Friday Night Lights Recap: Lions Roar, Vikings Dominate, Patriots Hold On, and Mustangs Fall in Last Seconds

Week 7 brought no shortage of excitement for Moore County teams, as Friday night lights shone bright for key conference matchups and rivalries. Here’s a breakdown of Friday’s games:

Lions Dominate Grunts in Rivalry

In an early 4 p.m. kickoff between cross-county rivals, the Sandhills Classical Christian Lions made a statement with a dominant 40-0 shutout over the Father Capodanno Grunts in 8-man football.

The Lions (6-1, 6-0 conf.) came into the matchup riding a fiery streak, and they wasted no time, jumping out to a 32-0 lead by halftime. They added another touchdown and two-point conversion in the second half to seal the win.

The Grunts (4-3, 3-3 conf.) entered on a three-game win streak and in the midst of one of their best seasons in program history, but couldn’t get anything going. They’ll look to bounce back next week at home against Liberty Christian (3-2), with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. Sandhills will travel to winless Berean Baptist (0-5) next Friday.

Vikings Roll Past Harnett Central to Remain Perfect in Conference Play

At Union Pines, the Vikings (5-1, 3-0 conf.) continued their strong season with a convincing 28-12 win over Harnett Central.

The Vikings jumped out to a 14-0 lead early, setting the tone for the night. The Trojans responded with a touchdown in the first quarter, but the Vikings stayed in control, scoring again in both the third and fourth quarters. A score by Harnett Central in the fourth wasn’t enough, as Union Pines held strong to stay atop the conference standings.

Union Pines travels to Southern Lee (0-5) next week, looking to maintain sole possession of first place.

Patriots Survive Late Push from Jack Britt in Conference Opener

Pinecrest opened conference play on the road with a hard-fought 29-21 win over Jack Britt in a game that stayed tight until the end.

The Patriots (5-1, 1-0 conf.) held a 29-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but the Buccaneers mounted a comeback, scoring and converting a two-point attempt to make it a one-possession game. Pinecrest recovered the onside kick and secured the win.

The Patriots return home next Friday to host Overhills (3-3).

Heartbreak for Mustangs on Homecoming

In a game filled with emotion and drama, North Moore fell heartbreakingly to Jordan-Matthews, 12-7, during their homecoming and conference opener.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Mustangs (3-4, 0-1 conf.) struck first, only for the Jets to answer back and take a slim 12-7 lead in the third. North Moore had a final shot with two seconds left, launching a pass to the end zone. But a controversial no-call on what looked like pass interference ended their hopes as the ball was broken up.

The Mustangs get a week to regroup with a BYE before hosting Northwood on October 17.

Written by Curtis Self, photo taken by Moore Daily Sports Photographer Sarah Bloom.