NCHSAA playoffs: Seventy-First, Terry Sanford football to meet in NCHSAA playoffs
Fayetteville is guaranteed to have a high school football team playing for a regional championship this season.
Seventy-First will host Terry Sanford on Black Friday for a spot in the NCHSAA 3A East Regional final.
The undefeated Falcons earned a dominant 40-8 victory against North Brunswick, and the Bulldogs secured a 27-17 win at Eastern Alamance in the third round to set up an all-Cumberland County regional semifinal.
“(Terry Sanford is) gonna throw it around a little bit and do what they have to do to try and get a win over here on Raeford Road,” Seventy-First coach Duran McLaurin said.
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“But we got dreams and we got things that we’ve been working toward, too. We’re gonna see.”
No. 3 Seventy-First (13-0) continues to overwhelm opponents with its run game and physical defense. Friday was no exception as the Falcons turned a 16-8 halftime lead into a rout against the sixth-seeded Scorpions (11-2).
Sophomore quarterback DeAndre Nance, along with running backs Anthony Quinn Jr. and Jayden Shotwell, each rushed for more than 100 yards and had touchdown runs. Nance also had a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Aaron Downing.
“We had to come out, believe in each other, and make it work,” Nance said. “The offensive line, I believe in them 100 percent. I wouldn’t want anybody else but them. They believe in me.”
Nance had a 65-yard touchdown run on the first play out of halftime that sparked the second-half surge. He finished with 132 rushing yards on eight carries. Quinn had 20 carries for 119 yards and Shotwell logged 15 carries for 103.
“DeAndre on the first play, that’s a back-breaking play,” McLaurin said. “He kind of gets overshadowed by the talented running backs that we have and the offensive line. He’s got a big-time arm and big-time legs. I believe he’s like 25-1 as a starter; the kid's a winner.”
Defensively, Seventy-First had two takeaways and shut out the Scorpions in the second half. Sophomore defensive lineman Hector Bautista had 14 tackles, including four for loss. Senior linebacker Raymond McCray and sophomore linebacker Donovan Frederick each had 13 tackles.
“Just doing what a Seventy-First defense does," McLaurin said. "We fly around and get after people."
Senior defensive back Omar Houston, who had an interception Friday, is looking forward to the challenge of facing Terry Sanford’s high-powered offense, which scored 50-plus points in the first two rounds.
Junior playmaker Kamal Thames accounted for 181 yards and three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) to lead Terry Sanford's offense at Eastern Alamance.
“When we came into the season, the word was that we were gonna have the worst secondary in Cumberland County. I feel like we definitely stepped up from that and definitely proved (people) wrong,” Houston said.
“I feel like next week, especially with Terry Sanford throwing the ball a lot, the secondary will be able to make a lot of big plays.”
Defensively, the Bulldogs had four takeaways in the third round, including two interceptions by senior cornerback Tyler Peuster. Senior defensive lineman Brenden Jackson had seven tackles, including three for loss and a sack.
Now, the seventh-seeded Bulldogs (11-2) will visit Loyd E. Auman Stadium for the county’s biggest game of the year.
“We have home-field advantage and I love that,” Houston said. “I love that they have to come here and play us.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NCHSAA football playoffs: Seventy-First, Terry Sanford in fourth round
