How Berry beat Harding on a touchdown pass with 10 seconds left
Five minutes after what might have been the biggest play of his young career, Berry sophomore quarterback Jahari Wilson exited the locker room alone, looked out over the now-empty field, and sighed.
Read more Wegmans is coming: We got an early look into the Charlotte region’s first store
“It’s very, very, very meaningful,” he said after leading Berry to a 19-14 win over rival Harding, ending a three-game losing streak, “because last year, we didn’t come out victorious. But this year we did.”
On a pass both teams will remember long after Friday night, Wilson delivered a 24-yard strike to Nana-Kwabena Mensah on first-and-10 with 10 seconds remaining to win the Battle of Alleghany Street at home.
The two schools are separated by less than a mile.
Just two minutes before Berry’s heroics, Harding had the ball in its own territory up 14-12, looking just to run out the clock out. But when the Cardinals used their final timeout after a Harding quarterback kneel, the math ensured the home team would get the ball back.
“We started talking around second down, like hey, ‘If we get one shot, we got one play that we’ve seen that could work,’” Berry coach Darius Robinson said.
Harding decided to kneel three more times — and the result was a turnover on downs deep in its own territory.
Wilson, who completed 10 of his 21 pass attempts, saved his best for his coach’s decisive play, finding Mensah open on a post.
“Going through practice, we always practice this moment,” he said. “Being able to look down the field and find my guys — I really appreciate the front line for giving me that time, and I appreciate my receiver for catching the ball.”
Wilson ended the game with just over 102 yards and that one touchdown.
“The kid grew up tonight,” Robinson said. “He’s only a sophomore, and we kinda threw him in the fire this year. But for him to stay in the pocket like he did and still believe in himself and his teammates — kudos to him.”
Read more Wake Forest stays perfect on the road after second-half surge at NC State
Wilson delivered the decisive play, but junior running back Christopher Brown helped put Berry in position to win. Brown, who came into the game with an injury, did not get his first rush until the second half, which Berry entered down 6-0. And once Brown got started, nobody could stop him.
In the third quarter alone, Brown rushed it eight times for 65 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown run to tie the game.
“Great downhill runner, kid is a load to tackle,” Robinson said. “He showed it tonight.”
Harding answered with a rushing touchdown of its own, and a two-point conversion put it up by eight.
But despite an incredible Berry drive — a fourth-and-12 overhead catch by Mensah and then Brown running through five people for an 8-yard touchdown rush — Berry got stuffed on the two-point conversion and the game looked all but over.
Harding, however, gave Berry one more chance, and that’s all the Cardinals needed.
“We really practice self-control,” Wilson said. “So going throughout the school days and practices, we practice self-control and keeping our composure.”
Read more Ben Affleck Gets Candid About Coparenting Dynamic With Ex Jennifer Garner
Harding 0 6 0 8 — 14
Berry 0 0 6 13 — 19
SECOND QUARTER
H: Tytan Smith 5 run (kick failed)
THIRD QUARTER
B: Christopher Brown 22 run (kick failed)
FOURTH QUARTER
H: Jamarcus Hairston 3 run (Tytan Smith run)
B: Brown 8 run (run failed)
B: Nana-kwabena Mensah 24 pass from Jahari Wilson (Natanael Watt kick)
