Lincolnton stuns SCHS in 2A final

Stallions unable to overcome
dismal first half in 28-14 loss

see video from the game (click here)

Lee Hemingway was named South Columbus’ Most Outstanding Defensive Player in Saturday’s state 2A championship football game.

Andrae Jacobs was named South Columbus’ Most Outstanding Offensive Player in Saturday’s state 2A championship football game.

South Columbus running back Justin Smith bursts out of a tackle in third-quarter action of Saturday’s state 2A championship football game with Lincolnton at N.C. State University’s Carter-Finley Stadium at Raleigh. Smith, a senior, led the Stallion rushing attack with 67 yards on 15 carries. South Columbus fell to the Lincolnton squad 28-14 and closed its 2007 season with a 15-1 record.

South Columbus linebacker Andrae Jacobs brings down Lincolnton ball carrier Cedric Herndon (2) near the Lincolnton sidelines during Saturday’s state 2A football championship game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Jacobs scored both South Columbus touchdowns and was credited with eight tackles, but the Lincolnton squad took a 28-14 victory to claim the state title.

Lincolnton receiver Dominique Pugh (80) grabs a 12-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left in the first half despite the defensive efforts of South Columbus’ Donovan Watts in Saturday’s state 2A championship football game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. The score gave the Lincolnton squad a 21-0 halftime lead. South Columbus battled back with two third-quarter scores to cut the Wolf advantage to 21-14, but Lincolnton returned a fourth-quarter pass interception for 45 yards and a touchdown to seal a 28-14 state title victory.

Staff photos by Mark Gilchrist

By DAN BISER
Sports Editor

RALEIGH – The real South Columbus Stallions did not stand up until the second half Saturday at North Carolina State University’s Carter-Finley Stadium.

Unfortunately, the Stallions, who had come into Saturday’s state 2A football championship game with a perfect 15-0 record, had 21 points to overcome in the final two quarters as the Lincolnton Wolves had totally dominated the first half with three impressive scoring drives and a defense that did not yield an SCHS first down.

Prior to Saturday, this year’s SCHS squad had not been shut out in the first half, and it had not yielded more than 14 points in any game this season.

Yet Coach Joey Price’s Stallions came out in the second half, and immediately got the momentum swinging its way with a 55-yard scoring drive, and then converted a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff into a 22-yard scoring march to cut the score to 21-14. Fullback Andrae Jacobs scored both touchdowns on runs of one and three yards and Donovan Watts kicked both extra points.

In the meantime, the Stallion defense took over, holding Lincolnton to 40 yards of offense the entire second half. Lincolnton had rolled to 299 yards of total offense in the first half.

South Columbus drove the ball deep into Lincolnton territory early in the fourth quarter, but was stopped on fourth down at the 13-yard line, a yard short of the first down mark.

Then on the first play of its next possession, a pass by Stallion quarterback Justin Duncan was intercepted by Lincolnton’s Jimmy Angle, who returned the ball 45 yards for a 28-14 lead with less than 3-1/2 minutes remaining.

South Columbus fumbled the ball on the ensuing kickoff and the Wolves managed to run out the clock after that to gain their first state championship since 1993. It was the Lincolnton’s 11th straight win as they closed their season with a 12-4 record.

A dream had been shattered for South Columbus, which was making its first-ever appearance in a state football championship game.

The 15-1 record is the best in South Columbus’ 16-year history.

“It was a tale of two halves,” said SCHS coach Joey Price during the Stallions’ post-game disappointment. “We get down by three touchdowns in the first half, and then come out in the second half and play ourselves right back into the game.

“Lincolnton deserves all the credit for the way they played and for winning the state championship.” Price said. “I’m pleased with the way our kids a battled back after the first half. This is a tough loss, especially for our seniors, but no one on this team has anything to be ashamed of.

“We didn’t have any fun the first half,” Price said. “I told our guys that even if we gave up a 100 points, we were going to go back and out and start having some fun and start making some things happen. Our kids played hard. We had our chances of coming all the way back.”

Lincolnton Head Coach Scott Cloninger said his squad’s first half was impressive.

“That’s probably the best first half of football we have played all season,” said Cloninger, whose team was led on offense by running back C.J. Wilson, quarterback Adam Thompson and tight ends Demery Brewer and Dominique Pugh. “South Columbus came in here with one of the state’s best defenses, and we managed to move the ball well. We had hoped to get the early momentum, and fortunately we had a good lead at the half, because South Columbus came after us in the second half.”

Price said that Lincolnton’s versatility on offense and some good play-calling by the Wolves gave his defense a severe test in the first half. Matters weren’t helped when senior defensive back Dakota Piver received a shoulder injury while making a tackle on Lincolnton’s first possession. Piver, who is also the leading Stallion pass receiver, continued to play, but not at full speed.

“He refused to quit,” Price said. “He got some tape put on it and gutted it out.”

Lincolnton scored on its third possession of the night, moving the ball 65 yards on six plays, including a 24-yard pass from Thompson to Wilson, a 20-yard run by Wilson and a 13-yard run by Nate Wright. Wilson got the touchdown on a three-yard run with 1 minute 50 seconds left in the first quarter. John Gilleland kicked the extra point.

Lincolnton drove 63 yards on its next possession with single gains of 24, 19, and 19 yards. Wilson got his second touchdown from a yard out with 10:15 left in the first half.

South Columbus found some life on the ensuing kickoff as Donovan Watts fielded the kick and broke through Lincolnton coverage for 53 yards to the Wolf 25-yard line. Only a last-ditch tackle by the Lincolnton kicker kept Watts from taking the kick all the way.

Three penalties on four plays kept the Stallions from advancing the ball deeper into Lincolnton territory and the possession ended with Lincolnton’s Madriekus Mayfield intercepting a third down pass at the Lincolnton 15.

The Wolves final score of the first half covered 50 yards in six plays. A 30-yard pass from Thompson to Mayfield on third down was the big play of the set.

The touchdown came when Thompson lofted a 12-yard pass to Pugh on a fade pattern to the left side of the end zone. The 6-foot-5 Pugh was well covered by Watts, who stands 5-9, but Pugh used his height to come down with the catch with 10 seconds left on the first half clock.

After taking the second-half kickoff, the Stallions garnered their initial first down of the night on an 11-yard pass from Duncan to Grate. Grate, the Stallions’ second leading rusher, had played sparingly in the first half as he had been nursing a hip injury received in the Stallions’ Eastern N.C. 2A championship win over Northside a week earlier.

The 55-yard SCHS drive took 13 plays with Justin Smith carrying the ball five times.

The touchdown came on a one-yard smash by Jacobs with 6:08 left in the third quarter. Watts kicked the extra point and the score stood at 21-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, Lincolnton attempted a reverse handoff that was fumbled and the Stallions’ T.J. Richardson recovered at the Wolf 22.

It took the Stallions seven plays to score with Jacobs blasting into the end zone on a fourth-and-two play from the 3. Watts again added the PAT as the gap closed to 21-14 with 2:41 left in the third quarter.

With 3:31 left in the game, South Columbus took possession of the ball at their own 44 following a Lincolnton punt.

On first down, Duncan threw a pass in the left flat that was picked off by Angle on a dead run. Angle cut to the middle of the field to avoid South Columbus defenders for his 45-yard touchdown return.

The South Columbus offense never got the ball back after that as Watts fumbled as he broke away from a tackle while returning the kickoff.

Lincolnton advanced the ball to the Stallion four-yard line before running out the clock.

Wilson was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after rushing for 67 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and catching two passes for 41 yards. He also made five tackles from his safety position on defense.

Thompson, who passed for 128 yards and a touchdown was selected Lincolnton’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player, and Angle, with his game-clinching interception return, was selected the Wolves’ Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Jacobs, with his two touchdown runs, was selected the Stallions’ Most Outstanding Offensive Player, and Lee Hemingway, with a game-high 11 tackles from his free-safety position, was selected the SCHS Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Jacobs and Hemingway, both senior three-way starters, appeared with Price at a post-game press conference.

“This has been my family,” said the soft-spoken Hemingway after being asked to reflect on the season and his career.

Jacobs, who had fielded several questions concerning the game, was unable to speak and was unable to hold back tears when asked what his feelings were about the season and the disappointing loss.

“I’ve never been associated with a greater group of kids than this year’s seniors,” Price said.

L – C.J. Wilson 3 run (John Gilleland kick).
L – Wilson 1 run (Gilleland kick).
L – Dominique Pugh 12 pass from Adam Thompson (Gilleland kick).
SC – Andrae Jacobs 1 run (Donovan Watts kick).
SC – Jacobs 3 run (Watts kick).
L – Jimmy Angle 45 pass int. return (Gilleland kick).