DURHAM – East Forsyth came from behind twice in the second half to tie Scotland, eventually taking the lead with just 2:45 to play and hanging on for a 35-28 victory and the school’s second state championship.


Scotland had the game’s opening possession and they made the most of it as the Scots drove 62 yards in 16 plays using the first 7:50 of the game. Syheam McQueen pushed it across the goal line on a two-yard dive to give the Scots the lead on the first of his two touchdowns.

East Forsyth responded with the next two scores. Micah Crowell scored on a four-yard run with 2:17 to go in the first quarter to tie the game at 7. Ronald Jackson, Jr. then plunged in from three yards out to put the Eagles in front 14-7 with 10:03 to go in the second quarter.

Scotland mounted another incredible drive spanning 13 plays and crossing 57 yards before McQueen tied the game at 14 on a three-yard touchdown run with 4:05 to go in the half. Just under two minutes later, East Forsyth surged back in front 21-14 as Ty’Shaun Lyles hit Nick Childs for a 51-yard touchdown strike with 2:12 to go in the half.

Scotland sped down the field in the final two minutes of the half. The Scots ripped off a 66-yard drive in nine plays with Mandrell Johnson sliding in the end zone from two yards out with just two seconds to spare before halftime, tying the score at 21.

Both teams went scoreless through the third quarter, setting the stage for an explosive fourth quarter. Scotland pushed back in front as Joseph McKoy cashed in on a one-yard touchdown run to polish off an eight-play, 60-yard scoring drive and put Scotland up 28-21 with just 10:14 to play.

4A MVP Ty'Shaun Lyles

East Forsyth came alive in the final minutes as Lyles hooked up with Mizell Hall twice for scoring strikes to surge in front 35-28. The first of the two touchdown passes came as Lyles scrambled towards the right sideline, spotting Hall open in the middle of the field and throwing against his body to make the play. Hall pulled the lofted pass in and scampered the rest of the 22 yards into the end zone to tie the game at 28 with 6:03 to go. Then with 2:45 to play, Lyles spotted Hall uncovered in the formation and called for the snap before the play had even been relayed to his teammates, Hall pulled in the quick pass and scurried 14 yards into the left corner of the end zone to put the Eagles on top by the decisive 35-28 margin.

Lyles was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, completing 10 of his 17 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns including the game winner. Hall was the Eagles Most Outstanding Offensive Player with four receptions for 56 yards and the two game-altering scores. Javon Cobb was the leading tackler for East Forsyth, credited with 13 tackles on the game and chosen as East Forsyth’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Kavon Green was selected as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the Scots. Green was tied for the team lead in tackles with four and also pulled in an interception, returning it 15 yards. Joseph McCoy was tapped as Scotland’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player, responsible for 104 rushing yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.


Story and photos courtesy of the NCHSAA

If you were to ask most football fans and high school sports pundits which team was going to represent the 4A East in the state championship game, it’s a pretty easy assumption that Scotland would not have been the name that most people would have chosen. The Fighting Scots, led by Coach Richard Bailey, seemed to limp into the playoffs with a 5-5 record, losing to rival Richmond in the next to last week of the regular season before defeating Jack Britt in a re-rescheduled season finale. After knocking off Jordan in the first round, the Scots went back to the Triangle and shocked many when they took down #2 seed Cardinal Gibbons. The Scots clinched their ticket to the state championship game with a shutout win over a conference rival Seventy-First, avenging a 21-6 loss earlier in the season.

Gaining the 10-seed after their placement in the Southeastern 4A conference, the Fighting Scots were forced to go on the road for their entire playoff run if they wanted to reach Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday night. After starting their playoff run in Durham with a win, the Scots return to Durham this Saturday night to take on the East Forsyth Eagles in the 4A state championship game.

Scotland loves to run the ball and has had a steady supply of running backs over the last few seasons. This season, Shyheim McQueen led the Fighting Scots on the ground with 1,254 yards, but Joseph McKoy has been just as crucial, stepping in for an injured McQueen during the regional final, and his 140 yards put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

East Forsyth did not face challenging of a schedule in the playoffs until the regional final, but were definitely tested during Central Piedmont Conference play, having to match up with county rivals West Forsyth and Reagan. Special teams pushed East Forsyth to the regional title over Porter Ridge and special teams are just as crucial this Saturday to secure coach Todd Willert‘s first state football title and East Forsyth's second title in school history.

Amani Marshall has gained more than 1,000 yards on the ground the season and scored twenty touchdowns on the year. Coach Willard credits his team's offensive line play for the success they have seen the season.

The Eagles are looking to complete a perfect season for only the second time in school history, but a determined Scotland team will definitely be the toughest team the Eagles will see this year.

Harding racked up 400 yards of total offense and held on to beat Scotland County 30-22 in the 4A State Championship game at BB&T Field. The Rams claimed the school’s third championship, and first since 1953.

Scotland opened the scoring as Warren Bell cracked the goal line from two yards out just 3 minutes into the game giving the Scots the lead 7-0. It took the Rams a little while, but they were able to respond on the first play of the second quarter as Quavaris Crouch sliced in for a 10-yard score to knot the game at seven. Crouch finished as the game’s M.V.P. with 141 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.

Bell tacked on a 4-yard touchdown run on the ensuing Scotland drive, capping off a 7-play, 85-yard drive and giving the Scots a 14-7 advantage. Bell was named Scotland County’s Most Outstanding Offensive player with 153 yards through the air and a score on 7 of 10 passing. He rolled up 111 more yards on the ground with 2 more touchdowns.

Harding ripped off the next 23 points, scoring on a Crouch 8-yard run with 5:56 to go in the first half, and adding an Alejandro Guevara 39-yard field goal with just two seconds to go in the opening half to give the Rams a 17-14 lead at intermission.

Harding opened the fourth quarter with a score as Braheam Murphy hit Reggie Burns for a 20-yard touchdown pass to push the Harding lead to 24-14 with 11:47 to play. Then with just over two minutes to go, Murphy broke off a 95-yard run to the end zone, lifting Harding to a 30-14 lead. Murphy was named Harding’s Most Outstanding Offensive player rushing for 135 yards on 10 carries and a score. He added another 53 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Scotland drove the ball down the field valiantly in the final minutes, scoring on a 25-yard pass from Bell to Bruce Wall. Syheam McQueen rushed for the two-point conversion to make it a one-score game at 30-22 with 1:28 to play. The Rams recovered the kick and were able to run out the clock for the victory.

Defensively the Rams were paced by Trayvon Corbett who had 11 tackles, three of those for loss, adding one interception which he returned 41 yards and a pass break up. Chris Williams led the Scots on the defensive side of the ball, with 9 tackles, 1.5 of those for a loss and was named Scotland’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

The 4A state championship game features two teams with head coaches that are each seeking their first title. Richard Bailey and the Scotland Fighting Scots are looking for their second title in school history while coach Sam Griner and the Harding Rams are looking for their first title in over 60 years.

BB&T Field

Scotland rushes for an amazing 425 yards per game on average. Most that yardage had come from the nation's top-ranked running back Zamir White, but the five-star, Georgia-bound recruit suffered a torn ACL in the second round of the playoffs and will miss the title game. Stepping up in White's absence has been senior quarterback Warren Bell and junior running back Syheam McQueen who have collectively rushed for over 2000 yards to keep the chains moving for the Fighting Scots.

Scotland won an overtime thriller in the regional final against Hoggard. After Hoggard had rallied from a 25-point deficit to force overtime and scored a touchdown to pull ahead, Scotland scored on a fourth-down on its possession and had a successful 2-point conversion for the win.

Like Scotland, Harding relies on its running game to get its offense moving. Lining up in the backfield is junior Quavaris Crouch, listed by some scouting services as the nation's top junior running back. Blocking for Crouch is Shrine Bowl-bound offensive lineman JoVaughn Gwyn.

Defensively, the Harding Rams have been stingy and have not given up twenty points in a game since September. Also, like their title game counterparts, Harding had to rely on a big play at the end of the game to defeat their opponent in the regional final. An interception with no time remaining in the end zone secured the win against Vance and sent the Harding Rams back to the title game for the first time in thirty years.

One interesting feature in this game is that both teams come into the game with only one loss, but that one loss was for each team was to the same opponent, 4AA state finalist Mallard Creek. Scotland played Mallard Creek in the season opener, falling 28-21 while Harding played a tough game against Mallard Creek in week 5, losing 30-9.

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