Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The Cherryville Ironmen begin the season 2-0 for the first time since 2018 with a hard-fought 28-27 victory over the Charles D. Owen Warhorses of Black Mountain, NC. The Ironmen won their season opener last week 68-8 at North Stokes High School. The 68 points broke the previous school record of 63 points scored in 2003 over North Lincoln. The offensive output was led by QB Jayden Adams, who threw for one touchdown and scored on a pick-six playing safety. RB Jackson Heavner had a huge night, scoring 5 touchdowns while running over the Vikings' defense for 262 yards rushing on 9 carries with a long of 65 yards. WR Javarius McElhaney scored a touchdown rushing and one receiving, and Koey Makupson added a rushing touchdown. Defensive standouts were Jayden Adam and Landry Pruitt. As a team, Cherryville churned out 416 total yards, 352 rushing and 64 passing.
The home opener for the Ironmen could not have gotten off to a better start for setting the game's tone. They chewed up 7 minutes and 38 seconds on the opening possession, ending with a missed field goal. Although the first quarter ended 0-0, Jayden Adams, Jackson, Heavner, Maddox Carrigan, and Javarius McElhaney had huge contributions that set the stage for huge dividends later in the game. The Ironmen began to take control in the second quarter, after Javarius McElhaney had a touchdown called back on a holding penalty, he scored on the next play, running from the wildcat formation. Owen had a long drive that stalled on 4th and four as Jordan Gill made a great play, stopping the runner. Cherryville took a 13-0 lead on a Jayden Adams to McElhaney 63-yard pass. Only 2:03 remained on the clock before half; however, plenty of action would ensue.
A big Ironmen sack by Jordan Gill brought up a 4th and 16. A bad snap on the punt followed by an accidental downing of the ball set up Cherryville for another McElhaney touchdown. After the two-point conversion, Cherryville cruised with a 21-0 lead, and the muskets were firing. The Warhorses didn't lie down. Hayden Burpeau answered with a 43-yard touchdown. On the ensuing onside kick off, the momentum took a giant swing in favor of Owen. The ball appeared only to travel 9.5 yards instead of the required 10 yards, and after an official discussion, it was ruled that Owen had legally recovered. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was also called on the Ironmen sideline for arguing the call. Stepen Anderson would find the endzone, closing the score to 21-14. After the game, Coach Bowman was asked about that turn of events. "I'm always going to stand up for our kids, and when I feel like our kids are done wrong, I'm going to have their backs. In that situation, I did. You know it was a bang-bang play, officials are human too, and I never want to blame them and will never blame them."
Owen opened the second half with a long, time-consuming drive of over 5 minutes and tied the game at 21-21. Less than 10 minutes remained in the game when Jarvarius McElhaney came up with a big interception. He would score his fourth touchdown of the night running out of the wildcat to go back in front 28-21. It looked as if Cherryville would ice the game with Owen in a fourth and one when they ripped off a huge run that set them up inside the Ironmen's 30-yard line. On fourth and four with 30 seconds left, the Warhorses scored on a halfback option pass. They decided to go for two to win the game instead of the kick to tie. Cherryville rose to the challenge and stopped them short of the goal line. They sealed the game by recovering the onside kick-off attempt. Final score Cherryville 28, Owen 27.
Coach and Player Reactions
WR/DB Enijahe Whitworth stated, "It was hard, it was a good game. We kept pushing, kept trying to do better. We didn't let up; we kept working."
Running Back Jackson Heavner added, "They had a big momentum change, but we were able to stop that momentum and have more heart on the other side of the ball. When asked about thoughts on the season, he said, "I think this season is something special, we're going to do something that's never been done in Cherryville history before and I know that with everyone we have on this team and the chemistry, I know we are going far and continue to win and compete with everybody we play."
Assistant Coach/Ballboy Lee Roy Montgomery echoed those thoughts, "We came back, the game got tight, we came back as a team. We fought all night long, some things got called back, and we made some good stuff happen in the end. The touchdown, then the big play with the two-point conversion, we stopped that. There were some big plays, and it all looked good. We were up for the test."
"Being 2-0 is not just for us, but for this community, and for the first time in 7 years, we couldn't be more excited for that." Patrick Bowman - Ironmen Head Coach
Head Coach Patrick Bowman was excited about the win after the game. "We knew coming in they were a good, well-coached football team. The main thing we preached is that if we can take care of ourselves, we'll be okay. Being 2-0 is not just for us, but for this community, and for the first time in 7 years, we couldn't be more excited for that. We're excited. We'll celebrate and enjoy tonight, and we'll get back to work. Coaches on Sunday, and we'll bring the players in on Monday. Right now, we'll enjoy it, but we're on to the next one."
Next Game for Cherryville
The next game for the Cherryville Ironmen will be a conference matchup at home in Rudisill Stadium against the Lincolnton Wolves on Friday, September 5th, at 7:30 PM.
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