HobbsDailyReport.com
MAIDEN – Quarterback Keygan Mayfield was sure he’d find his buddy at the end of the 82 yards Maiden High needed to beat visiting Newton-Conover in the closing minutes on Friday night.
“I just had so much confidence in our players and in our team,” Mayfield said in a postgame radio interview. “I just believed in us.”
MAIDEN 30
NEWTON-CONOVER 27
Directing a dramatic drive before a standing room-only crowd at Thomas E. Brown Stadium, Mayfield found receiver Caleb McDaniel for a game-winning TD with 25.2 seconds to play as the Blue Devils nipped the Red Devils 30-27 in a showdown for first place in South Fork 2A football.
THE TIGHEST GAMES
The five closest varsity games in the Newton-Conover vs. Maiden high school football series:
Margin Yr. Site Result
1 1994 Maiden Maiden 28, N-C 27
1 2000 N-C Maiden 21, N-C 20
2 1995 N-C N-C 17, Maiden 15
2 1999 Maiden Maiden 14, N-C 12
3 2017 Maiden Maiden 30, N-C 27
Maiden (10-0, 6-0) clinched at least a share of the league title heading into a Friday game at 7:30 p.m. at Lincolnton, where the Blue Devils need to win to grab their first outright conference football title since 2004.
Newton-Conover (8-2, 5-1) meets East Lincoln, also 5-1 in the league, in Newton at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night. The game will decide second place or give the winner a co-title if Lincolnton beats Maiden.
The game-winner in Brown Stadium came on McDaniel’s 12th catch of the night, and he finished with 160 receiving yards.
The Red Devils led 27-23 after Allen Wilfong’s 5-yard run and a PAT by Francisco Tapia with 8:44 to play.
Eventually, the 48th game in the storied series came down to the final 50 seconds when Maiden had the ball first-and-goal at the Red Devils 8.
Newton-Conover’s Shamar Baker knocked down a pass on first down, and Mayfield overthrew a receiver on second down.
After the Red Devils took a timeout prior to third down, a holding penalty pushed Maiden back to the 28, setting up Mayfield looking and finding McDaniel again.
The TD throw made it 29-27 before Casey Ly added the PAT to give Maiden a 30-27 lead.
Newton-Conover got the kickoff and ran two plays, but it was all over after an incomplete pass with seven seconds left on the clock.
Maiden head coach Will Byrne, who starred during his career in a one-point win (2000) by Maiden over the Red Devils, said he was confident his team would deliver on the last possession and win.
Asked in a postgame interview what he told the Blue Devils when they had 82 yards to navigate if they wanted to win, he said: “‘We’re going downfield and you’re going to win,’” Byrne said. “They were saying it before I was saying it.
“That’s the type of mentality they all have. That’s a testament to the kind of kids we’ve got … I’m just proud of this group. They have a never give up attitude. They’re unbelievable.”
In one of the tightest and most exciting game in a series that Maiden now leads 26-21-1, it came down to virtually who had the ball last.
The Red Devils grabbed an early 7-0 lead when Baker scored on a 2-yard run with 7:06 to play in the first quarter and Tapia hit a PAT.
About 4 ½ minutes later, Mayfield scored on a 3-yard run and, after the PAT failed, Newton-Conover led 7-6.
Baker found Jaheim Mullen for a 78-yard TD pass with 7:23 left before the half. The Red Devils went for two points but failed and they lead 13-7.
The Mayfield-to-McDaniel connection collected a game-tying score with no time on the clock, a 33-yard play that set up Ly’s PAT for a 13-all tie.
About four minutes into the second half, Mayfield hit McDaniel on a 16-yard TD pass and Ly added the PAT to put Maiden ahead 20-13.
Less than three minutes later, Baker threw 24 yards to Mullen, who had three catches for 106 yards, and Tapia’s PAT netted a tie at 20.
Ly kicked a 28-yard field goal with 10:31 left to play for a three-point Maiden lead that lasted less than two minutes.
Baker, who had 227 passing yards on 11 completions, directed a drive that got Newton-Conover back in front, leaving Maiden with the ball and a challenge.
McDaniel said in a postgame interview that he wanted to win badly, as he felt the Blue Devils weren’t expected to win.
“We just play hard every time,” McDaniel said. “We knew we could come in and win it.”
McDaniel took a hard hit and came out for a play before going back into the lineup.
“I said I was gonna go in and try to get the game-winner,” he said. “I just got all hyped up (during the week) because everybody was doubting us.”
Beating Newton-Conover for the 16th time at Maiden in 23 games there (16-6-1), the Blue Devils reached 10 wins in a season for the 25th time in school history. They’ll gain their 22nd straight postseason bid next weekend.