Asheboro rallies for big win; Cougars romp

GIBSONVILLE — Whatever the Asheboro High School coaching staff said at halftime certainly had an effect on the varsity football team Friday night.

However, AHS head coach Calvin Brown said it really wasn’t what he said, but how his team responded to a challenge.

The Blue Comets, who were thoroughly thrashed in the first half of its Triad Area Athletic Conference battle at Eastern Guilford, pulled a 180-degree turn in the second half and went on to a 34-20 victory.

AHS (2-1, 7-1) trailed 20-6 at the break and had given up 249 yards on the ground to the Wildcats before holding the home team to just 60 yards on the ground in the final two quarters.

Meanwhile, the normally potent AHS rushing game was held to just 23 yards in the first half before rolling to 254 yards in the final two quarters.

“Nothing much,” Brown said of what was discussed at halftime. “We just challenged our guys to be truly who we are. Not a lot else was said. We started playing with a little bit of energy.”

Asheboro trailed 7-0 at the end of the first quarter before Dallas Brinton completed a 21-yard scoring toss to Garrison Cheek to make it 7-6. EG added two more scores, the second right before halftime for a 20-6 advantage.

“We weren’t tackling, we were bouncing off of people,” Brown said. “Our coaching staff made a few minor adjustments, nothing major. They just answered the challenge to play the way we know they can play.”

How things changed in the second half. Malachi McLaughlin took a bubble pass and stormed 57 yards for a score and his second touchdown of the quarter, a 71-yard run, tied the game at 20-20.

“He gives us another weapon,” Brown said of McLaughlin. “He’s a tremendous athlete. He’s a different kind of runner than what we have with Dallas and Connor (Brinton). He’s a huge part of our defense and we have to pick and choose when to play him on offense.

“We showed some stuff we hadn’t shown all year and didn’t give them time to adjust.”

Dallas Brinton added touchdown runs of 45 and 17 yards in the final quarter as the Blue Comets scored four times on their first 15 offensive snaps in the second half.

Dallas Brinton finished with 104 yards rushing and two TDs on the ground, while throwing for 176 yards and two scores. McLaughlin rushed for 82 yards. Connor Brinton rushed for 43 yards. Cheek caught four passes for 65 yards.

SW Randolph 43

Jordan-Matthews 6

ASHEBORO — Nathan Garner rushed for three touchdowns and hauled in another through the air and the Southwestern Randolph defense held Jordan-Matthews to minus-50 yards of rushing in rolling to a 43-6 Four Rivers Conference win last Friday night.

The Cougars (1-1, 6-2) led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter, 35-0 at halftime and 43-0 before J-M scored in the final quarter of play.

Garner rushed for 89 yards and scores from 1, 1 and 61 yards as the SWR ground game churned out 282 yards in the game, which had a running clock after halftime. Quarterback Levi Dalke was 8 of 15 for 88 yards and one TD, a 12-yarder to Garner. Carson Wood scored on a 2-yard run in the first half and Brady Combs scored on an 11-yard run in the third quarter. Garner added a 2-point conversion run and Wood added a 2-point conversion catch. TJ Schneider added three PATs.

The Cougars recorded 21 plays for double-digit yardage.

Other scores

■ Providence Grove 27, E. Davidson 0 

■ Thomasville 28, Trinity 0

■ West Davidson 30, Wheatmore 15