By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
The 63-0 final score meant far more than another victory for the Cummings football team Monday night.
The Cavaliers faced Graham just a week after team member Malik Mebane collapsed on the field and died prior to a scheduled practice.
He had been assigned jersey No. 63.
“It has been a tough week, but we’ve been pushing through,” senior lineman Trey Harris said. “Knowing it’s bigger than football.”
The homecoming game in many ways became an afterthought to the emotions that have sent shock through the east Burlington community.
On September 19, 7-year-old Mason Jenkins was killed by a bullet in a shooting outside his apartment.
As a youth player, Jenkins wore No. 50 for the Air Cavs.
Cummings led Graham 50-0 at halftime.
Mebane’s death was another blow, something that couldn’t have been envisioned.
With a running clock in the second half and not needing to rack up more points, Tamorrie Brown scored on a 6-yard run with 5:25 remaining. The Cavaliers didn’t attempt a conversion play.
“We wanted to stop at 63,” coach David Grimm said.
Mebane hadn’t been in a game for the Cavaliers. He had recently joined the team and was working toward the number of practices required to participate in games.
Yet he was considered a part of the group. He was a classmate, someone they interacted with daily.
“We lost a teammate, a friend, a brother to us,” quarterback Ja’Kori McNair said.
It has been difficult for the Cavaliers to comprehend what happened as they were convening for the September 23 practice after school.
Mebane, a 15-year-old sophomore, collapsed and it was clear he needed medical attention.
“We had to watch it all,” McNair said. “The CPR, the EMS coming in.”
Players were sent to the football team’s field house. Multi-purpose back Devin Witherspoon said the group quickly understood the severity of the situation and together they prayed.
In the days following Mebane’s passing, the Cavaliers said they felt comfort in the outpouring of support, coming from counselors sent to the school and teachers already in place. Witherspoon said he appreciated gestures coming from other schools, particularly Williams.
McNair said parents from other students came to the school to offer support to the team. “They showed us love,” he said.
A week later, at the stadium adjacent to the practice field, there was a football game.
“We had to do it for everybody,” Witherspoon said.
There was a pregame moment of silence and special memorial recognition for Mebane. His family gathered on the track between the Cummings sideline and the bleachers.
It was a continuation of a days-long quest to find comfort.
“We showed their family love,” Harris said.
Grimm said he admires how the Cavaliers have dealt with a tragedy that didn’t involve football.
“I’m just real proud of the guys, just the way they handled everything,” he said. “There’s more stuff going on that’s bigger than football.”
And some of that will linger, it won’t go away just because the Cavaliers won a game and stayed undefeated in the Mid-Carolina Conference.
“It still is going to take time,” Witherspoon said.
What didn’t take much time was how the Cavaliers (5-1 overall, 4-0 Mid-Carolina Conference) dominated Graham (0-5, 0-3) even though the game, which had been rescheduled from Friday night, was delayed another 40 minutes because of heavy rain early in the evening.
Jaidyn Briskey, Witherspoon, and Brown all scored two touchdowns. Briskey ran in from 17 and 1 yards, Witherspoon posted touchdowns from 82 and 21 yards, and Brown had a 12-yard TD to go with his late-game score.
Briskey also recorded a safety with a sack in the end zone. Harris returned a fumble 27 yards for a touchdown and McNair connected with Ja’Kway Robertson for a 44-yard scoring play.
The Cavaliers reached the 50-point mark in less than 19 minutes.
McNair added a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Quite a collection of guests looked on. Several seniors from the 2023 Cummings team were on the sideline, including North Carolina State freshman Jonathan Paylor. He helped with crowning of the homecoming court at halftime.
Western Alamance 26, Eastern Alamance 0: At Elon in a Central 3-A Conference game, James Newton returned the second-half kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and the host Warriors won their fifth game in a row.
Western (5-1, 2-0) led 3-0 at halftime. Will Clinkscales made a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown as the Warriors pestered Eastern (0-5, 0-1) into four turnovers. Jadon Jones intercepted two passes. Isaiah Slade added a 1-yard touchdown run.
Western quarterback Ethan Oakley was 10-for-10 passing for 122 yards.
The Eagles were held to 198 yards of total offense.
