The NC Warrior varsity football team (5-1,1-0) battled the Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs (0-6, 0-1) in the annual Civil War Classic on Friday, October 11 at Cobb EMC Mustang stadium.  Prior to play, fans received a welcoming performance from the award-winning KMHS marching band, followed by a smoke show that delayed the original kickoff time. Q99.7, an Atlanta based radio station, hyped both student sections up pregame, including a radio interview with senior paint squad members, seniors Andrew Martinez and Hutton Markwalter.  Complete with impressive performances from the Warrior offense and defense, the Civil War classic trophy fell in the Warriors possession, with the scoreboard reading 40-0 when the final buzzer sounded, giving the Warriors their first region win of the season. 

“We made some mistakes, and [Kennesaw Mountain] plays hard. Hats off to Coach [Caleb] Carmean. He’s trying to build a program over here (Kennesaw Mountain) and he’s doing a great job. You know, it was a physical football game. I don’t think the score indicated how hard [Kennesaw Mountain] played,”  NC Head Coach Shane Queen said. 

Aiding in the blowout, the NC offense started strong, scoring on their first possession in a quick manner. After NC won the coin toss and chose to receive, the NC offensive unit, led by junior quarterback Trevor Lovett, raced down the field, scoring on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Lovett to senior wide receiver Langdon Parker, posting a 6-0 score with 8:50 remaining in the first quarter. After a four and out series, in which the Mustangs did not get a first down in the first three plays, led to them later punting due to the mishap; a 25-yard pass from Lovett to junior wide receiver Nasir Howell set up a 45-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Sam Mbake, pushing the score to 12-0. 

The Warrior offense and defense continued their forceful momentum and ultimately shut out the Mustangs. The NC defense, led by senior defensive end Grant Wooten, covered every attack the Mustang offense used, keeping them out of the endzone the entire game. Lovett finished the night with 228 yards on 10-13 passing and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). Junior running back Cam Cunningham accounted for a touchdown and an impressive 52-yard run. Parker also hauled in two receiving touchdowns, proving himself as a deep red zone threat. 

“I’m so proud of our team tonight. They bounced back from that East Coweta game a few weeks ago and showed their improvements. I can’t wait for next week,” sophomore homecoming nominee Lawrence Kimani said. 

The NC Warrior football team hopes to continue their winning streak and bring the Civil War Classic trophy back to Emory Sewell stadium. Through unusual pre-game conditions and an exciting array of high yardage plays, the NC Warriors capped off a great night with an even better win. Next week, the Warriors take on the North Paulding Wolfpack on September 18 at Emory Sewell Stadium, featuring the annual Homecoming court and celebrations.