WINGATE – Wingate defensive end Elijah Barnes crashed through the line on a two-point conversion attempt in overtime, sacking Khamoni Robinson and forcing a fumble that Tyson Brown recovered to preserve a 38-37 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday at Irwin Belk Stadium.
The Bulldogs improved to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the South Atlantic Conference, extending their winning streak to four games. Lenoir-Rhyne fell to 5-5 and 4-3 in league play. The victory marked Wingate's fourth consecutive win over the Bears.
After both teams scored touchdowns in overtime, Lenoir-Rhyne coach Doug Socha elected to attempt a two-point conversion rather than kick the extra point for a second overtime period. Robinson dropped back to pass, but Barnes broke through for the game-ending sack.
"It was a hard fought emotional game today," Socha said. "We had some missed opportunities and needed one more play."
The game reached overtime after Wingate quarterback Elijah Holmes engineered a nine-play, 74-yard drive in the final 1:53 of regulation. Holmes completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Carlos Estronza with 19 seconds remaining to tie the score at 31-31.
Wingate needed just three plays to score in overtime. Xavier Pugh carried for five yards, then Holmes found Jaylen Himes for 10 yards to set up Pugh's 10-yard touchdown run. Caleb Bonesteel converted the extra point for a 38-31 lead.
Robinson answered with a six-yard touchdown run on Lenoir-Rhyne's possession, setting up the decisive two-point attempt.
Holmes completed 23 of 36 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns while adding 50 yards on the ground. Himes caught eight passes for 134 yards and two scores, while Xavier Jackson hauled in five receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. Pugh contributed 71 rushing yards and a score along with three catches for 42 yards.
Robinson finished 21 of 30 for 283 yards and two touchdowns through the air while rushing for two more scores. Alex Boyd recorded his first 100-yard rushing game of the season with 103 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.
Songa Yates tied a career high with nine receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown, moving into a tie for seventh place on Lenoir-Rhyne's all-time list with 17 career touchdown receptions. Zion Agnew added five catches for 86 yards and a score.
Lenoir-Rhyne jumped ahead early when Robinson connected with Agnew for a 47-yard touchdown on the game's opening drive, capping an eight-play, 75-yard march. The Bears extended their lead to 14-3 when Robinson found Yates for a 52-yard scoring strike on their second possession.
Wingate responded with a 12-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Bonesteel's 24-yard field goal. Holmes completed passes of 23 yards to Himes, 12 yards to Pugh and 10 yards to Estronza during the drive.
The Bears appeared poised to build a commanding lead in the second quarter when they drove inside the Wingate five-yard line. But the Bulldogs' defense held on fourth-and-goal from the two, forcing a turnover on downs.
Lenoir-Rhyne defensive back Desmond Greene intercepted Holmes on Wingate's ensuing possession, his fourth interception of the season. The turnover set up Robinson's seven-yard touchdown run that gave the Bears a 21-3 advantage with 1:45 left in the half.
The Bulldogs cut into the deficit before halftime when Holmes hit Himes for 53 yards on the first play of a drive, then connected with him again for a nine-yard touchdown. That made it 21-10 with 1:19 remaining in the second quarter.
Brayden Cresimore's 44-yard field goal as time expired in the half, Lenoir-Rhyne's longest of the season, extended the Bears' lead to 24-10.
Wingate seized momentum in the third quarter with two touchdown drives. After forcing a three-and-out, the Bulldogs took over at their own 40 and drove 60 yards in six plays. Holmes connected with Jackson for a 35-yard touchdown on third-and-three to make it 24-17.
Following another Lenoir-Rhyne punt, Holmes led a six-play, 64-yard scoring drive. He completed a 19-yard pass to Jackson, then gained 11 yards on a scramble to reach the red zone. Holmes found Himes for an 18-yard touchdown that tied the game at 24-24 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.
Chris Harris gave Wingate prime field position late in the third when he sacked Robinson, forced a fumble and recovered the ball at the Lenoir-Rhyne 33. But the Bulldogs couldn't capitalize.
Lenoir-Rhyne defensive back John Royal intercepted Holmes on third-and-six from the 15-yard line early in the fourth quarter and returned it 52 yards to the Wingate 28. Boyd's five-yard touchdown run six plays later put the Bears ahead 31-24 with 10:58 remaining.
James Ussery intercepted Holmes later in the fourth quarter to give Lenoir-Rhyne possession at its own 41, but the Bears couldn't convert the turnover into points. Ussery finished with a career-high 13 tackles and an interception.
Wingate forced consecutive three-and-outs in the final minutes to set up the game-tying drive. Holmes completed passes of 26 yards to Pugh and 26 yards to Jackson during the march, getting the Bulldogs inside the 10 with 30 seconds left before finding Estronza for the tying score.
Wingate held a 507-453 advantage in total offense. The Bulldogs converted seven of 13 third-down attempts, while Lenoir-Rhyne succeeded on nine of 14. Wingate scored on four of five red zone trips compared to two of four for the Bears.
Jaquan Edwards led Wingate's defense with 10 tackles, while Anthony Dangerfield and Tory Kelly added nine and eight tackles respectively. Harris finished with five tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, the forced fumble and fumble recovery. Jonathen Cross contributed six tackles with a tackle for loss, half a sack and a pass breakup.
Tate O'Bryan set a career high with 76 receiving yards for Lenoir-Rhyne. Greene finished with seven tackles and an interception.
The game marked Lenoir-Rhyne's highest-scoring output of the season.
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