By Craig Brown

The Northwood Academy Chargers of Moncks Corner outlasted the Dillon Christian School Warriors in a hard hitting battle at Warrior stadium Friday night with the Chargers getting the 20-14 win.

Northwood Academy is sponsored by a mega-church similar to Florence Christian School that Warrior assistant coach Joey Boykin informs me was established by his ancestors. Northwood is a division 2A school with several talented athletes with some college prospects. The Warriors were outnumbered in players and gave way to size again but for most of the game the Warriors out played the Chargers.

Warrior defensive coach Phillip Price gets the most from his defense which has to play both sides of the ball, but all too often it finds itself starting defense on the wrong side of the fifty yard line. Price has done much to improve the struggling defense and they are now holding their own against larger division 2A teams.

Neither side could find the end zone in the first quarter and only 3:03 remained in the second quarter when Kelvin Stackhouse crossed the goal line from eight yards out. Jim Carr kicked the extra point to put the Warriors up 7-0. The Chargers stormed back on their next possession with two break away runs with Charger quarterback Darrett Drayton hitting his wide receiver Douglas Dwight with a 7-yard touchdown pass to end the drive with 47 seconds left in the second quarter. The Chargers faked the kick and Noah Hammond ran in the two-point conversion to give the chargers an 8-7 half time lead.

Drayton was an offensive power for the Chargers and got the Charger’s second touchdown on a 12-yard quarterback keeper run with 5:20 left in the third quarter. The fake conversion failed, leaving the Chargers up 14-7.

On the Warriors’ next possession, Kelvin Stackhouse finished the drive by breaking several tackles as he crossed the goal from three yards out. Carr’s extra point kick tied the score at 14-14 with 2:45 left in the third quarter.

Drayton just would not go away and on the first play from scrimmage he raced through the tired Warrior defenders on his way to a 78-yard touchdown run. Luke Price intercepted Drayton’s conversion pass, leaving the Chargers out front 20-14 with 2:23 left in the third.

There would be no scoring in the fourth quarter but the Warrior defense would stop the Chargers in the red zone and prevent a field goal. The Warriors were also stopped first and goal during the fourth quarter. Stackhouse came out of the game on three critical drives. It was not known what his condition was.

Some fans have questioned if the Warriors are using Stackhouse to the excess but in this case he is the Warriors’ top offensive weapon and most colleges are looking for durable running backs. They want backs that can carry 35 to 40 times and not run out of steam when they get to the goal line. Stackhouse seems to fit the mold of a great back if people will let the proper coaches guide him.

The 20-14 loss was disappointing but it shows the continuing improvement in the team. On offense for the Warriors, Kelvin Stackhouse had 198 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns; Jim Carr was 5-of-11 passing for 60 yards and kicked two extra points; Anthony “Red” Williams had 39 yards on nine carries; Ellison Rourke caught three passes for 47 yards; Luke Price caught a pass for 11 yards; and Mark Minges caught a pass for plus yardage.

On defense, Luke Price had 10 tackles, three assists with an interception; Mathew Price had eight tackles, five assists with a quarterback sack assist; Ben Boykin had eight tackles, four assists with a quarterback sack assist; Jake Boykin had six tackles, three assists; Hunter Tyner and David Williams had four tackles with five assists each with Tyner adding a fumble recovery; Anthony “Red” Williams had four tackles, two assists; Samuel Brown and Ellison Rourke had three tackles, two assists each; Mark Minges had two tackles, two assists; Michael Minges added a tackle with seven assists; and Heath Frietas added a tackle with three assists.

The Warriors will be observing homecoming this Friday, October 18, as they host Village Christian School with game time set for 7:30 p.m.

Photos by Craig Brown. Click the images below to view at full size!