Hopewell jumped out to the start it needed and finished off North Meck emphatically as well, posting the second-most lopsided Titan win in the rivalry, a 33-6 home victory last Friday night.
In the middle of the teams' 11th meeting, however, the game teetered the way backyard battles often do. Though Hopewell was leading, it was still anyone's game.
"We were in it," said North coach Mike Bradley.
Having struck quickly with two scores in a span of four minutes in the first quarter, Hopewell was stuck on 14 points for more than two quarters and led 14-6 from the 3:22 mark of the second quarter until the closing seconds of the third. The Titans were needing a knockout punch and couldn't find one as North hung around.
"It was a thing here, a thing there," said Hopewell coach David Johnson. "We just couldn't get over the hump."
But once Titan quarterback Chandler Chase found the end zone with 14 seconds left in the third quarter, the Titans were in control for good. They rode the wave of momentum to two fourth-quarter scores and three takeaways.
The result was the Titans' fifth straight win in the rivalry, which extended the series' longest win streak, gave Hopewell a 7-4 all-time advantage and kept the Shield of Victory at Hopewell for at least another year.
"I thought the boys did a great job," said Johnson.
The win also qualified Hopewell (4-6 overall, 3-4 I-Meck) for postseason play, and the Titans, who tied Hough and Lake Norman for fourth in the I-Meck Conference, will play at Asheville's T.C. Roberson Friday in the first round of the 4A playoffs.
Titans will pass
Hopewell displayed a balanced attack against North.
While running back Denzel Heath was the catalyst with 165 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, Hopewell also featured big-play ability in the passing game, which hasn't always produced this year.
Chase's first pass of the game was a 29-yard touchdown strike to 6-foot-5 receiver Darius Smalls. Chase hit Antonio Hairston for a 38-yard gain on the Titans' next play, which set up a 5-yard Heath scoring run, and Chase's 41-yard pass to Smalls led to his own 2-yard touchdown run, which proved to be the shot in the arm the Titans needed.
Chase finished the night with nine carries for 58 yards and was 9-of-17 passing for 136 yards with a touchdown and one interception. The win over the Vikings was special for Chase, who attended North as a freshman.
"We stayed focused and had a goal to win this game," he said.
Following Chase's scoring run, Hopewell defensive lineman Gabe Crocker intercepted North quarterback Bryll Moss on a screen pass and returned the ball 29 yards to the Viking 5. Heath scored on a run on the next play. The next Viking drive ended with a Michael Zanders interception at the Titan 1, and after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty reduced Zanders' 41-yard return, Hopewell took over at its own 26. Backup running back Deshjion Whitlock then took the ball 76 yards for a touchdown on the next play.
Too many TOs
While Hopewell found its offensive rhythm and snapped a three-game losing streak, North continued to struggle as it has throughout an eight-game losing skid, a 1-10 season and an 0-7 I-Meck campaign.
North's Moss completed 17-of-33 passes for 182 yards, but was picked off three times. And the Vikings fumbled five times, losing three, for a total of six turnovers.
"We took ourselves out of the game with turnovers," said Bradley, "and their players made plays."
North's lone score came on a 64-yard pass from Moss to tight end Tahjai Watt with 3:22 to play in the first half. Moss hit Watt at midfield, and Watt broke away from multiple tacklers on his way to the end zone, cutting the deficit to 14-6.
Viking playmaker Terrence Clyburn was again North's top weapon, catching 10 passes for 75 yards, but the Titans kept him in check.
"He's a good player," said Heath. "He wouldn't give up or nothing. He's always trying to make big plays and make people miss."
PATs
Though ultimately the Vikings were unable to turn either into points, North converted on two fourth down plays in the second half. The first time, the Vikings were planning to punt, but punter Chris Thompson took off for a 9-yard gain after the ball hit the ground. Clyburn ran for 11 yards on a fake punt to convert a fourth-and-7 from the North 29 on the next drive. ... Heath and North's Karl Roberts had interceptions. ... Viking linebacker Chris Dickerson left the game with a concussion in the third quarter. Viking quarterback Kelly Hall missed the game with a concussion. ... Only Hopewell's 42-7 win over North in 2009 was more lopsided in the Titans' favor. North Meck still owns the largest margin of victory in the series, 69-0, in 2001, Hopewell's first year.
