news-record.com

CHAPEL HILL — T.J. Logan scored five touchdowns as Northern Guilford whipped Boiling Springs Crest 31-7 for the NCHSAA Class 3-AA state championship Friday night at Kenan Stadium, the second year in a row the Nighthawks upended the Chargers for the title.

“We thought we were going to come in here and it was going to be a dog fight…” Logan said, subdued after the game, the victory secured long before the fourth quarter rolled around. “When you were watching the clock, you just wanted it to hurry up and run down, but I was just excited because I knew now we get another ring.”

The speedy junior tailback was named MVP after rushing for 204 yards and four TDs on 29 carries. He also caught four passes for 39 yards and another score as Northern (14-1), which rattled off 14 consecutive victories to close out its season, became the first Guilford County football team to win back-to-back state championship games since Dudley in 2007 and ’08.

The Nighthawks claimed their second title in just their fourth season of playing varsity football. The school opened in 2007.

“I know I get credit,” Northern coach Johnny Roscoe said, “but it’s the assistant coaches and the players. They’re the ones who really do it … and I can’t say enough about them.”

The rematch with Crest (11-4) was far less dramatic than last season, when the Chargers missed a game-tying extra point with 15 seconds remaining and Northern held on for a 21-20 victory. And although it was Northern struggling to hit extra points and botching two-point conversion attempts this time, it mattered little as the Nighthawks manhandled Crest, which lost its top two players to injury during the game.

Logan, meanwhile, swallowed chunks of field at a time. And the Nighthawks scored on their first three second half possessions, putting the game away early.

“Just handing the ball off and watching him work is truly just amazing,” said Northern senior quarterback Daniel Downing, who rushed for 126 yards on 17 carries.

Logan broke down the Northern sideline for a 37-yard touchdown run for the first points of the game. He took a screen pass 19 yards for another score midway through the second quarter to put the Nighthawks on top, 12-7, at the break. After Logan’s first score, the Nighthawks plunked the extra point off crossbar. After Logan’s second score, he was gang-tackled well short of the goal line on a failed two-point conversion attempt.

The trend continued in the second half. And the Nighthawks defense, which didn’t allow a first down until the second quarter, continued to set Northern up with excellent field position.

Shrine Bowl-bound running back Rhaheim Ledbetter, a Florida commit, injured his right ankle shortly after giving the Chargers a 7-6 lead in the second quarter, and played sparingly afterward. He was limited to six carries for 22 yards.

“When he got hurt, our defense stepped it up,” Logan said. “We knew we had to take advantage of it, and that’s what we did.”
Crest lost its other star player when All-American defensive end Jonathan Bullard, ranked among the top prospect in the nation at his position, was helped off the field early in the second half.
The Nighthawks went for the jugular.

Northern zipped 33 yards for its third score on its first drive of the third quarter. Downing scrambled 32 yards to the 1, Logan plunged into the end zone on the next play, and another conversion attempt failed.

Scooter Mooney intercepted Crest quarterback Michael Gullatte four plays later, setting the Nighthawks up with yet another short field.

Once again, Logan found the end zone.

This time, finally, the extra point was good.

Just like the mood on the Northern Guilford sideline.

Contact Jason Wolf at 373-7034 or jason.wolf@news-record.com

Northern—T.J. Logan 37 run (kick failed)

Crest—Rhaheim Ledbetter 3 run (Alex Trejo kick good)

Northern—Logan 19 pass from Daniel Downing (run failed)

Northern—Logan 1 run (run failed)

Northern—Logan 1 run (Austin Hoke kick good)

Northern—Logan 7 run (kick failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs—Northern 21, Crest 94

Rushes-Yards—Northern 48-326, Crest 33-74

Passing—Northern 77, Crest 107

Comp-Att-Int—Northern 9-14-77, Crest 10-14-1

Return Yards—Northern 34, Crest 94

Punts-Avg.—Northern 2-35.5, Crest 7-32.1

Fumbles-lost—Northern 2-1, Crest 0

Penalties-Yards—Northern 6-40, Crest 6-275

Time of possession—Northern 22:52, Crest 25:08

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

Northern Guilford—T.J. Logan 29-204, Daniel Downing 17-126, Tre Purcell 1-1, Team 1-(-5).

Crest—Shaquan Ussery 16-57, Rhaheim Ledbetter 6-22, Josh Ross 1-10, Jerry Currence 5-2, Michael Gullate 5-(-17).

PASSING

Northern Guilford—Daniel Downing 9-13-0 77, Team 0-1-0.

Crest—Michael Gullatte 10-13-1 1-7, Jonathan Bullard 0-1-0.

RECEIVING

Northern Guilford—T.J. Logan 4-39, John McBeth 3-27, Cameron Harris 1-6, Scooter Mooney 1-5.

Crest—Harvey McSwain II 4-79, Shaquan Ussery 4-17, Gene Surratt 1-8, Hazikiah Johnson 1-3.

GAME INSIDER

Why Northern won

The two-man spread offense of quarterback Daniel Downing and tailback T.J. Logan was too much for Crest. Running sprints and option pitches into the open field, the twosome combined for 369 yards and five touchdowns on the ground and in the air with a number of big plays that included a fake punt early in the second quarter. Northern’s defense shut down the Chargers’ inside rushing attack, and Crest had no other alternatives.

Why Crest lost

Crest took a 7-6 lead, but it never established much of an offense after that. Rhaheim Ledbetter injured his foot in the first half, and the Chargers shut down. Crest never figured out how to stop Logan and Downing, and when their big defensive end Jonathan Bullard limped off with cramps, Crest had no one on the field to stop the Northern attack.

Records

Northern Guilford 14-1, Crest 12-4

Play of the game

Logan took a pitch from Downing and ran 37 yards for the first score of the game late in the first quarter. The play capped a five-play drive that went 65 yards and gave Northern a 6-0 lead.

What they’re saying ...

“Johnny won’t give it up. He’s just an ol’ ball coach like me. They’ll have to drag him off the field.” — Mark Barnes, Crest coach

Noting the game

Rhaheim Ledbetter, the leading rusher for Crest, is the son of Herbert Harbison, who played at A&T in the mid-80s. … Logan had 92 yards rushing in the first half. … Northern was playing in its second straight state title game and has an all-time state playoff record of 12-1… Crest has now played in six state title games, winning championships in 1994, 1996, 2003 and 2004. Crest has an all-time playoff record of 51-24. … Northern punted only twice. Crest punted seven times. … Crest defensive end Jonathan Bullard is being recruited by South Carolina, Nebraska and Florida. Ledbetter has committed to Florida. … Mark Mitchell, a Nighthawks linebacker, led the team with 11 tackles, eight solo. Austin Coletrane had eight tackles. Defensive back Scooter Mooney, who had the game’s only interception, was named defensive player of the game.

— Ed Hardin, staff writer