The season left us way too early last night as Dudley fell before they could make that return trip to the Championship Game.
The Dudley defense gave the offense several opportunities, but the Panther offense could not cash in and the now the team will be staying home instead of going to Raleigh for the State Title game next Saturday.
Dudley as you know by now, dropped the game to Asheville Reynolds last night, by the score of 9-8, to close the season at (13-2) and the Reynolds Rockets are going to Raleigh.
Dudley was (13-3) in 2007, (16-0) in 2008 and (13-2) in 2009. Not a bad three-year run coming in at (42-5)……
Dudley owned the first half last night, but in the end it was AC Reynolds that came out ahead on the scoreboard.
Dudley seemed a little bit confused about what they wanted to do late in the game on that final drive when they had the ball 4th-and-goal at the Rockets two yard line and then after two penelties it was was now 4th-and-goal from the 12-yard line and the Panthers were forced to pass and on the pass the ball fell incomplete to the ground and it was all over……
From the N&R and Tom Keller here is his account of the game and the crucial late moments of the contest.
This is a tough way to close out your season and your career for many Dudley seniors, but they know they won the back-to-back 3-AA Championships and they also know that they have done a fine job of representing Greensboro/Guiford County and James B. Dudley High School…….
The Dudley offense had chances last evening, but could not put the points up on the board when they had to have them and that ultimately cost them the game. Missed opportunities…….
I could roll off a bunch of names of the players that are now done and we won’t be seeing them in a Dudley football uniform again, but I may end up leaving someone out and that is not the way to do things when you are dealing with kids and their teams, so let me just say on behalf of many, many people that have watched you guys play the games over the past 3-4 years, “Thanks for the Memories”……..
I was at the game last night, the AC Reynolds defense was very impressive.
They studied a lot of available film on Dudley this week. Trust me.