Rocky Reid, Concord Spiders
Senior Rocky Reid set the Concord Spiders career rushing record with 25 carries for 224 yards and four touchdowns in a win over South Rowan 35-21. The previous record was held by Jamie Scott, who is now a Concord assistant coach. Reid has committed to play for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Tyler English, Daiyaan Fuller, Central Cabarrus Vikings
Quarterback Tyler English and multi-position player Daiyaan Fuller keyed the Vikings 44-0 win over West Stanly. English was seven for nine passing for 191 yards and four touchdowns. One of the passes went to Fuller for a 63-yard TD on the first play from scrimmage. Fuller also ran 47 yards for a TD, threw an 11-yard TD pass to Khouri Smith and picked off a pass on defense.
The Vikings’ defense was stifling, holding the Colts to 108 yards of total offense with only four first downs.
Hickory Ridge rushing attack
The Ragin’ Bulls ran for 630 yards and nine touchdowns in 61-37 win over Cox Mill. Nate Mullen led the way with 225 yards on 18 carries. Jaylen Rudisell carried the ball 24 times for 198 yards. Quarterback Greg Waslo ran 18 times for 126 yards. Mullen and Rudisell each scored four TDs. Kevin Wooten ran for the other score on a 33-yarder, his only carry.
Tyler Arnold for Cox Mill carried the ball 22 times for 143 yards and a touchdown. Jonathan Early also scored twice for the Chargers with a 71-yard interception return and caught an 8-yard TD pass from Hunter Longmire.
Northwest Cabarrus defense
The Trojans, heavy underdogs, stayed in the game with West Rowan thanks to a strong defensive performance. The Trojans held the Falcons to 252 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers. But the Trojans couldn’t manage much offense and lost 13-0.
South Piedmont Standings
SPC Overall Points Allowed
Central Cabarrus 1-0 4-0 140 64
Concord 2-0 4-0 107 78
West Rowan 1-0 3-1 126 92
Hickory Ridge 1-1 4-1 195 122
East Rowan 1-1 2-2 121 114
South Rowan 1-1 2-2 77 120
Jesse Carson 1-1 2-2 139 126
Northwest Cabarrus 0-2 1-3 53 79
Cox Mill 0-2 1-4 183 225
MeCKA Conference play begins in Week 6. Rocky River Conference play begins later.
Charlotte-Elon highlights
Davidson-Morehead State highlights
Elon hangs to beat the Charlotte 49ers
From Charlotte Sports Information
ELON, N.C. – Charlotte suffered its first loss of the season, 20-13, on the road at Elon, Saturday night. The 49ers (3-1) and Phoenix (1-2) traded punches in the second half, with the Phoenix striking the winning blow on a five-yard touchdown pass with 3:57 to play to break a 13-13 tie.
On its last possession, Charlotte charged from its own 37 to the Elon 22 in the final 1:18 – and QB Matt Johnson hit Corey Nesmith in the end zone on the final play of the game, but a holding call and an illegal forward pass penalty negated the tying score and left the 49ers with their first loss of Season Two.
“They have a physical team and a fifth-year senior at quarterback,” said head coach Brad Lambert. “We knew it would be a dogfight. We kept fighting and had a lot of penalties. It was a game that went down to the very end and we just couldn’t get over the hump.”
Charlotte took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 19-yard TD pass from Johnson to Austin Duke. Elon tied it in the second quarter when Kierre Brown broke free in the corner of the end zone for a 14-yard TD catch from Mike Quinn.
Tied at 7 at the half, Elon took the lead on a 24-yard field goal only to see the 49ers tie it at 10, on Blake Brewer’s 27-yarder. Another John Gallagher field goal, this one from 26, put Elon back ahead 13-10 heading into the final frame, but Brewer knotted it with a 43-yard kick with 11:17 left.
After the teams swapped three-and-outs, Elon drove from their own 37 to the Charlotte five,
The 49ers answered, reaching the Elon 37, but Johnson was intercepted on the Elon 25 with 2:51 to play. The 49ers defense again held their ground, forcing a punt to the Charlotte 37 with 1:33 left.
Johnson hit Dmarjai Devine for 12 yards, Justin Bolus for 16 and, after a sack, Bolus again for 19 to keep the 49ers last minute hopes alive. On third and 10 from the 22, Johnson was forced out of the pocket. As he raced to his right he threw for Nesmith in the end zone. Nesmith came down with the ball, but Johnson had crossed the line of scrimmage to negate the score.
“We kept fighting,” Lambert said. “Our guys were fighting extremely hard and so was Elon. It was a very physical game. But our guys kept fighting and gave us a chance to win at the end, that’s all you can ask.”
Duke, who had the opening TD, finished with nine catches for 123 yards. It was his second straight game with over 100 receiving yards and it gives him 1013 career receiving yards – the first 49er to surpass 1000 career yards. He also became the first 49er to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games (he had 126, last week at North Carolina Central).
Sophomore Kalif Phillips, who rushed for 80 yards, now has 1011 rushing yards, becoming the first 49ers runner to surpass 1000 rushing yards. The former A.L. Brown Wonders also is the school’s touchdown leader.
Red-shirt freshman linebacker Dustin Crouser led the 49ers with 15 tackles while another red-shirt freshman, Karrington King, had career-high 12 tackles while making his first career start. Crouser has now led the 49ers in tackles in the last two games. His 15 tackles are the 49ers season-high, this year. Cornerback Tank Norman added a career-high nine tackles and leads the team with 18 solo tackles.
Senior Tyler DeStefani, making his first career start at outside linebacker, had six tackles, including the 49ers lone sack and two pass break-ups.
Charlotte gave up a season-high 454 yards of total offense but yielded just two TDs forcing Elon into five field goals attempts. Elon hit two, from 24 and 26 yards, but missed from 50, 42 and 49 yards. The 49ers had 359 yards of total offense, but likewise found it tough to find the end zone. Brewer kicked a pair of field goals and Charlotte was stopped on the goal line on a pair of Phillips’ rushes on 3rd and 4th and goal from the two at the end of the first half. The rushing game was even with Charlotte rushing for 124 yards and Elon posting 123, but the Phoenix had 331 passing yards while Charlotte put up 235.
Elon won the turnover battle, forcing four turnovers, including three interceptions. Charlotte had one takeaway, a Crouser interception in the second quarter.
The 49ers, who have played three of their first four games on the road, return home to face Charleston Southern, Saturday at 12 noon. The Buccaneers are 4-0 and receiving votes in the latest FCS Coaches and Sports Network polls. CSU, ranked #24 at the time, defeated Charlotte 36-14, last year, in Charleston. The Buccaneers finished the year ranked 20th in the final FCS Coaches poll.
Morehead State hangs on in PFL opener at Davidson
From Davidson Sports Information
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Morehead State fended off a hot Davidson start and a fourth quarter rally to win, 40-32, in the Pioneer Football League opener for both teams Saturday afternoon in Richardson Stadium.
Led by William Morris’ three catches for 129 yards, Davidson (1-3, 0-1 PFL) leapt out to an 11-0 lead in the first six minutes, and held an 18-7 lead early in the second quarter, but Morehead State (2-2, 1-0 PFL) answered with the next four scores – two first-half touchdowns and two second-half field goals – to take a 27-18 lead late in the third quarter. The Eagles maintained the lead despite allowing the ‘Cats back within two points early in the fourth quarter, and within a touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:19 to go.
Davidson totaled 485 yards of offense, with quarterback J.P. Douglas gaining 282 in the air by completing 20-of-36 passes with a touchdown and interception, and six different rushers, led by quarterback John Cook (six carries, 56 yards, two touchdowns) and running back Austin Wells (8 carries, 56 yards), totaling 203 yards.
Morris was limited to just two more receptions, but finished with 163 yards for the third-most prolific game in his career.
Morehead State was able to run 94 plays and totaled 549 yards of offense. The attack was led by a strong running game that gained 273 yards and scored four touchdowns. Rees Macshara carried the ball 27 times for 129 yards and had a 22-yard reception, while quarterback Austin Gahafer gained 75 on the ground with one rushing touchdown. Two of Brandon Bornhauser’s seven carries ended in the end zone, while Rob Harden also scored on the ground.
Gahafer threw for one touchdown, as he connected with 11 different receivers amongst his 24 completions on 41 attempts, totaling 276 yards with an interception.
Senior linebacker Matt Casey led the ‘Cats’ defense, making a career-high 15 tackles (nine solo,) including a sack, and an interception on a deflected pass. However, MSU converted 11-of-22 third downs and possessed the ball for 34 minutes, 47 seconds, while Davidson went 5-for-16 on third down and only controlled the ball for 25:13.
Two big rushes got Davidson back into the game on its first offensive possession of the fourth quarter, as freshman Jeffrey Keil broke off a 21-yard run to advance to MSU’s 39, and Cook, who was leading his first drive of the game, ran a career-long 39 yards for a touchdown to bring the Wildcats back within two points.
However, the ‘Cats yielded a 58-yard punt return by Justin Cornwall on their next drive, which gave Morehead State the ball on the Davidson 22. Gahafer capped a four-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. The Eagles then scored on their next possession, as Bornhauser capped a seven-play, 70-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run for a 40-25 lead.
Douglas returned under center for Davidson and went 8-for-11 on a 70-yard drive that concluded with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Cam Cheuvront, who finished with a team-high six receptions, with 1:19 left in regulation.
Trailing by eight, the ‘Cats attempted an onside kick. The ball was up for grabs after it bounced off a Morehead State player, but Macshara was able to pounce on it and secure the game for the Eagles.
The Wildcats had a big start, as Wells returned the opening kickoff 33 yards to the Morehead State 40, and Douglas connected with Morris on a season-long 49-yard pass that setup a field goal.
After a Morehead State punt was downed on the Davidson 4, Douglas and Morris moved to midfield on the first play of the drive, as they connected on a 41-yard reception. After a pair of David Rogers rushes, Douglas found Morris wide open in the middle of the field for a 39-yard completion. Cook capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, and Rogers snuck into the end zone for two points and an 11-0 Davidson lead.
The Eagles offense got going on the ensuing possession, as Gahafer found Tanner Napier for a 50-yard reception that keyed a seven-play, 80-yard drive, which was capped by Harden’s 4-yard touchdown run. Morehead State also found its footing defensively after allowing Douglas to go 8-for-11 for 167 yards in the first quarter, as Douglas was held to just two completions for 16 yards on nine attempts in the second. However, Douglas did score on a 23-yard touchdown run for an 18-7 Davidson lead early in the second frame.
The Wildcats defense came up with a big fourth down stop deep in their own territory in the second quarter, but the Eagles were able to score a touchdown with 8:36 remaining in the half with three-straight passes to Cyrus Strahm on a 50-yard drive. The ‘Cats were unable to take advantage of Casey’s interception, and Bornhauser then gave MSU its first lead, and one it would not relinquish, at the end of a nine-play, 65-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds remaining in the half.
Davidson will play its final non-conference game of the season at Princeton Saturday at 6 p.m.