We stated earlier in the week the entire town of Kernersville very well could be at this ball game. No doubt a hyperbole but we expected standing room only and let us be the first to tell you that is exactly what we received. This is a community that wants a winner so badly. This East Forsyth Eagle team that has been so close to getting to the big dance the last few years, with none being closer than the 2015 match up with Charlotte Mallard Creek, when they had victory snatched from them at the very last moment.
Coach Todd Willert and his entire team had a different look to them, physically they looked the same, but emotionally you could sense it, tonight was going to be different, tonight they were going to impose their will and deliver a regional championship to the community that has supported them through all the close calls over the years. As the Eagles walked through the bleachers the crowd roared with excitement, you could feel the energy. Tonight was going to be different.
The visiting Porter Ridge Pirates won the toss and elected to receive the ball, they wanted to set the tone and quiet this electric crowd. The Coastal Carolina University Commit Grayson McCall led his troops to the line and looked to attack early and often with their high powered shotgun option attack. First drive was a three and out for the Pirates and the Eagles looked even faster on the field than they did on film this week. For the Eagles it was now the offenses turn. They drove down to the Pirate 5 yard line with relative ease and facing a 4th down and short, Coach Willert decided to roll the dice and go for it, but it was all for not as the Porter Ridge defense came up with a huge stop and you just knew we were in for a great game. Two plays later any momentum the Pirates had would be quickly taken away as running back Kirkland Harris was tackled in the end zone for a safety.
It was an early 2-0 lead for the Eagles, a lead that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the evening. After the Porter Ridge safety punt and only a few offensive plays running back Ahmani Marshall took it all the way to the house for a 33 yard touchdown to extend the lead to 9-0 and you could see the jubilation throughout the stadium.
As the 1st quarter wore on, the need for the Pirates to get something going on offense was imperative. For the night they were in the negative category when it came to yardage. The defense on the other hand was playing incredible considering the amount of time that they had been on the field, and after a successful 3rd down stop it looked as though they were going to force East Forsyth to punt and receive decent field position.
Not so fast my friend Coach Willert dug into his bag of tricks and called a gutsy fake punt from his own 27 yard line, Khalid Martin took the snap and took it all the way in for a touchdown to extend the lead to 16-0, when i say Fred E. Lewis stadium was electric that is an understatement, you could not hear yourself think, with how much emotion and excitement was coming out of the fans.
The 2nd quarter brought on more scoring from the Eagles, this time it was courtesy of kicker Andrew Conrad on what looked to be about a 30 yard field goal to extend the lead to 19-0 mid way throughout the 2nd quarter.
There was no quit in this Porter Ridge Pirate team, facing an uphill climb to get back in the game, the Grayson McCall offense marched down the field and Kirkland Harris found his way into the end zone on a 7 yard run to cut the lead to 19-7 right before the half.
The Pirate Team that came out in the 2nd half was a completely different team than we saw in the first half. Not only did they get a big stop on defense but Sophomore running back Brandon Perry decided to make Friday Night his coming out party as he is a name you will certainly be seeing a lot of over the next two seasons. Perry scored on a 13 yard run, and that cut the Eagles lead to 19-14 and the Band of Pirates were rocking. Everything was shaping over to be an exciting finish to this regional final.
Someone did not tell Mizell Hall that though, as he took the ensuing kick off 97 yards back to the house for the score to extend the lead 25-14. Any hope the Pirate Faithful had was slowly starting to be ripped away, as the Eagles who had not won a State Championship in any of these players lifetimes would not let this be the same outcome as so many past playoff failures.
As the 4th quarter wore on you could sense the urgency coming from the Porter Ridge sideline, the ensuing drive for the Pirates came down to a 4th and 3 with the ball game on the line, but the Eagle defense as it had all night won the battle of the line of scrimmage and stopped the Pirates for a 1 yard loss. That would do it for the Pirates 2018 season. All the hard work that the coaches and players had put in all season long would come to an end on a bitterly cold night in Kernersville.
The Eagles would score one more time to put the final nail in the coffin, once again it was Ahmani Marshall with the score and that would put the final score at 32-14.
You could see the emotion just spill out of the coaches, fans, and the players. A community that has waited for so long and came so painstakingly close in recent years has finally made it back to the State Championship Game. The amount of emotion from the entire community is what High School Football is all about, it was truly a beautiful sight.
Make no mistake though as happy as the entire team and community was, they are not going to settle with just appearing in the Championship Game, they want to take a championship back home to Kernersville, and come Saturday December 15th at 7:00 P.M. against Scotland County they will have their opportunity.
For the Porter Ridge Pirates this is only the beginning, the foundation is in place to be competitive year in and year out, they have the right Coach leading the way, and the fan support is second to none, congratulations to the Pirates on a successful season.
R.M. Mitcham
East Forsyth: Ahmani Marshall with 2 rushing touchdowns.
Porter Ridge: Brnadon Perry 1 touchdown and 77 yards rushing.
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