Football Wins SAC Opener
The Lions’ football team won their SAC opener by defeating Newberry 38-29 Saturday afternoon in the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium. Dimitri Holmes accounted for four scores in the win that included a 95-yard kickoff return.
MARS HILL, N.C. – The Lions' football team won their SAC opener by defeating Newberry 38-29 Saturday afternoon in the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium. Dimitri Holmes accounted for four scores in the win that included a 95-yard kickoff return. Mars Hill improved to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the league. The Wolves fell to 1-3 on the season and 0-2 in the conference.
Holmes caught two touchdown passes, returned a kickoff 95-yards for a score and threw a 67-yard touchdown strike to Keshaun Taylor. He recorded 43 receiving yards on five catches. Jamel Harbison, in his first game as a running back for the Lions, rushed for 153 yards on 36 carries. Chris Leamon and Carl Mattox led the Lions' defense with nine tackles apiece. Mattox added a sack. Jasper Mason had eight tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery with a 20-yard return. Chris Reader and Raheam Buxton tallied an interception each in the victory. Michael Ashley had a great day punting for MHU. He recorded a 42.6 yard average on five punts and placed one inside the 20-yardline.
Trent Miller hit Holmes for a 12-yard scoring pass with 8:02 left in the first quarter. The duo connected again on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 12:08 on the clock in the second frame to put the Lions ahead 14-0 after another successful PAT kick by Tyler Stewart. W.T. Murden dove in from a yard out to make the score 14-7 with 4:59 left in the half. On the ensuing kickoff, Holmes scampered 95 yards for his second kickoff return for a score this season to give MHU a 21-7 advantage going into the locker room at halftime.
Newberry came out in the third quarter and scored two unanswered touchdowns to tie the contest at 21-all. Romelo Doctor had a 34-yard run and Murden found Jalen Cook on a 29-yard touchdown pass. Holmes answered the call for the Lions by hitting Taylor on a 67-yard pass play to account for the game winning score with 3:39 left in the third stanza. A Stewart 20-yard field goal extended the Lions' advantage to 10-points (31-21) with 14:48 left in the fourth quarter and then Lyle Allen made a spectacular one-handed grab on a six-yard touchdown pass from Miller to put MHU ahead 38-21 with 10:05 remaining in regulation. Murden found Cole Watson for a six-yard scoring pass with 54 ticks left in the contest to make the final tally 38-29 in favor of the hosts.
Murden finished with 147 passing yards going 18-26 with two interceptions. Watson had three catches for 35 yards while Dontavia Reid led the Wolves defense with nine stops.
Mars Hill will play at Carson-Newman on Saturday, October 4. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
