Kings Mountain scores a victory over Cleveland County rival Shelby that was ‘a big deal’
A Cleveland County football rivalry game is … well, we’ll let Kings Mountain football coach Greg Lloyd describe it.
“It’s a big deal, no matter which rivalry it is,” Lloyd says.
His Shelby High counterpart, Mike Wilbanks, says, “Everyone is talking about it.”
Everyone in Cleveland County will be talking a long time about Saturday night’s encounter between Shelby and visiting Kings Mountain, which the visitors won 36-35.
It was Kings Mountain’s first victory at Shelby since 1986, and that, as Lloyd says, is a big deal in a rivalry that started in 1923 with an 80-0 Shelby rout.
This was the 99th meeting between the schools, and the rivalry even has a name -- the Battle of Buffalo Creek. It’s hard to imagine that many of the earlier games produced so many momentum shifts and big defensive plays.
Some examples:
▪ Kings Mountain’s Marcus Odums picked up a blocked field goal and ran 74 yards for a second-quarter touchdown.
▪ Shelby’s Marquis Adams picked off a Kings Mountain pass at the Golden Lions’ goal line and ran 71 yards, helping set up a second-quarter touchdown.
▪ Shelby’s Gabe Huitt threw a 76-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the third quarter. And on Kings Mountain’s next series, Shelby’s Omar Phillips intercepted a pass. Two plays later, Huitt threw a 46-yard touchdown pass.
▪ But on Shelby’s next series, Huitt was injured and didn’t return. The Golden Lions had minus-13 yards of total offense for the rest of the game.
▪ With Shelby’s offense sputtering, the defense stepped in. Late in the third quarter, Adams recovered a Kings Mountain fumble and dashed 58 yards for a touchdown that gave Shelby a 35-28 lead.
▪ And after Kings Mountain scored a touchdown with 3:39 left, closing the gap to 35-34, Shelby jumped offsides on the conversion kick. With the ball moved to the 1½ yard line, Kings Mountain decided to go for two points. The running back fumbled, but the Mountaineers’ Tykel Smith, a 260-pound lineman, fell on the ball and scored the winning points.
“Winning a game like this and getting bragging rights is important to these kids,” Kings Mountain’s Lloyd says.
Jeff Melton, athletics director at Kings Mountain, adds, “The players from each school know the others from opposing teams, and in many cases, they have family members (associated with the other school).”
Wilbanks says the memorable games and players, like Odums, Huitt, Adams and Smith from Saturday night, become a part of Cleveland County folklore.
“I have kids who talk about their parents doing something big in one of these games,” Wilbanks says.
There will be plenty to talk about from Saturday night’s game.
Three who mattered
Marcus Odums, Kings Mountain: A 6-0, 170-pound senior defensive back, Odums ran 74 yards with a blocked field goal for a first-quarter touchdown, then had a third-quarter interception to stop a Shelby drive.
Marquis Adams, Shelby: A 5-10, 165-pound wide receiver and defensive back, Adams caught a 76-yard pass for a touchdown and later returned a fumble 58 yards for a score.
Chris Ruffalo, Kings Mountain: Ruffalo, a 6-0, 215-pound senior defensive tackle, had two sacks and two more tackles for lost yardage.
Worth mentioning
▪ Kings Mountain is now 5-0 and faces another Cleveland County rival, Crest, in its regular-season finale April 9. Shelby dropped to 4-1.
▪ Shelby senior quarterback Gabe Huitt had a big night before being injured. He completed 15-of-22 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
▪ Kings Mountain quarterback Ethan Reid, also a senior, had a rough first half but completed 8-of-12 passes for 122 yards in the second half. For the game, he completed 12-of-23 for 167 yards. Reid committed to Appalachian State this weekend.
▪ Despite Saturday night’s outcome, Shelby still has a 74-20-5 lead in the series with Kings Mountain. The Mountaineers have won two in a row, after Shelby had an eight-game streak.
▪ Shelby had a big 224-108 edge in total yardage over Kings Mountain in the first half, but the Mountaineers won that battle 204-57 in the second half.
▪ Saturday’s game was the first since the state’s attendance restrictions for COVID-19 were eased. While no attendance figures were announced, it was a big and noisy crowd.
WHAT’S NEXT
Kings Mountain is back in action Thursday, hosting Forestview in a Big South 3A game. Shelby is home Friday against Southwestern 2A opponent South Point.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
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Kings Mountain 7 7 14 8 -- 36
Shelby 7 7 21 0 -- 35
SH - Omar Phillips 74 run (Jack Berkowitz kick)
KM - Ethan Reid 1 run (kick failed)
KM - Marcus Odums 74 return of blocked field goal (Jaylen Mims run)
SH - Luke Williams 16 pass from Gabe Huitt (Berkowitz kick)
SH - Marquis Adams 76 pass from Huitt (Berkowitz kick)
SH - Torrian Arrington 46 pass from Huitt (Berkowitz kick)
KM - Reid 1 run (Logan Patrick kick)
KM - Rashaard Brooks 11 run (Patrick kick)
SH - Adams 58 fumble return (Berkowitz kick)
KM - Brooks 3 run (Tykel Smith recovered fumble for conversion)
This story was originally published March 27, 2021 at 11:50 PM.
