By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Braxton Ballard threw two of his three touchdown passes to Hunter Eichmann, Sammy Raphael ran for two touchdowns, and Eastern Alamance topped visiting Williams 35-22 in Mid-Carolina Conference football Friday night in Mebane.
Raphael gained 227 rushing yards on 34 carries. Ballard was 10-for-15 for 165 yards.
“It could have gone either way,” Eastern coach John Kirby said of the outcome.
With the homecoming triumph, the Eagles (6-2 overall, 4-1 Mid-Carolina Conference) set up a showdown with first-place Southeast Alamance (8-0, 4-0) in the October 30 regular-season finale.
Williams (4-2, 2-2) will be unable to repeat as conference champion.
The Bulldogs scored in the third quarter and then had a chance to tie or take the lead after moving inside the Eastern 10-yard line by the end of the quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Eastern’s Kane Martin intercepted a halfback pass from Christian Booth in the end zone.
“They got all the momentum in the world,” Kirby said. “I think that was the key play of the game. It’s like the whole momentum changed.”
Eastern scored the only points in the fourth quarter with Ballard hooking up with Eichmann for a touchdown play and Hudson Link kicking the extra point.
The Eagles also scored earlier on Ballard’s pass to Devontia Clark.
First-half touchdown runs from Booth and quarterback Jackson Gould helped the Bulldogs stay within range.
Williams was without injured starting quarterback Robbie Davis. Gould threw for 107 yards and rushed for 30. Booth had a team-high 71 rushing yards.
- Western Alamance 27, Cummings 26: At Burlington, Christian Payton ran for a touchdown with less than four minutes remaining as the Warriors pulled out a Mid-Carolina Conference road victory.
Camden Oliveira’s extra-point kick provided the winning margin. Western (5-3, 2-2) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Payton finished with 118 rushing yards on 16 carries. Quarterback Grayson Smith scored on a TD run.
Colten Hill and Dawson Boysel made touchdown catches from Smith for the Warriors. They also received a blocked extra-point kick from defender Carson White.
Cummings (1-7, 0-5), which outgained the Warriors 278-263, scored touchdowns on three passes from Hudson Pressley and a return of a blocked field goal.
Pressley threw for 258 yards. Semaj Wright caught two of the scoring passes, and Jayden Royal grabbed the other. Marcus Brown scored the defensive touchdown for the Cavaliers.
The game pitted first-year Cummings coach Darius Pinnix against his alma mater.
- Southern Alamance 65, Roxboro Person 24: At Mt. Hermon, Sincere Thompson rushed for six touchdowns and 302 yards as the host Patriots won their second game in a row in a Mid-Carolina Conference runaway.
Thompson scored on runs of 24, 80, 2, 3, 39 and 11 yards amid his 25-carry outing. He also had a two-point conversion run.
For Southern (6-2, 2-2), which led 51-16 at halftime, Jayden Brown scored on an 80-yard punt return.
Camden Whittemore scored from 4 yards out and Tustin Johnson reached the end zone on a 21-yard carry. Triston Harrison added a two-point conversion run.
Roxboro Person’s Tae Winstead returned an interception for a touchdown. The Rockets (2-6, 1-3) also scored on a kickoff return.
- Asheboro 34, Eastern Guilford 20: At Gibsonville, the host Wildcats’ quest for a Triad Area Athletic Conference championship was dented when they were unable to protect a 14-point halftime lead. Eastern Guilford (3-4, 2-1) didn’t score in the second half. Asheboro is 7-1, 2-1.
