Cannon School knocks Statesville Christian from playoffs
It was a rough start for the Lions on a rough offensive night. With starting QB Brendan Settle on the sideline for the first series, the Lions threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage.
It wouldn’t get any better for the offense. They were shutout after Dylan Sutton’s lone 31-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Cannon School, who was beaten by Statesville Christian 42-7 earlier in the season, was able to pull off the upset on the backs of senior QB Chris Nelson and his trusty senior WR Will Exson. The two combined for two touchdowns in the vital second quarter which saw Cannon turn a 3-0 deficit into a 14-3 lead.
Perhaps the most crucial aspect of the win was Cannon’s ability able to turn the Lions over multiple times in a game that coach Angelo Cox said the Lions didn’t play hard enough to deserve to win.
"The chips fell the other way tonight, they outplayed us,” Cox said. “We have to play hard and we didn’t do that tonight.”
While the Lions surely didn’t envision ending their 9-1 season in the first round of the playoffs, they certainly have a lot to be proud of. It is never easy for a senior-laden team to lose a game many believed they should have won, but those same seniors brought Statesville Christian its first title and helped build the foundation in the early stages for the young program.
Cox said in the game of life, it isn’t always about winning.
"You are not going to always win, even when you are expected to win,” Cox said. “Sometimes you are going to lose and it’s a great lesson for us. It wasn’t in God’s will and I don’t want anything that is not in God’s will.”
The Lions will surely go into the offseason with a chip on their shoulder. Cox said the focus will be on rebounding strong.
“Just like in life, after you lose you have to get up and keep going,” Cox said. “We just have to keep going and refocus and see if we can do it again. That’s our message, just keep working hard.”
Cannon School 35, Statesville Christian 3
Cannon;0;14;7;14
SCS;3;0;0;0
First Quarter
SCS—Dylan Sutton 31-yard FG, :30
Second Quarter
C—Nelson 5-yard pass to Exson (Jeter PAT), 10:15
C—Nelson 17-yard pass to Exson (Jeter PAT), :38
Third Quarter
C—Ortiz 2-yard run (Jeter PAT), 1:54
Fourth Quarter
C—Nelson 1-yard run (Jeter PAT), 11:18
C—Ventura 15-yard fumble recovery (Jeter PAT), 2:15
- BY TANNER BOGGS sports@statesville.com
It was a rough start for the Lions on a rough offensive night. With starting QB Brendan Settle on the sideline for the first series, the Lions threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage.
It wouldn’t get any better for the offense. They were shutout after Dylan Sutton’s lone 31-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Cannon School, who was beaten by Statesville Christian 42-7 earlier in the season, was able to pull off the upset on the backs of senior QB Chris Nelson and his trusty senior WR Will Exson. The two combined for two touchdowns in the vital second quarter which saw Cannon turn a 3-0 deficit into a 14-3 lead.
Perhaps the most crucial aspect of the win was Cannon’s ability able to turn the Lions over multiple times in a game that coach Angelo Cox said the Lions didn’t play hard enough to deserve to win.
"The chips fell the other way tonight, they outplayed us,” Cox said. “We have to play hard and we didn’t do that tonight.”
While the Lions surely didn’t envision ending their 9-1 season in the first round of the playoffs, they certainly have a lot to be proud of. It is never easy for a senior-laden team to lose a game many believed they should have won, but those same seniors brought Statesville Christian its first title and helped build the foundation in the early stages for the young program.
Cox said in the game of life, it isn’t always about winning.
"You are not going to always win, even when you are expected to win,” Cox said. “Sometimes you are going to lose and it’s a great lesson for us. It wasn’t in God’s will and I don’t want anything that is not in God’s will.”
The Lions will surely go into the offseason with a chip on their shoulder. Cox said the focus will be on rebounding strong.
“Just like in life, after you lose you have to get up and keep going,” Cox said. “We just have to keep going and refocus and see if we can do it again. That’s our message, just keep working hard.”
Cannon School 35, Statesville Christian 3
Cannon;0;14;7;14
SCS;3;0;0;0
First Quarter
SCS—Dylan Sutton 31-yard FG, :30
Second Quarter
C—Nelson 5-yard pass to Exson (Jeter PAT), 10:15
C—Nelson 17-yard pass to Exson (Jeter PAT), :38
Third Quarter
C—Ortiz 2-yard run (Jeter PAT), 1:54
Fourth Quarter
C—Nelson 1-yard run (Jeter PAT), 11:18
C—Ventura 15-yard fumble recovery (Jeter PAT), 2:15
