How East Lincoln football escaped South Point's upset bid to claim 3A West title
DENVER — East Lincoln’s defense had stood up to the challenge throughout a stellar 2022 season. And with one play separating it from next weekend's 3A state final, the Mustangs were not going to let it slip away on their watch.
East Lincoln will play for the 3A state championship next Saturday, the fourth-ranked Mustangs holding off South Point for a 14-7 victory in the 3A West final. They will take on Northern Nash (14-0), which downed Fayetteville Seventy-First in the 3A East title game.
East Lincoln (15-0) needed a pair of defensive stands late — one after a turnover, another capped by West Virginia recruit Ben Cutter’s interception in the game’s waning seconds — to claim its first appearance in a state title game since 2014.
“I knew everyone would be crying, one winning and one losing,” said East Lincoln coach David Lubowicz. “I’m so happy we’re the ones with happy tears; I’m sad for South Point because they have a great football team. But I’m jacked up for our seniors; if you knew the amount of work they put in, not just this year but the past four years, they certainly deserve this.”
STAMPEDE!: East Lincoln football runs roughshod over Kings Mountain in playoff battle of unbeatens
FRIDAY NIGHT FINALS: NC high school football playoff scores updates: NCHSAA regionals in Gastonia, Shelby
It didn’t seem that would be the case early on. After drubbing previously undefeated Kings Mountain the previous week, East Lincoln’s offense got off to another hot start as Christopher Daley II’s 6-yard touchdown run gave his team a 7-0 lead mere minutes into the game.
A South Point (13-2) fumble in its own territory moments later seemed to portend another rout in the making for the Mustangs. However, the Red Raiders turned back that threat — and several others throughout the evening — with a defense that bent but rarely broke.
“Our kids played their heart out, that’s really all you can ask for,” said South Point coach Adam Hodge.
Though up 7-0 at halftime, Lubowicz said his team headed to the locker room disappointed in its effort.
“Obviously it was a tight game, so it was bit scary there at halftime,” Lubowicz said. “The guys had to come together with each other, put themselves behind the team and they did it in the second half.
Added Cutter: "We went to half and were like 'man, we’re down' … up on the scoreboard but down emotionally. I had to remind the guys that’s not us. We worked too hard to be down on ourselves.”
Cutter put his words in action on East Lincoln’s second drive after the break, plowing in for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Mustangs a 14-0 lead.
East Lincoln had ample opportunity to create distance between it and South Point, but simply couldn’t put the game away. South Point cut the lead in half on a Cam Medlock 1-yard TD run with 7:51 remaining.
The Red Raiders’ momentum continued on the fourth, albeit with help from East Lincoln. The Mustangs missed a field goal, fumbled and turned the ball over on downs late, gifting South Point with an opportunity to pull even.
A charmed playoff run for South Point seemed to have yet another act left as freshman quarterback Patrick Blee moved his team inside the East Lincoln 15-yard line. But as it had done all night, the Mustang defense had the last say.
"I read his eyes, dropped back and he threw it to me," Cutter said. "I was just there to make the play."
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA football: East Lincoln downs South Point to win 3A West title
