Charlotte 49ers End Losing Streak With Win Against North Texas

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— story and pictures by Patrick Magoon (patrickmagoon.com) of WIZS — Patrick Magoon is a recent UNC-C communications graduate looking to build his sports portfolio by writing and taking photos for WIZS

On a warm, cloudy Saturday afternoon at Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, NC, the Charlotte 49ers stunned the visiting North Texas football team with an exciting bounce-back win. Despite reaching the end zone just once in the first half, the 49ers managed to seal a one-point win in crunch time. Here is how it went down.

North Texas got off to a hot start, moving the ball efficiently through the air. Quarterback Mason Fine threw back-to-back touchdown passes – one for 40 yards, and another went for 64 yards. In both cases, North Texas marched down the field in less than a minute-and-a-half.

Charlotte, in the first quarter, could not match North Texas’ dynamic passing attack, so they focused on moving the ball swiftly, through the ground game. Unfortunately, their success was insignificant. At the start of the second quarter, Charlotte had zero points and was down two scores.

Looking for answers, the 49ers relied heavily on the strength and quick feet of star running back Benny Lemay, who controlled the pace of Charlotte’s offensive unit. In total, he ran 30 times for 155 yards, which helped him reach the end zone twice.

Charlotte’s first scoring drive necessitated 13 plays and took just under six minutes off the game clock. Of those 13 plays, eight of them were handoffs to Lemay. Once Charlotte got within five yards of the goal line, Lemay exited the game briefly to catch his breath and Ishod Finger plowed his way into the end zone. However, upon further review, the call was overturned. Lemay came back out and finished the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown.

After the half, a renovated Charlotte offense took the field. Quarterback Chris Reynolds read the defense well and slung with football with accuracy. Several big plays including a 52-yard touchdown pass and a 29-yard Reynolds rushing touchdown shrunk North Texas’ lead to just one score.

When North Texas missed a field goal at the top of the fourth quarter, the 49ers found themselves in an excellent position to make a late push for the win. Charlotte, in the fourth quarter, outscored North Texas, 18-3, which secured the memorable victory.

Charlotte’s latest victory ended a four-game losing streak and claimed the college’s first win in C-USA (1-3 overall).

Coach’s Corner Show 10/18/19

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Coach’s Corner 10/11/19

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Tri-City Seahawks to Hold Games, First Homecoming Event

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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

 

Bring your friends and family out to enjoy some great football games hosted by your Tri-City Seahawks on Saturday, November 2, 2019, at Vance County Middle School, 293 Warrenton Road in Henderson.

Game times: 8U – 4 p.m.; 10U – 6 p.m.; 12U – 8 p.m.

Cost is $5 for adults; $2 for school-age children. Kids under age 6 are free.

There will be a tribute to breast cancer survivors, a halftime performance by the Vance County High School Showtime Marching Machine, vendors, concessions and Tri-City Seahawks merchandise available for purchase.

T-shirts in sizes small – 3XL will be available for $10.

For more information, please contact Darius Pitt at (252) 438-3408 or dpitt@ci.henderson.nc.us.

Pittsburgh Holds On, Cuts Duke’s Fourth Quarter Comeback Short

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— story and pictures by Patrick Magoon (patrickmagoon.com) of WIZS — Patrick Magoon is a recent UNC-C communications graduate looking to build his sports portfolio by writing and taking photos for WIZS

Despite an uncomfortably slow and disheartening first three quarters for Duke’s offense, the team erased Pittsburgh’s early 23-point lead within the final fifteen minutes and kept the game at an equal level until the Panthers pieced together a game-winning offensive series with just under 50 seconds left on the clock.

Sometimes a slow start can make a big difference in the end.

Duke left the half confused and looking for answers after conceding 19 points and successfully scoring points on just one offensive series. Two early interceptions and a costly fumble recovered by Pittsburgh in the first quarter had Duke down ten and fighting a treacherous uphill battle for the remained of the game.

While Pittsburgh’s ground game also struggled against the Blue Devils’ solid defensive line at times, Duke’s series of offensive woes trumped the failed drives of the visiting Panthers. Once Pittsburgh got on a roll, Duke couldn’t keep up.

The Panthers, at the top of the third quarter, extended their lead to 23 points after capping off a 2-play, 7-yard offensive series with a Nakia Griffin-Stewart 4-yard touchdown catch. Duke’s first touchdown of the night didn’t come until the final three minutes of the third quarter when Quentin Harris rushed into the endzone for a 4-yard score.

But wait, the Blue Devils’ scoring efforts didn’t stop there. Oddly enough, the best was yet to come.

Duke outscored the Panthers 20-7 in the fourth quarter after capitalizing on three careless turnovers. The Blue Devils recovered a fumble, which resulted in a triumphant 9-play, 43-yard touchdown drive. After the successful completion of the two-point attempt, Pittsburgh’s lead shrunk to just one score. With approximately 13 minutes left on the scoreboard, Duke had plenty of time to keep the momentum churning and fight for the lead in crunch time.

Minutes later, Pittsburgh’s offense returned to the field and made another brutal mistake. Pickett’s pass was picked off by Duke’s Edgar Cerenord, who returned it to the 25-yard line. The late turnover set up a 7-play, 25-yard scoring play, which gave Duke its first lead of the game.

With time running out, the Panthers, in 47 seconds, drove the ball 82 yards down the field. Pittsburgh’s V’Lique Carter evaded multiple tackles and took the ball 26 yards to the end zone, which secured the win.

Duke showed superior toughness and determination but never fully recovered from their careless first-half mistakes.

Best offensive performances

 Duke: RB Deon Jackson (60 yards rushing and 47 yards receiving), Aaron Young (32 yards receiving), and Jalon Calhoun (27 yards receiving).

Pittsburgh: Todd Sibley Jr. (60 yards rushing), V’Lique Carter (18 yards rushing), Taysir Mack (85 yards receiving), and Maurice Ffrench (54 yards receiving).

Best defensive performances

Duke: Koby Quansah (11 tackles, one for a loss), Brandon Hill (10 tackles, one for a loss), Victor Dimukeje (two tackles, both sacks) and Marquis Waters (nine tackles, 0.5 for a loss).

Pittsburgh: Paris Ford (12 tackles, one touchdown), Saleem Brightwell (12 tackles), Kylan Johnson (nine tackles, one for a loss, and one PD), and Patrick Jones II (six tackles, two sacks)

Coach’s Corner 09/27/19

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Register to Represent Carolina Panthers in the Madden NFL 20 Club Championship

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-Information courtesy Amy Martin, Broadcast Manager, Carolina Panthers

Take home the title for the Carolina Panthers! Sign up by October 7 for your chance to represent the Carolina Panthers in the Madden NFL 20 Club Championship as you take your favorite team to the top of this EA Major Series.

The top four Panthers gamers will be flown to California to participate in a live studio show to determine who will represent the Panthers in the official Madden NFL 20 Club Championship!

Register now at www.MaddenChampionship.com/compete.

• Fans are able to register for the Madden Club Championship under their favorite team.

• The top four players that register as Panthers fans will then be flown to California to compete to be the top Panthers player in the Studio Show. Each NFL team’s Studio Show winner will then compete against each other in the Madden NFL 20 Club Championship.

    • November 21-23, 2019 – Panthers Studio Show
    • December 18-21, 2019 – Club Championship Live Finals

• Fans will be able to tune in to the Studio Show and the Championship via Twitch through EAMaddenNFL.

Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks

H-V Rec. Youth Basketball Registration Underway

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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Youth Basketball registration will be held Monday, September 23 through Sunday, November 3, 2019, at the Aycock Recreation Center.

Youth basketball is for boys ages 4-18 and girls ages 4-14.

Registration fee is $40 ($30 for those who played a sport in the 2019 season). Program fee waivers are available to those who qualify.

For more information, please contact Steve Osborne at (252) 438-2670 or email sosborne@ci.henderson.nc.us.

UNC-Charlotte 49ers ‘Electrifying’ Offense Outpaces UMass Minutemen

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— story and pictures by Patrick Magoon (patrickmagoon.com) of WIZS — Patrick Magoon is a recent UNC-C communications graduate looking to build his sports portfolio by writing and taking photos for WIZS

Before kickoff on Saturday, September 14, the Massachusetts Minutemen (UMass) led 1-0 in series play against the Charlotte 49ers. UMass dominated the 49ers in the first quarter of last season’s meeting, outscoring them 28-0. Several months later, the 49ers got their revenge.

The 49ers wasted no time putting points on the scoreboard. In the opening minutes of the second quarter, the 49ers took a 28-0 lead over the Minutemen. Charlotte’s electrifying, confident offensive unit kept up the intensity, outpacing the Minutemen and piecing together an impressive stat sheet.

Superior blocking on special teams and reliable run blocking schemes paved the way for several highlight-worthy plays executed by some young talents. In total, the 49ers scored 52 points, accumulated 533 yards from scrimmage and rushed for a season-high 338 yards.

Charlotte’s defense demonstrated excellent speed off the line and intelligent positioning, limiting Minutemen’s Andrew Brito to 127 yards and forcing an interception. Brito was forced to get rid of the ball quickly as Charlotte’s defensive line continuously pushed him out of his comfort zone. The unit’s ability to consistently evade blockers resulted in an exciting five-sack performance.

With solid performances coming from the dynamic duo of Chris Reynolds (10-of-12 passing for 155 yards) and running back Benny LeMay (113 yards), the 49ers have now scored 40-plus points in back-to-back-to-back games and lead C-USA in total offense.

Up next, the 49ers will travel south to face Clemson, who is fresh off a stunning 49-6 win on the road.

Coach’s Corner 09/13/19

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