From staff reports

LEXINGTON — No turnovers and no punts.

Central Davidson rushed for 533 yards and beat South Rowan 56-27 on Friday in a Central Carolina Conference football game.

The Spartans (4-2, 3-2) didn’t attempt a pass and didn’t have to. The only offensive possession on which the Spartans failed to score was when they got the ball with 4.5 seconds left in the first half —  and they nearly scored on that one.

Still, it was a much more competitive game than the final score sounds.

South (2-4, 2-3) scored in the final seconds of the first half to get within 28-21.

South got the ball first in the second half and with the aid of penalties moved inside the Central 10 before bogging down. South QB Nathan Chrismon was sacked on third-and-long, and a field goal attempt failed.

When Jackson Deal broke a 61-yard scoring run with 11:06 left in the game, the Raiders trailed 34-27, and then South executed on an onside kick and made the recovery at the Central 49.

With 8:23 left to play, South was stopped on downs at the Central 34. That’s where South ran out of gas.

Central then scored three TDs in the final eight minutes to pull away, including one with 36 seconds left.

Chrismon threw for 102 yards and two TDs in the first half, but South had some drops in the second half and the passing game was 0-for-12 after the break.

Central led 12-0 after the first quarter, putting together two scoring drives around a South three-and-out.

In a wild second quarter, South sandwiched two scoring drives around a Central kickoff return TD.

Then both teams scored in the final 32 seconds of the first half.

Deal’s long run, his third touchdown of the night, provided more than half of South’s second-half offense. Chrismon netted 50 rushing yards on 10 carries.

South will finish the season against Salisbury. Central is still mathematically alive for a playoff berth and finishes the regular season against West Davidson.