On a beautiful Saturday afternoon we're at Meares Stadium on the campus of Mars Hill College for college football between the Mars Hill Lions (3-1) and the Eagles of Carson-Newman College (3-2).Former Avery Vikings standouts Zach Johnson and Josh Johnson are in action today for the Lions against the Eagles. Live statistics of the game as it happens can be found following this link. We'll be following the action throughout today's game and provide intermittent updates throughout the contest. Thanks for reading!
Update #1: The two teams have exchanged punts to open today's game. Carson-Newman's second drive ends with a pair of sacks before kicking the ball for a second time. Mars Hill muffs the punt and the Eagles recover at the MH 11. Two plays later Eagles running back Buck Wakefield takes an option pitch seven yards for the touchdown. The Carlos Lopez PAT is good as the Eagles draw first blood, leading 7-0 with 6:02 left in the opening quarter.
Mars Hill is stuffed as a clipping penalty helps kill its ensuing series. Following the punt, C-N goes on the march again inside the Mars Hill 25. A long run by quarterback Alex Good moves Carson-Newman to the Lions 3 yard line as time expires in the first quarter. Carson-Newman leads Mars Hill 7-0 after one quarter of play.
Update #2: QB Alex Good finishes the drive with a two-yard sneak for a touchdown. Lopez's PAT increases the Eagles lead to 14-0 early in the second period. Mars Hill managed only one first down through the first quarter as the Eagles defense has been stout thus far.
Update #3: The Lions are on the board. A play-action fake sets up a 49-yard touchdown pass from Cruz to Josh Johnson. The PAT is good and the Lions have cut the lead to 14-7 with 9:42 left to play in the first half.
Carson Newman answers quickly on a reception by Reggie Hubbard, covering 75 yards to the Mars Hill 2-yard line. Good is back in for his second touchdown, a one-yard tote. The PAT is good and C-N leads 21-7 with 7:30 left in the half.Update #4: Lots of big hits out on the field this afternoon. Mars Hill has switched quarterbacks, bringing in Luis Cruz to replace Jon Richt. The Lions appear invigorated as they have marched inside the red zone. A clipping penalty bites the Mars Hill offense again, pushing the Lions outside the 30 yard line. Two plays later and the Lions are faced with a fourth down decision whether to try a long field goal or go for a first down. A big sack by Carson-Newman's Ryan Helton quells the drive and turns the ball over on downs with under four minutes to play.
Update #5: The Lions defense rises up to force a punt from the Eagles. Trailing 21-7, Mars Hill will look to cut the C-N lead before intermission. A run play for a loss, a sack, and a personal foul penalty assessed against Mars Hill pins the Lions inside its own 10-yard line. The Eagles take a time out following third down to force a Lions punt from their own end zone with 51 seconds left to play.
Carson Newman receives a punt and starts a drive from the Mars Hill 31 yard line. A pair of penalties push the Eagles back to the 41, but a pass from Good to Charles Dobson covers the real estate for a touchdown with 38 seconds left. The PAT is good and Carson Newman pads its lead to 28-7.
Mars Hill's first play following the touchdown is an interception thrown by Cruz to Jermel Demps of Carson Newman. The Eagles run out the clock to end the first half with Carson Newman leading 28-7 over Mars Hill. We'll bring more action from Mars Hill coming up.
Update #6: Back for second half action at Mars Hill as the Lions look to dig out of a 28-7 hole. Mars Hill gets the first offensive possession of the third quarter. A long run play (65 yards) by Jonas Randolph moves the Lions inside the ten-yard line. The Lions punch it into the end zone on a Garrison McDowell one-yard run. The PAT is successful to cut the Carson-Newman lead to 28-14 with 12:43 left in the third period.
Carson Newman answers yet another Lions score with its own scoring drive. A Buck Wakefield one-yard tote to cap a 9-play, 81-yard drive extends the Eagles lead to 35-14 with 9:22 to play in the third quarter.
Update #7: A Richt pass was intercepted by P.J. Woods of Carson Newman. The return is brought back into Mars Hill territory where the Eagles take over possession leading by 21. Two plays later, however, the Eagles cough up the football and Mars Hill recovers to get the ball back.
On second down, a double reverse play was ran by Mars Hill with Josh Johnson set to pass on the play. Tricky play call was sniffed out by the Eagles, however, forcing Josh to throw the ball out of bounds rather than take a loss or risk an interception. The Lions are held on third down and punt the football back to the Carson Newman 36-yard line.
Update #8: Mars Hill's defense forces a punt by the Eagles. Mars Hill looks to kick the offense back into gear as the third quarter winds down under two minutes to play.
Update #9: A 36-yard pass completion moves the Eagles to the Mars Hill 13-yard line. Carson Newman looks poised to put this game out of reach as the third quarter expires. 35-14 Eagles lead it.
Update #10: Eagles strike again on a Wakefield nine-yard run to the corner pylon. The PAT is good and Carson Newman is up 42-14 with 14:16 left to play.
Update #11: Mars Hill adds a touchdown immediately after the Eagles score when Demetrius Smedley returns the kickoff 95 yards to pay dirt. The PAT closes the game to 42-21. Mars Hill will need to make multiple stops on defense to narrow the gap.
It's over in Charleston. A Jason Vitaris field goal wins it for the Mountaineers over The Citadel. Final Score: ASU 30, Citadel 27.
Update #12: Jonas Randolph breaks off a huge run for the Lions to set them up quickly inside the red zone. Randolph has 175 yards on 20 rushes so far. A quick touchdown can make things interesting. Mars Hill scores on a two-yard pass to Josh Crumpton. The PAT is good and the Lions cut the lead to 42-28 with the six play, 60 yard scoring drive. 9:12 remains in the contest and Mars Hill looks to make another defensive stand to draw closer.
Update #13: Buck Wakefield is chewing up yardage for the Eagles. Wakefield breaks away for a 41-yard rush inside the Mars Hill 10. Two plays later Alex Good slides into the end zone for another touchdown run. With 4:54 left on the clock, the Eagles lead has been increased to 49-28. The touchdown caps a 9-play, 83-yard drive that chewed up over four minutes off the clock.
For the Lions, Zach Johnson has tallied nine tackles, good for second on the club today behind ten from teammate Josh Baker.
Update #14: A Mars Hill fumble is picked up by Ellitte Jackson, who rumbles 40 yards for another Carson Newman touchdown. The PAT was blocked by the Lions, but the Eagles appeared headed for a win, leading 55-28 with 2:51 left to play.
Josh Johnson picks up his second reception of the day on Mars Hill's next drive, a 16-yarder to pick up a first down. A fourth down pass play is incomplete as the Lions turn the football over on downs back to Carson Newman. 1:19 remains to play and the Eagles will advance to 4-2 on the season, while Mars Hill drops to 3-2. The final score from Meares Stadium in Mars Hill, NC: Carson Newman 55, Mars Hill 28.
We'll post a couple of more photos momentarily. Thanks for reading the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog!
