SAC Recaps: Wingate declaws Bears; Mars Hill swats Emory & Henry

Wingate took command of the South Atlantic Conference’s Piedmont Division, while Mars Hill created some chaos in the SAC’s Mountain Division.

Wingate used its patented staunch defense to defeat Lenoir-Rhyne in a low-scoring battle of Piedmont front-runners. Mars Hill held off Emory & Henry to rearrange the standings. Barton won the other SAC game involving a North Carolina team, defeating Catawba at home.

Scoreboard | Week 10

• Wingate 14, Lenoir-Rhyne 10
• Mars Hill 31, Emory & Henry 23
• Barton 49, Catawba 35
• UVA Wise 35, Tusculum 27
• Carson-Newman 28, Anderson 7
• Limestone 35, Newberry 14

Wingate stymies Bears’ offense, takes division lead

Wingate held the defending conference champion Bears to minus-eight rushing yards in the first half, while building a 14-0 lead.

O’Brien Barnett scored on a 30-yard scamper early in the second quarter. Brooks Bentley connected with Evan McCray on a 21-yard TD pass with 37 seconds to go before the break. (McCray and Bentley hooked up for the winning points in last year’s win over Lenoir-Rhyne as well).

The ‘Dogs have now won three straight over the Bears.

Lenoir-Rhyne started to put together drives after intermission. Jalen Ferguson’s 22-yard scoring run, and a Jake Brown 27-yard field goal pulled the Bears within 14-10 heading into the final stanza. But Wingate repeatedly turned LR away over the final quarter.

The Bears had to punt nine times, including three in the fourth period. Lenoir-Rhyne had one last chance after the two-minute warning, getting the ball back at its 22 with 1:48 to go. But the Bears went three-and-out, and Wingate ran out the clock.

The Bulldogs recorded eight tackles-for-loss, including 2.5 by the D2 leader in that category, Marquise Fleming. Wingate missed two field goals that could have extended the lead. A 41-yard attempt sailed wide, while a 37-yarder was blocked.

Saturday’s result leaves Wingate alone in the division lead (5-1). Lenoir-Rhyne dropped to 5-2 in the league. In the end, Wingate may benefit from having its game against Mars Hill canceled by Hurricane Helene. Limestone and Newberry entered their Saturday clash both with two losses in SAC action.

The win over the nationally ranked Bears (12th/16th) should bolster Wingate’s D2 playoff resume as well. The second round of D2 Super Region rankings will be released early next week. Both Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne appeared in the first version, posted this past Monday.

Mars Hill stuns Emory& Henry with two pick-six plays

The Lions honored their 21 seniors, then took the sting out of Emory & Henry, which had just moved into the SAC Mountain Division lead last weekend by beating Carson-Newman.

Now, Carson-Newman (5-1) sits alone in the Mountain once again, while Mars Hill (4-2) and Emory & Henry (5-2) sit just behind the Eagles. Even if Mars Hill beats Anderson next weekend and Carson-Newman loses to Tusculum, the Eagles will hold the tiebreaker edge over the Lions.

Senior quarterback JR Martin had another banner day in his final performance in the home stadium. Martin rushed for two short-yardage touchdowns and threw for 235 yards.

But it was the Lions’ defense that helped turn the tables. Junior Neil Vertilus returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown late in the first period. Senior Tristan Rankin then took another pick back 58 yards for a score in the second quarter. That made the lead 17-0 Mars Hill.

While Emory & Henry notched a pair of touchdowns in the middle quarters, Martin’s rushing scores put things out of reach. Lon Teachey also had a field goal in the win. Hunter Bridges averaged 45.4 yards on eight punts, including a 57-yarder.

Steven Reid made nine tackles, including 2.5 hits that resulted in losses. Reid, Dexter Fitzpatrick and Isaac Weaver each had sacks.

Barton offense comes alive in win over Catawba

Barton (3-6, 2-5) snapped a four-game losing streak, scoring more points (49) on Saturday than it did in four October contests.

Jackson Parrish rushed for three touchdowns. Parrish (152 yards) and Dakauri Davis (101, 1 TD) provided most of the Bulldogs’ 276 rushing yards.

Al Lee, a former Reidsville High standout, threw two touchdown passes, including a 75-yarder to Zakvil Smith. Lee also had a 17-yard scramble. Jayden Flood-Brown caught the other TD throw, a 53-yarder, and finished with 104 receiving yards.

The game went back-and-forth in the first half, with Barton taking a 21-14 lead into the break. A Nasir Winston 32-yard interception return for a TD increased the Bulldogs’ advantage. Catawba kept the foot on the gas but never could come all the way back, with Barton answering the Indians’ scores throughout the second half.

Mason Fortune stepped in at quarterback for Catawba, throwing for 348 yards and a touchdown, though he was picked off twice. Catawba’s LJ Turner, the leading rusher in the conference, did not play. Quece Williams scored three touchdowns in his stead. Christian Kobe added 144 yards in receptions for the Indians (2-7, 1-6).

Winston also had a fumble recovery and seven tackles for Barton.

Three Stars Of The Day

Evan McCray (Wingate): The veteran wide receiver made 10 catches for 140 yards and scored what would be the winning touchdown in the Bulldogs’ 14-10 triumph over Lenoir-Rhyne.

Tristan Rankin (Mars Hill): Picked off two Emory & Henry passes, including one that he returned 58 yards for a touchdown for a 10-0 lead in the first half. Rankin also notched four tackles and one tackle-for-loss.

Jackson Parrish (Barton): In a game filled with offense, Parrish picked up 152 yards on the ground for the victorious Bulldogs, scoring touchdowns on runs of 25, 2 and 7 yards.

By The Numbers

982: Total yards accumulated by Barton and Catawba in the Bulldogs 49-35 victory in Wilson. The homestanding ‘Dogs finished with 539, while the Indians earned 443.

219: Return yards by Mars Hill in the win over Emory & Henry, including pick-six plays covering 55 and 58 yards.

15: Punts by Lenoir-Rhyne (9) and Wingate (6) in Saturday’s defensive struggle. LR’s Stewart Simmons averaged 42.1 yards per punt, while Wingate’s Christian Teeter averaged 40.8.

Looking Ahead:

The regular season wraps up with Wingate hosting Newberry, Lenoir-Rhyne traveling to Catawba and Barton visiting Limestone in the Piedmont Division. Mars Hill will head south to face Anderson in Mountain Division action.

SAC Standings

Mountain

Piedmont

Eric Lusk Publisher & Editor

Eric Lusk started NC Football News in 2023. He's an old newspaper guy with a fondness for underdogs, redemption stories and the triple-option offense. He's a proud graduate of Jesse O. Sanderson High School and UNC's School of Journalism. He's thankful for God's mercy, family and second chances.

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