Coming off of a bye week, the Morehead Panthers lost their highly-anticipated matchup against the North Forsyth Vikings, 0-14. In a game that was by no means flashy, both teams utilized the tactic of getting short rushing gains throughout the game, rarely airing the ball out. The first half featured no scoring at all, with Brittyn Barnes of the Panthers likely being the sole reason for that. Twice he intercepted it, both times deep in the red zone, to keep the Vikings off the board. In the third quarter, however, Lewis Green IV and Treyvion Bell would be the X-factors for the Vikings, helping them jump out to a two-touchdown lead that they would hold onto for the rest of the game.
Braxton Carter was the starting quarterback for the Panthers, and Morehead used quarterback draws frequently. They didn’t work out on the first two drives, and neither team could put up any offense until North Forsyth drove it into Panthers territory late in the first. However, when QB Victor Wingate rolled out, he fired a bullet pass into the end zone, only to be intercepted by Brittyn Barnes!
Barnes continued to shine in the second quarter when he caught a twenty-nine yard pass from Elijah Townshend. A penalty put Morehead at a first-and-goal from the seventeen. Their three plays didn’t go far, and, on a fourth-and-goal from the fourteen, they made the risky decision to go for it. Unfortunately, that decision did not pay dividends, and North Forsyth would get the ball back. The Winston-Salem based team then did the exact same thing, driving it deep downfield only to turn it over on downs. With less than a minute to go, Morehead was satisfied with the tie, and tried to take it into the half that way. However, North Forsyth took timeouts, and would get the ball back in red-and-black territory thanks to an impressive punt return. However, when the ball was launched toward the end zone, Brittyn Barnes snagged his second interception to send us into the half!
In the second half, Morehead was introduced to Lewis Green IV. Green juked out defenders, before waltzing into the end zone to finally put some numbers on the board. Treyveon Bell then intercepted the ball, giving North Forsyth the ball in good position. They would convert on both a fourth-and-long and a third-and-long, with a Carey Miller catch putting them on the one-yard line. Somehow, Morehead would provide three consecutive goal line stops! Facing a fourth-and-goal from the three, North Forsyth drew Morehead offsides, before Wingate would toss it to Bell to extend the lead to fourteen.
Morehead refused to give up. Pushing the ball downfield, they made it inside the ten. But, the red zone woes would continue, as Daquon Matthews would run into a brick wall. With three yards to go, on a fourth down, and the game on the line, Morehead’s QB sneak failed. North Forsyth would then keep the ball on the ground, running a vast amount of time off the clock to secure the victory.
John Motley Morehead, now 0-9, will battle the Reidsville Rams next week in their final game of the season. The Reidsville Rams recently improved to 8-1 with their dominant, 55-7 away win over T.W. Andrews.
Yesterday, the Rockingham County Cougars traveled to McLeansville to take on Northeast Guilford in what was essentially a playoff game. A huge interception by Hayden Stanley with under a minute to go in the game allowed the Cougars to hold on, 18-13. This allows the Cougars to head into their final game of the season, up against the 1-7 Atkins Camels, with much more security.
In more disappointing news, the McMichael Phoenix dropped their game against Walkertown in a tight one, 27-28. They’ll have to take down T.W. Andrews next week to stay over .500 on the season and secure a playoff spot.