MARS HILL, N.C. — Cole Watson was 11 years old the last time Newberry defeated Mars Hill on the Lions’ home turf.

At 21, the senior wide receiver torched the Lions’ secondary for a career-high 151 yards on 10 catches to help Newberry to a come-from-behind 35-21 win at Meares Stadium.

The Wolves scored 28 consecutive second-half points to turn a precarious halftime deficit into a rout before a cosmetic Mars Hill touchdown with 1:18 remaining cut the final margin to 14 points. Watson was held out of the end zone but had a propensity for explosive plays, tallying six catches of at least 10 yards and counting a leaping 30-yard effort as his longest reception of the day.

Watson had nearly half of Newberry’s 313 receiving yards, all thrown by senior quarterback Raleigh Yeldell. The signal-caller finished the game in 22nd place on Newberry’s single-game passing yardage list with the third-highest output of his career and eighth career 250-yard passing game.

The Edgefield native moved from 17th to eighth in Newberry’s single-season total offense rankings on the afternoon, becoming the 10th Newberry player with at least 2,000 in a campaign. He also became the fifth quarterback in school history with 4,000 passing yards, finishing the day with 4,263.

Yeldell currently has 2,094 yards of total offense (1,851 passing, 243 rushing) on the season and has five games remaining to chase down Josh Stepp’s school-record 3,213-yard season in 2004.

Newberry’s defense, epitomizing a bend-but-don’t-break mentality, made big play after big play throughout the contest, particularly in the first half, to prevent Mars Hill from pulling away while the offense settled into a rhythm. The Wolves tied their season high with three interceptions, including the first two of senior free safety Marcus Brown’s career and junior linebacker Rameak Smith’s first-ever pick.

The Wolves forced five punts and two turnovers on downs, but elevated their effectiveness into high gear after halftime. Newberry forced punts on Mars Hill’s first two drives to set up touchdowns by the Wolves’ offense.

The Lions’ next three drives were ended by an interception, a turnover on downs, and a punt while the Newberry offense put two more scores on the board. Only until the final two minutes of the game did Mars Hill find the end zone for a third time in the contest.

Will Elm led the Wolves with a game-high 13 tackles; Joe Blue chipped in 12. Jaquille Oden counted 2.0 tackles for loss among his nine tackles, while Jamarcus Henderson had 3.0 tackles for loss, including a six-yard loss on a Mars Hill jet sweep on 4th and 1 from the 18 on the Lions’ first drive.

Newberry snapped a four-game Lions’ winning streak in Mars Hill, where the Wolves had won just four times in 21 tries coming into Saturday’s contest. The Wolves have now won five consecutive games overall, their longest winning streak since beginning the 2013 season 6-0.

Wesley Jordan had two catches for 46 yards on the day, both of which came on the same second-quarter drive. His leaping grab in double coverage went for 30 yards down the near sideline three plays before another acrobatic catch and ensuing toe-tap as his momentum carried him out of bounds went for a 16-yard score to tie the game at 7-7.

Keinan Lewis had the longest reception of the day for either team, catching a slant pattern, slipping a tackle, and cutting down the seam for a 57-yard score. Newberry receivers hauled in 23 of Yeldell’s 33 attempts, while two Mars Hill quarterbacks combined to go 20-for-43 for 199 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Romelo Doctor scored from one and two yards out on his way to 73 yards on just 11 carries. Rondreas Truesdale netted 82 yards and a 22-yard score on his 10 carries to lead the Wolves on the afternoon.

Jamel Harbison led the Lions with 206 rushing yards on 41 carries, becoming the first opposing rusher to top 200 yards since Harlon Hill Trophy winner Jonas Randolph went for 221 yards in the 2011 meeting between with Mars Hill.

Newberry will look for to match its longest winning streak of the last 10 seasons next week against Carson-Newman on Homecoming Saturday at Setzler Field. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

Senior wide receiver Cole Watson finished with 10 catches for 151 yards.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_714e641d-3101-4d1a-8a8c-530008d0bf77.jpgSenior wide receiver Cole Watson finished with 10 catches for 151 yards. Courtesy photo

This release was provided by Newberry College.