Graham posts first win; Eagles fall short to Reidsville; Eastern Randolph edges Williams
By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Southern Alamance had a one-track mindset Friday night: run the ball.
That worked pretty much to perfection for the Patriots in their 43-26 victory against visiting Western Alamance.
The Patriots allowed their exclusive rushing attack to do the damage, scoring on all six possessions.
“If you’re able to just run it down their throat, these are the results we’ll get,” senior running back Stanley Eno said.
Logan Foust and Jackson Parrish each scored on three touchdown runs. They joined Eno to give the Patriots a trio of players with more than 100 rushing yards.
It was power football at its best from the Southern perspective.
“You have to be yourself,” Southern coach Fritz Hessenthaler said after the game. “That changes year to year. But do what you’re good at. We’re kind of figuring out what we’re all about.”
The Patriots (2-2) go into an open week on the schedule with a good vibe.
“There’s no offense like ours. It’s hard to stop, for sure. It’s pound-mouth football. It’s real football. We like to hit, and we’re going to drive it on anybody. That’s a promise.” – Southern running back Logan Foust after win over Western
To see more of Foust’s post-comments, go here:
“There’s no offense like ours,” Foust said. “It’s hard to stop, for sure. It’s pound-mouth football. It’s real football. We like to hit, and we’re going to drive it on anybody. That’s a promise.”
The Warriors (2-2) never got a defensive stop or forced a turnover.
“This is the type of game that should hurt your feelings as a man,” Western coach Jeff Snuffer said. “When they can come at you and there’s nothing you can do about it, that’s a great feeling for them.”
Officially, the Patriots never threw a pass. The one time the ball went into the air was on Eno’s toss to Parrish on a conversion play in the fourth quarter when the extra-point kick attempt appeared botched and the Patriots improvised. (Conversion plays don’t count on official statistics.)
By the time it was done, Foust racked up 196 yards on 31 carries, Eno had 128 yards on 12 attempts and Parrish rumbled for 112 yards on 13 tries.
“Playing both ways, it’s rough, but you’ve just got to push through it,” Foust said of the workload.
Hessenthaler said the Patriots were fortunate to overcome a pair of false-start penalties and an infraction for a chop block. But they stuck to what they do because the Warriors didn’t have an answer.
“That’s the way it feels to me,” Eno said of the confidence the Patriots gained. “As long as we keep doing what we do.”
Western’s Kevion Hudson scored on runs of 3 and 2 yards. Quarterback Evan Kuehnel connected with Zack Oakley for a 44-yard touchdown play and hooked up with James Newton for a 24-yard touchdown.
Foust scored on the first play of the second quarter and in the final minute of the half. The Oakley touchdown allowed Western to close within 21-19 in the third quarter. Parrish responded with the second of his touchdowns later in the quarter.
ROUNDUP OF OTHER GAMES: Graham posts first win; Eagles fall short to Reidsville; Eastern Randolph edges Williams
Graham secured its first victory under new coach Bobby Houston Jr. and it was a memorable result.
The Red Devils cranked out a 54-50 victory at home against visiting Wake Christian on Friday night.
The outcome lifts Graham to a 1-3 record under Houston, a former North Carolina State and NFL player. Wake Christian dipped to 0-4.
Reidsville 35, Eastern Alamance 28: At Reidsville, Eastern Alamance’s clashes with top-tier teams finally took a toll.
The Eagles tumbled for the first time this season in a setback at state power Reidsville.
Reidsville trailed 28-27 before Trey Poteat’s 7-yard run with 2:55 remaining after the first of three Rams interceptions in the fourth quarter.
Dionte Neal’s second interception of the game sealed the outcome for the Rams (3-1). Eastern Alamance had taken over for its final possession at its own 42-yard line with 1:24 remaining, but it was out of timeouts.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Eastern Alamance’s Josh Murray scored on a fourth-and-goal run from the 1-yard line to break a 21-21 tie. Neither team scored in the third quarter.
In the first half, Murray scored on a 1-yard run for Eastern Alamance’s first points, but the team later trailed 21-7. Tyrek Samuel ran for an 11-yard touchdown and quarterback Jason Ball had a 2-yard touchdown run to help the Eagles pull even.
Eastern Randolph 28, Williams 21: At Ramseur, the host Wildcats (3-1) won their third game in a row.
Williams (2-2) lost a tight game to Eastern Randolph for the second straight year.
After Eastern Randolph went up 28-14 with 2:52 to play on Devonte Brooks’ 12-yard run on a drive that consumed about seven minutes. It was his second touchdown run of the second half.
Then Dan Mahan scored on a 24-yard quarterback keeper to give the Bulldogs a chance. The Wildcats recovered the ensuing onside kick.
