NORTH CARROLLTON — The Charleston High School Tigers defeated the North Carrollton Jaguars 42-12 here Friday night.
The Tigers improved their resume to 4-2 on the season while North Carrollton spiraled downward to 2-6.
More importantly, Charleston is a perfect 2-0 in Region 3-2A standings pending a huge showdown this Friday during homecoming at Tiger Stadium in Charleston.
The 7-0 Shelby Northside Gators will come calling for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Northside is 3-0 in the region after last week’s 46-0 shutout of Leland.
Charleston is Northside’s last regional foe of this season, while the Tigers will face 0-8 M.S. Palmer for their region finale next week.
Friday night’s face-off will be for all of the marbles in Region 3-2A.
Northside will present a formidable challenge for his team, CHS head coach Rasheed DeBerry suggested.
“They are always a real fast, physical team. They kind of remind me a lot of us,” he said. “It’s always fun playing those guys. We kind of know each other a little bit.”
Last year, Charleston topped Northside twice — first in the regular season and then in the Class 2A North Half game. In fact, the Tigers have defeated the Gators in five consecutive matches, but the 2024 regular-season contest did go into overtime before CHS won 40-34.
“They’re going to be extremely competitive and play a fast, physical brand of football,” said DeBerry. “It’s going to be one of those types of games where we shouldn’t have to do too much talking to get our players up for it. And likewise on their end.”
The Charleston coach said his team is “probably going to be the healthiest we’ve been all year.”
Northside was not Charleston’s first choice for homecoming opponent. Mobile Christian was to face CHS in an Oct. 3 homecoming match, but that team backed out and homecoming had to be kicked on down the road.
“I would rather not have played [Northside] for homecoming and would have rather had it earlier in the year, but it’s one of those things where it is what it is,” said DeBerry.
He noted that he hopes for a large homecoming crowd rooting for the Tigers.
“I just want everybody to come out and support us,” he said. “In spite of the tailgating being canceled, I hope everybody comes out and supports us in the bleachers.”
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At North Carrollton last week, the Tigers were slow out of the gate.
“We started off real sluggish in the first quarter. I was kind of upset about that,” DeBerry said. “But they came on and executed a lot better in the second quarter. We played fairly well.”
Charleston’s first score of the night came on a Marcus “Deuce” Flowers 45-yard touchdown run in the opening period. The two-point try failed, but the Tigers led 6-0.
Early in the second quarter, CHS quarterback Devon Olive connected with wide receiver Demarion Johnson for a 42-yard touchdown. Flowers ran for the conversion and a 14-0 lead.
On the next series, the Tigers recovered a J.Z. George fumble on the home team’s 35-yard line. Flowers would cash in with a 2-yard TD run, and Olive carried for the conversion and 22-0 lead.
The Jaguars’ ensuing drive ended in a punt, and on the first offensive play of the next possession Charleston’s Olive connected with Quentin Carter on a 71-yard touchdown pass and run. The conversion failed. CHS led 28-0.
The Tigers scored again just before the half on a 64-yard Flowers run. The two-point play was unsuccessful, but Charleston led 34-0.
The home team finally got in on the scoring action with a 61-yard rushing touchdown to pull to within 34-6.
On the ensuing kickoff, however, Johnson threw a wet blanket on any enthusiasm when he returned the kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown. Coreyun Spearman carried for the two-point play to put the Tigers up 42-6 at the intermission.
The final points of the night were scored by the Jaguars on a rushing TD with about 4 minutes left in the contest.
Charleston’s 36-point second quarter may have set a record for the program. In a 2010 first-round home playoff against Riverside, coach Tony Vance’s Tigers scored 34 second-quarter points.
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Statistically, Olive completed 4-of-6 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
Flowers rushed 10 times for 169 yards and three scores.
Carter had three receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown in the game.
