Photos by ACTION IMAGES
A long week full of two-a-day practices all came down to a last minute kick on Saturday night as the South knocked off the North 14-12 from Laidley field in the annual North-South Football Classic.
Cory Broughton’s 41-yard field goal attempt with just 49 seconds left sailed left as the South held on for the two-point win.
George Washington’s Duran Workman was named the MVP for the South after having an excellent game defensively.
“I was playing a little bit out of position – a 205 pound corner, but I tried to make the most of it and was able to make some plays,” he said.
((Click below for an interview with Duran Workman))
Workman will continue his football playing career at Army. Connor Arlia, meanwhile, was named the game’s MVP for the North – he’s expected to walk on at WVU in the fall.
Neither team had much offensive success early, trading possessions throughout the first quarter. The game’s first turnover went in favor of the North as Brooke’s Ryan Lazear picked off a pass from Hurricane’s Tyler Pate.
“It was a last minute thing,” Lazear said. “I looked up and it was right there and I was in the right place at the right time.”
Lazear, meanwhile, was awarded with the Huff Award this past season – the state’s top defensive player. He’ll play football next season for Division III’s Mount Union.
The South responded with an interception of its own later in the first quarter as Greenbrier West’s Janeek Wiggan picked off a pass from Ravenswood’s Cole Starcher.
The first quarter ended with neither team putting points on the board.
((Click below for an interview with Connor Arlia))
However, in the second, it was the North jumping out in front as Liberty Harrison’s Shay Noss connected with Pendleton County’s Trent Moats for a 19 yard touchdown pass.
“We called for a post-corner and we were hoping he would bite on the post and he bit a little bit,” Moats said. “I went to the corner of the end-zone and Shay (Noss) delivered a perfect pass to the corner of the end-zone and it couldn’t have been any better.”
The extra point was blocked, keeping the score at 6-0 with 9:05 to go until the break.
The South came close to its first score later in the quarter, but Chapmanville running back Jake Robinson lost the ball prior to crossing the goal line – the North recovered to protect their touchdown lead.
Just minutes later, however, the South wouldn’t be denied the score, capping off a late first half drive with a seven yard touchdown pass from South Charleston’s Tyler Harris to Capital’s Keion Wright. The extra point was no good, keeping the score knotted up at six with just 50 seconds left in the first half.
((Click below for an interview with Keion Wright))
On the ensuing possession, Workman intercepted a North pass, giving the South one last chance to score before the break. And they did, as Robinson bounced back from his earlier fumble with a one-yard touchdown run to give his team the lead. The two-point conversion was good to make the score 14-6 with the South in front heading into the half.
((Click below for an interview with the North’s Chad Small)
The North responded with a touchdown midway through the third as Elkins’ Chris Boatwright took in a six-yard pass to close the deficit to just two. The two-point conversion failed, keeping the score at 14-12 with 6:43 to go in the third in what would eventually be the final score.
With the win, the South now improves to 36-19-3 all-time in the series.