ANDERSON—Anderson nearly squandered a 17-point lead but held on late in the fourth quarter to defeat Mars Hill 17-14 Saturday afternoon at Melvin & Dollie Younts Stadium. The victory was its first against Mars Hill in the team’s short three-year history.
Carter Wit blocked a potential game-tying 22-yard Mars Hill field-goal attempt as time expired, and Eavenson recovered at the AU 30 to seal a 17-14 victory. Wit’s game-sealing field-goal block was the fifth blocked kick of the season for the Trojans.
Head coach Bobby Lam credited Mars Hill as well as AU’s calm with the game on the line.
“First of all, let me give kudos to Mars Hill,” Lamb said. “They are a gritty bunch. They’re very, very difficult to prepare for. I thought our kids just stayed the course. We hung in there, and that’s what you gotta do to come up with a big win because obviously this game is about momentum, ebbs and flows.”
Freshman running back Darron Parry rushed for 59 yards on 11 attempts, both season highs. Quarterback Edward Wilson completed 13 of 25 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore defensive back Zach Rogers forced a fumble and broke up two passes. Anderson (5-5, 4-4) will play at Newberry in the final regular-season contest on Saturday.
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No. 13 Valdosta St. 49, North Greenville 33
VALDOSTA—The Trailblazers’ three-game win streak was snapped in a double-digit loss at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on Saturday. North Greenville has lost all eight contests it’s played against the Blazers since the series’ inception in 2018.
Star quarterback Kam Montgomery totaled nearly 500 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. He completed 23 of 33 passes for 300 yards and rushed for another 188 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries. No other Trailblazer had more than seven rushing attempts.
North Greenville’s defense totaled two tackles for loss and an interception while it failed to record a sack.
North Greenville (8-2, 5-1) will host UNC Pembroke on Saturday in the Conference Carolinas Bowl. The Trailblazers bested the Braves 42-41 in early October.
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UT Martin 20, Charleston Southern 10
CHARLESTON—The Quarterback duo of Jared Echols and Caden Clay was unable to lead the Bucs to victory over UT Martin on Saturday at Buccaneer Field. Echols and Clay combined to complete just 12 of 36 pass attempts for 176 yards. The Bucs averaged just 2.5 rushing yards on 23 carries.
Sophomore linebacker Tristan Lennon forced a fumble to record the only CSU turnover. Charleston Southern (4-6, 1-4) will host Southeast Missouri St. on Saturday in the final home game of the regular season.