Written by JEREMIAH ARTACHO
Friday, August 23rd was opening night for the East Chapel Hill High School and Cedar Ridge High School football teams. The two teams finished the 2023-2024 school year winless in football, but that changed after the fourth quarter ended for coach Larry Stroud and his Wildcats. The team in black and white won on the road against Cedar Ridge 32-12.
Junior wide receiver A’maree Evans led the field with two touchdowns. On the second drive of the first quarter, he caught the ball and ran it for his first touchdown of the season – thanks to an assist from senior quarterback Jackson Weinstein.
On the following drive, Evans scored again – this time with a 45-yard run to the house, outrunning every defender in his path.
After completing three drives, the Wildcats were up 13-0 as a blocked field goal attempt prevented 14 points from being put on the scoreboard.
Weinstein threw his first passing touchdown on the fourth drive, which was completed by junior wide receiver Noah Muhammad in the end zone. The ensuing field goal increased the Wildcats’ score to 20 points.
East Chapel Hill gave the Red Wolves problems on defense, forcing a fumble on their second drive of the first quarter. Junior Brian Tedder recovered the ball.
It wasn’t until the first drive of the second quarter that Cedar Ridge scored its first touchdown of the season – through its own fumble recovery on the 20-yard line. Senior running back Jordan Oliva ran the ball in from the 1-yard line and brought the scoreboard to 20-6 – a botched field goal attempt ended this scoring drive.
At the start of the second half, the Wildcats’ first drive ended with a quarterback run by Weinstein that scored a touchdown. On the next play, Coach Stroud tried to score two points, but the pass was deflected, leaving the series with a 26-6 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, it was two different Wildcats that put points on the board for Coach Stroud. Sophomore quarterback Jaden Nichols’ pass to junior wide receiver Elliot Forbes in the end zone increased the score to 32-6.
The Red Wolves got on the scoreboard for a second time when junior tight end Mason Hughes ran a massive 93-yard touchdown into the end zone on a pass thrown by junior quarterback Thomas McDermott. All of Cedar Ridge’s fans erupted in cheers after the game.
After the game, coach Stroud talked about his feelings after the win.
“It’s great,” Stroud said. “The kids worked hard, the coaches worked hard and we just put together everything we worked on in the spring and summer. The guys were just ready to play.”
When asked what it’s like to have a player like Evans, he praised the junior receiver.
“It’s great,” Stroud said. “He’s grown and developed in our program over the last few years and I can’t wait to see what he does as the season progresses.”
“My team, I can’t do it without them,” Evans said of his performance Friday. “Especially my QB – that’s the guy who gave me the ball – I don’t take any credit for it, it’s all thanks to my team.”
In addition, Evans was asked what he could improve and he gave a detailed answer.
“Everything,” he said. “I could improve my speed, my squatting – I’m not the best right now, that wasn’t a good game. I could have done a lot better.”
Weinstein talked about what it meant for East Chapel Hill High to earn its first win of the season, saying there is still room for improvement, but it is good to have a win under their belts already.
“I feel really good,” he said. “I think I have a bit of pressure because I had a tough season last year and it feels really good to start 1-0 and come out here with a good game.”
“I’m really happy for my team,” Weinstein added. “They all played great, not just me. It was a team effort, everyone played well.”
Next week, the East Chapel Hill Wildcats continue their road trip, taking on Montgomery Central High School at 7 p.m. on August 30. They look to improve their record to 2-0 before their first home game on September 6 against Carrboro High School.
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