SOUTHERN PINES — Scotland football coach Richard Bailey couldn’t find an explanation as to why his team racked up 21 penalties, including 16 false starts, in a 34-12 loss at Pinecrest on Friday night.
“Some of this stuff is inexplicable,” Bailey said. “I, for the life of me, don’t know why we’re doing the things we’re doing. It’s frustrating. Frustrating for the kids, frustrating for me.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve never had an offensive performance like that that I can remember in my entire career,” he added.
Scotland (3-4, 2-2 SAC) had four turnovers against the Patriots. Three of them were interceptions, and one happened when Pinecrest (6-2, 3-1) recovered a botched snap by the Fighting Scots.
Sophomore receiver Trey Chavis’ performance was one of the few bright spots offensively for Scotland. Chavis finished with 151 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions.
His second touchdown catch, an 86-yard reception on a deep pass by quarterback Mandrell Johnson, made the score 27-12 in the fourth quarter.
“When I caught it I was running, and I knew they were behind me,” Chavis said. “When I got there I stopped, cut back, put my head down and just went for the goal line.”
Chavis’ first touchdown catch came on a 37-yard pass from Johnson in the second quarter. That touchdown, which was preceded by short touchdown runs from Pinecrest’s Zaythan Hill and Corey Patterson, decreased the Patriots’ lead to 13-6 after a missed extra point attempt.
Hill responded by replicating his first touchdown with a 4-yard rush into the end zone. After a successful extra point, Pinecrest took a 20-6 lead at halftime.
Patterson started the second half by scoring a touchdown on a 3-yard run.
Johnson fumbled a snap on the ensuing drive and Pinecrest recovered the ball at the Scots’ 35-yard line, helping the hosts hold on to a 27-6 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Pinecrest was unable to advance further into Scotland territory and turned the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter. That set the stage for Johnson’s 86-yard pass to Chavis.
After Scotland forced Pinecrest to punt, Martra McManus intercepted passes by Johnson on two consecutive Scotland drives.
Sandwiched in between those drives was a 9-yard touchdown run by Hill that made the score 34-12.
Pinecrest punted with just under six minutes left on the clock, and quarterback Tyler Barfield entered the game to lead Scotland’s offense on its last drive of the night. Pinecrest’s Tjaden Gaddy intercepted a pass by Barfield near the end zone, allowing the Patriots to take a knee and drain the game’s final two minutes off the clock.
Johnson finished 8 for 15 for 151 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. The first interception was grabbed by Pinecrest’s Shymeik Reaves and returned to Scotland’s 2-yard line in the second quarter, setting up Patterson for a 2-yard touchdown rush that made the score 13-0.
Scotland’s Joseph McKoy rushed for a team-high 61 yards on nine carries. Syheam McQueen rushed for 52 yards on 14 carries.
Hill finished with 117 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries for Pinecrest.
