAME SUMMARY:
Vance 14 0 0 7 -- 21
A.L. Brown 14 0 7 3 -- 24
V-Kingsley Ifedi 13 run (Odavion Bush-Smiley)
K-Sherard Sutton 10 pass from Zac Williamson (Brian Gutierrez kick)
V-Ifedi 2 run (Bush-Smiley kick)
K-JaQuerius Bost 52 pass from Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
K-Tyrek Cagle 1 run (Gutierrez kick)
V-Jeremiah Hall 1 run (Bush-Smiley kick)
K-Gutierrez 22 FG
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Game #7
Kannapolis
VS
J.M. Robinson
Joe Habina -Independent Tribune
CONCORD, N.C. – After struggling for most of three-and-a-half quarters, A.L. Brown quarterback Zac Williamson admitted his confidence was shaken when his team needed him the most in its non-conference high school football game at Jay M. Robinson Thursday. That changed in the game’s final minutes. Williamson engineered an 86-yard drive and put the winning points on the scoreboard with 23 seconds remaining on an 18-yard toss to Lewis Harris as the Cream of Cabarrus top-ranked Wonders stunned the No. 2 Bulldogs, 17-14. It was Kannapolis’ second nail-biting victory in as many weeks. The Wonders (6-1) sealed a victory over Vance last week with a field goal and an interception in the final moments. Williamson accounted for all but four yards of the 86 yards on the game-winning possession. Starting the drive with two minutes, 56 seconds, he completed passes of 27 and 21 yards to Shymere Scott and Brandon Dry, respectively, and added runs of 15 and 7 yards.
“That last drive, it was like a miracle,” said Williamson, a senior. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to do all that. I just give thanks to God for giving me the ability to do stuff like that. Me and my team went out there as a team and got the job done. Lewis made a great catch. He told me to throw it up and he would make a play.”
Williamson launched a high-arching throw toward Harris in tight coverage in the back, left corner of the end zone. Harris leaped and came down with the ball but two game officials paused and appeared to look for help from each other before signaling a touchdown. A.L. Brown’s score completed an emotional fourth quarter, in which Jay M. Robinson took a 14-10 lead with 8:53 remaining. Javonte Misenheimer hauled in a 12-yard catch from quarterback Josh Dale on a play that was similar to Kannapolis’ game-winning touchdown. The Bulldogs (5-2) were close to scoring their first victory over the Wonders. Robinson has never beaten Brown since Robinson opened in 2001.
WHAT IT MEANS: Including two state playoff wins, A.L. Brown is 12-0 versus Jay M. Robinson. Most have been lopsided victories, but the Bulldogs have lost the last two games by a total of 10 points.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Lewis Harris’ 18-yard touchdown reception from Zac Williamson with 23 seconds left in the game gave Brown the winning points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Zac Williamson, A.L. Brown: Williamson completed 7-of-17 passes for 135 yards. But he accounted for 82 yards running and passing on the Wonders’ 86-yard game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
NOTEWORTHY: Jay M. Robinson quarterback Josh Dale completed 16-of-26 passes for 86 yards. The Kannapolis defense held him to 19 passing yards in the first half, even though he connected on nine of his 16 attempts. He gave Robinson a 7-0 first-quarter lead on a 53-yard scramble.
WHAT’S UP NEXT? Both teams return to conference play on Oct. 14. A.L. Brown travels to MECKA 4A rival Hough, while Robinson visits Cox Mill in a South Piedmont 3A matchup.
GAME SUMMARY:
A.L. Brown 0 7 3 7 -- 17
Robinson 7 0 0 7 -- 14
JMR-Josh Dale 53 run (Daniel Rivera kick)
ALB-Tyrek Cagle 4 run (Brian Gutierrez kick)
ALB-Gutierrez 25 FG
JMR-Javonte Misenheimer 12 pass from Dale (Rivera kick)
ALB-Lewis Harris 18 pass from Zac Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
CONCORD, N.C. – After struggling for most of three-and-a-half quarters, A.L. Brown quarterback Zac Williamson admitted his confidence was shaken when his team needed him the most in its non-conference high school football game at Jay M. Robinson Thursday. That changed in the game’s final minutes. Williamson engineered an 86-yard drive and put the winning points on the scoreboard with 23 seconds remaining on an 18-yard toss to Lewis Harris as the Cream of Cabarrus top-ranked Wonders stunned the No. 2 Bulldogs, 17-14. It was Kannapolis’ second nail-biting victory in as many weeks. The Wonders (6-1) sealed a victory over Vance last week with a field goal and an interception in the final moments. Williamson accounted for all but four yards of the 86 yards on the game-winning possession. Starting the drive with two minutes, 56 seconds, he completed passes of 27 and 21 yards to Shymere Scott and Brandon Dry, respectively, and added runs of 15 and 7 yards.
“That last drive, it was like a miracle,” said Williamson, a senior. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to do all that. I just give thanks to God for giving me the ability to do stuff like that. Me and my team went out there as a team and got the job done. Lewis made a great catch. He told me to throw it up and he would make a play.”
Williamson launched a high-arching throw toward Harris in tight coverage in the back, left corner of the end zone. Harris leaped and came down with the ball but two game officials paused and appeared to look for help from each other before signaling a touchdown. A.L. Brown’s score completed an emotional fourth quarter, in which Jay M. Robinson took a 14-10 lead with 8:53 remaining. Javonte Misenheimer hauled in a 12-yard catch from quarterback Josh Dale on a play that was similar to Kannapolis’ game-winning touchdown. The Bulldogs (5-2) were close to scoring their first victory over the Wonders. Robinson has never beaten Brown since Robinson opened in 2001.
WHAT IT MEANS: Including two state playoff wins, A.L. Brown is 12-0 versus Jay M. Robinson. Most have been lopsided victories, but the Bulldogs have lost the last two games by a total of 10 points.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Lewis Harris’ 18-yard touchdown reception from Zac Williamson with 23 seconds left in the game gave Brown the winning points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Zac Williamson, A.L. Brown: Williamson completed 7-of-17 passes for 135 yards. But he accounted for 82 yards running and passing on the Wonders’ 86-yard game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
NOTEWORTHY: Jay M. Robinson quarterback Josh Dale completed 16-of-26 passes for 86 yards. The Kannapolis defense held him to 19 passing yards in the first half, even though he connected on nine of his 16 attempts. He gave Robinson a 7-0 first-quarter lead on a 53-yard scramble.
WHAT’S UP NEXT? Both teams return to conference play on Oct. 14. A.L. Brown travels to MECKA 4A rival Hough, while Robinson visits Cox Mill in a South Piedmont 3A matchup.
GAME SUMMARY:
A.L. Brown 0 7 3 7 -- 17
Robinson 7 0 0 7 -- 14
JMR-Josh Dale 53 run (Daniel Rivera kick)
ALB-Tyrek Cagle 4 run (Brian Gutierrez kick)
ALB-Gutierrez 25 FG
JMR-Javonte Misenheimer 12 pass from Dale (Rivera kick)
ALB-Lewis Harris 18 pass from Zac Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
Pre Game Gallery
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Action Gallery #4
Game #8
Kannapolis
VS
Hough
AKIEM BAILUM- Independent Tribune
CORNELIUS, N.C.—It was a cold night under a full moon in northern Mecklenburg County. Unfortunately for the A.L. Brown High School football team, its offense also went cold, as the Wonders lost a key MECKA 4A conference matchup to Hough, 21-7. A.L Brown (6-2 overall, 2-1 MECKA 4A) spent much of the game trying to find its offensive rhythm against Hough (4-3, 2-1), but it seemed that regardless Wonders player had the football, a Hough Husky was right there to meet him.
“We just didn’t play extremely well against a good football team,” A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome said. “When those two things kind of go together, when you don’t play well against a good football team, it’s not going to be a successful night.”
The Wonders’ other defeat also occurred in this area, when they dropped a 23-21 defeat at Mooresville last month. The defeat to Mooresville had significance, but this one to the Huskies brings added meaning with the postseason on the horizon.
“This is a conference game, so it does hurt,” Newsome said. “It’s a little tougher because it’s going to definitely reflect in the playoff seedings. You want to win all the conference games. We play in the toughest conference in the state of North Carolina, so it’s extremely difficult to go undefeated in our conference—for anybody.”
Huskies runningback Jarrett Nagy had more than 100 yards in the first half, plus a touchdown. In the second half, sophomore wide receiver Tyus Fields got a significant number of carries, including a 55-yard run for a touchdown. Huskies coach Miles Aldridge also credited his defense with what it managed to do with the Wonders offense.
“They’re a very well-coached team,” Aldridge said of the Wonders. “I was very impressed with them coming in. Our kids just played really well. Defensively, we got to where we needed to get to.”
The game began auspiciously for A.L. Brown, as it looked as if Huskies penalties would assist the Wonders on the first drive. It would, however, result in a punt. The first scoring drive for the Huskies started in less-than-stellar fashion, as a fumble by Fields resulted in a loss of nine yards. A few plays later, the Huskies made up for it, thanks to several big runs by Nagy, including one of 37 yards, which moved the ball to the 4-yard line. Two plays later, Nagy hit paydirt, as a 1-yard touchdown gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead near the end of the first quarter. Toward the conclusion of the second quarter, the Wonders answered with seven points of their own. Quarterback Zac Williamson passed to Shymere Scott, who threw back to Williamson, who ran it in from 15 yards out for a touchdown.
The Huskies had the ball coming out of halftime, and they wasted no time in breaking the deadlock, going into the midway point, as Fields capped off Hough’s opening second half drive with a 55-yard touchdown run.
Later in the third quarter, the Huskies tacked on seven more points when senior quarterback Jackson Gibbs found Cameron Evans for an 18-yard touchdown pass to complete the scoring for the night.
“Our kids will watch the film, learn from it and hopefully get better,” Newsome said.
Williamson concluded his evening by completing six of his 14 pass attempts for 141 yards. He also ran for a touchdown but was sacked once. The Wonders have three-time defending state champions on their schedule next.
“It doesn’t get any easier next week with Mallard Creek,” Newsome said. “We’ll sit down and figure it out.”
Newsome said that after a loss like this, a lot of things for his team have to be looked at and fixed.
“A lot of things have to be shored up,” Newsome said. “Mallard Creek is one of the best teams in the state of North Carolina. This is probably their best overall team that they’ve had in several years. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ve got to find the fire that we had against Vance and not only come out on Friday night with that fire, but we’ve got to practice with that fire each and every day and let it move into Friday night.”
GAME SUMMARY:
A.L. Brown 0 7 0 0 -- 7
Hough 7 0 14 0 -- 21
H: Jarrett Nagy 1 run (Zach Stearns kick)
ALB: Zac Williamson 15 pass from Shymere Scott (Brian Gutierrez kick)
H: Tyus Fields 55 run (Stearns kick)
H: Cameron Evans 18 pass from Jackson Gibbs (Stearns kick)
CORNELIUS, N.C.—It was a cold night under a full moon in northern Mecklenburg County. Unfortunately for the A.L. Brown High School football team, its offense also went cold, as the Wonders lost a key MECKA 4A conference matchup to Hough, 21-7. A.L Brown (6-2 overall, 2-1 MECKA 4A) spent much of the game trying to find its offensive rhythm against Hough (4-3, 2-1), but it seemed that regardless Wonders player had the football, a Hough Husky was right there to meet him.
“We just didn’t play extremely well against a good football team,” A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome said. “When those two things kind of go together, when you don’t play well against a good football team, it’s not going to be a successful night.”
The Wonders’ other defeat also occurred in this area, when they dropped a 23-21 defeat at Mooresville last month. The defeat to Mooresville had significance, but this one to the Huskies brings added meaning with the postseason on the horizon.
“This is a conference game, so it does hurt,” Newsome said. “It’s a little tougher because it’s going to definitely reflect in the playoff seedings. You want to win all the conference games. We play in the toughest conference in the state of North Carolina, so it’s extremely difficult to go undefeated in our conference—for anybody.”
Huskies runningback Jarrett Nagy had more than 100 yards in the first half, plus a touchdown. In the second half, sophomore wide receiver Tyus Fields got a significant number of carries, including a 55-yard run for a touchdown. Huskies coach Miles Aldridge also credited his defense with what it managed to do with the Wonders offense.
“They’re a very well-coached team,” Aldridge said of the Wonders. “I was very impressed with them coming in. Our kids just played really well. Defensively, we got to where we needed to get to.”
The game began auspiciously for A.L. Brown, as it looked as if Huskies penalties would assist the Wonders on the first drive. It would, however, result in a punt. The first scoring drive for the Huskies started in less-than-stellar fashion, as a fumble by Fields resulted in a loss of nine yards. A few plays later, the Huskies made up for it, thanks to several big runs by Nagy, including one of 37 yards, which moved the ball to the 4-yard line. Two plays later, Nagy hit paydirt, as a 1-yard touchdown gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead near the end of the first quarter. Toward the conclusion of the second quarter, the Wonders answered with seven points of their own. Quarterback Zac Williamson passed to Shymere Scott, who threw back to Williamson, who ran it in from 15 yards out for a touchdown.
The Huskies had the ball coming out of halftime, and they wasted no time in breaking the deadlock, going into the midway point, as Fields capped off Hough’s opening second half drive with a 55-yard touchdown run.
Later in the third quarter, the Huskies tacked on seven more points when senior quarterback Jackson Gibbs found Cameron Evans for an 18-yard touchdown pass to complete the scoring for the night.
“Our kids will watch the film, learn from it and hopefully get better,” Newsome said.
Williamson concluded his evening by completing six of his 14 pass attempts for 141 yards. He also ran for a touchdown but was sacked once. The Wonders have three-time defending state champions on their schedule next.
“It doesn’t get any easier next week with Mallard Creek,” Newsome said. “We’ll sit down and figure it out.”
Newsome said that after a loss like this, a lot of things for his team have to be looked at and fixed.
“A lot of things have to be shored up,” Newsome said. “Mallard Creek is one of the best teams in the state of North Carolina. This is probably their best overall team that they’ve had in several years. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ve got to find the fire that we had against Vance and not only come out on Friday night with that fire, but we’ve got to practice with that fire each and every day and let it move into Friday night.”
GAME SUMMARY:
A.L. Brown 0 7 0 0 -- 7
Hough 7 0 14 0 -- 21
H: Jarrett Nagy 1 run (Zach Stearns kick)
ALB: Zac Williamson 15 pass from Shymere Scott (Brian Gutierrez kick)
H: Tyus Fields 55 run (Stearns kick)
H: Cameron Evans 18 pass from Jackson Gibbs (Stearns kick)
Pre Game Gallery
Action Gallery #1
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Spirit, Spirit, Spirit Wonder Cheerleaders
Game #9
Kannapolis
VS
Mallard Creek
Joe Habina-Independent Tribune
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – A.L. Brown may be the Cream of Cabarrus’ top-ranked high school football team but coach Mike Newsome understood his Wonders were clearly the underdogs as they prepared for Friday’s game against mighty Mallard Creek. And Newsome had no problem providing his players with plenty of references to the “Rocky” movies. A.L. Brown linebacker Sherrod Sutton returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown in the final minute, but it wasn’t the Hollywood ending the Wonders hoped for. Five lost fumbles, including three in the second half, were crucial, as Mallard Creek defeated the Wonders, 24-7, at Kannapolis Memorial Stadium.
Mallard Creek, which has won three consecutive Class 4AA state titles, improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 MECKA 4A conference, while the Wonders dropped to 6-3 and 2-2. Still, Newsome was proud of his team’s effort, saying that the Wonders played “extremely tough” against an extremely tough opponent.
“In boxing, you’ve got to go out there and be ready to hit somebody in the face and be ready to get hit in the face,” said Newsome. “Football’s just like that, and I thought our guys did a great job of punching and punching back. It didn’t show in the score tonight with offensive points, but I thought our kids played extremely tough. I thought our defense played lights out.”
Four A.L. Brown turnovers led to Mallard Creek scores. The Wonders trailed 10-0 at halftime, but the one-two punch provided by Deonte Grier’s 34-yard fumble return to the A.L. Brown 3-yard line and Darnell Walker’s short touchdown run in the third quarter led to the Wonders’ technical knockout. Mallard Creek scored a touchdown early in the first quarter, and a Wonders miscue allowed the Mavericks to add to the lead just before halftime. The Wonders forced Mallard Creek to punt from its 33, but the kick rolled into A.L. Brown’s return man, and Jordan Ferguson recovered the live ball for the Mavericks. A 20-yard pass from Chauncey Caldwell to Keshaun Abel helped Mallard Creek reach the Wonders’ 2-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-goal with 8.5 seconds left in the half, Josh Silverstein kicked a 19-yard field goal. A.L. Brown’s best scoring chance ended with an unfortunate misfire at the Mavericks’ goal line late in the second quarter.
The Wonders marched from their own 45 to Mallard Creek’s 27 and faced a fourth-and-five. A.L. Brown quarterback Zac Williamson fooled the Mavericks’ defense by looking to throw left but spinning back around to his right. A blown coverage allowed Wonders receiver Jalen Nixon to be wide open on the right side, but Williamson’s throw dropped to the turf at the goal line just beyond its target.
WHAT IT MEANS: With its second conference loss, A.L. Brown is effectively out of the race for the MECKA 4A conference championship. Mallard Creek, Hough and Vance all have just one loss.
PLAY OF THE GAME: In the third quarter, Mallard Creek defensive back Deonte Grier recovered an A.L. Brown fumble at the Wonders’ 37-yard line and returned it to the 3. On the next play, Darnell Walker scored for a 17-0 back-breaking lead.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Chauncey Caldwell, Mallard Creek: The Mavericks quarterback rushed 12 times for 82 yards and completed 12 of 25 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
NOTEWORTHY: Even though the Wonders turned the ball over five times, Newsome felt his defense was outstanding. A.L. Brown surrendered 247 yards and scored its only points on Sherrod Sutton’s 65-yard fumble return in the game’s final minute.
WHAT’S UP NEXT: Mallard Creek is idle next week and then finishes the regular season at North Mecklenburg on Nov. 4. A.L. Brown plays at MECKA 4A foe West Charlotte next week.
GAME SUMMARY:
Mallard Creek 7 3 7 7 -- 24
A.L. Brown 0 0 0 7 -- 7
MC-Darnell Walker 2 run (Josh Silverstein kick)
MC-Silverstein 19 FG
MC-Walker 3 run (Sliverstein kick)
MC-Ryan Jones 18 pass from Chauncey Caldwell (Silverstein kick)
K-Sherrod Sutton 65 fumble return (Brian Gutierrez kick)
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – A.L. Brown may be the Cream of Cabarrus’ top-ranked high school football team but coach Mike Newsome understood his Wonders were clearly the underdogs as they prepared for Friday’s game against mighty Mallard Creek. And Newsome had no problem providing his players with plenty of references to the “Rocky” movies. A.L. Brown linebacker Sherrod Sutton returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown in the final minute, but it wasn’t the Hollywood ending the Wonders hoped for. Five lost fumbles, including three in the second half, were crucial, as Mallard Creek defeated the Wonders, 24-7, at Kannapolis Memorial Stadium.
Mallard Creek, which has won three consecutive Class 4AA state titles, improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 MECKA 4A conference, while the Wonders dropped to 6-3 and 2-2. Still, Newsome was proud of his team’s effort, saying that the Wonders played “extremely tough” against an extremely tough opponent.
“In boxing, you’ve got to go out there and be ready to hit somebody in the face and be ready to get hit in the face,” said Newsome. “Football’s just like that, and I thought our guys did a great job of punching and punching back. It didn’t show in the score tonight with offensive points, but I thought our kids played extremely tough. I thought our defense played lights out.”
Four A.L. Brown turnovers led to Mallard Creek scores. The Wonders trailed 10-0 at halftime, but the one-two punch provided by Deonte Grier’s 34-yard fumble return to the A.L. Brown 3-yard line and Darnell Walker’s short touchdown run in the third quarter led to the Wonders’ technical knockout. Mallard Creek scored a touchdown early in the first quarter, and a Wonders miscue allowed the Mavericks to add to the lead just before halftime. The Wonders forced Mallard Creek to punt from its 33, but the kick rolled into A.L. Brown’s return man, and Jordan Ferguson recovered the live ball for the Mavericks. A 20-yard pass from Chauncey Caldwell to Keshaun Abel helped Mallard Creek reach the Wonders’ 2-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-goal with 8.5 seconds left in the half, Josh Silverstein kicked a 19-yard field goal. A.L. Brown’s best scoring chance ended with an unfortunate misfire at the Mavericks’ goal line late in the second quarter.
The Wonders marched from their own 45 to Mallard Creek’s 27 and faced a fourth-and-five. A.L. Brown quarterback Zac Williamson fooled the Mavericks’ defense by looking to throw left but spinning back around to his right. A blown coverage allowed Wonders receiver Jalen Nixon to be wide open on the right side, but Williamson’s throw dropped to the turf at the goal line just beyond its target.
WHAT IT MEANS: With its second conference loss, A.L. Brown is effectively out of the race for the MECKA 4A conference championship. Mallard Creek, Hough and Vance all have just one loss.
PLAY OF THE GAME: In the third quarter, Mallard Creek defensive back Deonte Grier recovered an A.L. Brown fumble at the Wonders’ 37-yard line and returned it to the 3. On the next play, Darnell Walker scored for a 17-0 back-breaking lead.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Chauncey Caldwell, Mallard Creek: The Mavericks quarterback rushed 12 times for 82 yards and completed 12 of 25 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
NOTEWORTHY: Even though the Wonders turned the ball over five times, Newsome felt his defense was outstanding. A.L. Brown surrendered 247 yards and scored its only points on Sherrod Sutton’s 65-yard fumble return in the game’s final minute.
WHAT’S UP NEXT: Mallard Creek is idle next week and then finishes the regular season at North Mecklenburg on Nov. 4. A.L. Brown plays at MECKA 4A foe West Charlotte next week.
GAME SUMMARY:
Mallard Creek 7 3 7 7 -- 24
A.L. Brown 0 0 0 7 -- 7
MC-Darnell Walker 2 run (Josh Silverstein kick)
MC-Silverstein 19 FG
MC-Walker 3 run (Sliverstein kick)
MC-Ryan Jones 18 pass from Chauncey Caldwell (Silverstein kick)
K-Sherrod Sutton 65 fumble return (Brian Gutierrez kick)
Pre Game Gallery
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Senior Night Gallery
Game #10
Kannapolis
VS
West Charlotte
No Summary Available for this Game
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Action Gallery #1
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Action Gallery #3
Game #11
Kannapolis
VS
Hopewell
Summary Unavailable
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Action Gallery #3
1st Round State 4A Playoffs
Kannapolis
VS
Glenn
Jay Spivey-Winston Salem Journal
KERNERSVILLE — It had been seven years since Glenn played an NCHSAA playoff game at Marty Stanley Stadium. And after playing 48 minutes Friday night against No. 5 Kannapolis Brown, the fourth-seeded Bobcats took it down to the last play before falling 37-29 in the first round of the Class 4-A playoffs. Down 37-29, Glenn (8-4) took over at its own 12 with 42.5 seconds left and no timeouts. Junior quarterback Stephon Brown threw a 38-yard pass to Kier Meredith on the first play to give the Bobcats a first down on the 50 with 31.2 seconds left. Four plays later, Meredith caught a 15-yard pass at the 16 with 9.9 seconds left.
Brown misfired to Dysaun Razzak on the next play in the end zone, and with 5 seconds left, Brown threw it just over the shoulder of Razzak to end the game.
“I saw the right thing, but I just didn’t execute the way I was supposed to,” he said. “I felt we did the right thing. I’ll just take this one on the head, and we’ve just got to get it back next year.” “My coaches, they told me to help over the top, so that’s what I did and came out with the interception,” Baldwin said.
Brown finished 13 for 34 for 297 yards passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bobcats had trouble getting their offense in a flow because the Wonders finished with 22 penalties for 168 yards, many of which were holding or interference calls on Brown’s passes.
“I felt like the guy was even holding on the last play, but it’s the officials’ call,” Glenn coach Antwon Stevenson said. “It can go one way or the other. Anytime you don’t want to end the game like that, as far as calling the penalty and changing the game. It is what it is. The guys played hard.”
The Wonders had trouble moving the ball on their final three possessions and couldn’t run out the clock, giving the Bobcats a chance to get back in the game. The Bobcats scored on a 1-yard run by Razzak with 3:52 left to trim the lead to 37-29. The Wonders turned over the ball on downs with 52.7 seconds left and allowed the Bobcats a chance to tie the game. The Bobcats scored on a 1-yard run by Razzak with 3:52 left to trim the lead to 37-29.The Wonders turned over the ball on downs with 52.7 seconds left and allowed the Bobcats a chance to tie the game on the final possession.
“I had some poor clock management there,” coach Mike Newsome of Brown said. “That’s on me. We were trying to run the clock out, had a plan to run the clock out there at the end, and our kid ran out of bounds.
Kannapolis Brown finished with 169 yards rushing on 45 carries and had 346 total yards. Glenn had 65 yards rushing on 23 carries and 362 total yards.
Henry Hutton -Independent Tribune
KERNERSVILLE, N.C. – In a game that lasted more than three hours and featured an inordinate number of penalties, the Wonders defeated Glenn, 37-29, in the opening round of the Class 4A state football playoffs in Kernersville.
The Wonders were flagged 20 times for 174 yards, but they persevered and made a late defensive stand to seal the win and set up a second-round matchup at Davie, which defeated Southeast Guilford, 42-14, Friday.
“I don’t think we’re a team that’s given up all year long,” Wonders coach Mike Newsome said. “I think this a team that fights through adversity extremely well.”
A.L. Brown did not look like it would have a good night early, though, as Glenn quarterback Stephon Brown hit Kier Meredith for a 64-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. However, Zac Williamson answered for A.L. Brown when he found Lewis Harris in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard score on 3rd and 8. The game went back and forth for most of the night. The Wonders finally began to pull away in the second half, as they took a 37-22 lead on a fourth-quarter interception by Equarius Baldwin that was returned for a touchdown. However, Glenn scored a touchdown with just over four minutes remaining, and after a critical third down stop, the Bobcats got the ball back on their own 11-yard line with 42 seconds left. After a few big plays, Glenn found themselves on the Wonders 18 with nine seconds remaining. After an incomplete pass, Brown made one last throw to the end zone, but the pass bounced off the diving hands of Dysaun Razzak and harmlessly to the ground to seal the A.L. Brown victory.
Brown, who had more than 3,000 yards passing going into the game, was held to just 13-for-38 passing and had three interceptions and a fumble against the Wonder defense. As impressive as the defense was, the A.L. Brown offense had one of its best nights of the year. Williamson had one of his strongest overall games, as he finished with 199 passing yards for three touchdowns and added 59 rushing yards.
“What you do in practice follows over to the game,” Williamson said. “My line blocked perfectly all night, and we just executed.”
Newsome was pleased with his senior quarterback, who took over for injured starter Cordarius Butler in the first game of the season.
“He’s played really well for a guy who’s limited in experience,” Newsome said of Williamson. “He keeps making play after play.”
Another Wonder who made big plays was senior linebacker Steven Howie, who finished with a sack, an interception and a blocked punt. Howie also learned how to recover from mistakes quickly, as the play after he was called for a roughing the kicker penalty he came up with a momentum-shifting interception.
“I knew I had to make up for it,” Howie explained. “I knew I cost us as a team doing something stupid.” Said Newsome: “(Howie is) the type of guy who has the ability to make up for the mistakes he makes.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The Wonders improved to 9-3 on the season, while Glenn dropped to 8-4.
PLAY OF THE GAME: After stopping A.L. Brown on fourth down, Glenn took over only trailing 30-22 with more than 11 minutes left in the game. However, on the second play of the drive, Equarius Baldwin intercepted Stephon Brown and returned it 30 yards for what would be the game-winning score.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Zac Williamson, A.L. Brown. The senior quarterback came up big with 199 passing yards passing with three total touchdowns, along with 59 rushing yard.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?: A.L. Brown will take on Davie High School on the road next Friday.
GAME SUMMARY:
A.L. Brown 13 14 3 7 - 37
Glenn 14 0 8 7 - 29
GHS: Kier Meredith 64 pass from Stephon Brown (Jared Jones kick)
ALB: Lewis Harris 18 pass from Zac Williamson (Brian Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Shymere Scott 22 pass from Williamson (Kick blocked)
GHS: Chris Goolsby 4 pass from Brown (Jones kick)
ALB: Jahia Mahatha 3 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Brandon Dry 45 pass from Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Gutierrez 24 kick
GHS: Meredith 15 pass from Brown (Jaden Sutton run)
ALB: Equaris Baldwin 30 interception return (Gutierrez kick)
GHS: Sutton 1 run (Jones kick)
KERNERSVILLE — It had been seven years since Glenn played an NCHSAA playoff game at Marty Stanley Stadium. And after playing 48 minutes Friday night against No. 5 Kannapolis Brown, the fourth-seeded Bobcats took it down to the last play before falling 37-29 in the first round of the Class 4-A playoffs. Down 37-29, Glenn (8-4) took over at its own 12 with 42.5 seconds left and no timeouts. Junior quarterback Stephon Brown threw a 38-yard pass to Kier Meredith on the first play to give the Bobcats a first down on the 50 with 31.2 seconds left. Four plays later, Meredith caught a 15-yard pass at the 16 with 9.9 seconds left.
Brown misfired to Dysaun Razzak on the next play in the end zone, and with 5 seconds left, Brown threw it just over the shoulder of Razzak to end the game.
“I saw the right thing, but I just didn’t execute the way I was supposed to,” he said. “I felt we did the right thing. I’ll just take this one on the head, and we’ve just got to get it back next year.” “My coaches, they told me to help over the top, so that’s what I did and came out with the interception,” Baldwin said.
Brown finished 13 for 34 for 297 yards passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bobcats had trouble getting their offense in a flow because the Wonders finished with 22 penalties for 168 yards, many of which were holding or interference calls on Brown’s passes.
“I felt like the guy was even holding on the last play, but it’s the officials’ call,” Glenn coach Antwon Stevenson said. “It can go one way or the other. Anytime you don’t want to end the game like that, as far as calling the penalty and changing the game. It is what it is. The guys played hard.”
The Wonders had trouble moving the ball on their final three possessions and couldn’t run out the clock, giving the Bobcats a chance to get back in the game. The Bobcats scored on a 1-yard run by Razzak with 3:52 left to trim the lead to 37-29. The Wonders turned over the ball on downs with 52.7 seconds left and allowed the Bobcats a chance to tie the game. The Bobcats scored on a 1-yard run by Razzak with 3:52 left to trim the lead to 37-29.The Wonders turned over the ball on downs with 52.7 seconds left and allowed the Bobcats a chance to tie the game on the final possession.
“I had some poor clock management there,” coach Mike Newsome of Brown said. “That’s on me. We were trying to run the clock out, had a plan to run the clock out there at the end, and our kid ran out of bounds.
Kannapolis Brown finished with 169 yards rushing on 45 carries and had 346 total yards. Glenn had 65 yards rushing on 23 carries and 362 total yards.
Henry Hutton -Independent Tribune
KERNERSVILLE, N.C. – In a game that lasted more than three hours and featured an inordinate number of penalties, the Wonders defeated Glenn, 37-29, in the opening round of the Class 4A state football playoffs in Kernersville.
The Wonders were flagged 20 times for 174 yards, but they persevered and made a late defensive stand to seal the win and set up a second-round matchup at Davie, which defeated Southeast Guilford, 42-14, Friday.
“I don’t think we’re a team that’s given up all year long,” Wonders coach Mike Newsome said. “I think this a team that fights through adversity extremely well.”
A.L. Brown did not look like it would have a good night early, though, as Glenn quarterback Stephon Brown hit Kier Meredith for a 64-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. However, Zac Williamson answered for A.L. Brown when he found Lewis Harris in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard score on 3rd and 8. The game went back and forth for most of the night. The Wonders finally began to pull away in the second half, as they took a 37-22 lead on a fourth-quarter interception by Equarius Baldwin that was returned for a touchdown. However, Glenn scored a touchdown with just over four minutes remaining, and after a critical third down stop, the Bobcats got the ball back on their own 11-yard line with 42 seconds left. After a few big plays, Glenn found themselves on the Wonders 18 with nine seconds remaining. After an incomplete pass, Brown made one last throw to the end zone, but the pass bounced off the diving hands of Dysaun Razzak and harmlessly to the ground to seal the A.L. Brown victory.
Brown, who had more than 3,000 yards passing going into the game, was held to just 13-for-38 passing and had three interceptions and a fumble against the Wonder defense. As impressive as the defense was, the A.L. Brown offense had one of its best nights of the year. Williamson had one of his strongest overall games, as he finished with 199 passing yards for three touchdowns and added 59 rushing yards.
“What you do in practice follows over to the game,” Williamson said. “My line blocked perfectly all night, and we just executed.”
Newsome was pleased with his senior quarterback, who took over for injured starter Cordarius Butler in the first game of the season.
“He’s played really well for a guy who’s limited in experience,” Newsome said of Williamson. “He keeps making play after play.”
Another Wonder who made big plays was senior linebacker Steven Howie, who finished with a sack, an interception and a blocked punt. Howie also learned how to recover from mistakes quickly, as the play after he was called for a roughing the kicker penalty he came up with a momentum-shifting interception.
“I knew I had to make up for it,” Howie explained. “I knew I cost us as a team doing something stupid.” Said Newsome: “(Howie is) the type of guy who has the ability to make up for the mistakes he makes.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The Wonders improved to 9-3 on the season, while Glenn dropped to 8-4.
PLAY OF THE GAME: After stopping A.L. Brown on fourth down, Glenn took over only trailing 30-22 with more than 11 minutes left in the game. However, on the second play of the drive, Equarius Baldwin intercepted Stephon Brown and returned it 30 yards for what would be the game-winning score.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Zac Williamson, A.L. Brown. The senior quarterback came up big with 199 passing yards passing with three total touchdowns, along with 59 rushing yard.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?: A.L. Brown will take on Davie High School on the road next Friday.
GAME SUMMARY:
A.L. Brown 13 14 3 7 - 37
Glenn 14 0 8 7 - 29
GHS: Kier Meredith 64 pass from Stephon Brown (Jared Jones kick)
ALB: Lewis Harris 18 pass from Zac Williamson (Brian Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Shymere Scott 22 pass from Williamson (Kick blocked)
GHS: Chris Goolsby 4 pass from Brown (Jones kick)
ALB: Jahia Mahatha 3 run (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Brandon Dry 45 pass from Williamson (Gutierrez kick)
ALB: Gutierrez 24 kick
GHS: Meredith 15 pass from Brown (Jaden Sutton run)
ALB: Equaris Baldwin 30 interception return (Gutierrez kick)
GHS: Sutton 1 run (Jones kick)
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Round #2 4A Playoffs
Kannapolis
VS
Davie County
MOCKSVILLE —The end of the argument — if there really ever was one — came swiftly Friday night. Davie County needed less than five minutes to show visiting A.L. Brown who was boss in its 38-19, second-round victory in the 4A state playoffs.
“I’m very disappointed for this group of seniors,” losing coach Mike Newsome said after Brown (9-4) excused itself from the postseason table. “Most of these guys have given us tremendous effort for four years. It’s not the speech you want to have (to give), not the speech you prepare for.”
Perhaps, but it’s a speech Newsome could have started preparing in the first quarter. Things went wrong in a hurry for the Wonders, who lost to Davie (12-1) for the first time in school history and had a three-game winning streak halted. On the third play from scrimmage, quarterback Zac Williamson and a ball carrier botched an exchange, creating the first of three Kannapolis turnovers. This one left the War Eagles a short field to navigate for the game’s first touchdown.
“It was a read play,” Williamson said after passing for 175 yards and scrambling for another 92. “I was trying to keep the ball and he was trying to take it from me. It was a miscommunication — and my fault.”
Davie went ahead 8-0 before the game was a minute old on the first of two Chris Reynolds-to-Cooper Wall TD connections, a 20-yard slant across the middle.
“We got put in some bad situations,” strong safety Cinsere Allison said. “But that’s something we’ve been in all year. This was a team that depended on its defense to get out of jams. It just didn’t go our way tonight.”
It didn’t go well moments later when Davie stretched its lead to 15-0 on its second possession. The hosts marched 67 yards in less than two minutes, with Reynolds completing passes to Tyler Roberts and Mason Wilson before scampering 18 yards to the Brown 4-yard line. Two snaps later Davie had a two-touchdown cushion. “It happens,” was all Newsome would say. By the middle of the second period — with Davie ahead 25-0 and was threatening to run away and hide — the Wonders finally showed a pulse. The got on the board on a broken play — a snap that came before anyone was looking — that Williamson turned into a 51-yard TD sprint down the left side.
“Going through my mind, I looked to see if anyone was open,” he explained. “Then I just took off and made something out of nothing.”
Two minutes later the Wonders drew within 25-13 when Williamson spotted sophomore Nick Lyerly unattended on the right side and spiraled a 30-yard touchdown pass. “We figured out an offense,” Newsome said. “We finally found a personnel group that was going to work well against how they were playing us.”
The backbreaker came with 1:11 remaining in the half. Victimized by consecutive 15-yard penalties — one for roughing the passer and another for pass interference — Brown surrendered a late touchdown that gave Davie an insurmountable halftime lead.
“I thought they scored on our mistakes,” senior linebacker Steven Howie said. “It wasn’t so much how good Davie County was tonight. It was how bad we played.”
They played better in the second half, limiting Davie to a couple of Jared Griggs field goals and scoring a too-late-to-matter TD when defensive tackle Elijah Hall returned a fumble 19 yards for a fourth-quarter score. But in the end, it was apparent Davie had played this one like a prizefighter — slowly, methodically entrapping the Wonders until they threw up their arms and surrendered. Let the record show that A.L. Brown went down, but it went down standing up.
“With the injuries we had and the adversity we had to fight through, it was great to see these guys make it to this point,” Newsome said afterward. “When you lose your starting quarterback the first game of the season, lose your starting running back the third game of the season and lose two middle linebackers going into the playoffs — the kids could have put their heads down and said we don’t have a chance. But they never did that. They fought all the way through.”
MOCKSVILLE — Davie displayed razor-sharp execution in a decisive first half, and quarterback Chris Reynolds, receiver Cooper Wall, linebacker James Boyle and kicker Jared Griggs set numerous school records as the War Eagles thumped visiting Kannapolis A.L. Brown, 38-19, last night in the second round of the 4A playoffs. A 10th straight win lifted Davie, the top seed in the 4A West, to 12-1 and to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. The No. 5 Wonders finished 9-4. Facing an opponent that had not allowed more than 29 points all year, the War Eagles did as they pleased in the first half, jumping to a 25-0 lead in the first 16 minutes and leading 32-13 at the half.
We pushed them pretty hard this week in practice,” Davie coach Tim Devericks said. “We just felt like we were in a lull from the previous two weeks. We were not executing at the rate that we can execute, and our tempo and demeanor were not where it needed to be. So we pushed them pretty hard and I think it transferred over.”
Reynolds did his thing again, going 17 of 27 for 246 passing yards and two touchdowns and rushing for a team-high 63 yards. Kannapolis fumbled a QB-running back exchange on the game’s third snap, Davie defensive tackle Spencer Wilson recovered at the Wonders’ 20, and Davie went up top on first down as Reynolds and Cooper Wall connected for a 20-yard touchdown. From the muddle-huddle formation, Reynolds completed a two-point pass to Griggs for an 8-0 lead less than a minute into the game.
“It was a post,” Wall said of the quick TD. “They were playing press coverage, I got him on the inside and Chris put it right on the money.”
On Davie’s second possession, Peyton Hampton scored the first of his two TDs from the 2. When Griggs made a 32-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter, it was 18-0. Davie’s next series resulted in another TD as Reynolds and Wall hooked up for 28 yards. It was 25-0 with 7:58 left in the half, at which point the Wonders had 17 yards on 15 plays, no first downs and a turnover and four punts on five possessions.
“We had a great week of practice, probably the best week of practice we’ve had all year,” Boyle said. “I think it was the week of practice carrying over to the game. We were fired up and we were ready to put it on somebody.”
Kannapolis got on the board on a broken play. Quarterback Zac Williamson wasn’t ready for a snap that hit him in the face mask. Davie defenders stood around, thinking A.L. Brown had committed a false-start penalty. Williamson alertly gained control of the ball and swept around the left end for 51 yards. When the snap happened like that, we were thinking false start (on Kannapolis),” Devericks said. “But if the whistle’s not blown, we’ve got to play in that chaos.”
The Wonders forced a punt and then went to the air. Williamson, who had misfired on all three pass attempts before this series, went 3 for 3 for 77 yards on a four-play, 77-yard drive that cut Davie’s lead to 25-13 with 3:08 remaining in the second quarter. Broc Barnette blocked the point-after kick. Davie didn’t flinch, driving 69 yards in five plays to make it 32-13 at the half. Reynolds’ 13- and 15-yard completions to Roberts and Beau Byerly set up Hampton’s 12-yard TD run.
“(Reynolds) did a good job of figuring out what they were in and seeing what they were giving,” Devericks said. “That allowed him to trust everyone to make the plays.”
Davie came out conservative in the second half, but still effective as 10 straight running plays from Hampton and Reynolds led to Griggs’ 38-yard field goal. Kannapolis responded with a 12-play drive, but it turned the ball over on downs at the Davie 12, and the Wonders were pretty much belly-up at that point. Davie added some polish on a 15-play drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters. On third-and-16 from the Davie 7, Reynolds hit Roberts (six catches for 124 yards) on a post route for 40 yards. Eight plays later, running back Adrian Cranfill made a one-handed catch on the sideline to move the ball to the Kannapolis 8, and Griggs would eventually hit a 27-yard field goal. The final scoring play was a defensive TD for the Wonders. Omari White scooped a fumble and ran 19 yards to the end zone with 5:33to play. That was sandwiched by interceptions from Davie’s Angel Perez-Hunt and Hite Merrifield.
Davie set all kinds of records. Wall came in tied with Ben Ellis with 147 career catches and ended the night at 151 as he sat out the second half with an injury that isn’t considered serious. Boyle, who had already broken the single-season tackles record at 182, broke the mark for career tackles with his first stop of the night. He and Jared Barber were tied at 473. Griggs went 3 for 3 on field goals to make him 15 of 17 for the year. The old record was 13 by David Wooldridge, who happens to be Griggs’ kicking coach, in 1999. And finally, there’s Reynolds, who threw two TD passes to tie Garrett Benge for the most in a career with 57. This was Reynolds’ 14th 200-yard passing game, tying a record with Benge. This was Reynolds’ record-setting 18th game with multiple TD passes; Benge is second at 17.
“They’re program guys,” Devericks said of the record-setting performers. “They work as hard as they can and they raise the level of play of everyone around them. Griggs was sort of overlooked (coming into the season), and he’s worked his tail off.”
Merrifield got his team-high sixth interception, and Perez-Hunt got his fourth as Davie now has 19 picks on the year.
“I’m very disappointed for this group of seniors,” losing coach Mike Newsome said after Brown (9-4) excused itself from the postseason table. “Most of these guys have given us tremendous effort for four years. It’s not the speech you want to have (to give), not the speech you prepare for.”
Perhaps, but it’s a speech Newsome could have started preparing in the first quarter. Things went wrong in a hurry for the Wonders, who lost to Davie (12-1) for the first time in school history and had a three-game winning streak halted. On the third play from scrimmage, quarterback Zac Williamson and a ball carrier botched an exchange, creating the first of three Kannapolis turnovers. This one left the War Eagles a short field to navigate for the game’s first touchdown.
“It was a read play,” Williamson said after passing for 175 yards and scrambling for another 92. “I was trying to keep the ball and he was trying to take it from me. It was a miscommunication — and my fault.”
Davie went ahead 8-0 before the game was a minute old on the first of two Chris Reynolds-to-Cooper Wall TD connections, a 20-yard slant across the middle.
“We got put in some bad situations,” strong safety Cinsere Allison said. “But that’s something we’ve been in all year. This was a team that depended on its defense to get out of jams. It just didn’t go our way tonight.”
It didn’t go well moments later when Davie stretched its lead to 15-0 on its second possession. The hosts marched 67 yards in less than two minutes, with Reynolds completing passes to Tyler Roberts and Mason Wilson before scampering 18 yards to the Brown 4-yard line. Two snaps later Davie had a two-touchdown cushion. “It happens,” was all Newsome would say. By the middle of the second period — with Davie ahead 25-0 and was threatening to run away and hide — the Wonders finally showed a pulse. The got on the board on a broken play — a snap that came before anyone was looking — that Williamson turned into a 51-yard TD sprint down the left side.
“Going through my mind, I looked to see if anyone was open,” he explained. “Then I just took off and made something out of nothing.”
Two minutes later the Wonders drew within 25-13 when Williamson spotted sophomore Nick Lyerly unattended on the right side and spiraled a 30-yard touchdown pass. “We figured out an offense,” Newsome said. “We finally found a personnel group that was going to work well against how they were playing us.”
The backbreaker came with 1:11 remaining in the half. Victimized by consecutive 15-yard penalties — one for roughing the passer and another for pass interference — Brown surrendered a late touchdown that gave Davie an insurmountable halftime lead.
“I thought they scored on our mistakes,” senior linebacker Steven Howie said. “It wasn’t so much how good Davie County was tonight. It was how bad we played.”
They played better in the second half, limiting Davie to a couple of Jared Griggs field goals and scoring a too-late-to-matter TD when defensive tackle Elijah Hall returned a fumble 19 yards for a fourth-quarter score. But in the end, it was apparent Davie had played this one like a prizefighter — slowly, methodically entrapping the Wonders until they threw up their arms and surrendered. Let the record show that A.L. Brown went down, but it went down standing up.
“With the injuries we had and the adversity we had to fight through, it was great to see these guys make it to this point,” Newsome said afterward. “When you lose your starting quarterback the first game of the season, lose your starting running back the third game of the season and lose two middle linebackers going into the playoffs — the kids could have put their heads down and said we don’t have a chance. But they never did that. They fought all the way through.”
MOCKSVILLE — Davie displayed razor-sharp execution in a decisive first half, and quarterback Chris Reynolds, receiver Cooper Wall, linebacker James Boyle and kicker Jared Griggs set numerous school records as the War Eagles thumped visiting Kannapolis A.L. Brown, 38-19, last night in the second round of the 4A playoffs. A 10th straight win lifted Davie, the top seed in the 4A West, to 12-1 and to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. The No. 5 Wonders finished 9-4. Facing an opponent that had not allowed more than 29 points all year, the War Eagles did as they pleased in the first half, jumping to a 25-0 lead in the first 16 minutes and leading 32-13 at the half.
We pushed them pretty hard this week in practice,” Davie coach Tim Devericks said. “We just felt like we were in a lull from the previous two weeks. We were not executing at the rate that we can execute, and our tempo and demeanor were not where it needed to be. So we pushed them pretty hard and I think it transferred over.”
Reynolds did his thing again, going 17 of 27 for 246 passing yards and two touchdowns and rushing for a team-high 63 yards. Kannapolis fumbled a QB-running back exchange on the game’s third snap, Davie defensive tackle Spencer Wilson recovered at the Wonders’ 20, and Davie went up top on first down as Reynolds and Cooper Wall connected for a 20-yard touchdown. From the muddle-huddle formation, Reynolds completed a two-point pass to Griggs for an 8-0 lead less than a minute into the game.
“It was a post,” Wall said of the quick TD. “They were playing press coverage, I got him on the inside and Chris put it right on the money.”
On Davie’s second possession, Peyton Hampton scored the first of his two TDs from the 2. When Griggs made a 32-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter, it was 18-0. Davie’s next series resulted in another TD as Reynolds and Wall hooked up for 28 yards. It was 25-0 with 7:58 left in the half, at which point the Wonders had 17 yards on 15 plays, no first downs and a turnover and four punts on five possessions.
“We had a great week of practice, probably the best week of practice we’ve had all year,” Boyle said. “I think it was the week of practice carrying over to the game. We were fired up and we were ready to put it on somebody.”
Kannapolis got on the board on a broken play. Quarterback Zac Williamson wasn’t ready for a snap that hit him in the face mask. Davie defenders stood around, thinking A.L. Brown had committed a false-start penalty. Williamson alertly gained control of the ball and swept around the left end for 51 yards. When the snap happened like that, we were thinking false start (on Kannapolis),” Devericks said. “But if the whistle’s not blown, we’ve got to play in that chaos.”
The Wonders forced a punt and then went to the air. Williamson, who had misfired on all three pass attempts before this series, went 3 for 3 for 77 yards on a four-play, 77-yard drive that cut Davie’s lead to 25-13 with 3:08 remaining in the second quarter. Broc Barnette blocked the point-after kick. Davie didn’t flinch, driving 69 yards in five plays to make it 32-13 at the half. Reynolds’ 13- and 15-yard completions to Roberts and Beau Byerly set up Hampton’s 12-yard TD run.
“(Reynolds) did a good job of figuring out what they were in and seeing what they were giving,” Devericks said. “That allowed him to trust everyone to make the plays.”
Davie came out conservative in the second half, but still effective as 10 straight running plays from Hampton and Reynolds led to Griggs’ 38-yard field goal. Kannapolis responded with a 12-play drive, but it turned the ball over on downs at the Davie 12, and the Wonders were pretty much belly-up at that point. Davie added some polish on a 15-play drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters. On third-and-16 from the Davie 7, Reynolds hit Roberts (six catches for 124 yards) on a post route for 40 yards. Eight plays later, running back Adrian Cranfill made a one-handed catch on the sideline to move the ball to the Kannapolis 8, and Griggs would eventually hit a 27-yard field goal. The final scoring play was a defensive TD for the Wonders. Omari White scooped a fumble and ran 19 yards to the end zone with 5:33to play. That was sandwiched by interceptions from Davie’s Angel Perez-Hunt and Hite Merrifield.
Davie set all kinds of records. Wall came in tied with Ben Ellis with 147 career catches and ended the night at 151 as he sat out the second half with an injury that isn’t considered serious. Boyle, who had already broken the single-season tackles record at 182, broke the mark for career tackles with his first stop of the night. He and Jared Barber were tied at 473. Griggs went 3 for 3 on field goals to make him 15 of 17 for the year. The old record was 13 by David Wooldridge, who happens to be Griggs’ kicking coach, in 1999. And finally, there’s Reynolds, who threw two TD passes to tie Garrett Benge for the most in a career with 57. This was Reynolds’ 14th 200-yard passing game, tying a record with Benge. This was Reynolds’ record-setting 18th game with multiple TD passes; Benge is second at 17.
“They’re program guys,” Devericks said of the record-setting performers. “They work as hard as they can and they raise the level of play of everyone around them. Griggs was sort of overlooked (coming into the season), and he’s worked his tail off.”
Merrifield got his team-high sixth interception, and Perez-Hunt got his fourth as Davie now has 19 picks on the year.