HobbsDailyReport.com
NEWTON – Newton-Conover High wiped out a one-point halftime deficit with three second-half touchdowns by running back Tylor Stinson to topple visiting Lincolnton 35-14 to open the South Fork 2A football schedule for both schools.
NEW.-CONOVER 35
LINCOLNTON 14
Stinson ran for 144 yards on 19 carries that included TD runs of 1, 34, 10 and 22 yards to push the Red Devils (4-1, 1-0) to a victory that snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Wolves (1-4, 0-1).
Lincolnton came in having won its last four games in Gurley Stadium and led 14-13 at the half.
Newton-Conover gained an early 13-0 lead on TD runs of 38 yards by quarterback Shamar Baker and 1 yard by Stinson but the Wolves then rallied.
Tyshawn Harris, who ran 22 times for 151 yards, scored on a 46-yard run with one minute, 46 seconds left in the opening quarter and, after a PAT by Brian Sedano, it was 13-7.
About four minutes later, Harris scored on a 12-yard run and Sedano converted again, leaving Lincolnton ahead 14-13.
The Red Devils grabbed the lead for good when Stinson broke a run 34 yards for a score and Baker ran for a two-point conversion with 3:54 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Stinson had scoring runs of 10 yards and 22 yards that were about five minutes apart as Newton-Conover won in its 40th game under head coach Matt Beam (23-16-1).
Baker ran nine times for 107 yards and threw for 95 yards for the Red Devils. Unofficially, he is within nine yards of reaching 1,000 passing yards for the year.
Terrell McClain completed five of his six passes for the Wolves but they went for only 47 yards.
Newton-Conover plays its second South Fork 2A game of the season next Friday, going to Bandys for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Wolves’ game next Friday is a South Fork 2A battle with archrival East Lincoln on the road at 7:30 p.m.