The Rockingham Cougars fell, 49-7, to the currently undefeated Dudley Panthers, in their closest game against the powerhouse in the past three years. The county seat gave up four unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter, which would be the deciding factor of the game. Dudley displayed why they’re one of the best teams in North Carolina with this dominant victory over the Cougars.
On the first drive of the game by Dudley, they pushed it into Rockingham territory fairly quickly. However, the Cougars were able to bring it to a fourth and two, and coach Steven Davis decided to go for it. Jake Chandler then made a huge stop to turn it over on downs! Sadly, the offense wasn’t able to make much out of it, going three and out. Rockingham’s defense was looking good once again, as a delay of game and a bad run by Dudley put them in a second and twenty-three position. However, Jayden Brown would use his speed on a screen play to get close to the first down marker. Dudley then converted, and, with momentum on their side, they continued to force the ball down the field. LJ Southern then rushed in the touchdown to put Dudley on the board. The two schools traded three and outs, and the Panthers led Rockingham, 7-0, as the clock ticked down on the first quarter.
Not long after the second quarter began, Rockingham had to punt. Dudley’s Koredell Bartley then used his speed to earn an abnormal amount of spacing, which allowed Andrew Attmore II to drop it into the breadbasket for an easy touchdown. And for time number four, the offense of the Rock couldn’t get anything going. A personal foul immediately put Dudley in scoring position, and they would capitalize as Brown, the 5’9,” 180 pound running back who terrorized the defense all night, punched in six. However, the extra point was blocked, resulting in a 20-0 score.
The Wentworth-based team was fed up with the shutout, and, when faced with a fourth and ten, they made the risky decision to fake a punt! And not only that, they decided to run the ball! Somehow, someway, Brice Baker put his head down and powered through for eleven yards to keep the drive alive! A catch by Centalius Graves and a facemask put them in good position, but they weren’t able to get it in the end zone. They lined up for a field goal attempt, which appeared to be a fake one, as Maleek Bryant was lined up. Dudley spotted this and called timeout, forcing Rockingham to settle for a field goal attempt. Agonizingly for the Rockingham faithful, Hazael Tzun’s kick was just off. Dudley wasted no time, as Nasir Newkirk’s big reception set up a touchdown by CJ Neely and a two point conversion. However, the Panthers still weren’t satisfied with the four touchdown lead. Sofiyan Oumarou would recover an onside kick, prior to another touchdown, this time by Rayshawn Wilson. As the half ended, it was 35-0.
The Cougars didn’t pack their bags just yet, and a penalty on Koredell Bartley would bring them into the red zone. Aidan Brust then grabbed a touchdown, stopping the trend of back-to-back shutouts in Rockingham vs. Dudley games. LJ Southern used some otherworldly moves to negate the big play quickly, powering into the end zone for a 42-7 lead. Jerron Blackwell intercepted Brice Baker’s pass, and Antonio Lee, Jr. would soon bring in touchdown number seven for Dudley. The clock ran in the fourth quarter, and neither team did much to change the score. The final numbers on the board were 49-7, in favor of Dudley.
Around the Rock, the McMichael Phoenix improved to 5-3 with a crucial 31-24 victory over West Stokes. Twenty-one miles down the road from there, Reidsville devoured Walkertown, 54-0, while Morehead enjoyed a bye week prior to their final two games. Next week, the Morehead Panthers are the only team with a home game in Rockingham County, as they host the 3-5 North Forsyth Vikings. The Vikings are no strangers to the Rock, as they have played both Reidsville and McMichael in losses. Next Friday, McMichael will be taking on Walkertown, the team coming off of the aforementioned 54-0 loss to Reidsville, while Reidsville will try to take down T.W. Andrews, who beat Morehead 37-0 last week.
Rockingham, who is 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in conference play, will battle Northeast Guilford, in a very evenly matched game. The two schools have faced five common opponents, and have had the same results, albeit with different scores. Rockingham lost to Dudley, 49-7, and Northeast Guilford did so, 0-48. Northeast Guilford also lost to Eastern Guilford 48-0, while Rockingham lost 14-28. Both teams had decisive shutouts over High Point, with Rockingham beating them 39-0 and Northeast Guilford winning 47-0. Rockingham also shut out Southern Guilford, 45-0, while Northeast Guilford put them away, 33-12. And, finally, while Morehead put up a 20-22 fight against Rockingham, they weren’t as close against Northeast Guilford, falling 7-28.
According to those scores, it’s highly plausible that this could be one of the closest games we see in the Greensboro area this year, and it will certainly carry playoff implications for both teams. Keep your eye on this one next week.
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