Staff Report
MaxPreps.com
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Richmond Senior quarterback Tedarrius Wiley accounted for nearly 400 yards of total offense as his Raiders rallied in the fourth quarter and then held on to outlast Fayetteville Jack Britt, 38-35, to win the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-AA football championship on Sunday at Kenan Stadium.
Wiley earned Wendy’s Most Valuable Player honors with his outstanding performance. He completed 20 of 25 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns while rushing 20 times for an additional 68 yards.
Richmond led by 21-14 early in the third quarter before Britt launched a furious comeback, with quarterback Everett Proctor hitting Curtis Maheu on a 58-yard scoring play and Tremale France scoring on runs of 23 and three yards. The three-yard burst, just after Richmond had failed on a fourth-and-one at its own 26 and had fumbled the ball away, put the Buccaneers ahead, 35-24, with 5:20 to play.
But Richmond (12-3-1) engineered a nine-play, 65-yard drive, capped by a two-yard TD pass from Wiley to Gabe Love (7 receptions, 112 yards). A two-point conversion pass from Wiley to Lovell Joy made it 35-32 with 2:19 to go.
One play after Britt (14-2) had recovered the Richmond onside kick attempt, Britt’s Eric Johnson fumbled and Justin Jackson pounced on the ball for the Raiders at the Richmond 42. Wiley hit Joy for 43 yards on the next play, and then connected with Joy again five plays later on a four-yard scoring pass with 53 seconds remaining to put Richmond ahead, 38-35.
Britt drove to the Richmond 47 in the waning seconds, but two passes fell incomplete and Richmond had clinched its seventh NCHSAA football championship, its first since 1998.
Everett Proctor led Britt by rushing for 75 yards on 13 carries and completing nine of 16 passes for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Maheu caught four of those passes for 155 yards, including a 79-yard scoring play in the second quarter.
The two Mid-Southeastern Conference foes had met during the regular season with the Raiders prevailing, 21-15.
2-A: Newton-Conover 51, Tarboro 28
Dorian Jones rushed for 157 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns Friday night as Newton-Conover rolled past Tarboro, 51-28, at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill to win the NCHSAA 2-A football championship.
Jones was named the Wendy's Most Valuable Player as Newton-Conover finished with a 15-1 record and its first NCHSAA football crown. Josh Thompson added 106 yards on 15 carries and also completed a 42-yard option pass.
After Tarboro had tied the game at 7-7 on a Demarius Harper two-yard run with 10:25 left in the first half, Newton-Conover reeled off 37 unanswered points to take command. Two of those touchdowns came on interception returns after the score reached 31-7, as Joseph Hill and Jordon Bryant both had picks that results in TDs.
The Red Devils rolled up 326 yards in total offense, including 273 on the ground, and registered 21 first downs (to eight for the Vikings).
Tarboro ended the season with a 14-2 record. Brandon Dozier led the Vikings with 137 yards rushing on 10 carries.
4-A: Seventy-First 28, Douglas Byrd 7
James Hopper rambled for 192 yards rushing and scored all four of his team’s touchdowns to lead Seventy-First to a 28-7 victory over Douglas Byrd in a battle of Fayetteville schools in the NCHSAA 4-A championship game at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill on Saturday afternoon.
Hopper, the Wendy’s Most Valuable Player for the game, helped veteran coach Bob Paroli to earn his first state championship.
Byrd had cut a 14-0 halftime deficit to 14-7 when Malcolm Rowe capped a 55-yard, 11-play drive on a six-yard scoring run with 3:46 to go in the third quarter. But Hopper scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the game away.
Rowe led Byrd with 53 yards rushing in 13 tries, but completed just four of 21 passes and had three picked off. Seventy-First did not complete a pass on the day.
The Falcons finished with a 14-2 mark while Douglas Byrd wound up 12-4 overall. The two had met during the regular season in a Mid-Southeastern Conference game, with Seventy-First coming out on top 27-14.
2-AA: Reidsville 24, East Lincoln 7
Reidsville won its 32nd consecutive game and earned its second straight NCHSAA title as the Rams downed East Lincoln, 24-7, in the 2-AA title game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon.
The Rams completed a 16-0 season in a defensive-oriented contest. In fact, the Wendy’s Most Valuable Player was Reidsville defensive lineman Damien Lee, who recorded 10 tackles.
Reidsville led by 14-7 at the half, added a field goal and then Mike Stacey ran in a fumble recovery for a touchdown to put the game away.
East Lincoln quarterback Josh Wilson led the way for the Mustangs (14-2), rushing for 76 yards and completing 10 of 25 passes for 171 yards. E.J. Foster led Reidsville’s rushers with 59 yards.
3-A: West Rowan 35, West Craven 7
West Rowan completed its best season in school history as the Falcons cruised by previously unbeaten West Craven, 35-7, to win the NCHSAA 3-A championship at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem on Saturday.
Kevin Parks rushed for 219 yards on 24 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the way for West Rowan, which got off to a great start when Parks burst 81 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The winners rolled up 327 yards rushing on the day.
West Craven quarterback Brian Mooring completed 25 of 47 passes for 224 yards and a score but was intercepted four times.
West Rowan won its 14th straight game to finish at 15-1 overall, with its only loss coming against Class 4-A member Davie County. West Craven ended its season at 15-1 following 15 consecutive victories.
3-AA: Dudley 34, A.L. Brown 18
Ricky Lewis rushed for 160 yards and J.R. Peterson ran for 147 more in a potent rushing attack as the Panthers of Dudley defeated Kannapolis A.L. Brown, 34-18, in the NCHSAA 3-AA football championship at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem on Saturday.
Lewis was named the Wendy’s Most Valuable Player for the second straight year and scored two touchdowns while Peterson also scored twice. Dudley ran for 355 yards on the ground and a strong Panther defense limited Brown to 32 net yards rushing.
The Panthers led by only 8-6 after one quarter but then reeled off 28 unanswered points to carry a 34-6 advantage into the final period.
Dudley won its 21st consecutive game and captured its second straight NCHSAA title. The Panthers were in the finals for the fourth time in the last seven seasons. Brown ended 13-3.
1-A: Mount Airy 37, Williamston 14
Mount Airy stormed back from a 14-0 deficit to defeat Williamston, 37-14, in the NCHSAA 1-A title game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday.
Aaron Wheeler rushed for a touchdown and passed for another score Saturday, earning the Wendy’s Most Valuable Player award as the Granite Bears completed a perfect 16-0 record and won their first state championship in 60 years.
Wheeler completed 9 of 15 passes for 124 yards and rushed 12 times for 101 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that put Mount Airy ahead by 17-14.??
Emery Griggs had thrown two TD passes to Kareem Bell to give Williamston the early lead. However, the Tigers managed just 50 of their 145 yards of total offense in the final three quarters.
Williamston ended the season 10-6 overall.
1-AA: Thomasville 42, East Bladen 13
John Hinson-Braddy ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns as Thomasville sprinted to a 42-13 victory over East Bladen in the NCHSAA 1-AA final Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
Hinson-Braddy was named the game’s Most Valuable Player as he helped the Bulldogs jump to a 21-0 lead.
D.J. McLendon added nine receptions for 179 yards and two scores for Thomasville, while Chris Brooks completed 10 of 12 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns.
East Bladen closed to within 21-13 early in the third quarter after a 57-yard touchdown run and an18-yard touchdown catch – both by James Hatcher – before Thomasville took control.
