High Point, NC- The Southern Alamance Patriots played spoiler on the night that Southwest Guilford celebrated its 2015 Homecoming game. Although the game was low scoring, there were eventful scoring plays from both sides. Southern had a 46-yard run for a score, and the most exciting play of the night came on a 50-yard touchdown pass that featured a lateral, which, at the time, was the game tying score for the Southwest Cowboys.
In the first and third quarters, the defense of both teams prevailed, and held the opponent’s offense scoreless. The majority of the scoring took place in the second quarter, and both teams answered each score from the other in the first half.
Southern Alamance jumped on the board first when Southwest fumbled the ball on the Southern six yard line, and the Patriots’ Zech Putnal recovered it. On the following play, with 7:24 remaining in the first half, Kymani Dula ran the ball into the end-zone to start the scoring on the night. The extra point kick attempt by Dylan Crusan was good, and the Pats led the Boys 7-0.
Southwest started the following drive on the Southern 40, and after a nine play, 60-yard drive, with four minutes remaining in the second quarter, Mason Chu threw a six-yard pass to Chrystian Jackson for the score. Chase Bradshaw was successful with the point-after kick, and the score was quickly tied once again.
To follow suit, the Patriots didn’t let the touchdown by Southwest go unanswered for more than one drive. They regained the lead just thirty seconds before the two-minute warning on a breakout run by Tobias Watson. Watson took the ball 46 yards to the house, and Dylan Crusan tacked on the extra point.
The Cowboys offense took over on their own 24-yard line after the big score by Watson to put Southern Alamance back ahead, 14-7. Mason Chu led an amazing two-minute drill that ended with the most exciting scoring play of the night. Chu and his Cowboys were at midfield, with 40 seconds remaining in the half, when he launched a pass to Braxton Price. Price caught it on the far sideline and quickly lateralled to Emmanuel Dines who took the ball to the end zone for the score. The extra point kick attempt by Bradshaw was good. The Southwest fans, nicknamed the “Cowboy Crazies”, went nuts, as the home team tied the game right before halftime when the school announced its homecoming court.
Unfortunately for the “Crazies”, the Southern Alamance Patriots scored with 7:36 left in the game to take the lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Kymani Dula. The point-after kick by Dylan Crusan was good. The Patriots took a 21-14 lead.
To the credit of the Cowboys’ offense, they controlled the ball for almost five minutes after the Patriots took a one touchdown lead on an 11-play drive. The Cowboys came up just short, turning the ball over on downs, on the Southern 15-yard line.
Southern Alamance Head Coach Andrew Carrouth called the win “gutsy”.
“We challenged our football team this off-season to get a little bit tougher, both mentally and physically. Tonight some of that showed.”
Southern was called for 10 penalties, totaling 90 yards, and,, Carrouth added, “a lot of those penalties were self-inflicted. We did some stupid things, but a lot of them, to me, were questionable calls tonight. That’s not blaming the officials, but we had to ask our guys on the sidelines to overcome that stuff, step up and make plays, and we were able to do that at the end of the ball game.”
Southern did step up at the end of the game and was led by not only Kymani Dula, but Mikal Slade and Tobias Watson on the ground. The Patriots attempted only seven passes throughout the game, but their running game and defense carried the ship and got them the win.
Both teams are now 2-3 on the season.