FOOTBALL: COULDN'T STAND THE WEATHER

NATURE, L-R BEARS WORK AGAINST MOUNTAIN LIONS IN SEASON OPENER

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On Saturday, the first day of its 2011 season, the Concord Football team had to deal with two different downpours.

The first was the strong, persistent late-summer squall whose lightning delayed the start of CU's non-conference matchup against Lenoir-Rhyne by two hours, to 9:00 pm.

The second was a strong, persistent running game that lifted the Bears over the Mountain Lions, 26-6, in front of 2000 patient but rain-soaked fans at Callaghan Stadium.

Lenoir-Rhyne ran 88 offensive plays to Concord's 49 and enjoyed an impressive advantage in time of possession (41:48 to 18:12). The Bears rushed 71 times for 297 yards and outgained Concord in total offense 415 to 154.

The loss spoiled the debut of Concord head coach Garin Justice, who took over the Mountain Lion program last January.

Lenoir-Rhyne threatened on its first possession, but Colin Corpe missed a 41-yard field goal. On their next drive, however, the Bears took the lead on Major Herron's 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jared Thompson with 2:24 left in the 1st quarter.

Concord's defense changed the game's momentum by forcing and recovering L-R fumble, setting the stage for a seven-play, 58 yard drive that ended with Brian Kennedy's five-yard touchdown run with 10:20 to go in the 2nd quarter.

But John Scritchfield's PAT was blocked, and Jamont Jones returned it 94 yards for a two-point conversion that put L-R ahead 9-6.

The Mountain Lions forced another L-R fumble at the CU 8-yard line late in the half, but Concord went three-and-out and had to punt. Given a last chance before halftime, the Bears produced an efficient seven-play, 48-yard drive that culminated in Herron's 21-yard TD pass to Corron Boston with just :27 left. Lenoir-Rhyne took a 16-6 lead into halftime.

In the 2nd half, the Bears ran 44 offensive plays to Concord's 29. L-R pushed its lead to 23-6 on Herron's two-yard touchdown run with 1:49 left in the 3rd quarter, and Corpe closed the scoring with a 22-yard field goal with 6:08 remaining in the game.

Herron, a senior quarterback, ran the Bears' Veer Option offense impeccably. He rushed 21 times for 69 yards and a touchdown, and completed eight of 17 passes for 118 yards and two more TDs.
Isaiah Whitaker was L-R's top rusher, with 104 yards on 21 carries. Boston (9-63) and Byron Darby (14-52) provided more balance to the Bears' rushing attack.

Concord QB Zack Grossi, under persistent pressure from L-R's pass rush, went 16-33 for 142 yards and an interception. The Bears' defense also kept in check senior RB Brian Kennedy, who scored CU's lone TD but could manage just 78 total yards on 17 touches (12 rushes, five receptions).

Up next for Concord is a visit to Elon University – a member of the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision – on Saturday, September 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm at Rhodes Stadium in Elon, NC.

The CU-Elon game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 102.3 The Ticket (WMTD, Hinton/Princeton/Beckley), starting with the “Mountain Lions Preview Show” at 6:30. A link to The Ticket's audio webcast can be found on the Football homepage at www.cumountainlions.com.

_{(photos by Jennifer Logan)}

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