The Mooresville Blue Devils took to the road Friday night with one task. Clinch the 2022 conference championship outright.
The only thing that would stand in their way, was a scrappy AL Brown team on a senior night. And they showed up to win.
Right out of the gate, the Blue Devils struggled. AL Brown was stacking the outside defensive ends forcing every running play up the middle. Mooresville’s lightning and lightning running back duo (Howell and Westmoreland), dominant all season, were having difficulty getting into space.
When Mooresville went to the air, they could not catch a break. Mooresville quarterback Jamere Cherry was spot on with his passes but the AL Brown defensive backs were just playing great coverage. Many passes were right there only to be broken up late or dropped due to the pressure.
The game was full of punts, a battle, a standard war from the past vs AL Brown. AL Brown was struggling on the ground themselves in the game and it did not help matters when Mooresville’s Marley Samuel made two big tackles for loss in the AL Brown backfield (photo shown). However, AL Brown knew what was on the table for Mooresville and was having none of it. They broke out the game with the big pass play that was clearly miscommunication by Mooresville’s secondary. Which would continue to be an issue for much of the first half. Passing and more passing was the only place the Wonders found success. AL Brown has not been passing a lot in recent weeks, catching Mooresville off guard. But AL Brown quarterback, CJ Gary threw a perfect 29-yard pass to Gerard Evans for the game’s first touchdown. Subsequently, the Wonders went for the 2-point conversion to set the tone but were shut down by a great Mooresville defensive play.
The score stood at 6-0 Wonders early in the first half.
On the next drive, Mooresville was again forced to punt again. The AL Brown defense kept plugging holes and stacking the box. Mooresville could not find any daylight if they paid for it. Mooresville did hold AL Brown on defense and got the ball back and tried a different plan. They went back to the air and Cherry threw a strike to Terrell Simonton over the middle which was the game’s biggest play so far. In full stride, Simonton caught the ball over the middle and went 70 plus yards for 6. Then the dreaded yellow flag was seen back near the Mooresville line of scrimmage. “Man downfield” for Mooresville. This did appear to be a very questionable call because of the Mooresville line in clear pass-blocking formation. If it happened, it was very close indeed. But a blow to Mooresville erased the big gain and forced Mooresville to punt once again.
More big plays from the Mooresville defense caused AL Brown to punt themselves but they showed some signs of life in the air. Which would be trouble for the Mooresville defense in the next series. Another 3 and out by Mooresville set up the game’s second touchdown for AL Brown. Jamare Robinson found daylight on the ground and ended up with a 6-yard TD run putting the Wonders up 13-0 on the visiting Blue Devils. Grumbles of discomfort began to be heard from the Mooresville faithful who made the trip to Kannapolis. But one thing did remain on the sidelines for Mooresville. Heart. Tenacity. Never give up attitudes. Mooresville was down but not out, at no point in the game did we see the hanging heads or any lack of effort. They played the entire game as if it was 0-0 and never gave up.
Mooresville could not run the ball at this point, and every pass play seemed to not go their way. This all changed when Jamare Cherry set up a screen pass to running back Jawarn Howell for Mooresville. Cherry found Howell out of the backfield who scampered for 53 yards and Mooresville’s first touchdown of the game. (photo) In true dramatic fashion, Howell rumbled and stumbled his way through defenders taking charge and making the game 13-6 Mooresville. Two words. Ben Butterfield. (photo) Often gone unnoticed this season, Butterfield has been instrumental in opening big plays for our running backs. The line and running backs get a lot of credit but there has been something missing. My favorite, downfield blocking. AL Brown had a beat on Howell before Butterfield came in and smacked him, paving the way clear for Howell who fly by with ease. It wasn’t in this play only where Butterfield came up big. This has happened all season with him along with the Blue Devil wide receivers as well. It has been the entire team package supporting the run game. Jacob Monsour added to his kick for cancer campaign and knocked in the extra point. Momentum had changed with Mooresville being only one score down, and a chance to tie it up before the half with the game at 13-7.
Things never go according to plan, however, and the Mooresville secondary were victims of a great play by AL Brown on the next drive. Gerard Evans for the AL Brown Wonders, ran an incredible route throwing off Mooresville’s secondary, and broke free on a pass from CJ Gary for 45 yards, into the Wonders endzone. Ty Woods knocked in the PAT for the Wonders making the game 20-7, AL Brown with the lead.
Once again, the Mooresville team was not down and out. Shouts of “Lets Go” became louder, and meetings diagnosing what happened on the defense to allow the AL Brown touchdown. They realized they had a miscommunication problem in the secondary caused by AL Brown receivers and had the plan to get back into the ball game. I must credit the senior leadership here for they were very vocal on the sidelines at this point of the game. Halftime was approaching fast and being down 20-7 at the half was never in the game plan.
It all came together finally with a touchdown catch by Terrell Simonton in the back corner of the endzone. Cherry had gone to Simonton many times throughout the first half and the Mooresville fans were clearly frustrated by the lack of execution seen. There wasn’t any true answer for the first-half problems with the Mooresville offense other than a lot of great coverage by AL Brown and last-minute knockdowns. In this play, Cherry knew his target out of the gate and dropped in a perfect pass (photo) to Simonton that he brought in just before sliding out of bounds. Finally, the 5 to 3 connection was back and so was the momentum. 20-14 AL Brown with the lead, but the Blue Devils were coming. (photo)
Halftime adjustments.
Don’t you get tired when your favorite team is down at half, and some announcer is talking about “halftime adjustments” to win the game? Many of you say to yourself “here we go” knowing it is a sign to keep you calm and avoid that personal meltdown or throwing of a remote control across the room. However, occasionally, things DO go according to plan and with proper coaching, diagnosis and team mentality, halftime adjustments work providing you analyze appropriately and address the exact issues which caused your problems in the first half. Couple that with a little bit of execution you can and will create your own luck or “destiny” so to speak. The student-athletes have it in them, it just takes direction from multiple sources during the heat of battle to overcome the mental aspect. Mooresville started the second half with this mentality and things were about to improve.
Continuing where they left off at the end of the second quarter, Senior leadership stepped up in a big way for the Mooresville Blue Devils. That, and a lot of talent.
The defense came up big for Mooresville in the 3rd quarter. Having won the field position battle, AL Brown was forced to start a bit deeper in their own end than during the rest of the game. In stepped Caleb Edstrom, Xzavier Booker, Landon Young, Marley Samuel (big night for Samuel) Jamari Farmer, and Jay Wilson. In what seemed like doom from the start both Booker, and Edstrom, forced a stop on a run by the Wonders in what brought up a huge 2nd down stop and tackle for loss. Farmer got penetration on the outside and in followed about 7 Mooresville defenders to bring down AL Browns Jamare Robinson deep in the Wonders own end. This setup a key 3rd and long for the Wonders which then went south by Landon Young getting through and forcing Wonders quarterback to throw in a rush, incomplete bringing up 4th down. This forced AL Brown to punt out of the endzone which was nearly blocked by Ziquel Adams and Jay Wilson.
Tiquan Cromartie made a clean field of the punt and had a great return all the way to the Wonders 13-yard line. He also had 6 tackles himself on the night.
Jamere Cherry took the reigns of the Mooresville offense and made a quick statement on his own. After one play and a 5-yard gain, Cherry kept the ball on the read and scampered 8 yards untouched into the endzone. It was a great fake by Cherry and some key blocks up front by Bentley English, Jamal Leger, Alec Lawrence, Kendyn Smith, and a pulling Ben Butterfield (remember me?) One of those “that’s how you draw it up” plays for 6. Mooresville did have a high snap on the extra point and was caught in between on whether to still attempt a kick or get up and try to make something happen. It went south because of it, so the PAT failed with a pass attempt by our holder and wide receiver/backup qb Carter Elkin. There wasn’t anything Mooresville could do here, but Elkin’s instinct was quick which allowed for him to try and make a play, we just didn’t have a receiver in the area.
The game was now tied at 20 after the third quarter and Mooresville’s defense began to make plays. Edstrom and Booker made key tackles for loss on the defensive side of the ball along with Jake Modrak and Rowen Jackson stepping up as well. AJ Graham had 4 tackles on the night himself and was in on some big plays. Edstrom got penetration on a big third down stop and tackle for loss. (photo) Jamari Farmer stepped up with a big tackle for a loss as well. (photo) And finally, Marley Samuel had a key pass breakup on 3rd down.
The AL Brown defense was starting to get tired of being on the field and daylight was starting to be found by Mooresville. Cherry and Howell did it with their feet and Cherry’s arm, and Mooresville began to move the ball. The drive started out with a punishing run by Howell, who was probably down about 2 yards in but due to his size and grit, pushed forward for a 10-yard gain on first down. This prompted the sounds of Coach Nixon yelling, “They are getting tired!” and that they were. Run after run, scrambling, play action, and some great reads by Cherry had Mooresville down in the Wonders zone threatening again.
This is where the dangerous “other half” of the Mooresville running game finally had his chance to shine. Lightning 2, the scatback special Kyjuan Westmoreland finally caught the Wonders and bolted straight up the middle for 19 yards. Key blocks on this play were made by the Saginaw, Michigan (MoSports birthplace 😊) native Jalen Wright in true tight end fashion running over the Wonders linebacker. Ledger also had a key block along with Simonton which allowed Westmoreland a lane to go one-on-one with the safety. We already know what happened here, no chance for the Wonder’s defense, touchdown Mooresville. (photo) Monsour was good with the PAT making the score 27-20 with Mooresville taking their first lead of the game.
Time was ticking down in the 4th, but many felt this was the beginning of the end for AL Brown. The problem was, nobody bothered to tell AL Brown this and they decided to mount a comeback of their own. First down started with a big tackle by Jamari Farmer and Ryan Williams for Mooresville, which many believed was it, the game ending dagger. However, on the next play, CJ Gary for AL Brown scrambled and threw a deep ball to a wide-open Derick Brazil who ran into the endzone having almost fumbled the ball on the way. The 71-yard pass play showed AL Brown wasn’t willing to go quietly and this was their counterpunch. It appeared the Mooresville secondary were double covering a receiver and left Brazil open by mistake. Gary is a talented quarterback and was not going to pass up the opportunity to get the Wonders into the end zone.
Then came the biggest play of the game so far. With Mooresville still leading 27-26 per the extra point, you could feel something in the air. The Mooresville defense did get through and almost blocked a few extra points earlier in the game and sure enough, the thunder came. The duo of Xzavier Booker and Caleb Edstrom broke through on the right side of the line and everything else was a blur. It appeared Edstrom got the first hand on it but all you saw was 359 and madness. The dead ball flew directly to the right being scooped up by Jay Wilson, keeping the score 27-26 Mooresville.
The next two series were dogfights by both teams which ended up in punts. It was a matter of who wanted it more at this point and with the clock winding down late, AL Brown had their last chance to take the lead on Mooresville, and they were having none of it. Wonders quarterback CJ Gary found an open receiver and made a play, but Mooresville’s Jay Wilson made a bigger one and broke on the ball forcing the incompletion. (photo)
On the following 4th down and once again a scrambling and pesky CJ Gary, was finally brought down for a big loss by Jamari Farmer of Mooresville sealing their fate late in the game.
Mooresville had the ball in AL Brown territory with under 2 minutes to go and ran out the clock deep in the Wonder’s own end. This clinched the victory and the conference championship for Mooresville. Coach Nixon gathered the team near the endzone in the usual post-game fashion before Jamere Cherry and the team snuck behind him and dosed the coach in a Gatorade bath. It was a true team victory on the road against a talented and no quit AL Brown team.
On defense for the Blue Devils, Jamari Farmer led the way with 14 tackles, Caleb Edstrom with 10, Ziquel Adams with 9, Samuel Marley with 8, Xzavier Booker, Tiquan Cromartie and Jake Modrak had 6 each.
For the offense, Jawarn Howell with 198 total yards with 19 carries on the ground for 142 and a reception of 53 yards, and a touchdown.
Kyjuan Westmoreland ended up with 50 yards and a touchdown himself.
Quarterback Jamere Cherry was responsible for 3 TD’s, 1 rushing and 2 passing for 104 yards.
Terrell Simonton had 2 catches for 39 yards and a touchdown with Randy Fulmore having 1 for 31 yards.
The Blue Devils take on conference foe and long-time rival Lake Norman High School on Friday night at Coach Joe Popp Stadium. Get to the stadium early for it is going to be BIG.
Game is set for kickoff at 7:30 pm.
*Special thanks to David Ramsey and Brittany Lynch for statistical contributions to this story
