Everyone knows about RHS QB John Kirkpatrick’s arm. But this season, his legs have become a weapon, too.
ASHEBORO — Every team that has played and those who follow the Randleman Tigers football team realizes the talent senior quarterback John Kirkpatrick possesses when it comes to throwing the football. The senior signal caller has a cannon-like arm, the ability to see downfield and an array of talented receivers to throw to.
However, maybe, just maybe, there’s another part of his game that may have gone a little unnoticed this year. It sure was evident on Friday night as the Tigers ran their winning streak to four with a 22-21 overtime win over Montgomery Central. The kid can run the football as well.
Behind an offensive line that features senior Brandon Boone, Kirkpatrick was able to gain valuable yardage in clutch situations, scoring on a fourth-down run in overtime, adding the game-winning two-point conversion run and carrying the ball a total of 16 times for 52 hard-pounding yards.
Oh, the overtime run and two-point conversion came after Kirkpatrick completed a fourth-and-goal pass from the 5-yard line to Connor Cassidy with 1:04 to play in regulation to help get the Tigers into overtime.
“It’s always more on fourth down,” said Kirkpatrick, who carried the ball on 16 of the Tigers’ 19 running plays in the entire game. “You try and give it your all on every play, but fourth down definitely adds a little more pressure to it. Everyone is locked in, everyone is focused and on the same page and ready to work for each other.”
Trailing 21-14 after Montgomery Central quarterback Noah Rodriguez scored on the first play of overtime, RHS took over and a penalty on second down moved the ball back to the 13-yard line. On third-and-goal, Kirkpatrick found Nazir Staton at the 1-yard line and on a must-convert fourth-down play, Kirkpatrick bulled his way in.
“He’s a gritty runner,” first-year RHS coach David Diamont said after the Tigers improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the Piedmont Athletic Conference heading into Friday night’s showdown with PAC unbeaten Central Davidson. “He runs with attitude and that’s what we all like. He ducks his head and is absolutely fearless.
“But at the end of the day, you have to have people who block for him, too. Wide receivers and the offensive line. It was a team win no doubt and I’m proud of them.”
After Kirkpatrick bulled his way into the end zone on fourth down in overtime, he and Diamont were definitely on the same page.
“We were about to kick it, I wanted to go for it,” Kirkpatrick said. “I wanted to run it and I was walking over to Coach Diamont to tell him what I wanted to do and he called a timeout as I was walking over. That’s what he wanted to do, too. I didn’t even have to tell him. We were on the same page and it worked out. I’m grateful.”
Running behind Boone, Kirkpatrick worked his way in for the two-point conversion and the Homecoming Night victory.
“That is our best quarterback run, behind who we believe is our best offensive lineman,” Diamont said of Boone. “And we were giving it to one of our best players. It all added up. The kicker was we needed three yards. Everyone got a very solid push. The play was attitude, they kinda took it personal because we hadn’t run the ball that well consistently all game and all we heard all week was about Montgomery Central’s run game. That was a little personal for our team. They wanted to prove a point.”
Center Trae Welborn, tackle Skyler Poe and guards Conner Palmer and Isaiah Wiliams were also key performers on the line.
Through the air, Kirkpatrick finished 23 of 38 for 234 yards with seven players recording receptions.
Fourth down was key all game as there were a combined eight fourth-down conversions in the contest, including a fourth-down 60-yard run by Rodriguez with 5:55 to play to break a 7-7 tie.
RHS took the ensuing kickoff and tied the game with 1:04 left on — what else? — a fourth-down pass from Kirkpatrick to Cassidy.
“On the sidelines, I was telling the offensive line and skill guys who weren’t on the field playing defense that this next drive will probably determine if we have a chance to win the conference or not,” Kirkpatrick said. “That’s what I was trying to get in their heads and we all went out with that mentality.”
The game featured a hurdling penalty, a penalty for aiding a runner into the end zone, three consecutive snaps that sailed over the head of the MC quarterback, one which resulted in a 15-yard gain and a first down on a fourth-down play and two that lost a total of 59 yards. The Timberwolves had a fourth-and-62 from their own 31 on that drive late in the third quarter.
When it was over, Diamont was obviously proud of his team.
“A roller coaster of emotions,” he said. “Talk about resilience, holy cow. As soon as we called that timeout (in overtime), the entire bench came in the huddle. I felt pretty good about what we were about to do.
“Very gritty,” he beamed. “I feel like this community is built by blue-collar, hard-working people and they are very proud of that. I feel that’s part of our football identity here at Randleman.”
Blue-collar, hard working and winning.