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KANNAPOLIS What seemed improbable five weeks ago became reality Friday at Kannapolis' Memorial Stadium.
Concord defeated A.L. Brown 13-10, completing a five-game winning streak to close the regular season after starting 0-6. The Spiders, which last beat their Cabarrus County rival in 2006, made a 13-10 halftime lead hold up as first-year coach Glen Padgett won his first Bell Game.
Kannapolis won the past two matchups 56-6 (in 2008) and 45-25 (2007). The Wonders (9-2, 6-1) clinched the South Piedmont 3A championship last week and enter the state playoffs next week as the league's top seeded team.
The Spiders (5-6, 5-2) finish in a tie for second in the conference.
"To beat A.L. Brown, such a wonderful program ...," said Padgett. "... their players played hard. This is such a great win for Concord. We're very proud of our players and proud to be part of such a great tradition as this."
Following an early swap of turnovers, Concord took possession at its 44 midway through the first quarter and scored with two pass plays. Sophomore J.D. Misenheimer gained 13 yards and freshman B.J. Beecher (10-of-23 passing for 136 yards) found Jacquise Moore wide open for a 43-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Brown answered with a nine-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard trick play on fourth-and-six. Quarterback Martel Campbell tossed a four-yard pass to Tevin Jones who pitched to Travis Riley racing down the left sideline.
Concord used some of its own trickery to take the lead for good early in the second quarter. Facing fourth-and-7 at the Kannapolis 30, the Spiders lined up for a 47-yard field-goal attempt but holder Ryan Goodman tossed a shovel pass to Moore for an eight-yard gain.
Running back Dominique Posey's 15-yard run got Concord inside the 10, then he took over as quarterback in a Wildcat formation. On fourth down, Posey ran right and cut up field for a two-yard score and a 13-7 lead.
Concord got the ball back with 52 seconds left in the first half but two incomplete passes and a Kannapolis timeout helped force a Spiders punt. The Wonders' Desmond Gray got a hand on the kick and Brown took over at the Concord nine-yard line with 23.1 seconds left. Brenden Brown made a 23-yard field goal, making it 13-10.
The Wonders reached the Concord 17 in the fourth quarter, but a fumbled pitch on third down lost 13 yards and Campbell's fourth down pass was intercepted by Jalen Brown with 3 minutes, 44 seconds left.
