Men’s Soccer playoffs
North Moore got goals from Ricky and Christian Betancourt to defeat East Wake Academy in Zebulon, 2-0. The win earned the third-seeded Mustangs a berth in the NCHSAA 1A soccer playoffs final four, where they played the top seed, Hobbton, Tuesday night after press time.
The game was marred by a fracas with just over 11 minutes to go. North Moore’s leading scorer, Ricky Betancourt was fouled on a play that occurred right in front of the Mustang bench. Several members of the team felt it was an overly violent foul, and a shoving match ensued. North Moore’s coach and one player were ejected, as was one East Wake player. The Mustangs were already playing a man down after a red card earlier in the game.
A report and video of the fracas were sent to the NCHSAA for review to see if additional penalties were warranted.
Football Playoffs: North Moore wins
North Moore moved on to the third round of the 1A playoffs with a 58-20 win over Bertie on Friday. The 6-seed Mustangs move on to face 3-seed Wilson Prep, in the round of 16 on Friday.
North Moore had three players top 100 rushing yards. Jakarey Gillis had 19 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Nathan Rogers had 11 rushes for 100 yards and two scores. Kolby Ritchie had 10 carries for 101 yards. Colby Pennington didn’t reach the century mark, rushing for just 57 yards, but he scored touchdowns on two of his seven carries. Pennington also caught a 26-yard touchdown pass—the only pass completed by North Moore in the game—and returned a fumble 80 yards for a score.
Football Playoffs: Pinecrest falls
The Pinecrest Patriots saw an end to their undefeated run, getting eliminated in the second round of the 4A playoffs. The 4-seed Patriots fell to 13-seed Clayton, 17-10 on Friday.
After falling behind 14-0 on two touchdown runs by Clayton quarterback Johnathan Montague, Pinecrest battled back and had the ball at the one-yard line with seven seconds left. Jaylin Morgan took the ball on a direct snap as a quarterback in the Wildcat formation, but he was unable to cross the goal line as time expired.
Pinecrest scored its lone touchdown on a 38-yard run by quarterback Mason Konen.
