Things looked bleak for the Anson High School varsity football team until the start of the third quarter against Weddington Friday night. The Bearcats rallied and finally scored a touchdown and the two-point conversion, but the 8 points wasn’t enough to catch the Warriors, who got a decisive win with a final score of 34-8.
The Warriors got on the scoreboard quickly during Friday night’s game, with quarterback Grayson Willingham scoring the first touchdown and PAT of the night with 8:17 left in the first quarter for a score of 7-0.
Anson followed up the touchdown by intercepting a Warriors’ fumble, but could not capitalize. Within just four minutes, it was Weddington’s ball again, and again, Willingham scored a touchdown, leaving the score at 14-0 with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter.
Anson quarterback D’Angelo Tyson tried to carry the ball down the field with no success, as Anson ended up punting the ball back to the Warriors.
Weddington then scored its third touchdown just before the end of the first quarter, making the score 21-0.
Tyson again attempted to gain yards on the field, but was tackled by the Warrior defense.
The Warriors continued to dominate, scoring a 53-yard field goal at the start of the second quarter, and solidifying a 24-0 lead.
Weddington’s Christian Sanchez scored a fourth touchdown with 6:40 to go in the half, making the score 30-0. The PAT was good, leaving Anson trailing 31-0.
Anson tried again to get on the board, but penalties plagued their offense and with :45 to go in the second quarter, the quarterback was sacked.
The Anson High School and Anson Middle School marching bands performed a rousing halftime show, and the Bearcats came back from halftime, looking ready to make some noise.
The Bearcats finally got on the board shortly into the third quarter, when J.P. Polk drove the ball in for a touchdown with 10:06 to go in the quarter. The Cats then tried for a two-point conversion, which was good, for a score of 31-8.
Unfortunately for Anson, that would be the only score of the night as the Bearcats tried fruitlessly to move the ball down the field, only to be stopped by the Warriors.
The Bearcats managed to stop the Warriors from scoring another touchdown, but their fate was sealed when Weddington got another field goal in the fourth quarter, leading to the 34-8 final score.
“We’ve got to do a better job of controlling our emotions,” Coach Ralph Jackson told his team after the game. “You put up a good fight in the second half. You’ve got to keep that going.”
Since he started as head football coach this season, Jackson has touted “a return to dominance.” The team has won only one game so far this year, which has left him feeling frustrated, but determined.
“It’s a building process,” he said. “We didn’t get here overnight and we won’t get back to dominance overnight either.”
The Bearcats’ next game is Homecoming on Friday, with game time at 7:30 p.m. It’s also Elementary School Night, and students will walk the track at 7 p.m.
