Fast start fades as North Lenoir falls to Ayden-Grifton, 30-12
Fast start fades as North Lenoir falls to Ayden-Grifton, 30-12
AYDEN — For the first time this season, North Lenoir had the lead.
For a while Thursday night, it looked like the Hawks might leave Ayden-Grifton with their first win, too.
North Lenoir jumped ahead 12-0 and carried a 12-6 advantage into halftime, but Ayden-Grifton took control in the second half and scored 30 unanswered points to defeat the Hawks 30-12.
Both teams entered the game 0-3.
North Lenoir had not held a lead through its first three games, but freshman quarterback Connor Bryant directed an impressive opening drive. Bryant connected with multiple receivers as the Hawks moved down the field before Jaylen Wooten finished the possession with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Wooten was the workhorse for North Lenoir, finishing with 98 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
The Hawks struck again on their next possession.
Bryant found Mykell Bester for a 24-yard touchdown pass, giving North Lenoir a 12-0 advantage and its best start to a game this season.
Bryant finished 7 of 17 passing for 105 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
North Lenoir coach Justin Clark said Bryant’s development remains part of the process for a freshman being asked to lead the offense.
“He’s a student of the game. He does a really good job for us,” Clark said. “With him being young, we get in situations he feels like he has to make some throws when he doesn’t need to make those throws. Just go through your progressions and continue to grow.”
Ayden-Grifton responded behind Loyality Fuller, who capped a Chargers drive with a 15-yard touchdown run to cut North Lenoir’s lead to 12-6.
The Hawks took that advantage into halftime.
Ayden-Grifton’s defense began to change the game after the break.
The Chargers forced a North Lenoir punt, then put together a possession that consumed approximately seven and a half minutes. Alex Monroy finished the drive with a 19-yard field goal, pulling Ayden-Grifton within 12-9 with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter.
North Lenoir’s next possession became the turning point.
The Chargers forced a Wooten fumble, giving Ayden-Grifton another opportunity with the Hawks’ lead down to three.
Fuller made North Lenoir pay.
He broke loose for a 47-yard touchdown run, giving the Chargers their first lead of the night at 16-12.
From there, Ayden-Grifton never looked back.
The Chargers scored 21 unanswered points after trailing 12-9 and closed the game on a 30-0 run after North Lenoir’s early two-touchdown advantage.
Mistakes were a major part of the night for both teams. North Lenoir was flagged 11 times, while Ayden-Grifton committed 16 penalties.
For Clark, the issue was less about any one play and more about the habits that continue to put the Hawks in difficult situations.
“We just can’t continue to shoot ourselves in our foot,” Clark said. “We have a lot of bad habits we have to fix.”
Ayden-Grifton improved to 1-3 with the victory, while North Lenoir dropped to 0-4.
Despite the final score, North Lenoir showed something it had not through the opening three weeks: the ability to start fast, move the football and play from in front.
Now the challenge is sustaining it.
Clark’s message afterward was centered on patience and commitment as the Hawks continue through his first season leading the program.
“Just understand this is a process,” Clark said. “I told them this week there is a lot of outside noise. A lot of coaches here have came and gone, but they got a coach that ain’t going to quit on them.
“That’s the biggest message. There is a staff here that ain’t gonna quit on them.”
North Lenoir will return to action against SouthWest Edgecombe, while Ayden-Grifton will face D.H. Conley next.
