Lions score 15 unanswered to down Wingate in season opener
The Mars Hill football team (1-0) defeated Wingate (1-1) by a score of 15-10 in their 2023 season opener inside the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium.
MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill football team (1-0) defeated Wingate (1-1) by a score of 15-10 in their 2023 season opener inside the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium.
With weather delays totalling over two hours, Mars Hill rallied in the second half of play to complete the comeback. Lon Teachey's 41-yard field goal 4:23 into the second half broke the Wingate shutout bid and was the lone score of the third quarter.
Just under four minutes into the fourth, JR Martin connected with Beau DeBerry for a 10-yard touchdown pass, but a failed extra point kept the Lions down by one with 11:09 left to play.
With under six minutes to play, a Bulldogs' fumble was picked up by Tristan Rankin and returned 55 yards for the go-ahead and eventual game-winning score.
After a scoreless first quarter, Wingate put up 10 points in the second with a three-yard Noah Bell run opened the scoring with 6:17 remaining in the half. Caleb Bonesteel's 20-yard field goal at the end of the quarter sent the Bulldogs into the half shutting out the Lions.
The Lions put up 295 yards of total offense with 153 coming on the ground. Martin threw for 142 yards with one touchdown. Jon Gullette rushed for 107 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Malik Laurent led the receiving core with four receptions for 48 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Landon Honeycutt led all players with nine tackles followed by seven from Rankin. Damipi Lamboni recorded one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, and forced the fumble that led to the game-winning score.
Mars Hill returns to the field on Saturday, September 16 when they face Catawba on the road. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in the Lions' South Atlantic Conference opener.
