AHS goes to 4-0 after OT thriller

WENTWORTH — The Asheboro High School football program took another step in its evolution on Friday, succeeding in an area that the Blue Comets fell short in on so many occasions last season.

“I know last year we struggled to find ways to win close games,” third-year head coach Calvin Brown said. “We faced adversity (Friday) night, we were behind numerous times and had to continue to fight and that’s huge for us.”

That fight produced a thrilling 31-30 overtime win over Rockingham County that moved the Blue Comets to 4-0 for the first time since 2006. That unbeaten start will certainly be tested this week as the Blue Comets make the short trip to Eastern Randolph High School to meet the Wildcats.

“The message will be the same,” Brown said of the preparation for the 3-1 Wildcats. “Focus on us, play physical and fast. Try and win the line of scrimmage. I won’t have to say anything to get these kids motivated this week.”

ER has been a thorn in the side of the Blue Comets.

“That was kind of a hurdle we had in the past,” Brown said of an intimidation factor. “We would see certain names and get a little frightened. I think we’re past that phase. That has affected teams in the past. I don’t think we’re going to be intimidated. The win over Randleman showed it doesn’t matter what the front of the jersey says. We’re gonna play.”

They did last week.

In a back-and-forth game that featured numerous lead changes, the Blue Comets had a 10-7 halftime lead. AHS found itself behind 7-0 before getting a 1-yard TD run by DJ Scott and a 34-yard field goal by Micah Garcia.

Rockingham County took a 14-10 lead heading into the final quarter when a scoring blitz started with a Dallas Brinton 5-yard scoring run for a 17-14 lead.

The Cougars responded with a TD to give the home team a 21-17 lead, but a 28-yard pass from Brinton to Garrison Cheek regained the lead for the Blue Comets at 24-21 with about four minutes left.

The Cougars tied the game with a field goal, setting up the overtime. AHS used a 4-yard run from Brinton and the extra point by freshman Jefferson Aguilar on its possession, but after a TD by the Cougars, their two-point conversion failed when Shane Immel knocked down a pass attempt.

Despite the comebacks, Brown said his team didn’t play particularly well.

“It taught us something about ourselves,” Brown said. “We can find ways to win when we’re not playing our best. Having to travel to Rockingham, coming off an emotional win over Randleman, knowing we were playing Eastern next week and how good (Rockingham County) would be, I was extremely worried. We struggled, going through the motions and they played really well. 

“It shows where we’re at as a program. Great teams find ways to win when everyone is not playing their best game. For our guys to answer in that situation, to get us out of there with a win, is great, but we’re not where we want to be.”

The kicking game is as AHS has converted on all 22 of its PATs this season along with two of three field goal attempts.

“We take a lot of pride in our special teams, our PATs,” Brown said. “We have a first-year coach back there (Trent Thomas) and everyone is working hard and doing well.”