Lake Norman Publications

FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Mooresville staves off aggressive Hickory Ridge attack



Mooresville offensive linemen Xander Mercer-Johnson (56) and Kendyn Smith (52) prepare to block on a run play in the Blue Devils’ win over Hickory Ridge Friday, Sept. 23. /Doug Coats

MOORESVILLE – A packed home side of Coach Joe Popp Stadium saw Mooresville High overcome an early deficit turning into an impressive 40-22 win over Hickory Ridge Friday night.

Facing an aggressive, pass-happy offense, the Blue Devils (4-1) themselves entered with a fierce one-two punch in the ground game. But Mooresville quarterback Jamere Cherry showed off his arm and legs with two first-half touchdown passes and three total scores.

With the teams tied at 14 and just over a minute to go before the half, Cherry connected with Randy Fulmore on a slant route for a 20-yard touchdown and the lead going into the locker room.

Cherry accounted for all three Mooresville scores in the first, including a 3-yard rush to make it an 8-7 game early. His first TD pass was a do-over of sorts to wideout Aaron graham, who couldn’t quite hang on the previous pass.

In the second half, however, the combination of Jawarn Howell and Kyjuan Westmoreland did their thing. After Hickory Ridge (2-2) regained the lead in the third quarter, Howell punched it in from short to make it 27-22. After a Westmoreland touchdown in the fourth quarter, Howell put an exclamation mark on the victory with just under a minute remaining.

The Ragin’ Bulls showcased their big-play ability early, as quarterback Caden Haywood hit top receiver Jaden Harris on consecutive big plays with 2 minutes left in the first. The latter resulted in a 38-yard touchdown just after they picked up a third-and-long.

But the Devils’ defense was able to force Haywood out of the pocket and throw more jump balls to Haywood and his other targets.

The win moved Mooresville to 2-0 in Greater Metro 4 play, and are on a six-game conference win streak dating back to last season.

Howell and Westmoreland have now combined for 14 rushing touchdowns this season.

The game was the first under Mooresville Graded School District’s new security guidelines regarding elementary and middle school students. Those ages are no longer allowed entrance to home football games without a supervising adult. Further, a stricter bag policy and walk-through metal detectors are being utilized. Those measures may have led to slightly longer lines, but did not impact attendance for the home team.

Blue Devil fans packed the home side of Coach Joe Popp Stadium.

Lake-area scores

Hough 16, Chambers 8; Huskies win third straight regular-season game versus Chambers, avenge playoff loss

Lake Norman High 29, A.L. Brown 7; Wildcats improve to 5-0

Mallard Creek 47, Hopewell 7

East Lincoln 28, Statesville 7

Hickory 29, North Lincoln 22; North falls to 0-5, mostly one-score games

CSD 56, Mountain Island Charter 6; Spartans score 124 last two games

Pine Lake Prep 48, Winston-Salem Prep 6

Bandys 35, East Burke 14

Asheville Christian 38, SouthLake-Davidson Day 30

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