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The South’s Dalton Jones of Buffalo (right) and Jace Caldwell (6) of Spring Valley stop the North’s Brody Hall of North Marion (12) in the North-South game Saturday at South Charleston High School.
The South’s Leonard Farrow of Oak Hill carries the ball around the North’s Hudson Clement of Martinsburg for a touchdown in the North-South game Saturday at South Charleston High School.
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The South’s Dalton Jones of Buffalo (right) and Jace Caldwell (6) of Spring Valley stop the North’s Brody Hall of North Marion (12) in the North-South game Saturday at South Charleston High School.
The South’s Leonard Farrow of Oak Hill carries the ball around the North’s Hudson Clement of Martinsburg for a touchdown in the North-South game Saturday at South Charleston High School.
The first words out of Brad Dingess’ mouth while being interviewed by media following the North-South Classic football game at South Charleston High School were spoken with a big exhale.
“It’s about time,” the South Cardinals coach from Spring Valley High School said. “It’s about time.”
Four turnovers were too much for the North Bears to overcome in the annual all-star contest as the South Cardinals snapped a five-game losing streak with a 30-13 victory.
“Our kids showed a lot of guts. We hit a little bit of adversity, it was a little wild there in the first half,” Dingess said. “I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage, the defense played well and we made plays when we had to.”
The South’s ability to come away with a win had a lot to do with the running game, led by the Cardinals MVP, Oak Hill’s Leonard Farrow, who carried 11 times for 44 yards and a touchdown that extended the lead to two possessions in the fourth quarter.
“They came out the whole second half and were trying to run some clock, which I would, too,” North coach Brian Thomas of Musselman said. “The game plan was good, it was smart, but we just didn’t make plays and get off the field.”
Buffalo’s Dalton Jones set up the game’s first score when he intercepted Brody Hall of North Marion and returned it nearly 40 yards, allowing the South Cardinals to begin their first possession at the North 25-yard line.
An offsides call against the Bears on fourth-and-4 and a fourth-down conversion later in the drive set up Spring Valley’s Ty Bartrum, who leaped over the pile at the goal line for a touchdown. Bartrum threw a 2-point conversion to Huntington High defensive lineman James Scott, who lined up as a fullback on the play, and the South took an 8-0 lead out of the first quarter.
A second turnover by the North deep in its own territory led to the South extending its lead before halftime. North Marion’s Hall fumbled and Buffalo’s Drew Clendenin recovered. After a penalty on the North, the South had first-and-goal.
Independence quarterback Logan Phalin capped off the drive with a 1-yard keeper, diving into the end zone with 4:22 left in the second quarter to extend the lead to 14-0. The 2-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
Taking possession with less than five minutes left in the first half, the North needed a quick response and got it when North Marion teammates Brody Hall and Tariq Miller connected on a 40-yard pass to give the Bears a first-and-goal at the 4-yard line.
The Bears, though, were stuffed on four consecutive running plays and turned the ball over on downs at the South 3 with 1:02 left in the second quarter.
But the Bears defense would ensure they got another chance before the break, when Miller intercepted Logan Phalin and then Hall found Grafton’s Kaden Delaney on the final play of the half for a touchdown. Hayden Pack’s extra point made it 14-7 in favor of the South, but brought the North right back into the game.
A penalty-ridden drive that milked more than six minutes off the clock in the third quarter nearly pulled the North even with the South before a missed extra point. Bridgeport’s Landyn Reppert rumbled in from 1 yard out and brought the North Bears within a point, 14-13, before Pack missed the extra-point attempt.
The South was flagged five times on the drive leading up to the touchdown, resulting in 53 penalty yards from two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties, a facemask and two offsides calls.
It came down to execution and the South found an answer when it mattered most.
Oak Hill running back Leonard Farrow led a scoring drive for the Cardinals that he capped with an 8-yard touchdown run with just under six minutes remaining in the game. Maddex McMillen, of Woodrow Wilson, then found Spring Valley’s Ty Bartrum for the 2-point conversion.
McMillen set the final score with a 1-yard quarterback keeper in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, with a 2-point conversion throw to Clendenin.
Despite throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble, North Marion’s Brody Hall was named the North MVP after throwing for 109 yards and a touchdown and running for another 41 yards. His teammate Tariq Miller caught three passes for 87 yards to lead the Bears.
South — Bartrum 2 run (Scott pass from Bartrum)
South — Pauline 1 run (conversion failed)
North — Delaney 5 pass from Hall (Pack kick)
North — Reppert 1 rush (kick failed)
South — Farrow 7 run (Bartrum pass from McMillen)
South — McMillen 1 run (Clendenin pass from Bartrum)
PASSING: North -- Hall 6-11, 109 yards, one interception; Greathouse 1-1, 4 yards. South -- McMillen 6-12, 73 yards; Phalin 0-of-2, one interception
RUSHING: North -- Hall 14-41, Reppert 8-14, Hamric 1-9, Lawrence 2-3. South --Farrow 11-44, Smith 7-31, McMillen 6-17, Phalin 5-8
RECEIVING: North -- Miller 3-87, Chapman 1-9, Paulsen 1-8, Delaney 1-5. South -- Bartrum 2-35, Hatfield 2-29, Cook 1-5, Bailey 1-4
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