Eastern Randolph’s Will Stalker makes a tackle on Asheboro receiver Ben Luck. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
ROBBINS – Southwestern Randolph built a first-half lead on a couple of touchdown passes and held off host North Moore for a 22-12 victory Friday night.
Noah Stills threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Robertson for the game’s first points. Nathan Ellis threw to Colton Law for a second-quarter touchdown. The other touchdown came on Stills’ 12-yard scramble on a fourth-and-10 play.
The Cougars (2-0) defeated one of the state’s top Class 1-A teams from a year ago. It marked the Mustangs’ first regular-season loss since October 2021 and first regular-season loss at home since the opening game of the 2021 spring season.
Southwestern Randolph never trailed, taking a 14-0 lead and holding a 14-12 halftime edge. Jakarey Gillis scored on two touchdown runs and finished with 169 rushing yards for North Moore (1-1).
The only points in the second half came on Stills’ 12-yard scramble on fourth-and-10 on the first play of the fourth quarter and an ensuing two-point conversion.
North Moore gained 242 rushing yards, but only 8 yards in the air.
Eastern Randolph 27, Asheboro 16: At Asheboro, quarterback Carter Revelle threw for two touchdowns and gained a game-high 70 rushing yards as the Wildcats (1-1) churned out a non-league road victory.
Revelle passed for 185 yards, with DaSean Shamburger making five catches for 90 yards. Shamburger had touchdown catches of 38 and 24 yards, the second of those a 24-yard play with 21 seconds left in the first half to help create a 14-9 halftime lead. Eastern Randolph’s A’Donye Herbert opened the second-half scoring with a 3-yard run.
Asheboro (1-1) relied on Logan Laughlin’s 319 yards on 22-for-37 passing. Elijah Woodle picked up 119 receiving yards on six catches and Amare Godwin also caught six passes – two for touchdowns – to post 109 yards.
Laughlin threw a 4-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass to Godwin with 4:41 remaining. Less than a minute later, Revelle ran 45 yards for an Eastern Randolph touchdown.
Earlier, Alex Sanchez kicked a 20-yard field goal for Asheboro.
Randleman 14, West Stokes 7: At King, the Tigers scored a pair of touchdowns and despite not generating much offensively they held on for the road victory.
Edison Hernandez scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter and Micah Thurston scored from 5 yards out in the third quarter. Christian McLeod kicked two extra-points and Randleman led 14-0 before West Stokes (1-1) scored in the fourth quarter.
Randleman (2-0) was charted for just five first downs and 128 yards of total offense. Both teams committed two turnovers.
Providence Grove 45, Southern Guilford 12: At Greensboro, Logan Fox scored four touchdowns and gained 174 rushing yards on 24 carries for the visiting Patriots (2-0). Jacob Flinchum and Jackson Lawver also ran for touchdowns.
Trinity 29, Albemarle 19: At Trinity, Dominic Payne scored three touchdowns as part of a 261-yard rushing performance as the host Bulldogs (1-1) gave coach Bear Bradley his first victory with his new team.
Payne, who also scored a two-point conversion, threw for a touchdown to Cam Nelson. Payne’s scoring runs came from 15, 19 and 73 yards. The final of those came on the first snap following Albemarle’s kickoff return for a touchdown cut the gap to 22-19.
Albemarle (0-2) never trailed until the second half.
East Davidson 42, Wheatmore 41: At Trinity, Wheatmore’s home opener went away with the non-conference loss. The Warriors were unable to score on their final possession.
Riley Strickland threw for four touchdowns and 297 yards and Johnathan Kelly racked up 197 rushing yards on 19 carries for Wheatmore (1-1).
Sa’Cory Maryland, Max Smith, Trey Swaney and Kelly made touchdown catches from Strickland, who was out late in the game with an injury. Jake Ward threw a touchdown pass to Swaney. On defense, Clay Hill made three interceptions.
East Davidson is 1-1.
