By Mike London

mike.london@salisburypost.com

CHINA GROVE —  Fans got more than they bargained for when they came to enjoy Carson’s Senior Night festivities on Friday.

They got a ballgame.

South Rowan played the best game it’s played in the last two seasons and the Raiders pushed Carson hard. Brooks Overcash threw three touchdown passes for the Raiders, while Jadon Moore provided the unusual combination of two pass interceptions and three PAT kicks.

Carson (5-5, 4-2) had the grit to come back and win the South Piedmont Conference game, 35-21, showing why it deserves to be in the 3A state playoffs.

South finished 1-9 and 0-6 in league play.

It came down to one pivotal moment — a 93-yard interception return for a touchdown by Carson DB Foday Dyer.

That was a two-score swing. It made all the difference.

“South had absolutely nothing to lose and when you’re in that position, you can go one of two ways,” winning coach Jonathan Lowe said. “You can fold it up — or you can leave your hearts on the field. South left their hearts on the field. I was so impressed with how hard they fought us, was really impressed with how well they played. They’ve got some good players, and their coaching staff did an amazing job tonight.”

Carson played without starting quarterback Michael Guiton, who suffered a concussion when he was flung down hard in the Central Cabarrus game. Receiver Emory Taylor is an exceptional enough athlete that he was able to fill in at quarterback and throw two touchdown passes to Jay Howard, but the Cougars are at their best with Guiton throwing and Taylor catching.

“Emory hugged me when it was over and told me, ‘Great win, Coach. Glad I want to be playing quarterback next week,'” Lowe said.

Guiton is expected to return for the Cougars’ first-round playoff road game.

Carson was a 27-point favorite . The game started out the way it was supposed to go. Jordan Galarza scored on the ground for the third-place Cougars (5-5, 4-2) four minutes into the contest.

Taylor’s first TD connection with Howard and a Luis Avilez PAT made it 14-0.

Carson has a good offensive line and expected to just plow through the Raiders on the ground like a lot of teams have, but that didn’t happen.

“We thought we’d be able to run the ball consistently, but South was in a defensive front that we had not expected and their kids were playing very hard,” Lowe said. “They made it tough for us to run the ball, and they stopped us on some big third-down conversions. And Jadon (Moore) intercepted two passes.”

By halftime, Carson’s lead had been reduced to 14-7, and the string of defensive stops had built confidence on the South sideline.

Midway through the third quarter, the Raiders caught up. Then they went in front 21-14. That made it 21 unanswered points.

“It wasn’t looking good for us, going from up 14-0 to down 21-14,” Lowe said. “But we kept believing.”

Overcash, a sophomore, shattered South’s school record with 295 passing yards in last week’s loss to East Rowan. That mark had stood for 25 years.  Charles Sherrill threw for 242 against Northwest Cabarrus in 1997.

Overcash also led the charge against Carson. He threw two touchdown passes to Bronson Hunt and one to Dalton Young.

Hunt can fly and his catches included a spectacular one-handed grab.

Carson finally stopped South’s momentum with the help of a trio of pass interference calls. Galarza’s touchdown run and the Avilez PAT made it 21-all with three minutes left in the third quarter.

“Some things definitely went our way when we needed something good to happen,” Lowe said.

Taylor’s second TD connection with Howard put the Cougars ahead 28-21 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

South drove it right back, but with the Raiders threatening on the Carson 10, Dyer make his pivotal pickoff and was off to the races for a 35-21 lead.

South’s next possession ended with a fourth-down stop by the Cougars on the Carson 35 with 7:11 remaining.

Carson’s offensive line went to work from there, despite injuries to several key players.

Galarza ran for 11 yards and picked up a first down at the Carson 46.

“We were using some eight-quarter linemen to give guys a break and we used (defensive lineman) Joseph Giles on offense for the first time in weeks,” Lowe said. “Guys got the job done. Just like the Concord game and the Central Cabarrus game, it was one of those full-on team efforts.”

With six minutes left, Carson moved the chains again. South had only one timeout left.

Jay McGruder and Galarza kept pounding it forward between the tackles, as the Cougars calmly took their time and drained the clock.

Taylor actually turned the right corner and took the ball to the end zone on a keeper, but a holding penalty nullified the TD.

South finally stopped the Cougars in the red zone, but at that point there were just 19 seconds left, and it was all over.

Cody Russell had an interception for the Cougars, while Tristen McBride forced a fumble.

Both injured ankles before the night was over. Carson is also dealing with injuries to offensive linemen Drue Gillis and Tristan Ruhnow.

So the Cougars have to get as healthy as possible as soon as possible. Seeded 26th for the 3A playoffs, they’ll travel to Asheville to play No. 7 Erwin on Friday.

On the other side of the field, South closed the books on 2022 with an effort it can feel good about.

“Super proud of our guys,” South coach Chris Walsh said. “We knew the plan going in this year and we are building something great. We’ve got a great group of young men, a great staff and the support of our administration.”

 

 

 

 

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