Friday night statement: No. 3 Hough dominates No. 2 Chambers with defense

Hough High’s football team had a long time to think about last year’s N.C. 4A regional championship game against its archrivals from Chambers.

Last December, the Huskies were up 14 points, playing at home, with just over 15 minutes between them and a first state championship berth. They were this close. Then, the Huskies let it slip away, as Chambers scored 21 fourth-quarter points and won.

On Friday night, Hough brought its memory — and its defense — on the bus from Cornelius and dominated the line of scrimmage in a 16-7 win.

Hough (4-1), No. 3 in The Observer’s Sweet 16, won its fourth straight game and beat No. 2 Chambers (3-2) for the fourth straight time in the regular season. And for most of the game, Hough simply slammed the door on the Cougars’ offense.

Chambers, which trailed 14-0 in the first quarter, had one little flurry.

Chambers got a long kickoff return to start the second half from Prince Caldwell, and a personal foul on the play allowed the Cougars to start their drive at the Hough 45. A few plays later, QB Bubba Camp ran up the middle for a 33-yard score. It was his fourth rushing touchdown of the season. Chambers trailed 14-7.

Camp injured his ankle in the third quarter, however, and didn’t display the same type of mobility for the final 15 minutes or so.

And down 14-7, Chambers committed two personal foul penalties, hitting Hough QB Tad Hudson late. The Cougars gave up 30 yards of penalties during what looked like it might be a long touchdown drive to put away the game. Two yards from the goal line, however, Hough completed a pass and the receiver fumbled on his way down. Chambers had the ball with 5:36 to play at its own 4.

Hough’s defense, again, came up big.

Two plays later, Hough linebacker James Nesta knocked the ball out of Camp’s hand, as Hough again won the line of scrimmage battle. Chambers’ Jahlian Pride recovered in the end zone, and the safety gave Hough a 16-7 lead with 5:04 left.

On this night, it was probably fitting that Hough’s defense put the game away.

First Half Highlights

▪ Hough dominated the first half, limiting Chambers to 76 total yards on 27 plays, and most of that came on the Cougars’ final drive of the half. For most of the opening 24 minutes, the teams were lining up on Chambers’ side of the field.

▪ Hough got the lead just 13 seconds into the game when Markell Quick returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a score. He took the kick on the left side of the field, sprinted to his right and hit the sideline. From there, he simply outran Chambers defenders to the end zone.

▪ The Huskies defense also came out hot, limiting Chambers to minus-6 yards on its first two possessions. The second stop created a short field, but after a fourth-and-1 sneak from QB Tad Hudson, the Chambers defense snuffed out the drive with an interception from Dontrae Henderson in the end zone.

▪ The Huskies got the ball right back, when a Chambers running back fumbled. This time, Hough made Chambers pay. UNC-bound QB Tad Hudson found running back Akil Williams on a short route over the middle and Williams sped down the right side to the end zone with 9:43 left in the first half. Hough led 14-0. That was all the points it would need.

Three Who Made A Difference

Hough’s defense: Linebacker James Nesta and his buddies sacked Chambers QB Bubba Camp at least five times and limited Chambers to 61 yards passing and 101 rushing.

Markell Quick, Hough: The wide receiver’s opening kickoff 90-yard scoring return was big in a game where points were hard to come by. Quick also caught seven passes unofficially for 46 yards.

Chambers’ defense: It was stressed a lot more than Hough’s due to poor field position, and the Cougars got some big stops. Hough QB Tad Hudson, the UNC recruit, was 19-for-29 for 166 yards but didn’t hit the big plays he routinely makes every week. Hough managed 11 yards rushing.

Scoring Summary

Hough 14 0 0 2 — 16

Chambers 0 0 7 0 — 7

First Quarter

H: Markell Quick 90 kick return (Nolan Houser kick)

H: Akil Williams 28 pass from Tad Hudson (Houser kick)

Third Quarter

C: Bubba Camp 33 run (Pedro Martinez kick)

Fourth Quarter

H: Safety

PHOTOS: Hough at Chambers