PREP FOOTBALL: CBA wins 38th installment of Little River Rivalry

By Aviel Smolka
Published in Sports on August 19, 2018 3:05 AM

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By AVIEL SMOLKA

asmolka@newsargus.com

Charles B. Aycock's high-powered offense was held in check Friday night.

Until the start of the third quarter.

Fired up by the defense's 'pep talk' at halftime, Golden Falcons quarterback Clay Matthews connected with Alijuan Moore for a 21-yard touchdown pass.

Matthews, in his varsity debut, directed a back-breaking drive in the fourth quarter that eventually propelled Aycock to a 12-0 victory over Rosewood at Branch Pope Field.

The Golden Falcons won their  13th straight in the Little River Rivalry and shut out an opponent for the first time since 2012.

Leading 6-0 late in the third, Matthews faced a second-and-15 on Aycock's 2-yard line. The sophomore threw a deep ball to Jaylan Robinson, who turned it into a 41-yard reception.

Tae Jackson broke loose with a 24-yard run.

Matthews and Robinson teamed up again, this time with Robinson pulling down a 26-yard touchdown pass. CBA misfired on its second two-point conversion attempt, leaving the score at 12-0.

Robinson finished the night with 90 yards on seven receptions.

"The second touchdown drive gave our kids some belief and momentum and that's a tough thing to beat," CBA head coach Steve Brooks said.

"I'm very proud tonight. This was the best Rosewood team I've seen in five years. We were fortunate to come out of here with a win."

Drive-killing penalties and a pair of interceptions plagued Rosewood.

Running back Michael Reid ran for 113 yards on 23 carries. In total, the senior accounted for all but 82 yards of Rosewood's offensive production.

"We're upset we didn't win the ball game. Our kids came in tonight really confident we could win," Rosewood head coach Robert Britt said. "They're [Aycock] as good as any team we're going to play all year."

Aycock (1-0 overall) plays host to Greene Central next week. Rosewood (0-1) will seek its first win of the season at North Johnston.