By Jim Hart/Contributing Writer
jimhartrealestate@gmail.com

MURFREESBORO
The Chowan University Hawks fell prey to the Virginia Union University Panthers, even though a second-half rally showed the true spirit and determination of the Hawks. Falling behind to the Panthers at the close of the first half 34-7 proved to be too much of a deficit to overcome, even with a dominating second half and the Hawks dropped another home CIAA game 40-29.

Chowan came out looking dominant on their first possession. After a turnover on downs by VUU and a punt fielded by Chowan starting on their own 46 yard line, the Hawks were the first to put points on the board with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Dain McFarland to DeSean Martin. The extra point was good by Hahula, giving the Hawks an early 7-0 lead with 12:50 left in the first quarter.

VUU was quick to react and scored their first touchdown of the night with a 9-yard completion from Kenneth Graham to Lennworth Lennon with 9:29 left in the first quarter. However, the extra point was blocked by Kenny Watt, allowing Chowan to retain the lead. After a turnover on downs, the Panthers marched down the field quickly and put another touchdown on the board with a 53-yard completion from wide receiver Jussie York to Jamaal Wright and with the extra point took the lead for good 13-7 with 5:23 left in the first quarter. Both teams would remain scoreless for the remainder of the first quarter.

The Panthers would dominate the Hawks during the second quarter, capitalizing on the Hawk’s struggling defense to contain them as well as turnovers. The Panthers put up 21 unanswered points during the second half. The 3 touchdowns for the Panthers came from a 68-yard touchdown pass from Graham to York, an 86-yard sprint up the middle by Cassius McDowell and a 39-yard touchdown pass from Graham to Lennon. All 3 of the extra point attempts by Krepick were good, forcing the Hawks into the locker room at halftime trailing 34-7.

On the first possession of the second half the Hawks came out screaming, and in just under 2 minutes of possession of the ball Martin took the pigskin across the goal line on a short but hard-fought 2-yard touchdown run, and Hahula’s kick was good bringing the Hawks to 34-14. This was answered by a 41-yard fieldgoal by Krepick for the Panthers, with the Hawks trailing 37-14. The remainder of the quarter was a battle of series of downs with no scoring by either team.

The fourth quarter was all Hawks. Trailing 37-14 going into the fourth quarter, it was going to be an uphill battle, but the Hawks put on a fine display of determination and a never-quit attitude. With the defense now in an upbeat frame of mind and rejuvenated confidence, they would not allow the Panthers in the endzone at anytime. The only score was a 55-yard field goal by Troy Krepick bringing the score to 40-14 with 12:45 left in the game.

Chowan was quick to respond on its next possession marching 79 yards down field in 8 plays with a 37 yard touchdown pass from McFarland to Williams and then with a 2 point conversion from McFarland to Randall. This brought the score to 40-22 in favor of the Panthers. After a turnover of downs by VUU, Chowan took over the ball at their own 46 yard line and in 7 plays marched down field for another Chowan touchdown with a 6-yard TD completion from McFarland to J.R. Williams and a successful kick by Hahula bringing the tally 40-22 with 10:29 remaining.

There would be time now for only one more score, which would be a touchdown by the Hawks with another McFarland pass to Williams (6 yards) and another successful extra point by Hahula. This final score would cover 54 yards in 7 plays and eat up 2:27 of time on the clock.

With another set of turnover by downs by both teams, time ran out for the Hawks.

Even though they had overcome a large deficit from the half and out- scored their opponent 22-6 points during the second half, the Hawks would carry their loss into the locker room with a final score of 40-29. This brings the Hawks to a CIAA record of 0-4 and 1-6 overall for the year.

Chowan carried the ball 33 times for a total of 94 yards and accumulated 262 yards in the air. They threw 33 passes with 18 completions and 3 touchdowns.

Chowan suffered a total of six turnovers with 2 interceptions and 4 fumbles lost. Williams led the Hawks rushing with 6 carries for 81 yards, followed by Anthony Clanton with 10 carries for 30 yards and DaSean Martin with 10 for 21 yards and 1 touchdown. Receiving was led by Antjuan Martin, who had 5 receptions for 80 yards. He was followed by Dexter Green who had 3 catches for 57 yards, and Williams who caught 3 passes for 47 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

Dain McFarland was 18 for 32 with 2 interceptions and 3 touchdowns. On the defense, Kemaree Alcorn was credited with 2 sacks.