The Knights held St. Jude to 74 yards of total offense and minus-17 rushing yards. Meanwhile, the LNC offense compiled 327 yards, including 257 on the ground. LNC’s Nathan Windham rushed for 117 yards on 24 carries, while teammate LaMarcus Smith-Kelly ran 21 times for 105 yards. Sean Kane led the team with 12 tackles, and Cameron Krueger intercepted two passes.

But this week, the Knights figure to have their hands full as they open play in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference. The Knights will play perennial power Lincolnton on the road (kickoff at 7:30).

“It’ll definitely be a different atmosphere for us,” said LNC coach Bob McKay. “I think it’ll hype our kids up.”

Lincolnton won the 2007 2A state title and was a runner-up in 2005, but McKay said his players are excited about the opportunity.

“I like how we match up with them,” he said. “It’ll definitely be exciting. Anything can happen.”