Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers passed their first major test in the Big South Conference Friday night, falling behind early but coming out strong in the second half to defeat the Forestview Jaguars 28-14.
The win leaves the Mountaineers tied for first place in the BSC with Crest, which like Kings Mountain had to come from behind to beat South Point and remain unbeaten in the conference.
“We knew it was going to be a slugfest,” KM head coach Greg Lloyd said about his good friend Chris Medlin’s Forestview eleven. “They are a very good team and put up a hard fight.”
Both offenses had some success early but couldn’t finish off drives. It was the Jaguars’ defense that finally dented the scoreboard with 1:15 left in the first quarter. Their Jacob Neely broke in front of a KM receiver for an interception and 70 yard return for the TD and a 7-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, KM’s Peyton Fisher recovered a fumble at the Forestview 21, and three plays later Robert Kendrick went 14 yards around right end for a touchdown. Jaden Ellis’ PAT with 9:20 on the clock tied the score.
Forestview responded with its best drive of the night, staying on the ground for 11 of their 12 plays and eating 8:33 off the clock to get inside the KM one. With their big package in the game, the handoff went to a big lineman in the backfield but KM’s defensive line and linebackers stopped him a foot short of the goal line.
“That was very big,” noted Coach Lloyd. “It kept us tied and let us go into the second half with some momentum. It was probably the play of the game.”
The defensive momentum carried over to the second half as it held the Jaguars to three-and-out after the kickoff. KM took possession at its own 47, and after two runs by Thomas Feemster  quarterback Jonah Patrick hit D’Andre Hoyle on a quick slant and he made several good moves around would-be tacklers and turned it into a 42-yard touchdown and a 13-7 Mountaineer lead.
“D’Andre made some really big plays for us,” Lloyd noted. “Jonah made a nice throw and D’Andre went all the way with it. It was a big lift for us.
“Lamont Littlejohn ran the offense well, too,” he added. “Both of our quarterbacks did a good job.”
Kings Mountain’s defense held the Jaguars to three and out at their own 30, and Jake Lloyd blocked Neely’s punt and went untouched down the visitors’ sideline 20 yards for a touchdown with 6:13 on the clock. Robert Kendrick ran a two-point conversion to put the Mountaineers up 21-7. It was Lloyd’s second blocked punt for a touchdown in the past three games.
Forestview was able to answer by faking a punt and throwing 29 yards to Nathaniel Aguilar to the KM 32. They worked the ball to the KM two, and big tackle Ethan Barnett came on to plow through the KM defense for a two-yard TD to cut the margin to 21-14.
The Mountaineers put the win in the bag, going 76 yards in eight plays to score on a one-yard sneak by Littlejohn. Starting out first and 18 following a holding call, Hoyle got things going with a 44-yard catch and run to the Jaguars’ 32.  Other big plays during the drive were a 28-yard reception by Peyton Fisher and a 15-yard run by AJ Richardson to the one.
“Defensively, I thought Richardson had a big game,” Lloyd said. “Fisher played really well and also made a lot of good catches on offense. We did a nice job covering kicks. The blocked punt was big and it turned into a touchdown. We had some big plays in all three phases of the game.”



Things won’t get any easier for Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers when they travel to Belmont Friday night to take on the South Point Red Raiders. In fact, it will be their toughest test yet.
“South Point is very good,” Mountaineer coach Greg Lloyd says of the team that had Crest beaten last Friday before falling by one point in the final minute.
“They played really well and had a great chance to win,” Lloyd said. “They were up 26-13 with nine minutes left and Crest put up a couple of late drives to win.”
This will be Kings Mountain’s first battle with the Red Raiders in several years as they played at the 2A level during the most recent NCHSAA realignment. Regardless of their classification it’s tough to beat them, especially on their home turf.
Even with last week’s loss, there is no doubt the Raiders (5-1) are still a championship threat in the Big South as well as the upcoming state 3A playoffs. With just three regular season games remaining after this week, this game is a big one for both teams.
The Red Raiders are still in a flex bone, or as they call it Red Bone offense. It has been successful for them for many years as they’ve won numerous conference and even some state championships with it.
Their go-to running back is senior Tyson Riley who is averaging 189 yards rushing per game. The team is averaging over 290.
They don’t throw the ball a lot, but their quarterbacks are very accurate and their receivers can catch the ball and go a long way with it. Their leading receiver is 6-5 tight end Jackson Blee who is averaging over 40 yards per reception.
“They have a big offensive line,” Lloyd noted. “They run the fullback (Riley) a lot, and he’s a very hard runner. Defensively, they tackle very well. They’re a typical South Point team that does a lot of things right.
“We have to be solid in all three phases of the game, that’s for sure,” Lloyd said. “They are extra tough at their place so we have to play our best game of the year. Their offense starts with the fullback, but you can’t just concentrate on their ground game. You have to cover all three phases.”

The eleventh Annual Kings Mountain Family YMCA Golf Tournament was held on Friday September 24 at KMCC. Over 100 golfers participated in the annual event.
All proceeds raised go to the Financial Assistance programs. Funds raised help children play soccer, basketball, volleyball, flag football, t-ball, baseball and attend Teen Nights.
Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors – Carolina Powers Partners, Marie and  David Brinkley, First Baptist Church of KM and Eric and Cathy Moore, American Gypsum, Butler’s Tire & Auto, Josh Shelton – Edward Jones, KM Embroidery, Jolly Realty Group, Mill Steel Company, CM Tucker Lumber, Beam Construction, Clark Dietrich, Mario Ware, RUCO, 133 West and Brian & Debbie Osteen.
First place team with a score of 17 under (won on tiebreak):  Tyler Withers, Ty Withers, Dawson Adams, and Jordan Van Dyke.
Second place team with a score of 17 under:  Eric Moore, KG Etters, William Mabry, and Eric Stacy.
Third place team with a score of 16 under: Jeff Johnson, Chip Sloan, Lanny Wright, and Jason Mills.
Longest driver winners on Hole 2: Men – Matt Hunsinger; Women’s – Anne Brooks.
Longest drive Winner on Hole 11: Men’s - Kameron Kerr; Women’s – Dana Foy; Seniors – William Mabry.
Closet to pin winners : Hole 5 – Eric Stacy;  Hole 8 – Jimmy Parker; Hole 12 – Kameron Kerr;  Hole 16 – Harry Diehl; Hole 17 - KG Etters.

Kings Mountain’s JV football team returned to action for the first time in three weeks Thursday night and rolled to a 20-6 victory over the Hunter Huss Huskies at Gamble Stadium.
Kings Mountain grabbed a 7-0 lead on its first possession, driving 35 yards after Jakari Roberts partially blocked a Huss punt attempt to give the Mountaineers possession on the Huss 30.
After a pass interference, the Mountaineers found themselves at the Huss 15. Two plays later Thomas Fair ran nine yards for a TD, and Max Thompson added the PAT for a 7-0 lead that held up until halftime. Kings Mountain was threatening to score again late in the half but lost a fumble at the Huss 10 yard line.
The Mountaineers drove 48 yards in the third quarter to take a 14-0 lead on a six-yard run by Kameron Adams. Thompson’s PAT made it 14-0.
Huss answered quickly, though, and scored on a two-yard quarterback sneak to cut the margin to 14-6.
Huss tried to pull off an onside kick, but KM’s CJ Houser recovered it at the 49, setting up the Mountaineers’ clinching touchdown drive. Adams and Wilson keyed a strong KM running attack and Ethan Guy had a key pass reception. Wilson scored on a 16-yard run to seal the win.
Huss lost the ball on downs at the KM 16 with 3:21 left. Wilson had two carries for 17 yards and Adams added two carries for nine yards to run out the clock.
The JVs are scheduled to go to North Gaston Thursday at 7 p.m.

Kings Mountain High’s volleyball team opened Big South 3A Conference play last week with 3-0 sweeps of North Gaston and Forestview.
The Lady Mountaineers took all the bite out of the Wildcats with wins of 25-12, 25-8 and 25-7. Forestview gave the KM ladies a tough time in game one, losing by only 25-22 but the Lady Mountaineers took the final two sets more easily, 25-15 and 25-19.
Aaliyah Byers had two super outings with 45 kills for the week. She had 17 kills, nine service points, three serve receptions and five digs against North Gaston and 28 kills and 12 digs against Forestview.
In the battle with North, Meile Songaila registered five kills, 12 service points, five serve receptions and five digs. Paige Bagwell added 14 assists, two kills and five service points, and Jessie Ozmore dished out 15 assists.
Against the Lady Jaguars, Jarvis had three blocks, Songaila and Lily Gold seven digs each, and Bagwell 36 assists.
The Lady Mountaineers were scheduled to go to Shelby Monday and South Point Tuesday. They are at home Thursday against Stuart Cramer and travel to Gastonia Ashbrook on September 21 before closing out first round play against BSC co-leader Crest at home on September 23.

Kings Mountain and Burns showcased some good, young talent Friday night in their non-conference battle at Ron Greene Stadium in Fallston and when the dust settled the Mountaineers had handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season, 19-14.
After holding the Mountaineers to three-and-out to open the game, the Bulldogs marched right down the field to take a 7-0 lead on a 13-yard Ben Mauney to Kahari Surratt pass but the Mountaineers battled back to tie the game at 7-all at the half.
Kings Mountain then built a 19-7 lead but had to hold off the Bulldogs in the final five minutes to take its second win in three outings heading into a break this week before beginning Big South Conference play on Friday, Sept. 17 at Hunter Huss.
The Mountaineers, led by running backs Thomas Feemster and Robert Kendrick along with big defensive tackle AJ Richardson in short yardage situations, moved in for a tying TD on Kendrick’s five yard run and Jaden Ellis’s PAT with 58.6 seconds left in the half. The big plays of the drive came when the Mountaineers faced third and one at their own 45 yard line and Richardson came in to ramble 16 yards up the gut of the Burns defense for a first down at the Burns 40; and again when they faced third and one at the Burns 35 and he bulled his way nine yards for a first down at the 26. Kendrick went eight yards around the left side of the Burns defense for the tying score.
Burns drove the second half kickoff to the KM 25 before misfiring on two straight passes and losing the ball on downs. Lamont Littlejohn’s 20-yard pass to Deandre Hoyle got the KM attack going, and four plays later Littlejohn hit Sel Randolph for a 24-yard completion to the Burns 32. A pass interference call on Burns for face-guarding gave KM a first down at the 15 and a five-yard reception by Fisher made it first and goal at the Burns four. It took four plays to score with Richardson bulling his way off left guard for a 13-7 KM lead with 2:56 on the clock.
Burns mounted a good drive and appeared to be on its way to a tying or go-ahead touchdown but KM’s Deandre Hoyle intercepted a pass at the 10 yard line and returned it to the 31. Burns DB Jakari Geter intercepted a Littlejohn pass at the Burns 13 with 5:20 showing on the clock.
Big stops by KM defenders Curtis Simpson, Fisher, Lloyd and Bryson Brown forced a punt. Three plays later Littlejohn found Hoyle wide open down the KM sideline for a 69 yard touchdown pass and run and a 19-7 lead with 2:59 left in the game.
Mountaineer fans still were on the edge of their seats, though, as the Bulldogs’ senior receiver Chase Bridges took a short pass from Ben Mauney and broke past the KM secondary for a first down at the KM 14. Mauney then hit Ryan Thompson in the end zone to cut the score to 19-14 with 2:03 remaining.
Fisher covered a Burns onside kick at the KM 44, and with the help of a big eight-yard run for a first down by Feemster to the Burns 42 with 59.8 seconds left the Mountaineers were able to take a time out and then a knee to end the game.

For the past several seasons Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers just reloaded each fall and were always in the running for conference championships and deep playoff runs.
But losing well over 20 outstanding senior players from the spring ’21 team, the Mountaineers will begin the fall season in a rebuilding mode. Hopefully, a tough three-game non-conference schedule against some of the top teams in Western North Carolina will give Coach Greg Lloyd’s young Mountaineer eleven the experience it needs to compete in the Big South Conference and the post-season.
The Mountaineers open Friday night at John Gamble Stadium against their oldest and toughest rival, Shelby.  After that they face two other Western powers on the road, Asheville and Burns.
“We lost a lot of good athletes” off of last year’s team, Lloyd noted. At least 10 of them will be playing on the collegiate level.
Lloyd does have some returning starters and others that saw playing time last year, and he looks for some of last year’s JV players to fill important roles.
Isaiah Eskridge and Tykel Smith return to the interior line along with Peyton Fisher at wide receiver. Deandre Hoyle started as a receiver on offense and corner on defense.
KM’s only returning starter in the backfield is junior Caleb Holland, who came up from the JV team to lead the Mountaineers in rushing after Rashaard Brooks was injured. Brooks is still recuperating and if he plays at all this year it will be late in the season.
Sel Randolph, who was a key reserve last year, and Zay Smith, who excelled at the JV level, will see a lot of action at the slot. Jake Lloyd, a returning starter on defense, and Bryson Brown will be at wide receiver.
Robert Kendrick, who had a good season in the secondary as a varsity freshman, and Smith will also see time at running back.
Up front, Alex Jackson and Dalton Smith will move into starting guard spots, and Michael Lubas will take over the center position.
The Mountaineers lost one of their leading passers ever, Ethan Reid, who is now at Appalachian State. During the early-going, the Mountaineers will have Jonah Patrick and Lamont Littlejohn splitting time at quarterback. Patrick was back-up to Reid last season and Littlejohn quarterbacked the JVs to an unbeaten season.
“On offense, I think we have a decent chance to be good,” Lloyd noted. “We’re just young. There’s not a lot of seniors on this team. I like our spread. It will take some games to develop but I think we will be pretty good.”
Defensively, the Mountaineers lost several starters including two of their all-time best, Javari Rice-Wilson at defensive end and DayDay Wilson at linebacker. They are now in the major college ranks.
But junior AJ Richardson, who was also one of the team’s top tacklers, returns at linebacker along with Jake Lloyd at safety and Deandre Hoyle at corner.
Alex Jackson, a part-time starter last year, will start on the defensive line and Peyton Fisher also returns to the defense.
Lloyd looks to Michael Ward and Jacaylen Sanders to start at linebacker. Tykel Smith and Zaylon Ramos return to the defensive line.
Bryson Brown looks good at corner and Chase Ellis, a senior, will play a lot on the defensive line.
KM’s kicking game should be strong as Jaden Ellis returns as the place kicker. Fisher will probably do the punting, and freshman Max Thompson is also a talented kicker. Randolph and Lloyd will return punts and Kendrick and Smith will return kicks.
While many schools are reporting low numbers, Lloyd is pleased that the Mountaineers had 76 people show up for opening day of practice.
“I believe Shelby, Burns and Crest had about the same so all four Cleveland County teams should be good,” he said. “I am glad we will be able to field a JV team. A lot of schools won’t be able to do that.”
Although the Mountaineers are young overall, Lloyd is optimistic.
“Our players have won a lot at the middle school and JV level, but it’s a little different on the varsity level,” he said. “Our Achilles heel may be that we are so young. We have a tough early season schedule with Shelby, Asheville and Burns. But, after that we have a bye and will know more about how we might fare in the Big South Conference.
“We have a hard-working group of players. We’re young, so the good thing is that we will have 80 percent of them for two or three more years. We can grow together and hopefully have a good year this year and be very good the following years.”
He knows challenging for the Big South title is a tall order, but he’s ready to give it a shot.
“The Big South Conference is super competition,” he said. “And South Point coming back in is going to make it even stronger. They have most of their players returning from last year so they could be the favorite.
“I am glad the conference is up to eight teams. I’m not sure if anyone will be able to run the table. Crest will be good. They may be a little young, too, but they have a lot of people back on defense.
“I think Ashbrook and Forestview will be pretty good, too. They have a lot back so you know they will be much better than they were in the spring. I really don’t know that much about the other teams. I think Huss will be very young and I believe North Gaston will be improved in the second season under their new coach, Justin Clark. Cramer could be very good. Their number 7 (Arias Nash) is a very good defensive end, and their quarterback (Justin Rocquemore) is a very good passer.
“It’s going to be an interesting year. We’re not settled on a starting quarterback yet. We’re going to play them both starting out because they did a good job over the summer.”

High school football practice will get serious today as teams in North Carolina begin heavy practice in preparation for the 2021 fall season that begins August 19-20.
For the first time in many years Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers will begin their season against arch-rival Shelby. Those two teams have the longest rivalry in the state dating back to the early 1920s.
The JV Mountaineers will be traveling to Shelby on Thursday, Aug. 19 for a 7 p.m. game. The varsity Mountaineers will host the Lions on Friday, Aug. 20 at 7:30 at John Gamble Stadium. The JV schedule will probably see some changes because many schools on their schedule will probably be dropping JV games because of low player turnouts.
North Carolina teams began official pre-season practice Monday with light drills in helmets only. They can put on pads today and go to full contact drills next Monday.
The Mountaineers have non-conference games against Shelby, Asheville and Burns and will have a bye on September 9 and 10 before beginning Big South 3A Conference play against Hunter Huss on September 16 and 17.
The Mountaineers had a mini-camp last week where they broke off in groups and simulated some plays.
While most teams’ turnouts have been low so far this summer because of COVID, on most days Kings Mountain has had a turnout of about 75 to 80 JV and varsity players. The varsity lost 20 seniors from last spring’s team including many that will be freshmen on college teams this fall. The Mountaineers will be working hard in the next few weeks to settle on a starting lineup.
Some of the returning starters include running back Caleb Holland, defensive back/wide receiver Jake Lloyd, junior linebacker AJ Richardson, defensive back Robert Kendrick, kickers Jaden Ellis and Hunter Whisnant, defensive lineman Jason Feemster, and lineman Tykel Smith whose fumble recovery in the end zone clinched the Mountaineers’ second straight victory over arch rival Shelby.