Sun Valley advances in NCHSAA playoffs, beats T.C. Roberson in local game of the week
Sun Valley is moving on in the North Carolina high school playoffs.
The football power in Union County came out of the gates firing and held off T.C. Roberson to earn a 29-14 victory in the first Charlotte Observer Reader’s Choice Game of the Week on Friday night.
The Spartans (9-2), who now hold the No. 16 spot in the Observer’s Sweet 16 football poll, scored a date with top-ranked Weddington next weekend.
While Sun Valley commanded its win over the Rams (4-5) early, the strong high school football team from Asheville kept it close throughout. T.C. Roberson had the Spartans within one score for most of the second half Friday, even getting the ball back in plus territory during the game’s final minutes before being stopped on fourth down.
“That kind of team is never out of the game,” Sun Valley head coach Ryan Smith said. “Just found ways to improve and kept our foot on the gas.
“Our defense is very well-prepared, and that kind of offense is tough because people get lost here and there. We did a good job keeping them in check for the most part. Take away three or four big plays, and I think we were really solid all night.”
Notable
▪ Sun Valley advances in the NCHSAA playoffs for the second straight season. The Spartans posted a big 44-18 win over Cox Mill last year before being eliminated by Grimsley, marking their first postseason run since 2018 — when future NFL quarterback Sam Howell was leading the team.
▪ Howell, now on the Seattle Seahawks’ roster after starting for the Washington Commanders, threw for 3,240 yards and 36 touchdowns, in addition to 1,392 rushing yards and 16 scores on the ground, during that 2018 season and was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
▪ The Spartans are on their way to their third winning season in the past seven years. They totaled a record of 7-30 between their 2018 and 2023 playoff seasons, and the team’s nine wins are the most since their 10-3 campaign in 2018.
▪ T.C. Roberson, the high school in Asheville, made the state playoffs for the third straight season. It beat Reagan as the No. 8 seed in the 4A bracket last year before seeing its season end in a 24-21 upset loss to Charlotte Catholic.
They said it
“One thing I really enjoy and appreciate about this group: They’re not scared of anybody. We played (Weddington) in the regular season in our non-conference. This group’s not going to be scared. They’re gonna come out and compete, I know we’ll have a plan to be ready to go.
“We’ll see what happens — they’re a good football program, they have been for a while now — but the one thing I’ll say for our guys is they’re not going to back down. We’ll be ready to go.” — Smith
Up next?
Sun Valley will play at Weddington next week. The Warriors, the top-ranked school in the Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, routed the A.L. Brown Wonders in a 54-7 blowout Friday night.
Scoring summary
T.C. Roberson: 0 7 7 0 — 14
Sun Valley: 13 8 0 8 — 29
FIRST QUARTER
SV: Quarterback Noah Lineberry connected with Jaiden Morrow-Jones for a 59-yard touchdown pass on the Spartans’ first play from scrimmage.
SV: The team moved downfield once again early, culminating in a strike from Lineberry to his twin brother, Wyatt, for a short touchdown pass that made it 13-0.
SECOND QUARTER
SV: Lineberry found junior receiver Andrew Doody for a touchdown pass, and the two connected again on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt to give the Spartans a 21-0 lead.
R: The Rams slowly moved downfield and punched it into the end zone late in the first half, making it 21-7.
THIRD QUARTER
R: The Rams got the ball early in the second half, and a big rushing play brought them deep inside their opponent’s territory. They ran it in from short once again, pulling to a seven-point deficit.
FOURTH QUARTER
SV: On fourth down and goal, Lineberry rolled to his left and threw a touchdown pass to junior running back Zach Cullen. The Spartans made the two-point conversion and opened a 29-14 advantage with five minutes left in regulation.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 10:29 PM.
