Football Beats Newberry on the Road, 17-14

NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Lions' football team defeated SAC foe Newberry 17-14 on the road Saturday afternoon at Setzler Field in front of 2,880 fans during the Wolves annual Homecoming contest. Mars Hill improved to 2-4 overall and an even 1-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. The Wolves fell to 3-3 on the season, 1-2 in the league.

Pouring rain hampered both teams offensively. Foluke Gordon-Lamar led MHU with 82 yards on 20 carries. Shaikel Davis rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns while Matt Layman completed 8-15 passes for 73 yards in the air. Keshaun Taylor and Gilbert Johnson caught three passes a piece in the win. Trey Clark finished with a game high 14 tackles, 12 of those were solo stops. He added a fumble recovery.  Carl Mattox followed with seven tackles while Johnny Maxey and Colby Price recorded six tackles and a tackle-for-loss each.

Romelo Doctor led the Wolves with 150 yards on the ground while Kevin Miller rushed for 57 yards and accounted for both of Newberry's scores. Nate Sichali led Newberry's defense with 12 tackles (8 solo) and a fumble recovery. Alstevis Squirewell followed with nine tackles, three for loss.

Neither team accumulated more than 300 yards of total offense due to the heavy rain. MHU had 88 yards passing while the Wolves tallied 36 yards in the air. Newberry out rushed the Lions 263 to 202 yards in the contest, respectively. MHU had three turnovers while Newberry recorded two miscues in the game.

Miller ran in from six yards out with 4:01 left in the opening quarter to give the Wolves a 7-0 advantage after a successful PAT kick by Ryan Janssen. It was a 9-play, 71-yard drive.

Davis tied the contest at 7-all with 4:22 left in the second quarter when he scampered in from 12 yards out. Dylan Barnas' kick found the mark to give the Lions the PAT.

Miller eluded the Lions' defenders on a 25-yard run to give Newberry a 14-7 lead with 1:47 left in the half. On the Lions' ensuing possession, Mars Hill put a 6-play, 45-yard drive together to send the teams into the locker room at the intermission with the contest knotted at 14-14.

Barnas would later record what would later prove to be the game winning points when he split the uprights on a 28-yard field goal attempt with 8:41 left in the third quarter. The Lions' defense held strong for the remaining 23 minutes of play to leave Newberry with a 17-14 victory.

Mars Hill will play at SAC rival Catawba on Saturday, September 17. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.