cfa Academy starts slowly, then throttles Rabun Gap
CONCORD – The cfa Academy football team wasn’t the most hospitable host on Friday night, as it welcomed Rabun Gap-Nacoochee to Webb Field and then blew the Georgia team out, 43-19.
At first, it looked as though Rabun Gap would pull away after scoring the first two touchdowns of the game.
“They came out in something we weren’t ready for, and they were just trying to take the air out of the ball,” cfa head man Craig Kean said.
The Eagles from Concord adjusted in time, though, fighting back to take a 20-19 lead into halftime before shutting out Rabun Gap in the second half and adding 23 more points in a dominant finish.
Junior running back Nick Treco was a big part of the offensive explosion, as he was responsible for four touchdowns on the night -- one rushing, one receiving and two that came on kick returns. Overall, he ran 13 times for 158 yards.
Quarterback Mason McLaughlin got off to a slow start himself before finishing the night with three touchdown passes, including a long one to fellow senior D’Wayne Crawford.
“He was a little shaky at first; he was pressing,” Kean said of McLaughlin. “We told him to just relax, and he started throwing really well. Mason had his best deep ball of the year to D’Wayne. It was probably about 60 yards, and he put it right on the money.”
McLaughlin finished with 303 yards, and he also tossed a touchdown to new receiver Rae Rice, who recently transferred from Cox Mill.
According to Kean, the offensive line, which is composed mostly of freshmen and sophomores, had probably its best night of the year, as the scheme blocking and protection was solid.
The defense also did its part, bouncing back after giving up 19 first-half points to keep Rabun Gap off the board in the second half.
Linebacker Brendan Graves was unblockable all night, and the cfa pass rush helped a secondary that needed little of it. Sophomore defensive back Jaylen Gullatte stood out on defense, and Kean called him, “something special.”
Overall, the cfa defense was led by Trey Boyd, who’s also the team’s punter, and his whopping 18 tackles on the night.
This was a big win for the Eagles, who improved to 2-3 and 0-1 in the Piedmont Conference heading into a big game against public school North Stokes (0-5) at home next week.
-- Henry Hutton
CONCORD – The cfa Academy football team wasn’t the most hospitable host on Friday night, as it welcomed Rabun Gap-Nacoochee to Webb Field and then blew the Georgia team out, 43-19.
At first, it looked as though Rabun Gap would pull away after scoring the first two touchdowns of the game.
“They came out in something we weren’t ready for, and they were just trying to take the air out of the ball,” cfa head man Craig Kean said.
The Eagles from Concord adjusted in time, though, fighting back to take a 20-19 lead into halftime before shutting out Rabun Gap in the second half and adding 23 more points in a dominant finish.
Junior running back Nick Treco was a big part of the offensive explosion, as he was responsible for four touchdowns on the night -- one rushing, one receiving and two that came on kick returns. Overall, he ran 13 times for 158 yards.
Quarterback Mason McLaughlin got off to a slow start himself before finishing the night with three touchdown passes, including a long one to fellow senior D’Wayne Crawford.
“He was a little shaky at first; he was pressing,” Kean said of McLaughlin. “We told him to just relax, and he started throwing really well. Mason had his best deep ball of the year to D’Wayne. It was probably about 60 yards, and he put it right on the money.”
McLaughlin finished with 303 yards, and he also tossed a touchdown to new receiver Rae Rice, who recently transferred from Cox Mill.
According to Kean, the offensive line, which is composed mostly of freshmen and sophomores, had probably its best night of the year, as the scheme blocking and protection was solid.
The defense also did its part, bouncing back after giving up 19 first-half points to keep Rabun Gap off the board in the second half.
Linebacker Brendan Graves was unblockable all night, and the cfa pass rush helped a secondary that needed little of it. Sophomore defensive back Jaylen Gullatte stood out on defense, and Kean called him, “something special.”
Overall, the cfa defense was led by Trey Boyd, who’s also the team’s punter, and his whopping 18 tackles on the night.
This was a big win for the Eagles, who improved to 2-3 and 0-1 in the Piedmont Conference heading into a big game against public school North Stokes (0-5) at home next week.
-- Henry Hutton
