FINAL: North Greenville 42, UNC Pembroke 41
North Greenville rallied from a 21-point deficit and stopped a potential game-winning two-point conversion in the final minute to beat UNC Pembroke 42-41 Saturday at Grace P. Johnson Stadium.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Braves (4-2, 1-1 Conference Carolinas), while North Greenville improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
UNC Pembroke raced to a 21-0 lead behind quarterback Josh Ehrlich, who ran for a touchdown and threw two more scoring strikes. But North Greenville answered with 35 points over its next five possessions, taking a 35-28 lead on Kam Montgomery’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Sam Washam.
🔑 How It Happened
- Fast start: Ehrlich scored on a 12-yard run, then threw touchdown passes of 68 yards to Malik Brown and 8 yards to Aaron Osborne as UNCP built a 21-0 lead.
- North Greenville storms back: The Crusaders scored three second-quarter touchdowns to tie the game 21-21 at halftime, then took their first lead on Montgomery’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Jaiden McDowell early in the third quarter.
- Back and forth: UNCP tied the game twice in the second half, including Ehrlich’s 2-yard touchdown run with 3:52 remaining that made it 35-35.
- The finish: Montgomery answered with a 23-yard touchdown run with 1:24 left. UNCP drove 70 yards in just 50 seconds and Brown scored from 5 yards out with 34 seconds remaining. The Braves went for the lead, but Ehrlich’s two-point pass attempt failed.
📊 Numbers That Matter
- Josh Ehrlich (UNCP): 15-of-24 passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns, plus 122 rushing yards and two scores.
- Kam Montgomery (North Greenville): 259 passing yards and four touchdowns, plus 113 rushing yards and two scores — six touchdowns accounted for in a battle between dual-threat quarterbacks.
- Malik Brown (UNCP): Four catches for 134 yards and a touchdown, plus the 5-yard touchdown run that pulled the Braves within one.
- Sam Washam (North Greenville): Three catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
- Total offense: UNCP outgained North Greenville 484-404, but the Braves were penalized 11 times for 86 yards.
🏆 What It Means
North Greenville takes an early lead in the Conference Carolinas race at 2-0 and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over UNC Pembroke, which could become significant in determining who reaches — and potentially hosts — the conference championship game.
⏭️ What’s Next
UNC Pembroke returns home next Saturday against Erskine. North Greenville hosts Chowan, which entered Saturday 1-0 in Conference Carolinas play but is playing a nonconference game today at West Alabama.
