The Corvian Community football team built an early lead then held off East Wilkes, 31-28, in the third round of the 2A playoffs, Friday night in foggy Ronda.

After winning the battle of the Cardinals, Corvian, seeded #5 in the 2A West, improved to 10-1 on the season. East, the #4 seed, ended the campaign with an 8-4 record.

“Our players fought hard for four quarters,” said East Coach Travis Walker. “The effort they played with and the way they left it all out on that field would make any coach proud.”

After doubling up East in the first half, Corvian mustered only three points after halftime and survived after the hosts missed a 35-yard field goal with under a minute left in the game.

After Corvian’s Nathanael Kamba recovered a fumble, the visitors completed two long passes to set up Desmond Walker’s 1-yard rushing touchdown and Cooper Peterson’s point-after kick with about seven minutes left in the opening quarter.

East senior fullback Ayden Guessford scored the equalizer, on a 1-yard ground score with about 10 minutes left in the first half. Chris Silva’s PAT tied it at 7-7.

A 16-yard scoring pass from Tyson Douglas-Brown to Cameron Simpson, and Peterson’s PAT, spotted Corvian a 14-7 lead with about seven minutes before the break.

Another East fumble set up the next score, a 5-yard jaunt by Kelvin Stinson with about five minutes prior to halftime. Peterson’s PAT made it 21-7.

“Two early turnovers gave Corvian short field position, and you can’t do that against good teams,” noted Walker. “Even with that, we were in position to win the game, and that’s a testament to our players and the heart that they play with, and have played with, all year.”

East senior tailback Austin Nash then hit paydirt with a 16-yard run, and Silva’s PAT narrowed the Corvian lead to 21-14 with about three minutes left in the second quarter.

Corvian responded with a big score, as Douglas-Brown connected with Reginald Greer for a 47-yard reception with about two minutes left before the break. Peterson added the PAT for a 28-14 lead at halftime.

East scored on its opening possession of the second half, with an 80-yard drive capped by Ty Bumgarner’s 6-yard ground score. Silva made good on the PAT, slicing the Corvian lead to 28-21.

Peterson showed his range on the next series, splitting the uprights from 44 yards out to give the visitors a 31-21 advantage. That lead held up after three quarters of play

With about 11 minutes to play, East got a big play of its own, when junior quarterback Holden Spicer reeled off a 44-yard keeper. Silva’s PAT reduced the Corvian lead to 31-28.

Silva intercepted a Douglas-Brown pass with about eight minutes left in the contest, but the turnovers yielded no points for the hosts.

“This team was a fun group to coach, and they were fun to be around,” added Walker. “They were led by a great group of seniors who will be missed.”

It was East’s first matchup against Corvian, a charter school in Charlotte whose football program was founded in 2022. Chris Amill’s Cardinals went 6-0 this season in Catawba Shores 2A/3A/4A play.

Last season, Corvian was the 1A state runner-up, also as the west’s #5 seed, falling to Tarboro, 45-24, in the finals.


Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.


Error! There was an error processing your request.