SPORTS
Thursday, December 17, 1998
Tri-County Ranking
Rank Record LW
1-K. Mtn. 14-2 i]
2 - Shelby 13-2 2
3 - Ashbrook 13-1 3
4 - E. Ruth. 10-2 4
5 - Chase 10-3 5
6 - Crest 6-6 6
7 - Burns 8-5 7
8-N. Gaston 7-4 8
9 - S. Point 5-6 9
10 - Cherry. 5-6 10
11 - E. Gaston 3-8 11
12 - Huss 3-8 12
13-RS Cent. 3-8 13
14 - B. City 0-11 14
15 - Forestview 0-11 15
Last Week’s Results
(NCHSAA Championship)
1A
Sanat 22, N. Edgecomb
2A
Shelby 33, Tarboro 14
3A
W-S Carver 33, K. Mtn. 28
4A
Richmond Co. 36, Garner 6
Mountaineer Gridgraph
KM WSC
First downs 12 22
Yds. rushing 175 238
Yds. passing 146 185
Passes 5-10 9-20
Fumbles/lost 4-1 2-1
Penalties 6-60 3-19
Punts 6-39.2 3-440
Score by quarters: T
KM14 14 0 0 28
WsC14 13.0. "6 33
K - Kendrick Bell 79-kickoff
return (Ben Howell kick)
C - Courtney Weaks 2 run
(Wesley Gant kick)
KM - Anthony Hillman 25 run
(Howell kick)
C - Jamile Jackson 13 pass
from Weaks (Gant kick)
K - Jamal Byers 72 pass from
Anthony Ash (Howell kick)
C - Lashun Peoples 45 yd run
(Gant kick)
C>
Tyre Kirby 15 run (kick failed)
KM - Anthony Hillman 4 run
(Howell kick)
C - Jackson 21 pass form
Weaks (run failed)
RUSHING
KM - Anthony Hillman 15-
115, Anthony Ash 8-42, Joe
Williamson 5-31, Jamal byers 3
(-13). Carver - Lashun Peoples
6-83, Tyre Kirby 13-65, Tauric
Rice 13-42, Courtney Weaks
12-26, Tavaris Gregg 4-22.
PASSING
KM - Ash 5-10-0-146. C -
Weaks 9-20-0-185.
RECEIVING
KM - Kendrick Bell 3-67,
Jamal Byers 1-72, Chad Jones
1-7. Carver - Jamile Jackson 4-
81, Lashun Peoples 3-48, Ryan
Braham 1-55, Tyre Kirby 1-1
PUNT RETURNS
KM - Kendrick Bel 1-27,
Landon Benton 1-2. C -
Peoples 1-18, Rice 2-3.
KICK RETURNS
KM - Kendrick Bell 2-82,
Chad Jones 1-2, Joe
Williamson 2-31. Carver -
Peoples 4-100, Rice 1-11.
TACKLES
KM - Kelee Thompson 16,
Landon Benton 9, Frank
Hopper 8, Kevin Young 7,
Antonio McClain 6, Michael
Thompson 6, Lee Rhodes 5,
Karl Burch 5, Torrey Cureton
4, Jamar Moore 3, Jason
Feemster 3, Dwayne Littlejohn
1, Chad Jones 1, bryan
Thornburg 1, Qwenshon
Goode 1, Jeremy Harris 1,
Brad Bridges 1.
WSC - Marcus Gray 6,
Adrian McCloud 5, Dwayne
Little 5, Lashun Peoples 4,
Allen Pinkney 4, Sean Wilkes
4, Michael Lowe 4, Wesley
Talbert 3, Leon Moore 3, James
Transou 2, Keith Miller 2,
Kevin Vaughn 2, John
Sturdivant 2, Ben Hines 2,
Bernard Cain 1, Al Porter 1,
Ryan Braham 1, Brandon
Johnson 1, Willie Daniels 1,
David Edwards 1.
‘Carver and Ron Massey of Kings Mountain - said
Herald/Times
Page 1, Section B
Late stinger preserves Carver win
over Mounties in state 3A finals
Yellow Jackets get first title win
in 33-28 come from behind effort
Prior to Friday's state 3A championship foot-
ball game at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, both
head coaches - Keith Wilkes of Winston-Salem
one of the keys to victory would be keeping the
ball away from the other team’s talented offense.
After a wild first half shootout which saw the
Mountaineers grab a 28-27 lead at intermission,
the Yellow Jackets” defense dominated the second
half and their offense was able to put a late fourth
quarter touchdown on the board for a 33-28 win
and their first-ever state title.
The victory gave the Yellow Jackets an unde-
feated season (16-0) and a two-year record of 28-
2. The Mountaineers completed their best season
in history with a 14-2 record.
The fast Yellow Jackets broke open a second
half defensive battle with a game-winning 91-
yard drive late in the fourth quarter, capped by a
21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback
Courtney Weaks to wide receiver Jamile Jackson
with 3:02 remaining.
The Mountaineers, who had been held to three
and out on their first four possessions of the sec-
ond half, mounted a potential game-winning
drive but it ended on the Carver 29-yard line after
Kendrick Bell caught a seven-yard pass but fum-
bled after a jarring hit by Carver defensive back
Allen Pinkney.
The game was anything but a defensive strug-
gle in the first half as the two teams combined for
55 points and over 500 yards total offense. The
See Carver, 2B
N
WORK ON WINNING STRATEGY - Kings Mountain High's of-
fensive coordinator Dave Farquharson, left, and head coach
Ron Massey try to work up a winning play in Friday's state
championship football game at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.
RN RNR 3X 3X LL
THE BIG STING - Winston-Salem Carver defensive back Allen Pinkney (25) lowers his head and shoulder into
the midsection of Kings Mountain wide receiver Kendrick Bell (11) following Bell's seven-yard reception at the
30 yard line in potential game winning drive by Mountaineers in Friday's state championship game at UNC's
Kenan Stadium. The jarring hit knocked the ball loose, and the Yellow Jackets recovered to preserve their 33-
28 victory.
Mountaineers can feel proud
of their ‘98 accomplishments
.. Who can ask more of a man
than giving all within his span
Giving all it seems to me
is not so far from victory
-George Moriarty
There weren't many happy
people on the Kings Mountain
sidelines after Friday night's 33-
28 loss to Winston-Salem
Carver in the state 3A champi-
onship at Chapel Hill’s Kenan
Stadium.
Tears were flowing down the
cheeks of the Mountaineer play-
ers, coaches and fans, and the
hurt inside ran deep.
The school’s first state foot-
ball championship was well
within reach late in the fourth
quarter, but Carver drove for
the winning touchdown pass,
then stopped a potential game-
winning drive by the
Mountaineers in the final two
minutes.
No doubt, players and coach-
es have replayed the game over
and over, trying to figure out
what they did wrong. But, they
didn’t do anything wrong, and
Gary Stewart
Editor
hopefully soon they will be able
to look back and feel good
about their accomplishments
during what was by far the
most remarkable season the
school has ever had.
During the post-game huddle
with his players, which has be-
come a ritual at KMHS, Coach
Ron Massey held back his tears
as he congratulated his players
on a great season, but it was
hard for him to hold back at the
post-game press conference.
“The tears are not for me, but
for our seniors and all the kids
that have given so much to our
program,” he said. “When they
hurt, we hurt. You don’t spend
16 weeks together in the off-
season and not care for each
~ other”
That night, and several times
since, Massey has expressed
how proud he is of his team’s
accomplishments and the way
they handled Friday's loss with
class.
“I'm very proud of the effort
our kids gave,”he said. “We've
had a great run. Our seniors
have set numerous records.
We'll be back someday. Our
kids will bounce back once
they've realized what they've
done.”
Massey said that game, and
sports in general, came into
clear perspective for him
Saturday morning when he
attended a meeting of the State
Football Coaches Association in
Chapel Hill and learned that the
son of one of his coaching
friends from Cumberland
County is facing a kidney trans-
plant.
“That made me understand
that winning a state champi-
onship is a great thing, but
there are a lot of things we need
See Gary, 3B
12 Mountaineers All-Conference
Hillman player of the year,
Massey selected top coach
.
RRR
GIVES KM THE LEAD - SWC Player of the Year Anthony Hillman scores from four yards out, and
Ben Howell followed with an extra point, to give the Mountaineers a 28-27 halftime lead in Friday's
state championship game with Winston-Salem Carver at UNC's Kenan Stadium. Carver came
from behind in the fourth quarter to win 33-28.
Kings Mountain High's
record-setting running back,
Anthony Hillman, and other
members of the team are now
racking up the rewards of the
team’s most successful football
season in history.
Hillman Monday was named
the Southwestern 3A
Conference Offensive Player of
the Year and joined 11 of his
teammates on the All-
Conference team.
In addition, Mountaineer
Coach Ron Massey was voted
SWC Coach of the Year for the
second time in three seasons.
Kings Mountain placed nine
players on the first team, and
three on the second team.
Joining Hillman on the first
team offense were quarterback
Anthony Ash, wide receiver
Kendrick Bell, and linemen
Julius Curry, Mariko Feemster
and Kareem Marshall.
Mountaineers on the first
team defense were lineman
Frank Hopper, linebacker Kelee
Thompson, and defensive back
Landon Benton.
Kings Mountain wide receiv-
er Joe Williamson made the sec-
ond team offense; and lineman
Michael Thompson and
linebacker Lee Rhodes made
the second team defense.
Hillman, Bell, Hopper, Curry,
Feemster, Benton and Marshall
were on the All-SWC teain for
the second year in a row.
East Rutherford defensive
end Chavis Smith was voted
SWC Defensive Player of the
Year.
Others on the first team of-
fense were linemen Barry Lee,
Jason Randolph and Chavis
Smith of East Rutherford, wide
receiver Randy Thompson of
North Gaston, and running
back Jeremy Jackson of South
Point.
See All-SWC, 3B