North Lincoln football holds off rival Lincolnton in Lincoln County Game of the Week
In rivalry games it seems it is never over until the final whistle blows.
For North Lincoln, it almost learned that the hard way as the Knights jumped out to a big lead over host Lincolnton then held on for a 21-20 victory at Von Ray Harris Field. This was the Deer Park game of the week in Lincoln County.
North Lincoln (1-1) wasted little time in scoring as Eli Sipe threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Donahue four minutes into the game.
After the teams exchanged punts North Lincoln went 58 yards in seven plays and led 14-0 after a Shannon Wingate 6-yard run.
The lead went to 21-0 with a minute left in the first half when Sipe scored on a 1-yard run. It looked like the Knights were off to an easy victory.
The second half was a different story.
North Lincoln fumbled the kick return and Lincolnton (0-2) scored three plays later on an Andre Bost 5-yard run to cut the lead to 21-6.
Lincolnton cut the lead to 21-12 five minutes later when Bost threw a 54 yard touchdown pass to his brother, Treylen.
Lincolnton closed to 21-18 early in the fourth quarter on another Bost TD pass, this one 51 yards to Khalil Yarborough.
In the final minutes, Lincolnton took possession after an interception and drove to the Knights’ 9, but Bost was injured and had to come out of the game.
On fourth-and-1 from the 4, backup quarterback Karson Cloninger tried a sneak but came up short.
North tried to run out the clock but faced fourth down with six seconds left.
Punter Tanner Ayers ran around and took a safety but there were still two seconds left. Lincolnton had one final play after the free kick but came up short and North escaped with the victory.
Three Who Made a difference
Eli Sipe, North Lincoln: Knights quarterback ran their triple option well, accounting for 99 yards and two touchdowns in his first North Lincoln/Lincolnton start.
Andre Bost, Lincolnton: Almost brought the Wolves back, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns and running for 22 more and another touchdown
Khalil Yarborough, Lincolnton: Caught five passes for 83 yards and a touchdown for the Wolves.
Worth Mentioning
▪ Games tend to be decided in the trenches, and North Lincoln dominated both sides in the first half. The Knights ran for 97 yards and the defense held Lincolnton to negative 4 yards on the ground. In the second half, Lincolnton turned the tables, holding North to 40 yards on the ground while running for 114 yards.
▪ Special teams are more important than most people realize. Lincolnton struggles in the kicking game and because of that, it had to go for two-point conversions twice after missing an extra point or this game might’ve gone to overtime.
▪ Because of the heat the game was pushed back to 8 p.m. It seemed to help and there were only a couple players who had trouble with cramping.
What’s Next?
North Lincoln has a bye next week and will travel to East Rutherford on Sept. 8. Lincolnton will be on the road next week facing another county rival, East Lincoln.
Scoring Summary
North Lincoln 14 7 0 0 — 21
Lincolnton 0 0 12 8 — 20
NL — Tyler Donohue 37 pass from Eli Sipe (Jake Dillingham kick)
NL — Shannon Wingate 6 run (Dillingham kick)
NL — Sipe 1 run (Dillingham kick)
L — Andre Bost 5 run (kick blocked)
L — Treylen Bost 54 pass from Andre Bost (run failed)
L — Khalil Yarborough 51 pass from Andre Bost (run failed)
L — Safety
This story was originally published August 25, 2023 at 11:52 PM.
