Wolves Beat Wingate, Secure Spot In SAC Championship
Source: newberrywolves.com
Facing the fifth best rushing defense in the country, sophomore Mario Anderson (Summerville, S.C.) exploded for 184-yards on just 14 carries to not only score two touchdowns for the No. 22 Newberry College (8-2,6-2 SAC) football team, but also setting a new single-season record for rushing yards with 1,416 on the year as they Wolves turned in the 24-15 win over No. 20 Wingate in their final regular season contest.
With the win the Wolves end up in a four-way tie atop the Piedmont Division which the Wolves win by virtue of a 2-1 head-to-head record against the tied teams and the head-to-head victory over Wingate, who also held a 2-1 head-to-head record against those teams. Newberry will play host to Mars Hill in the SAC Championship game next weekend in Newberry, S.C.
Despite having the ball for only 16:29 of the ball game, the Wolves were able to tally 292 yards of offense and get big plays from their special teams and defensive units to secure the win. Graduate Dre Harris (Greenville, S.C.) completed seven passes on the day for 129 yards.
Junior Chucky Roach (Sumter, S.C.) led the team with eight tackles while senior AJ Valentine (Johnston, S.C.) also recorded eight tackles, including 1.5 TFLs on the day. Freshman Jalen Stradford (Rock Hill, S.C.) tallied six tackles on the day and added an interception to his stat line. Junior Malik Devine-Brown (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and sophomore Khris Walton (Marrillville, Ky.) each combined for the lone sack for the Wolves on the day.
After the Wolves were forced off the field in their first drive of the contest, the Bulldogs were able to drive down the field for an 11-play drive that ended with three points on the board for Wingate. Newberry was quickly forced off the field in their second drive as well but would stonewall the Wingate offense again in the redzone forcing a field goal attempt. The momentum would then start to swing in the Wolves favor as Valentine would bust through the line and block the field goal attempt that was returned 60-yards by junior Melvin Lundy (Sumter, S.C.) to give Newberry their first lead at 7-3.
The next Wingate drive would come to an early close as Stradford would pull in the interception at the Wingate 41-yard line and set the Wolves up with fantastic field position. Just four plays later Anderson would record his first touchdown of the day as he scampered with from 14-yards out to give Newberry the 14-3 advantage. The two teams would trade field goals in the final two drives of the opening half as the Wolves held the 17-6 lead at the halftime break.
Wingate was able to pick up another field goal to start off the third quarter to pull back within eight points before the two teams would trade scoreless drives. The Wolves picked up their second drive of the quarter following a touchback by the Bulldogs, and it would take just three plays for the Wolves to put points on the board as accounting for 70-yards of the 80-yard drive, Anderson dove for the pylon after a 63-yard sprint that not only gave the Wolves the 24-9 lead but would push him over the old record mark of 1,301 on the season.
While the Wolves would not score another point in the contest, the defense would continue to hold strong until just under a minute remaining in the game when Wingate scored their first touchdown, but the Wolves would line up in victory formation after a failed onside kick by the Bulldogs gave them possession and the rounded out their 24-15 win.
A week separates the Wolves and a date with the Lions of Mars Hill University for the SAC Championship that’s slated for a 1:00 p.m. kick-off.
Source: newberrywolves.com
Facing the fifth best rushing defense in the country, sophomore Mario Anderson (Summerville, S.C.) exploded for 184-yards on just 14 carries to not only score two touchdowns for the No. 22 Newberry College (8-2,6-2 SAC) football team, but also setting a new single-season record for rushing yards with 1,416 on the year as they Wolves turned in the 24-15 win over No. 20 Wingate in their final regular season contest.
With the win the Wolves end up in a four-way tie atop the Piedmont Division which the Wolves win by virtue of a 2-1 head-to-head record against the tied teams and the head-to-head victory over Wingate, who also held a 2-1 head-to-head record against those teams. Newberry will play host to Mars Hill in the SAC Championship game next weekend in Newberry, S.C.
Despite having the ball for only 16:29 of the ball game, the Wolves were able to tally 292 yards of offense and get big plays from their special teams and defensive units to secure the win. Graduate Dre Harris (Greenville, S.C.) completed seven passes on the day for 129 yards.
Junior Chucky Roach (Sumter, S.C.) led the team with eight tackles while senior AJ Valentine (Johnston, S.C.) also recorded eight tackles, including 1.5 TFLs on the day. Freshman Jalen Stradford (Rock Hill, S.C.) tallied six tackles on the day and added an interception to his stat line. Junior Malik Devine-Brown (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and sophomore Khris Walton (Marrillville, Ky.) each combined for the lone sack for the Wolves on the day.
After the Wolves were forced off the field in their first drive of the contest, the Bulldogs were able to drive down the field for an 11-play drive that ended with three points on the board for Wingate. Newberry was quickly forced off the field in their second drive as well but would stonewall the Wingate offense again in the redzone forcing a field goal attempt. The momentum would then start to swing in the Wolves favor as Valentine would bust through the line and block the field goal attempt that was returned 60-yards by junior Melvin Lundy (Sumter, S.C.) to give Newberry their first lead at 7-3.
The next Wingate drive would come to an early close as Stradford would pull in the interception at the Wingate 41-yard line and set the Wolves up with fantastic field position. Just four plays later Anderson would record his first touchdown of the day as he scampered with from 14-yards out to give Newberry the 14-3 advantage. The two teams would trade field goals in the final two drives of the opening half as the Wolves held the 17-6 lead at the halftime break.
Wingate was able to pick up another field goal to start off the third quarter to pull back within eight points before the two teams would trade scoreless drives. The Wolves picked up their second drive of the quarter following a touchback by the Bulldogs, and it would take just three plays for the Wolves to put points on the board as accounting for 70-yards of the 80-yard drive, Anderson dove for the pylon after a 63-yard sprint that not only gave the Wolves the 24-9 lead but would push him over the old record mark of 1,301 on the season.
While the Wolves would not score another point in the contest, the defense would continue to hold strong until just under a minute remaining in the game when Wingate scored their first touchdown, but the Wolves would line up in victory formation after a failed onside kick by the Bulldogs gave them possession and the rounded out their 24-15 win.
A week separates the Wolves and a date with the Lions of Mars Hill University for the SAC Championship that’s slated for a 1:00 p.m. kick-off.
