Staff report

LANDIS — The good news is that the South Rowan-A.L. Brown football rivalry is back in business after being dormant from 2017-22.

The bad news is that Friday’s game didn’t remind anyone of the classics the programs staged in the 1980s.

A.L. Brown won 49-6 in Friday’s outing and had all of those 49 points by halftime.

With the clock running continuously in the second half, South got a fourth-quarter touchdown on a pass from Brooks Overcash to tight end Alex Furr to avoid a shutout.

Mekhi Herron was a the standout for the Wonders. He scored four touchdowns, including three on explosive plays. He had scoring runs of 3.32 and 74 yards and caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from CJ Gray.

The Wonders scored a little more than two minutes int0 the game, with Herron finishing a drive from the 3.

DB Kadan Williams had an interception that led to a 14-0 lead on Herron’s second TD.

Gray’s scoring pass to Herron made it 21-0 by the end of the first quarter.

Gray flipped a 38-yard scoring pass to Derick Brazil for a 28-0 lead in the opening seconds of the second quarter.

Masiah Bennermon’a 18-yard rushing TD made it 35-0 in the middle of the second quarter. It was 42-0 two minutes later after Herron broke loose on a 74-yard play.

A.L. Brown scored on defense with 25 seconds left in the half when defensive end T.A. Massey tipped a pass, secured it, and headed to the end zone for a 49-0 lead.

Ethan Martinez kicked seven PATs for the Wonders.

South lost its eighth straight in the series and hasn’t won against the Wonders since 2009. A.L. Brown leads the all-time series 47-8-2.

A.L. Brown (2-1) opens Greater Metro Conference play next week at Hickory Ridge. South (1-2) will start South Piedmont Conference play at home against Northwest Cabarrus, but that will be a tough assignment. Northwest beat the Wonders, 30-19.