Daily Roundup: November 12, 2022
FOOTBALL
No. 6 North Brunswick 53, No. 22 Lee County 34
Second round NCHSAA 3A playoffs
***Click here to view a gallery of 28 photos from the action***
After falling behind by 11 points early in the third quarter, the Scorpions outscored the Yellow Jackets 36-7 over the final 22 minutes to advance to the third round for the first time since 2001.
North Brunswick (11-1) has never reached the fourth round of the playoffs. A win on Friday at No. 3 Seventy-First would end that streak.
“I’m so proud of our kids’ effort. At halftime, the old North Brunswick probably would have quit,” Scorpions coach Bryan Davis said. “We came out of the locker room and we felt like the law of averages would work out in our favor because we knew we were well prepared.”
Lee County (8-4) scored just before halftime to grab a 21-17 lead. The advantage grew to 28-17 following a 43-yard touchdown pass from Mark Schlesinger to Jayden Hill on the opening possession of the third quarter.
The Scorpions responded with a short scoring run from Jabril Dashiell. After recovering the ensuing onside kick, North Brunswick grabbed the lead for good on a 25-yard run from Eric Mosley.
Dashiell found the end zone four times. Junior quarterback TT Green got the scoring started with a 4-yard pass to Caden Cook.
“This is a great feeling because we worked really hard in the offseason and we’re still working hard,” Dashiell said.
Lee County cut the deficit to 39-34 on an impressive 47-yard touchdown run from BJ Brown with 9:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Needing a response, North Brunswick begin the next drive at its own 30-yard line. Green broke free for a 29-yard run on the second play to move the ball into Yellow Jackets territory.
The Scorpions faced a pair of third downs, but Green completed passes to Jayden Armstrong (16 yards) and Dachaune Green (18 yards) to pick up both of them.
“Those were absolutely two critical plays,” Davis said. “The one he threw to Jayden was overtop of a dropping linebacker, so he showed some great touch there.”
Green then called his own number for a 1-yard touchdown run that made it a two possession game with 5:35 to play.
Lee County turned the ball over on down on the ensuing drive, and North Brunswick sealed the victory by marching 57-yards in nine plays. The drive was capped by a 5-yard run from Dashiell.
Davis inherited a program that went 1-10 in 2017. His first team won just two contests, and the Scorpions were 15-25 over the next three years.
Despite the recent struggles, expectations were high entering the season thanks in large part to a talented group of juniors led by Dashiell, Green and Mosley.
Now, the Scorpions are one win away from doing something no other team has done in the 49-year history of the school.
“We’re going to come Monday ready to work and fix our mistakes,” Dashiell said. “We need to have a good week of practice and we’ll see where it takes us from there.”
BOYS SOCCER
No. 5 Cardinal Gibbons 2, No. 1 Hoggard 1
Fourth round NCHSAA 4A playoffs
***Click here to view a gallery of 25 photos from the action***
Kenan Leber buried a free kick into the upper right hand corner of the goal in the 69th minute, but the Vikings weren’t able to find the equalizer in a season-ending home loss.
Hoggard (23-2-1) set a new school record for wins in a season and reached the fourth round of the playoffs for the third time since 2017.
Cardinal Gibbons (16-5-3) opened the scoring in the 12th on a long free kick from Joseph Toupin. The advantage doubled in the 49th minute.
The Vikings had a pair of shots hit the post – one from Leber in the 38th minute and another from Jesus Juarez in the 46th minute.
No. 23 Apex Friendship 2, No. 11 Laney 0
Fourth round NCHSAA 4A playoffs
One of the best seasons in Laney history came to a close after the Patriots scored a pair of second half goals.
Apex Friendship entered the playoffs with a 9-10-1 record, but they have reeled off four consecutive victories to reach the East final.
Laney (21-3-1) was back in the fourth round of the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Cape Fear Academy 48, Grace Christian 39
Senior guard Markus Pastorcic-Straun scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the first half to help the Hurricanes earn their second victory in as many days.
CFA (2-0) outscored Grace Christian 17-9 in the second quarter to build a 10-point halftime lead.
Vytas Nausedas chipped in 10 points and Angelo Vega added nine. The Hurricanes knocked down five 3-pointers, but went just 7 of 17 from the free throw line.
Next up for CFA is a home game against Wilson Christian Academy on Monday at 6:30 p.m.
Cape Fear Academy 60, St. David’s School 27
From Friday
Eleven players scored in the dominant season-opening road victory.
Simeon Jeffers led the way with 11 points, all of which came in the opening eight minutes. CFA (1-0) also got eight points from Vytas Nausedas as well as seven a piece from Gups Clucas and Markus Pastorcic-Straun.
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