Weddington runs over Porter Ridge in Union County conference showdown

Weddington head coach Andy Capone didn’t feel much like sharing the Southern Carolina 6A-7A championship with anyone this season.

The Warriors made sure that wasn’t going to happen after routing Porter Ridge — their chief rival for the league title — 42-0 in a rule-shortened game Friday night.

Weddington (8-1, 5-0) — No. 6 in the Observer’s Sweet 16 rankings — dominated on both sides of the ball in winning its seventh consecutive game, and the Warriors’ second by shutout this season.

“We had a great week of practice, and the kids had a lot of good energy,” said Capone, who is now 8-0 all-time against Porter Ridge (6-3, 3-2). “The coaches put together a good plan, and our kids are playing at a high level right now.

“We knew this was going to be a big one in the conference — they were in the No. 2 spot, and we were in the first spot — so we had to make sure we kept the conference title outright at Weddington. Our kids made it happen.”

The Warriors’ offense piled up 454 yards of total offense — 230 yards rushing, 224 passing — and 19 first downs against the Pirates’ defense, rolling to a 28-0 halftime lead and never letting off the gas.

Weddington quarterback Walker Powell threw for two touchdowns — a 31-yarder to Matthew McCoy in the second quarter, and a 27-yarder to Jon Manley in the third quarter that started the “running clock” on Porter Ridge.

Manley caught two TD passes Friday, his first coming on a first-quarter trick play that saw K.D. Cotton turn what appeared to be a reverse sweep into a 40-yard touchdown.

Brody Anson, Anthony Barrino and Nick Wagner added touchdown runs — Anson a 1-yarder in the first quarter, Barrino a 3-yarder in the second, and Wagner a 15-yarder in the fourth — for the Warriors.

The rest was all Weddington’s defense, which held Porter Ridge to just 15 yards of total offense and zero first downs as the Warriors shut out the Pirates for the second straight meeting and third time in the series’ history.

“We came in here and handled business,” Powell said. “We had great energy at practice this week. We’ve still got to clean up a couple things — penalties and mental errors — but I think we had a pretty well-rounded game.”

Three who made a difference

Walker Powell, Weddington — The Warriors’ senior quarterback finished with 174 passing yards and two TDs, completing 9 of 14 attempts with an interception — one of three Weddington had Friday. Backup QB Paxton Ladner had the other two.

Jon Manley, Weddington — The Warriors’ senior wide receiver also had a big night, catching eight passes for 156 yards and the two touchdowns.

Brody Anson and Anthony Barrino, Weddington — Anson, a senior, and Barrino, a junior, had the bulk of the Warriors’ rushing yards — and all came in the first half. Barrino finished with a game-high 85 yards on just seven carries, and Anson had 63 yards on seven carries. Wagner, who only came on in the fourth quarter, finished with 45 yards on six carries.

Historical note

Weddington has now won nine consecutive games over Porter Ridge, a streak that dates back to its start 14 years ago, a 7-0 victory over the Pirates in 2012. The Warriors also lead the all-time series 10-2, with Porter Ridge’s only wins coming in 2010 and 2011.

Up next

Weddington wraps up its regular-season schedule next Friday at home against Piedmont; Porter Ridge gets a week off before closing out at home against Sun Valley on Oct. 31.

SCORING SUMMARY

PORTER RIDGE 0 0 0 0 – 0

WEDDINGTON 14 14 7 7 – 42

First quarter

W — Brody Anson 1 run (Owen McNulty kick), 5:06.

W — Jon Manley 40 pass from K.D. Cotton (McNulty kick), 4:07.

Second quarter

W — Anthony Barrino 3 run (McNulty kick), 11:55.

W — Matthew McCoy 31 pass from Walker Powell (McNulty kick), 6:09.

Third quarter

W — Manley 27 pass from Powell (McNulty kick), 7:21.

Fourth quarter

W — Nick Wagner 15 run (McNulty kick), 3:43.

This story was originally published October 17, 2025 at 10:41 PM.