*******************The Spider Went Down to K-Town***************
******(Sing to the Tune Devil Went Down to Georgia)**********
"The Spider went down to K-Town he was looking for a Bell to steal, it was not a good time, he was 1-9, and he was looking to make a deal. When he came upon a young man wearing a Green helmet and sporting a "K", and the Spider jumped up on his shoulder pads and said "boy I got something to say."
"I guess you couldn't tell it, but I play football too, and if you'd care to take a dare I'll make a bet with you, now you play pretty good football boy, but give the Spider his due, I'll bet a for that Victory Bell cause I think I'm better than you."
The boy said "I'm a Wonder, and I'll play you in my Den, but when I beat that @$$, you better show some class, cause you're gonna be 1-10."
Spiders tying up their shoes, their eyes all starting to swell. Cause hell's broke loose in K-Town and the Wonders have the Bell. And if they win they'll take that Bell down South for a real big show, but if they lose it'll then be 5 in a row.
The Spider won the toss and said "I'll start this show" then he scurried back to his eight leg friends praying they were ready to go. So he took the kick, then took a lick, and limped back to the huddle to pout, but it was all for naught, no ball was caught, and his friends were three and out.
When the Spider finished The Wonder said "you ain't nothing son, now sit down on that bench right there and let me show you how it's done."
Wonders on the new turf strutting their stuff
The Spiders on the same turf taking it rough
Fans on the home side cheering out loud
Fans on the other side crying out loud
The Spider bowed his head because he knew he had to go, and he left that Victory Bell just where he did four years ago. The Wonder said "Spider just come on back if you ever wanna try again, better yet, I'll come to you and I'll do it all over again"
Wonders on the new turf strutting their stuff:
Spiders on the same turf taking it rough:
Fans on the home side cheering out loud:
Fans on the other side crying out loud:
Our seventh and final Wonder player/hero was part of what is arguably Kannapolis football's most exciting moment in Battle for the Bell game history. His Senior leadership, composure and athletic prowess produced of the most exciting, if not the most exciting Bell game finishes to date. Without further ado, from the A.L. Brown class of 1991 Mr Maurice "Mo" Blakeney
In 1990 the A.L. Brown Wonders were the defending state AAA champions in North Carolina and were riding an impressive fifteen conference game winning streak when the Concord Spiders rolled in to Memorial Stadium for the 58th annual Battle for the Bell. The battle would once again determine the undisputed champion of the South Piedmont Conference for 1990.
The Wonders and Spiders engaged in a virtual slug fest in the first half of the 58th renewal which saw the Spiders take a 7-0 lead into halftime off a 95 yard touchdown run by Spider QB Kenny Robinson that gave the Spiders momentum going into the second half. All that changed on the Wonders first touching of the football in the second half after the Spiders were unable to move the ball and had to punt. Wonder return man Barry Lipscomb fielded the punt and rambled eighty one yards down the right home sideline for the Wonder score that tied the game a seven. The remainder of the third period would continue to be a slug fest with neither team able to convert when they needed to.
The fourth quarter would belong to the Spiders however, when with 5:05 left in the game the Spiders had driven from inside the shadow of their own goal line at the Spider two to just inside the Kannapolis ten. The Spiders were unable to move the ball any further after three attempts and were looking at fourth and six when Coach E.Z. Smith made a very calculated gamble to go for it on fourth and six. Concord QB Kenny Robinson caught the Wonder Lbs sleeping and hit fullback Clint Bost out of the backfield for a six yard touchdown. The sequence of game changing events in the 58th Battle for the Bell would begin on the Spiders PAT attempt which was blocked giving the Spiders a 13-7 lead over the Wonders. The Wonder fortunes would begin to unravel on the next possession when QB Maurice Blakeney threw an errant pass towards Zra Lipscomb that was picked off inside Wonder territory by Spider DB Ray Massey setting the Spiders up pretty inside the Wonder forty yard line.
With 3:15 left in the game the ever cliché “nail in the coffin” for the Wonders was delivered by Spider QB Kenny Robinson who on a QB option keeper found a gaping hole off left tackle, and darted twenty seven yards for the Spider touchdown. The second game changing sequence of events happened on the next play when after missing the previous Spider PAT Coach E.Z. Smith made another calculated gamble that would haunt him for the remainder of his coaching career as he opted to go for a two point conversion failing to convert. The Spiders would now be in firm control of the game (Or so they thought) 19-7 with just under 2:30 left in the contest. This is where things got interesting and the game began to go South for the Spiders.
On the ensuing Spider kick off Wonder return man Steve Mcknight was unable to field the ball leaving the Wonders to start in their own territory at the Kannapolis thirty two yard line. On the first play from scrimmage Wonder quarterback Maurice Blakeney would hand the ball off to Michael Barnes who would go off left tackle for about three yards putting the ball just inside the Wonder thirty six. Coach Hardin then took a gamble of his own calling for Blakeney to send everybody deep on an all go route. Blakeney saw the Spiders line up in man coverage which was exactly what he wanted. After dropping the ball briefly on the ensuing snap, Blakeney fired the ball deep down the visitors sideline forty six yards hitting Zra Lipscomb who was being covered by a lone Spider DB. Lipscomb hauled the pass in and ran the remaining sixteen yards for the Wonder score with just under two minutes left in the contest. The Wonders now had a shot, but it was now up to the defense for an all important stand to get the ball back for the Wonders last ditch winning effort.
The Wonder defense held the Spiders three times on conservative running plays as they meticulously ran time off the clock. The Wonders were forced to use their last two remaining timeouts which left them with no timeouts remaining when they regained possession of the ball. The Wonders were now fifty seven seconds and seventy yards away from history. On the first play from scrimmage Wonder QB Maurice Blakeney bobbled the snap briefly then scrambled out towards the Wonder sideline with Spider lineman David Damon and tackle Tommy Gilmore hot on his heels. Damon made a diving attempt to bring Blakeney down to no avail. Blakeney fired the ball down field forty three yards hitting wide out Scott Jordan who had found a soft spot in the Spider defense at the twenty three. Time was called to move the chains. Memorial Stadium erupted and there were no spectators in the entire stadium not on their feet. Blakeney hurried the team to the line as the clock proceeded to run with twenty one seconds left. On the next play Blakeney found the Spider Dbs playing very soft coverage and hit Barry Lipscomb out in the flat taking the ball just inside the Spider ten for the game saving first down. Had Lipscomb not made the first down there was no way the Wonders could have stopped the clock to get a play off.
Six seconds left as Blakeney hurries the Wonders to the line. As the ball is snapped there was one second showing on the clock, Blakeney took the snap and immediately scrambled towards the Wonder sideline with Spider back Houston Rodgers and interior lineman Tommy Gilmore in hot pursuit. Rodgers made a diving attempt at Blakeney’s legs tripping him up ever so slightly, but not before Blakeney was able to fire the ball to the left corner of the Wonder end zone. Waiting there between two Spider defenders was Johnny on the Spot wide out Scott Jordan. The Spider defenders tipped the ball sending the ball into a spin as Jordan begins a backward fall out of bounds. As the ball comes down it falls into the out stretched hands of a very focused Jordan who had both feet in bounds as he caught and controlled the spinning ball. Wonder football history had been made, and a group of vindicated Spiders who came to Kannapolis looking for sweet revenge stood expressionless on the field as the Wonder sideline erupted and the referee’s hands went up to signal the touchdown.
I guess for me what stands out most about this game is that for almost forty six minutes the Wonders could not sustain a drive long enough to score any offensive points, but in a span of two minutes and fifteen seconds they executed to perfection an offense that had been stymied for most of the game to score thirteen unanswered points in such dramatic fashion to win the game. None of this would have been possible if not for the athletic abilities of one Maurice Blakeney. Though several Wonders were part of this historic Battle for the Bell game moment, It was Blakeney who engineered it. Twice Blakeney should have been sacked during that final drive, but his desire and athletic prowess extended those plays long enough to have game altering results.
******(Sing to the Tune Devil Went Down to Georgia)**********
"The Spider went down to K-Town he was looking for a Bell to steal, it was not a good time, he was 1-9, and he was looking to make a deal. When he came upon a young man wearing a Green helmet and sporting a "K", and the Spider jumped up on his shoulder pads and said "boy I got something to say."
"I guess you couldn't tell it, but I play football too, and if you'd care to take a dare I'll make a bet with you, now you play pretty good football boy, but give the Spider his due, I'll bet a for that Victory Bell cause I think I'm better than you."
The boy said "I'm a Wonder, and I'll play you in my Den, but when I beat that @$$, you better show some class, cause you're gonna be 1-10."
Spiders tying up their shoes, their eyes all starting to swell. Cause hell's broke loose in K-Town and the Wonders have the Bell. And if they win they'll take that Bell down South for a real big show, but if they lose it'll then be 5 in a row.
The Spider won the toss and said "I'll start this show" then he scurried back to his eight leg friends praying they were ready to go. So he took the kick, then took a lick, and limped back to the huddle to pout, but it was all for naught, no ball was caught, and his friends were three and out.
When the Spider finished The Wonder said "you ain't nothing son, now sit down on that bench right there and let me show you how it's done."
Wonders on the new turf strutting their stuff
The Spiders on the same turf taking it rough
Fans on the home side cheering out loud
Fans on the other side crying out loud
The Spider bowed his head because he knew he had to go, and he left that Victory Bell just where he did four years ago. The Wonder said "Spider just come on back if you ever wanna try again, better yet, I'll come to you and I'll do it all over again"
Wonders on the new turf strutting their stuff:
Spiders on the same turf taking it rough:
Fans on the home side cheering out loud:
Fans on the other side crying out loud:
Our seventh and final Wonder player/hero was part of what is arguably Kannapolis football's most exciting moment in Battle for the Bell game history. His Senior leadership, composure and athletic prowess produced of the most exciting, if not the most exciting Bell game finishes to date. Without further ado, from the A.L. Brown class of 1991 Mr Maurice "Mo" Blakeney
In 1990 the A.L. Brown Wonders were the defending state AAA champions in North Carolina and were riding an impressive fifteen conference game winning streak when the Concord Spiders rolled in to Memorial Stadium for the 58th annual Battle for the Bell. The battle would once again determine the undisputed champion of the South Piedmont Conference for 1990.
The Wonders and Spiders engaged in a virtual slug fest in the first half of the 58th renewal which saw the Spiders take a 7-0 lead into halftime off a 95 yard touchdown run by Spider QB Kenny Robinson that gave the Spiders momentum going into the second half. All that changed on the Wonders first touching of the football in the second half after the Spiders were unable to move the ball and had to punt. Wonder return man Barry Lipscomb fielded the punt and rambled eighty one yards down the right home sideline for the Wonder score that tied the game a seven. The remainder of the third period would continue to be a slug fest with neither team able to convert when they needed to.
The fourth quarter would belong to the Spiders however, when with 5:05 left in the game the Spiders had driven from inside the shadow of their own goal line at the Spider two to just inside the Kannapolis ten. The Spiders were unable to move the ball any further after three attempts and were looking at fourth and six when Coach E.Z. Smith made a very calculated gamble to go for it on fourth and six. Concord QB Kenny Robinson caught the Wonder Lbs sleeping and hit fullback Clint Bost out of the backfield for a six yard touchdown. The sequence of game changing events in the 58th Battle for the Bell would begin on the Spiders PAT attempt which was blocked giving the Spiders a 13-7 lead over the Wonders. The Wonder fortunes would begin to unravel on the next possession when QB Maurice Blakeney threw an errant pass towards Zra Lipscomb that was picked off inside Wonder territory by Spider DB Ray Massey setting the Spiders up pretty inside the Wonder forty yard line.
With 3:15 left in the game the ever cliché “nail in the coffin” for the Wonders was delivered by Spider QB Kenny Robinson who on a QB option keeper found a gaping hole off left tackle, and darted twenty seven yards for the Spider touchdown. The second game changing sequence of events happened on the next play when after missing the previous Spider PAT Coach E.Z. Smith made another calculated gamble that would haunt him for the remainder of his coaching career as he opted to go for a two point conversion failing to convert. The Spiders would now be in firm control of the game (Or so they thought) 19-7 with just under 2:30 left in the contest. This is where things got interesting and the game began to go South for the Spiders.
On the ensuing Spider kick off Wonder return man Steve Mcknight was unable to field the ball leaving the Wonders to start in their own territory at the Kannapolis thirty two yard line. On the first play from scrimmage Wonder quarterback Maurice Blakeney would hand the ball off to Michael Barnes who would go off left tackle for about three yards putting the ball just inside the Wonder thirty six. Coach Hardin then took a gamble of his own calling for Blakeney to send everybody deep on an all go route. Blakeney saw the Spiders line up in man coverage which was exactly what he wanted. After dropping the ball briefly on the ensuing snap, Blakeney fired the ball deep down the visitors sideline forty six yards hitting Zra Lipscomb who was being covered by a lone Spider DB. Lipscomb hauled the pass in and ran the remaining sixteen yards for the Wonder score with just under two minutes left in the contest. The Wonders now had a shot, but it was now up to the defense for an all important stand to get the ball back for the Wonders last ditch winning effort.
The Wonder defense held the Spiders three times on conservative running plays as they meticulously ran time off the clock. The Wonders were forced to use their last two remaining timeouts which left them with no timeouts remaining when they regained possession of the ball. The Wonders were now fifty seven seconds and seventy yards away from history. On the first play from scrimmage Wonder QB Maurice Blakeney bobbled the snap briefly then scrambled out towards the Wonder sideline with Spider lineman David Damon and tackle Tommy Gilmore hot on his heels. Damon made a diving attempt to bring Blakeney down to no avail. Blakeney fired the ball down field forty three yards hitting wide out Scott Jordan who had found a soft spot in the Spider defense at the twenty three. Time was called to move the chains. Memorial Stadium erupted and there were no spectators in the entire stadium not on their feet. Blakeney hurried the team to the line as the clock proceeded to run with twenty one seconds left. On the next play Blakeney found the Spider Dbs playing very soft coverage and hit Barry Lipscomb out in the flat taking the ball just inside the Spider ten for the game saving first down. Had Lipscomb not made the first down there was no way the Wonders could have stopped the clock to get a play off.
Six seconds left as Blakeney hurries the Wonders to the line. As the ball is snapped there was one second showing on the clock, Blakeney took the snap and immediately scrambled towards the Wonder sideline with Spider back Houston Rodgers and interior lineman Tommy Gilmore in hot pursuit. Rodgers made a diving attempt at Blakeney’s legs tripping him up ever so slightly, but not before Blakeney was able to fire the ball to the left corner of the Wonder end zone. Waiting there between two Spider defenders was Johnny on the Spot wide out Scott Jordan. The Spider defenders tipped the ball sending the ball into a spin as Jordan begins a backward fall out of bounds. As the ball comes down it falls into the out stretched hands of a very focused Jordan who had both feet in bounds as he caught and controlled the spinning ball. Wonder football history had been made, and a group of vindicated Spiders who came to Kannapolis looking for sweet revenge stood expressionless on the field as the Wonder sideline erupted and the referee’s hands went up to signal the touchdown.
I guess for me what stands out most about this game is that for almost forty six minutes the Wonders could not sustain a drive long enough to score any offensive points, but in a span of two minutes and fifteen seconds they executed to perfection an offense that had been stymied for most of the game to score thirteen unanswered points in such dramatic fashion to win the game. None of this would have been possible if not for the athletic abilities of one Maurice Blakeney. Though several Wonders were part of this historic Battle for the Bell game moment, It was Blakeney who engineered it. Twice Blakeney should have been sacked during that final drive, but his desire and athletic prowess extended those plays long enough to have game altering results.