Amid an NC high school football rushing record at Cardinal Gibbons, sportsmanship shines

Alex Bass
·3 min read

Good sportsmanship is the prevailing, supporting takeaway from Donovan Shepard’s N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) record-setting rushing performance in Cardinal Gibbons’ 56-14 win at Athens Drive last Friday.

A closer look at Shepard’s single game record 539 yards — good for six touchdowns on just 19 carries — reveals important lessons.

The Crusaders were playing to move one step closer to a fifth consecutive Cap Six 4A Conference championship. To do so, Cardinal Gibbons coach Steven Wright and offensive coordinator Bill Liedy did what any coaches would do: They trusted Shepard, the senior tailback who racked up 186 yards and two touchdowns at Richmond on September 3, and 197 yards and two touchdowns against Wake Forest on September 10.

The Crusaders won those games, and needed another win Friday night. As former NFL coach Herm Edwards once said, “You play to win the game.” Cardinal Gibbons did that.

The game was tied at 14 after the first quarter. The Crusaders led 35-14 at halftime.

The NCHSAA Handbook includes the following rule for implementing a running clock: “Once the score reaches a 42-point differential, or more, at halftime or any point thereafter, the game will resort to a running clock or will be terminated by mutual agreement.”

Cardinal Gibbons built and held a 56-14 lead — 42 points — by the end of the third quarter. Shepard did not play a single fourth-quarter down; neither Shepard nor the Crusaders needed him to do so.

Cardinal Gibbons (7-2, 4-0) entered Friday’s fourth quarter with Shepard’s milestone set as part of an effort to close out a win to set up this week’s team milestone opportunity.

Student-athletes achieving individual success to directly contribute to the greater team goals is the essence of education-based athletics. Shepard, Wright, and Liedy provided this needed reminder for all.

Mustangs corral Southwest Wake

Middle Creek, led by first-year coach Andrae Jacobs, has clinched the Southwest Wake 4A Conference championship. The Mustangs, who won 48-13 at Apex Friendship last Friday, will host Cary in next Friday’s regular-season finale.

Middle Creek (7-2, 6-0) has defeated second place co-holders Holly Springs and Panther Creek. The Golden Hawks will visit the Catamounts next Friday.

Split conference strains

Southern Durham can clinch the Northern Lakes Athletic 2A/3A Conference’s top 3A playoffs berth with a win at Carrboro on Friday. The Spartans’ existence in playoff limbo until the regular season’s final week underscores the unpredictability of split conference scheduling. Some conference outcomes will be finalized four weeks apart.

Richmond County clinched the Sandhills 3A/4A Conference’s top 4A spot on October 1. The Raiders defeated 4A league rival Pinecrest on September 24, one week before topping Hoke — Richmond’s other 4A league rival. Southern Durham (5-4, 4-0), one of its conference’s three football-playing 3A schools, beat 3A Vance County, 48-0, last Friday.

Rolesville will be watching

Expect Rolesville fans attending next Friday’s home game against Heritage to have one eye on the field and one eye on their phones. This Northern Athletic 4A Conference game — including last spring’s 4AA state runner-up Rams — will be competitive, like the nearby Wake Forest at Millbrook game.

Rolesville fans need the Rams to win, and Wake Forest to beat Millbrook. These outcomes would force a three-way tie for the conference’s second automatic state playoffs berth. Thereafter would come the real “fun” of determining which school receives that second position.

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