Thursday's Paper

Thursday's paper will have plenty of basketball coverage, including Pfeiffer's struggles in a loss to Livingstone, plus a column from yours truly and more.

By the way, if you have any ideas for feature stories for the sports section, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. My email is charles@stanlynewspress.com, or you can call me at (704) 982-2121, ext. 12.

Albemarle wins second straight 1-AA title

The clock runs out and the Bulldogs have themselves their second straight 1-AA title and fifth title in 10 years with a 21-7 win over Pender.

Nat Dunlap was named the MVP of the game.

for full stats, photos, story, column and more, check Sunday's Stanly News and Press.

Videos as well will be next week.

Thanks for following my blog and I will be doing plenty more in the future and keep all of you gentle readers in touch with what goes on in Stanly County.

albemarle is running the clock out...i'm running to the post-game press conference. I will blog later...Albemarle up 21-7 with clock running, one minute left...more later...

1:47 yard drive, capped off with a beautiful dunlap pass to Dezi Dockery for the touchdown...21-7 Albemarle!!!!!

Bulldogs finally get a big run...Montego Baldwin, plus a personal foul facemask on Pender, puts the ball at the nine-yard line first and goal for Albemarle.

The defensive struggle continues

Albemarle has won the field-position battle in the second half, keeping the Patriots pinned deep. Another sack forced a punt and the Bulldogs will take over at the Pender 35 with 8:41 left.

albemarle three and out

Bulldogs go three and out, Dick's punt goes to the 5, returned to the 12. Pender first and 10 with 10:54 left in the fourth.

albemarle defense holds

The Bulldogs hold Pender again and take over after a short punt at the Patriot 38, :13 left third quarter

Pender starts another drive

nat dunlap has had three passes that would have been touchdowns dropped...this game would be a blowout if they had been caught...but in this weather, that football is like concrete to catch.

Corey Dick's punt rolls dead at the Pender 8 yard line with 2:39 left in the third.

Team yardage is dead even.

Albemarle with the ball again

albemarle has it back and is inside pender territory at the 48 facing third down and long

pender gets the turnover back

Pender recovers a fumble at their own 25 yard line, takes over first down.

oak tree gets a big stop

julius williams sacks pender QB on the alb 44 on 4th down, bulldogs take over first down

Halftime Stats

Halftime Score Albemarle 14 Pender 7

Rushing: Albemarle 14-37 yds. Pender 29-117
Passing: Albemarle 3-7 86 yds., 1 TD . Pender 1-1, 16 yds.,
Total offense: Albemarle 21-123 yds.; Pender 30-133,.

Pender fumbled the kickoff at around their 20 yard line and Albemarle almost had a chance late to put even more points on the board. The Patriots ran one play up the middle and lost yards, then took a knee.

The Patriots dominated the first half with that 9-minute drive of theirs, but the Bulldogs responded. Albemarle's oak tree defense will have to stand tall as Pender will get the football to start the second half.

oak tree stands tall

Three big stops by the Bulldogs on defense forced a fourth down and 19 from the Pender 17...Bulldogs get the football back

its tied!!

Albemarle's Nat Dunlap avoids big time pressure to find a wide-open Dillon Taylor behind the defense for a 40-yard touchdown pass. Corey Dick's extra point wasn't pretty but it counts and the games is tied 7-7 wiht 2:40 left in the second qtr.

Albemalre gets the ball back

Freddie Parker caused a fumble, recovered Julius williams at the alb 23...

bulldogs down to the pender 39, thanks to a personal foul and a dunlap scramble

Bulldogs into Pender territory

3rd down and 8 at the Pender 32...

nat dunlap hurried when he threw, pass off of corey dick's hands, intercepted by Javon powell, returned to the albemarle 40

end one qtr. 7-0 pender

start of second, albemarle stops pender on two runs, 3rd and 10 pender at the patriot 20

Pender up 7-0

Josh Johnson scores from 12 yards out, xp good, 7-0 pender, 2:37 left first.

First Qtr.

Albemarle three and out in their first possession...

Pender has driven from their 19 down to the Bulldog 16, forcing an Albemarle timeout. Pender converted a fourth and 15 with an acrobatic catch from Derek Holmes.

about to start

bulldogs and patriots take the field...national anthem coming...

Albemarle / Pender 1AA state tite blog is on the air

One of the rare moments this season where I am inside in the heat and the radio crew is outside in the cold (an open-air booth). Nice to see the local radio crew and the Albemarle film crew as I walked in today. Media members are slowly filing in to the stadium, along with the Bulldogs fans which are sitting on the North side of Kenan Stadium, meaning that they will be on the top part of the television screen for the taping.

To say that it's chilly tonight would be an understatement. It is always pretty cold for these state title games, but tonight's seems that much colder without a whole lot of wind blowing through here. The flags on the uprights are nearly perfectly still.

Here come some Albemarle players for warmups walking through the seats on the west side of the stadium. it's the backs and receivers, along with special teams and others marching down the far sideline of Kenan, now running and hearing some cheers from a few Albemarle fans that have gotten here very early. It's 59 minutes before kickoff, I'm going to the field to shoot some video...be back on here soon!

Braving the Cold Friday Night

Nobody ever said that being a football fan is easy.

The weather here in North Carolina can be viciously cruel to anyone engaged in outdoor activities, whether it's the bone-chilling cold of December or the unending heat of summer.

Friday night's weather forecast is calling for some chilly temps for the 1AA regional finals game between Albemarle and Mitchell. Game-time temps will likely be in the low to mid 40's, with 30's likely later in the game.

The Mountaineer fans will be on their fourth road trip in as many weeks, probably coming from even colder temps in the mountains to take on the Bulldogs.

The game will not be taped for Stanly County Monday Night Football, so the only way to see the game is to be there at the beautiful football stadium of the Bulldogs.

Although it will be warmer either in your homes or at a basketball game Friday night, the place to be in Stanly County Friday night will be that stadium. Media coverage of the game can only go so far as to give a fan that experience of knowing that they have witnessed history with their own eyes.

In the future, thousands of people will probably claim that they were at this game Friday night, but for those of you for which it is true, you will have my deepest respect.

It may not be 15 degrees like the time South was in Elkin, but anyone willing to spend their own hard-earned money to sit out in the freezing cold and enjoy the competition and beauty that is high-school football is OK with me.