Chris Norman Quotations

When you're trying to build a schedule with six non-conference games and play good competition, these are games you need to play. If we go up there, play well and don't get beat up too bad, it was a good trip. If we don't play well, get beat all up and lose the game, then I guess it was a bad trip.

We did face a lot of adversity at Brevard and our guys did a good job bouncing back. We were playing fullback by committee there so it was a true team win.

My hats off to our sports medicine staff. They've done a great job of getting them back together and the doctors that we're working with have been great. We held them out an extra week, and that's a good thing, because we need them to be ready.

I thought we just executed better in the second half. Lincolnton's defense gave us a fit up front in the first half. It took us a little time to get Doug going and to get his feet wet.

Our kids were able to hang on to it at the end. I went up to Arsenio and told him 'everybody in the stadium knows you're getting the ball, just hang on to it.' That's not the time to get real fancy.

Our offensive line did a good job and we had Mitch Bridges back this week. I also thought our defensive front seven did the job. Our linebackers played a lot better this week than they did in the second half and were able to hold a good running back like (Darryl) Vereen down (to 49 yards).

I'm sure both of us would like to come out with a win, but it's a long season. I just hope our kids come out focused.

With all the injuries, we had to shuffle some kids around and play some both ways. We'll just have to go back to the drawing board Monday and see what we can come up with.

The opening drive in the second half was a big key. Darryl Montgomery did an outstanding job of reading the option.

We've just got to go up there and play well, no matter who we've got.

Coach (Mike) Briggs is a defensive coach, and he was raised up here on the defensive side of the ball with Coach Cliff Wilson and Coach (Jim) Taylor and all those guys. He knows defensive football, so there'll be adjustments made.

Coach Mac thought he could make it, and I thought our defense did a good job stopping them and getting us the ball back.

It was a hard-fought game. We laid the ball on the ground some, but so did they. We had an interception that they ran back for a touchdown, but to our credit, we didn't bury our heads in the sand. They made the plays they had to make in overtime.

Anytime you can get a win against a team like this, it's special. I thought both teams played outstanding. The kids just played hard, and I'll bet there will be a lot a sore kids in the morning.

The kids are disappointed, they're upset and they're mad. But the bottom line was we had opportunities to win the ballgame. We both had chances to win the game in the fourth quarter, and that's just the way the breaks go.