‘Gutsy call’ lifts Newberry College football to thrilling win, conference title
Newberry College quarterback Dre Harris emerged from a late-game timeout and gathered the offense to run a critical fourth-down play.
The Wolves, working from the Mars Hill 10-yard line with 2:52 to play, needed five yards for the first down. The play call had a bigger result in mind.
Newberry’s graduate senior QB threw a pass that found the outstretched arms of diving Tommy Washington in the left side of the end zone.
The tight end’s touchdown lifted Newberry to a 27-24 lead in front of 3,412 fans at Setzler Field, a score that held up and gave the Wolves back-to-back South Atlantic Conference championships. It was the first SAC football title decided by a conference championship game.
“It was a gutsy call, but we knew we had to execute,” said Harris, who had 163 yards passing Saturday to go with 42 yards on the ground and one rushing score.
The game-winning drive was set up when graduate senior defensive back Chico Onyekwere intercepted Mars Hill quarterback Jimmy Urzua at the Lions’ 39-yard line.
“It took every thing we had, every play in the book to pull that one off,” Wolves head coach Todd Knight said. “Fourth and five, to have an opportunity to win it back to back, which has never been done before in the history of the school. Fourth and five for the win, we’re going to call it every time.”
Knight is 89-62 overall in 14 years as Newberry’s coach and has the most wins in program history.
Wolves sophomore tailback Mario Anderson had 33 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown, earning game MVP honors.
The season is over Newberry (9-2, 7-2 SAC), which did not earn a spot in the Division II NCAA playoffs.
This story was originally published November 13, 2022 at 11:39 AM.
