Football Recap: Pinecrest Comes Up Short at Home Against Cleveland

Pinecrest unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They had to suffer through a 60-19 loss at the hands of the Cleveland Rams.

Several Patriots players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Chris Najm, who rushed for 66 yards and one touchdown. Najm was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 65 yards.

A big part of Cleveland's victory came down to the chemistry between Owen Hulbert and his top target Krisjon Clark. Hulbert threw for 166 yards and three TDs while completing 82.4% of his passes while Clark picked up 115 receiving yards and three scores. Those 166 passing yards gave Hulbert a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaleb Ferrell, who rushed for 92 yards and one touchdown.

Pinecrest and Cleveland should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings. The Patriots (ranked 52nd) will meet Union Pines (ranked 244th) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Cleveland will square off against Corinth Holders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday with a big rank advantage (14 vs. 186).