2A and 2AA championship thoughts...

Was in Chapel Hill Saturday for the 2A Championships.

Clinton vs Lincolnton

Clinton played a great game defensively and the punter for the Dark Horses kept Lincolnton pinned deep most of the day.

Clinton got on the board first as Nick Cooper took the ball 46 yrds for the TD. The PAT failed and Clinton was up 6-0. That was it for scoring until the 4th qtr. With 4:55 left in the game, Clinton crossed the goal line once again. A 63 yrd INT return by Jamel Henry was how they got there. The PAT was good and Clinton held a 13-0 lead. Lincolnton crossed the goal line for the only time in the game with no time on the clock as QB Zack Gibson found Demery Brewer for an 8 yrd TD pass.

That gave us out final of 13-6.

Nick Cooper led the ground attack for Clinton with 91 yrds and 1 TD. Earle Kemp also had 21. Clinton did not complete a pass. (0-4)

Zack Gibson finished his time at Lincolnton throwing for 201 yrds and 1 TD. CJ Wilson had 55 yrds rec. Demery Brewer added 52 and Lance Friday had 40. On the ground CJ Wilson had 27 yrds.

Outstanding offensive player for the Wolves was QB Zack Gibson. Defensive MVP was DT Kenny Reed. For the state champs, Clinton. Offensive player was RB Nick Cooper. Defensive went to punter Cody Stanley. Wendys MVP award went to DB Jamel Henry.

-Punter Cody Stanley avg around 39 yrds on his punts that included a long of 63.

-I think that the tough sch and con that Clinton plays was a big factor in this game.

-This Clinton team wasn't a good as the one I saw play that included current Steeler Willie Parker. (But both are state champs)

-Zack Gibson ended a great career at Lincolnton. The first time I saw him as a freshmen, I though there was no way he would make it. This young grew and mature over his 4 years and turned into an outstanding football player.

 

Shelby vs Reidsville

This game matched up 2 of the winningest programs in NC history. Shelby got on the board first thanks to a 2 yrd run by NC signee Tavoris Jolley. The PAT was no good and Shelby held a 6-0 lead. Shelby scored once again thanks to K Tyler Rabbs longes FG of the year. He hit a 42 yarder and Shelby extended their lead to 9-0. Reidsville got in on the scoring for the first time as Marc Tuttle connected on a 23 yrd FG and the Shelby lead was 9-3. That was all of the scoring in the first half, but the final seconds was interesting for Reidsville. The Rams had gotten ole uncle moe on their side as they started to move the ball on Shelby as the first half was coming to a close they had moved the ball down to about the Shelby 15 with 7 seconds left. Instead of going for the quick score and having a shot at a FG, or even just going for the FG to get some points, they ran a triple reverse that Shelby was waiting on and time ran out. I would have taken the points because they were getting the ball to start the second half. Shelby started the scoring in the 3rd qtr with a 54 yrd TD pass from Darryl Montgomery to Preston Roseboro. The PAT was good and Shelby was up 16-3. Shelby scored once again as DL Keon Ross jumped on a fumble in the end zone. The PAT was good and Shelby held a 23-3 lead. Reidsville got their first TD as Tayon Graves took the ball on a 5 yrd run. The PAT was good and the score was 23-10. Tyler Rabb got in on the action once again as he hit a 37 yrd FG and the score was 26-10. Julius Graves for Reidsville hauled in a 14 yrd pass from Erik Teague for the final score of the game. The 2 point conversion was good and that gave us the final of 26-18.

This win gave Shelby their 4th state title and they finish the year at 13-3
Offensive player of the game for Shelby was QB Darryl Montgomery. Defensive player of the game was DL Keon Ross. The Wendys MVP went to Shelby RB Tavorris Jolly.

Shelby was led on the ground by Jolly's 86 yrds. Arsenio Parks had 21. In the air Montgomery passed for 100 yrds. 54 going to Roseboro and 31 to Antonio Odom.

Reidsville was led in the rushing department by Tayon Graves with 54 yrds. Daquan Bowman added 31. Teague had 192 yrds in the air. 61 going to Graves and 44 to Blackwell.

-Jolly is now the all-time leading rusher in Shelby history.

-Blackwell for Reidsville was all over the field. This young man played great on both sides of the ball for the Rams.

-Reidsville their chances in this game. They left points on the field, and thiei clock management wasn't that great. Having to play from behind put Reidsville in an unusal situation and it didn't work out to well.

-This game gave Cleveland County 11 state championship appearances in 11 years and 7 state titles. All 4 county schools have played in at least one title game.

-Shelby will be tough again next season. They will be led by QB Darryl Montgomery (already all-time leading passer for Shelby) and FB Arsenio Parks (I think this young man will have a monster season next year).

-The best 2 2A teams that I saw play this year were Shelby and East Rutherford. East is another squad that returns a lot of players.

 

Got my extra points backwards in the Clinton game. Made the first, missed the second.

 

good game summaries smash. clinton must have a pretty good defense to shut down the wilson kid for lincolnton.