Prep Football: Wonders win; Carson ends season with loss

Published 2:48 am Saturday, November 4, 2017

From staff reports

A.L. Brown stopped a two-point conversion in the final seconds and held on to beat Concord, 14-12, on Friday at Memorial Stadium.

The Wonders (9-2) won their straight Bell Game against the Spiders (5-6). Both teams will be in the state playoffs.

A.L. Brown scored first on a sneak by QB Jordan Medley for a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

A.L. Brown’s defense made that score stand up at halftime.

With the Wonders leading 7-6, Nick Lyerly got a rushing TD with 1:08 left in the third quarter.

Leading 14-6, the Wonders held on. Justin Holsclaw intercepted a pass, and Malik Keller blocked a field goal.

Concord fought to the end in coach Glen Padgett’s final Bell Game and got within 14-12 late, but the Wonders stopped the two-point conversion.

Most projections have A.L. Brown as a No. 6 seed in the 3AA playoffs. They’ll find out today.

S. Iredell 51, Carson 14

South Iredell’s domination of the North Piedmont Conference continued against Carson in Friday’s regular-season finale.

It was another yawner for the Vikings by the end of the first quarter. The Vikings (9-2, 5-0) scored 37 points in the opening period and coasted   against the Cougars.

“We wanted to be the outright champion. We hadn’t done that since 2011,” South Iredell coach Scott Miller said. “Our kids played really tough tonight.”

Carson’s offense struggled to penetrate the front four of South Iredell. Carson finished with minus-3 rushing yards.

The Cougars (3-8, 2-3) managed to break up the shutout in the third quarter after a successful fake punt.  Punter Teolyn Woodruff took the snap and launched an underhanded throw in the air that Jailen Williams pulled down and turned into a 46-yard gain.

Then quarterback Cole Sifford hooked up with Jamarius Hairston for a 12-yard TD strike.

Ben Coulter added a 13-yard TD run for the Cougars late in the fourth quarter.

South Iredell recognized 31 seniors — good news for the rest of the NPC.

With the Vikings leading 44-0 at halftime, the clock ran continuously in the second half.

South Iredell running back Tavis White eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the season.

Vikings quarterback Brady Pope had another short night because of the blowout.

He only played one series in the second half and finished 11 of 21 passing for 166 yards with touchdown tosses to Dydrion Leach, Trey Page and Ty Everhart.

Two potential TD passes were dropped.

Pope hit Everhart with a back-shoulder pass that went for a 30-yard TD early in the second quarter to make it 44-0.  It was the senior’s 102nd career TD pass, tying him for ninth all-time in the N.C. High School Athletic Association record book with Ernest Tinnen of Burlington Cummings (1990-93).

First quarter

SI—Tavis White 30 run (Julia Knapp kick), 11:13.

SI—Dydrion Leach 9 pass from Brady Pope (Gabriel Young run), 6:37.

SI—Pope 1 run (Trey Page run), 5:48.

SI—Zinni White 1 run (Knapp kick), 2:46.

SI—Trey Page 33 pass from Pope (Knapp kick), :23.2.

Second quarter

SI—Ty Everhart 30 pass from Pope (David Moyer kick), 10:12.

Third quarter

C—Jamarius Hairston 12 pass from Cole Sifford (Juan Espinoza kick), 3:14.

Fourth quarter

SI—White 4 run (Beni Juarez kick), 9:29.

C—Ben Coulter 13 run (Espinoza kick), 3:01.