Hawks defeat Blue Devils in the Braggin Bowl

Deep Run—In the 41st edition of Braggin’ Bowl, the North Lenoir Hawks invaded South Lenoir's turf and spoiled their senior night, emerging victorious with a 20-12 win thanks largely to their defense.

The first quarter set the tone for the night, ending in a deadlock. The Hawks' only offensive touchdown came courtesy of senior MJ Pippen, who dashed for a five-yard score with 6:46 left in the second quarter. Pippen finished with 20 rushing yards, while junior Malik Fuller spearheaded the ground attack with 189 yards. With just 1:33 left in the first half, junior Jaleil Jones intercepted a pass and sprinted 96 yards for a touchdown, putting North Lenoir up 14-0.

“I saw the ball coming and knew I had to take it to the house for Coach,” Jones remarked.

The skies opened up as the second half commenced, but the Hawks couldn't capitalize on their initial possession and punted. South Lenoir gained some traction but was soon thwarted by another Hawks interception, this one by sophomore AJ Black, who returned it for a touchdown.

“It feels great, my first touchdown of the season,” Black said.

Down 20-0, South Lenoir showed resilience. They capitalized on a fumbled punt by the Hawks, with freshman Kendarius Bey finding the end zone. Another Hawks fumble set up a 10-yard scoring run from Jedi Day, cutting the deficit to 20-12 with just 16 seconds left in the third quarter. The Hawks held that lead into the fourth.

The final quarter was a defensive struggle. South Lenoir forced two fumbles, the second one offering a glimmer of hope. However, a critical fourth-down sack by senior Kane Moore sealed the game for North Lenoir.

The Hawks' defense allowed only 126 yards of offense, surrendered just one touchdown, and forced three pivotal interceptions.

“I'm incredibly proud of our defense; we threw a lot at them this week,” said Head Coach Larry Dale. “The entire team fought all night,” he concluded, adding, “We're bringing the bowl home to La Grange.”