Raiders Shutout Kings Mountain, Trounce Mountaineers 35-0
October 19, 2025
On paper it may have appeared that the contest between South Point and Kings Mountain would do little more than affect playoff positioning as the season nears its end. But when two championship caliber teams meet on the gridiron, both know that much more is at stake. The Mountaineers limped in following a beatdown loss to Ashbrook. Kings Mountain scored 7 points against the Greenwave in the 1st quarter and the offense fell silent thereafter. South Point sought to keep them off the scoreboard as the teams met last Friday night at Lineberger Stadium. San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey once said about his team, "We're here to win football games, so whatever that means, whatever that takes, that's what we're going to do." South Point applied that mentality by shutting out the Mountaineers en route to a 35-0 victory. The win vaulted 5A South Point ahead of the 6A Mountaineers and 5A Hunter Huss Huskies in conference standings. The Huskies dropped a 62-7 decision to 5A Crest. The Red Raiders need to continue to improve and take care of business as the playoffs approach.
Kings Mountain won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. The Mountaineers employed a balance of accurate passing and positive yardage runs to move deep into South Point territory. The drive stalled at the South Point 27-yard line and the Raiders took over on downs. The Red 'O' used a solid ground attack to move to the Kings Mountain 25-yard line, but a fumble recovered by the Mountaineers stalled the momentum. Kings Mountain managed to drive to the South Point 1 yard line but a fumble across the goal line was recovered by South Point for a touchback. The ensuing Raiders drive began at their 20-yard line as the first stanza wound down.
The Raiders continued to pound out yardage behind solid O-line play and power running by QB Patrick Blee and FB Kaveaun Pless. The drive carried South Point to the Kings Mountain 27-yard line where FB Pless burst through the middle and rambled untouched to the end zone. QB Blee carried over for the 2-point conversion to give the Raiders the initial 8-0 advantage. The Red 'D' forced a Mountaineer punt on the ensuing possession. Once again, the Raiders managed a time-consuming drive to the Kings Mountain 16-yard line. Another inopportune fumble proved costly to South Point, stalling another potential scoring drive. With under 2 minutes left before the half, Kings Mountain was unable to mount a threat, and the teams went to the locker room with South Point holding the lead.
With the ball to begin the third, a kick return by RS Cayden Rumph put the Raiders offense in business at the South Point 37-yard line. After a FB Pless run to near midfield, TB Jesse Ledford took a QB Blee pitch to the Kings Mountain 22-yard line. Two plays later from the 14-yard line, FB Pless once again carried through the left side of the line and raced to the end zone. K Wilson London tacked on the PAT to move South Point in front 15-0. The Mountaineers went to the air to try to gain a measure of momentum, but an interception by DB Tucker McWhirter thwarted the effort. Asked about the momentum shift gained by the turnover, DB McWhirter said, "It definitely gave us some energy in the second half." The sophomore DB added that the defense remained focused and just came to do their job. The Raiders offense took immediate advantage of the turnover when, in one play, QB Blee burst around the left side for 36 yards and a touchdown. South Point's advantage grew to 21-0 with 8:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Mountaineers drove to near midfield but again were stopped by a swarming Raiders defense. A 3rd down and 4 pass was picked off by a diving DB Jeremiah Holt at the South Point 34-yard line. The Red 'O' continued to blow the Mountaineers defense off the ball, moving to the Kings Mountain 11-yard line. From there, QB Blee broke through and carried tacklers into the end zone. Later asked about the team's resolve entering the contest, QB Blee said, "We just wanted to go out and be us." The team responded by putting together a solid effort. South Point's advantage grew to 28-0 as the final stanza approached. Kings Mountain was forced to punt with their final possession of the quarter, and the Raiders carried their next drive into the final 12 minutes of regulation.
With the ball at the 22-yard line, QB Rumph took over under center and a pitch to TB Ledford resulted in 6 more for the Big Red. K London's PAT was true and South Point's lead ballooned to 35-0. With a live clock, the Mountaineers were held on downs and the Raiders kneeled out the final 1:20 to secure the shutout victory.
Following a decisive victory over North Gaston, South Point entered the contest against Kings Mountain looking to do whatever it took to win a football game. The Big Red met the challenge and with a stout effort extended their shutout string to 8 quarters by shutting down the Mountaineers. The focus of the Red Raiders is to continue to improve as the regular season winds down. Next up is a Homecoming contest against the Forest View Jaguars. Here, kitty kitty!
Go Get 'Em, Red!
Notable Facts and Thoughts
Forestview enters the Homecoming contest looking to play the role of spoilers. The Jaguars remain winless in the conference after falling to Ashbrook last Friday night. Go Big Red!
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