BY STEVE HUFFMAN
SALISBURY POST

East Rowan and North Iredell went eye to eye for four quarters and two overtime periods Friday night.

And finally, in the third overtime, North blinked.

On the first play of that final overtime period, North’s J.R. Redmond took a handoff and fumbled.

East’s Brandon Rabon made sure the mistake proved costly, pouncing on the stray ball.

Three plays later, the Mustangs’ Matt Shelton booted a 19-yard field to give East an exhausting 38-35 homecoming win.

“Somebody stripped the ball and I was just there at the right time,” Rabon said of his fumble recovery. “That’s the greatest thrill.”

It was an exciting end to a well-played South Piedmont 3A Conference showdown.

East (4-5 overall, 2-2 in the conference) led almost from the outset, with quarterback Drew Davis taking the ball on the first play of the game and going 43 yards for a score.

From there, North (5-5, 2-3) played catchup, constantly spotting the Mustangs a touchdown lead, then pulling even.

East led 14-7 going into the fourth period before North’s Corey Steele pulled in a 14-yard pass from Duran Scott to tie the game. The Mustangs took their final lead of regulation when Davis raced 32 yards for his third touchdown.

But North battled back, Scott knotting the game at 21-21 on a 7-yard carry. The Raiders almost won in regulation when Nate Perkins just missed on a 27-yard field goal with two seconds left.

The teams traded touchdowns and extra points through the first two overtimes, setting the stage for Rabon’s fumble recovery and Shelton’s kicking heroics.

Shelton said he wasn’t especially nervous when he lined up for what proved to be the game-winning kick.

When his nerves almost got the best of him, he said, was in the first overtime when North jumped to a 28-21 lead, only to have the lead sliced to 28-27 on a 1-yard carry by Jacob Moore.

Shelton’s extra point to tie the game barely made it through the uprights.

“It’s a little different when you know you can’t win the game, that all you can do is tie it or lose it,” Shelton said.

Even after Rabon’s fumble recovery, the Mustangs didn’t immediately attempt a field goal. On first down, Moore carried for a yard, followed by an 8-yard carry by Matt Baker.

It was on third-and-goal at the Raiders’ 1 that Shelton kicked the game-winner.

“We decided to kick on third down because if we had a bad snap, we could still fall on the ball and try again,” said East coach Tom Eanes.

He said he never doubted Shelton’s ability.

“Matt’s not the kind of kid who’s going to kick a 50-yarder, but from in close, he’s very consistent,” Eanes said.

East’s running game was impressive all night despite the one-game suspension of Cal Hayes Jr., the Mustangs’ leading rusher who was forced to sit out after being ejected during a fight at Robinson a week ago.

Moore finished with 197 yards and one touchdown on 33 carries. Davis rushed 14 times for 74 yards and 4 TDs.

“We knew Jacob (Moore) had to have a big game, which he did,” said Davis, who directed East’s ball-control offense perfectly.

Moore said that despite the absence of Hayes, the Mustangs’ offensive attack varied only slightly.

“Usually, I carry up the middle until the other team covers me up, then we send Cal outside,” Moore said. “Tonight, it was Drew.”

North coach Robert Morrison said he regretted not trying a two-point conversion in the second overtime.

In that period, East took the ball first, with Davis carrying in from 2 yards out. North battled back with Redmond scoring from a yard away.

Before the Raiders kicked the extra point, Morrison called a timeout. He said he was mulling going for a two-point conversion that would have decided the game one way or another.

“I was too conservative,” Morrison said. “But it’s easy to second-guess somebody on a decision like that. Everybody becomes a Monday morning quarterback.”

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Contact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4242 or shuffman@salisburypost.com ..