October 3, 2009

MARS HILL, N.C. - The Lions' football team lost to SAC rival Carson-Newman College, 55-28 Saturday afternoon at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium. The Lions fell to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the SAC. The Eagles improved to 4-2 on the season and an even 1-1 in the league.

Four turnovers plagued the Lions. Two of the four fumbles directly led to a C-N score. Buck Wakefield (Drummonds, Tenn.) led the Eagle ground attack with 152 yards on 23 carries (6.6 avg.) and three touchdown rushes. Alex Good (Greensboro, N.C.) threw for 196 yards and one score and rushed for three additional touchdowns recording 43 yards on the ground. Reggie Hubbard (Chattanooga, Tenn.) caught six passes for 113 yards. Elliette Jackson (Fairfield, Ala.) led the Eagle defense with nine tackles (7 solo) one tackle-for-loss and one recovered fumble. Jermel Demps (Valdosta, Ga.) had six stops and an interception.

Jonas Randolph (Daleville, Ala.) led the Lions' offense with 185 yards rushing averaging 7.7 yards per carry. Jon Richt (Watkinsville, Ga.) threw for 102 yards and one touchdown pass. Josh Johnson (Newland, N.C.) caught two passes for 65 yards and one score. Demetrius Smedley (Decatur, Ga.) had the best return of his career when he ran a fourth quarter kickoff back 95 yards for a MHC score. Josh Baker (Skyland, N.C.) led the MHC defense with 10 tackles (8 solo) and three tackles-for-loss. He also posted a sack. Zach Johnson (Newland, N.C.) tallied nine stops.

The only score in the first quarter came off of a Wakefield seven yard rush with 6:02 left in the first frame. The score was set up by a fumbled punt return that the Eagles collected on the MHC 11-yard line.

The Eagles then outscored MHC 21-7 in the second quarter to go into the locker room at the intermission ahead 28-7. The score that hurt the most for the Lions was a Charles Dobson (Umatilla, Fla.) 41-yard pass from Good with just 38 ticks left in the first half. The score was set up by a short punt by the Lions that gave C-N the ball deep inside MHC territory.

The teams traded scores in the third stanza while C-N won the final period, 20-14. MHC cut the deficit to 42-28 with 9:12 left in regulation on a Josh Crumpton (Pickens, S.C.) two-yard pass from Luis Cruz (Anaheim, Calif.) but that was as close as the Lions would get. C-N answered with a four-yard run from Good at the 4:54 mark and then Jackson returned a fumble 40 yards for the Eagles final score on the day with 2:51 left in the contest.

MHC will play at Newberry College next Saturday night. Game time is slated for a 7 p.m. start.

Boxscore...

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