Knightdale tied for Greater Neuse lead with win over Rolesville football

Knightdale managed to hold Rolesville scoreless on the Rams’ final two possessions and walked away with a 19-14 win Thursday.

The win also earned the Knights (6-2, 3-1 Greater Neuse River 4A) a share of the No. 1 spot in the GNRC standings.

Rolesville (4-4, 2-2) had a final chance to take the lead with a possession starting on its own 27 with 1 minute, 54 seconds left, but Knightdale’s Cameron Noble came up with a fumble recovery that sealed the outcome.

It marked the second straight GNRC win for Knightdale and the second league loss in a row for Rolesville, which was hoping to rebound from another close loss the week before at East Wake.

Turning point

After the Rams cut the deficit to 13-7 on a 24-yard scoring pass from Carnaji Andrews to E.J. Hicks in the third quarter, the Knights got the score that would be all they needed.

Knightdale quarterback Andre Willis found Josh Lancaster 56 yards through the air, but the Knights’ two-point conversion failed to give the Rams hope on their final possession.

They said it

Knightdale coach Cedric Dargan said “fortunate” wasn’t the right word to describe his feelings after the win. “This was a good, hard-fought win,” he said. “We’re now in the driver’s seat for a conference championship, and you’ve got to feel good about that.”

Three who mattered

Andre Willis, Knightdale: The senior QB finished with 10 carries for 74 yards and went 7-for-18 for 135 yards passing. He scored the game’s first points on a 1-yard run in addition to his TD pass to Lancaster.

Jaelen Williams, Knightdale: The senior made the score 13-0 with a 63-yard punt return midway through the second quarter.

Carnaji Andrews, Rolesville: The junior QB went 13 for 28 for 163 yards and two passing touchdowns.

By the numbers

21: Yards injury-troubled Rolesville running back Josh Branch managed on 6 carries, after a 164-yard night against East Wake the week before.

70: Total number of rushing yards for the Rams.

85: The number of yards Rolesville receiver Colby Cooper managed on just four catches, including a 33-yard score.

210: Total number of rushing yards for the Knights.

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Knightdale tied for Greater Neuse lead with win over Rolesville football."