Pitt's pick preserves Aycock's first victory of 2007

By Rob Craig
Published in Sports on September 23, 2007 2:22 AM

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PIKEVILLE -- Tyheim Pitt held his helmet high in the air while head coach Randy Pinkowski exhaled.

Charles B. Aycock finally had its first victory.

Pitt's interception of Devontae Bizell's pass with under a minute to play sealed the Golden Falcons' 13-6 victory over North Lenoir at Hardy Talton Stadium Friday night.

"When the kids lose I hurt," said Pinkowski. "I want them to be successful. When Tyheim caught that interception I knew they were going to be successful for the first time this year."

The outcome was still in doubt in the fourth quarter as the two teams were locked in a defensive struggle. Both teams had traded second-quarter scores as Aycock held a slim 7-6 lead.

The Golden Falcons' defense forced a Hawks punt and the offense was rewarded with great field position at its own 49-yard line.

"The defense did a super job and enabled us to win the battle of field position," said Pinkowski. "If we win the battle of field position, sooner or later we'll get close enough to rumble and stumble our way in for a score."

The Golden Falcons did more rumbling than stumbling on a 12-play drive that included a 14-yard run by Pitt, an 11-yard run by quarterback Ian Calder and a 9-yard scamper by Devin Sanders. With the ball on the North Lenoir 14-yard line, Pinkowski stayed with his bread and butter.

"North Lenoir was adamant about taking away our option," said Pinkowski. "We play with what you give us. So, you take away our option and that means there is something else you're giving us."

What Aycock got was holes up the middle that allowed Calder to rush two more times for 10 yards, bringing up third-and-1 from the Hawk 2-yard line. After Blake Cooper was stopped for no gain, the Golden Falcons got a huge yard on a quarterback sneak by Calder on fourth and inches.

Zach Poole then ran in for the score to give the Golden Falcons a 13-6 advantage. The extra point was blocked by Terrance Harris to keep the seven-point margin.

North Lenoir began its subsequent drive from its 30-yard line looking for the tying score. Following a short pass and two short runs, the Hawks looked at a fourth-and-four situation.

Bizell calmly completed a screen pass to Nick Williams who sprinted 15 yards for the first down.

"If we don't get it, it's over," said North Lenoir coach Wayne Jackson. "He had to do it."

Bizell followed the big conversion with a 19-yard pass over the middle to Terrance Harris. With the ball at the Aycock 32-yard line and just 58 seconds to play, the Hawks stayed with their passing game.

From his linebacker position, Pitt dropped back into coverage on the next play. Bizell got pressure from Aycock's defensive line and threw right to Pitt for the interception.

Aycock had its first win of 2007.

"I didn't know if it was over or not," said Pitt. "Something else could've happened, but we were able to get the win. It feels great."

Pitt also provided some extra energy to Aycock's running attack as he carried nine times for 44 yards. His 7-yard burst up the middle in the second quarter gave the Golden Falcons the 7-6 advantage.

"Tyheim was a good spark with the running game," said Pinkowski. "He's this big, pounding, slashing back that you use when they're crowding the line of scrimmage."

Calder also stepped up his game with one of his best performances since replacing the injured Stephen Strouse. The senior rushed for 97 yards on 22 carries.

"Every week he gains confidence," said Pinkowski. "We didn't do a lot in the passing game, we just tried to hone in on what he does well."

The Golden Falcons snapped a six-game skid, including last year's second-round playoff loss. The Hawks exited 0-5 heading into next week's final non-conference game against Eastern Wayne.

"Defense and kicking game gave us a chance," said Jackson. "Offensively, we just struggled all night and we just couldn't get it done."

North Lenoir 0 6 0 0 -- 6

C.B. Aycock 0 7 0 6 -- 13

Second quarter

NL -- Bizell 8 run (kick blocked), 7:25

CBA -- Pitt 7 run (Roosen kick), 4:07

Fourth quarter

CBA -- Poole 1 run (kick blocked), 3:42

NL CBA

First downs 9 12

Rushes-yds 36-106 44-138

Passing yds 68 24

Total yards 174 162

C-A-I 4-7-1 2-7-0

Fumbles-lost 2-1 3-1

Penalties-yds 9-80 3-15

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- North Lenoir -- Nick Williams 17-64; Devontae Bizell 5-15, TD; Joe Newborn 10-22; Donald Art 4-5. C.B. Aycock -- Ian Calder 22-97; Tyheim Pitt 9-44, TD; Blake Cooper 2-1; Devin Sanders 2-10; Jarrett Covan 1-0; Zach Poole 5-(-9), TD; Kelton Lewis 1-(-2); Jacob Pendleton 2-(-3).

PASSING -- North Lenoir -- Devontae Bizell 4-7-1 68. C.B. Aycock -- Ian Calder 2-7-0 24.

RECEIVING -- North Lenoir -- Nick Williams 2-47; Terrance Harris 1-19; Donald Art 1-2. C.B. Aycock -- Jacob Pendleton 2-24.