BYU-New Mexico women’s soccer fight

So what kind of card do you get for the kind of behavior New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert displayed recently in a game against BYU?

Oh, just a yellow, and that’s it apparently, despite the video above.

Anybody else think Florida’s Brandon Spikes should see this and wonder what’s what?

UPDATE (From the Associated Press):

PROVO, Utah (AP) — A New Mexico soccer player has become an Internet celebrity for the wrong reasons.

Junior defender Elizabeth Lambert was suspended Friday for her infractions the day before during a 1-0 loss to BYU in a Mountain West Conference semifinal. Lambert is seen in video from the game throwing elbows, colliding with several players and then yanking the ponytail of a BYU player who went crashing to the ground.

“My actions were uncalled for,” Lambert said in a statement released by New Mexico. “I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation.”

Lambert’s actions brought unprecedented — and very unwanted — attention to the Mountain West women’s soccer tournament.

Video highlights have been airing nationally since Thursday night and not because it was a thrilling game decided on Carlee Payne’s header in the 31st minute. The focus of the highlights is more on Lambert’s physical play, especially her takedown of BYU’s Kassidy Shumway by grabbing her ponytail and pulling her backward.

New Mexico moved quickly to announce Friday that Lambert has been suspended indefinitely. The Mountain West followed with a statement commending the Lobos for acting promptly.

“Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship,” New Mexico coach Kit Vela said.

Lambert was the only player to be penalized in the game, getting a yellow card in the 77th minute for colliding with a BYU player who was driving toward the Lobos’ net. The highlights showed the game was physical in both directions, including an elbow to Lambert’s ribs by a BYU player during a dead ball.

Lambert responded with an elbow to the back, one of many regrettable plays she made in the game.

“This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player I am,” Lambert said in her apology. “I am sorry to my coaches and teammates for any and all damages I have brought upon them. I am especially sorry to BYU and the BYU women’s soccer players that were personally affected by my actions.”

 

The PODcast — Nov. 4, 2009

Sanford’s only sports talk radio breaks down Lee County’s big win last week, closes the book on Southern Lee’s football season and then goes into the World Series, a bit of NASCAR and the Panthers. And of course, the Kitty Corner.

All alone on Senior Night

Editor’s Note: It seems like Sunday’s column has created some strong reaction, of which I am thankful. I am not professing to be right or correct or that my column is in any way perfect, but I was hoping to create some sort of a dialogue, and at the very least, make some people think about those less fortunate than others.

I am sorry Sunday’s column upset and offended some of you. It was not written about any real or specific person and was in no way intended to be demeaning or insulting in any way.

That said, while there are always a lot of smiles and congratulations on a senior night celebration — and those are certainly warranted — there are some sad stories out there as well. While the subject of this column is fictional, in my 11 years covering high school sports, I  have heard and been witness to some truly disturbing and breathtakingly sad instances not unlike the one I tried to convey in the column. I understand the tough times people face, and the heroic things so many parents — especially single parents — do for their children. That’s why the line “can’t — or won’t” is in the column.

My intention with the column was to present another side of senior night, one that doesn’t happen too terribly often, but even one instance similar to the picture I tried to paint is one too many. And I can assure you, I know of more than one. I wanted to make people think  about those kids who aren’t so fortunate, and what might be running through their heads. The thing I fear most is that people aren’t thinking about those kids, and that the moment escapes them without another second’s thought.

To read it again or see it for the first time, here is Sunday’s column:

All alone on Senior Night

Oh man, not this.

I hate this. Hate it.

I knew it was coming. Sure I did. Doesn’t make it one bit easier though.

I asked if they would come. But they can’t — or won’t. So now here I am.

All by myself.

Why can’t we just go ahead and play the game? Forget this nonsense and go play. That’s what we’re here for anyway. Or maybe we can keep warming up. Run through the drills forever. Over and over and never stop.

Because once we stop, it’s gonna start.

And I don’t want any part of it.

C’mon, somebody reset the clock. Don’t let it wind all the way down. Just go up there and reset it for another half hour, 10 minutes, whatever.

I can hear it. The clock, I mean. These big scoreboard clocks, they hum when they’re on. It’s not loud or anything, and if you’re busy, you don’t notice it. But I notice the clock. I notice it.

And it’s humming. And it won’t shut up.

Ah man, this is the last drill. Last thing we do before we get ready to play. Maybe if we botch it, screw it up, we’ll have to run it again. Then maybe, if we mess up again, we’ll have to re-run it. Then we’ll run out of time and we’ll just skip the thing. Maybe move it to halftime.

Yeah, move it to halftime. Let’s do it then. At halftime, I can get lost. Hang back and miss it. Go to the trainer. Go to the water. Heck, go to the bathroom, I don’t care.

Halftime. Good idea. Maybe I should go ask Coach, tell him halftime might work better…

Darn.

Roses.

Stupid roses. And here they all come. Down to the field, wearing their nice clothes, nice coats, nice shoes that are about to get mud and grass all over them. Especially them heels.

They don’t care, though. Look at ’em. Smiles all over their faces. They just can’t wait to get down here.

Now the guy on the microphone is talking. And the band is coming out. And the guys are getting together, helmets off, getting in line.

God, would you look at that woman? She just waved to Clay. Yelled out his name and gave him this big freakin’ wave. “Hey baby!”

“Hey baby!” some of the guys holler, and crack up. Yeah, try to make fun of him, fellas. You don’t know.

Line up, Coach says.

Fine, I’ll do it. Ain’t like I got a choice. I’ll do it just like we talked about after practice yesterday. Just hurry it up and let’s get this over with.

Let Jimmy hear his name called over the speakers and walk down the sideline with his mom and dad. Let him give his mom the rose and a little kiss on her cheek and shake his dad’s hand. Let Baby do the same thing. Let Marcus go. And Rick. And Isiah. And on and on.

I’ll just walk up with Coach. I’ll look hard. Like it don’t bother me. Like it’s OK that Mom’s at her second job and Dad don’t give a damn about me.

Yeah, let’s honor the seniors before their last home game.

Some honor.

Friday Night Football, Oct. 30, 2009

LEE COUNTY 21, PANTHER CREEK 20

SANFORD — A gutsy call by Burton Cates and a heroic play by Isaiah Williams have kept the Lee County football team’s playoff hopes alive.

Williams blocked Panther Creek’s Walker Cruikshank’s 22-yard field goal attempt as time expired to secure a 21-20 victory for the Yellow Jackets on Friday night at Paul Gay Stadium, moving them just one win away from qualifying for the 4-A State Playoffs.

The Yellow Jackets improve to 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the Tri-9 Conference, doubling their conference win total from 2008. With a win next week at Fuquay-Varina, the Yellow Jackets will qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2006.

Trailing 20-13 with 2:20 remaining in the fourth period, the Yellow Jackets took over on their own 26-yard line. Junior quarterback Carson Wilson led the Jackets on a 74-yard drive that resulted in a 35-yard pass to former quarterback Dakota Hart for the touchdown with 1:18 to go in the game.

Hart, who started the majority of the games this season at quarterback for the Yellow Jackets, played wide receiver in his final home game of his career, filling in for Chris Thompson, who is out for the rest of the season with a broken collarbone.

After a series of timeouts by both teams following the score, Cates opted for the Yellow Jackets to attempt a 2-point conversion. On the risky call, Wilson found Daniel Dillon on the 1-yard line. Dillon, who was met by a group of Catamount defenders, stretched his arm over the goal line to give the Yellow Jackets the 21-20 lead.

The Catamounts (4-5, 2-5) returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to their own 48. They got all the way to the Yellow Jacket goal line before Williams made the heroic block.

STORY BY RYAN SARDA

DOUGLAS BYRD 42, SOUTHERN LEE 6

SANFORD — Ace Chalmers took the handoff and was gone.

Sixty-seven yards later, he was in the end zone, the crowd was cheering and the Southern Lee Cavaliers were back in the ballgame, down by just a touchdown.

One problem.

Flag.

Later on the same drive, after a successful fake punt, A.J. Jackson rolled to his right, eluded pressure, stepped into the throw and delivered a strike to Robert Richard in the corner of the end zone. Again the crowd roared, again the Cavaliers appeared to be back in the Ballgame.

Again the flag brought the play back.

Whether the penalties were controversial or not, the two plays fairly summarized the season for Southern Lee — even when it looked like the Cavaliers were taking steps forward, something held them back.

And so Southern Lee closed its first season under coach Eric Puryear with a 42-6 loss to 2008 4-A state runner-up Douglas Byrd, finishing the year 0-11.

Certainly, there were bright moments for the Cavaliers (0-6 in Cape Fear Valley Conference) against the Eagles (6-4, 3-2). Southern Lee finished with 115 yards of rushing and embarked on a few extended offensive series, but many of the same problems that plagued the team all season were evident in the finale.

Rasheen Bronson finished with a game-high 159 yards rushing and two touchdowns for the Eagles, scoring once on an 89-yard run. The Eagles rushed for 380 yards and scored two touchdowns on drives that covered 144 yards — but just three plays and 54 seconds.

Junior Williams added 87 yards rushing and Lorenzo Pooler had 75 yards and a touchdown. Garry Lewis chipped in 49 yards rushing and a score.

Southern Lee moved the ball inside the Byrd 20-yard line four times, but were turned away three times, once on 4th-and-1. But the Cavaliers did manage a score when Jackson found Richard for a 5-yard touchdown toss with just over 4 minutes remaining.

Alas, the score came only after Southern Lee trailed 42-0.

Chalmers finished with a team-high 74 yards rushing on 10 carries while Ashton Gaines added 43 yards rushing. Gaines found a seam for a 52-yard run on 3rd-and-inches to set the Cavaliers up at the 5-yard line for their touchdown.

Jackson was 4 of 5 through the air for 44 yards and the touchdown.

WESTERN HARNETT 34, OVERHILLS 32

SPRING LAKE — C.C. Williams was stopped on a 2-point conversion try as Western harnett hung on for a 34-32 victory over Overhills on Friday night.

Caleb Chalmers rushed for two touchdowns and caught a pass for another for the Eagles in place of leading rusher Shaun McLean, who was lost for the season after being the victim of a physical altercation earlier in the week.

Western Harnett (4-6, 3-2) becomes eligible for the postseason with the victory. The Eagles had to work for it, though. After taking a 34-12 lead into the fourth quarter, the Eagles were forced to hang on after 20 unanswered points by the Jaguars , who are eliminated from postseason play.

EAST MONTGOMERY 13, CHATHAM CENTRAL 7

BEAR CREEK — East Montgomery scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to break open a close game and beat Chatham Central 39-14 in football on Friday night.

The Bears (1-10) trailed just 13-7 entering the fourth quarter.

East Montgomery improves to 5-3-1 overall.

The PODcast, Oct. 28, 2009

THE RETURN OF THE KITTY CORNER! And no, that's not Ryan Sarda. Or me. Or Raymond Felton. It's only the biggest Bobcat fan in the world, Randy Quis.

On The PODcast, with Alex Podlogar and Ryan Sarda, the guys chat about area prep football before breaking down the World Series and the start of the NBA season. Oh, and it’s the triumphant return of the Kitty Corner, the only radio segment in the world devoted to Charlotte Bobcats basketball.

For more Bobcat love, go here.

Is Jimmie Johnson an elite driver?

He's about to win an unprecedented fourth straight Cup title. So Jimmie Johnson one of NASCAR's truly elite, right?

Jimmie Johnson is good. Real good.

But not as good as you think.

Already, Johnson is a historic figure in NASCAR. Certainly he became one when he won his first Sprint Cup championship. Anybody would. But once he locked down three in a row a la Cale Yarborough, Johnson found residence somewhere in NASCAR’s ether.

And now, as he gets set to win at Martinsville yet again — c’mon he’s won six of the last seven races there, so you know he’s winning again today — he will continue his coronation procession to an unprecedented fourth straight title. No doubt, Johnson is great. And the modern-era torch has successfully been passed from Earnhardt to Gordon to Johnson.

Or has it?

Recently, CBSsports.com crunched the numbers to see what revisionist NASCAR history would look like. And the numbers would substantially change history’s outlook on at least four drivers.

What CBSsports.com did was calculate the cumulative NASCAR standings for each of the last six seasons, including 2009 — throwing out the Chase for the Cup concept.

And under the old rules — rules that NASCAR felt were just fine for nearly 50 years before sagging television ratings coerced the powers that be to radically change the way the sport crowns a champion — greatness is revealed in a very different way. To wit:

Oh c'mon, you rather see this picture of Jeff Gordon's wife, Ingrid Vandenbosch, than Jeff Gordon, too.

Jeff Gordon should be making his drive for seven — and to a very different place in the sport Taking away the Chase format, Gordon would have two more championships to his credit, giving him six in his career. He would have won his fifth title in the Chase’s first year, 2004, beating out Johnson by a smooth 47 points rather than finishing third behind champion Kurt Busch and Johnson.

Gordon would have devastated the sport in 2007, where he would’ve ridden his modern-era record 30 top-10 finishes in 36 races to a sixth championship by a staggering 353 points over Johnson. Instead, Johnson’s four Chase wins allowed him to win the title by 77 points over Gordon.

Under the traditional system, Gordon would be even more revered — and likely even more reviled — but well ahead of Johnson in the conversation as one of NASCAR’s top drivers of all time…

Maybe this is more accurate?

Johnson would still be a champion, but not a record-setter Given the old rules, Johnson would have one title in his career — in 2006, the year he won his first championship. Under the old rules, Johnson would’ve cleared the field by four whole points, barely edging Matt Kenseth. Instead, he won by a comfortable 56 points over Kenseth.

Johnson would still have his 45 wins on the circuit and that title, but would he be held in the same regard as he’ll be held at Homestead this year? No freaking way…

I hate the flip, too.

Carl Edwards would be a champion Edwards would likely be viewed very differently — and so would all of Roush-Fenway Racing — had his 16-point championship run over Johnson been the real deal in 2008. Alas, Edwards finished 69 points behind Johnson in the Chase…

That's Sanford's Anne Marie Rhodes with some guy.

Tony Stewart would be reaching legendary status Stewart still would’ve won his 2005 championship, albeit by a much more convincing 215 points over Greg Biffle than the 35-point margin the Chase afforded him. But Stewart, not Johnson, would be the one cruising to a championship this season.

With a 117-point lead over Johnson heading into Martinsville, Stewart would likely be working on securing his third championship, moving him past such notables as Ned Jarrett, Buck Baker, Herb Thomas and Terry Labonte, and into an echelon that would include Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson…

One's a champion. One shouldn't be.

Kurt Busch would be just another guy Definitely not a NASCAR champion, not after finishing fourth — FOURTH! — behind Gordon in 2004…

A young Rusty Wallace — more comparable to Jimmie Johnson.

So does the Chase work? Sure it does. At least three of the past five seasons would have been decided with at least 10 races to go under the traditional format. Boring, right?

But NASCAR, in its Chase for the Cash, has sacrificed its true history to manufacture a very different one.

Jimmie Johnson is a very good driver with a very good team.

But he’s no Jeff Gordon. Or Cale Yarborough. Or David Pearson. Or Tony Stewart.

At this stage in his career, he’s more like Rusty Wallace.

Big difference. But one that won’t be so clear in the history books.

Friday Night Football, Oct. 24, 2009

Union Pines 10, Southern Lee 0

CAMERON — Close.

Still, though, it wasn’t quite enough, as Union Pines managed a touchdown just before the end of the first half to go with a third-quarter field goal to hold off the Southern Lee Cavaliers 10-0 in football on Friday night.

Southern Lee (0-10, 0-5) came into the contest seeking its first victory of the season against a similarly struggling Vikings team (4-6, 1-4) that had not yet won a Cape Fear Valley Conference game entering the contest.

And the Cavaliers put up their best fight of the season, holding the Vikings to just 165 total yards, 154 of which came on the ground. For the Southern Lee defense, the game amounted to season-lows in total yards allowed, points allowed and rushing yards allowed.

But the offense still had its fair share of problems. The Cavaliers finished the game with minus-30 yards of rushing, and the team was shut out for the fifth time this season.

Not that they didn’t still pose a threat to the Vikings on their Senior Night, however. After Blake Brewington intercepted a pass in the end zone for the Cavaliers, Southern Lee, led by quarterback A.J. Jackson, marched 78 yards to the Union Pines 2-yard line late in the fourth quarter.

But the drive stalled there, and after 6-foot-1, 253-pound Peter West was stopped for a 5-yard loss on a rushing play, Jake Brower’s field goal attempt missed from 22 yards.

With the victory, the Vikings made themselves eligible for the postseason by notching their fourth win of the season. Mitchell McNeil led all players with 110 yards rushing on 21 carries while fullback Graham Haulsee had 40 yards on 11 carries, scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:01 remaining before the end of the first half to put the Vikings ahead 7-0 entering the break.

Union Pines stretched its lead to 10-0 when Andrew McPherson made a 21-yard field goal at the 8:23 mark of the third quarter.

Jackson kept the Cavaliers in the game by connecting on 18 of 28 passes for 143 yards. Quentin Ingram had four receptions for 42 yards while Robert Richard had five catches for 40 yards and Aaron Turner had two grabs for 30 yards.

Southern Lee, which closes its season at home against Douglas Byrd next week, finished with 112 total yards.

Cary 21, Lee County 7

CARY — The Lee County football team came into Friday night’s Tri-9 Conference battle with Cary needing to win two of its final three games to at least qualify for the upcoming 4-A playoffs.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned for the Yellow Jackets as they were fell to the Imps 21-7 on Friday night at Cooper Field on the campus of Cary High School.

Now, the Yellow Jackets (2-7, 1-5) are in a tight spot. They must win their final two games against Panther Creek and Fuquay-Varina in order to get the four victories needed in order to be eligible for the playoffs, which has been the goal of Yellow Jacket head coach Burton Cates since the beginning of the season.

“We really need to improve,” said Cates. “We made too many mistakes and now we have a huge climb up to make in order to get into the playoffs. We just didn’t play smart. We were not a very well-coached team.”

The Yellow Jackets, who were coming off a bye week, did not play well from the very beginning of the game. The team only accumulated a total of 184 yards of total offense, with just 35 coming on the ground.

“We came out flat, there’s no question about it,” said Cates. “That’s on me. As coaches, we’ve got to do a better job preparing these guys. We just didn’t play well at all.”

The Imps (5-5, 3-4) turned two Yellow Jacket turnovers into points to go up 14-0. Yellow Jacket quarterbacks Dakota Hart and Carson Wilson each threw an interception, which resulted in scores for the Imps.

South Granville 27, Northwood 7

PITTSBORO — This was not the night to turn the ball over.

But Northwood did — five times — and South Granville’s Ian Bosley rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings shocked the fifth-ranked Chargers 27-7 in football on Friday night.

Northwood (9-1, 2-1) suffered its first loss of the season, and it wasn’t pretty. The Chargers fumbled the ball away twice — both times deep in Vikings territory — and quarterback Sam Griffin was intercepted three times and beset by dropped passes. Griffin had one interception returned 76 yards for a touchdown.

Despite giving up a touchdown on South Granville’s opening possession, Northwood trailed just 7-0 at the half, but costly turnovers negated any chance the Chargers had at getting back into the ballgame.

“It was just one of those nights,” said Northwood coach Bill Hall. “Every time you thought we were about to get back into it, something else would happen. Now we’ll have to live and learn.”

Peppers finished with 95 yards rushing on 21 carries a week after setting a school record after running for 414 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a 56-yard touchdown reception from Griffin, who finished 7 of 28 for 143 yards, but that only closed Northwood within 20-7 in the fourth quarter.

“We’ll learn a lot about our football team this week,” Hall said.

Gray’s Creek 10, Western Harnett 7

LILLINGTON — Gray’s Creek remained unbeaten in the Cape Fear Valley Conference after a 10-7 victory over Western Harnett on the road on Friday night.

The Bears (7-2, 4-0) and Eagles (3-6) were tied until the fourth quarter when, after a Western Harnett fumble on its own 15, Gray’s Creek managed a field goal for the final margin.

Shaun McLean rushed for 118 yards on 26 carries for Western Harnett, but suffered a hand injury in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Franklin Trapp was 8-for-20 for 85 yards.

Western Harnett was flagged for 10 penalties and 115 yards. Five of the penalties were for personal fouls.

The Eagles will attempt to become postseason eligible next week when they take on county rival Overhills.

Friday’s Scores

By The Associated Press

PREP FOOTBALL

Albemarle 54, East Montgomery 22

Alexander Central 28, Watauga County 14

Apex 33, Morrisville Green Hope 14

Apex Middle Creek 31, Panther Creek 17

Asheville 34, Asheville Roberson 3

Asheville Erwin 40, North Buncombe 6

Asheville Reynolds 43, McDowell County 0

Ayden-Grifton 35, North Duplin 21

Bessemer City 46, North Lincoln 12

Black Mountain Owen 16, Hendersonville 7

Boonville Starmount 68, North Wilkes 6

Brevard 20, Sylva Smoky Mountain 0

Bunn 20, Franklinton 6

Burlington Williams 28, Eden Morehead 18

Burnsville Mountain Heritage 69, Mitchell County 18

Cameron Union Pines 10, Southern Lee 0

Canton Pisgah 40, North Henderson 18

Cary 21, Lee County 7

Catawba Bandys 30, South Iredell 0

Central Davidson 21, East Davidson 14

Chapel Hill 27, Oxford Webb 20

Charlotte Berry Tech 38, North Stanly 0

Charlotte Catholic 41, Charlotte Garinger 14

Charlotte Christian 21, Raleigh Ravenscroft 14

Charlotte Country Day 24, Charlotte Providence Day 7

Charlotte Harding 14, West Mecklenburg 12

Charlotte Latin 31, North Cross, Va. 7

Charlotte Myers Park 23, South Mecklenburg 14

Charlotte Olympic 62, Charlotte Waddell 6

Charlotte Vance 21, North Mecklenburg 13

Charlotte Victory Christian 30, Mt. Zion Christian Academy 28

Cherokee 49, Rosman 25

Claremont Bunker Hill 35, West Caldwell 27

Clinton 33, Richlands 28

Concord 20, Mt. Pleasant 14

Concord Robinson 46, Cox Mill 7

Creswell 50, Cape Hatteras 0

Croatan 47, Topsail 21

Dixon 34, Lejeune 12

Durham Hillside 42, Durham Riverside 7

East Bladen 27, South Columbus 14

East Burke 42, Maiden 0

East Carteret 27, Pamlico County 21

East Columbus 50, St. Pauls 21

East Duplin 33, Swansboro 7

East Forsyth 47, Southwest Guilford 28

East Lincoln 49, Cherryville 6

East Mecklenburg 28, Charlotte Ardrey Kell 0

East Surry 48, North Stokes 0

East Wake 30, Clayton 26

East Wilkes 20, East Bend Forbush 6

Eastern Alamance 45, Mayodan McMichael 13

Elizabeth City Northeastern 54, Currituck County 0

Elkin 32, Alleghany County 0

Fairmont 26, Red Springs 0

Farmville Central 40, North Pitt 28

Fayetteville Britt 42, Fayetteville Smith 20

Fayetteville Seventy-First 32, Cape Fear 28

Fayetteville Westover 35, Spring Lake Overhills 20

Franklin 14, East Henderson 6

Fuquay-Varina 35, Raleigh Athens Drive 27

Garner 49, Southeast Raleigh 42

Gastonia Ashbrook 21, Gastonia Forestview 0

Gastonia Huss 21, Shelby Crest 13

Goldsboro 40, Princeton 13

Greensboro Dudley 40, Western Guilford 7

Greensboro Grimsley 3, Greensboro Smith 0

Greensboro Page 49, Southern Alamance 28

Harnett Central 38, Smithfield-Selma 7

Harrells Christian Academy 54, Fayetteville Christian 0

Havelock 31, Jacksonville 17

Hickory 21, Hickory St. Stephens 17

High Point Andrews 54, Randleman 3

Hillsborough Cedar Ridge 21, Carrboro 20

Hobbton 35, Lakewood (Salemburg) 16

Hoke County 42, Scotland County 21

Hope Mills Gray’s Creek 10, Western Harnett 7

Hope Mills South View 71, Fayetteville Pine Forest 19

Kannapolis Brown 38, Hickory Ridge 13

Kernersville Glenn 14, High Point Central 7

Kill Devil Hills First Flight 26, Bertie County 14

Kings Mountain 26, North Gaston 0

Kinston 35, Greene Central 6

Lake Norman 20, West Charlotte 18

Lawndale Burns 34, Morganton Patton 20

Lenoir Hibriten 62, Mooresville 21

Lincolnton 47, West Lincoln 7

Madison County 33, Avery County 27

Mallard Creek 41, Huntersville Hopewell 14

Manteo 44, Perquimans County 29

Marshville Forest Hills 48, Monroe Central 0

Marvin Ridge 24, Anson County 20

Matthews Butler 35, Charlotte Providence 28

Monroe 48, West Stanly 0

Monroe Sun Valley 37, Monroe Parkwood 20

Mt. Airy 31, Kernersville McGuinness 14

New Hanover County 19, Wilmington Laney 12

Newton Foard 20, South Caldwell 17

Newton-Conover 41, Vldese Draughn 6

North Brunswick 24, South Brunswick 14

North Rowan 34, Chatham Central 7

Northeast Guilford 54, Southwestern Randolph 7

Northern Guilford 63, Rockingham County 7

Northern Nash 20, Nash Central 0

Northwest Cabarrus 42, Central Cabarrus 0

Northwest Halifax 22, North Johnston 14

Pasquotank County 45, Edenton Holmes 7

Pender County 63, Clinton Union 29

Person County 63, Durham Jordan 29

Pikeville Aycock 31, Eastern Wayne 6

Polk County 62, Thomas Jefferson 0

Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons 28, Northern Vance 0

Raleigh Enloe 38, Raleigh Wakefield 10

Raleigh Millbrook 39, Raleigh Leesville Road 23

Raleigh Wake Christian 9, North Raleigh Christian 7

Reidsville 54, Graham 22

Richmond County 24, Lumberton 7

Robbinsville 40, Hayesville 6

Robersonville Roanoke 48, Chocowinity Southside 45

Rocky Mount 21, Wilson Fike 14

Salisbury 57, Lexington 6

Shelby 17, R-S Central 6

Siler City Jordan-Matthews 28, Yanceyville Yancey 6

South Central Pitt 9, Jacksonville White Oak 3

South Granville 27, Pittsboro Northwood 7

South Johnston 42, Southern Wayne 0

South Robeson 24, West Columbus 6

South Rowan 46, China Grove Carson 21

South Stanly 60, North Moore 12

Southern Durham 47, East Chapel Hill 0

Southern Guilford 10, North Forsyth 6

Southern Pines Pinecrest 22, Pembroke Swett 20

Southern Vance 30, Orange County 21

SouthWest Edgecombe 22, Tarboro 16

Southwest Onslow 35, Jones County 12

Statesville 14, North Iredell 12

Surry Central 48, North Surry 26

Swain County 62, Andrews 7

Thomasville 42, West Davidson 0

Thomasville Ledford 21, Asheboro 13

Trinity 76, Wheatmore 0

Union Academy 34, Cuthbertson 7

Wake Forest-Rolesville 48, Raleigh Sanderson 14

Wallace-Rose Hill 42, Rocky Point Trask 7

Warren County 14, Louisburg 13

Warsaw Kenan 26, Dunn Midway 20

Washington 34, Greenville Conley 0

Waynesville Tuscola 35, West Henderson 0

Weddington 31, Indian Trail Porter Ridge 24

Weldon 14, North Edgecombe 6

West Forsyth 28, Pfafftown Reagan 11

West Iredell 45, West Wilkes 0

West Johnston 13, Knightdale 12

West Montgomery 61, South Davidson 0

West Rowan 41, East Rowan 7

West Stokes 41, South Stokes 7

Western Alamance 29, Eastern Guilford 27

Whiteville 30, West Bladen 0

Williamston 55, Pinetown Northside 20

Wilmington Ashley 24, New Bern 14

Wilmington Hoggard 16, Greenville Rose 13

Wilson Hunt 28, Southern Nash 20

Winston-Salem Carver 23, Winston-Salem Atkins 0

Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor 14, Davie County 10

Winston-Salem Parkland 21, Northwest Guilford 14

Winston-Salem Reynolds 14, North Davidson 0

POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Wilkes Central vs. Ashe County, ppd. to Oct 26.

Morganton Freedom vs. East Rutherford, ppd. to Oct 26.

The PODcast, Oct. 21, 2009

Sanford’s only sports talk shows breaks down the MLB playoffs, works in some local high school football talk and even delves into the NFL with one big question: should the Titans have tried to take out Tom Brady?

Cavs, Jackets fans know they have the right men in charge

For the second time in three weeks, it happened.

There’s no way to tell who started things, what was said or whether anybody crossed the line. But that didn’t matter to Southern Lee coach Eric Puryear.

Once was too much. Twice in 21 days was over the edge.

Far over the edge.

Somewhere along the handshake line following the Cavaliers’ game with Overhills on Friday night, a spark ignited and suddenly a gaggle of high school football players were trying to get toe-to-toe. The loosely formed but well-defined two lines quickly morphed into a blob of navy and Carolina blue.

It was a scene a little further along than the one that marred the handshake lines following Southern Lee’s game with Western Harnett. While Southern Lee is the common denominator in the two incidents, it’s unclear whether the frustrations of a trying season were the impetus for either episode. In fact, there’s really no way to know.

What is clear, however, is that neither scene came close to getting out of hand. The coaches on the field who separated the teams and calmed the egos — bruised and overstimulated alike — deserve all the credit. This is why the fear that some sort of altercation would break out over the awarding of The Herald’s Brick to the victorious team of the Brick City Bowl was always unfounded. Capable men are on the field to instill order when the testosterone of high school kids suddenly goes haywire.

But that’s not to say the actions of any of the kids involved are, or were, justified.

Or ever will be.

That much is also abundantly clear. Puryear threw himself into the middle of the emerging throng on Friday, and with help, was human tear gas, dissipating the subjects before anything unruly could happen.

It makes sense that it should never happen again. Because after witnessing the same kind of behavior for the second time, it didn’t matter one iota to Puryear who was right or wrong, who was the instigator or the reactionary. He blasted the Cavaliers, lining them up on the back line of the far end zone, in front of God, the Overhills Jaguars and every fan who was left in the stadium, and let his team have it, making clear in no uncertain or inaudible terms that that kind of conduct would not be tolerated in his football program.

And then, after 48 minutes of football on the coolest night of the year that featured a brisk breeze, he made the Cavaliers run sprints, no doubt giving the players a good idea of what Monday’s practice is going to be like.

It may not have been the proudest moment of Southern Lee football, but it was still a telling one. And so were the loud cries of support from the home side from fans cheering on a winless and overmatched team during and throughout the game. Southern Lee is only in the infant stages of rebuilding its program, but fans, most of them parents of the players, are clearly on board and in full allegiance to the steps Puryear is taking in Cavaliers football.

They made their sentiments loud and clear, not unlike Puryear did following the Melee That Wasn’t after the game.

On the other side of the county, just seven days prior, the same kind of statement was made at Paul Gay Stadium. As the Yellow Jackets trudged away from their postgame huddle following yet another agonizing and heartbreaking loss, Lee County fans rose and gave the team — and no doubt its coaches, led by legend Burton Cates — a standing ovation.

At this point, the county’s teams have combined for just two victories. But the men in charge of resurrecting the programs have worked themselves into the hearts of their respective fan bases.

That’s the biggest win either team — or the football fans of this county — have had in a long, long time.

Friday Night Football, Oct. 16, 2009

Overhills 47, Southern Lee 15

SANFORD — Through one quarter, the Southern Lee Cavaliers had run 23 plays from scrimmage and had five first downs.

Overhills, on the other hand, had just eight plays from scrimmage, barely a drop in time of possession, two first downs and three penalties for 35 yards.

Oh, and the Jaguars had a 20-0 lead.

Tyree Massey led a quick-strike Overhills offense on Friday night, rushing for three touchdowns and 184 yards as the Jaguars cruised to a 47-15 victory over winless Southern Lee.

Christian Moultrie added 74 yards of rushing and a score while quarterback Tirrell Ray was 1-for-2 passing, hitting C.C. Williams for a 79-yard, one-play scoring drive as Overhills (2-6, 2-1) remained in fourth place in the Cape Fear Valley Conference standings despite still being two victories shy of qualifying for the state playoffs.

Ace Chalmers led Southern Lee (0-9, 0-4) with 52 yards rushing while Jaymes Farrow had a 43-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Quarterback Ashton Gaines, who did well to rush for nine yards after being thrown for a loss three times in the first half, had a 1-yard scoring plunge midway through the third quarter and threw for 95 yards. Gaines, though, was 11 of 32 with three interceptions, one of which was returned 98 yards for a touchdown by Overhills’ Chris Theus.

After their 20-0 lead after the first quarter — the Jaguars had 188 yards of total offense on those eight plays in the period — the Jaguars led 34-0 at the half. Overhills scored on its first drive of the second half to go ahead 40-0 before Gaines marched the Cavaliers down the field, getting a big 34-yard catch from Quentin Ingram down to the 1-yard line to set up Gaines’ scoring rush.

After the touchdown, holder Colby Thornton scooped up a low snap on the point-after try, rolled to his right and tossed a nifty underhanded pass to Jordan Cox for the 2-point conversion to make it 40-8 midway through the third quarter.

Southern Lee recovered the ensuing onside kick — Jake Brower both kicked the ball and recovered it — but Overhills was never truly threatened.

The Cavaliers travel to Union Pines next week still in search of the first victory on the season.

Northwood 62, Carrboro 34

CARRBORO — Shane Peppers rushed for a season high 414 yards and six touchdowns as the Northwood Chargers remained unbeaten this football season after defeating Carrboro 62-34 on Friday night at Carrboro High School.

The fifth-ranked Chargers improve to 9-0 overall and 2-0 in the 1A/2A Carolina-9 Conference.

In the fourth quarter, quarterback Sam Griffin found Ridge Smith for a 60-yard touchdown completion. The score put the Chargers ahead by 14 and they never looked back from there.

Douglas Byrd 14, Western Harnett 7

FAYETTEVILLE — Douglas Byrd held off Western Harnett 14-7 in football on Friday night.

The Eagles, who came into the game tied for first place in the Cape Fear Valley Conference standings and riding a two-game winning streak, fell to 3-5 overall and 2-1 in the league.

Douglas Byrd moved to 5-4 overall and remained in fifth place behind Overhills at 2-2 in the conference.

South Davidson 12, Chatham Central 7

BEAR CREEK — A recovered fumble on its own 13-yard line helped the South Davidson football team escape with a 12-7 win over Chatham Central on Friday night.

Despite the loss, there were still some positives for the Bears. On the ground, they accumulated more than 240 yards. Quarterback Josh Edwards had 10 carries for 143 yards. Wesley Degraffenreidt had 22 carries for 106 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run for the only score of the game for the Bears. The touchdown put the Bears ahead briefly at 7-6. Edwards was also 8-of-16 passing for 111 yards.

With 2:41 remaining in the game, South Davidson’s Josh McLure scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 14-yard run. The point after failed and the Wildcats led 12-6.

The Bears fall to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in the Yadkin Valley 1A/2A Conference.

Friday’s Scores

By The Associated Press

PREP FOOTBALL

Albemarle 21, North Rowan 6

Alexander Central 14, Hickory St. Stephens 7

Anson County 34, Weddington 29

Apex Middle Creek 34, Cary 5

Ashe County 21, Alleghany County 0

Asheville 47, McDowell County 6

Asheville Erwin 35, Asheville Roberson 7

Asheville Reynolds 34, Enka 7

Bertie County 60, Currituck County 26

Bessemer City 24, West Lincoln 7

Black Mountain Owen 34, Madison County 14

Boonville Starmount 41, West Wilkes 15

Burnsville Mountain Heritage 62, Thomas Jefferson 6

Catawba Bandys 41, Maiden 6

Chapel Hill 21, Northern Vance 7

Charlotte Catholic 35, Charlotte Waddell 6

Charlotte Country Day 20, Charlotte Christian 3

Charlotte Harding 38, Charlotte Berry Tech 2

Charlotte Independence 55, South Mecklenburg 28

Charlotte Latin 35, Christ Church Episcopal, S.C. 0

Charlotte Olympic 42, East Gaston 33

Charlotte Providence 48, Charlotte Myers Park 28

Charlotte Vance 7, Lake Norman 0

Cherryville 23, North Lincoln 6

Clinton Union 27, Dunn Midway 7

Concord 41, Cox Mill 0

Concord First Assembly 66, Southlake Christian 0

Croatan 20, Clinton 14

Durham Hillside 21, Durham Jordan 0

East Bladen 28, West Bladen 0

East Burke 52, West Caldwell 8

East Carteret 26, Dixon 8

East Chapel Hill 24, Northern Durham 21

East Duplin 49, South Lenoir 21

East Henderson 43, Sylva Smoky Mountain 17

East Lincoln 31, Lincolnton 14

East Surry 42, South Stokes 7

Eastern Alamance 72, Eden Morehead 12

Eastern Randolph 8, Graham 0

Elkin 47, North Wilkes 8

Farmville Central 27, Wilson Beddingfield 14

Fayetteville Britt 41, Fayetteville Pine Forest 14

Fayetteville Byrd 14, Western Harnett 7

Fayetteville Smith 14, Cape Fear 7

Fayetteville Westover 49, Cameron Union Pines 0

Forsyth County Day 22, Charlotte Northside Christian 0

Franklin 31, North Henderson 7

Fuquay-Varina 47, Morrisville Green Hope 0

Gastonia Forestview 21, Belmont South Point 20

Gastonia Highland Tech 7, Charlotte Victory Christian 6

Goldsboro 58, Rosewood 7

Greenville Rose 14, Wilmington Laney 6

Havelock 27, South Central Pitt 7

Hendersonville 21, Mitchell County 6

Hickory 20, Morganton Freedom 9

Hickory Ridge 30, Northwest Cabarrus 27

High Point Andrews 20, Trinity 17

High Point Central 28, Winston-Salem Parkland 8

Hillsborough Cedar Ridge 42, Granville Central 0

Hobbton 9, Rocky Point Trask 6

Holly Springs 31, Apex 22

Huntersville Hopewell 42, Mooresville 21

Indian Trail Porter Ridge 28, Monroe Parkwood 14

Jacksonville Northside 47, Swansboro 0

Jamestown Ragsdale 20, Northwest Guilford 0

Jones County 44, Lejeune 0

Kannapolis Brown 28, Mt. Pleasant 7

Kernersville Glenn 27, Southwest Guilford 14

Kernersville McGuinness 22, Surry Central 13

Kings Mountain 27, Gastonia Ashbrook 7

Lenoir Hibriten 42, South Caldwell 13

Lexington 18, West Davidson 6

Lumberton 42, Hoke County 13

Mallard Creek 26, North Mecklenburg 10

Manteo 25, Pinetown Northside 0

Marshville Forest Hills 47, North Stanly 0

Marvin Ridge 44, Monroe Sun Valley 41

Matthews Butler 67, Charlotte Ardrey Kell 0

Monroe 64, Union Academy 0

Monroe Piedmont 45, West Stanly 14

Mt. Airy 66, North Surry 0

Murphy 52, Andrews 0

New Hanover County 28, Wilmington Ashley 14

Newton-Conover 28, Claremont Bunker Hill 0

North Brunswick 27, South Columbus 21, OT

North Davidson 21, Pfafftown Reagan 14

North Forsyth 21, Asheboro 13

Northeast Guilford 28, Southern Guilford 0

Polk County 46, Avery County 20

Princeton 38, North Duplin 14

R-S Central 16, Morganton Patton 7

Raleigh Athens Drive 46, Panther Creek 6

Raleigh Broughton 30, Raleigh Enloe 20

Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons 28, Southern Vance 13

Raleigh Leesville Road 59, Raleigh Sanderson 14

Reidsville 46, Burlington Cummings 13

Richlands 24, Topsail 14

Richmond County 40, Pembroke Swett 30

Roanoke Rapids 24, Bunn 14

Robbinsville 62, Rosman 6

Salisbury 41, Central Davidson 21

Shelby 27, Forest City Chase 0

Siler City Jordan-Matthews 32, Providence Grove 17

South Iredell 30, Vldese Draughn 0

Southern Alamance 29, Western Guilford 27

Southern Pines Pinecrest 31, Scotland County 13

SouthWest Edgecombe 44, North Pitt 12

Southwest Onslow 69, Pamlico County 0

Spring Lake Overhills 47, Southern Lee 15

Swain County 49, Cherokee 6

Tarboro 20, Kinston 16

Thomasville 34, East Davidson 0

Thomasville Ledford 35, Southwestern Randolph 14

Wake Forest-Rolesville 47, Raleigh Wakefield 0

Wallace-Rose Hill 27, Pender County 26

Warsaw Kenan 13, Lakewood (Salemburg) 8

Watauga County 27, Newton Foard 14

Waynesville Tuscola 41, Canton Pisgah 10

West Brunswick 29, Whiteville 22, OT

West Carteret 30, Greenville Conley 14

West Columbus 22, Fairmont 8

West Craven 31, Jacksonville 21

West Forsyth 13, Davie County 7, OT

West Henderson 28, Brevard 21

West Rowan 55, Statesville 12

West Stokes 28, North Stokes 8

Western Alamance 35, Burlington Williams 19

Wilkes Central 56, East Wilkes 36

Wilmington Hoggard 35, New Bern 7

Wilson Hunt 28, Rocky Mount 14

Winston-Salem Reynolds 28, Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor 21