SOUTH FORK 2A ROUNDUP
Red Devils score 50 in win over Lake Norman Charter
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North Lincoln High’s focus on winning a South Fork 2A football championship is turning laser-like.
The Knights — who won 10 games last season but finished second in the conference to Bandys – cruised past visiting Maiden 42-0 on Friday to continue atop the league standings.
North Lincoln (7-1, 4-0) plays at Newton-Conover (6-2, 4-0) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. for the conference lead.
BAZZLE
The Knights beat the Blue Devils (5-3, 2-2) for only the second time in nine games in the series and for the first time in five games played at North Lincoln, handing head coach Nick Bazzle his 146th career win.
Sam Brady led North Lincoln with five rushes for 90 yards and two scores, one on a 70-yard run in the third quarter and the other on a fumble recovery in the end zone with four minutes, 17 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Running back Jake Soorus added five carries for 38 yards and a TD and quarterback Landon Beard ran six times for 41 yards and a TD.
North Lincoln’s defense held Maiden to 51 rushing yards on 21 carries and Blue Devils quarterback Ethan Rhodes, who came in averaging 225 yards passing per game, went 5-for-13 for 59 yards and threw two interceptions.
The upcoming game at Gurley Stadium has several ties among the head coaches, as Bazzle spent 24 years with the Red Devils (including 19 as head coach) and the Red Devils’ Steven Pack was head coach at North Lincoln in 2017.
Newton-Conover 50, Lake Norman Charter 7
WILFONG
Running backs Allen Wilfong and Allan Shade combined for five rushing TDs as the Red Devils (6-2, 4-0) won in Huntersville to remain tied with North Lincoln for the conference lead.
Wilfong scored on runs of 8, 3 and 19 yards and Shade ran 8 and 63 yards for TDs as Newton-Conover improved to 3-0 all-time against the Knights (1-7, 0-3).
Zane Redmond had two interceptions for the Red Devils and caught a 29-yard TD pass from Justice Craig that increased a lead to 43-0.
Shade’s 63-yard score was set up by Redmond’s second interception.
Newton-Conover, at home Friday against North Lincoln, last won an outright league title in 2000 (Bazzle’s second year as head coach).
Lake Norman Charter is at Lincolnton on Friday night.
East Lincoln 23, Bandys 0
Quarterback Justin Barnett ran 21 and 90 yards for scores, sparking the Mustangs’ home victory over the Trojans (4-4, 1-4).
Barnett scored with 10:57 to play and with 7:45 to go as East Lincoln (7-1, 3-1) beat Bandys at East Lincoln for the fourth straight time and eighth time in nine games.
Paul Menegary’s 1-yard TD run with 10:45 left in the second quarter gave East Lincoln a 10-0 lead.
The win was the 20th in 33 games for David Lubowicz as head coach of the Mustangs, who have won seven or more games in 13 of the last 15 seasons (6-6, 6-7 in those other years).
East Lincoln visits Maiden on Friday while Bandys is at home against West Lincoln.
West Lincoln 54, Lincolnton 14
Running backs Canon Bridges and Xander Pendergrass combined for 276 rushing yards and four TDs as the Rebels (6-2, 2-2) rolled to a home victory over the Wolves (2-6, 0-4).
Bridges carried 20 times for 134 yards, scoring on runs of 10 and 3 yards, and Pendergrass had TD runs of 50 and 18 yards and finished with 142 yards on 14 carries.
West Lincoln held Lincolnton to 63 rushing yards on 31 carries and 207 yards of offense.
The Rebels had 364 rushing yards on 45 carries and 424 yards of offense and led 32-0 at the half.
West Lincoln led 16-0 after one quarter after Pendergrass scored his first TD and added a two-point conversion run and Bridges scored his first TD and added two-point conversion run.
Bridges had two two-point conversion runs in the second quarter, following a 7-yard TD run by Mason Huitt and Hunter Leonhardt’s 80-yard interception return for a score.
Quarterback E.J. Manjarres threw a TD pass and ran 16 yards for another score for the Wolves.
West Lincoln travels to Bandys on Friday while Lincolnton is at home to play Lake Norman Charter.