Written by JEREMIAH ARTACHO
Northern High School (1-6, 0-3) held its homecoming ceremonies on Friday night prior to the football game. Chapel Hill High School (3-5, 2-1) ruined the party — serving a shutout on the road by a score of 49-0.
Week 5 saw head coach Ryan Horton’s team fall to defending state champions Weddington High School, 56-0. However, the Tigers turned the tables and held its opponent scoreless this time around.
Junior quarterback Sam Zimmeman accounted for three passing touchdowns against the Knights, two of which ended in the hands of senior wide receiver Tyler Oliaro. The other was to senior wide receiver Nathan Keyon. This outing was Zimmerman’s second appearance since suffering an injury during the season opener.
“I thought he took advantage of some openings that we thought we might have,” Horton said about Zimmerman’s performance. “He did a pretty good job of putting the ball where he wanted to and the guys up front blocked for him. And we had success in the run game as well.”
In addition to the passing touchdowns, the Tigers’ offense found plenty of success on the ground. Senior running back Prosper Mbagion began the night with a carry from Northern’s 20-yard line — adding Chapel Hill’s first six points on the scoreboard in the first quarter. Junior running back Jordan Jones ran for a 54-yard touchdown during the second quarter. And sophomore running back Justin Harrington ended the Tigers scoring with a rush from inside the Knights 10-yard line at the end of the fourth quarter with 3:33 left on the clock.
“We’re starting to put it all together,” Horton said following the win. “What we’ve been trying to work towards, so we’re getting some results that we’ve been working for but we weren’t seeing in wins and losses.”
The defense produced points for Horton’s team as well. Defensive lineman Samer Elkedwany found the ball in his hands off a pass deflected by senior defensive end Aedan Savage. Holman ran from the 40-yard line to the opposing end zone for a touchdown.
Senior kicker Mattheus Hobler converted all of his extra point attempts — going 7 of 7.
For the home team, Northern’s first drive of the first quarter ended at Chapel Hill’s 18-yard line. Despite getting close to the end zone, the drive ended in a field goal attempt but missed. This marked the only time head coach Jason Trousdale’s team entered the Tigers’ red zone.
Chapel Hill High School next heads into a matchup against Hillside High School (4-4, 3-0) on Friday, October 25. The game will kickoff at 7:00 p.m.
“I’m ready for the challenge,” Horton said. “We go into it as healthy as possible and I like our chances to compete.”
Horton battled against Trousdale’s team without his senior running back Josh Roberson. Roberson was found in street clothes prior to the game and along the sidelines throughout the Tigers’ victory.
“Just like I was saying — just trying to make sure we’re as healthy as possible for next week,” Horton said. “A couple guys had some nicks and a little banged up, so they didn’t dress for tonight but hopefully we’re ready to finish the season strong.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version this story incorrectly credited the interception returned for a touchdown to Chapel Hill’s Samir Holman. It has since been corrected to reflect it was Samer Elkedwany who scored.
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