Hargrave Takes Down Tar Heels in Chapel Hill
Big first quarter propels Tigers to 34-7 victory
Chapel Hill, NC – Hargrave running back Keiland Williams rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns, while fellow tailback Mike Ford reached the century mark with 102 yards on the ground to rush the Tigers past the University of North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday evening.
Under the lights of Kenan Stadium on the beautiful campus UNC- Chapel Hill, it was the Hargrave Military Academy post graduates that came out on fire. On the first possession of the game it took the HMA offense just 1-play and 11 seconds to find the end zone for the first of five touchdowns. Running back Keiland Williams followed the block of the offensive line and full back Cedric Hickman to break free into the secondary and into the end zone for a 75 yard touchdown run to put the Tigers up 7-0 early in the first quarter.
On the ensuing possession for the Tar Heels, Hargrave cornerback Ryan Brinson picked off the first down pass attempt by UNC and took it all the way down to the 1-yard line, where fullback Cedric Hickman would take it in on the next play for a touchdown. The Stephan Phillips extra point gave Hargrave a 14-0 lead less than a minute into the first quarter.
The next possession would prove to be much of the same for UNC. The Tar Heels had a hard time getting anything going in the first half. The Hargrave defense kept the home team in check throughout the game, forcing five interceptions and a fumble to give the Tiger offense the ball back with great field position for the entire game.
Linebackers Darius Dewberry and Rhakeem Smith, along with cornerbacks Anthony Johnson and Ryan Brinson (two interceptions) almost had more pass receptions than the entire Tar Heel receiving corp.
After another pair of Keiland Williams touchdown runs put HMA up 28-0, it was punt returner Ryan Brinson, who also intercepted two passes, took a UNC punt back 68-yards for the final score of the game in the third quarter to lead Hargrave to a 34-7 advantage.
The Hargrave running game was very effective. Nine Tigers combined for over 350 yards of offense. Running backs Joel Ellerbe, Alfonso Wells, Mike Hazel, Al Pierce, George Helow, along with Williams, Ford, and Hickman all got in on the action. Quarterback Jarrett Dunston also carried for 25 yards on the night.
Defensively the Tigers were paced by the linebacking corp and secondary. Zaire Kitchen, Corey Goodson, Khalil Conteh, Adam Stewart, Ross Hagberg, Merf Trout, Mario Harvey, Doug Wilson, Chris Jaeger, Malcolm Robertson, Charles Owens, along with Brinson, Dewberry, and Smith helped lead the charge versus the Tar Heels.
The offensive line proved that they could move the very athletic Carolina defensive line. Matt Hardrick, John Jerry, Mike Harness, Jon Meldrum, Brian Kelly, Andrew Farr, Cole Baucom, Andrew Timme, along with tight ends Mike Ryder, Cody Slate, and TC Drake consistently moved defenders out of the way.
The receiving corp, consisting of Vidal Hazelton, Craig Hayden, Joe Nairn, and Francis Johns had a big day blocking and catching.
The defensive line kept the UNC offense off balanced all night long. Jerrell Powe, Callahan Bright, Justin Mincey, Horace Hubbard, Ernie Hodge, Melvin Alaeze, Aaron Horace, and under the watchful eye of head football coach John Bunting, University of North Carolina commitment Darrius Massenburg showed flashes of greatness by forcing the Heels to rely on the pass instead of the run.
On the rare occasion that the Tiger offense did punt, George Pierson made sure that the Tar Heel offense would start deep in their own territory.
The Tigers move to 5-1 on the season with its second straight victory over a division IA school (Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference). The Tigers will be back in action on Sunday October 16th when they take on undefeated Louisburg Junior College at 2:00 PM in Louisburg, NC.
Meanwhile, the Tar Heels will take a week off before they host the University of Virginia Cavaliers. UNC and UVA garner a number of former Hargrave cadets. UVA has All American Ahmad Brooks, freshman phenom Brandon Albert, and Olu Hall, while UNC has Khalif Mitchell, Kenny Price, Melik Brown, and Derrele Mitchell. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 on October 22nd in Chapel Hill.
