Prep roundup: Weddington surges in 2nd half, remains unbeaten; Hough rolls

Top-ranked Weddington broke open a tight game in the third quarter Friday night and remained unbeaten with a 33-7 victory at Cuthbertson.

The Warriors improved to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the Southern Carolina 4A Conference. They will finish the regular season next Friday against Marvin Ridge. Weddington was upset by Marvin Ridge a year ago en route to the 4A state championship.

Owen McNulty’s 21-yard field goal five minutes into the first quarter gave Weddington a 3-0 lead.

But Cuthbertson (6-3, 2-2) played stubborn defense, and the game remained tight until the final minute of the first half.

Weddington scored on a short run with a minute left in the half for a 10-0 halftime lead.

The second half was a different story, as the Warriors scored just one minute into the third quarter and added a safety and two more touchdowns for a 33-0 lead after three periods.

Weddington’s defense shut down the Cuthbertson ground game, holding the Cavaliers to 56 net yards rushing. Running back Mason Iovino gained 66 yards on 22 carries.

Here’s how some other teams ranked in The Observer’s Sweet 16 fared Friday night:

No. 3 Hough 55, Harding 0: The Huskies (8-1, 6-0 Queen City 3A-4A) rolled to victory, with Trey Blakeney completing all seven passing attempts for 163 yards and five touchdowns. Both of Tyran Evans’ catches were for touchdowns, including a 65-yarder. Sean Brady had three catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Harding is now 1-8, 0-6.

No. 4 Charlotte Catholic 52, East Mecklenburg 3: Jon Fijalkowski recovered an East Mecklenburg fumble and ran for a touchdown on the first play of the game, as the Cougars (7-2, 6-0) wrapped up the Southwestern 4A Conference championship in their regular-season finale.

Jake Anderson and Web Helms each ran for two touchdowns, and Luke Zehmke returned an interception for another score. The host Eagles are 1-8, 1-4.

Friday’s game was the last regular-season contest on the Cougars’ schedule.

No. 5 Independence 44, Rocky River 0: Running back Jayden Jones rushed for five touchdowns as the Patriots (8-1, 5-0 Southwestern 4A) prepped for next Friday’s annual rivalry game with Butler. Jones scored on runs of 21 and 67 yards in the third quarter, and Justin Little fired a 40-yard touchdown pass to Prince Young.

No. 6 Providence Day 52, Charlotte Latin 7: The Chargers (7-2, 3-0 Big South) recovered from last week’s loss to Rabun Gap School with a lopsided victory over the Hawks (8-2, 1-2). The victory means Providence Day will be the No. 2 seed when the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association releases its Division 1 playoff pairings Sunday.

No. 8 Jay M. Robinson 20, Northwest Cabarrus 10: Jon Bissonnette fired three touchdown passes, and Jay M. Robinson (9-0, 7-0) won the South Piedmont 3A championship. Northwest Cabarrus (7-2, 5-1) will finish second in the conference.

Northwest Cabarrus took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on Porter Branham’s 20-yard pass to Henry Forest. The Bulldogs tied the game late in the quarter on a 21-yard pass from Bissonnette to Dominica Testa. Forrest made a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter, giving Northwest Cabarrus a 10-7 lead.

But Bissonnette and Testa combined on a 14-yard scoring pass late in the first half for a 14-10 lead. And Bissonnette tossed a 1-yard scoring pass to Brian Rowe for a final score midway through the third quarter.

Jay M. Robinson will try to complete a perfect regular season next Friday, when the Bulldogs face nonconference foe Mount Pleasant.

No. 11 Mooresville 49, AL Brown 7: The Blue Devils won their seventh straight game with a runaway win over a rival.

AL Brown (4-5, 2-4 Greater Metro 4 4A) got a short first-quarter touchdown run from CJ Gray, but Mooresville (8-1, 5-0) scored 49 straight points after that, sparked by an 86-yard kickoff return from AJ Graham that got the deluge going.

Mooresville QB Brody Norman threw four touchdown passes, connecting with Gavin Barber three time. Ja’Darius McCombs scored twice.

Norman finished 13 of 21 passing for 297 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a score. Barber caught three passes for 101 yards and three scores.

The victory set up a first-place showdown next Friday between Mooresville and neighborhood rival Lake Norman, with the Greater Metro 4 4A title at stake.

Kings Mountain 27, No. 12 Ashbrook 19: Josiah Hill scored on a 5-yard run with nine minutes left, giving the Mountaineers (6-2, 4-1 Big South 3A) a 24-19 victory, and Matthew Rhom added a 20-yard field goal with three minutes remaining. Ashbrook (7-2, 4-2) had rallied from a 14-0 deficit with three rushing touchdowns and took a 19-17 lead midway in the third quarter.

No. 13 South Point 47, Forestview 0: Eric Forston ran for two touchdowns, and Gavin Smith returned an interception 55 yards for a score, as the Raiders (6-1, 4-1) remained in a tie with Kings Mountain and Crest for first place in the Big South 3A. Forston scored on runs of 3 and 13 yards.

In other games involving Charlotte-area teams:

Albemarle 7, Union Academy 0: Vincent Gregory ran 7 yards for a touchdown with three minutes left, as the visiting Bulldogs (3-6, 1-2) won a defensive Yadkin Valley 1A-2A struggle. Union Academy (5-4, 0-3) drove to the Albemarle 19 in the final minute of the game but was unable to score.

Asheville School 42, Hickory Grove Christian 0: Asheville School showed little rust from four weeks of inactivity caused by Hurricane Helene’s impact in Asheville. Ricky Tolbert completed 14 of 22 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns, and Marvyn Larozar ran seven times for 82 yards.

Hickory Grove Christian finished the regular season 7-3, 1-3 in the NCISAA’s Big 6.

Central Cabarrus 23, Jesse Carson 14: The visiting Vikings (2-7, 2-4 South Piedmont 3A) ran for a touchdown with nine minutes left and held on for the victory.

Corvian Community 48, Pine Lake Prep 14: Cam Johnson scored on runs of 12, 29 and 47 yards, leading the unbeaten Cardinals (9-0, 6-0) to a Catawba Shores 1A-2A victory. A.J. Jackson threw touchdown passes of 47 yards to Doug Quarles III and 50 yards to Noah Best.

Best also scored on an 18-yard run, and Trey Duke scored on an interception return.

Pine Lake Prep fell to 2-7, 2-4.

Cox Mill 38, Hickory Ridge 35: Cox Mill won this battle of winless teams with a last-minute touchdown pass. The Chargers (1-8, 1-4 Greater Metro 4 4A) got their winning points on a 67-yard pass from Landon Stewart to Jordan Cleaves. Hickory Ridge fell to 0-9, 0-5.

Crest 35, Hunter Huss 6: The visiting Chargers (7-1, 4-1 Big South 3A) remained in a virtual tie with South Point and Kings Mountain for the conference lead and dropped the Huskies (4-3, 3-2) into fifth place. Hunter Huss scored in the game’s final minute to avoid a shutout.

Forest Hills 48, Parkwood 7: Jerel Bolder caught two touchdown passes, and Rodney Smith and Kylan Polk each scored two touchdowns, leading the Yellow Jackets (6-3, 3-1). Smith scored on a 55-yard run and on a 12-yard interception return. Polk ran for scores of 2 and 22 yards.

High Point Christian 49, Covenant Day 21: High Point Christian broke open a close game with 21 points in the third quarter and rolled to a victory that gave them the Big 6 championship. Tyler Elay threw a pair of touchdown passes in the victors’ third-quarter surge. The Cougars (9-0, 3-0) had led 21-14 at halftime.

Covenant Day (4-4, 3-1) kept it close in the first half on a 55-yard touchdown run by Teddy Helton and an 8-yard scoring run by Ramielle Broadway.

Lake Norman 29, South Iredell 25: The Wildcats scored on a short run with 53 seconds left, capping a come-from-behind Greater Metro 4 4A victory. South Iredell (5-4, 3-2) had built a 25-14 lead after three quarters, with Tyler Johnson throwing two touchdown passes to Brody Hunt.

But Lake Norman battled back, scoring on a 67-yard pass and two-point conversion with 11 minutes left, cutting South Iredell’s lead to 25-22. Then the Wildcats marched for the game-winning drive in the final minutes.

Lake Norman faces rival Mooresville next Friday.

Lake Norman Charter 23, South Stanly 21: David Wignot threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Major Leak with 40 seconds left, lifting the Knights (7-1) over South Stanly. Lake Norman Charter scored 17 first-half points, on a 45-yard pass from Wignot to Leak and a 12-yard Wignot-to-Cam Simpson pass, along with a Mark Viehmann field goal.

South Stanly took a 21-17 lead into the final quarter before the Knights rallied.

Lincolnton 20, Maiden 19: Lincolnton has been rallying all season, and the Wolves did it again Friday night. They trailed 19-0 early in the third quarter, but scored three times in the final two periods for the victory. The final Lincolnton touchdown came with five minutes left, and Dominic Sanchez kicked the deciding extra point.

Maiden (6-3, 4-2 Catawba Valley 2A) drove to the Lincolnton 34 in the final minute, but the Wolves (5-4, 5-1) intercepted to end the threat. Lincolnton started the season 0-4.

Mountain Island Charter 42, Carver 8: Grayson Harvey threw six touchdown passes, and the Raptors rolled to a Catawba Shores 1A-2A victory. Harvey threw scoring passes of 30, 60 and 18 yards to Justice Washington. Mountain Island Charter improved to 5-4, 4-2, while Carver is 3-6, 1-5.

North Lincoln 35, West Iredell 14: Shannon Wingate ran for three touchdowns, and the Knights (8-1, 5-1 Western Foothills 3A) dominated West Iredell (2-6, 0-5). North Lincoln faces rival East Lincoln in its regular-season finale next Friday.

Porter Ridge 42, R-S Central 17: Rai’Shawn Elmore scored two touchdowns, and Christian Myers threw a pair of touchdown passes, as the Pirates (5-4) logged a road victory in Rutherford County. Elmore also returned an interception 42 yards to set up a score. Ziggy Harris ran 38 yards for a Porter Ridge touchdown, and Myers threw scoring passes to James Antiweiler and Elmore.

Providence 76, Garinger 0: Jackson Debe ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more, leading the Panthers (3-5, 2-3) to a Southwestern 4A victory. Jaquarius Fields returned the game’s opening kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown, and Providence also scored on Hank Harris’ 10-yard fumble return and Bryce Taylor’s 40-yard punt return. Garinger fell to 0-9, 0-5.

SouthLake Christian 30, Asheville Christian 7: The host Eagles scored a Big 6 victory, improving to 4-4 and 1-3. Austin Williams rushed for 162 yards and had 50 receiving yards. Freshman quarterback John Balcerzak passed for 94 yards. It was Asheville Christian’s second game since the football program was restarted after Hurricane Helene.

Statesville 36, St. Stephens 7: The host Greyhounds (8-1, 5-1 Western Foothills 3A) rolled to victory, in preparation for their game next Friday against I-40 rival Hickory, which is 9-0 and defending state 3A champion.

Sun Valley 13, Marvin Ridge 10: Jaiden Morrow-Jones scored both touchdowns, as Sun Valley (7-2, 2-1) scored a Southern Carolina 4A victory. Marvin Ridge fell to 4-5, 1-2. The Mavericks finish the regular season against rival Weddington next Friday, while Sun Valley faces Porter Ridge.

West Lincoln 13, East Burke 6: West Lincoln (6-3, 4-2 Catawba Valley 2A) held off an upset bid by the Cavaliers (1-6, 0-4) and set up a showdown next Friday with county rival Lincolnton, which leads the conference.

West Rowan 42, Concord 0: The host Falcons (5-4, 4-2) took advantage of several Concord mistakes and powered to a South Piedmont 3A victory. Concord (4-5, 3-4) finished conference play and faces neighborhood rival A.L. Brown next Friday.