North Carolina Football Association (NCFA)

It wasn't a pretty win, but a win none the less and Wilson is happy to be off to a 2-0 start after struggling the past few seasons.  Derrick Smith looked much better this week 15/23 189yds 1TD, but still looked a bit rough in Twins territory and had a crucial fumble.  He got a big step up this week from Deion Scroggins 5 receptions for 76yds.  The big letdown for Wilson this week was from Ken Haslip who could only manage 28yds on 20 carries and from Harvey Darby who only hit 2 of 5 FG attempts.  Haslip had no room to run all day as the Tobs line struggled to give him any space.  The Tobs defense played much better this week and put good pressure on quarterback James Martin, led by Rafferty Tebbs who ended the game with 3 tackles 2 sacks and 1 knockdown. 

James Martin looked pretty good early on, but when he had chances later in the game he just couldn't come through for the Twins ending the game 12/28 for 123yds 1TD and 1Int.  Kelvin Ingram also struggled gaining only 47yds on 24 carries and having a costly fumble.  The Twins will need to play better offense if they hope to be competitive this season.  The defense on the other hand really played well this week consistently putting pressure on Smith when they needed to and coralling Haslip.  Steve Rowe led the way with 11 tackles.  If the defense can play this way every week, the Twins may have a chance to go somewhere.

Wilson travels to Raleigh next week and Winston-Salem hosts Durham.

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A good game for Royce Scott 19/30 169yds 1TD 1Int and Tony Sessions 37 carries for 108yds helped Charlotte to hold on this week and win.  Sessions and Scott both had key turnovers in this game, but they were the main offense for Charlotte and did what was needed to win.  If Charlotte is going to win this season it will be thanks to their defense.  Their line completely dominated this game putting solid pressure on Marcus Musson and getting a total of 9 sacks.  Wesley Conlan led the way with 4 sacks and 1 tackle.  The line puts on the pressure and the defensive backs shut down the receivers and that was certainly the case today.  Roderick Anderson had 3 knockdowns to go with 3 tackles. 

Marcus Musson did not have a good game 12/30 139yds 1TD, but despite being sacked 9 times and living under constant pressure he did not turn the ball over.  This along with good defensive play kept Raleigh in the game.  What kept Raleigh from ever making a game of it was a combination poor offensive line play and poor passing from Musson.  There were open receivers that he missed time and again, and though the lack of turnovers is good, the poor passing numbers are not.  Tom Smythe and Musson have a history together and so it wouldn't be surprising to see Musson sit the next game out after two poor performances.  The defense, however, did their part, especially the line and linebackers.  Ian Null and Robert Stokes comined for 23 tackles 1 sack and 1 knockdown and Darryll Sydney pitched in 7 tackles.  The weakness to this defense seems to be the defensive backfield who consistently gave up yards to Charlotte.  Though it wasn't a lot of yards all told, Scott was able to complete 63% of his passes and constantly keep Charlotte on the move. 

Charlotte travels to Gastonia next week, while Raleigh will be hosting their big rivals Wilson.

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It wasn't a pretty win, but it was the kind of game that Gastonia seemed to consistently lose last season and so the Pirates and their fans are happy.  Darrell Sparks continued to play good ball going 21/36 for 182yds and 1Int, but the passing game was kept under wraps the entire day.  James Carter also had a solid game 87yds on 27 carries, but again he was never able to break the game open.  In the end the key to the Gastonia offense was their defense and kicking game.  Marco Quinlinn would end the game 4/5 on field goals, the other 2 points would come from a safety.  The defense, especially the defensive backs played a great game.  Kokotan was under pressure, but the coverage was fantastic only breaking down on the one scoring drive late in the game.  Robert Blackwell was the big standout of the game with 3 tackles, 1 knockdown, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble.  If the Pirates continue to play well balanced ball like this they may find themselves back in the playoffs.

Robert Walker will have some thinking to do after such a weak start.  Last week Greensboro just seemed to give the game away, especially as they had to watch time run out at the end of the game sitting on the Twins 3yd line.  This week their defense played a very good game, but their offense was incredibly bad, especially Bradford Kokotan 14/31 for 141yds 1TD 2Ints.  Turnovers and penalties added to the poor passing game and the Patriots defense had to watch as the offense struggled to do anything right.  The defense on the other hand played a great game, forcing turnovers and keeping the score down so that the game was never out of reach.  Bob Hard and Matt Galbreath lead the team.  Hard had 7 tackles and 4 knockdowns, Galbreath had 7 tackles, 1 knockdown, and 1 interception.  He also had a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown, but the play was called back and Gastonia retained posession on a personal foul penalty called on Galbreath.  It was one of those game for the Patriots. 

Gastonia hosts Charlotte next week, while Greensboro has to travel to Kinston.

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Maurice Bloom looked like a good pickup getting 122yds on 22 carries, and Nate Mustoe got the passing game going 17/31 for 210yds, 3TDs, and 2Ints.  The problem Mustoe seemed to have was that he only had two targets, Bob Brun and Rory Rocker.  They combined for 177yds and 3TDs on 13 receptions.  The two picks Mustoe threw trying to get the ball to one of his other receivers.  They will need Kimble Thomas and Ethan Gelati to pick up their play if Durham hopes to compete this year.  The big surprise for Durham was on defense where Brett Baker was completely taken out of the game, but Brett Friar stepped in to have 4 tackles and 2 sacks.  They put constant pressure on Erik Waters sacking him 5 times and getting 2 interceptions.  They got very solid play from their linebackers who combined for 23 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 interception.  The secondary struggled a bit and will need to pick up their play in the following weeks.

Erik Waters continues to make the games he's playing interesting putting up 251yds, 2TDs, and 2Ints and going 19/34 passing.  He seemed to be either hot or cold throughout the game for the second week in a row and Asheville sits 0-2.  They got a solid game from Brett Stinson 26 carries for 84yds and good play from their receivers especially Richmond Dumas who has scored on a 50+ yard play each of the first two weeks of the season.  The turnovers have really hurt Asheville, but the defense has hurt even more.  The line struggled to put any pressure on Mustoe and the linebackers struggled to control Bloom.  They got decent play from their defensive backs, but need to get tougher up front if they expect to win any games this season.

Asheville goes to Rocky Mount next week, while Durham is on the road to Winston-Salem.

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After a horrible start Erik Waters (17/29 333yds 3TDs 4Ints) did all he could down the stretch to give the Tourists a chance at winning.  There were 3 touchdowns scored in the last 1:30 of the game, two from the arm of Waters.  But in the end it would all fall on the foot of kicker Trevor Home who would have to watch his 46yd effort sail wide and leave a final score of Gastonia 27, Asheville 24.  Richmond Dumas had a huge game with 158yds and 2TDs on 5 receptions.  Waters also got good support from HB Brett Stinson with 89yds on only 17 carries.  The Tourist defense is still struggling as they have for a few years now giving up over 350yds of offense, forcing no turnovers, and only getting 1 sack. 

Darrell Sparks looked brilliant going 23/31 for 240yds and James Carter looked just as good racking up 94yds and 2TDs on 22 carries.  It was his 32yd TD after the Tourists' first onside kick that clinched victory for the Pirates.  And although the Pirates gave up a lot of yards their defense forced 4 turnovers and sacked Waters 5 times.  Jeff Waddle had a great game with 6 tackles 2 knockdowns and an interception.

This is the kind of start Gastonia was hoping for and a hard loss for a Tourists team that was hoping to show their fans they were on their way back.  Asheville has to travel to Durham next week and Gastonia stays on the road heading to Greensboro.

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