SOUTH FORK 2A: Bandys scores late, nips North Lincoln to win conference title (updated)

Howard’s third TD helps Trojans win 30-29, go unbeaten in league

HobbsDailyReport.com

LINCOLNTON – Ethan Howard’s third rushing touchdown — with a bit more than 3 ½ minutes to play — carried visiting Bandys High past North Lincoln 30-29 on Saturday night and to a South Fork 2A football championship.

Howard ran 28 times for 190 yards, scored on runs of 10, 17 and 6 yards and had a key late-game sack on defense as the Trojans (10-1, 7-0) won a showdown for first place with North Lincoln (8-3, 6-1).

Bandys quarterback Lake Hojnacki added 143 rushing yards on 13 carries as the Trojans won their first league title since 2009 when they went 7-0 to win the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A title.

The Trojans rallied to win after falling behind 29-24 when the Knights scored twice in less than four minutes late in the third quarter.

After quarterback Landon Beard’s 3-yard TD run and a two-point conversion run by Jake Soorus got North Lincoln within 24-22 with four minutes, 37 seconds to go in the third quarter, the Knights’ defense produced go-ahead points.

The Knights and Trojans exchanged fumbles before Bandys drove from its 22 to face a fourth-and-17 at the North Lincoln 45 and lined up to punt.

Bandys punter Ben Joseph was swarmed by several North Lincoln defenders, including Sam Brady, and the punt was blocked and was suddenly in the air to the right of the Knights’ defenders. Terry Ferrell grabbed the ball at the Trojans’ 32 and scored, and a PAT by Christian DeLaney put North Lincoln in front 29-24.

Each team punted on its first fourth-quarter possession with Bandys starting a drive at its 16 with 6:78 to play. The Trojans ran the ball on eight straight plays – starting with a 38-yard gain by Hojnacki on the drive’s first play – before Howard took a pitch left and scored on a 6-yard run.

North Lincoln stopped Howard’s run for a two-point conversion, leaving the Trojans on top 30-29 with 3:35 to play.

Bandys tried a squibbed kickoff but North Lincoln grabbed it and started a drive at the Knights’ 46. After a gain of no yards, Howard ran Beard down — right-to-left — for an 11-yard loss. On third down, Beard threw about 40 yards downfield for Brady – covered by three defenders – and the Trojans’ Chase Clanton intercepted.

Bandys had possession at its 27 with 2:21 to play and ran five plays. Facing a third-and-8 at their 45, the Trojans got a 4-yard gain by Elijah Clarke but they didn’t have to run another play to kill the clock.

Notes

Howard’s rushing total against North Lincoln is unofficial – his official senior stats are compiled by the Trojans’ coaching staff off game film – but he came in officially needing 270 yards to become the school’s all-time career rushing leader (Chris Spade had 4,064; with 190 on Saturday, Howard would be at 3,985)… This year’s Bandys team is the 14^th in school history to reach at least 10 wins and the first since 2012 …The Trojans will make their 24^th postseason appearance and 14^th in 17 seasons on Nov. 16… Bandys has won nine conference football titles (outright in 1970, 1971, 1997, 1998, 2009 and 2018; shares in 1993, 2002, 2003)…The Trojans were 5-7 last season and 10-24 in the previous three … North Lincoln has won eight games for just the second time in school history (10-4 in 2007) and its best finish in 16 varsity seasons is this year’s second and a share of second in 2007 … Knights head coach Nick Bazzle took over a team that went 2-9 each of the previous two seasons and 7-26 over the previous three and 23-76 over a nine-season stretch since the last winning year (7-5 in 2008)… Bazzle has 137 career wins in 18 seasons… Bandys’ first-year head coach, Tom Eanes, picked up career win No. 157 on Saturday; he’s in his 30^th year as a head coach.

Bandys                  7   10     7      6—30

N. Lincoln           7     7     15     0—29

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

B—Ethan Howard 10 run (Ben Joseph kick), 8:02

NL—Daniel Carter 3 run (Christian DeLaney kick), 48.2

Second quarter

NL—Sam Brady 15 pass from Landon Beard (DeLaney kick), 6:22

B—Lake Hojnacki 42 run (Joseph kick), 4:20

B—FG Joseph 32, 0:00

Third quarter

B—Howard 17 run (Joseph kick), 9:56

NL—Beard 3 run (Jake Soorus run), 4:37

NL—Terry Ferrell 32 blocked punt return, 47.4

Fourth quarter

B—Howard 6 run (run failed), 3:35

                                                                                B                  NL

First downs                                                       24                     14

Rushes-yards                                                    52-398           32-205

Passing                                                               3-12-1              5-10-1

Passing yards                                                    20                     53

Total offense                                                      409                 258

Fumbles-Lost                                                       2-1                1-0

Penalties                                                                 12-104          8-100

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

Bandys: Isaiah Talbert 5-26, Elijah Clarke 6-39, Hojancki 14-43, Howard 28-190.

N. Lincoln: Soorus 9-108, Brady 1-minus 1, Clayton Cribb 15-40, Beard 12-49, Carter 2-9, Ferrell 2-6, Ty Williams 1-minus 6.

PASSING

Bandys: Hojnacki 3-12-1 20.

N. Lincoln: Beard 4-9-1 53, Soorus 0-1-0 0.

RECEIVING

Bandys: Jacob Ellis 2-23, Clarke 1-minus 3.

N. Lincoln: Brady 3-34, Sorrus 1-19.