By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
Area athletes update …
Jamill Lott (A.L. Brown) played a pivotal role in Appalachian State’s Southern Conference win at Chattanooga on Saturday.
With ASU clinging to a 13-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, Lott intercepted a sideline pass at the ASU 26 to stop a potential go-ahead drive by Chattanooga.
That play helped turned the game. The Mountaineers scored 24 straight points and won 34-17.
Lott started at left cornerback and played on special teams. He led the Mountaineers with eight tackles.
•Darien Rankin (Salisbury) started at free safety and was in on seven tackles for UNC in Saturday’s 27-6 win against East Carolina. The redshirt freshman was credited with four primary stops and three assists.
• UNC’s Romar Morris (Salisbury) returned two kickoffs for 55 yards, rushed four times for 19 yards and had two receptions for 12 yards against the Pirates. Morris’ workload diminished with the return to health of Gio Bernard, but he made a solid contribution.
• True freshman Damien Washington (A.L. Brown) saw action for the Tar Heels, although the didn’t register any stats.
K.P. Parks (West Rowan) led Virginia in rushing on Saturday with 12 carries for 84 yards and added two receptions.
Still, it wasn’t a great day for him. His fumble on Virginia’s 42-yard line helped TCU take a 14-0 lead and go on to a 27-7 victory over the Cavaliers.
• South Carolina State is playing a big-time schedule, so Javon Hargrave (North Rowan) already has made some exotic road trips. A week after losing big at Arizona, S.C. State fell 70-14 at Texas A&M. The 295-pound freshman started at nose guard and was in on three tackles.
• Chris Smith (West) was quiet in Arkansas’ 35-26 loss to Rutgers. Smith still leads the struggling Razorbacks with two sacks and he’s tied for the team lead with four quarterback hurries.
• Jon Crucitti (West) didn’t have any carries or receptions in Army’s 49-37 loss at Wake Forest. He fielded two punts on special teams and returned one 5 yards.
• Domonique Noble (West) played in Georgia Tech’s overtime loss to Miami but didn’t register any tackles.
• Shaun Warren (Carson) played in Western Carolina’s loss to Samford but didn’t have any touches.
Division II
Catawba’s B.J. Sherrill (West) was hobbled by a sprained foot on Saturday but directed Catawba to a 14-6 win against Tusculum. Sherrill was an efficient 8-for-10 passing and threw for a touchdown.
• Charleston’s John Knox (Salisbury) had a tough day in a 16-10 loss to Shepherd. Knox had a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown and he was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Knox had 7 yards on four carries, but his playing time was limited with the return to health of Charleston’s starting QB Maurice Leak.
• UNC Pembroke middle linebacker Cadarreus Mason (South Rowan) made seven tackles and shared a sack in the Braves’ sluggish win over Virginia-Lynchburg. UNCP hosts Catawba this Saturday.
• UNCP’s backup QB Jonathan Efird (A.L. Brown) completed his first pass of the season.
• It was a quiet day for UNCP receivers Ben DeCelle (East Rowan) and T,J, Johnson (A.L. Brown). They had one short reception apiece. DeCelle also had a special-teams tackle.
• Josh Patch (East) started at defensive tackle and Joseph So (Salisbury) started at center for Wingate in a SAC win against Brevard. So helped the Bulldogs pile up 409 yards of offense. Patch was in on three tackles. Wingate hosts Catawba on Oct. 20.
Division III
Averett, Guilford and Emory & Henry had the week off.