MURFREESBORO, N.C. - The Chowan Football team defended home turf against their rivals, Barton, in the Conference Carolinas opener on Saturday evening under the lights behind the strong arm of Tyler Adkins, a stout defense with two turnovers and a shutout, the first since Nov. 5th, 2016.
The Hawks win would mark the first conference victory of the season with multiple players marking career highs and climbing up the Chowan record book.
THE BASICS
FINAL | Chowan 34, Barton 0
RECORDS | Chowan (2-2, 1-0 CC), Barton (1-3, 0-1 CC)
LOCATION | Murfreesboro, N.C. (Garrison Stadium)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Chowan and Barton traded defensive stops throughout the opening quarter as neither side was able to find the end zone. The Hawks created their first scoring opportunity midway through the quarter after Adkins connected with Terrell Jackson for 15 yards to move the offense into the red zone, but a 30-yard field-goal attempt went wide. Chowan's defense kept pace on the other side of the ball, holding Barton scoreless through the opening 15 minutes.
The Hawks' defense continued its strong play to begin the second quarter. Barton moved inside the Chowan red zone, but the Hawks held firm on fourth down, forcing an incomplete pass to regain possession at their own 16-yard line.
Chowan capitalized on the stop with a scoring drive that covered 84 yards. Adkins connected with Treshawn Blair for 25 yards before finding Dezmond Randolph for a 31-yard gain. Adkins then connected with Amir Alexander for 30 yards to move the Hawks down to the Barton one-yard line. Ja'Vion Cherry finished the drive by punching it into the end zone, and Riley Swanson converted the extra point to give Chowan a 7-0 advantage with 10:51 remaining in the second quarter.
The Hawks' defense forced another Barton punt on the following possession before Chowan moved back into Bulldog territory. Adkins connected with Jackson three times on the drive as the Hawks advanced to the Barton 22-yard line, but the Bulldogs forced a turnover on downs to keep the score at 7-0 heading into halftime.
Barton opened the second half with possession, but the Chowan defense continued to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard. The Hawks forced a punt on Barton's opening drive before coming up with another fourth-down stop later in the quarter. Barton moved to the Chowan 38-yard line before Altiziano Edwards broke up a fourth-down pass to give possession back to the Hawks.
Chowan's offense found the end zone again with 2:55 remaining in the third quarter. Adkins connected with Randolph for an 18-yard gain before a Barton penalty moved the Hawks farther into Bulldog territory. Adkins then found Randolph again, this time for a 20-yard touchdown to extend Chowan's advantage to 14-0 following Swanson's extra point.
The Hawks' defense quickly turned the momentum into another score. On Barton's ensuing possession, Jimmy Lacy intercepted Geronimo Sanchez and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. Swanson converted the extra point to push Chowan's lead to 21-0 with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter.
Chowan continued to add to its advantage in the fourth. After the defense forced another turnover on downs, Adkins connected with Alexander for a 31-yard gain to move the Hawks deep into Barton territory. Swanson finished the possession by connecting on a 41-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-0 with 13:03 remaining.
The defense came through again on Barton's next possession when Allen Sieni intercepted Sanchez at the Chowan 12-yard line. The Hawks followed with a drive into Barton territory, highlighted by a 23-yard run from Timothy Baker Jr. and a 14-yard completion from Adkins to Randolph. Swanson capped the possession with a 29-yard field goal to give Chowan a 27-0 advantage.
Chowan put the finishing touches on the victory late in the fourth quarter. Adkins connected with Randolph for a 34-yard gain to move into Barton territory before finding Jackson for a 41-yard touchdown with 1:55 remaining. Swanson added the extra point to push the Hawks' advantage to 34-0.
The Chowan defense kept Barton off the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest to complete the shutout and secure the 34-0 road victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Offense
The Chowan offense found its rhythm throughout the contest, finishing with 489 total yards, including 465 through the air. The Hawks produced three offensive touchdowns on the afternoon, highlighted by a pair of second-half touchdown passes as Chowan pulled away from Barton.
Adkins led the attack with a career performance, completing 27-of-47 passes for 465 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. His 465 passing yards marked the second-most in a single game in program history.
Randolph was Adkins' leading target, hauling in 10 receptions for a game-high 181 yards and a touchdown. Jackson added six receptions for 94 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown reception.
Alexander finished with 93 yards on five receptions and a long of 31 yards. Blair added two receptions for 37 yards, while Luke Foster recorded a 30-yard reception and Anthony Key finished with two catches for 22 yards.
Ja'Vion Cherry punched in a one-yard touchdown to give the Hawks a 7-0 advantage. Timothy Baker Jr. led the rushing attack with 39 yards on six carries, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt with a long of 23 yards.
Randolph, Jackson and Alexander combined for 21 receptions and 368 receiving yards.
Defense
The Hawks limited the Bulldogs to just 240 yards of total offense, including 116 through the air, while forcing two interceptions and recording four tackles for loss.
Leland Beckford led the defensive effort with a game-high 10 tackles, including three solo stops, while Darryl Harris followed with seven tackles and a pass breakup. Darian Whitaker and Cameron Coe each added six tackles, with Coe also recording a pass breakup.
Malachi Howell recorded 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry, while Jerrel Howard added a tackle for loss and two pass breakups. Greg Lott contributed four tackles and a team-high three quarterback hurries, and Nolan Lee added three tackles and two quarterback hurries.
Jimmy Lacy provided one of the biggest defensive plays of the afternoon late in the third quarter, intercepting a Barton pass and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown. The Hawks forced another turnover in the fourth quarter when Allen Sieni intercepted a pass at the Chowan 12-yard line.
Altiziano Edwards also helped limit the Bulldogs through the air with a pass breakup, while Howard, Harris and Coe contributed to Chowan's five total pass breakups. The Hawks finished the afternoon with eight quarterback hurries.
Special Teams
Chowan's special teams contributed 10 points to the Hawks' 34-0 victory, with Riley Swanson connecting on a pair of fourth-quarter field goals while remaining perfect on extra-point attempts converting all four of his attempts. He also handled all seven kickoffs for 411 yards, averaging 58.0 yards per kickoff.
Laurence Wallace helped the Hawks control field position in the punting game, averaging 42.3 yards across three punts for 127 total yards. Wallace recorded a long of 50 yards and placed two of his three punts inside the Barton 20-yard line.
In the return game, Terrell Jackson recorded a 12-yard punt return, while Luke Krall added a five-yard return. Nizaya Hall opened the contest with a 31-yard kickoff return to help give the Chowan offense a favorable starting field position.
UP NEXT
Chowan will take the week off before hitting the road to take on West Alabama on October 3 in a non-conference contest slated for 4:00 PM.  Â
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