Monday Morning Quarterback - Oct. 31

A WEEKLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE FROM YADKIN VALLEY SPORTS & FOOTHILLS FOOTBALL

QuarterbackMonday Morning

RAMS’ REIGN CONTINUES

STARMOUNT 24, WILKES CENTRAL 17

Starmount scores in the final minute to beat Eagles,earns fourth consecutive Mountain Valley title West Stokes completes historic 11-0 run through regular season Red-hot Surry Central captures fourth win in a row State playoff brackets released, analyzed

Monday Morning

A WEEKLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE FROM YADKIN VALLEY SPORTS & FOOTHILLS FOOTBALL

Volume 2 * Issue 11* Oct. 31, 2011 * [email protected] * (336) 835-4121

Eric LuskEditor & PublishEr

Pam LuskbusinEss ManagEr

Starr PoplinadvErtising, salEs

On The CoverStarmount quarterback Christian Hurt

gets into the open field

ContributorsRick Papsun, TC Gammons, Phil Goble, Tim Weatherman, Jimmy Kuhn, William Sparklin, Kelly Snow, Christopher Noble

Monday Morning Quarterback is a digital publication of:

Lusk Media126 Valleybrook Drive

Elkin, NC 28621All rights reserved.

WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM OCTOBER 31, 2011 3

In The Rearview MirrorFriday, Oct. 28 Games

NORTHWEST 1A/2AWest Stokes 51, North Surry 7Mount Airy 31, East Surry 7Surry Central 36, South Stokes 15North Stokes 14, Bishop 6

MOUNTAIN VALLEY 1A/2AStarmount 24, Wilkes Central 17Forbush 6, Elkin 3West Wilkes 50, Alleghany 21McDowell 28, North Wilkes 7Ashe County 35, East Wilkes 6

On The HorizonFriday, Nov. 4 Games

1A PLAYOFFSAlleghany at MurphyNorth Stokes at Andrews

1AA PLAYOFFSEast Surry at MonroeLake Norman Chtr at South StokesCentral Academy at Mount AiryEast Wilkes at MitchellCherryville at West Wilkes

2A PLAYOFFSEast Lincoln at StarmountLexington at Wilkes CentralSurry Central at Thomasville

2AA PLAYOFFSPiedmont at West StokesCuthbertson at North SurryForbush at Forest HillsAshe County at Bandys

Big game deliversRams-Eagles comes down to the final playBy Eric LuskEditor

Sometimes the big game really does live up to the hype.

Such was the case in the Star-mount-Wilkes Central showdown on Friday night.

The possibility of the two Moun-tain Valley 1A/2A titans colliding on the final night of the regular season with the conference championship at stake had been bandied about since the schedules came out in the spring.

Sure enough, both teams took care of the business through August, September and earlier in October to reach the finale with 9-0 records. Then the Rams and Eagles played 48 minutes of memorable smash-mouth football, against the backdrop of a near freezing temperatures and a blowing mist.

As befitting two worthy oppo-nents, the contest wasn’t decided until the final play.

Starmount scored the go-ahead touchdown with 46 ticks on the fourth-quarter clock – the first time the Rams had the lead the entire night. Wilkes Central made one last push to tie but was stopped in Starmount territory as time expired. Final score: Starmount 24, Wilkes Central 17.

The Rams retained their confer-ence championship status for an-other year. And fans were treated to a contest that fulfilled all of the pre-game hoopla.

Now, here is one more tantaliz-ing possibility. We could see a round two in the series.

If Starmount and Wilkes Cen-tral both win their first two playoff games, we’ll get another dose of Rams vs. Eagles – this time with a berth in the state semifinals at stake. Imagine the hype that would sur-round that game.

Basketball

Check YadkinValleySports.com this fall for more details

By Eric LuskEditor

1Starmount still rules the Moun-tain Valley. The Rams claimed their

fourth-straight conference champion-ship trophy with Friday’s 24-17 win over Wilkes Central. All four title runs have featured undefeated league re-cords. Starmount’s current conference win streak has now reached 33 games, dating back to 2007.

2It’s been a long time since Star-mount has lost in the regular sea-

son, period. The Rams finished with an undefeated overall record (10-0) for the second year in a row and the fourth time in the 40-plus history of the school. This is the first time that two Rams teams have been unbeaten in back-to-back years. The last regular season loss for a Starmount team came Aug. 29, 2009 against East Surry, a 31-22 defeat on a Saturday morning (after lightning post-poned the game from the night before).

3West Stokes forged its first ever undefeated regular season by

beating North Surry 51-7 in Toast.

The Wildcats (11-0) also are celebrat-ing their first conference championship in football. Even though the conference title was clinched in week 10, the ’Cats played like a team fighting for their playoff lives Friday and rolled to their second-most lopsided win of the season. (The most lopsided win came Oct. 21 against Bishop McGuinness, 48-0).

4Is there a team playing any bet-ter offensively than Surry Cen-

tral? The Golden Eagles have been an unstoppable force on offense in recent weeks. After scoring 76 points against

4 MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM OCTOBER 31, 2011 5

Week Eleven In Review

First & 10

Ten things to take away from week 11 of the football season

North Stokes two weeks ago, the Eagles unleashed another round of the Wes Brown show in a 36-15 win over South Stokes. After recording six touchdowns at North Stokes, Brown chugged for 247 yards and four scores on Friday. He also blocked a punt that was returned for a TD. Brown has an outside shot at reach-ing 2,000 rushing yards for the season.

5Mount Airy is still the top 1A team in the Northwest 1A/2A Conference.

The Granite Bears saw their hold on the overall conference trophy slip away this season. But the Bears didn’t slip far. Fri-day’s win at East Surry kept Mount Airy in second place in the league standings, tied with Surry Central (a team they beat head-to-head). The Bears stand tall as the top 1A team in the Northwest yet again.

6West Wilkes is the top 1A team in the Mountain Valley 1A/2A – and

quite possibly our whole region. The Blackhawks have been somewhat qui-etly going about their business in a conference dominated by the two stal-warts, Starmount and Wilkes Central. The Blackhawks beat everyone else in the MVAC to finish 6-2 – a solid third place. In terms of state playoffs, West Wilkes (No. 4) is actually seeded higher than No. 5 Mount Airy in the 1AA West bracket.

7 Defense does win championships. West Stokes gave up an average of

7.7 points per game to Northwest oppo-nents this season. Bishop didn’t score at all. Mount Airy and North Stokes scored 6 points each, while North Surry and East Surry recorded just 7 points apiece. The high scorers against West Stokes in league play this season were Surry Cen-tral and South Stokes, who managed 14 apiece while giving up 34.

8Defense wins games, too. Starmount put itself in some big holes early

against Wilkes Central, fumbling twice inside their own 10. On another pos-session, Starmount failed to convert on fourth down, then committed a 15-yard

Week Eleven In Review

Photo by Eric LuskThe celebration is on for Starmount after the final whistle sounds Friday night. The Rams charge off the field following a 24-17 win over Wilkes Central that clinched yet another conference championship for the school -- the 19th in history.

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penalty to set the Eagles up at the Rams’ 35. It was the defense that came to the rescue, holding Central to a field goal on one drive and making a goal line stand on another. Starmount didn’t allow any long, methodical scoring marches all night, giving their offense a chance to make amends in the second half to se-cure the 24-17 victory.

9Football is made to be played in the rain and cold, too. Had Fri-

day’s soaking rains and almost winter-like weather rolled in a few weeks ago you likely would have seen a rash of postponed games to either Saturday or Monday. But the state athletic associa-tion basically nixed that idea because it said it needed all games completed by

lunchtime Saturday in order to build playoff brackets. Nobody cancelled or postponed, and fans got to witness their teams battling not only another team but the elements as well. It’s the way it should be (and fans who stayed home sure missed out!).

10The rich do get richer. Maybe protestors need to occupy the

practice fields in Boonville and King. The football programs at Starmount and West Stokes, already well-decorat-ed this season, appear ready to restock their rosters for next fall. The Rams and Wildcats won their respective confer-ence titles at the junior varsity level as well as varsity this season.

luskmedia.smugmug.comClick here to purchase photos from the latest area sporting events.

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Week Eleven In Focus

Rams retain their crownNotes and observations from Starmount’s win over Wilkes CentralBy Eric LuskEditor

Some more quick hits, notes and ob-servations from Starmount’s 24-17 win over Wilkes Central on Friday night:

* The Rams clinched the 19th con-ference title in the school’s 40-plus years of playing football. This year’s seniors have never seen the varsity foot-ball team taste defeat in a conference game since arriving on campus in the fall of 2008.

* Starmount extended its conference winning streak to 33 games in a row. The last league defeat came against Ashe County in 2007. The past three teams have been 8-0 against MVAC 1A/2A foes. The 2008 team went 7-0 in the old Mountain Valley 2A.

* Rams’ quarterback Christian Hurt channeled in his inner Russell Wilson during several stretches of Friday’s game, especially in the second half. When passing plays would break down, Hurt would take off for positive yard-age. Wilkes Central DBs did their job in pass coverage but the Eagles had a tough time tracking down the Rams’ quarterback when he got loose. Hurt fin-ished with a team-high 158 yards on 23 carries.

* Chaston Martin scored the winning touchdown for the Rams on a 19-yard run with 46 seconds remaining in the fi-nal period. Starmount coach Scott John-son said his team had used several plays in a row that stretched the defense wide. Then they came back with Martin on more of a straight power play through the middle. Martin found a seam and outraced everyone to the end zone.

* Wilkes Central coach Jeremy Fun-derburk said he thought his team should have scored the knockout punch in the first half. The Rams certainly gave them plenty of opportunity. Starmount fum-

bled the ball away on its own 8-yard line on its first possession. On the next pos-session, a short punt gave Wilkes Cen-tral the ball at the Rams’ 39.

But the Eagles managed just a field goal after the first takeaway, then got stopped at the goal line on the next se-ries. While Central did turn another fumble recovery into a touchdown early in the second quarter, that score could have put the Eagles ahead 21-0 rather than 10-0.

* Starmount’s plan to go for it on fourth down and short near midfield with 4:45 left in the second quarter nearly backfired. The Rams did not get the first down, then a penalty on the play gave Wilkes Central the ball at the Star-

mount 35. Three plays later, Dustin Triplett turned a handoff around the right end into a 36-yard TD run to push the Eagles ahead 17-6.

But that would be the last time Wilkes Central threatened the end zone. Starmount got a field goal from Allen Menden-hall right before the half to pull within 17-9, then scored twice after the break to earn the victory. Credit the Rams’ defense for holding what had been a pretty explosive offense to a season low in points and just 226 to-tal yards of offense.

* Starmount coach Scott Johnson said he and Funderburk were de-termined to play Friday night despite the cold and rainy conditions that kept a number of people away from the stadium. The state athletic association

mandated that all games be completed by early afternoon Saturday to accom-modate state playoff bracket creation, which needs to be done by late after-noon Saturday. It turned out to be the right call. While it was misty all night during the game, heavier rain moved in late Friday night.

* It was a great week for Starmount teams playing Wilkes Central. The boys soccer team beat the Eagles on Wednes-day night to clinch a state playoff berth (though the Eagles had already clinched the conference title). On Thursday night, the Rams junior varsity football team beat Wilkes Central to repeat as JV conference champs.

Photo by Eric LuskChaston Martin breaks free for what would be the game-winning 19-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter.

http://www.wilkesregional.org/nodes/1.aspx

http://www.wilkesregional.com/nodes/1.aspx

8 MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

State Playoffs Brackets Unveiled

14 teams get inPod system creates intriguing state playoff pairingsThe N.C. High School Athletic Association released its state playoff brackets for football on Saturday afternoon. Fourteen of the 17 teams that play in the Mountain Valley 1A/2A Con-ference and Northwest 1A/2A Conference made the field. Sev-en area teams will open at home this Friday. Area teams’ games are listed in bold.

Here are match-ups of interest to our area:

Class 1A Playoffs

MIDWEST15 West Columbus (2-8) at 1 Albemarle (10-0)12 Princeton (3-7) at 11 Union (3-7)13 Hobbton (3-7) at 4 Lakewood (6-4)14 South Davidson (3-7) at 3 South Stanly (7-3)

WEST16 Alleghany (2-8) at 2 Murphy (6-4)8 Robbinsville (5-5) at 7 Union Academy (5-5)9 North Stokes (4-6) at 6 Andrews (6-4)10 Hayesville (4-6) at 5 Rosman (4-6)

Class 1AA Playoffs

MIDWEST16 East Surry (2-8) at 3 Monroe (8-2)12 Lake Norman Charter (5-5) at 10 South Stokes (5-5)13 North Rowan (4-6) at 9 West Montgomery (8-2)14 Central Academy (4-6) at 5 Mount Airy (7-3)

WEST15 East Wilkes (3-7) at 1 Mitchell (9-1)7 Hendersonville (9-1) at 6 Bessemer City (6-4)9 Cherryville (5-5) at 4 West Wilkes (7-3)11 Avery County (5-5) at 2 Swain County (9-1)

Class 2A Playoffs

MIDWEST12 East Lincoln (6-4) at 1 Starmount (10-0)8 Carver (6-4) at 6 Salisbury (8-2)10 Lexington (4-6) at 5 Wilkes Central (9-1)11 Surry Central (7-3) at 4 Thomasville (6-4)

WEST16 Brevard (3-7) at 2 Lincolnton (9-1)13 Madison (5-5) at 9 Draughn (7-3)

14 East Rutherford (5-5) at 7 Maiden (7-3)15 Owen (4-6) at 3 Polk County (7-3)

Class 2AA Playoffs

MIDWEST16 Piedmont (4-6) at 1 West Stokes (10-0)9 Cuthbertson (5-5) at 6 North Surry (7-3)13 Forbush (4-6) at 3 Forest Hills (7-3)14 East Davidson (4-6) at 2 South Iredell (10-0)

WEST15 West Lincoln (4-6) 4 Shelby (6-4)10 Newton-Conover (5-5) at 8 Chase (7-3)11 Ashe County (5-5) at 7 Bandys (7-3)12 Bunker Hill (5-5) at 5 Smoky Mountain (5-5)

Photo by Eric LuskJason Esparza and the Surry Central Golden Eagles will travel to Thomasville this Friday night.

By Eric LuskEditor

The day after the regular season ends in North Carolina high school football is a lot like Christmas for fans, players and coaches. It’s the day the long-awaited state playoff brack-ets come out.

Here are some of our thoughts, notes and observations on this year’s brackets as they relate to our local teams:

Fourteen of 17 teams from the Northwest 1A/2A and Mountain Valley 1A/2A conferences made the field. Only three schools from our lo-cal leagues failed to qualify this sea-son. Half of the area’s qualifiers will play at home in the first round – Star-mount, Wilkes Central and West Wil-kes from the MVAC; West Stokes, Mount Airy, South Stokes and North Surry from the Northwest.

Starmount and West Stokes earned the top overall seeds. Fin-ishing with perfect regular season records gave the Rams (10-0) and Wildcats (11-0) the No. 1 seed in the West for the 2A and 2AA brackets, respectively. Starmount was a No. 1 last season as well.

Best potential first-round match-up: Surry Central at Thomas-ville.The Golden Eagles, riding a four-game winning streak, are play-ing much better than a No. 11 seed. Thomasville, the No. 4 overall seed in the 2A West, is one of the premiere programs in this part of the state year-in and year-out. Both teams play a smashmouth style of football. Both

Thomasville and Surry Central suf-fered losses to Mount Airy during the regular season. At least on paper, this game looks like a barnburner looking for a place to happen.

Toughest “pod” involving our lo-cal teams: 2A Midwest. Starmount, Wilkes Central and Surry Central all will play in the same eight-team sec-tion. That’s a pretty formidable group in itself, but throw in Thomasville, Salisbury, East Lincoln, Carver and Lexington and you’ve got the mak-

ings of one of the toughest pods in any classification.

The champion of the 2A Midwest will have earned their way into the state’s final four. Salisbury won the 2AA state title last year. East Lincoln scores more than 40 points per game.

Starmount gets no favors in the new pod system. Had the N.C. High School Athletic Association used the old 1-16 seeding method, the 10-0 Rams would be getting ready for 3-7 Brevard this week. But the NCHSAA

2011 State Playoffs Analyzing The Brackets


Photo by Eric LuskAustin McConnell and the Wilkes Central Eagles will host Lexington in the opening round on Friday night.

2A Midwest looks tough2011 State Playoffs Analyzing The Brackets


wants to keep teams closer to home as much as possible (except for North Stokes, see below). So that means, 12th seeded East Lincoln (6-4) is coming to Boonville this week. East actually won seven games this season but had to forfeit one lopsided victory because it used an ineligible player.

Starmount is the only No. 1 overall seed in any classification (1A-4AA) who must play an opponent with a winning record in round one. There is only one No. 2 overall seed in any classification that is playing an oppo-nent with a winning record, and that is Leesville Road (10-0) taking on a 5-4 Broughton team in the 4AA East. There are several 5-5 and 4-6 teams that show up against No. 1 and 2 seeds but no one else with six wins.

Mount Airy is going “big” again. The Granite Bears won the “small 1A” state championship in 2008 and finished as the 1A runner-up in 2009. But in 2010 and again this year, Mount Airy has been placed in the “big 1A” (1AA) bracket based on school en-rollment numbers. The Bears (8-2) are the fifth overall seed in the 1AA West and have been placed a pretty competitive pod. If they can beat Central Academy on Friday, poten-tial matchups with West Montgomery (8-2) and Monroe (8-2) await in later rounds.

East Surry got in! Many thought the Cardinals were just playing for pride Friday night against Mount Airy. The 31-7 loss to the Granite Bears was seen as the final nail in the coffin for East Surry’s playoff hopes. But coach David Diamont’s team (2-8, 2-5 Northwest) slipped into the 1AA playoffs as the 16th and final team in the West. The Cards’ open-ing round game will be a rematch of last year’s playoffs when East Surry played competitive and lost at Mon-roe 34-27. This year Monroe is the

No. 3 overall seed in the 1AA West bracket.

Forbush got in, too. The Falcons were seen as the other true bubble team from our area. The Falcons picked up their fourth win of the sea-son Friday at Elkin. The 6-3 triumph wasn’t always pretty but it didn’t need to be. This will be a nice reward for a program on the upswing under second-year coach Chris Johnson.

Welcome home Sauras. South Stokes knew it had qualified for the playoffs after missing out the past two years, but it may have been a sur-prise that the Sauras will get to play at home this Friday. The No. 10 overall seed in the 1AA West will entertain Lake Norman Charter, the No. 12

seed. Both teams are 5-5. The winner gets either East Surry or Monroe in round two.

A long bus ride awaits Vikings – again. North Stokes had to drive more than three hours for a second round state playoff game last year, visiting Lakewood, which is south and east of Fayetteville. This year, the Vikings will take a long bus ride west, traveling to Andrews High, which is about five hours from Danbury. North Stokes should be used to this by now. Coach Jason Lippard’s team played Rosewood in Goldsboro early in the season in a non-conference game.

No Elks this year. It’s a strange sight not to see Elkin in the state playoffs at all. The program won four state championships last decade (2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006) and advanced to the 1A West title game a couple other times. This year, a re-building and youthful squad finished just 1-9, not enough to get into the state tournament. It’s the first year since 2000 that Elkin has been left out of the post-season.

Rematches from 2010 on tap. East Surry will visit Monroe again, while Mount Airy will entertain Cen-tral Academy in a couple of repeats from last year’s playoffs. Monroe beat East Surry 34-27, while Mount Airy topped Central Academy 41-6.

Potential rematches involving lo-cal teams. Wilkes Central and Surry Central will play again if both teams nicknamed Eagles win in round one. Wilkes Central won the season open-er 48-7. A Wilkes Central-Starmount rematch will take play in round three if both teams win a pair. West Stokes would face North Surry again – this time in King – if both the Wildcats and Greyhounds advance past Friday.

Starmount, Wilkes Central, Surry Central in same pod

Photo by Eric LuskEast Surry seniors like Dustin Holder will get at least one more game.

During pre-game coverage last week, we posed five burning questions about area high school football at www.Yadk-inValleySports.com. Below are the ques-tions again — and how what transpired on Friday night helped to answer them:

1. Who will win the Mountain Valley 1A/2A?

What we wrote: “Starmount and Wil-kes Central have been running ahead of the pack all season, and finally we get to see who the lead horse is. Starmount is gunning for its fourth straight conference title in football (the first three all featured unbeaten runs through the conference). The Rams will have home field advan-tage for this meeting. Wilkes Central has been in the title conversation the past few years – and had the same 7-0 MVAC re-cord at this point last season – and will be looking to clear that one last hump to a conference title.”

What happened: It looked for awhile like Wilkes Central might swipe the tro-phy away, building a 17-6 lead in the opening half. But Starmount’s defense stiffened – and the offense stopped turn-ing the ball over – helping the Rams rally to a 24-17 triumph. Starmount scored the winning points with less than a minute to play.

2. Can West Stokes complete a per-fect 11-0 run through its regular season schedule?

What we wrote: “The Wildcats have been in prime position to win the North-west 1A/2A title since defeating Mount Airy in week one of the conference schedule back in September. Now West Stokes can achieve regular season per-fection with a win tonight against North Surry. There was a point in the season where it looked like this match-up might also feature two undefeated teams. But North Surry suffered two losses in a row, then eeked out a win last Friday against East Surry. The most intriguing match-up to watch will be to see how North Surry’s big-play passing game fares against West Stokes’ athletic secondary.”

What happened: West Stokes’ athletic secondary, led by Demarion Jones and Brocky Reynolds, completely stifled the Greyhounds. Alex Ratcliff completed just one pass, and that was for minus-three yards. North Surry managed just 90 yards of total offense, while West Stokes piled up nearly 400 total yards en route to a convincing 51-7 triumph.

3. Who will finish second in the Northwest 1A/2A?

What we wrote: “The race for the top prize has been decided. West Stokes clinched the trophy last week. But there are a lot of ways the runner-up spot can go, with one plausible scenario unfolding where four teams finish tied for second place … Order of finish is important for both the 1A teams (Mount Airy, South

Stokes) and 2A teams (Surry Central, North Surry) since it will impact playoff seeding. South Stokes holds the tiebreak-er edge over the Bears. Surry Central holds the tiebreaker over North Surry.”

What happened: Both Mount Airy and Surry Central won, leaving both at 5-2 in the Northwest standings and tied for second place. You could argue that since Mount Airy beat Surry Central in the head-to-head meeting, the Bears are second and the Eagles third. In terms of playoffs, Mount Airy is the top 1A team out of the Northwest, while Surry Cen-tral is the No. 2 among the 2A’s behind West Stokes. Both North Surry and South Stokes made the playoffs and both will enjoy home games this Friday.

4. How many points will Surry Cen-

tral put up this week?What we wrote: “The Golden

Eagles wore out the scoreboard at North Stokes last Friday, scoring 11 touchdowns and finishing with 76 points. The previous two weeks, Cen-tral managed 42 against North Surry and 47 against Bishop McGuinness. South Stokes proved itself to be pretty stout defensively in beating Mount Airy last week, but the Sauras will face a stern challenge in slowing the Eagles’ “hambone” attack. Wes Brown is only one of the main weap-ons (and he’s a load to bring down).”

What happened: The Sauras did struggle to bring Wes Brown down (he finished with 247 rushing yards and four TDs). Surry Central scored 36 points to win easily, below their recent average but still plenty to pick up the win.

5. How will the weather impact the games?

What we wrote: “A check of the Friday daytime forecast for Boonville at weather.com just after midnight re-vealed this: ‘Showers early becoming a steady rain later in the day. High 49F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance

of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.’ As for the evening hours? ‘Rain. Low 37F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch.’ It’s too bad the games weren’t play Thursday, one of the most perfect fall days and nights you can imagine. It will be interest-ing to see if the sloppy conditions lead to sloppy games – and maybe a few upsets. Or is it possible that teams move their games to Saturday, where conditions are expected to be chilly but sunny. The state will be anxiously awaiting results so it can build playoff brackets and release them Saturday.”

What happened: All games were played Friday, and the weather did have an impact. Forbush and Elkin both struggled to move the ball, fin-ishing with a 6-3 final score. Star-mount had a tough time getting its mitts around the ball in the early go-ing, while Wilkes Central also had turnover issues. In general, the heavi-est rains didn’t hit until after game time, and it was bone-chillingly cold at times. But overall, it was just an-other week of high school football and a treat for fans who endured the less-than-ideal conditions.

Week Eleven Revisiting Our Burning Questions Week Eleven Revisiting Our Burning Questions


Elite EightPower RankingsHow They Fared * Who’s Next?

1. Starmount (10-0)Last Friday: Beat Wilkes Central 24-17This Friday: Hosting East Lincoln

2. West Stokes (11-0)Last Friday: Beat North Surry 51-7This Friday: Hosting Piedmont

3. Wilkes Central (9-1)Last Friday: Lost to Starmount 24-17This Friday: Hosting Lexington

4. Surry Central (7-3)Last Friday: Beat South Stokes 36-15This Friday: Visiting Thomasville

5. West Wilkes (7-3)Last Friday: Beat Alleghany 50-21This Friday: Hosting Cherryville

6. South Stokes (5-5)Last Friday: Lost to Surry Central 36-15This Friday: Hosting Lake Norman Charter

7. Mount Airy (8-2)Last Friday: Beat East Surry 31-7This Friday: Hosting West Stokes

8. North Surry (7-3)Last Friday: Lost to West Stokes 51-7This Friday: Hosting Cuthbertson

‘ ’THEY SAID IT“This group has the heart

of a champion. They believe in themselves and

they believe in each other.”

Starmount coach Scott Johnsonfollowing Friday’s 24-17 win over visiting

Wilkes Central

Photo by Phil GobleTy Simmons (22) and Austin Taylor (4) helped Mount Airy win Friday night, se-curing second place in the Northwest 1A/2A standings.

We asked, they answered

http://www.wxii12.com/high-school-playbook/index.html

Week Eleven Game Coverage


By Robert MoneyContributing Writer

TOAST – West Stokes’ magical sea-son on the gridiron continued Friday evening against Northwest Conference foe North Surry. Austin Fleming led the way offensively for the Wildcats and Darryl Little led the defensive attack in a 51-7 blowout, helping West Stokes fin-ished the regular season 11-0.

On a raining evening in Mount Airy, the Wildcats moved the ball at will against the Greyhounds defense. Flem-ing scored the Cats’ first touchdown of the game with 3:55 remaining in the first quarter after North Surry held the ball for almost six minutes to start the game. Matt Hopper came on for the point after and West Stokes led 7-0.

After another defense stop by the Wildcats, Fleming and company needed only two plays to score. Fleming hooked up with Brock Reynolds for a 51-yard touchdown reception with one minute left in first quarter of action. Zane Mc-Ghee added the extra point for a 14-0 lead after one quarter of play.

The Wildcats’ defense bowed up again when Reynolds intercepted Alex Ratcliff’s pass on the very next play giv-ing West great field position in Grey-hound territory. But it was the Hounds defense that refused to break, stopping the Wildcats after having first and goal from the one.

West Stokes defense proved too much for North Surry again when senior Bran-don Poulsen blocked the Greyhounds’ punt out of the back of the end zone to help add to the Wildcats’ lead.

After receiving a free kick, West Stokes offense only needed five plays to score when junior running back

Austin Long burst through from one yard out. Hopper added the extra point and West Stokes led 23-0 with 6:28 left in the half.

The Greyhounds’ Jason King finally

put them on the scoreboard after a bro-ken play allowed him to streak 57-yards for a touchdown. Austin Barker added the extra point for North Surry and that made the score 23-7 West Stokes.

With 35 seconds left before the half, the Wildcats added a touchdown from Long on a 2-yard carry, and Fleming ran in the extra point for a 31-7 halftime lead.

In the second half, West Stokes scored on three of its four possessions. The first touchdown came when Eorn Jenkins scored from six yards out. Next, backup quarterback Grayson Cobb scored his first career varsity touchdown with a 4-yard burst up the middle. Cobb added to his touchdown total with a one yard run in the fourth quarter.

“This was probably the most complete game we have played all year,” said West Stokes’ head football coach Jimmy Up-church. “The kids rose to the challenge

tonight. The offense was in rhythm and the defense was flying around the ball as well as they have all year.”

When asked about finishing the regu-lar season undefeated Coach Upchurch stated that it was a great accomplishment and he was truly happy for his players, coaches, and fans for the milestone.

West Stokes tallied 399 yards of to-tal offense in the game. Jenkins led the rushing attack with 105 yards on 16 car-ries and one touchdown. Fleming passed for 180 yards on 8-for-11 and one touch-down.

The West Stokes defense, known as the “Pridetakers,” limited the Grey-hounds to 90 yards of offense on the evening. Coming into the game, North Surry had one of the most prolific of-fenses in the state and averaged scoring 34 points a game.

Quarterback Alex Ratcliff and re-ceiver Jacob Pelfrey were hooking up on average of two times per game through the air. The Wildcats’ defense forced Ratcliff into 1-for-8 passing for minus-3 yards; the one pass went to Pelfrey. “DJ (Demarion Jones) and Brock (Reyn-olds) are two of the best defensive backs in not just our league, but in the state,” Upchurch said. “DJ has seven intercep-tions on the year and Brock has four. DJ locked down their number 12 (Pelfrey) all night. I have seen film on this kid and he is good.”

Tyler Bullard led the defense with 10 tackles and one sack. The sack allowed him to tie Bobby Shouse for the single season sack record with 15. He is only two behind career leader Calvin Cade. Zack Manly and Darryl Little added nine tackles each, but it was Little with the most impressive tackles. He had eight tackle for losses, two sacks, and a recov-ered fumble.

WEST STOKES 51, NORTH SURRY 7

Unbeaten Wildcats stifle ’Hounds

Photo by Eric LuskAustin Long scored two touchdowns for West Stokes on Friday.

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By Eric LuskEditor

The most-hyped game of the season in the Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference certainly lived up to its bill-ing.

In the end, the defending conference champions ex-tended their reign one more year, while the upstart chal-lengers suffered their first loss of the season.

Starmount’s Chaston Martin scored on a 19-yard run with 46 seconds left, and the Rams held off one last Wilkes Central charge for a 24-17 triumph on a chilly, damp Friday night in Boon-ville. The Eagles had led 17-6 in the second quarter -- and 17-9 at the break -- but couldn’t muster any points in the second half.

On its final drive after Martin’s touchdown, Wilkes Central moved from its 37 to the Star-mount 40. Austin McConnell completed one last pass as time expired for about 15 yards, but Jordan Carlton was tackled well short of the end zone, the Eagles’ attempts at a multi-lateral play snuffed out along the far sidelines.

The Rams won their fourth consecu-tive MVAC crown and extended a con-ference winning streak to 33 straight games, dating back to October 2007.

“This group has the heart of a cham-pion,” said Rams coach Scott Johnson, who has been in charge during all four recent conference title runs. “They be-lieve in themselves and they believe in each other. Their motto all year has been close the fist, which means stay tight

and let’s keep fighting and that’s what they do.”

For awhile, the Rams struggled to close their hands around the wet pig-skin. Starmount fumbled the ball away twice deep in its own territory in the first quarter. The first giveaway came on the Rams’ opening offensive snap, giving Wilkes Central a golden opportunity at the Starmount 8.

But the Rams’ defense stiffened, and Wilkes Central had to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Jacob Baldwin.

Starmount went three-and-out, and a short punt gave the Eagles the ball at the Rams’ 39. Again, Johnson’s defense clamped down, eventually stuffing Mc-Connell just short of the goal line on fourth down.

Any momentum from that play was swept away two snaps later when Star-mount lost another fumble, this one at the 7-yard-line. This time, Wilkes Cen-tral converted, with Chris Watt surging in from 3 yards out on the opening play of the second period. Baldwin’s PAT made the score 10-0 Central, but coach Jeremy Funderburk believes the margin should have been wider by that point.

“We should have put 21 points on them early. That’s the only way you can beat them,” Funderburk said.

Jac McCracken pulled Starmount within 10-6 after a 5-yard touchdown run. The Rams got the ball back, but Wilkes Central held on a fourth-down play at midfield to regain possession with 4:27 remaining. Three plays later,

STARMOUNT 24, WILKES CENTRAL 17

Late TD lifts Rams past Eagles

Photo by Eric LuskStarmount quarterback Christian Hurt challenges Wilkes Central’s Jordan Carlton in the open field during the fourth quarter.


Dustin Triplett was off to the races down the right sideline for a 36-yard TD burst. Baldwin’s PAT made the score 17-6.

At that point, it looked like Johnson’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-short near the 50 might be the turning point of the game.

“Sometimes you’ve got to believe in your kids,” Johnson said. “They wanted to go for it and at that point we needed a little momentum and we went for it.”

The Rams felt a lot better about things heading into the halftime locker room after Allen Mendenhall hit a 36-yard field goal with two seconds on the clock. That made the score 17-9 Central.

The Rams had to punt on their first possession of the third period, but this time the turnover bug struck Wilkes Central. The Eagles put the ball on the turf, and the Rams recovered at the Central 26. Five plays later, Starmount put another touch-down on the board courtesy of a 1-yard plunge from Mc-Cracken.

Fondae McDaniel ran in the two-point conversion, tying the contest 17-17.

Starmount had a chance to go ahead early in the fourth pe-riod but missed a 34-yard field goal. But again, Wilkes Central proved to be its own worst enemy. A rash of flags turned a

promising possession into second-down and 36 to go from the Central 18.

“You don’t have plays for that,” Funderburk said.Central eventually had to punt, and that gave the Rams the

ball at their 27 with 3:47 left. Using an array of nifty scram-bles and runs from quarterback Christian Hurt (22 carries, 153 yards), Starmount moved deep into Wilkes Central territory. After baiting the Eagles with a number of sweeps to the out-side, Johnson called for Martin to get the ball on a play called “57 power” – a quick handoff right up the middle.

“We had been stretching them with the motion that we were doing, and we just felt like we could hit it inside on them and we did,” Johnson said. “(Martin) hit a seam and the free safety ran out and it worked out.”

Starmount finishes 10-0 overall and 8-0 in conference. Wil-kes Central ends up just a whisker behind at 9-1, 7-1 MVAC. It was a tough loss to swallow for players and coaches wear-ing gold and green Friday night.

“We didn’t execute well enough to put them away when we need to,” Funderburk said. “You cannot let a team like that hang around in a ball game. We had the opportunity to put them away in the first half and didn’t do it. That cost us the game.”



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By Phil GobleContributing Writer

PILOT MOUNTAIN – Two varsity football teams – one beat up, battered and bruised physically; the other beat up, battered and bruised emotionally – squared off Friday night at East Surry.

One was playing for a possible home playoff game. The other one was playing on Senior Night for a positive end to an otherwise heart-wrenching season.

It should have been lopsided. It should never have been close. Yet, as the adage says, all that goes out the window when it’s your rival.

And that is just what this was – Mount Airy versus East Surry. The annual war slugged out in a cold, biting rain that ebbed and flowed like the game itself.

Of course, you might not think that with a 31-7 final. But it was. In one glorious two-minute stretch, the Granite Bears turned a ground-and-pound, one-score difference into a momentum kidnapping and the Cardinals didn’t have the ransom.

“I think it was just momentum,” Mount Airy senior running back Ty Simmons said after the game pushed his squad to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the Northwest 1A/2A Conference. “East Surry likes to run their mouths, and our defense stepped up and made some big plays and our offense fed off that.”

That sounds like a rivalry. That sounds like fuel for the 120-second clampdown that sealed the Bears’ win.

After holding East Surry to three-plays and out to end the third quarter, Mount Airy feasted on the Cardinals on both sides of the ball to open the fourth. Starting at their own 46, the

Bears needed just three plays to score – junior quarterback Austin Taylor started with a 36-yard run and Simmons polished off the final 18 on two runs.

The Cardinals took the ensuing kickoff back to their own 46, but on their first play, Taylor – also playing defensive back – snagged a pass from East Surry quarterback Mason Edwards and returned it to midfield.

“These kids have played extremely hard all year long,” East Surry coach David Diamont said. “We get to a cliff and just can’t jump over it. I think we lost our composure.”

Barely 60 seconds after the pick, Simmons went on a 34-yard burst to the end zone. It was his fourth touchdown run of the night. In fact, he scored all of the Bears’ TDs – most after big runs by Taylor.


MOUNT AIRY 31, EAST SURRY 7

Granite Bears surge past Cards

Photo by Phil GobleMount Airy’s Kashous Martin looks to turn the corner against East Surry.

“I told him,” Simmons said laughing. “We would get down to the goal line and they would call (Taylor’s number) and he would get one yard. Then, they’d call (his number) and I would just look at him and say ‘Austin, I’m sorry.’”

Taylor didn’t care. The 5-foot-10 quarterback carried the ball 22 times for 157 yards, including six runs of 11 yards or more. Taylor also completed 2-of-6 passes for 55 yards.

“Coach (Kelly) Holder just gave me the plays,” Taylor said. “It was the best game our linemen have played this year.”

“They found a couple of weaknesses early,” Diamont said. “Taylor had to do it himself and he did … and he’s not as big as a minute.”

But he played big for 48 … especially those crucial two in the fourth quarter.

“We just made some plays,” Mount Airy coach Kelly Holder said. “Four (Taylor) was good tonight. Twenty-two (Simmons) has done some big things for this team. He has really matured the last couple of years.

“I thought we game-planned for them (East Surry) well. We have so many kids playing hard and playing hurt. We’ve just been gutting it out.”

That is the essence of a rivalry. They traded tough defensive stands in a scoreless first quarter. They swapped touchdowns in the second – two for the Bears wrapped around one for the Cardinals. They both bent, but didn’t break in the third quarter.

A total of 36 minutes that set up the most important two.

And now, they will go their separate ways for another year.

“It’s been a very tough season on our kids,” Diamont said. “They did

everything we asked them to do. They worked hard in the weight room all summer. I was just hoping something good could happen at the end of the year. But that’s been the story the whole season. It seems like we just can’t finish sometimes. I think you saw some frustration on our sideline tonight. I think they are frustrated and I understand that.”

East Surry finishes the season 2-8 overall and 2-5 in the Northwest Conference. But bitter defeat for one is sweet victory for the other.

“It was awesome,” Taylor said.“It means a lot,” Simmons chimed

in. “It should seal a home playoff game … maybe two if we’re lucky.”

The two smiled and walked off the field, savoring each step after the win … something that seems a little more special when the opponent is your rival.


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By Kelly SnowContributing Writer

DOBSON — It was a slightly off night for the Surry Central offense.

That is of course if you compare Friday’s outstanding performance in a 36-15 victory against South Stokes to last week’s ridiculous, almost Tecmo Bowl-esque, 76-point explosion against North Stokes.

The Golden Eagles (7-3 overall, 5-2 Northwest 1A/2A) head into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in 2A, riding a four-game winning streak and averaging 50 points a game during that stretch. Surry Central finished the season tied for second in the conference with Mount Airy, but the Granite Bears hold the tiebreaker edge courtesy of their 38-33 victory against the Golden Eagles earlier in the year.

Surry Central earns the split-conference’s No. 2 seeding in the playoffs beginning next week and will likely be in the “small 2A” brackets.

“We hope this give us a little momentum,” Surry Central coach Monty Southern said. “Seed-wise, we’re not really sure where we’ll be, don’t know if we’ll be at home or on the road, but it’s always good to get that last regular season win, to get things going towards the playoffs. Right now we’re playing with a lot of confidence and feeling good about where we’re at.”

Friday’s game featured two of the most explosive and powerful backs in the conference and neither disappointed, combining for more than 500 yards and six touchdowns. Surry Central’s Wes Brown erupted for 247 yards on just 15 carries with four touchdowns and will enter the playoffs with an outside shot of reaching 2,000 yards for the season (something his older brother, Wilbert,

did in both 2005 and 2006).The stocky junior had touchdown

runs of 57 and 15 yards in the first half and put the game away with a 63-yard burst up the middle following a turnover that stretched the Golden Eagles’ lead to 29-3 heading into the fourth quarter.

“Wes was pretty good tonight,” Southern said. “When he can run that free we have to be doing a good job up front. They’ve continued to get better throughout the year. They get after it pretty good.”

South Stokes’ Jacquan Martin, fresh off a 200-yard performance in the Sauras’ upset against Mount Airy last week, piled up 271 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter. Martin amassed 222 yards on the ground in the second half, including

a 70-yard burst in the fourth quarter.“I don’t think we were mentally

tough that first half,” South Stokes’ coach Jonathan Frasher said. “I think we were just thinking about being cold and rainy. Our kids fought their tails off in the second half and we had some captains that stepped up and challenged our players. I’m very proud of that.”

Despite Martin’s huge effort, the Sauras (5-5, 3-4) were just never able to recover from an early 22-0 hole. Brown made his first impact on the game when he blocked a punt midway through the first quarter that floated into the arms of freshman lineman Shawmain Fleming. Fleming rumbled 50 yards untouched for the game’s first score.

“That kind of got us started,” Southern said. “Shawmain Fleming will be a highlight for him for the rest of his career.”

South Stokes managed just one first down on its next two offensive possessions and struggled to slow down Brown and the Golden Eagles’ offense.

“(Brown) ran over us all night long,” Frasher said. “We didn’t have anybody that could tackle him.”

The Sauras (5-5, 3-4) will continue their best season in years next week when they open play in the state playoffs. They earned the No. 2 seeding from the 1A half of the Northwest Conference and will likely compete in the 1AA (big 1A) bracket.

NOTE — South Stokes played without one its key players for most of the game. Zach Singleton left the game in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury. He didn’t return in the game and his status for the playoffs is unknown. Singleton was described by Frasher as the “heart and soul of our defense.”


SURRY CENTRAL 36, SOUTH STOKES 15

Golden Eagles win 4th in a row

Photo by Eric LuskJesse Martin hands off to Wes Brown in a recent Surry Central game. Brown gained 247 yards on Friday night.

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State Playoffs 1A Bracket State Playoffs 1AA Bracket

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Conference Reports Northwest 1A/2A

Austin Fleming (West Stokes): Piloted the Wildcats to their 11th win of the season, passing for 180 yards and rushing for another 40. Fleming ran for an 11-yard score and threw a 51-yard TD pass in the opening quarter to set the tone of the evening.

Eorn Jenkins (West Stokes): Injured earlier in the season, Jenkins is back to running hard. He earned 105 yards on the ground and scored on a 6-yard run.

Brock Reynolds (West Stokes): Hauled in Fleming’s 51-yard TD strike and finished with 75 receiving yards and 65 return yards in the Wildcats’ dominant victory. Reynolds also had a big night on the defensive end, limiting North Surry to just one pass completion.

Grayson Cobb (West Stokes): The Wildcats’ backup quarterback earned his first-ever varsity touchdown on a 4-yard run in the third period. Cobb then scored again in the fourth quarter.

Jason King (North Surry): Worked hard for 90 yards against the toughest defense in the conference. He broke free on one play, streaking 57 yards for the Greyhounds only touchdown.

Demarion Jones (West Stokes): Had the task of tracking North Surry’s Jacob Pelfrey, one of the most productive wide receivers in the state. Pelfrey made just one catch all night, and that play went for

negative yardage.Tyler Bullard (West Stokes): Had one

sack and made a team-high 10 tackles, holding the usually explosive Greyhounds to just 90 yards of total offense.

Darryl Little (West Stokes): Recorded an amazing eight tackles for loss, had two sacks and recovered a fumble.

Wes Brown (Surry Central): The Northwest’s most punisher runner recorded 247 yards and four touchdowns in the Eagles’ season finale against South Stokes. He also blocked a punt that was returned for a Surry Central score. Depending on how the Eagles do in the playoffs, Brown has a chance at reaching 2,000 rushing yards for the season – something his older brother Wilbert did in both 2005 and 2006.

Jacquan Martin (South Stokes): Never kept churning despite the Sauras getting into an early hole against Surry Central. He actually outgained Wes Brown, finishing with 271 yards on 31 carries. He found the end zone twice. Martin had 222 of his yards after halftime.

Austin Taylor (Mount Airy): In a conference with several solid dual-threat quarterbacks, Taylor has solidified himself as one of the best. On Friday, the junior rushed for 160 yards on 22 carries and completed a couple of passes for 58 more yards. On the defensive end, Taylor

intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and made three tackles. He also averaged 31.8 yards on four punts, with a long of 41.

Ty Simmons (Mount Airy): Enjoyed another impressive performance in the Granite Bears’ backfield, rushing for 116 yards on 18 carries. He scored all four of the Granite Bears’ touchdowns.

Dylan Wright (Mount Airy): One of the top kickers in the area, Wright booted four extra points and made a 34-yard field goal.

Ryan Simmons and Christian Shinault (East Surry): Kept East Surry close through the first three quarters with stellar work on the defensive end. Shinault had a team-high 11 tackles (9 solo hits), while Simmons added 10 tackles (8 solos).

Dylan Rogers (North Stokes): The Vikings found their passing game grounded for the most part, but Rogers more than made for it in the run game. He finished with 274 rushing yards on 24 carries. He scored a touchdown on a 44-yard burst in the second quarter.

Patrick O’Shea (Bishop McGuinness): Scored the Villains lone touchdown against North Stokes on a 5-yard run. Making his first appearance since an injury against North Surry, O’Shea finished with 70 rushing yards on 18 totes.

Northwest 1A/2A StandingsTEAM CONF. TOTAL THIS FRIDAY

West Stokes (2A) 7-0 11-0 PiedmontMount Airy (1A) 5-2 8-3 Central AcademySurry Central (2A) 5-2 7-3 @ ThomasvilleNorth Surry (2A) 4-3 7-3 CuthbertsonSouth Stokes (1A) 3-4 5-5 Lake Norman C.North Stokes (1A) 2-5 5-6 @ AndrewsEast Surry (1A) 2-5 2-8 @ MonroeBishop McGuin. (1A) 0-7 2-8 Season complete

Top Players & Performances

File photoNorth Stokes will take another long road trip Friday.

Northwest

WILDCATS BRINGTHE HAMMER

West Stokes completes a perfect tripthrough the regular season with big win w

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1A/2A

Conference Reports Northwest 1A/2A

Bishop McGuinness

2-8 Overall * 0-7 in NorthwestAug. 20 at High Point Christian W (40-12)Aug. 26 OpenSept. 6 at Highland Tech W (31-6)Sept. 9 South Davidson L (16-19)Sept. 16 at North Surry* L (13-39)Sept. 23 South Stokes* L (6-28)Sept. 30 at East Surry* L (6-34)Oct. 7 Surry Central* L (26-47)Oct. 14 at Mount Airy* L (7-35)Oct. 21 at West Stokes* L (0-48)Oct. 28 North Stokes* L (6-14)* denotes Northwest 1A/2A Conference game

East SurryCardinals

2-8 Overall * 2-5 in NorthwestAug. 19 at West Iredell L (0-33)Aug. 26 at Starmount L (17-30)Sept. 5 West Montgomery cancelledSept. 9 Newton-Conover L (9-30)Sept. 16 Surry Central* L (23-27)Sept. 23 at West Stokes* L (7-17)Sept. 30 Bishop McGuinness* W (34-6)Oct. 7 South Stokes* W (21-13)Oct. 14 at North Stokes* L (21-34)Oct. 21 at North Surry* L (26-28)Oct. 28 Mount Airy* L (7-31)* denotes Northwest 1A/2A Conference game

Mount AiryGranite Bears

8-3 Overall * 5-2 in NorthwestAug. 19 Starmount L (19-20)Aug. 26 Thomasville W (23-7)Sept. 2 at Carroll County (Va.) W (21-6)Sept. 9 at Central Davidson W (27-20)Sept. 16 West Stokes* L (6-17)Sept. 23 at Surry Central* W (38-33)Sept. 30 North Stokes* W (33-13)Oct. 7 at North Surry* W (53-33)Oct. 14 Bishop McGuinness* W (35-7)Oct. 21 at South Stokes* L (17-28)Oct. 28 at East Surry* W (31-7)* denotes Northwest 1A/2A Conference game

North StokesVikings

5-6 Overall * 2-5 in NorthwestAug. 19 Alleghany W (44-22)Aug. 26 Patrick County (Va.) W (24-0)Sept. 2 at North Iredell W (32-0)Sept. 9 at Rosewood L (43-46)Sept. 16 South Stokes* L (7-13, OT)Sept. 23 North Surry* L (28-63)Sept. 30 at Mount Airy* L (13-33)Oct. 7 at West Stokes* L (6-45)Oct. 14 East Surry* W (34-21)Oct. 21 Surry Central* L (45-76)Oct. 28 at Bishop McGuinness* W (14-6)* denotes Northwest 1A/2A Conference game

North SurryGreyhounds

7-3 Overall * 4-3 in NorthwestAug. 19 at Forbush W (33-9)Aug. 26 at Elkin W (61-10)Sept. 2 Ashe County W (33-24)Sept. 9 OpenSept. 16 Bishop McGuinness* W (39-13)Sept. 23 at North Stokes* W (63-28)Sept. 30 at South Stokes* W (45-21)Oct. 7 Mount Airy* L (33-53)Oct. 14 at Surry Central* L (26-42)Oct. 21 East Surry* W (28-26)Oct. 28 West Stokes* L (7-51)* denotes Northwest 1A/2A Conference game

South StokesSauras

5-5 Overall * 3-4 in NorthwestAug. 19 West Wilkes L (12-14)Aug. 26 North Wilkes W (42-13)Sept. 2 OpenSept. 9 at Alleghany W (34-12)Sept. 16 at North Stokes* W (13-7, OT)Sept. 23 at Bishop McGuinness* W (28-6)Sept. 30 North Surry* L (21-45)Oct. 7 at East Surry* L (13-21)Oct. 14 West Stokes* L (14-34)Oct. 21 Mount Airy* W (28-17)Oct. 28 at Surry Central* L (15-36)* denotes Northwest 1A/2A Conference game

Surry CentralGolden Eagles

7-3 Overall * 5-2 in NorthwestAug. 19 at Wilkes Central L (7-48)Aug. 26 East Wilkes W (51-0)Sept. 2 South Davidson W (33-6)Sept. 9 OpenSept. 16 at East Surry* W (27-23)Sept. 23 Mount Airy* L (33-38)Sept. 30 at West Stokes* L (14-34)Oct. 7 at Bishop McGuinness* W (47-26)Oct. 14 North Surry* W (42-26)Oct. 21 at North Stokes* W (76-45)Oct. 28 South Stokes* W (36-15)* denotes Northwest 1A/2A Conference game

West StokesWildcats

11-0 Overall * 7-0 in NorthwestAug. 19 at Albemarle W (9-7)Aug. 26 Forbush W (38-0)Sept. 2 Central Davidson W (27-20)Sept. 9 at McMichael W (28-20)Sept. 16 at Mount Airy* W (17-6)Sept. 23 East Surry* W (17-7)Sept. 30 Surry Central* W (34-14)Oct. 7 North Stokes* W (45-6)Oct. 14 at South Stokes* W (34-14)Oct. 21 Bishop McGuinness* W (48-0)Oct. 28 at North Surry* W (51-7)* denotes Northwest 1A/2A Conference game

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Conference Reports Mountain Valley 1A/2A

Sam Gammons (Ashe County): Completed six passes against East Wilkes on Friday night, with four of them going for touchdowns. He finished with 152 passing yards and rushed for a 23-yard touchdown.

Matthew Sexton (Ashe County): Hauled in two of Gammons’ scoring strikes on plays covering 15 and 66 yards.

Eli Gambill (Ashe County): Hauled in Gammons’ other two touchdown throws. His catches covered 29 and 9 yards, helping the Huskies build a 35-0 lead by late in the third quarter.

Wesley Moore (Ashe County): Led Ashe County in tackles, recording 2.5 hits behind the line of scrimmage.

Dalton Key (East Wilkes): Rushed for 76 yards and the Cardinals’ lone touchdown at Ashe County.

Christian Hurt (Starmount): Got loose for 158 rushing yards on 23 carries against one of the top defenses in the area. Hurt, the Rams’ quarterback, made the most of his scrambling opportunities and also ran the option well.

Allen Mendenhall (Starmount): Booted a key field goal from 36 yards

away with two seconds before halftime. The boot pulled the Rams within 8 points and gave the team a momentum boost getting ready for the second half.

Chaston Martin (Starmount): Scored the decisive touchdown that sealed the conference title for the Rams. His 19-yard burst with 45 seconds on the clock came on a power play over the left side after several sweeps to the outside.

Scott Johnson (Starmount): The Rams’ head coach endured the worst season in school history in 2006 (1-10 record) but since then has piloted the program to four conference championships – with all four being unbeaten league seasons.

Chris Watt (Wilkes Central): Finished with 112 rushing yards on 17 carries. His three-yard run early in the second quarter gave the Eagles a 10-0 lead at the time.

Dustin Triplett (Wilkes Central): Rushed for a 37-yard touchdown late in the first half on what Starmount coach Scott Johnson called a well-designed play that had his defense fooled. Triplett ended up with 61 rushing yards on the night.

Coley McCulloch (Elkin): One of the key players on the Buckin’ Elks playoff bound soccer team scored the final points of Elkin’s football season Friday. He booted a 27-yard field goal.

G.C. Parks (Forbush): Scored what would be the game-winning touchdown for the Falcons, taking the ball from Zach Chambers and rushing more than 50 yards to paydirt. The play happened in the second quarter and was the only TD of the night.

Zach Chambers (Forbush): On a rainy night, Chambers plowed for nearly 100 yards on 19 carries.

Tyler Woods (West Wilkes): Overcame rainy, muddy conditions by scoring three touchdowns in a 50-21 win over Alleghany.

Seth Absher (West Wilkes): Quarterbacked the Blackhawks to their sixth conference victory, throwing a touchdown pass and rushing for another score.

Grant Caudill and Ryan Billings (Alleghany): Connected on a 56-yard touchdown pass against West Wilkes.

Adam Gambill (Alleghany): Led the Trojans in tackles with 11, including a sack. He also scored a touchdown.

MVAC 1A/2A StandingsTEAM CONF. TOTAL THIS FRIDAY

Starmount (2A) 8-0 10-0 East LincolnWilkes Central (2A) 7-1 9-1 LexingtonWest Wilkes (1A) 6-2 7-3 CherryvilleAshe County (2A) 5-3 6-5 @ BandysForbush (2A) 4-4 4-6 @ Forest HillsEast Wilkes (1A) 3-5 3-7 @ MitchellAlleghany (1A) 2-6 2-9 @ MurphyElkin (1A) 1-7 1-9 Season completeNorth Wilkes (1A) 0-8 1-10 Season complete

Top Players & Performances

Photo by Eric LuskForbush senior captain Alex Mitchell.

Mountain Valley1A/2A

Ashe County QB Sam Gammons tossed four TDsin regular season finale against East Wilkes

Throw it again, Sam

32 MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM32 MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK WWW.YADKINVALLEYSPORTS.COM

Conference Reports Mountain Valley 1A/2A

AlleghanyTrojans

2-9 Overall * 2-6 in MVACAug. 19 at North Stokes L (22-44)Aug. 26 Grayson County L (12-55)Sept. 2 North Wilkes* W (28-16)Sept. 9 South Stokes L (12-34)Sept. 16 at Wilkes Central* L (8-53)Sept. 23 Forbush* L (18-47)Sept. 30 at East Wilkes* L (0-51)Oct. 7 Ashe County* L (12-35)Oct. 14 at Elkin* W (35-32)Oct. 21 Starmount* L (18-57)Oct. 28 at West Wilkes* L (21-50)* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game

Ashe CountyHuskies

6-5 Overall * 5-3 in MVACAug. 19 West Caldwell W (41-6)Aug. 26 Watauga L (14-32)Sept. 2 at North Surry (E) L (24-33)Sept. 9 at Elkin* W (28-6)Sept. 16 Starmount* L (14-51)Sept. 23 at West Wilkes* L (0-31)Sept. 30 North Wilkes W (34-7)Oct. 7 at Alleghany* W (35-12)Oct. 14 Wilkes Central* L (14-29)Oct. 21 at Forbush* W (16-11)Oct. 28 East Wilkes* W (35-6)* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game

East WilkesCardinals

3-7 Overall * 3-5 in MVACAug. 19 West Davidson L (14-26)Aug. 26 at Surry Central L (0-51)Sept. 2 Elkin* W (27-7)Sept. 9 at Starmount* L (0-28)Sept. 16 West Wilkes* L (0-17)Sept. 23 at North Wilkes* W (14-13)Sept. 30 Alleghany* W (51-0)Oct. 7 at Wilkes Central* L (0-35)Oct. 14 Forbush* L (6-26)Oct. 21 OpenOct. 28 at Ashe County* L (6-35)* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game

ElkinBuckin’ Elks

1-9 Overall * 1-7 in MVACAug. 19 East Montgomery L (13-25)Aug. 26 North Surry L (10-61)Sept. 2 at East Wilkes* L (7-27)Sept. 9 Ashe County* L (6-28)Sept. 16 OpenSept. 23 at Starmount* L (6-55)Sept. 30 West Wilkes* L (0-35)Oct. 7 at North Wilkes* W (21-14)Oct. 14 Alleghany* L (32-35)Oct. 21 at Wilkes Central* L (19-43)Oct. 28 Forbush* L (3-6)* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game

ForbushFalcons

4-6 Overall * 4-4 in MVACAug. 19 North Surry L (9-33)Aug. 26 at West Stokes L (0-38)Sept. 2 Starmount* L (5-44)Sept. 9 at West Wilkes* L (13-14)Sept. 16 North Wilkes* W (36-13)Sept. 23 at Alleghany* W (47-18)Sept. 30 Wilkes Central* L (0-35)Oct. 7 OpenOct. 14 at East Wilkes* W (26-6)Oct. 21 Ashe County* L (11-16)Oct. 28 at Elkin* W (6-3)* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game

North WilkesVikings

1-10 Overall * 0-8 in MVACAug. 19 Thomas Jefferson W (55-35)Aug. 26 at South Stokes L (13-42)Sept. 2 at Alleghany* L (16-28)Sept. 9 Wilkes Central* L (0-48)Sept. 16 at Forbush* L (13-36)Sept. 23 East Wilkes* L (13-14)Sept. 30 at Ashe County* L (7-34)Oct. 7 Elkin* L (14-21)Oct. 14 Starmount* L (18-55)Oct. 21 at West Wilkes* L (22-48)Oct. 28 at McDowell L (7-28)* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game

StarmountRams

10-0 Overall * 8-0 in MVACAug. 19 at Mount Airy W (20-19)Aug. 26 East Surry W (30-17)Sept. 2 at Forbush* W (44-5)Sept. 9 East Wilkes* W (28-0)Sept. 16 at Ashe County* W (51-14)Sept. 23 Elkin* W (55-6)Sept. 30 OpenOct. 7 West Wilkes* W (33-17)Oct. 14 at North Wilkes* W (55-18)Oct. 21 at Alleghany* W (57-18)Oct. 28 Wilkes Central* W (24-17)* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game

West WilkesBlackhawks

7-3 Overall * 6-2 in MVACAug. 19 at South Stokes W (14-12)Aug. 26 Avery County L (34-35)Sept. 2 at Wilkes Central* L (0-34)Sept. 9 Forbush* W (14-13)Sept. 16 at East Wilkes* W (17-0)Sept. 23 Ashe County* W (31-0)Sept. 30 at Elkin* W (35-0)Oct. 7 at Starmount* L (17-33)Oct. 14 OpenOct. 21 North Wilkes* W (48-22)Oct. 28 Alleghany* W (50-21)* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game

Wilkes CentralEagles

9-1 Overall * 7-1 in MVACAug. 19 Surry Central W (48-7)Aug. 26 at West Iredell W (55-47)Sept. 2 West Wilkes* W (34-0)Sept. 9 at North Wilkes* W (48-0)Sept. 16 Alleghany* W (53-8)Sept. 23 OpenSept. 30 at Forbush* W (35-0)Oct. 7 East Wilkes* W (35-0)Oct. 14 at Ashe County* W (29-14)Oct. 21 Elkin* W (43-19)Oct. 28 at Starmount* L (17-24)* denotes Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference game

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