HP Christian suffers tough loss vs. Cabarrus
• By Tucker Mitchell Special to the Enterprise
HIGH POINT - High Point Christian Coach Sam Beasley gained a new perspective on his team Friday night at the High Point Athletic Complex.
He didn’t much like it.
Beasley was forced to watch the last quarter and-a-half of the Cougars’ matchup with the Cabarrus Warriors from atop the press box at Aderholdt Field, following his ejection from the sidelines with 6:28 remaining in the third quarter. From that vantage point, he saw his team unravel before his eyes, turning a close game into an eventual 37-14 loss in the NCISAA Piedmont Conference opener for both teams.
“I’ve watched a lot of football from a press box, but never in a situation like that,” he said after the game. “It was strange.”
Cabarrus, a mashup of students from two Cabarrus County private schools, took command of the Piedmont race with the victory. The Warriors are 5-1 on the season. HPCA fell to 3-3 and will now have to go into scramble mode to remain in the hunt for a NCISAA playoff seed.
Cabarrus won Friday because of the nifty running of sophomore Will Jones (30 carries for 224 yards, three touchdowns), the clutch passing of quarterback Tyler Green and a defense that surrendered yards but not points to the potent Cougar attack. The Warrior triumph had an inevitable feel when all was said and done.
But it might have been otherwise.
After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, HPCA trailed just 10-7 at the half and was at midfield when senior quarterback Myles Crisp dashed 30 yards on the first play from scrimmage of the third period. But that drive fizzled and Cabarrus was soon on the march behind Jones and Green. HPCA’s defense stiffened as the Warriors reached the red zone, but on third and 10 just outside the Cougar 10, Green danced around in the backfield dodging rushers and waiting for a receiver to pop up open. Gavin Powell finally did, racing left to right across the back of the end zone. Green fired a pass to him just before he went out of bounds.Then High Point Christian sideline erupted, screaming for holding call and for Powell to be ruled out of bounds. One assistant coach charged a few yards onto the field, shouting at the referee.
Penalty flags flew at the end of the play, and when the dust was settled, two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties had been levied against the HPCA sidelines. High school rules hold the head coach responsible for sideline misconducts, resulting in Beasley being sent to the stands.
The Cougars then corralled the Warriors’ attempted onside kick at their own 12 and were down just 17-7 with the ball. From there, HPCA suffered back-to-back three-and-outs, and Cabarrus marched to two straight touchdowns to take a 31-7 lead with nine minutes left to play.
“Overall we didn’t play well for most of the night,” Beasley said. “As I told the team, it was interesting watching the game from the press box. There’s a lot of things you could see that you don’t like to see. I think this is maybe one of those watershed games for us. We’ll be challenged this coming week. We’ll see how we respond. I think we will, but it is a crossroads for this team.”
Crisp, as usual, led the HPCA attack. He rushed for 82 yards and a late touchdown and was 15-of-23 in the air for 162 yards.
Senior Jalen Smith was his favorite target with seven catches for 78 yards. Smith also intercepted a pass on defense and had a pair of long kickoff returns.
Darius Kane had an even longer kickoff return, streaking 74 yards up the left sideline to set up HPCA’s second touchdown in the closing minutes. He also accounted for the Cougars’ first score, outjumping Cabarrus’ Amis Morocco to haul in a Crisp pass at the Warrior 20 early in the second quarter and sprinting into the end zone. The entire play covered 48 yards.
HPCA continued to miss running back Jordan Wilson, out of the season with a knee injury suffered in the opener.
• By Tucker Mitchell Special to the Enterprise
HIGH POINT - High Point Christian Coach Sam Beasley gained a new perspective on his team Friday night at the High Point Athletic Complex.
He didn’t much like it.
Beasley was forced to watch the last quarter and-a-half of the Cougars’ matchup with the Cabarrus Warriors from atop the press box at Aderholdt Field, following his ejection from the sidelines with 6:28 remaining in the third quarter. From that vantage point, he saw his team unravel before his eyes, turning a close game into an eventual 37-14 loss in the NCISAA Piedmont Conference opener for both teams.
“I’ve watched a lot of football from a press box, but never in a situation like that,” he said after the game. “It was strange.”
Cabarrus, a mashup of students from two Cabarrus County private schools, took command of the Piedmont race with the victory. The Warriors are 5-1 on the season. HPCA fell to 3-3 and will now have to go into scramble mode to remain in the hunt for a NCISAA playoff seed.
Cabarrus won Friday because of the nifty running of sophomore Will Jones (30 carries for 224 yards, three touchdowns), the clutch passing of quarterback Tyler Green and a defense that surrendered yards but not points to the potent Cougar attack. The Warrior triumph had an inevitable feel when all was said and done.
But it might have been otherwise.
After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, HPCA trailed just 10-7 at the half and was at midfield when senior quarterback Myles Crisp dashed 30 yards on the first play from scrimmage of the third period. But that drive fizzled and Cabarrus was soon on the march behind Jones and Green. HPCA’s defense stiffened as the Warriors reached the red zone, but on third and 10 just outside the Cougar 10, Green danced around in the backfield dodging rushers and waiting for a receiver to pop up open. Gavin Powell finally did, racing left to right across the back of the end zone. Green fired a pass to him just before he went out of bounds.Then High Point Christian sideline erupted, screaming for holding call and for Powell to be ruled out of bounds. One assistant coach charged a few yards onto the field, shouting at the referee.
Penalty flags flew at the end of the play, and when the dust was settled, two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties had been levied against the HPCA sidelines. High school rules hold the head coach responsible for sideline misconducts, resulting in Beasley being sent to the stands.
The Cougars then corralled the Warriors’ attempted onside kick at their own 12 and were down just 17-7 with the ball. From there, HPCA suffered back-to-back three-and-outs, and Cabarrus marched to two straight touchdowns to take a 31-7 lead with nine minutes left to play.
“Overall we didn’t play well for most of the night,” Beasley said. “As I told the team, it was interesting watching the game from the press box. There’s a lot of things you could see that you don’t like to see. I think this is maybe one of those watershed games for us. We’ll be challenged this coming week. We’ll see how we respond. I think we will, but it is a crossroads for this team.”
Crisp, as usual, led the HPCA attack. He rushed for 82 yards and a late touchdown and was 15-of-23 in the air for 162 yards.
Senior Jalen Smith was his favorite target with seven catches for 78 yards. Smith also intercepted a pass on defense and had a pair of long kickoff returns.
Darius Kane had an even longer kickoff return, streaking 74 yards up the left sideline to set up HPCA’s second touchdown in the closing minutes. He also accounted for the Cougars’ first score, outjumping Cabarrus’ Amis Morocco to haul in a Crisp pass at the Warrior 20 early in the second quarter and sprinting into the end zone. The entire play covered 48 yards.
HPCA continued to miss running back Jordan Wilson, out of the season with a knee injury suffered in the opener.
