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In a game that was typical for the first contest of the season, the Waddell Raiders scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and used a stout defense to hold off the Wildcats of North Gaston 14-7 Friday night at Raider Stadium.
It was the first victory for new head coach and former Carolina Panther Deveron Harper.
"This win means a lot to our program," said Harper. "We have goals every week, and one of those goals is to win at home. I am happy to accomplish that. This was a test for our team, and we passed the test. We have to believe, and we did that tonight. This was a very good win for us."
The Raiders got on the board first with a quick, two-play drive, capped by Ryan Herbin's 43-yard touchdown run, taking advantage of the first of two turnovers for the Wildcats in the first half.
Herbin topped that on the next Waddell possession, turning the corner on a sweep and taking the ball 63 yards for the second and final score of the game for the Raiders.
After forcing Waddell to punt, North Gaston looked as if it would get back in the game in the second quarter. Xzavier Spriggs took the ball 50 yards down to the two-yard line, but was called for illegal hands to the face. Wildcat head coach Josh Clendenin protested the call, and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. That set the North Gaston offense back to the 34-yard line, and the Waddell defense forced a punt and ended the threat.
