Page 2B
POSTGAME
HILLMAN
ASH
KM - Anthony Hillman, RB, 29-
170 rushing, 2 TDs. Matt Ash, QB,
13-106 rushing, 2 TDs; 4-7-46 pass-
ing t TD.
G - Josh Butler, RB, 14-132
rushing, 2 TDs. Adrian Grier, QB,
9-21-137 passing.
PLAY OF THE GAME
On the first play of the fourth
quarter, Kings Mountain quarter-
back Matt Ash hit slot back Kelly
Littlejohn with an 18-yard touch-
down pass to give the
Mountaineers the lead for good, 39-
33.
BY THE NUMBERS
NG 6.1413 | 04-33
KM 7 10 14 15 -46
FIRST QUARTER
5:48 - NG - Adrian Grier 4 yard
run. 81 yard drive, 15 plays.
5:29 - KM - Stanley Whitesides,
88 yard kickoff return (Evan Osteen
kick).
SECOND QUARTER
7:52 - NG - Josh Butler 29 yard
run. 53-yard drive, five plays fol-
lowing KM fumble.
6:47 - KM - Matt Ash 6 yard run.
(Osteen kick). 64-yard drive, four
lays.
6:32 - NG - Randy Thompson, 87
yard kickoff return (Duane
Buchanan pass from Grier).
hes KN Osteen 27 yard field
| goal. 82-yard drive, 13 plays. Key
‘plays 18 yard run by Hillman, 14
% yard run and 11-yard reception by
it McClain, and9-yard reception by
«Leach.
THIRD QUARTER
i 9:18 - KM - Ash, 5-yard run
i (Osteen kick). 53 yard drive, six
: plays. Key plays 18-yard run by
Z ey lr ee third and fourth,
iand 28-yard run by Ash to the six.
2" 7:15 - NG - Butler 25 yard run
i/(Robbie Hunter kick). 67 yard
‘drive, six plays, aided by pass in-
i! terference. Key play 20-yard recep-
#:tion by Thompson.
ii 2:54 - KM - Anthony Hillman, 3
siyard run (Osteen kick). 68 yard
:1drive, 10 plays. Key plays 20-yard
sirun by Ash and runs of 11, 9 and 17
2iyards by Hillman.
21 2:24 - NG - Duran Hill, 55 yard
i pass from Butler. 78 yard drive, 3
splays.
il 11:53 - KM - Kelly Littlejohn, 18-
#:yard pass from Matt Ash (Osteen
#ikick). 71 yard drive, 7 plays. Key
a [a 18 yard runs by Hillman and
ii McClain.
i 4:55 - KM - Hillman, 10-yard run
: (Osteen kick). 60-yard drive, 9
plays following NG fumble.
NOTABLE
i Kings Mountain running back
: Anthony Hillman had his #45 jer-
it: sey retired during a special half-
ii: time ceremony. Hillman finished
ii: his prep career with 5,618 yards
ii! rushing and 396 points.
i “He's such a great competitor,
iit and I think that’s what separates
i: him from being a very good back
it and being a great back. He's just a
iF competitor.”
i RON MASSEY
i Kings Mountain Coach
on Anthony Hillman
Herald/Times
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
Kings Mountain defensive tackle Gerald Smith (61) applies the pressure to North Gaston quar
terback Adrian Grier (4) in Friday’s Southwestern 3A Conference game at Gamble Stadium. KM
won 46-33.
JV Mounties finish 7-2-1
Kings Mountain High's JV
football team capped off one of
its best seasons in years
Thursday night with 23-0 victo-
ry at North Gaston.
The Mountaineers finished 7-
2-1 overall and were undefeated
in the Southwestern 3A
Conference.
Over the course of the season,
the Mountaineers tied Gaffney,
lost to Shelby by two points,
lost to Crest by two touch-
downs, edged East Rutherford
7-6 in overtime, and defeated
East Gaston, Forestview, Burns,
R-S Central, South Point and
North Gaston by huge margins.
Aquino Reynolds scored on
runs of five and 65 yards,
Cortney Smith scored on a 45
yard run, and Pablo Peralta
kicked a 26-yard field goal.
| GARY
From 1B
’
record was a 28-28 tie with
Kings Mountain, and in
Shelby’s state championship
season of ‘98 the only blemish
on the Lions’ slate was a 7-6
loss to Kings Mountain.
Of the 17 opponents who
have either beaten or tied KM
over the past five years, only
one team did not make the state
playoffs, and that was East
Rutherford which tied KM and
November 11, 1999
Burns for the ‘97 Southwestern
3A Conference title with a 9-1
overall record but lost a draw-
ing for a playoff berth.
Although the players, coach-
es and fans are disappointed
that the Mountaineers did not
qualify for the state playoffs
this year, we should not lose
sight of the big picture: that
Kings Mountain coaches and
players have established a tra-
dition of championship football
that ranks among the elite in
North Carolina, and they've
done it will a lot of class.
Be proud!
GAME
From 1B
over the past three seasons.
“It was nice for us to be able
to send our seniors out win-
ners,” Massey said. “The win
will give us something to build
on.” :
The contest was a wide-open
affair from the get-go, but it
took the Mountaineers a while
to get their offense in gear be-
cause North Gaston controlled
the ball for the entire first quar-
ter.
The Wildcats ran 25 plays in
the first period to only three (all
one-yard runs by Hillman) for
the Mountaineers. Still, KM
held the lead at the end of the
first quarter, 7-6, thanks to an
touchdown by Stanley
Whitesides, and Evan Osteen’s
extra point.
North Gaston, which finished
7-4 overall and fifth in the SWC,
drove the opening kickoff 89
yards to score on a four-yard
option keeper by quarterback
Adrian Grier. But the ‘Cats
missed their extra point at-
tempt.
After Whitesides’ kickoff re-
turn, the Wildcats drove to the
KM 10 before losing the ball on
downs.
After that - except for a cou-
ple of turnovers by both teams -
the lead changed hands on al-
most every possession. The
Wildcats chalked up 471 yards
total offense, and the
Mountaineers finished with
439. Quarterback Matt Ash
joined Hillman in the 100-yard
club with 106 yards rushing on
MOUNTAINEER
GRIDGRAPH
=
NG KM
First downs 21 22
Yds. rushing 269 393
Passes 14-24-1 4-70
Yds. passing 202 46
Fumbles lost 2 1
Yds. penalized 65 25
RUSHING
KM - Hillman 29-170, Ash 13-
106, Littlejohn 5-28, McClain 4-55,
Moore 2-34. NG - Butler 14-132,
Grier 10-76, Thompson 11-61.
PASSING
KM - ASH 4-70-46. NG - Grier 9-
21-1-137. Butler 2-2-0-65.
RECEIVING
KM - Littlejohn 1-18, Leach 1-9,
McClain 2-19. NG - Butler 3-31,
Smith 1-15, Thompson 3-69, Grier
1-10, Neely 2-24, Hill 1-55.
| would like to thank each
person who cast a vote for me
on November 2, 1999.
| am humbled by the support that |
received. | will do my best to serve
the children, the teachers, the staff
and our community.
Thank you,
Stella N. Putnam
Paid political advertisement by Stella Putnam
16 carries and two touch-
downs,, and 4-of-7 passing for
46 yards and a touchdown.
The Wildcats took advantage
of a KM fumble to take a 12-7
lead in the second period. After
picking up the loose ball, the
Wildcats marched 53 yards in
only five plays, with ace run-
ning back Josh Butler zig-zag-
ging through the KM secondary
for a 29-yard touchdown run.
The Mountaineers came back
with a 74-yard scoring drive,
sparked by Hillman'’s 28-yard
burst down the visitor’s side-
line. Kelly Littlejohn rambled 29
yards around left end to set up
a six-yard touchdown run on
which Ash faked to Hillman
and kept the ball around right
end while the entire North
Gaston defense was swarming
Dn ET ER
The lead was short-lived,
however, as North Gaston's
Randy Thompson returned the
ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a
touchdown. Grier passed to
tight end Duane Buchanan for a
two-point conversion which put
North back on top 20-14.
After an exchange of punts,
the Mountaineers drove from
their own 18 to the North
Gaston 10, and with time run-
ning out in the first half, had to
settle for a 27-yard field goal by
Osteen to cut the Wildcats’ lead
to 20-17 at intermission.
The Mountaineers drove the
second half kickoff 53 yards in
six plays, with Ash scoring on a
five-yard run around left end to
put KM on top 24-20.
The teams traded touch-
downs again, with Butler scor-
ing from 27 yards out for a 27-
20 North Gaston lead, and
Hillman going over from three
yards out to put KM back on
top 31-27.
North Gaston's offensive co-
ordinator, Bruce Clark, a former
KM assistant, went to his bag of
tricks and had Butler throw a
55-yard halfback pass to Duran
Hill to give the Wildcats a 33-31
lead with just 2:24 remaining in
the third period.
But that lead was short-lived,
also, as the Mountaineers
marched 71 yards with Ash hit-
ting a streaking Kelly Littlejohn
over the middle for an 18-yard
touchdown on the first play of
the fourth quarter, giving KM
the lead for good, 39-33.
Even though the KM defense
took a beating over the last half
of the season against some ex-
plosive SWC powers, it did
come up with two crucial stops
in the fourth period to put the
game on ice.
With North driving at the KM
40, Jason Feemster keyed on
RL ANINNS
"Butler and threw him for a one-
» yard loss, and after an incom-
plete pass Bryan Thornburg
dropped Grier for no gain to
force a fourth and 11 pass,
which fell incomplete.
Kings Mountain then drove
60 yards in nine plays, with
Hillman scoring from 10 yards
out to put the Mounties up 46-
33 with 4:55 remaining
North Gaston drove down- -
field again. Gene Neely caught
a big pass, and 20 yards in
penalties against KM (offside
and face mask) put the Wildcats
on the Mountaineer 30.
Linebacker Lee Rhodes picked
off a Grier pass and returned it
to the 27.
The Wildcats’ defense held
KM to three and out, but Bryan
Thornburg got off a high, 48-
yard punt with 1:55 left which
backed the Wildcats up to their
own 30. After Chris Hogue
dropped Butler for a five-yard
loss on a screen pass, the
Mountaineers leveled Grier
with a jarring hit which separat-
ed Grier and the ball, and KM’s
Torrey Cureton recovered.
HILLMAN
From 1B
an exceptional running back.
“Somewhere, somebody’s go-
ing to see past all these physical
things they look at and see
what he does on the football
field and know that he’s a win-
ner and a competitor, and
they're going to get one of the
finest running backs around,”
Massey says. “I feel like he’s got
a great future in front of him. If
he does what he needs to do to
be successful, then he will be.”
Hillman, who is not a man of
many words, has never been
one to seek attention but has in-
stead given the credit for his
success to his offensive line.
“He's appreciated our offen-
sive line every year that he’s
rushed,” Massey said. “The line
always enjoyed blocking for
him because he is always appre-
ciative of the job they did. They
get excited watching him run
over people.” !
Massey said a lot of colleges
have already shown interest in
Hillman, and with the college
season winding down he ex-
pects the recruiting process to
really heat up soon. Hillman is
likely to look to Massey and his
other coaches for advice in his
choice. Hillman has said he
would like to stay close to '
home, but he'll be looking at the
best opportunity athletically
and academically.
“I think we'll just sit down
and look at what's the best situ-
ation for him to be in, and we'll
go from there,” Massey said. “I
don’t think there's any
preference. A lot of people
would hope he would stay
around, but we have to see
what's best for him and what's
going to open up the most
doors for him academically and
athletically.
“We've got some other kids
that a lot of schools are looking
at, too,” he added. “Nobody's
made any legitimate offers yet.
We've still got some kids that
are taking the SAT. For the col-
leges, recruiting is a year-long
process but they're going to
start narrowing down their list
and start making strong bids
probably in late November and
early December.”
For Hillman, it will be an ex-
citing time and the fans who
have marvelled at the accom-
plishments of KM’s all-time
greatest back over the past
three years hope that the best
for him is still ahead.
Thank You for Your
Support During
The Election.
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