A big rally, and streaks come to an end as No. 12 Ardrey Kell upends No. 4 Weddington
Ardrey Kell’s defensive players have short memories.
Stung by a big Weddington touchdown on the final play of the first half, the Knights shrugged off the mistake and shut down the Warrior offense in the final 24 minutes.
The result was a 38-21 Ardrey Kell victory that ended a lot of streaks for both the 12th-ranked Knights and for No. 4 Weddington.
It was Ardrey Kell’s first victory over their neighborhood rivals in five years.
And it was Weddington’s first regular-season loss to anyone other than Charlotte Catholic in nearly four years.
“Weddington is a really good team, and they got us with that big play at the end of the half,” said Ardrey Kell coach Greg Jachym, whose team is now 3-0. “But our kids just came back out and played the way they needed to.”
Weddington (3-1) gained 232 yards and scored 21 points in the first half. The Warriors had 103 yards, no points, and three turnovers in the second half. One of those turnovers resulted in a 21-yard fumble return for a go-ahead touchdown by Ardrey Kell’s Kevin Tarpley in the third quarter.
While the Knights’ defense was busy shutting down visiting Weddington, the Ardrey Kell offense kept chugging away.
Quarterback Jack Curtis threw three touchdown passes. Curtis said he talked to the team’s defensive captains at halftime and told them, “I’ve got your backs, and you’ve got mine.”
“We came out with our hair on fire,” he said of the second half.
The first and last plays of the first half could have been demoralizing for Ardrey Kell.
The Knights fumbled away the opening kickoff, but their defense forced Weddington to settle for a field goal attempt that went wide-left.
They Knights battled back from a 14-0 deficit and tied the game at 14-all when Curtis completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Toye-Ellis with 1:12 left in the half.
Weddington drove to its 46, and the Knights thought they had finished the half when they tackled a Warrior receiver for a loss at Weddington’s 46. But the Warriors called a time out with seven seconds left, and Grady Brosterhouse completed a 56-yard catch-and-run to Kyle Parsons for a touchdown as the half ended.
“Our defense really dug in after the half, and Jack (Curtis) made some big plays for us,” Jachym said.
Beylor Morgan dashed 55 yards for a game-tying touchdown just three minutes into the third quarter, and about a minute later, Tarpley scooped up a Weddington fumbled handoff and ran into the end zone. That put the Knights up 28-21.
Nick Chilcott nailed a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, and when Curtis connected with Jack Barker on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 7:35 left, Ardrey Kell fans launched into the “Overrated” cheer at Weddington.
Three who mattered
Jack Curtis, Ardrey Kell: A senior quarterback, Curtis completed 14-of-24 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns.
Kyle Parsons, Weddington: A 6-0, 185-pound senior who has committed to Wofford, Parsons rushed for 81 yards and caught three passes for another 66 yards. He scored two touchdowns.
Blake Henninger, Ardrey Kell: A senior linebacker, Henninger seemed to be a part of every tackle in the second half. He had a sack and pressured Weddington quarterback Grady Brosterhous at least four times.
Worth mentioning
▪ Ardrey Kell running back Beylor Morgan had a big game. He carried 20 times for 93 yards, caught three passes for 46 yards, and scored a pair of touchdowns.
▪ Weddington quarterback Grady Brosterhous had a big first half, throwing for 153 yards. But he came under heavy pressure in the second half and finished with 17-of-36 for 174 yards.
▪ Ardrey Kell is now 5-10 alltime against Weddington. Before Friday night, the Knights’ last victory over the Warriors was in 2016.
▪ The last time Weddington lost in the regular season to anyone other than Charlotte Catholic was on Sept. 15, 2017, when the Warriors fell 20-19 to Crest. And Ardrey Kell’s 38 points Friday night were the most that anyone has scored against Weddington since Sept. 11, 2015, when Monroe tallied 45 points.
▪ Both stands were packed, as was the Ardrey Kell High parking lot. Traffic was snarled badly on Ardrey Kell Road, and a number of fans arrived late.
▪ Ardrey Kell is taking on all comers from Union County. The Knights opened by beating Cuthbertson, then handed Marvin Ridge and Weddington their first losses. Next week, they travel to unbeaten Porter Ridge.
What’s next
Weddington is idle next week and travels to Olympic on Sept. 24. Ardrey Kell is scheduled to play next Friday at Porter Ridge.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
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Weddington 7 14 0 0 — 21
Ardrey Kell 0 14 14 10 — 38
W: Kyle Parsons 4 run (Matthew Moonan kick)
W: Landyn Backey 6 pass from Grady Brosterhous (Moonan kick)
AK: Beylor Morgan 34 pass from Jack Curtis (Alex Chilcott kick)
AK: Jalen Toye-Ellis 14 pass from Curtis (Chilcott kick)
W: Parsons 56 pass from Brosterhous (Moonan kick)
AK: Morgan 55 run (Chilcott kick)
AK: Kevin Tarpley 21 fumble return (Chilcott kick)
AK: FG Chilcott 41
AK: Jack Barker 30 pass from Curtis (Chilcott kick)