Indians beat Panthers on 50-yard Hail Mary pass

With 17 seconds left on the clock, down four points, the Chocowinity offense stood 50-yards away from a spot in the 8U championship game.

Running back Tequan Moore readied in the shotgun for a direct snap, two receivers to his left and two to his right, as the Washington defense prepared its blitz package.

Tequan Moore received the snap, rolled out to his right, eluded two defenders and launched a Hail Mary pass as far as he could throw it downfield. Wide open, Jacori Blount reeled in the pass, turned and took off another 20 yards, finding the end zone with no time left on the clock, securing a 14-12 win for the Indians.

It was a fitting end to a game defined by defense. For the Panthers, running back Keiveon Moore led all runners with 48 yards through the first 16 minutes, but neither team was able to find the end zone in the first half.

In the second half, Keiveon Moore added to his total with a 23-yard touchdown run that broke the score open. Just two minutes into the fourth quarter, Chocowinity answered, as Tequon Moore worked his way downfield with a handful of short yardage runs, eventually finding the end zone.

But the Panthers offense would not be denied and Keiveon Moore scored on what appeared to be the game-winning drive with 17 seconds left. However, it was not meant to be for the home team.

Keiveon Moore finished with 12 rushes for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while Tequon Moore notched six rushes for 32 yards and a touchdown.

 

8U: BELHAVEN BULLDOGS 18, GREENVILLE TITANS 6

Two-second half touchdowns lifted Belhaven to the win over Greenville in the first semi-final game of the afternoon at Kugler Field.

While both offenses were fairly unproductive in the first half, the Bulldogs found the end zone on the third play of the second quarter on a 15-yard run up the sideline from Qayshawn Artis. Artis led all running backs at halftime with 46-yards on the ground.

On their first drive of the second half, the Titans tied the game up after a couple of short-yardage runs from Riley Williams, one of which being a six-yard touchdown.

Knotted at six heading into the final quarter, both teams exchanged possessions, until a fumble by Greenville placed Belhaven in prime field position. Artis would score on a 12-yard run towards to pylon.

A 27-yard touchdown run by Artis later in the quarter sealed the victory for the Bulldogs.

Artis finished with three touchdowns and 124 yards on 20 carries, while Carter Hale led Greenville with 67 yards rushing.

The Bulldogs will face the Indians in the 8U championship game next Saturday.

 

10U: CHOCOWINITY INDIANS 24, WASHINGTON REDSKINS 18

In a game that featured multiple lead changes, the Indians booked their trip to Pinetown next week with a come-from-behind win against the Redskins.

There was certainly no shortage of offense in this 10U matchup and the scoring started early.

Using a medley of running backs — Wallace Burrus, Kevin Moore and Elijah Covington — the Redskins powered their way down field on a drive that lasted about four minutes. Eventually, it was Covington who broke free for a 32-yard run to chalk up six points for Washington.

Three minutes later, it was Indians running back Brandon Clark fighting for first downs and driving downfield. On his second double-digit-yard run of the drive, Clark went 10 yards up the middle for a touchdown, while also converting the extra point, giving Chocowinity an 8-6 lead.

Washington’s Ashton Woolard came through with an interception at the end of the first quarter, setting up the offense up to reclaim the lead. On the second play from scrimmage, Covington went 45-yards for a touchdown. The score was 12-8 at the half.

A 25-yard kickoff return by Omari Knight placed Chocowinity on the 25-yard line and on the first play, Clark found the end zone. A touchdown by Covington pushed the momentum back in Washington’s favor, but the fourth quarter was all Indians.

Another Clark touchdown with four minutes left sealed the win for Chocowinity.

 

10U: WASHINGTON SAINTS 28, GREENVILLE TITANS 0

The Greenville Titans were held to four yards of total offense in a heartbreaking semi-final loss to the Washington Saints.

The Saints were able to find the end zone in each of their four drives over the course of 32 minutes. Up 20-0 at the half, Washington’s offensive dominance forced a running clock in the second half, activated by the three-score lead.

Terry Moore led all rushers with 113 yards and two touchdowns on four carries, while Noah Manning notched 48 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. The other score came on a one-yard run from fullback Chase Williams in the second quarter.

The Saints will face the Indians next Saturday in the 10U championship game.

 

12U: GREENVILLE TITANS (GREEN) 6, WASHINGTON PATRIOTS 0

The big boys took the field in the next contest, featuring the Greenville Titans against the Washington Patriots in the first of two 12U semi-final games.

In a game where neither offense could get much going, it was the defenses that ended up being the difference makers.

The first half came and went with both teams struggling to move the ball.

The second half of the game began much like the first with very little offense coming from either team. However, after forcing a turnover, the Titans found themselves on their opponent’s side of the field. With such great field position, an inspired Greenville offensive line opened up space for a 30-yard touchdown run by Hutch Manning with 2:10 left in the third quarter.

That was the only points the Titans would need as their defense continued to harass the Patriots offense throughout the rest of the game.

Despite Washington’s best efforts, they were unable to come up with big plays when it mattered most, allowing Greenville to walk away with an 8-0 win.

 

12U: BELHAVEN BULLDOGS 22, GREENVILLE TITANS (BLACK) 0

The Belhaven Bulldogs faced off against the Greenville Titans (Black) in the next contest to see who would face the Titans (Green) in the championship game.

Greenville started the game with the ball on their own 39-yard line. Despite some success running the ball, the Titans were unable to put points on the board.

The Bulldogs were looking to take an early lead, but their drive stalled out before they could get anything going.

The Titans took over possession of the ball and, once again, began to run the ball right at the heart of the defense. However, Belhaven came to play, forcing a fumble that would be returned 34-yards by No. 8 for a touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion, the score was 8-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Despite Greenville’s best efforts to score Belhaven’s defense was unrelenting, forcing another turnover on the next drive.

The game was still close coming out of halftime, with only one score separating the two teams.

Belhaven’s offense started the third quarter with excellent field position after a timley kickoff return by Rashod Smith. Five plays later, the Bulldogs found themselves in the end zone for the second time today on a short run by Smith, widening their lead to 14-0.

The rest of the game was highlighted by Belhaven’s stalwart defense, who continually found itself in the opponent’s backfield, never allowing Greenville to get in any sort of rhythm.

The Bulldogs scored another touchdown late in the game to make it 22-0 and cap off the impressive performance.

Belhaven will face off against Greenville (Green) next weekend for the championship.