Triad area media reports

Reports on Crest-Grimsley, Eastern-Randolph-Williams, Andrews-Asheville, Western Alamance-Rocky Mount, Bunn-Reidsville and Murphy-Thomasville from the Greensboro News & Record….


Now sweat as Whirlies get shot at title
By Kellie Dixon, Staff Writer, Greensboro News & Record

GREENSBORO -- The first reaction was shock.

The senior football players that crowded around the computer in fifth period honors marine science class couldn't believe what they read.
The classmates they startled when they burst into the hallway with excited screams also doubted the news.

And Grimsley football coach Todd Shuping certainly was skeptical that Grimsley would be going to next Saturday's state final without playing a down Friday night. It had to be a rumor, nothing more.

Turns out, it was more.

Boiling Springs Crest forfeited Friday's semifinal state football playoff game against Grimsley after it reported to the N.C. High School Athletic Association that its football team had used an ineligible player.

That meant that the back-to-back defending 3-AA state champion have to forfeit the 2005 wins that the ineligible player dressed. It also meant that the Chargers wouldn't make the trip to Greensboro to play Grimsley in the 4-A state semifinals.

Cleveland County Schools spokeswoman Donna Carpenter said the school discovered the ineligible player when reviewing eligibility records for winter sports. She did not identify the player, and it's unclear why the student was ineligible or which games he dressed for. Crest football coach Roy Kirby did not return a message left at the school Friday.

With the forfeit, the Whirlies (14-1) advance to the 4-A state championship game next Saturday at N.C. State's Carter-Finley Stadium.

"It's not the way I wanted to win -- sort of win by default," senior lineman Bonga Nxumalo said. "But the fact remains that we're going to the state championship."

Nxumalo said he was so revved up about the game that his hands shook every time he tried to write. Defensive end Brandon Peguese said it was a letdown not to play.

"I was just geared up for this game," Peguese said. "Cut out all the questions of, 'Would we have won? Could we have won?' I don't want the coulda, wouldas. But I'm not going to be ungrateful."

Wide receiver and defensive back D.J. Baker was among the group of seniors that stood behind quarterback and safety Robert Lane in that fifth period science class. Lane was checking out the rumor on a prep sports Web site when the news appeared on the screen.

"It took me a while to realize what was going on," said Baker, a senior. "It was a gut-check feeling of 'Oh, my God.' It's amazing to know that you're playing in the state championship."

The players' excitement seemed to override the disappointment of missing their last home Friday football game of the season. Players exchanged chest bumps, high fives and hugs after hearing the news. Some shed a few happy tears. And they gobbled up pregame sandwiches purchased for the evening after a quick team meeting in the field house.

Shuping tried to quiet the noisy group before the impromptu meeting.

"Act like you been here before," a player shouted across the locker room to help Shuping quiet the room.

That advice wasn't lost on the group, although the team is making the school's first title game appearance since 1960, when Grimsley beat Reynolds 19-7.

The hollering muted into quiet stares from the players, who sat in front of their lockers while Shuping told the team the news. When he was done, the celebration resumed. Even Shuping smiled a little, although like his players he said he was disappointed.

"It's real unfortunate that it happened," Shuping said. "You like to be able to earn the opportunity on the field."

Players flipped open their cell phones, anxious to share the news with anybody who hadn't heard. Shuping picked up the phone in the coaches' office. With no Friday night game to play, the third-year coach had one to scout three hours away in Greenville.

But Grimsley students had to come up with new Friday night plans.

"I'm disappointed there's not a game tonight," sophomore student Christin Johnson said. "But I'm excited they will be in the state championship."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

Eastern Randolph-Williams

Williams advances to state-title game against Catholic
By Keith Tolbert, Special to the Greensboro News & Record

BURLINGTON -- Momentum changes came swiftly in the state fourth-round 3-AA playoff game between Eastern Randolph and Williams Friday.

But when it was all over, Williams overcame another early deficit to win the Eastern Regional 33-14 and advance to the state final, where it will face Charlotte Catholic next Saturday. Williams has not won a state title since 1999.

The Bulldogs certainly didn't look like a state contender early, falling behind 14-0. Everything was clicking for the Wildcats, both offensively and defensively, but Williams (14-1) turned it around with a 69-yard drive early in the second quarter. That drive ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass from John Powell to Cedric Byrd.

On the first play of the Bulldogs' next possession, Byrd was double-covered on a post route, but Powell threw the ball anyway. Byrd made a twisting catch at the 10, broke one tackle and scored to get Williams back in the game at 14-13.

"On that second one, I just threw it up there and knew he would make a play," Powell said. "He's a great receiver."

"I had to adjust to the ball, but I turned around and there it was,'' Byrd said. "We just had to play our game and not let them dictate play.''

Another three-and-out by Eastern (13-2) put the Bulldogs' offense deep in their own territory, but Powell's passing moved them down the field.

A 26-yard pass to Devan Pointer kept the drive alive and a 14-yard toss to Byrd put the Bulldogs in scoring position. Marcus Harris danced in from 16 yards out to give Williams a lead it would never surrender.

"I was concerned, but deep down I've believed in them all year," said Williams coach Sam Story. "I've had an inner confidence in them all year. They play with a lot of heart and a lot of character. It's as good a victory as I've ever been a part of."

"We played on momentum throughout the playoffs," said Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates. "When we lost it, we never could get it back."

 

Andrews-Asheville

Asheville ousts Andrews from 3-A semifinals
By Andrew Pearson, Special to the Greensboro News & Record

ASHEVILLE -- Cursed no more.

High Point Andrews enjoyed its first visit to Western North Carolina. Asheville senior Crezdon Butler wasn't feeling very hospitable for the second.

Butler rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns as the top-seeded Cougars scored 20 unanswered points Friday to top the third-seeded Red Raiders 20-12 at Memorial Stadium in the 3-A Western Regional championship.

"This one is special, it's not just for you; it's for every former player you see out here. You guys never stopped fighting," Asheville coach Danny Wilkins told his team following the victory celebration.

A week after eliminating Franklin from the 3-A playoffs, Andrews couldn't hold off a hard-charging Cougars team playing without one of its top weapons, but determined to win in the state semifinals for the first time in four seasons.

Tailback Johnny White missed the game with a sprained right ankle, and Asheville (14-0) struggled early to find any kind of rhythm on offense.

Even with a late lead, the Cougars needed a goal-line interception from senior Vincent Henry with 2:01 remaining to clinch the win.

"Without Johnny playing, I pulled this team aside and told them that we were still not going to lose," Butler said. "We couldn't lose this year. I knew I needed to step up and become a leader on offense tonight. And this is such a sweet feeling."

The Cougars (14-0) will play for their first state championship since 1922 against No. 3 Western Alamance (14-1) on Saturday at Duke University. A team representing the west hasn't lost in the 3-A championship game since the NCHSAA subdivided the classification's playoffs in 2002.

"It took a (heck) of a team to do it, but we just wanted it," Cougars kicker Neville Hayes. "It was a team effort. A lot of people thought we were the underdogs if Johnny couldn't go."

Things started out shaky for Asheville.

Sophomore Rahkeem Morgan muffed the first punt from Andrews and the Red Raiders recovered on Asheville's 17-yard line with 7:14 remaining in the first quarter. Three minutes later, the Cougars starters on defense surrendered their first touchdown since Oct. 28 when Kellen Brand scored on a 2-yard keeper.

Junior Marcus Gilchrist then gave the Red Raiders (11-3) a 12-0 lead by returning a punt 44 yards for a touchdown with 10:41 to go in the first half.

The Mountain Athletic Conference champion Cougars finally got on the board with 42.7 seconds remaining in the first half on a 1-yard keeper by Butler. He took the bulk of the carries on a 17-play, 75-yard that lasted more than nine minutes.

Butler put Asheville ahead for good at 13-12 when the Cougars took their opening drive of the second half 65 yards. On the ensuing kickoff, Asheville recovered an onside kick on the Andrews' 48-yard line and Butler scored his final touchdown from 12 yards out.

 

Western Alamance-Rocky Mount

Western Alamance returns to finals
By Laura Arenschield, Special to the Greensboro News & Record

ROCKY MOUNT -- His teammates cried, laughed and celebrated, but Western Alamance senior quarterback Bo Jordan allowed himself just a few grins and hugs after the Warriors' 30-10 win over Rocky Mount in the Class 3-A state semifinals on Friday night.

While coaches, friends and fans pumped their fists around him, Jordan braced his jaw and looked ahead to next week -- a trip to Durham's Wallace Wade Stadium to face Asheville in the state championship game.

Jordan has been there before.

Last year, Western Alamance lost the 2-AA championship by seven points to Charlotte Catholic. Jordan threw a 25-yard pass on the last play of the game. His receiver caught it a yard from the end zone -- a yard from the tying touchdown.

"Last year we came in and we were just happy to be in the state championship," Jordan said. "This year, we're going in there with one purpose -- to win the state championship."

Friday's win was a step.

Jordan fired two touchdown passes and threw for 153 yards on 10-of-15 passing to lead Western Alamance (14-1) over Rocky Mount (13-2).

Rocky Mount started strong, with a 54-yard drive in the first four minutes, that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown run

Western Alamance answered with a 67-yard reverse to receiver Levon Curtis on its first offensive play, then scored two plays later on a Lavoris Rogers 10-yard run.

Rogers, a junior running back, spun off Gryphons defenders, hopped tackles and carried the ball 20 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Jordan and Rogers launched a second-quarter running and passing attack for a 92-yard touchdown drive.

Senior defensive back Jonathan Waddell then blocked and recovered a Rocky Mount punt, and Rogers turned the steal into a score. Jordan clinched the victory at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a 20-yard touchdown lob to senior linebacker Eric Oakley.

Western Alamance coach Hal Capps, exuberant and exhausted, hugged a friend on the sideline, then huddled his team on the field. The talk was part congratulatory, part motivational.

"Last year we went down there to Durham on a sight-seeing tour," Capps told his team. "You done seen all the sights."

 

Bunn-Reidsville

Reidsville rolls to 2-AA title game
By Steve Williams, Special to the Greensboro News & Record

REIDSVILLE -- Reidsville has made a name for itself in the playoffs by putting the clamps on offenses with big reputations.

Bunn was the latest victim as the Rams rolled to a 34-3 victory in the Eastern Regional Championship game Friday night at Community Stadium.

The Rams advance to the 2-AA state finals for the third time in the last four seasons where they will meet Shelby, the Western Regional champ, on Saturday in Chapel Hill.

Bunn, which had rolled up 41 and 44 points in its previous two games and was averaging 26 points per game on the season, was limited to 137 total yards by the hard-hitting, swarming Reidsville defense.

Bunn joined Ledford, West Stanly and Cummings on the victims' list.

The Rams have allowed just 17 points over the last nine weeks while moving to 12-3.

"We found out how disappointing it is to lose in this round last year," Reidsville coach Jimmy Teague said, remembering a 16-14 loss to Western Alamance. "It'll be exciting for us and exciting for the town of Reidsville to get to go to Chapel Hill next week."

Reidsville set the tone for the game early, marching 85 yards on an opening 14-play possession. Sophomore Tayon Graves, who finished with 145 yards on 22 carries, led the march by picking up 44 yards. Senior quarterback Eric Teague mixed in passes to Daquan Bowman (15 yards) and Chris Peoples (13 yards) and then caught the Wildcats off guard with a flip pass to Bowman who covered the final 14 yards.

 

Murphy-Thomasville

Second straight shutout boosts Thomasville to state title
By Brian Joura, Special to the Greensboro News & Record

THOMASVILLE -- The 1-AA championship will be a rematch of the 2004 title game, as the Thomasville Bulldogs advanced with a 41-0 shutout of the Murphy Bulldogs.

No. 1 Thomasville looks to gain back-to-back state championships against Wallace-Rose Hill, the same team it defeated in 2004. Wallace advanced with a 50-19 win over North Johnston.

The 1-AA title game is 4:30 Saturday at Groves Stadium in Winston-Salem.

Thomasville established control early against second-seeded Murphy, as they got on the scoreboard on the second play from scrimmage. Quan Warley broke free for a 53-yard touchdown run.

Warley rushed for 104 yards in the first quarter. He finished with 177 yards and two touchdowns, and he scored the first two touchdowns of the game.

"He's been consistent all year and we'll need more of that next week if we hope to win," said Thomasville coach Benjie Brown, who earned his 100th victory as a head coach.

"It's hard to reach that level," Brown said. "I had a lot of coaches that helped on the way and a lot of great players to help me get there."

Thomasville quarterback Cory Tobin played a near-perfect contest, completing 9 of 12 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns. He gave Thomasville a 21-0 lead in the first quarter when he connected with Michael Byrd on a 10-yard touchdown pass.

Tobin also tossed touchdown strikes to Justin Moore in the second quarter and Trey Ray in the fourth. It was the second score of the game for Ray, who also crossed the end zone on a 5-yard run.

Thomasville's defense has only given up 19 points in four playoff games. The red Bulldogs became just the second team this century to record shutouts in the third and fourth round of the state playoffs, joining the 2002 Clinton squad.

 

High Point Enterprise reports

High Point Enterprise reports on Andrews-Asheville and Murphy-Thomasville games….

Andrews falls short, 20-12
By Steve Hanf, High Point Enterprise Sports Writer

ASHEVILLE – The players avoided the handshake line as long as possible, then milled about the field despite the best efforts of their coach.

Derek Anderson wanted everyone in tight for the postgame huddle, but all the High Point Andrews Red Raiders knew what that final gathering signified: It was really over. A magical season that exceeded expectations, a berth in the 3A semifinals, that 12-0 lead at No. 1 seed Asheville. All done with after the Cougars scored 20 unanswered points for a 20-12 victory and the coveted spot in Saturday’s state championship game against Western Alamance.

“We knew we had it,” senior linebacker Jarred Boyce said. “It was right there in front of us. In the second half, we didn’t finish it.”

Asheville senior quarterback Crezdon Butler shouldered the load on a frigid Friday night that didn’t prevent the fans from piling into Memorial Stadium. Butler, playing without injured backfield mate Johnny White, scored three times and finished with 130 yards rushing on 30 carries and 51 key yards through the air on passes that kept drives alive.

After No. 3 seed Andrews (11-4) bolted to a 12-0 lead, Crezdon and the Cougars played a perfect game of keep-away. The Red Raiders ran just four plays in the entire second quarter. Asheville (14-0) scored first in the third quarter on a drive spanning 7 minutes, 48 seconds, then used an onside kick to retain possession another 2:05 and get the goahead score. Andrews only ran three plays in the third quarter and 10 in the fourth, tallying a mere 19 yards – with a net rushing total of zero – in the second half.

“Physically, not really,” reasoned Raider Marcus Gilchrist when asked if the defense tired in the long third quarter. “Mentally I think we wore down. People began to start doubting when adversity came.”

The final three quarters mirrored the opening stanza. Led by Kellen Brand and Jasper Thomas, the Raiders moved the ball into Asheville territory before having to punt, but Brian Sanders’ kick short-hopped return man Rahkeem Morgan and Wyatt Thomas recovered the fumble. In all, Andrews ran 17 plays in 7:39 before Brand’s 2-yard scoring run. After the defense forced a threeand-out, Gilchrist took center stage once again with a 56-yard punt return and 12¬ 0 lead with 10:41 remaining in the half.

“It gave us a lot of momentum,” said Gilchrist, who finished the season with seven kick returns for touchdowns. “We just couldn’t take advantage of it when we had the lead. We needed key stops and we didn’t make them.”
With leading rusher White on the sideline but not playing, Butler saved Asheville from losing its fourth straight regional championship game. His sneak into the end zone on fourth-and-1 – one play after Andrews thought it had recovered a fumbled snap that was ruled down – made it 12-7 at the half. Butler dominated from there, getting the goahead score at the 4:10 mark of the third quarter and the insurance TD two minutes later.

“We tried to stop him inside, he went outside,” said Michael Carter, who delivered several big shots on the Clemson recruit. “We tried to stop him outside, he went inside.”

Added Boyce: “It was like quicksand. Every step you took you kept sinking deeper and deeper no matter how hard you tried.”

The Raiders sunk to the depths of despair when Brand’s fourth-down desperation pass was intercepted at the 3-yard line with 2:01 left.

“I told myself I had to be a leader without Johnny out there,” explained the jubilant Butler. “I had to be the leader of the offense, and we did it.”

 

Murphy-Thomasville

Thomasville mauls Murphy, 41-0
Bulldogs advance to play Wallace-Rose Hill for 1AA title
By Michael Lindsay, Special to the High Point Enterprise

THOMASVILLE – The Thomasville Bulldogs are becoming familiar faces in the state championship game.

The Bulldogs crushed the Murphy Bulldogs 41-0 in the 1AA West regional championship game at Cushwa Stadium to return to the title game for a chance to repeat as state champions.

“I know it’ll be tough, but we have a 50-50 chance and no body else does,” said Thomasville coach Benjie Brown, who notched his 100th victory with the win.

Thomasville jumped out to a nearly perfect start and led 21-¬0 in the first quarter.

“We jumped on them quick and kept on them early, and I think that was a big step in the right direction,” Brown said. “They’re very talented and we feel very good about beating them the way we did.”

Thomasville began quickly, scoring on 3,000-yard rusher Quan Warley’s 52-yard scamper on the second play of the game. “The line pinched in real tight and left room for a cutback,” Warley said. “So I took the cutback and got the results I was looking for.”

Warley, who ran for 200 yards on 27 carries, scored a 15-yard run on the next drive and garnered 104 yards rushing in the first quarter alone.

“We came out here and did what we had to do,” Warley said. “I have to thank the offensive line for a job well done.”

Murphy did itself no favors by fumbling three times and allowing an interception to a Thomasville team that came into the game outscoring its opponents 573-83.

After Bud Ray recovered a fumble for Thomasville on Murphy’s second drive of the game, the Bulldogs tacked on another score when Cory Tobin connected with wide-open Michael Byrd on the play-action pass to take a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Tobin, who was 9-for-12 passing for 127 yards and three TDs, added a lob to Justin Moore with seconds left to extend the halftime lead to 28-0.

In the third quarter, Thomasville methodically marched 85 yards in seven minutes before scoring on Trey Ray’s 5-yard run to open the fourth quarter. Ray added the final touchdown six minutes later on Tobin’s third TD pass.

“We were excited to come out and play as well as we did so we could make another state championship run,” Warley said.

The Bulldogs will face Wallace-Rose Hill, the 1AA East champion, in a showdown of No. 1-seeds at Groves Stadium on Saturday. These teams met last season for the state 1AA title with Thomasville winning, 15-14.

 

"Last year we went down there to Durham on a sight-seeing tour," Capps told his team. "You done seen all the sights."

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