Newberry rally falls short; Allen scores big win
Newberry’s comeback bounced off a Florida Tech defender and fell to the turf Saturday afternoon.
With the Wolves trailing 30-28 and with seconds ticking away at Setzler Field, Dre Harris had locked into Deshun Kitchings in the end zone and fired a hail Mary from midfield to Kitchings at the goal line.
Kitchings reached above the Florida Tech coverage and got his hand on the ball, but couldn’t hang on.
“I’m glad to see we had a little fight in us,” Newberry coach Todd Knight said. “It’s a real good team, Florida Tech, and if we could play clean and give that type of effort every Saturday, something good’s gonna happen.”
The Wolves (0-2) played catch-up from the moment Trent Chmilek hit Damien McGee for a 20-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive. Chmilek was 11-for-16 for 210 yards and interception.
Down 10-0 in the second quarter, Newberry staged a pair of scoring drives to take a 14-10 lead. Harris found Bryson Woodruff for a 10-yard score, then Logan Bailey rushed into the end zone from five yards out.
The Panthers closed the first half on two Mike Diliello TD runs in the final minute. After one score, Newberry fumbled the kickoff return to set up his second score that put Florida Tech up 23-14 at the half.
Florida Tech took a 30-14 lead before Newberry got scores from a 9-yard Logan Bailey TD pass to Austin Gordon and Harris’ 1-yard touchdown run with 7:46 left.
Harris rushed for 58 yards and a score in addition to passing 15-for-28 for 188 yards and a TD. He spent some time on the sideline after being shaken up on two plays but remains healthy.
“Dre’s an athletic young man, a little on the bony side, but he’s a very tough kid,” Knight said. “We had an issue with some cramps, but he sucked it up and got back out there and he got it done.”
Former Dutch Fork receiver Bobby Irby had four catches for 79 yards.
Newberry is at Lenoir-Rhyne Saturday.
Allen 16, Clark-Atlanta 10
At Winnsboro, Allen quarterbacks Karon Johnson and Noah Shoeman combined to pass for 317 yards as the Yellow Jackets rallied for a 16-10 victory over Clark-Atlanta.
Down 10-7 at the half, Johnson connected with Jakob Pennington for a 26-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter. Yaroslav Sherling’s 27-yard field goal with 1:38 to go almost put the game on ice, but the Panthers drove to the Allen 24-yard line in the closing seconds. Kerry Thompson forced a Clark-Atlanta fumble and Richard Hayses recovered it to seal the NAIA Yellow Jackets’ first win over an NCAA Division II school.
“That’s huge for this program, I don’t care how you look at it,” Allen head coach Teddy Keaton said. “I’m proud of my guys. They’ve worked hard. I’m proud of my kids. They fought, they were resilient. Last year this would have been a bad loss. But these guys were still fighting.”
Allen (1-0) is at Livingstone Saturday.
Johnson C. Smith 34, Benedict 31
Johnson C. Smith outlasted Benedict 34-31 Saturday.
Benedict (0-2) plays Savannah State in the Augusta Classic Saturday.
Citadel 27, Georgia Tech 24, OT
At Atlanta, The Citadel took Georgia Tech into overtime and beat the Yellow Jackets 27-24 on Jacob Godek’s 37-yard field goal. Brandon Rainey had a rushing and passing touchdown. Dante Smith also scored for the Bulldogs (1-2). A battery of Citadel rushers were good for 320 rushing yards on the afternoon. The Bulldogs host Charleston Southern Saturday.
Virginia Tech 24, Furman 17
At Blacksburg, Devin Abrams and Darren Grainger each scored a touchdown for Furman, but the Paladins fell short of knocking off Virginia Tech, as the Hokies escaped with a victory. Furman (1-2) hosts Mercer Saturday.
Coastal 46, Norfolk St. 7
At Conway, Torrance Marable rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries as Coastal Carolina breezed past Norfolk State. The Chanticleers had 401 rushing yards on 42 attempts and 520 total yards. Coastal (2-1) hosts UMass Saturday.
South Florida 55, SC State 16
At Tampa, South Florida held South Carolina State to 95 yards rushing and cruised to a 55-16 win over the Bulldogs (2-1). S.C. State is at Delaware State Saturday.
Jacksonville 30, Presbyterian 20
At Clinton, Presbyterian took a 13-7 lead into the half but couldn’t protect it, as Jacksonville scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to finish off a 30-20 victory over the Blue Hose (0-2). PC hosts Eastern Kentucky Saturday.
Samford 21, Wofford 14
At Spartanburg, Chris Oladokun passed for 224 yards and a touchdown, and the Bulldogs rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 victory over Wofford. Wofford (0-2) Hosts Gardner-Webb Saturday.
West Georgia 21, Limestone 14
At Gaffney, West Georgia topped Limestone 24-14. Limestone (0-2) hosts Tusculum Saturday.
NC A&T 24, Charleston Southern 14
At Ladson, Charleston Southern held a 14-6 lead, but North Carolina A&T scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to rally to a 24-14 victory. Charleston Southern (0-3) is at The Citadel Saturday.
Western Carolina 20, North Greenville 17
At Cullowhee, N.C., Will Jones found Clayton Bardall in the end zone for the go-ahead score as Western Carolina got by North Greenville 20-17. The Crusaders (2-1) are at Mississippi College Saturday.