The football team upset the Southern Durham Spartans 28-26, Oct. 23. The victory put Northwood, Southern Durham and Orange in a three-way tie for first place in the Big 8 3A Conference.
Going into the game against Southern Durham, few people gave the Chargers a chance. After losing to Orange 14-0 at home, doubts started to surround the team. Southern Durham had already beat Orange 34-16. The Spartans had running back Jordon Brown, who is a UNC-Chapel Hill prospect.
Senior running back Montel Goods ran for 258 yards during the game, bringing his season total to 1,627. He leads the conference in rushing, and before the game he was 12th in the state. Goods has 20 touchdowns for the year.
In the first quarter, the teams remained scoreless and both defenses played well.
“We got a few stops that allowed the offense to get going,” senior wide receiver Colby Stallings said.
In the second quarter, however, things started to get going with a touchdown coming from each team.
“We picked up some first downs on some crucial third and long situations,” Goods said. “We were able to put points on the board after our defense got stops.”
After halftime, the teams tied again in the third quarter. With things all tied up going into the fourth quarter, the Chargers knew they could win.
“We were definitely nervous, but we stuck with them the whole game, so we thought we could win,” Stallings said. “I think by that point we all had enough confidence to win.”
With 4:30 left on the clock, freshman strong safety Cameron Goins intercepted the ball and ran it back for a touchdown.
“It felt great,” Goins said. “[The team] used to pick on me for not having a pick, but I finally got it.”
The Spartans then completed a 90-yard drive with a 39-yard touchdown from Brown. However, Southern failed on the two point conversion. Then, on a third and 15, Goods ran the ball 60 yards to give the Chargers an eight point lead with a minute and half to go.
“Honestly, I was just trying to stay in bounds and let some time off the clock,” Goods said. “I realized after I [dodged two tackles] and [senior Jonathon] Welch kept me on my feet I’d be able to score.”
But the Spartans weren’t done yet. As time expired, they scored a 10-yard touchdown to cut the Chargers’ lead to two points. With no time on the clock, Southern Durham tried a two-point conversion to even the score. The Spartan quarterback threw the ball to the back of the end zone and just missed the hands of his target.
“It means a lot; it shows we can beat any team we play,” Goods said.
The Chargers currently hold a 4-1 record in the conference. They host Chapel Hill this Friday and hope to escape with just one loss, finishing first in the conference.
– By Tanner Althoff
