Turnovers, big plays doom Eastern Randolph

RAMSEUR — In the third round of the state high school football playoffs, where it’s win or have the season end, everything is magnified. Turnovers are magnified, penalties are magnified, missed tackles are magnified and giving up big plays are all ways to see an incredible season come to an abrupt halt.

Eastern Randolph High School had an incredible season, but that season came to an abrupt halt last Friday night as the Wildcats dropped a 27-14 decision to Corvian Community School in the third round of the state 1-A playoffs at Burton Cates Stadium.

ER ends the season at 12-1, while Corvian Community, a public Charter school in Charlotte competing in just its third year of football, improves to 13-0 and heads to top-ranked Mount Airy this week.

The Wildcats, after driving 80 yards for a score on the very first possession of the game, then committed four straight turnovers, one that resulted in a pick-6 and one that set the Cardinals up on the ER 23. The Wildcats couldn’t get into the end zone again until after trailing 27-6.

But the problems started well before kickoff.

“We lost two of our defensive lineman last week, but I thought the kids who took their place played well at times,” ER coach Burton Cates said. “Then we had another defensive player aggravate an injury in pregame. We had two sophomores on defense who never played varsity football. 

“We just put them behind the eight ball with turnovers. You can’t do that. You can’t commit turnovers like we did in the third round of the playoffs. I thought our kids played hard. They never quit.” 

Trailing just 13-6 at halftime, the Wildcats had to feel fortunate after four first-half turnovers, two which occurred at the end of long runs that put ER into Cardinal territory.  

Defensively, ER was stout, holding a team that was averaging 42 points a game to just 13 at the half, and part of those came from the pick-6. 

But things changed on the very first play of the second half as Noah Best took a handoff, slipped before regaining his footing and dashed 66 yards for a score and a 20-6 lead.

“They were quick, they were shifty and very athletic in some areas,” Cates said. “We did not do our best job of tackling.”

After a three-and-out for the Wildcats, the Cardinals twisted the knife as quarterback AJ Jackson, who is headed to Hampton University, alluded the Wildcats’ defense on his way to a 30-yard scoring run on a fourth and 29 play from the 30. 

“That touchdown when it was fourth and (29) was the dagger,” Cates said. “We wanted to get them in a nervous situation and we just didn't make a play. They are athletic and they have great speed, faster than us in some areas. That’s the one thing we have used to our advantage is our speed. I’m still proud of the effort.”

ER did fight back with a third-quarter score as senior Lucas Smith, who rushed for 121 yards on 16 carries, bullied his way over from the 1-yard line. The two-point conversion made it 27-14 with 1:47 left in the third quarter, but the Wildcats managed just one first down in the final 13:47.

The strong running trio of Jackson, Cam Johnson and Best allowed the Cardinals to eat up much of the fourth quarter clock.

“It's hard when my DL isn't getting pressure on the quarterback, and when we do, he escapes and puts pressure on the linebackers and corners and safeties to guard the routes and guard the quarterback at the same time,” senior center and defensive lineman Will Stalker said. “That's something I will be living with to the end of my life. Something to think about.”

Stalker and the rest of the seniors can also be proud of what they accomplished in their ER career.

“There wasn't a loss in the conference season and four straight conference championships is something to hang your hat on,” added Stalker. “I know we didn’t finish the job in the end, but this is a moment not for us but for the young guys that they can make it to the championship.”

Smith, who provided an incredible running game and solid leadership, said it wasn’t meant to be.

“God has had a plan and God didn't want us to win tonight,” Smith said. “It's His plan. 

“We worked so hard. That's what makes it emotional. This is one of the worst feelings you can have. Once you get momentum you have to take care of it because it’s so hard to get back. We lost the momentum and never really got it back.”

Sophomore quarterback Cade McCallum was 6-for-14 for 123 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Rayden West had three catches for 73 yards and a touchdown, that coming on a fourth-and-5 play from the Cardinals 38 on ER’s first possession.

“We played a very good football team tonight.” Cates said. “They are from all over Mecklenburg County and others. When we started in January, would you have thought with five seniors we would make it this far? I thought we would make the playoffs, but they kept working hard and believed in themselves.”