Bulldogs blanked by Bears
Published 4:39 pm Monday, September 9, 2024
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Bulldogs' Jamie Turbyfill (64), Dom Burleson (12), and Isaiah Belcher (15) wrap up Pisgah High quarterback Aaron Clark (12), throwing him for a three-yard loss early in the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders A stout front line and the entire Bulldog defense weren’t enough on a fourth-and-two play early in the first quarter as the Black Bears of Pisgah push just enough for a first down by half a yard.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders Bulldog quarterback Maddux Wilson (13) is brought down by Pisgah’s Payton Gunter (0), Jaxon Baustista (42), and several other Black Bears after a short gain midway through the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Bulldogs’ Isaiah Belcher (15) drags down Pisgah quarterback Aaron Clark (12) for a near safety, but Clark managed to get the throw off midway through the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders Hampton’s Maddux Wilson (13) tries to shove the Black Bears’ Jake Lowery (4) out of bounds after he hauled in a pass from Aaron Clark, but the push wasn’t enough as Lowery stumbled into the end zone to give Pisgah a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Bulldogs' Kaden Jones (1) slips as he tries to come back on a short quick-out pass from Maddux Wilson. The ball hits the ground incomplete as Pisgah’s Jacob Cruz-Reyes (21) defends on the play.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Black Bears’ Ben Frazier (9) comes down with the ball after it caromed off Dom Burleson’s (12) hands on a post route late in the second quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders A pack of Bulldogs wraps up Pisgah High’s Jake Lowery (4) after a short return on the opening kickoff Friday night inside the friendly confines of JC Campbell Stadium.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Hampton Bulldogs’ Dylan Campbell (78), Kaden Jones (1), and Isaiah Belcher (15) corral Pisgah’s Landon Pope (22) and take him to the turf after a short gain early in the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Black Bears’ Zach Ledford (72) hauls down Hampton quarterback Maddux Wilson (13) after a short gain late in the first half.
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Star Correspondent
On Friday night at J.C. Campbell Stadium, the Pisgah Bears of North Carolina put on a clinic of offensive and defensive continuity as they shut out the Hampton Bulldogs 35-0. The Bears opened the contest with a 10-play, 63-yard drive capped by a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Clark to Jake Lowery for a 7-0 lead.
“We have a young and inexperienced team, and they are a very hard team to handle,” Bulldogs head coach Michael Lunsford said. “This is a tough part of our schedule, and we have to fight through it. Our secondary is young, and we are smaller than a lot of teams we face. We are getting beat in the weight room.”
Hampton was forced to punt when a motion penalty on fourth-and-2 made it fourth-and-7. The Bears then went 85 yards on four plays, with Lowery again beating the Bulldog secondary on a 27-yard scoring play for a 14-0 advantage.
Hampton (0-3) was unable to establish its vaunted run game, and Dominque Burleson was held to 85 yards on 22 carries. The ‘Dogs never threatened the end zone. Landon Pope scored on a 12-yard run for Pisgah to make it 21-0 in the second period, and Hampton’s next drive was sabotaged by a holding penalty.
On third-and-long, Bulldog quarterback Maddux Wilson was intercepted by Marcelo Hernandez, and the Bears struck quickly with Clark finding freshman Kale Holloway on a 49-yard scoring pass to stake Pisgah to a 28-0 halftime advantage.
“Our season starts next week at Happy Valley,” Lunsford told his team after the contest. “We have to tackle better, and we did that in the second half,” Lunsford said.
The teams battled between the 20s for most of the second half, with Pisgah losing big yardage on a pair of errant shotgun snaps, but the ‘Dogs were not able to capitalize on the miscues.
Clark finished with four touchdown passes, with Lowery catching three of them, including the final one from 47 yards to cap the scoring. For Hampton, junior running back Peyton Townsend rushed for 30 yards on nine tries.
Pisgah 35, Hampton 0
Pisgah 14 14 7 0 — 35
Hampton 0 0 0 0 — 0
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
P – Lowery 26 pass from Clark (Messer kick), 7:40
P – Lowery 27 pass from Clark (Messer kick), 4:33
Second Quarter
P – Pope 12 run (Messer kick), 10:27
P – Holloway 49 pass from Clark (Messer kick), 5:51
Third Quarter
P – Lowery 47 pass from Clark (Messer kick), 3:15
