Bulls no match for Moore, Vikings’ potent ground game
Senior tailback rushes for 161 yards, two scores
By Josh McCann
CONCORD - D.J. Moore devoured a strawberry milkshake and then feasted on a young Hickory Ridge defense, powering Central Cabarrus High’s football team to a 34-7 win at home.
Despite heaving up his pregame meal midway through the first half, Moore bulled his way to 161 yards and two touchdowns, pacing the Vikings to their first win of the season after two losses by a combined five points.
Rushing against several former Vikings’ junior varsity players now suiting up for Cabarrus County’s first-year high school reminded Moore of an intrasquad scrimmage.
“It felt like scout-team offense,” Moore said. “They took some of our players, so I thought I’d hurt them, too.”
Moore’s meal selection upset coach Glen Cook, but the senior runner amassed 138 yards on 19 carries in the first half before finishing with his 161 on 25 carries.
“He’s just a strong kid,” Cook said of Moore, who racked up 200 yards last week. “If he gets his shoulders square and turned north-south, he’s pretty doggone good.”
Hickory Ridge coach Marty Paxton said his seniorless squad was physically outmatched against Central’s ground-dominated attack.
The Vikings (1-2) completed only one pass, a 57-yard touchdown on a broken play, but they limited the Ragin’ Bulls (1-2) to 47 yards of first-half offense while scoring early in each of the first two quarters to build a 19-0 advantage.
After giving up those two scores on runs by Moore and quarterback Quentin Gay, Hickory Ridge turned the ball over on the first play of consecutive drives late in the half, setting up two Dakota Dimon field goals.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Paxton said. “We just didn’t really have anything for (Moore).”
Central extended its advantage to 26-0 on quarterback Quentin Gay’s long toss to Marquell O’Brien before the Bulls broke through.
With an 80-yard connection, quarterback Brett Lilly found streaking receiver Martin Murrell, who also scored his school’s first touchdown last week.
Moore finished off the scoring with a 21-yard fourth-quarter dash, capping a sweet victory after listening to a week of hype from former schoolmates.
Afterward, Moore pledged not to make any more dietary mistakes. He said the Vikings are out to prove they’ve been underestimated by those who suspect their depleted roster will produce a down year.
“We’re a sleeping team,” Moore said. “We’re trying to put Central on the map.”