Northern Vance rushes by Cedar Ridge, possibly into football’s playoffs
For – perhaps – the first time since 2008, the Northern Vance Vikings are headed to the state playoffs, and they have Kris Haywood to thank for it.
Haywood, the Vikings quarterback, rushed for 257 yards and four touchdowns as Northern Vance scored 19 unanswered to rally past Cedar Ridge 26-17 on Friday night at Red Wolves Stadium.
The Red Wolves led 17-7 with 11:47 remaining after a 29-yard field goal by Trenton Gill.
Then it became Haywood’s time to shine.
Haywood started with a 92-yard touchdown run on a zone read. On the following Vikings drive, Haywood completed consecutive passes to Keon Fogg and then Haywood scored on a 22-yard run to give the Vikings a 19-17 lead.
“This is something I thought would happen in my second year, maybe third,” said Northern Vance coach Cory Lea, in his first year with the Vikings after spending last season as Riverside’s offensive coordinator. “To go against an opponent we’ve never played before, to a place we’ve never been to before next week, it’s something special.”
Haywood added another touchdown with 57 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.
Peyton Pappas, in his final home game after three years as starting quarterback, rushed for both Cedar Ridge touchdowns. Red Wolves running back Shawn Hill ran for a career-high 106 yards.
Turning Point
With Cedar Ridge leading 17-7, Haywood scored a 94-yard touchdown run on a zone read around right end. It started a string of three consecutive Vikings touchdowns, and the Red Wolves only had one first down in its last four drives.
They Said It
“You just gave everybody who said Northern Vance football was dead a heavy plate of shut-the-heck-up!” Northern Vance Principal Larry Webb said to a jubilant group of Vikings in the postgame huddle. It’s only the second time that the Vikings have been to the playoffs since 2004.
By the Numbers
196: rushing yards for Haywood in the fourth quarter alone, along with three touchdowns.
5: years Cedar Ridge has missed the playoffs after making the 2010 2AA Eastern Regional Championship game, when the Red Wolves lost at Elizabeth City Northeastern.
5: wins for Northern Vance (5-6 overall, 2-4 in the Big 8 Conference).
4: losses for Cedar Ridge (4-7, 2-4) in its last five games.
12: number of years a member of the Pappas family played at Cedar Ridge. Josh Pappas started under head coach Lou Geary. Cam Pappas, a quarterback, now is a basketball walk-on with the Charlotte 49ers. Peyton, the final member of the group, played his final home game Friday night.
This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 11:07 PM with the headline "Northern Vance rushes by Cedar Ridge, possibly into football’s playoffs."