Staff report

SPENCER — North Rowan’s football team took the lead twice in the fourth quarter, but East Wilkes scored last and beat the Cavaliers 33-30 on Friday at Eagle Stadium.

“We struggled defensively all season,” North head coach Josh Sophia said. “That Lexington game late in the regular season and this one are games that I felt like we should have won. We let them slip away from us.”

The seventh-seeded Cavaliers finished 7-5 with the second-round setback in the 1A playoffs. Seeded 10th, East Wilkes (10-2) will play at Mountain Heritage next.

North Rowan opened the scoring with a 28-yard TD pass from Jeremiah Alford to Emari Russell, but the Cardinals answered.

The visitors also answered North’s second touchdown, a Mike Alford run, but North went to the half leading 14-13 because Salim Shamman had made both of his PAT attempts.

A fumble on the East Wilkes 10 cost the Cavaliers on scoring opportunity.

East Wilkes had the only score of the third quarter and went in front 19-14, setting the stage for a frantic fourth quarter.

North reclaimed the lead on a Jeremiah Alford-to-A’son Best jet sweep. Alford threw to Russell to add a 2-point conversion, and North’s lead was 22-19.

East Wilkes responded with a big-play touchdown through the air and added a 2-point conversion for a 27-22 lead with 10:50 left in the game.

North drove for another lead-changing score. Alford got the touchdown from the 1-yard line with 5:52 left to play. Alford threw to Russell for another deuce, and the Cavaliers led 30-27.

A stop meant victory for North at that point, but East Wilkes drove to score again, punching into the end zone on a fourth-and-goal play with 1:56 remaining. East Wilkes failed on the PAT, but it led 33-30.

North still had time to retaliate, but East Wilkes picked off a pass on North’s second play following the kickoff.

“I was confident we were going to score,” Sophia said.

But it’s over for the Cavaliers. Alford concluded a legendary career as a four-year quarterback. He was 9-for-13 passing for 108 yards and ran 19 times for 116 yards.

Russell had eight catches for 86 yards.

Jeremiah Alford also led North’s defense as an inside linebacker. He was credited with 12 tackles.