New Bern football to play for championship after taking down Millbrook in 4A East Regional final

Just like the first matchup in 2007 between New Bern and Millbrook, the Wildcats did everything they could to get back into the game. And just like the first matchup, it was the Bears who came out on top ― this time for an East Regional championship.

New Bern fended off late Millbrook pushes to win the 4A East Regional Final 35-27 on Friday night at Caruso-Coates Stadium. The second-seeded Bears will play for the 4A state championship against No.1 seed Grimsley at 7 p.m. next Friday night in Chapel Hill.

"I think the community manifested a game like this," New Bern coach Torrey Nowell said. "The old Millbrook game was played throughout the week and all week I was hoping to not have a game like that. Once again it happens but that's why high school football is so fun. People want to see tough games and that was a great football team we played."

Friday night had shades of that 2007 game, as New Bern held a comfortable 35-20 lead going into the fourth quarter.

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With just under six minutes left, New Bern senior running back Aronne Herring fumbled near the 20-yard line as Millbrook’s David Santiago returned the ball near midfield.

After driving down the field with two big catches from running back Xavier Pugh, Millbrook scored on fourth-and-goal with a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mason Fortune to Santiago to cut the Bears’ lead to 35-27 with 3:26 to go in the game.

Millbrook recovered a late onside kick in the first matchup, and it was only fitting the Wildcats got one Friday.

The Wildcats clawed their way back down the field and in a similar situation on fourth-and-goal, Millbrook’s Hayden McShea caught Fortune’s pass in the back of the end zone but was ruled out of bounds with 1:21 left.

With the turnover on downs, Millbrook forced New Bern to a three-and-out, returning a booming punt from Zach McConnell to the 49-yard line with seven seconds remaining. A Hail Mary from Fortune was incomplete in the end zone as the clock hit zero.

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"Let's talk about Zach McConnell," Nowell added as McConnell had several big punts during the game to pin Millbrook deep in their own territory. "For him to be able to kick the ball like he did tonight was huge for us."

The Bears won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Millbrook chose to kick short and return man Malachi Dockett reversed the field, bringing the kickoff all the way to the Wildcats 10-yard line. Several plays later it was Herring who scored on a 3-yard run to open the scoring 7-0 after the extra point.

Millbrook's Angel Gomez-Corona would kick a 38-yard field goal on their opening drive to cut the lead to 7-3 with 5 minutes remaining in the 1st quarter. Herring capped off the opening quarter with a 60-yard touchdown run to extend the lead 14-3 after the extra point.

The Wildcats would cut the lead again with an 11-yard touchdown run from Pugh 14-10 but an Amari Birth interception followed by a Damaree Tucker 17-yard touchdown run created a 21-10 lead for the Bears. A 31-yard Corona field goal followed by a 42-yard Dockett touchdown catch continued the back-and-forth affair, giving New Bern a 28-13 lead with the hopes of going into halftime with a two-score lead.

Having other ideas in mind, Millbrook ran a reverse on the ensuing kickoff and Tennessee Volunteers commit Nathan Leacock returned it 91 yards for a score to cut the lead again to 28-20. Not to be outdone, New Bern's Ivion Smith followed with his own 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Wildcats were unable to answer as New Bern held a 35-20 halftime lead.

New Bern rushed for 182 yards on 32 carries, and Millbrook rushed for 138 yards on 33 carries. The Wildcats finished with 402 total yards of offense to the Bears' 224, according to New Bern statistician Scott Gaskins.

Herring ran 12 times for 89 yards and two touchdowns, and Jayden Wallace had 48 yards on 10 carries. was 10-48 rushing. Damaree Tucker had a rushing and passing touchdown.

"The great thing about this team is that we are still coaching them," Nowell added. "They continue to ask us questions and we are continuing to develop throughout the year, figuring out different things and developing as coaches too. It's amazing to see these guys and one of my kids told me he manifested he would be back at New Bern to win a state championship this year. I told him I hope it happens."

This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: New Bern to play for NCHSAA championship after taking down Millbrook