There are sure to be some newly-ranked programs when this week's Class 3-A state poll is released — four of Top 10 teams fell on Friday night.
No. 10
Asheville and No. 5
Eastern Alamance (Mebane) fell to other ranked teams, with Asheville losing to reigning 4-A state champion
A.C. Reynolds (Asheville) 41-13 and Eastern Alamance losing to No. 9
Northern Guilford (Greensboro) 21-10. No. 7
Douglas Byrd (Fayetteville) lost to
Overhills (Spring Lake) 14-13 and No. 8
Shelby lost to
Kings Mountain 20-17.
Eastern Alamance actually led 10-7 in the third quarter but quarterback
Daniel Downing ran for two touchdowns in the second half to lead Northern Guilford (5-1). Northern Guilford's defense was opportunistic, forcing three turnovers inside its own 20-yard line, and was especially tough against the pass. The Eagles (5-1) attempted 20 passes but had just 76 yards and three interceptions to show for it.
Turnovers also cost Douglas Byrd, which fumbled six times and lost three in its homecoming game against Overhills (2-5). The opening possession was a bad omen — the Eagles (5-2) mishandled the kickoff and then fumbled again on offense.
The A.C. Reynolds-Asheville game featured teams that have combined to win four state titles in 10 years, and both teams are defending Mountain Athletic Conference champions (Asheville in 3-A, A.C. Reynolds in 4-A). The bigger school won this time as
Caleb Pressley threw for 214 yards to lead the Rockets (5-1) over the Cougars (3-2).
Finally there was Kings Mountain (3-3), which scored the winner on an 81-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Harris to Cedric Thompson with six minutes left to top Shelby (2-4). Harris completed 10 of 21 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns, throwing mostly to Thompson (five catches for 180 yards) and Tim Hines (four catches for 148 yards).
Other top items from around North Carolina:
Gentry wins 300th: David Gentry became only the second coach in western North Carolina history to win 300 games when
Murphy beat Cherokee 53-12.
"I've been well blessed by God," Gentry said in the Asheville Citizen-Times. "This wasn't just me. I've had good kids, good teams, good coaches. This is a good football community, and this is about all of us."
Gentry won four state titles between 1986-96 and has a record of 300-161 in 38 seasons with Edneyville, Chathan Central (Va.) and now Murphy. He is just one win behind the area's all-time winningest coach, Charles "Babe" Howell, who went 301-122-6 in 39 seasons. The next game for the Dogs (5-2) is a Friday visit to Robbinsville (4-2).
Harnett Central's win streak ends: Clayton became the first team in 35 regular-season games to beat
Harnett Central (Angier), beating the Trojans 29-23.
"We're getting biscuits tomorrow and I'm going to roll in the mud on Monday," coach Gary Fowler told the Raleigh News and Observer Friday night. "That's a real big one. I'm proud of my kids because we've had a tough four weeks here."
The Comets (3-4) were coming off a three-game losing streak. They led by as much as 23-7 late in the first half on a 53-yard touchdown run by Tamerick Barbour before the Trojans (6-1) came back. N.C. State commit
Brian Taylor was 14-for-26 for 216 yards and three touchdowns and made a 31-yard field goal for Harnett Central, ranked eighth in the 4-A poll, but the Trojans couldn't score the winner on their final three possessions.
Another win streak ends: East Bladen (Elizabethtown) saw its two-year regular-season winning streak come to an end with a 34-32 loss to rival
Whiteville.
Faquonn Thompson had 22 carries for 145 yards and four touchdowns in the win, including the winner on a 58-yard run in the final minutes. The Eagles were ranked 10th in the 2-A poll.
Positive streak starts: Amidst all the broken winning streaks was the story of
Draughn (Valdese), which won back-to-back games for the first time ever. Playing in its second season, Draughn followed up its first home win last week over Bandys (Catawba) with a 36-35 victory over East Burke (Connelly Springs) on Friday night. Quarterback Keith Loomis ran in a 23-yard touchdown and the ensuing 2-point conversion with 18 seconds left.
Harold Gutmann covers the state of North Carolina for MaxPreps.com. He lives in Durham and can be reached at haroldgutmann@gmail.com.
