HICKORY – In a historic performance, quarterback Sean White led the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears to a resounding victory over the Shepherd Rams in the opening round of the NCAA Playoffs. White’s stellar performance saw him amass 398 passing yards, breaking a 104-year program record and surpassing the previous mark set by Brian Bryson in 1987. White’s impressive stat line included 25 completions on 31 attempts, five passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns.

The Bears dominated the game, securing a decisive 63-17 victory over Shepherd at Moretz Stadium in Hickory. With this win, Lenoir-Rhyne advanced to an 11-1 overall record, while Shepherd concluded their season at 9-3.

Key moments from the matchup included White’s flawless opening drive, where he went 10-for-10 for 65 yards, setting the tone for the game. The Bears displayed offensive prowess, recording six passing touchdowns – a feat achieved for the second consecutive game and a historic first in the program’s history.

The game statistics tell the tale of Lenoir-Rhyne’s dominance. White’s 405 total yards of offense broke an NCAA era program record, and the team registered a remarkable 617 total yards, with 461 yards coming through the air. The Bears showcased balance on offense, limiting the Rams to just 94 rushing yards on 32 attempts.

Individual performances highlighted Dwayne McGee’s 96 rushing yards on 16 carries, while Songa Yates continued his impressive form with six receptions for 141 yards, contributing to his back-to-back 100-yard games and five touchdowns over the past two weeks. Defensively, Jon Ross Maye recorded seven tackles and an interception, while Andre Jefferson contributed four tackles and two sacks.

Beyond the box score, the Bears set several records, including 461 passing yards, an 80 percent completion rate, and 8.9 yards per play – the second-highest in the NCAA Era. Jake Brown tied a record with nine made extra points, and Lenoir-Rhyne’s 617 total yards ranked as the sixth most in a single game in the NCAA Era.

Lenoir-Rhyne’s head coach, Mike Jacobs, secured his first win against Shepherd in three attempts and notched his fifth career playoff victory. Looking ahead, the Bears will face Super Region 2’s top seed, Benedict, next Saturday in Columbia, S.C., with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. As they continue their playoff journey, Lenoir-Rhyne aims to build on the momentum of their record-breaking performance and extend their success in the postseason.

CHAPEL HILL – Battle Holley’s East Duplin Panthers have scraped by in a few contests this season, including two against county rival Wallace-Rose Hill, but no game was closer for Holly’s squad than Saturday’s title game against Reidsville, the state’s winningest team. Guided by Avery Gaby’s 184 rushing yards and a timely play by safety Elam Moore, the Panthers were able to hang on for a 24-21 victory and the 2A state championship.

East Duplin took the opening kickoff and drove sixty yards down the field, with Avery Gaby’s clutch fourth down run extending the drive when it looked like the Panthers would be stopped. Gaby punched it in two plays later to give East Duplin an early 7-0 lead. Reidsville looked to respond but was forced to put after a penalty took the Rams out of a favorable fourth down conversion attempt. The subsequent punt was downed at the one-yard line.

East Duplin was able to put together a twelve-play drive, but two false start penalties stalled the Panthers’ progress and they were forced to punt. Reidsville’s offensive woes continued, and the Rams punted again. Playing out the script from the previous drive, East Duplin was methodically driving down the field, getting in the red zone, and looking to take a two-score lead before Reidsville defensive back Que’shyne Flippen ripped the ball out of the East Duplin runner’s arms at the four-yard-line and Jaden McCain picked it up for Rams, returning it sixteen yards. The Rams saw a chance to finally grab some momentum before the half and took it with a fourteen-play, eighty-one-yard drive, getting on the scoreboard with no time remaining on an Al Lee pass to Dionte Neal.

Reidsville seemed poised to ride the momentum into a lead on their first drive of the second half, but an East Duplin defense held the Rams to a field goal attempt. In what would be the most bizarre play on the day, the field goal was blocked and the ball bounced back to the Reidsville holder who did not seem to know that the ball was live. An alert Elam Moore grabbed the ball out of the Reidsville player’s hands and raced seventy yards the other way for the Panthers score.

As Reidsville looked to get back in the game, a Rams pass was tipped and hauled in by Breckin Bowles. The Reidsville defense stepped up and held the Panthers to a twenty-six-yard Darwin Bonilla field goal, keeping the margin at ten points going into the final quarter. The Rams defense stepped up again early in the fourth quarter, stopping East Duplin on downs and setting up a forty-yard Lee to Dionte Neal touchdown pass to make it a three-point game.

It was now up to the East Duplin offense to try and put the game away. In the first half, it was the Panthers’ penalties keeping them out of scoring position and keeping Reidsville in the game. On this final East Duplin drive, it was Rams penalties bailing out the Panthers. East Duplin thought they were putting the game out of reach when Zack Brown’s first completed pass found Kade Kennedy to put the Panthers up ten points, but Reidsville’s Dionte Neal ran the ensuing kickoff back for the Rams touchdown. An illegal touch penalty on the onside kick gave the ball to East Duplin who was able to run out the clock and claim the school’s first football state title.

Mountain Heritage
did their best to keep the powerful Rams offense off the field, holding
possession on the opening drive for more than eight and a half minutes of the
first quarter. As they did for the entire game, despite giving up a few first
downs, the Rams defense managed to get stops in key situations. Kahree Hayes
led the Rams defense with 10 tackles and was selected as the Rams Most
Outstanding Defensive Player.

When the Rams
finally got their hands on the ball, they were able to strike quickly when
Pinnix broke more than half a dozen tackles on his way to a 61-yard touchdown
with just 19 seconds to go in the opening quarter putting Reidsville in front
7-0.

The next Reidsville
possession was equally successful with Pinnix finding Cam Peoples for a 69-yard
touchdown pass to go up 14-0. The Rams closed out the half with a strong nine-play, 46-yard drive capped off by a fourth and goal, one-yard touchdown run by
Stevion Harrison with just nine seconds remaining before the half.

Breon Pass brought
a nice return of the second-half opening kick to the Mountain Heritage 35,
setting Reidsville up with a short field. The Rams made quick work of the 35
yards, covering it in four plays with Pass hauling in a six-yard touchdown pass
from Pinnix to go up 28-0. Pass hauled in 5 receptions with 88 yards and two
touchdowns as he was selected the Rams Most Outstanding Offensive Player.

Reidsville was
highly efficient, scoring four touchdowns on their first four possessions of the
game on the way to building that 28-0 lead. Pinnix finished the game with 229
yards through the air and 3 touchdowns. He added another 91 yards on the ground
with the one score on his way to being named the Most Valuable Player in the
game.

Mountain Heritage
moved the ball some on the ground, rushing for 241 yards on 58 plays. Gabe
Silvers, Cougars quarterback, handled most of the rushing duties for Mountain
Heritage, carrying 29 times for 123 yards in the game. He was selected as the
Most Outstanding Player for the Cougars. Jakob McCool was the Most Outstanding
Player for the Cougar defense, finishing the game with six tackles and an
interception.

Reidsville wrapped
up the season 10-0. The Rams were 4-0 in Mid-State 2A play, winning the
championship. Reidsville secured the program’s fifth straight Regional Title
and third straight State Championship.

Mountain Heritage
finished the season 7-2. The Cougars were 2-1 in Western Highlands 1A/2A play.
They won the program’s second regional title and appeared in the State
Championship Game for the first time since 2009.

The NCHSAA is
committed to recognizing and promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with
the NC Farm Bureau to highlight individuals from each State Championship event
who exemplify the ideals of outstanding sportsmanship. The 2020-2021 2A
Sportsmanship Award recipients were Orion Johnson from Reidsville and Josh Jobe
from Mountain Heritage.

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

0:19 – RHS – K.
Pinnix 61-yard run (A. Franson kick good) – RHS 7-0 (6 plays, 77 yards, 2:54)

Second Quarter

6:28 – RHS – C.
Peoples 69-yard pass from K. Pinnix (A. Franson kick good) – RHS 14-0 (1 play,
69 yards, 0:13)

0:09 – RHS – S.
Harrison 1-yard run (A. Franson kick good) – RHS 21-0 (9 plays, 46 yards, 4:06)

Third Quarter

10:52 – RHS – B.
Pass 6-yard pass from K. Pinnix (A. Franson kick good) – RHS 28-0 (4 plays, 35
yards, 1:08)

Fourth Quarter

4:59 – RHS – B.
Pass 53-yard pass from K. Pinnix (A. Franson kick good) – RHS 35-0 (5 plays, 87
yards, 2:12)

0:22 – MH – L.
Higgins 2-yard run (J. Branton rush failed) – RHS 35-6 (6 plays, 63 yards,
2:01)

Story courtesy of the NCHSAA