South Greene welcomed rising Division II-A program Concord Christian Academy to Rebel Hill on Friday night, but the Lions proved too much to handle, roaring to a 41-14 victory to improve to 5-3 on the season.
Concord, who is in its second year of varsity football and coming off a 38-14 win over Providence Academy, utilized its speed and athleticism to score all 41 points in the first half, running just 14 offensive plays while accumulating 322 yards.
After forcing South Greene to punt on its opening possession, Concord narrowly avoided disaster on its first offensive snap from its own 40-yard line. The snap sailed over the quarterback’s head, sending both teams scrambling for the ball on the wet surface. Fortunately for the Lions, sophomore running back Dasani Moulden scooped up the loose ball and raced to the right, breaking tackles along the way for a 60-yard touchdown. The PAT gave Concord a 7-0 lead with 8:37 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Lions forced another three-and-out and quickly went back to work after Moulden fielded the punt at his own 33 and returned it to the Rebel 18. After a one-yard loss on the first play, Maurice Smith broke loose for a 19-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion extended the lead to 15-0 with 6:08 left in the quarter.
South Greene showed signs of life on its third possession as Dawson Ripley completed a seven-yard pass to Jaxen Taylor before Trent Haynes converted on fourth-and-one. However, the drive stalled at the Rebel 39, forcing the Rebels to punt for the third consecutive time.
Concord broke through to block the punt and took over at the South Greene 45. Smith wasted no time finding the end zone, racing for a touchdown on the very next play to give the Lions a 21-0 advantage with 2:19 remaining in the first quarter. The PAT was blocked.
Haynes gave the Rebels a spark on the ensuing kickoff, fielding the ball at his own 15 and returning it to the Concord 49. However, South Greene turned the ball over on downs four plays later.
After a five-yard gain brought the opening quarter to a close, the Lions wasted little time extending their lead. Quarterback Dylan Brown swung a pass to Amar’e McKenzie, who turned it into a 45-yard touchdown to make it 28-0 with 11:48 remaining in the first half.
South Greene took over at its own 35 after the kickoff sailed out of bounds. Haynes picked up four yards on his first carry before breaking loose for a 27-yard gain on the next play. The Rebels then caught the defense off guard when Haynes completed a halfback pass to Noah Shelton, setting up first-and-goal at the eight-yard line.
However, back-to-back false-start penalties pushed South Greene back to the 18. The Rebels were unable to reach the end zone and settled for a field goal attempt, which Concord blocked with just under nine minutes remaining in the half.
The Lions struck again in a hurry. Todd Lundy picked up 18 yards for a first down before Smith broke free for a 62-yard touchdown, his third score of the night. The PAT pushed Concord’s lead to 35-0 with 8:44 remaining in the half.
Another South Greene punt set up the Lions’ final scoring drive of the first half. Allistar Middlebrook carried the ball on three consecutive plays, gaining eight, six and 47 yards to move Concord deep into Rebel territory.
Dereon Brown capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run, making it 41-0 with 5:58 remaining.
South Greene put together its best drive of the half on its final possession, moving from its own 22 to the Concord 19. Haynes carried the ball seven times to lead the drive, while Ripley completed a six-yard pass to Dawson Rosenbalm. The Rebels were unable to finish the drive with points, however, as the half came to a close.
With the clock running in the second half, South Greene took advantage of two fumble recoveries and an onside kick to get on the scoreboard.
Haynes, who finished with 130 yards rushing on 31 carries, put the Rebels on the board with 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter, plunging in from two yards out. He found the end zone again with 5:12 remaining in the game, breaking loose for a 24-yard touchdown run to account for the final 41-14 score.
Concord finished with 359 yards of total offense, including 300 on the ground. South Greene accumulated 257 yards, with 127 rushing and 137 passing.
The Rebels, now 3-5 on the season, will travel to Eagleton next week before closing out the regular season at Happy Valley. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. kickoffs.
