The Reidsville Rams are back on top.
Saturday afternoon, at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Reidsville Rams broke out early and maintained their lead to take down the Clinton Dark Horses, 28-18. The Rams overcame many obstacles in their path on their road to the title, such as having to rebound off the heartbreak of last year’s championship loss, the retirement of their head coach, and early season injuries. Nevertheless, Erik Teague kept his guys focused and helped them further establish Lucky City as the Football Capital of North Carolina with this win.
As mentioned, Reidsville’s hot start was the major factor in their win. They received to start the game, and big plays by Jariel Cobb, who was averaging over eight yards per carry coming into the game, put them deep in Clinton territory. A short pass to Dionte Neal resulted in a touchdown. Josiah Robinson of the Dark Horses, however, fired right back with a sixty yard run on the first play! With Clinton in the red zone, Reidsville clutched up, and Clinton was forced to chip in a field goal.
Dionte, who was injured for the better part of the season but had a ferocious return, continued to show out, this time with a 37-yard reception. Al Lee then sent it to Kendre Harrison for another touchdown! In the second quarter, penalties hurt Clinton, but the Rams failed to capitalize. With a fourth-and-ten on Reidsville’s thirty-two, the defense held up, giving Reidsville an opportunity to extend their lead on potentially the last drive of the half. With less than two minutes to go, Harrison fought off five defenders to put Reidsville in beautiful field position! With a first-and-goal on the eight yard line coming up, they called timeout. Unfortunately for the Western Champions, they took all four downs and came up short of the end zone every time, and we headed into the half 14-3.
Clinton got the ball to begin the third quarter, and took time off the clock as they maneuvered the pigskin downfield. They then put seven on the scoreboard, but Reidsville didn’t want it to stay within one possession for long. Massive plays by Que’Shyne Flippen and Jariel Cobb pushed it deep into Dark Horse territory, and Harrison, who already had a touchdown and a sack in the game, notched his second touchdown after a nineteen yard pass from Al Lee.
Reidsville forced Clinton to punt, and heading into the final quarter of the season, they had a 21-10 lead. In Clinton’s red zone, they once again turned it over on downs, but that didn’t matter all too much, as the stellar defense continued to hold the fort down. They forced a Dark Horse punt, and Lee decided it was time to secure his first ring. He launched it forty yards downfield to Cam’Ron Jones, who made the catch for the touchdown!
If that wasn’t the dagger, the next play was. Clinton fumbled the kickoff, and Reidsville recovered it! Again, though, they turned it over on downs deep in Clinton territory, with just seven minutes left on the clock. Nydarion Blackwell and Amaris Williams connected for a touchdown, before a two-point conversion cut Clinton’s deficit to ten. Their onside kick attempt failed, and Reidsville would run the clock out for another state championship!
Reidsville’s players celebrated with pure elation immediately after Al Lee kneeled it out, as their hard work over the year had finally paid off. The year included an uncharacteristic loss to Eastern Alamance, some games that were way to close for Reidsville’s liking, and noticeable frustration. But they kept their cool, and as players returned from injuries and chemistry built amongst the team members, Reidsville began to roll at the right time.
The Rams beat their playoff opponents by an average of twenty-nine points per game, proving that Erik had focused his players when it was most important. The immense pressure of taking the reins after his father, Jimmy, retired with eight rings, well over three hundred wins and a Hall of Fame induction, was not too much for him to handle, and now that he has proven his ability to win a title, it’s hard to doubt that Reidsville’s dominance will continue into the next year. Kendre Harrison and Dionte Neal are sophomores, while Johnniyus Sharpe, Jariel Cobb, Cam’Ron Jones, Bryson Miller, Juhkeir Pinnix, are just juniors. There will be no shortage of talent next season, and we could be en route to back-to-back Reidsville titles.
But for now, the players, coaches, fans, and city of Reidsville will soak in this year’s highly coveted state championship.