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Southern Alamance High School seniors, Mitchell Mcclendon and Nevaeh Gattis celebrate a touchdown during their Friday night game against Western Alamance in Elon on September 10, 2021.
Southern Alamance High School senior Braxton Meyer runs for a touchdown against Western Alamance during the Friday night game in Elon on September 10, 2021.
ELON — Southern Alamance senior Nevaeh Gattis entered Friday night’s football game against Western Alamance with a point to prove.
Not one to prove to the opponent, but rather one to his own coaches, and perhaps, even to himself.
After losing his captaincy status ahead of the game, Gattis said he was primed to show what he was capable of.
“I got the captain spot taken away from me this game,” Gattis said. “And, I’m not going to let it happen again.”
He certainly appeared to prove his point on the field.
“Last game, I didn’t have my best game,” Gattis said. “I could’ve done better. So, this game I came out and performed. That was just my plan. I was going to come out and perform, play every snap 100 percent. I was going to show them who Navaeh Gattis was.”
The Southern Alamance running back piled up 214 rushing yards on 14 carries and scored three rushing touchdowns as the visiting Patriots powered past host Western Alamance 40-14 in a non-conference game.
Southern Alamance High School seniors, Mitchell Mcclendon and Nevaeh Gattis celebrate a touchdown during their Friday night game against Western Alamance in Elon on September 10, 2021.
Times-News
Luke Johnson for The Times-News
It’s just the second time in the last nine meetings the Patriots have defeated Western Alamance, dating back to 2012. The most recent Patriots' victory came in 2018.
Gattis said the loss of his role as a captain weighed heavily on his mind.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Gattis said. “I disappointed my coaches this past week. So, I don’t ever want to do it again.”
This performance, though, he said he was content with.
“I think I’m good,” Gattis said. “Next week’s a different story, though. I gotta go harder.”
Now having been in the Southern Alamance program for all four years of his high school career, Gattis is completely familiar with what the Patriots are trying to do, coach Fritz Hessenthaler said.
“These kids now, if they're seniors and they were at Southern Alamance, they're with me for four years,” Hessenthaler said. “This is my second time taking over a program as a head coach for a lengthy period of time, it's nice to get those guys that were here for all four years. So, Navaeh is well-versed in what we do. He’s played fullback. He’s played defense. Now, he’s playing halfback, and he’s just a great player.”
Gattis wasn’t the only Southern Alamance player to find success in the run game. Braxton Meyers racked up 106 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and Jackson Parrish ran for 110 yards on 14 carries for the Patriots (3-0). Xander Petty found the end zone on a 15-yard rushing score.
Southern Alamance High School senior Braxton Meyer runs for a touchdown against Western Alamance during the Friday night game in Elon on September 10, 2021.
Times-News
Luke Johnson for The Times-News
“We’re a little dynamic, in the run game, certainly,” Hessenthaler said. “We just got to continue getting better at everything we do. We’ve got to be able to spread it out. We’ve got to able to throw more. We’ve got to be able to run the screen game more. So, we’ve got a lot to work on.”
Gattis was more than happy to give his offensive line their well-deserved props.
“They were killing it,” Gattis said. “Them my boys. I love them boys. I’ll take them every day. I thanked them three times this game. I love them.”
The Warriors (0-3) struggled to stop the run, particularly with the Patriots’ plethora of options out of the backfield.
“Their execution is good,” Western Alamance coach Jeff Snuffer said. “You got to have good eye discipline. You got to know what your responsibility is. You got to be aligned right. You got to know they're gonna give you misdirection. So, eye discipline is important, and we got to get better at that. It’s something we'll learn and grow. With their experience and all those dudes in the backfield and that line is a thing of beauty to watch. I just love the game, and honestly, I think that offense is really fun to watch. They’re doing a great job, so good luck to them the rest of the year.”
Gattis was quick to observe where the Warriors defense struggled.
“The problem was, they weren’t reading guards,” Gattis said. “They were reading the backfield and it’s so intricate, you can’t read that. So, that was their problem.”
Western Alamance quarterback Eric Wagoner ran for a touchdown and threw another touchdown pass to receiver Kaden Wilborn. Warriors running back Mason Hogsed rushed for 56 yards on 13 carries.
David Kehrli is a sports reporter at the Burlington Times-News and USA Today Network. You can reach him at david.kehrli@thetimesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidKehrliTN. Subscribe to the Burlington Times-News here.
