KANNAPOLIS — Quarterback Drew Maher said A.L. Brown’s 33-30 comeback victory over South Point felt better than anything mere words could describe. Maher might have tried vindication, relief and satisfaction — they all fit — that is, if he’d had an ounce of energy left to dig into his vocabulary.
“Coach (Ron Massey) told us at halftime,” whispered Maher,“that when we came down the hill for the second half, we’d be able to count on one hand the number of people in this stadium that believed we would win this ballgame.”
When this contest for the ages was over, however, the Wonders had folks believing that they could turn water into wine. And not just a handful.
Hundreds of brand new green-clad believers stormed the field at Memorial Stadium when the clock finally ticked to zeroes. A few thousand more would have joined them if they’d had any breath left in their lungs or any voice left to offer congratulations.
It was just one win — the long-awaited first one of the season for A.L. Brown. But what a win it was.
It’s hard to believe any team could have charged off the deck faced with this sort of adversity.
When Massey faced his troops at halftime, they stood 0-2 on the season and trailed on the scoreboard 23-7 after giving up two painful TDs in the last minute of the half.
They were in a deep, deep hole against a powerful visiting team whose losses in the past three years could be counted on one hand. And it was the same team that had ended the season for many of them the year before.
In addition, the Wonders faced the sobering fact that if they were to climb out of their yawning pit, they would have to do it without seven starters lost to injury in recent weeks.
“The thing I noticed at halftime was out quiet it was,” said Massey. “The good thing was — nobody was panicking. We made some adjustments on defense and then went out and played with some real determination.”
That steely determination took the form of a Wonder wipeout in the third quarter that turned the game. In the third, the Wonders outgained coach John Devine’s Red Raiders (1-2) 166 to minus 1. South Point had two quick 3-and-outs and the Wonders got a fabulous 61-yard scoring run from Chris Carter and a 19-yard Maher-to-Aundrae Allison scoring pass to finish a slam-bang 80-yard drive that closed the deficit to 23-19.
“For the first time this year, Chris Carter played like Chris Carter,” said Massey, who managed his first smile since August. “As for Allison, we see him every day, so nothing he does surprises us anymore.”
Carter is well-publicized and with good reason. On this night, he piled up 211 yards rushing. Some of the holes he was hitting were smaller than you’ll find at McCanless Golf Club, so he got most of it after first contact.
Less is known about Allison than Carter, but his star is rising with a bullet. Better known for basketball skills, he caught 11 balls good for 195 yards and two TDs. He added a lightning bolt of a 62-yard punt return in the fourth quarter that gave the Wonders the lead for keeps.
Allison is called “Touché” by most everyone and sheepishly says his Mom handed him that monicker because his crawling technique resembled that of cartoon character “Touché Turtle”.
But Allison no longer crawls — or even walks. Now he sprints. This was his second three-TD game of the young season.
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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com
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