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Read our Game Story by Jonas Pope IV

Pregame Notes

• We’re seeing a wintery mix of precipitation as we prepare to kick off. It kind of looks like snow, it kind of looks like rain. No matter what it is, it’s coming down pretty hard.
  • Wind is pushing the precipitation to the east.
  • Rolesville’s pregame kick attempts are not going well. The wind appears to be really affecting the ball.
  • This type of weather points to a big night for Grimsley running back Mitchell Summers.
• Rolesville is wearing black jerseys with black pants. Grimsley is wearing white jerseys with blue pants.
• Grimsley’s Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award goes to Will Rainwater
• Rolesville’s Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award goes to Gavin Marks

1st Quarter

• Grimsley won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half. Rolesville returned the kickoff from the 2-yard line to its own 21.
• Rolesville went 3-and-out on its first possession. The slippery conditions were evident. After a 7-yard rush by Devon Thomas to start the game, Rolesville fumbled a shotgun snap and then was incomplete on a bubble screen.
• Grimsley took over on its own 39 after a punt.
  • Two Mitchell Summers runs, one Mitchell Summers first down. Jovon Wright made a great tackle in space to hold Battle to a two yard gain. A Summers rush made it 3rd-and-2 at the 41. On the third down, Faizon Brandon kept and appeared to be stopped by multiple Rams for a loss, but he muscled his way to a first down.
  • On the first vertical pass of the game, Brandon completed it up to Kaden Catoe up to the 24-yard line.
  • TOUCHDOWN GRIMSLEY! Faizon Brandon rolled to his left, turned back, reset, and found Khyan Battle, who was on a crosser from the opposite slot. This is the kind of action that Grimsley burned Hough on two weeks ago.
• Grimsley takes a 7-0 lead with 6:09 to go in the first.
• Rolesville took over on its own 19.
  • Braden Atkinson’s first attempt downfield was nearly picked off an returned by Jasiah Hussey. Hussey had a pick-six against Atkinson in week two.
  • After two incompletions, Rolesville took the easy way out and ran on 3rd-and-10.
• With five minutes to go, Khyan Battle returned the punt 42 yards to the Rolesville 20-yard line. Early MVP candidate?
  • Faizon Brandon with a great completion to Kaden Catoe down to the 2-yard line. He beat PJ Hartsfield in coverage. Hartsfield did not have his best game in the first meeting in week two either.
  • TOUCHDOWN GRIMSLEY! Mitchell Summers easily scored from two yards out on the next play. This has the makings of a blowout. Grimsley is getting whatever it wants.
• Grimsley takes a 14-0 lead with 4:07 to go in the first.
• Jonathan Dunn Jr. had a nice kickoff return to the 24-yard line after starting on his own 1-yard line.
  • Amir Brown giving Rolesville a spark here. After two runs, Rolesville had a first down on its own 37.
  • On the next play, Brown caught a pass from Atkinson out of the backfield and picked up a first down up to the 48.
  • Laser from Braden Atkinson to Gavin Waddell up to the 25-yard line of Grimsley. 27-yard gain.
  • Hussey with another PBU on Atkisnon to force a 3rd-and-10.
  • Atkinson hit sophomore AJ Roberts for 7, forcing a 4th-and-3. Rolesville called a timeout before facing the fourth. This play could go a long way to deciding the outcome of the game.
• Rolesville kicker Riley Daniels missed a 35-yard field goal attempt badly, but it looks like it was blocked by Jasiah Hussey. That’s his third blocked field goal of the year. Rolesville will regret not going for that 4th-and-3.
• Grimlsey takes over on its own 20 with under 20 seconds to go.
  • One Summers run for 9 yards ended the quarter.

2nd Quarter

• Faizon Brandon is 5-of-5 for 56 yards through the air. So far the rain has not affected the No. 1 junior in the country.
• Grimsley has the ball on its own 29 to start the second.
  • Rolesville forced a 3rd-and-1, but Summers found six yards easily.
  • On the next set of downs, Rolesville tackled Brandon for a loss on a keeper and Xavier Lewis sacked Brandon to force a 3rd-and-14. On 3rd down, Brandon took a shot for Catoe up the field, but Cannon Marshall caught up to the ball to break it up.
• Rolesville took over on its own 36-yard line after the punt. 9:21 left in the second.
  • Amir Brown busted a 26-yard run on the first play of the drive. Ball is at the 38-yard line.
  • TOUCHDOWN ROLESVILLE! Braden Atkinson finds AJ Roberts on a crosser and crosser does most of the work after the fact. Jaedon Alford made an outstanding block downfield to help Roberts meet the end zone up the right sideline.
• Grimsley leads Rolesville 14-7 with 8:20 left in the second.
• Grimsley started its second drive on its own 29.
  • After a couple of runs to Summers, Grimsley is facing a 3rd-and-4 from its own 35. Darryl Brown ran on the field to call a timeout.
  • Summers rushed for a few to make a 4th-and-1.
  • On 4th down, Summers was blown dead short, even though another official wanted to give him progress.
• Rolesville took over on the Grimsley 38-yard line.
• Ball don’t lie? On the first Rolesville play, Atkinson ran around, stepped up in the pocket, and forced a pass to the sideline and it was intercepted by Ryan Debow.
  • On the first play of the ensuing Grimsley drive, Summers rushed for a first down up to Grimsley’s own 44.
  • Brandon completed to his big 6-foot-5 tight end DJ Howerton for a first down up to the Rolesville 44. He’s had a nice battle with sophomore defensive back Marquis Bryant.
  • TOUCHDOWN GRIMSLEY! Mitchell Summers breaks through to the second level thanks to a pull block and seal by Howerton and picked up a nice block from receiver Kaden Catoe to rush for a 44-yard touchdown.
• Grimsley expanded its lead to 21-7 over Rolesville with 4:15 left in the first half.
• Rolesville started on is own 19 after the ensuing kickoff
  • Atkinson was sacked for a 3-yard loss on the first play.
  • BRYCE DAVIS STRIP SACK! The Duke signee rushed from Atkinson’s blind side and whacked the ball out. Rolesville recovered on its own 7-yard line.
• Grimsley took over on its own 49-yard line after a nice punt by Rolesville. 1:43 left in the first half. The Whirlies can just about end this game with a score here.
  • Before attempting a 3rd-and-medium, there was a timeout.
  • On third down, Jayden Griffin-Haynes went on a blitz and made a monstrous sack to force a 4th-and-18.
• The ensuing punt took a nice bounce out-of-bounds for Rolesville. The Rams took over on their own 34 with 48 seconds left.
  • Nice call by Rolesville on the screen to Thomas. First down up to his own 46.
  • Officials called Kosci Barnes for a pass interference. That gave Rolesville a first down on the Whirlie 39-yard line with 38 seconds left.
  • Another nice screen. Amir Brown down to the 26-yard line. Rolesville spikes with 30 seconds left.
  • Atkinson attempted a pass to Waddell in the end zone. He was probably a tick too slow on that throw as Chris Young caught up to break it up.
  • Atkinson hit Waddell up to the 9 on a deep out.
  • TOUCHDOWN ROLESVILLE! The Rams burned Grimsley with the same concept that Grimsley got them on. Atkinson rolled to his right and found Jack McHugh on a drag back towards the left. It’s the same play that Grimsley beat Hough on with Howerton.
• Rolesville cut the Grimsley lead to 21-14 with 12 seconds left in the first half. That was the drive of the game. 66 yards in 36 seconds.
  • A Summers run ended the first half.

Halftime

• Grimsley leads Rolesville 21-14. The Whirlies will receive the ball to start the second half.
• That first drive of the third quarter will inform how the rest of this game will go. Rolesville’s defense has had the most success when it can produce quick tackles on early downs.
• Mitchell Summers has 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns at the break.
• Brandon is 6-of-7 for 67 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions

3rd Quarter

• Grimsley started the third quarter with the ball on its own 20.
  • After a short Summers run, Grimsley hit Rolesville with a counter and Summers got the first down on his own 31
  • On first down, Brandon took a shot deep and Cannon Marshall dropped a would-be interception. Would have been Brandon’s second of the year.
  • On second down, Summers rushed for a few but got banged up. He ran off the field favoring his right shoulder.
  • Brandon scrambled for a first down, but Grimsley was called for a hold. Cameron Harrison, a starting defensive tackle, was injured on the play.
  • On 3rd-and-17, Summers returned to the backfield.
  • MARION TURNER INTERCEPTION. Turner picked off Brandon deep on third down, Brandon’s second interception of the year, and returned it to the Grimsley 22.
• Rolesville took over with 9:47 left in the third quarter on the Grimsley 22.
  • Atkinson missed a shot to the end zone on first down.
  • Atkinson hit Brown on a Texas route up to the Grimsley 2-yard line.
  • Rolesville got in the wishbone on 1st-and-goal and Grimsley forced a 3-yard loss for Brown.
  • A touchdown pass from Atkinson to Roberts was called back due to an offensive facemask penalty on Rolesville. Looked like it was Amir Borwn in pass protection.
  • On second and goal from the 20, Atkinson barely overshot an open Alford in the end zone.
  • On third and goal from the 20, Atkinson did his best Josh Allen as scrambled down to the 5-yard line while taking on tacklers.
  • On fourth-and-goal from the 5, Atkinson threw the ball to the back of the end zone, where no Ram was close.
• Grimsley took over on its own 5-yard line with 7:33 left in the third quarter.
  • Rolesville’s defense made two good stops on the first two rushes, forcing a 3rd-and-7.
  • Rolesvile got a load of pressure on Brandon the third down, Brandon eventually rolled all the way to his right and throw it away. The refs called an intentional grounding, but it was offset by a hold by the Rolesville defense.
  • On the second attempt at the 3rd-and-7, Brandon was under attack again and barely got a pass off to Summers while he was being dragged down in the end zone. Summers was hit as the ball arrived and dropped it.
  • This pass rush has been a huge improvement for Rolesville from the matchup earlier this season. The Rams could not touch Brandon in week two.
• After a Grimsley punt, Rolesville took over on the Whirlie 40-yard line with 5:48 left in the third quarter.
  • Great breakup by Kosci Barnes on first down. It looked like he was beat by Alford, but Barnes caught up and broke it up.
  • On second down, Atkinson sailed it over the head of McHugh.
  • On third down, Atkinson hit Waddell on a tight throw on an out for a first down up to the 29-yard line.
  • On the next set of downs, Rolesville had a short run, an incomplete pass to Waddell in the end zone, and committed a holding on 3rd-and-9 to make it a 3rd-and-19.
  • Grimsley made a mistake on the third down, Chris Young was called for a pass interference. That made it 3rd-and-4.
  • On 3rd-and-4, Atkinson scrambled away from pressure and found Jaedon Alford on a comeback at the Grimsley 10-yard line.
  • Rolesville rushed two times to get to the 7-yard line.
  • On 3rd-and-goal, Atkinson fired a fade to no avail. Rolesville probably could’ve attempted something less aggressive there.
  • FIELD GOAL ROLESVILLE. Riley Daniels connected on a 24-yard field goal despite a high snap at the start of the play.
  • On back-to-back goal-to-goal possessions, Rolesville scored three total points. Things that can come back to bite you.
• Rolesville cut Grimsley’s lead to 21-17 with 2:17 left in the third quarter.
• Grimsley started its next drive on the 21-yard line with 2:12 to play in the third.
  • On first down, the ball was dropped by Catoe and somehow caught by Battle, who advanced for a 20-yard gain.
  • Two Summers runs created a 3rd-and-5.
  • On 3rd-and-5, Brandon lofted a ball for Kaden Catoe and he brought it down in double coverage for a first down up to the Rolesville 25-yard line. Cannon Marshall and Marion Turner were in on the coverage. That was the last play of the quarter.

4th Quarter

• Grimsley began the fourth quarter with a first down on the Rolesville 25-yard line.
  • Summers has been in-and-out of this drive as he’s banged up, but Brandon has taken a lot of the rushing duties upon himself. A Brandon scramble picked up a first down on the Rolesville 9-yard line.
  • Grimsley called its second timeout before attempting the first-and-goal from the 9-yard line.
  • Faizon Brandon ran QB power with Summers on the sideline. Brandon got to the 3-yard line.
  • TOUCHDOWN GRIMSLEY! On 3rd-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Brandon kept a read option up the middle and dove for the score to extend the Whirlie lead.
• Grimsley extended its lead to 28-17 with 9:45 left in the game.
• Rolesville took over on its own 21-yard line.
  • After a nice run by Amir Brown, Atkinson hit Alford on a pass up to the 43-yard line of the Rams.
  • After a sack, Atkinson hit Alford again to make it a 3rd-and-1 on the Grimsley 48-yard line.
  • On third and short, Amir Brown plowed ahead for a first down to the Grimsley 39.
  • Atkinson fired a nice pass up to AJ Roberts at the 10-yard line, but the ball went through his hands.
  • Atkinson responded with a successful out route completion to Waddell up to the 28.
  • Atkinson had a short scramble and then took an unsuccessful shot to Alford in the end zone.
  • On 3rd-and-9, sophomore, Jaiden Wardlaw beat the left tackle and dropped Atkinson for the sack. That made it a 4th-and-17 with 5:27 to play.
  • On fourth down, the Rams attempted to double-team Duke signee Bryce Davis and Davis still managed to get through to impact Atkinson’s throwing motion.
• Grimsley took over on its own 35-yard line after the turnover on downs with under five minutes to play.
  • TOUCHDOWN GRIMSLEY! Faizon Brandon hit Hudson Cooper on a beautiful 63-yard touchdown pass. Cooper broke through tackles on the way to the end zone. It was a replay of what Cooper did to Rolesville in the first game. The junior receiver wearing #10 will live in the Rams’ nightmares for the rest of their lives.
• Grimsley expanded its lead to 35-17 with 4:19 to play.
• Rolesville started its next possession on its own 24-yard line.
  • INTERCEPTION GRIMSLEY! Atkinson uncorked the ball downfield and Ryan Debow was there for his second interception of the game.
• After an unsportsmanlike penalty on Rolesville, Grimsley took over on the Rams’ 40-yard line with 3:53 to play.
• Rolesville got the ball back on its own 33-yard line with about 1:30 to go.
  • On first down, Bryce Davis sacked Atkinson for a third time. Davis is the best defensive player in North Carolina.
  • Rolesville called its second timeout with 1:24 left.
  • The Rams were able to advance the ball up to the Grimsley red zone through a series of completions.
  • Rolesville called its last timeout with 0:31 left.
  • With 0:18 left, Wardlaw sacked Atkinson for the second time.
  • Atkinson hit Waddell for a 24-yard touchdown as time expired.

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Source: highschoolot.com