The best plays and best performances from the NCCA East-West all-star football game
After a victory on the gridiron on Wednesday night at Grimsley High in Greensboro, the West clinched this year’s battle for the most N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star supremacy.
The West football team held off the East 23-21, giving the West three of the five wins.
The East won both soccer matches on Tuesday and the West won both basketball games on Monday.
The East went up first on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Josh Jones (of Hoggard High in Wilmington) to Southeast Raleigh’s Justin Harrington (six catches, 87 yards) to cap the game’s first drive.
The West answered later in the first quarter on a 33-yard field goal by Sage Costen (of Reagan High in Pfafftown) to cut the lead to 7-3, and neither team scored in the second quarter.
Jacksonville’s Chris Coleman hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass from Jones (9 of 21, 156 yards) to make it 14-3 with 8:07 in the third, but the West scored 20 unanswered points.
McKinley Nelson (of Monroe High) ran in a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 14-10. Nelson also had two sacks on defense.
That was followed later in the third quarter by a 4-yard fumble recovery for touchdown by Davie County linebacker Cody Hendrix to take the West’s first lead, 17-14.
Hendersonville’ s Tykel Landrum got behind the East secondary on a 57-yard touchdown pass from Alexander Central’s Gunnar Anderson (6 of 16, 104 yards, one interception) for a back-breaking score with 6:29 remaining.
The East added one more touchdown with 15 seconds left, as Coleman (seven catches, 96 yards) caught his second score of the night, this time from Havelock’s Zach Sabdo (11 of 15, 113 yards).
The ensuing onsides kick went out of bounds, allowing the West to take a knee to run out the clock on the win.
Twin brothers John and Walker Gliarmis of Fike High in Wilson were a perfect 3-of-3 on extra points. Walker Gliarmis punted seven times, and each brother handled two kickoffs.
The East was led in rushing by Northampton County’s Angelo Rooks (six carries, 83 yards). East Duplin’s Dorian Pickett had seven tackles, Scotland County’s Chris Williams had six. Green Hope’s Andrew Becvar had a team-high two sacks, one of which led to a fumble recovery by Lee County’s Keaton Forbes.
Whiteville’s Cameron Smith had the game’s only interception, returning it 33 yards.
Landrum (five catches, 97 yards) had 134 yards of all-purpose yards and earned offensive MVP honors. Teammate Bernard Briley of West Iredell had five catches for 91 yards. Tate Beaver of Foard High in Newton had game-highs in tackles (eight) and tackles for loss (four) to win the defensive MVP award.