NCHSAA Football - Generic Logo
Dec 13, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM — Greensboro Dudley's offense runs through the legs of quarterback Ricky Lewis. Imagine the concern from the sidelines when Lewis stayed on the field and clutched his knee after a run in the first quarter of the state championship game.
"I was praying on that one," Dudley lineman Josh Jones said.
Lewis missed just three plays and scored two touchdowns to help the Panthers beat Kannapolis Brown 34-18 to win their second straight Class 3-AA North Carolina Athletic Association championship on Saturday.
J.R. Peterson also scored twice for Dudley (16-0), which has won 21 straight games dating to last season. Dudley finished with 355 yards rushing, with 164 of that coming from Lewis - who won the game's MVP award for the second straight season. Peterson had 149 yards rushing.
"Offensive coordinator Antonio Kirkpatrick came out on the field, and I said, "look, go get another quarterback ready. We've got to keep moving,'" said Dudley coach Steven Davis, whose team allowed six points per game in the playoffs before Saturday. "It's a big concern, because as he goes, our offense goes, but we just had to get another quarterback ready and go get it."
Jamill Lott threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns for the Wonders (13-4), who last won a state title in 1997. But Dudley's defense sacked Lott five times and forced him into two interceptions.
"We knew on tape they were going to be good, but until you get on the field with them, it takes you a while to get used to their speed," Brown coach Ron Massey said. "If you hang around athletics long enough, you'll run up against a buzzsaw like we did tonight. We couldn't get them off the field."
Peterson scored twice in the third quarter to help Dudley take a 34-6 lead. Fred Overby also scored for Dudley, which has reached the state finals four times in seven years.
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