Ground attack carries Pisgah to 41-19 win over Enka

Sep. 8—ENKA — Pisgah scored on three of its first four possessions of the second half, and a more aggressive Bears' defense slammed the door shut on Enka for the final 24 minutes in a convincing 41-19 victory over the Jets last Friday night.

Pisgah led 21-13 at halftime but extended its lead to 41-13 with just over eight minutes left in the game. Enka put together two impressive scoring drives on their first two touches in the first half, but the Jets didn't find the scoreboard again until there were just five minutes left in the game.

Running back Landon Pope was a one-man wrecking crew for Pisgah as the senior rushed 24 times for 224 yards and four touchdowns. Pope had touchdown runs of 2, 1, 34 and 43 yards. Pisgah senior Mason Putnam added 51 yards on the ground and had five catches for 57 more yards and a touchdown.

Bears' quarterback Matthew Mehaffey was 8-of-15 passing for 115 yards and one touchdown as Pisgah finished with 443 yards of offense.

The turning point in the game came early in the third quarter when the Bears forced Enka into a three-and-out to start the second half. It was the first time that Pisgah had any real defensive success against the Jets. Enka stayed close by scoring on its first two drives of the game, and the Jets were moving on their third possession of the game before time ran out in the first half.

Pisgah head coach Ricky Brindley credited the Bears' defensive coaching staff for making key adjustments at halftime. Part of that new plan was putting more pressure on Enka dual-threat quarterback Logan Trantham. Pisgah senior linebacker Hunter Nelson came up with two key quarterback sacks in the second half, including one for a 17-yard loss that forced Enka to punt from their own end zone.

"The defense was special in the second half," Brindley said. "The defensive coaches made some adjustments that shut them down. We were a little more aggressive. We didn't stop them in the first half. We did right before halftime, but that wasn't much of a stop based on the time."

Pisgah took advantage of the defense's stop to start the second half with a seven-play, 74-yard scoring drive for a 28-13 lead midway through the third quarter. Pope capped the drive with a stunning 34-yard scoring run, but it was a key third-down conversion that kept the drive alive.

Facing third-and-seven from their own 29, Mehaffey hit Putnam just short of the first down marker, but Putnam broke a tackle and raced 28 yards down to the Enka 43.

Brindley said the stop to start the second half and then responding with a touchdown turned the tide in the Bears' favor.

"That was the difference in the game," Brindley said. "We were able to capitalize when we went down and scored. When we went down and got a two-score lead, that was huge for our team."

The Pisgah kickoff team also got into the second half action as the Bears recovered a pair of fumbles after hard hits forced the football loose.

"Unbelievable plays, the kickoff team was really good," Brindley said. "Any time you can create turnovers like that, it is a huge difference in the game."

Brindley said the Pisgah offensive line was the key to the Bears' 328-yard rushing attack.

"The offensive line played a great game, and that is the best we have played on the offensive line this year," Brindley said. "We have a big bruising running back (Pope) and I need to give it to him 25 to 35 times every night because that kid can handle it."

Pope echoed Brindley's praise of the offensive line.

"We have been able to run the ball all year," Pope said. "I wouldn't be able to rush for the yards I do without my O-line. I love my O-line."

Pisgah put the game out of reach with a quick two-play, 46-yard scoring drive that came after the Bears' defense stopped Enka on fourth down, giving the Bears the ball near midfield. Pope capped the drive with a 43-yard touchdown run and Miguel Gamez added the PAT for a 34-13 lead with 25 seconds left in the third quarter.

Pisgah added a final score with just over eight minutes left in the game for a 41-13 lead. The 32-yard drive after a short Enka punt ended when Nelson went eight yards for the touchdown."

Pisgah scored on all three of its first-half possessions. The Bears opened the game with a 71-yard scoring drive that ended when Pope found the end zone from the two for a 7-0 lead.

Pope gave the Bears a 14-6 lead early in the second quarter with a 1-yard run that capped an 80-yard scoring drive. Pope also had a 39-yard run on the drive.

Enka again cut the Pisgah lead to a point at 14-13 when Trantham scored from the 3-yard line with 3:34 left in the first half.

But Pisgah again countered with another scoring drive for a 21-13 lead at halftime. Putnam keyed the drive with a 44-yard run before taking in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Mehaffey with just under a minute left in the first half.

Putnam broke several tackles on the run and was able to get out of bounds to stop the clock.

"When Putnam did that, it was off to the races," Brindley said of the run. "It was heads up by him to get out of bounds, and then we were able to complete the touchdown pass."

Pisgah (2-1) opens conference play Friday night when Smoky Mountain (2-1) visits Canton. Smoky Mountain defeated Gastonia Forestview 22-19 last Friday.