Gryphons beat Eden Morehead on final offensive play, advance to first 3-A regional final since 2008

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings /
Rocky Mount High running back Tyrell Forbes, center, runs the ball through the Morehead defense Friday during the NCHSAA 3-A third round playoffs game between Rocky Mount High and Morehead on Friday at Rocky Mount High School.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings /
Rocky Mount High running back Nick Bynum reacts after scoring a game-winning touchdown with four seconds left in the fourth quarter of the NCHSAA 3-A third round playoffs game between Rocky Mount High and Morehead on Friday at Rocky Mount High School.

When Rocky Mount High’s season hinged on a mere two yards, there was no question where the ball was going.

The Gryphons faced a 4th-and-goal from Eden Morehead’s two-yard line with 6.8 seconds remaining in Friday’s 3-A third round playoffs game, and the entire Rocky Mount High huddle in its third and final timeout was in agreement: they would run ’25 Belly,’ a simple handoff up the middle.

Nick Bynum took the handoff and found the seam exactly where it was supposed to be to score the game-winning touchdown with four seconds remaining for a 35-31 win, sending Rocky Mount High (12-2) to the Eastern Regional Final at top-seeded Eastern Alamance next Friday night.

“We all called that play together, and as soon as we did, we knew we would score,” Bynum said. “It had worked all night, so there was no question in our minds that it would get it done.”

Bynum’s touchdown run, his fourth of the night, completed a 14-play, 86-yard drive that started with 4:07 remaining and the Gryphons trailing by three.

Rocky Mount High’s defense got only its second stop of the entire night by forcing Eden Morehead (10-4) quarterback Will Dabbs, who gave them fits, to miss throws on 3rd-and-7 and 4th-and-7 plays from the Gryphons’ 14; a first down likely would have put Rocky Mount High away.

“It was a tough night on defense, and we kind of had a feeling that it might be coming in,” Rocky Mount High coach Jason Battle said. “But the most encouraging thing to me was that when they needed a stop the most, they got it. Nothing really rattled (Morehead) all night.”

But given the way Rocky Mount High’s offense had executed much of the evening, it felt like one more stop – Detrell Revis intercepted Dabbs on Morehead’s opening drive, in Rocky Mount High territory – was all that would be required.

Eden Morehead scored one of its touchdowns on a long kickoff return by Jadakiss Jumper in the first quarter, and the 10th-seeded Panthers took advantage of Charlie Williams’ fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half to score a touchdown off a short field.

The Panthers’ offense had converted all six of its fourth down attempts, from one, seven, eight, one, and four yards, and kicked a 28-yard field goal for a 31-22 lead early in the fourth quarter on another fourth down.

But with Eden Morehead driving as the clock ticked towards four minutes, Rocky Mount High ratcheted up its pass rush, and Alex Henderson, Artavious Richardson and Sherrod Greene, who played much of the fourth quarter with a left shoulder injury, got in Dabbs’ face up the middle to force the fourth-down incompletion.

“That’s been their M.O. pretty much the entire playoffs, where they kept finding ways to convert on third and fourth downs,” Battle said. “It can be demoralizing but it wasn’t anything we hadn’t seen them do before.”

Rocky Mount High took over at its own 14, and Tyrell Forbes picked up a first down with two runs. Forrest Bell then bought time by scrambling to his left and was able to find Bynum near the left sideline. Bynum stayed in bounds and picked up 28 yards, into Morehead territory.

Bynum picked up 15 on the next play, but a 1-yard gain on 3rd-and-3 set up a 4th-and-2 from the Panthers’ 24 with less than 90 seconds to play. Bynum took a handoff off left tackle and picked up 5 to keep the Gryphons’ season alive.

A false start pushed Rocky Mount High back to a 2nd-and-13 situation, but Tyrell Forbes sprinted for 15 yards off the left side, giving the Gryphons 1st-and-goal from the 7.

Bynum got four on first down, before back-to-back short gains, including a play that was blown dead – perhaps for a Rocky Mount High fumble that the Gryphons fell on – though Bynum ended up standing in the end zone, away from the pile.

That set up the deciding fourth down for Bynum’s heroics. The senior fullback’s run set off raucous celebrations in the Rocky Mount High bleachers and quieted an impressive Eden Morehead contingent that had traveled from nearly three hours away to see an unlikely third-round team. The Panthers beat No. 2 seed Havelock in the second round last week.

Battle was asked after Friday’s game if it was the most enjoyable win in his five-year tenure.

“I’d guess so, yeah, now that I think about it,” Battle said. “I’ve enjoyed every moment with these guys. But tonight was pretty special, yeah.”

Rocky Mount High 35

Eden Morehead 31

EM 7 14 7 3 – 31

RM 7 8 7 13 – 35

First Quarter

RM – Nick Bynum 31 run (Chase Miller kick), 4:15

EM – Jadakiss Jumper 77 kickoff return (Kevin Jauregi kick), 4:06

Second Quarter

RM – Bynum 1 run (Forrest Bell run), 11:35

EM – Isaiah Broadnax 9 pass from Will Dabbs (2-point pass failed), 4:48

EM – Ben Bullins 1 run (pass good), 0:25

Third Quarter

EM – Dabbs 1 run (Jauregui kick), 8:19

RM – Bynum 21 run (Miller kick), 7:08

Fourth Quarter

EM – Jauregui 28 FG, 11:55

RM – Tyrell Forbes 19 run (kick missed), 9:15

RM – Bynum 2 run (Miller kick), 0:04

EMRM 19 First downs…………..18 30–98 Rushes-yards…41–308 204 Passing yards……….142 18–29–1 Passes…………….7–7–0 302 Total offense………..450 2–1 Fumbles-Lost……….2–1 3–30 Penalties-Yards…..13–98

Individual Statistics

Rushing – EM: Will Dabbs 20–91; Mike Jones 3–12; Daunte King 2–(-1); Ben Bullins 2–1; Isaiah Broadnax 3–(-5). RM: Nick Bynum 23–177; Tyrell Forbes 9–79; BJ Sanders 5–35; Forrest Bell 3–14; Sherrod Greene 1–3.

Passing – EM: Dabbs 18–29–1, 204. RM: Bell 7–7–0, 142.

Receiving – EM: Mike Jones 11–127; Jadakiss Jumper 4–44; Kyle Corum 2–29; Broadnax 2–18. RM: Bynum 2–45; Chris Richardson 1–35; KK Edwards 1–17; Jaclayton Freeman 1–13; Tyrell Forbes 1–13.

By FOSTER LANDER

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Rocky Mount Telegram