Chapel Hill speeds past Northern Vance football

The connection Chapel Hill quarterback Connor Stough has shared since middle school with receiver Albert Nyamayaro was strengthened even more Friday night as the Tigers sped past Northern Vance 46-25.

Stough’s two touchdown passes to Nyamayaro helped Chapel Hill (5-4, 2-2) bounce back from a loss the previous week to Southern Durham and to move ahead of Northern Vance (4-5, 1-3) in the Big 8 standings. The Tigers also kept pace with Northwood (4-4, 2-1) for third place in the conference race for a playoff spot.

“We’re getting back on track,” Stough said. “The line is playing great. The receivers played great. Ricki’s running hard, man.”

That would be Ricki McDowell, the Chapel Hill running back who led the Tigers’ ground game with 249 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Northern Vance had difficulty keeping the Tigers from compiling huge chunks of rushing yards, leading to more than 500 yards of total offense. One long drive consisted almost entirely of seven runs by McDowell for 54 yards, but it was capped by a touchdown pass from Stough to Baxter Sobolewski.

Turning Point

With time running out in the second quarter, Northern Vance had the ball at Chapel Hill’s 44. The Tigers dropped their linebackers back for a cover defense, and Northern Vance’s explosive quarterback Kris Haywood scampered into the open field and broke two tackles to get a look at the endzone. Nyamayaro pushed him out of bounds at the 15 as the clock went to 0:00 for halftime.

By the Numbers

2: Receiving touchdowns by Baxter Sobolewski. He scored in the second and third quarter.

2: Rushing touchdowns by Haywood before a sprained ankle in the third quarter sidelined him for the rest of the game.

-6: A pick-six interception by Albert Nyamayaro was called back, because of a roughing-the-passer penalty, and never counted. The impressive senior wide receiver played defense as well as offense. A handful of costly penalties troubled Chapel Hill.

Needs work

For Northern Vance: With Haywood’s injury, Northern Vance incurred a second loss at position in Elijah Stewart. The sophomore, who looked bigger than his listing of 6-feet-2, 185 pounds. Stewart had been a receiving target and strong runner/blocker, but was forced to step into a passing role. As quarterback, he struggled to find his timing.

“He’s a sophomore. He’s young. He still needs to learn some things – some Basic Football 101,” Vikings coach Cory Lea said after the game. Stewart, he added, was still recovering from an upper ankle sprain suffered earlier.

Haywood’s loss, Lea said, hampered the team. “He does a lot for our running game. Losing him takes away our deep threat.”

For Chapel Hill: Kicking was Chapel Hill’s Achilles Heel, at least for a while. While Friday’s football game was being played at Chapel Hill’s Culton-Peerman Stadium, regular placekicker Blake Johnson was scoring a goal for the Tigers’ soccer team in their 3-3 tie at East Chapel Hill High.

Quinn MacLean did his best to fill Johnson’s shoes and, by the end of the game, his experience in earlier quarters paid off with deeper kickoffs.

“We graduated an all-American kicker last season that did an excellent job,” coach Issac Marsh said. “[Blake Johnson] has played for us every other game.”

Three who mattered

Kris Haywood, Northern Vance: His exit in the third quarter was another downturn for the Vikings’ fortunes. Up to then, he had been the team’s chief playmaker and rushed in most of their touchdowns himself.

Ricki McDowell, Chapel Hill: The Tigers’ running back ate up huge amounts of yards and clock – getting two touchdowns and keeping the ball out of the Vikings’ hands.

Albert Nyamayaro, Chapel Hill: Much like it was when they played at Smith Middle School, Nyamayaro was quarterback Stough’s favorite target, scoring multiple touchdowns, played defense and even did some kicking, too. And, at halftime he was announced as a member of the homecoming court.

In other games ...

In Oxford, Northwood (4-4, 2-1 Big 8) stayed in the hunt for a playoff spot with the Chargers’ emphatic 34-13win at Webb. Montel Goods again proved to be virtually unstoppable, rushing for 213 yards and four touchdowns on 31 carries. Kyle Jones completed just 3 of 9 passes for 66 yards, but one of them was a 47-yard strike to Colby Stallings for a touchdown that gave Northwood a 20-7 lead midway through the third quarter.

Webb (4-5, 0-3 Big 8) out-gained Northwood in total yards, 302-271, but was crippled by eight untimely penalties and two turnovers. Northwood committed just one turnover, a fumble recovered by Webb in the endzone for the game’s first score.

In Hillsborough, Orange held Cedar Ridge to just 170 yards of total offense – 89 rushing – and a single touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Panthers ran past the Red Wolves for a 41-6 victory. Friday’s win was the third straight for Orange (8-1, 3-1) since a loss to league-leading Southern Durham, and it kept the Panthers firmly in second place in the Big 8 standings. Cedar Ridge (3-5, 1-2) lost for the fourth time in five games this season and for the fourth time in a row to its cross-town rival.

Elsewhere, East Chapel Hill had Friday off, and Carrboro opted to forfeit its game against Bartlett Yancey.

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Chapel Hill speeds past Northern Vance football."