Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers finished 1-2 in their annual Christmas tournament last week at Parker Gym, getting a 61-53 win over East Rutherford sandwiched around losses of 54-50 to Harding and 66-58 to Rock Hill.
Harding jumped out front 16-12 after the first period and 26-25 at the half in Wednesday’s opening round. The teams were tied at 36-all after three periods but an 18-14 scoring advantage over the final eight minutes gave Harding the win.
KM freshman Bradley Floyd was the game’s top scorer with 20 points. Freshman Tucker Robinette added 11 and junior Curtis Simpson 10. Kendarian Thomas led Harding with 17, Elton Davis scored 16 and Chase Bryson 14.
The Mountaineers bounced back Thursday to edge the East Rutherford Cavaliers 61-53 behind the 1-2 scoring punch of Floyd with 19 points and Charlie Foster with 14.
Dacen Petty led the Cavaliers with 20 points and Tyler Barksdale and Grayson Burleson added 11 apiece.
Friday’s battle with Rock Hill was close before the visitors pulled away in the second half. The Mountaineers were led by Floyd with 19 points, Foster 15 and Robinette 10. Byrd and Huston scored 18 and 11, respectively, to lead the visitors.
The Mountaineers will resume Big South 3A Conference action Friday at Gastonia Forestview and will host a strong South Point five Tuesday, January 10 at Donald L. Parker Gymnasium. They will stay at home on Thursday, January 12 for a non-conference game against county rival Burns.
GAME ONE
KM (50) – Floyd 20, Robinette 13, Simpson 10, Wilson 5, Brown 4.
Harding (54) – Thomas 17, E. Davis 16, Bryson 14, K. Davis 4, Bradshaw 3.
GAME TWO
KM (61) – Floyd 19, Foster 14, Robinette 8, Simpson 4, Cole 4, Wilson 3, Brown 2, Smith 2.
ER (53) – Petty 20, Barksdale 11, Burleson 11, Atkins 5, Pinkerton 2, Hunter 2, Watkins 2.
GAME THREE
KM (58) – Floyd 19, Foster 15, Robinette 10, Sanders 6, Simpson 4, Linney 3, Brown 1.
RH (66) – Byrd 18, Huston 11, Carter 9, Webb 8, Wilson 5, Cormell 3, Young 3, McKinney 2.

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers placed nine players on the All-Big South Conference team, including three that were Players of the Year, and Coach Greg Lloyd was voted BSC Coach of the Year for the recently-completed 2022 football season.
First team selections were offensive linemen Isaiah Eskridge and Michael Lubas. First team defensive selections were linemen AJ Richardson and Curtis Simpson and defensive back Jake Lloyd. Richardson was also selected Defensive Player of the Year, Eskridge was selected Offensive Lineman of the Year and Simpson was named Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Making the second team were running back/defensive back Bryson Brown, running back Teddy Jeffries, quarterback Lamont Littlejohn and receiver/defensive back and return specialist Zavian Smith.
Simpson, who has already received numerous major college offers, Brown, Jeffries and Smith will return next season to lead the Mountaineers to another run for the conference championship. Richardson, Lubas, Eskridge, Littlejohn and Lloyd will graduate in the spring and hopefully continue their football exploits in the collegiate ranks.
Hunter Huss sophomore Jayden Gash, whose father Daryl played for the Mountaineers in the late eighties and early nineties, made the first team as a return specialist and was also named Special Teams Player of the Year. He returned the opening kickoff in the Huss at Kings Mountain game which was the only time the Mountaineers were behind in a regular season game.
The Offensive Player of the Year was Ny’Tavious Huskey of Crest.
First team All Conference:
QB, Ny’Tavious Huskey, Crest.
RB – Carmelo Bess, Ashbrook.
OL – Isaiah Eskridge, Kings Mountain; Michael Lubas, Kings Mountain; Sullivan Absher, South Point; Tymon Childs, Ashbrook; Myles Jackson, Forestview; Trent Mitchell, Ashbrook.
Athletes – Malachi Addison, Crest; Javarius Green, Crest; Christian Holland, Forestview; Isaiah Johnson, Cramer; Cam Medlock, South Point, Justin Rocquemore, Cramer.
DL – AJ Richardson, KM, Curtis Simpson, KM, Devon Biggers, Ashbrook, Davonyae Pettus, Crest.
LB – Daimean Fernandez, Cramer, Dezmun Porter, Crest, James Taylor, Huss.
DB – Jake Lloyd, KM, Gene Neely, Huss, Will Ross, South Point, Sincere Sanders-Moss, Ashbrook.
Specialists – Charlie Birtwistle, SP, Jayden Gash, Huss, JJ Gordon, North Gaston.
Second team:
Bryson Brown, KM, Teddy Jeffries, KM, Lamont Littlejohn, KM, Zavian Smith, KM, AJ Adams, Crest, Nathaniel Aguilar, Forestview, Patrick Blee, South Point, Noah Comer, Forestview, Chaynce Ford, South Point, Derek Mitchell, Crest, Christian Mixter, Forestview, Kenneth Odugba, Forestview, Jaquis Rumph, South Point, Josh Smith, North Gaston, Hudson Spargo, South Point, Tyler Ward, Cramer.

Kings Mountain freshman Bradley Floyd’s running jumper from the baseline with five seconds remaining in the game, along with his steal of Ashbrook’s inbounds pass capped an exciting 50-48 victory over Ashbrook’s Green Wave in the two teams’ opening Big South 3A Conference battle Friday night at KM’s Donald L. Parker Gymnasium.
A big defensive steal by KM’s Zay Smith with 27.3 seconds remaining resulted in a timeout by the Mountaineers to set up the winning shot and KM’s third win in four games overall.
Kings Mountain’s girls weren’t as fortunate in the opener. Leading by just 38-33 going into the fourth quarter, Ashbrook outscored the Lady Mountaineers 22-5 to cap a 60-38 victory.
Floyd would finish with 13 points to lead the Mountaineer scoring against a veteran Ashbrook five. Priest Wilson scored 10, Tucker Robinette eight, Charlie Foster seven, Smith and Kee’Donn Linney four each and Bryson Brown and Ja’Qualyn Sanders two each. Ashbrook was led by Kenneth Greene with 13 and Jashuan Clark with 10.
The game was close throughout. Neither team could get anything going in the first period. Two free throws by Foster gave the Mountaineers an 11-9 lead heading into the second stanza. KM held the lead most of the second period but Ashbrook’s Gabriel June ran the baseline for a basket that put the Wave on top 22-21 at the half.
After the Wave built a 32-25 lead in the first three minutes of the third period, the Mountaineers got late baskets by Tucker Robinette and Floyd to go into the final quarter up 37-34.
Ashbrook scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter to take a 38-37 lead. KM got even at 43-all on a basket by Floyd with three minutes remaining, and went on top 46-43 on a bucket by Sanders with 2:14 left.
Ashbrook regained the lead at 48-46 on a bucket by Jashuan Clark with 1:13 remaining but Brown’s baseline runner knotted the score at 48-all with 1:13 to play. Ashbrook was whistled for a charge with a minute left but got the ball back following a KM missed shot. The Green Wave was running the clock down for a last shot of their own but Smith made the steal of the game to set up a time out and Floyd’s late heroics.
The girls’ game was just as close and exciting in the first three periods, but Ashbrook proved itself to be a championship contender by dominating the fourth quarter.
After KM got off to a 5-3 lead on two baskets by Khalia King, the visitors got on track and led 18-15 at the quarter break. Consecutive threes by King got the KM ladies back on top 21-19 but Ashbrook answered with buckets by Tori Brooks and Madison Cole to regain the lead at 23-21. The visitors wouldn’t trail again.
Down 37-26 at the half, KM rallied behind buckets by King, CoRey Simpson and Alayna Patrick to pull to within 38-33 heading into the fourth period. Ashbrook began pressing on defense and turned the game into a rout.
King led the KM scoring with 13 points. Simpson had a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds. Patrick added seven points, Bell two and Myracle Davis four.

By Loretta Cozart

Coach Greg Lloyd and 32 of the Kings Mountain High School football players visited North Elementary School on November 10.
The high schoolers partnered with North students to read with them as part of our PALS program. Football players visited the classrooms and read to the students.
North students lined the hallway and cheered on the Mounties who are in the state playoffs and ranked number one in their division this year.

Kings Mountain’s Caleb Holland returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to spark a 42-point first quarter and a 42-6 victory over St. Stephens in the opening round of the state 3A playoffs Friday night at John Gamble Stadium.
Before four minutes were gone off the clock, the Mountaineers had built a 21-0 lead and it was evident the Indians would be no match for the top-ranked KM eleven.
Following Holland’s return and Jaden Ellis’s PAT for a quick 7-0 lead, the Mountaineer defense held the Indians to three and out and Xzorion Lenair returned a punt to the visitors’ 44. Teddy Jeffries took a handoff from quarterback Lamont Littlejohn and went off right tackle for a 14-0 lead.
With the Indians facing third and 22 from their own 21 on the next series, Jake Lloyd broke in front of the Indians’ intended receiver for an interception and a 36-yard burst down the visitors’ sideline for a 21-0 lead with just 3:55 gone off the clock.
Following another three and out highlighted by a five yard tackle for loss by AJ Richardson and a nine yard loss on Antonio Armstrong’s sack, the Indians had to punt again and Lenair returned it 42 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-0 with 6:25 still left in the first period.
Another three and out forced the Indians to punt again. This time, the Mountaineers took possession at their own 49. Following two carries by Holland for 17 and five yards – sandwiched around a 13-yard reception by Ja’Qualyn Sanders - Littlejohn hit Bryson Brown on a slant for a 35-0 lead with 3:38 on the clock.
The Indians picked up their initial first down on a face mask penalty against the Mountaineers, but the defense quickly took charge again and held them at midfield. After a holding penalty on KM, Littlejohn hit Jake Lloyd with a pass for 19 yards and a first down at the Indians’ 41 and Jeffries took care of the rest for a 42-0 lead with still 1:17 left on the first quarter clock.
That would be the end of the Mountaineer scoring, largely because the home team did not wish to run up the score. The coaching staff began substituting and all starters were on the sidelines in the second half supporting the second unit.
“We got everybody in the game and that’s good,” noted Coach Greg Lloyd. “We were able to rest some people. I doubt if the first team offense played maybe 12 plays. They didn’t get a lot of work but getting the lead helped us keep people fresh for this week. Simpson rolled his ankle but otherwise we’re pretty healthy. I think he’ll be able to play Friday.”
The Indians were able to finally get into KM territory late in the half but Lloyd’s interception stopped them at the 43, and after another change of possession the Indians were able to make it from their own 26 to the KM 46 but Micah Ward’s interception ended their hopes on the last play of the first half.
With the running clock rule in effect, the Indians ate up most of the third quarter on a 15-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a quarterback Peyton Young’s 11 yard TD run with 35 seconds on the clock.  Facing fourth and seven at the KM 22, the Indians first went for a field goal, which was good, but KM was penalized on the play for roughing the kicker which set up Young’s TD.
Josiah Hill gained 37 yards on five carries and Ward 22 on four totes to take the game clock down to 5:11 and guys like Dariyon Black, Jason Melton and Jakarri Roberts held St. Stephens at bay the rest of the night.
Because of the outstanding defensive and special team efforts, the Mountaineers had very few running plays by the first unit. Jeffries had just two carries for 89 yards and Holland two for 22. Lloyd had one reception for 19 yards, Brown one for 16, Zay Smith one for 14 and Sanders one for 13.

One of Kings Mountain High’s all-time great athletes was in the stands and pulling for St. Stephens in the Indians’ opening round 3A playoff game Friday against the Mountaineers at John Gamble Stadium.
Chris Johnson, who was assistant principal at St. Stephens for many years before being recently moved to the Alternative School as its principal, was one of the Mountaineer greats in both football and baseball during his youth. He played football under Coach Bob Jones and baseball for Coach Barry Gibson. He was very versatile in football playing tailback,  defensive  back,  wide receiver, corner and safety and returning kickoffs and punts. He made trips to Kings Mountain and to their opponent’s field every Friday night when his son Xavier was playing for Coach Greg Lloyd’s Mountaineers in mid-teens. Xavier is now living in Raleigh.
Before going into administration, Johnson taught and coached some in Bessemer City and schools in Catawba County.
A member of the Kings Mountain Sports Hall of Fame, Johnson was three-time All-SAC8 and Honorable Mention All-American during a great four-year career at Gardner-Webb. He intercepted 25 passes that’s still a school record. He is the only football player ever to be named Kings Mountain’s most valuable player two years straight.
“Sports has been good to me,” Johnson said prior to Friday’s playoff game. “It made me what I am today. What lessons you learn as an athlete come back to you. You go through rigors and it makes you a better person.”
He recalled that the 1975 and ’76 KMHS baseball teams won the conference championship. He played in the outfield and was one of the team’s best all-around players standing out in the field, at bat and on the base paths.
“I had a lot of good teammates,” he noted. “The 1975 team went to the state tournament. That’s the year we had David Lancaster, Tony Payne and a lot of other good players. We went deep in the third round. We beat Shelby twice during the regular season and then lost to them in the playoffs.”
He also played on some good basketball teams under Coach Allen Dixon.
“I had good teammates in basketball, too,” he noted. “People like Jim Thompson, Tommy Manning, Charles Bell and Butch Blalock. They were really good athletes.
“My son Xavier played football for Greg Lloyd at Kings Mountain,” he noted. “I saw a lot of their games then. 2014 was his senior year and we went up to West Henderson in the playoffs and almost froze to death. I think that’s the coldest I’ve ever been.
“Just to be on the ball field is great,” he said. “That’s where my heart was. Sports is still a family thing for me. I grew up without a dad and people in sports really embraced me. It’s always been a tradition for me.”
Friday was the first time Johnson has been back to Gamble Stadium since the new Brinkley Field was built and artificial turf put down on the playing field.
“This is very nice,” he said.

Running for the Cleveland Community College Yetis, 2022 Kings Mountain graduate Kohen Johnson made the NJCAA all region 10 cross country team. Kohen held off regional champion Spartanburg Methodist's fourth runner by 6 seconds to make the all-region team.   Region 10 consists of junior colleges from NC, SC, and Virginia.  Kohen Johnson is a freshman at Cleveland Community College and will be competing in the National Junior College cross country championship this Saturday, November 12th in Tallahassee Florida.                                                                           

The Lady Mountaineers defeated East Lincoln 25-14, 25-18 and 25-10 in second round action last Tuesday night at Parker Gym.
Meile Songaila had 13 kills, eight serve receptions, 20 digs and two service points.
Myracle Davis had 17 kills and two blocks.
Paige Bagwell had 12 assists, seven kills and four digs.
Camden Pasour dished out 25 assists and had 21 service points, two kills, two serve receptions and 12 digs.
Carolina Barber had 21 serve receptions, eight service points, three assists and 14 digs.
On Thursday, the Lady Mountaineers defeated a good West Henderson team in a close match 25-16, 22-25, 25-23 and 25-19.
Songaila had nine service points, 20 serve receptions, 21 digs and 18 kills.
Davis had 23 kills, five blocks and two digs.
Pasour had 12 service points, 24 assists, eight digs and three kills.
Bagwell had six service points, 24 assists, 19 digs and 12 kills.
Barber had six serve receptions, 29 service points and 27 digs.
The Lady Mountaineers fell 3-1 to Fred T. Foard Saturday afternoon in a match to decide the Western Regional representative for the state tournament.
 

The 3A West Regional cross country championship was held at Freedom High School in Morganton last week.
The Big South Conference individual champion Isaac Watts of Kings Mountain High School had another personal best time of 16.59 to finish 13th overall and qualify as the third individual form the West for the State 3A Championship meet Saturday in Kernersville.
Other scores for the Mountaineers were Max Thompson who finished 47th with an 18:37, Marty Lovingood finishing 75th with a 19.31, Nathan Inthavong 99th with a 20:22, Elliot Habel 140th with a 22:08, Hunter Cruise 153rd with a 23:08, and Nicholas Horn 155th with a 23:31.
For the KM women, Divinity Ervin finished 36th overall with a 20:57 but a heartbreaking eighth place as an individual just missing the seventh spot by two seconds. Brooke Waseman finished 56th with a 22:24, Sarah Eagle 73rd with a 23:16, Nicole Poston 115th with a 25:40, Kinley Putnam 117th with a 25:52, Kallie Hope 118th with a 25:53 and Cindy Ulloa 126th with a 26:51.
Both teams finished 15th out of the 29 in the region. ‘
“There were six seniors running for Kings Mountain,” noted Coach Rayvis Key. “Their leadership, faithfulness and perseverance will truly be missed next year.”

Kings Mountain High’s cross country teams finished second to South Point in last week’s Big South Conference championship and the Mountaineers’ Isaiah Watts won the individual championship.
Watts took an early lead and never looked back as he controlled the race with a consistent 20-second lead for a final time of 17:54.
Max Thompson and Stuart Cramer’s Jordan Granados were in a photo finish for second at 18:05 with Granados winning by a lean. South Point finished with 39 points, KM had 45, Hunter Huss 81, Crest 113 Forestview 114 and Ashbrook 130.
Also finishing with All-Conference honors for the Mountaineers were Hunter Cruise, who ran eighth with a 19:38 and Marty Lovingood running 16th with a 20:40. Other KM finishes were Nathan Inthavong 21st, Elliot Habel 25th, Nicholas Horn 31st, Luis Cedillo 36th, Nathaniel Kiser 45th, Marcus Williams 46th, Eric Bell 54th and Hayden Huss 57th.
The girls race was a huge surprise as Forestview’s Emily Raspanti finished first in 21:13.71, barely edging out Kings Mountain’s Divinity Ervin with a 21:23.90
Again, South Point poured in the numbers with six All-Conference girls to win the team championship with 28 points to KM’s 54. Forestview ran third with 57, Crest 96, and Ashbrook 144.
Other Kings Mountain runners making All-Conference were Brooke Waseman with a sixth place finish in 22:58, and Sarah Eagle who was 12th in 23.55. KM’s other finishers were Sindy Ulloa 23rd, Nicole Poston 29th, Kallie Hope 30th, Parker Wilson 32nd, Wren Ballard 40th and Emily Phelps 43rd.
The next race for the Mountaineers will be the NCHSAA West 3A Regional Saturday, October 29 at Freedom High School in Morganton.

A crowd of approximately 400 people attended the Kings Mountain Touchdown Club’s 100th anniversary celebration of Mountaineer football Thursday night at John Gamble Stadium.
Danny Ford, retired head football coach at Clemson, was the guest speaker. He was introduced by Kevin Mack, one of his star running backs on Clemson’s 1982 team which defeated Nebraska for the NCAA championship.
Mack, who still lives in Cleveland where he was Rookie of the Year and the leading rusher for the Browns in the 1980s, introduced his coach and both he and Ford recalled Mack’s adjustment time after joining the team right out of KMHS in 1980. But, after that adjustment early in his freshman season, Mack became one of the Tigers’ all-time leading rushers.
Before introducing Ford, Mack said football taught him a lot from the high school to the professional level and he thanked his high school coach, Dan Brooks who was in attendance, and Ford for molding him as a player and a man.
Speaking of Ford, he said “he drove his team to be good. The first couple of days I didn’t know if I’d make it. I had to adapt.”
Mack recalled that his freshman year at Clemson the Tigers went 6-5 but Ford was laying the groundwork for the next three years when the Tigers lost just three games and won the national championship.
“He produced some of the great teams in Clemson history,” Mack noted. “In his first game as head coach Clemson won the Gator Bowl over Woody Hayes and Ohio State.”

Kings Mountain High’s women’s volleyball team wrapped un another undefeated Big South 3A Conference championship last week at home with a 25-11, 25-18, 25-15 victory over county rival Crest.
Kings Mountain’s JVs also wrapped up another undefeated conference slate with a 25-18, 25-21 victory.
Meile Songaila had her usual all-around great game with nine digs, 12 service points, 16 kills and four blocks.
Myracle Davis finished with 17 kills, six blocks and four digs.
Paige Bagwell contributed 18 assists, 15 digs, five service points and two kills.
Camden Pasour had 14 assists, eight digs, five service points and three kills.
Caroline Barber provided six assists, 10 digs and 22 service points.
They JVs had a good all-around performance from Abigail Hedgepath, Ruby Osborne, Megan Harrison and Kenzlie Morris.
Hedgepath dished out 13 assists to go with five kills, five digs and three service points.
Osborne contributed four kills and three blocks.
Harrison had six kills and six digs.
Morris had three kills, a block and six service points.

South Point wrapped up the Big South Conference championship and Kings Mountain’s Kaliyah Watson qualified for the NCHSAA Western Regional in last week’s final BSC tournament at Lincoln Country Club.
Watson shot a 43 and finished third overall in the conference with a season average of 47 and was named to the All-Big South Conference team. Her season average also qualified her for the Western Regional October 18 at Cedar Rock Country Club in Lenoir.
South Point’s Ameila Connors shot a 39 to earn medalist honors and was also selected Big South Player of the Year.
Following South Point’s 130 were Crest at 159, Forestview 180 and Ashbrook 187. No other team had enough players to qualify for a team score. Those four teams also finished in the same order for the season as no one else had enough players for team scores. 

After a slow start, Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers blew past the Stuart Cramer Purple Storm 63-24 Friday night in Cramerton.
The win improved the Mountaineers’ record to 5-0 in the Big South and 8-0 overall heading into their final regular season home game Friday against the Ashbrook Green Wave. Cramer fell to 2-3 in the Big South and 3-5 overall.
The Mountaineers never trailed but the Storm answered KM’s opening touchdown drive to tie the game. Kings Mountain went on to lead 28-17 at the half and then broke it open over the final two quarters.
“That was a good win,” said KM head coach Greg Lloyd. “We played okay but it was not one of our best efforts. We left a lot of points on the field in the first half but we played a lot better in the second half.
“Stuart Cramer had a good game plan,” he added. “They were spreading us out with five wide and they played a 2-3 stack on defense. We adjusted well and played much better in the second half. We were happy to win and stay undefeated.”
With the Mountaineers playing without the services of one of their top running backs, Robert Kendrick, and Caleb Holland playing sparingly with an injury Teddy Jeffries took care of business with 163 yards rushing and five touchdowns. One of their best lineman, Eli Lipscomb, also sat out. “All three should be good to go this week,” Lloyd said.
The Mountaineers had one of their best nights passing as six different receivers chalked up 302 yards on 18 catches from quarterbacks Lamont Littlejohn and TJ Armstrong. Bryson Brown led the way with three catches for 92 yards and Zay Smith had six for 71. Ja’Qualyn Sanders had three for 61, Xzorion Lenair two for 36, Jake Lloyd three for 28 and Jeffries one for 14.
Brown took the opening kickoff eight yards to the KM 35 set up KM’s first TD drive. Two passes from Littlejohn to Zay Smith for 12 yards and Brown for nine put the Mountaineers in Storm territory at the 44. From there it took just four runs from Jeffries – the fourth for 28 yards – to get the scoring underway. Jaden Ellis’s PAT made it 7-0 with just two minutes gone off the clock.
Cramer showed some spunk, though, as Kamari Houze returned the ensuing kickoff to the KM 42. Behind the running and passing of senior quarterback Justin Rocquemore, the Storm knotted the score at 7-all on a 24 yard pass over the middle to Isaiah Johnson and Drew Crotts’ PAT.
It took the Mountaineers just four plays from scrimmage to go up 14-7 on a 27-yard pass from Littlejohn to Smith, and another Ellis PAT. A 16-yard run by Holland and a 17-yard Jake Lloyd reception set it up.
That score stood for the remainder of the quarter but Cramer was threatening again early in the second quarter when KM was flagged for a 15-yard pass interference call resulting in a first down at the KM 18. A 12-yard sack by Curtis Simpson and AJ Richardson set the Storm back to the 35 but a 21-yard run around end by Rocquemore resulted in a third and six at the KM 14. Richardson recovered a fumble and returned it to the 27 to get the Mountaineers out of the hole.
After an incomplete pass, Littlejohn found Bryson Brown 30 yards behind the Cramer defense and hit him in stride for a 73-yard touchdown and a 21-7 KM lead.
Backed up to their own 18 facing fourth and six, the Mountaineers punted but it was blocked by a heavy rush and Cramer’s Drew Crotts recovered the ball in the end zone for a TD to cut the margin to 21-14 with 4:49 left in the half.
The Mountaineers responded, though, as Lloyd returned the ensuing kickoff 25 yards to the KM 45. A 21-yard run by Holland and a 16-yard reception by Ja’Qualyn Sanders resulted in a first down at the Cramer 17 from which point it took just two carries by Jeffries and the PAT for a 28-14 KM lead.
Cramer’s Drew Crotts booted a 23-yard field goal to make it 28-17 at the break.
KM turned up the pressure on both offense and defense in the second half, scoring on four of five possessions to go up 56-17.
Taking over after holding the Storm to three and out to open the third, KM drove 53 yards in just seven plays to go up 35-17. Jeffries carried five times for 46 yards and scored from the one.
Following a Cramer punt at the 4:08 mark of the third, KM launched a 77-yard, seven play drive culminating with Jeffries’ fourth TD from the six yard line. Along the way Littlejohn threw passes to Smith for five yards, Brown for 10 and Xzorian Lenair for 28 to put KM on the Cramer 33. After a 13-yard run by Smith, Jeffries covered the remaining 20 on two carries to run the score to 42-17 going into the fourth quarter.
Following a Cramer punt, KM took just seven plays to go up 49-17 on Jeffries’ fifth TD, this one from 49 yards out. Sanders’ 23-yard reception was the other big play.
With 7:14 on the clock, KM pooch kicked and Stuart Cramer took over at its 30. On Cramer’s first play, Curtis Simpson intercepted a pass near the KM sidelines and rambled untouched into the end zone. Max Thompson’s PAT accounted for the final point and a 56-17 lead.
Cramer’s final points came with 4:21 remaining on a four yard run by Darius Sykes and Drew Crotts’ PAT.
Following an 18-yard kick return from Kameron Adams, KM’s reserves marched
44 yards in six plays to score on Micah Ward’s 12-yard run with 1:17 on the clock. Thompson added the point after. Along the way freshman quarterback TJ Armstrong hit Lenair with an eight yard pass and Josiah Hill had runs of 11 and 13 yards.
“Jeffries had a great game. We are very pleased with how he played,” Coach Lloyd said. “Our offense played well minus a few plays. Everybody did a good job. We just didn’t have our A game. We have to play a lot better this week. Ashbrook has a very good team. They’re one of the best teams around. Their record doesn’t show it but they played Crest and South one of their toughest games. They are real big and aggressive on defense. We’ll have to play well against them.
“This is a very important game,” he added. “If we win this we can do no worse than sharing the conference championship. Of course, we want to win them all.”
So far, Ashbrook hasn’t thrown the ball a lot but their running back Carmelo Bess is closing in on a 1,000 yards rushing season, finishing last week with 869 yards on 141 carries. He rushed for 175 yards against South Point and the Raiders had to score late to win 28-19.
 

Josiah Hill went around right end for a 52-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to spark the Kings Mountain JVs to a 47-6 victory over Stuart Cramer Thursday night at John Gamble Stadium.
The win improved KM’s perfect record to 7-0 heading into a game Thursday at Gastonia Ashbrook. The JV Mountaineers haven’t lost a game since the first game of the 2020 season. They hope to complete another undefeated season with a win over Ashbrook this week and their final game against Crest at Gamble Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 27.
Coach Diron Bell’s charges scored on all but one of their first half possessions to go into the break up 35-0. The half ended with the Mountaineers on Cramer’s 17 yard line.
After Hill’s initial score, the Mountaineers held the Storm to three and out and their punt went just 27 yards to their own 43. Quarterback TJ Armstrong hooked up with fellow freshman William Vaughn for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead.
The Cramer offense was able to pick up a first down but then went three-and-out and punted out of bounds at the KM 35. With 4:35 on the clock, the Mountaineers went on a 65 yard scoring drive that featured an 18-yard run by Jamerius Williams around left end, a 13-yard run by Tyler McIntyre for a first down at the 36, and a pass from Armstrong to Barry Moore to the 31. Hill went the distance on a reverse, but the TD was called back for holding. KM found itself on the 28 facing fourth and three and was stopped short of the first down but Cramer went three and out after a big tackle for loss by Izaiah Jones and was forced to punt. KM’s Jayden Watkins fielded it at the KM 35 yard line and rambled 65 yards for a TD. Dom Davis ran a two-point conversion to make it 21-0.
KM’s defense continued strong, forcing a punt. KM took possession at its own 35. It took the Mountaineers just two plays – a 17-yard Armstrong to Moore pass and a 48-yard touchdown on a catch and run by Tyler Furman on a quick-out from Armstrong with 6:34 left in the half. Vance Johnson added the PAT for a 28-0 lead.
Again, with good defense from the whole team including two big tackles by Mahki Borders and Jamel Lee, the Mountaineers held Cramer to three and out and the Storm had to punt with 4:15 left in the half. KM took possession at its own 14 and needed only five plays to go up 35-0 at the half on a five-yard yard TD by Vaughn and Johnson’s PAT. Other key plays were two runs by Hill for a total of 25 yards and a 56-yard catch and run by Williams to the five.
A pass interception and 31-yard return by Hill set the Mountaineers up at the Cramer 14 on the visitors’ first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. Armstrong hit Vance Johnson with a TD pass with just 58 seconds gone off the clock to put the Mountaineers up 41-0.
Coach Bell turned the game over to his reserves and Cramer was able to drive 69 yards in 10 plays to score on a six-yard reception by Braxton Sample.
With Vance Johnson at quarterback, the Mountaineers second unit moved 61 yards in seven plays to score on a 10-yard run by Kamari Coleman with 1:43 left in the game. Johnson got the drive going with a nine-yard keeper followed by a 17-yard burst by Trenton Pettus to the Cramer 35. Runs of three yards by Watkins and seven by Pettus resulted in a first down at the 25. A penalty of 10 yards after Johnson’s run to the three moved the ball back to the 15. Pettus picked up five and Coleman got the final 10 to end the scoring.

Kings Mountain’s JV Mountaineers rolled over the Forestview Jaguars 42-0 for their fifth straight victory Wednesday at John Gamble Stadium.
The Mountaineers built a 28-0 lead in the first half with good play on offense, defense and special teams.
The defense set the tone early, holding the Jaguars to three and out on the game’s opening possession. After a punt was downed on the KM 48, the Mountaineers took just four plays to score on a 23-yard pass from freshman quarterback TJ Armstrong to freshman receiver William Vaughn.
Following another Forestview punt, the Mountaineers drove 78 yards in nine plays to go up 14-0 on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Armstrong to Barry Moore. Dom Davis added a two-point conversion.
Again, the defense held the visitors to three and out and Watkins returned a punt from the KM 46 to the Forestview 23. Jeremiah Hill covered the distance on one run and Vance Johnson added the PAT from placement to make it 21-0.
Forestview managed to keep possession for six plays but then had to punt again and KM’s Jayden Watkins returned it 58 yards for a touchdown. Johnson’s PAT made it 28-0 at the half.
Midway of the third period, KM’s Cole Groves recovered a fumble at the Forestview one yard line and Johnson’s QB sneak and PAT made it 35-0. Shortly afterward, the Mountaineers recovered a fumble at the Forestview 18 to set up Johnson’s five-yard TD run with 5:32 left.
Kings Mountain tries to keep its unbeaten streak alive Thursday with a trip to Belmont to face the South Point Red Raiders.

Kings Mountain jumped on Forestview in a hurry and rolled to their sixth straight victory Friday night on the Jaguars’ field in Gastonia, 48-7.
The Mountaineers won the coin toss but deferred to the second half. After Jaden Ellis’s kickoff went into the end zone, the Jaguars took over at their 20 but facing a third and 10 they went to the air and KM’s Zay Smith picked it off and was tackled at the eight. Quarterback Lamont Littlejohn handed off to Caleb Holland and he went untouched into the end zone and Ellis kicked the PAT and the rout was on.
Another three and out resulted in another punt, this one going just eight yards to the Forestview 29. Teddy Jeffries carried three times for 22 yards and a first down at the Jags’ seven, and Littlejohn hit Jake Lloyd with a touchdown pass and Ellis’s PAT made it 14-0 with 6:56 on the first quarter clock.
The Jaguars were forced to punt again when three plays from the 20 resulted in minus four yards. Another short Forestview punt put KM in business on the Jags’ 45 and on a third and nine Littlejohn hit Xzorion Lenair for a 44-yard TD pass and a 21-0 lead.
Following the kickoff, the Jaguars were actually able to get a decent drive going but a fourth and one pass was broken up at the KM 26 by Zay Smith on the first play of the second quarter.
Highlighted by good runs by Jeffries and Robert Kendrick and pass receptions by Ja’Qualyn Sanders and Lloyd, the Mountaineers drove to the Forestview 16. After some penalty exchanges and a seven-yard Littlejohn to Sanders pass, Kendrick scored from two yards out and Ellis booted the point after for a 28-0 advantage.
After a pooch kick and return put the Jags at midfield, they were able to get to the KM 40 before Lloyd blocked a punt and the Mountaineers recovered it at the Forestview 37 with 5:22 showing on the second quarter clock. It took just two minutes and 11 seconds for the Mountaineers to cover the distance in five plays. A screen pass to Jeffries for 21 yards put the Mountaineers at the Forestview five, and Jeffries took it in at the 3:11 mark for a 35-0 lead at the break.
The Mountaineers took possession following a punt at the Jaguar 47 with 4:19 left in the third. It took just two plays – runs of 42 and five yards by Jeffries – to run the score to 42-0. After the ensuing kick, the Jaguars were facing a second and 20 at their own 20 when they fumbled and KM’s AJ Richardson picked it up at the 15 and took it to the house for a 48-0 Mountaineer lead.
After recovering a fumble at the KM 17 the Jaguars scored their only TD on a 20-yard pass reception by Tylique “va” Aldridge with 2:55 left in the game.
“I thought we played well,” noted Mountaineer head coach Greg Lloyd. “We got off to a great start. We won the toss and deferred and we had the wind and were able to back them up. We just played well in all areas.
“Our defensive line dictated the flow of the game. We put a lot of pressure on them.
“We had good balance,” he added. “We were beat up a little physically but nothing major.”

His blockers opened a lane wide enough to drive a couple of 18-wheelers through, so Caleb Holland hauled the opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to get the Kings Mountain Mountaineers rolling to a 56-0 victory over the North Gaston Wildcats Friday night in Dallas.
The Mountaineers went on to score six more times to carry a 49-0 lead into halftime. The reserves took over in the second half and tacked on the final TD.
“We got off to a good start,” noted Mountaineer head coach Greg Lloyd. “We got our nerves out early. We dominated in all three phases of the game. We tackled well, we blocked well and we made plays. Everybody (49 players) got to play and they all did a good job.”
Kings Mountain’s defense, which would hold the Wildcats to minus 22 yards rushing and just 44 passing for the game, held them to minus seven on their first possession. With the Cats taking over at their own 20 after KM’s kickoff went into the end zone, AJ Richardson’s quarterback sack left the hosts facing a fourth and 13 at the NG 19 and their punt only went 22 yards to the 41. After a two yard loss, KM quarterback Lamont Littlejohn threw a pass to Xzorion Lenair for 18 yards, then hit Ja’Qualyn Sanders for a 25-yard touchdown and Jaden Ellis’ PAT made it 14-0.
The KM defense held the ‘Cats to another three and out and Lenair returned a punt 15 yards to the North 44. A Littlejohn pass to Bryson Brown plus a five-yard NG penalty put the Mountaineers at the North 20. Littlejohn hit Sanders with a 12-yard pass and Teddy Jeffries’ run covered the final eight yards for a 21-0 lead.
Aided by a 15-yard penalty against the Mountaineers, the ‘Cats were able to get to the KM 33 yard line but a fourth and eight sack by Eli Lipscomb stopped them at the 42. The Wildcat defense was able to stop the Mountaineers’ first unit on downs for the only time and forced a punt.
Taking over at the North 30 following a punt, it took KM just three carries by Kendrick – the final one for three yards – to go up 28-0.
A Micah Ward fumble recovery at the North 26 set up a 20-yard pass to Brown, followed by a three-yard burst up the middle by AJ Richardson for another TD. The extra point made it 35-0 with 9:35 still left in the half.
North had to punt from its own eight and KM took possession at the ‘Cats 41. KM went to a wildcat offense and two runs by Kendrick resulted in a first down at the 23, from which point Zay Smith took it to the house for a 42-0 lead with 4:52 still left in the half.
“Zay got nicked up a little bit but I think he’ll be ready to go this week,” Lloyd noted.
Simpson, Richardson and Antonio Armstrong sacked the NG quarterback to force a punt which Lenair returned 45 yards for a TD at the 3:08 mark to send the Mountaineers into halftime with a 49-0 lead.
North Gaston had just as tough a job moving the ball on the KM backups as it did while the starters were on the field. Facing fourth and two on their own 20 after their longest run of the night - 11 yards by JJ Gordon - the Cats went for the first down but a pass fell incomplete. KM’s Micah Ward covered the distance in two carries and Max Thompson kicked the point-after to end the game.
 

A pass interception by Jayden Watkins to stop North Gaston’s game-opening possession at the KM 38 yard line got the Mountaineers going to a 48-16 victory over the Wildcats in Thursday’s junior varsity football game at Gamble Stadium.
The win kept the Mountaineers undefeated with a 4-0 record. They’ll be at home again Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Forestview Jaguars.
After the INT, it took the Mountaineers just nine plays to score on a one-yard sneak by quarterback Vance Johnson. Josiah Hill had three carries for 36 yards, Tyler McIntyre two for 20 and Dom Davis two for 10 to set up Johnson’s sneak.
Kings Mountain went on to lead 28-0 at the half and 48-8 after three quarters. The final quarter was played with a running clock.
Josiah Hill scored from 15 yards out and Tyler McIntyre ran for a two-point conversion to put the Mountaineers up 14-0.
The Wildcats punted on the second play of the second period. McIntyre got off a 52-yard run to the North six and Hill took it in the end zone on the next play. The PAT made it 21-0.
After forcing another punt, the Mountaineers drove 56 yards to score on a three-yard run by McIntyre. With 0:51 left in the half. Johnson’s PAT made it 28-0 at the break. A 17-yard run by Hill and an offside penalty on North Gaston gave KM a first and goal at the 10, and an offsides penalty on the Wildcats set up McIntyre’s TD.
The Mountaineers recovered an onside kick at their own 48 to start the second half. Hill immediately swept right end for a 22-yard gain, followed by a North personal foul penalty which set the Mountaineers up at the North 27. Two plays later Hill circled right end for a 24 yard TD and Johnson’s PAT made it 35-0.
North Gaston finally got on the board on a nine-yard TD reception by Kameron Dial and a two-point conversion pass. Kings Mountain answered with a Vance Johnson kickoff return to the 45, followed by a Jayden Watkins 55-yard TD run for a 41-8 KM lead.
On North’s first play following the ensuing kickoff, KM recovered a fumble at the North 10 and Kamari Coleman took it in the end zone on the first play from scrimmage to make it 48-8.
With the clock running, North took advantage of a pass interference call on KM, followed by a pass reception of 17 yards by Carter Mason which was followed by a 15-yard late hit penalty on the Mountaineers. KM was flagged for interference again, resulting in a first down at the eight and North’s Isaiah Ewing caught a pass for the TD and another for the two-point conversion to account for the final score.

The son of a former Kings Mountain football player returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give visiting homecoming foe Hunter Huss an early lead of 7-0 but the Mountaineers rebounded for a 44-14 victory in their first Big South 3A Conference game Friday at John Gamble Stadium.
The Huskies, who came to town with less than 30 players and would lose a few more from injuries during the contest, stayed right with the home team for the first half after sophomore Jayden Gash, whose father Daryl played for the Mountaineers in the early nineties, made that early stunner.
The Huskies’ defense held the Mountaineers to three and out on their first possession but the KM defense began turning the tide moments later when it blocked a Huss punt which Robert Kendrick recovered at the Huskies’ 38. Teddy Jeffries had three straight carries behind good blocking by the O-line to set up a three-yard touchdown run by big AJ Richardson and Jaden Ellis split the uprights for the tying extra point. Kings Mountain didn’t trail again but Huss was still in the game until late in the third quarter when the Mountaineers broke away from a 22-14 halftime lead to put its fourth straight win in the bag and drop the Huskies to 1-3.
“Everybody was slow getting going,” noted KM offensive coordinator/line coach Kevin Cruise. “We didn’t play our best but we got a lot better in the second half.”
The Mountaineers took the lead for good after the second Huss possession. After Ellis’s kickoff was returned to the Huskies’43 the Huskies were penalized 25 yards for holding and a late hit on the same play. Facing third and six from the Huss 18, KM’s Jason Melton sacked Huss QB Javorion Brown to force a punt which gave KM the ball at the Huss 45. A 28-yard Lamont Littlejohn to Jake Lloyd pass gave the Mountaineers a first down at the Huss 17 and Caleb Holland covered the distance on just two carries to put the Mountaineers up 13-7.
The Mountaineers covered 65 yards in less than two minutes to take a 19-7 lead on consecutive catch and run pass plays from Littlejohn to Xzorion Lenair for 37 yards and 25 yards and the TD to Teddy Jeffries.   The Huskies dialed long distance again, though, as Headley got loose for a 75-yard TD to make it 19-14.
Kings Mountain moved the ball steadily down field behind the running of Holland and Jeffries and a big sweep of left end by Zay Smith to the Huss nine. Ellis came on to kick a 28-yard field goal to put the Mountaineers up 22-14 at intermission.
The defense came up big with a blocked punt at the 6:58 mark of the third quarter that set up the Mountaineers at the Huss 13. Holland had runs of six and 12 yards sandwiched around a five-yard illegal procedure call and Ellis again was true on the PAT for a 29-14 lead.
With Huss attempting to go for it on a fourth and 10 from their own 45 to get back in the game, KM’s Curtis Simpson and Eli Lipscomb sacked Headley. Littlejohn’s scrambling pass of 12 yards to Jake Lloyd and Zay Smith’s first down run of 10 yards for a first down at the Huss 12 set up a Jeffries’ two-yard TD run and a two-point conversion pass from Bryson Brown to Simpson for a 37-14 lead with 10:18 left.
With Huss facing third and 23 from its own 15, Simpson and Eli Lipscomb combined for a sack and the Huskies had to punt. Xzorion Lenair returned it from the 50 to the Huss 11. Smith got off a 10-yard run for a first and goal at the one. Huss was able to come up with two tackles for minus four yards before Robert Kendrick scored from five yards out and Ellis kicked the PAT to round out the scoring.
“It was good to get off to a 1-0 start in the conference,” said Mountaineer head coach Greg Lloyd. “Huss came to play. They were improved and we were impressed. They played really hard and they have good team speed.”

Kings Mountain Middle School’s football team opened conference play Wednesday at John Gamble Stadium with a 42-0 win over West Lincoln. The win gave the Patriots a 1-1 overall mark heading into a game yesterday at North Lincoln.
Christian Jarrett returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Dakota Smith added a two-point conversion to get the rout underway.
Nazir Davis had three TD receptions as well as a two-point conversion run.
Devin Hopper had a pair of TD caches and Xavier Hutchens added another receiving score.
Camren Houser also had a rushing touchdown.
Defensive standouts included Malachi Powell with a forced fumble that was recovered by Graylon Koontz; and Brandon Ayers and Jarrett Linder each had a sack.

Kings Mountain High junior outside hitter Meile Songaila was named North Carolina’s Outstanding Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of August 22-28 by MaxPreps.
MaxPreps is an American website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports. This siite is owned by Paramount Global and is a division of CBS Sports. Founded on August 1, 2002, the company has covered up to 29 sports including boys, girls and co-ed sports. MaxPreps is currently headquartered in El Dorado Hills, California.
Songaila’s statistics for the week were 79 kills, 5.27 kills per game, 55 digs. 3.67 digs per game, 68 receptions, 4.53 receptions per game, five assists, three aces and five blocks.
Kings Mountain High volleyball is undefeated in the Big South Conference.