Pirates give Spangler winning exit

FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville and Matewan combined to score 79 points in just over two quarters of play in a wild contest at Fletcher Arritt Stadium Friday night.

When the dust had settled, the Pirates came away with a 40-39 victory that will leave them waiting to see if they will squeeze into the Class A playoffs.

“We’re playing the waiting game,” Fayetteville coach Frank Spangler said. “Our kids played hard. They were down and they fought back. I’m real proud of them.”

With Matewan up 39-32, Fayetteville (6-4) got the ball back with 3:23 remaining in the contest at the Tigers’ 45-yard line. Quarterback Jeff Preast connected with receiver Daniel Lightner for a 41-yard strike on the first play from scrimmage and tailback Josh Cottle pounded the ball into the end zone on the next play. Cottle added the two-point conversion, breaking three tackles on his way to paydirt.

The problem for the Pirates was that they only used 29 seconds off the clock.

“I was worried that we scored too quick,” Spangler said. “Sure enough we did.”

Matewan (5-5) began a final drive down the field, starting at its own 28-yard line. The Tigers would convert two fourth-down plays on their march down the field. With 15 ticks left on the clock, quarterback James Lester hooked up with Brandon Whitt for a 14-yard pass that put the Tigers on the Fayetteville 8-yard line.

After Lester spiked the ball, Matewan lined up to attempt a 23-yard field goal. At the snap, the Pirates broke through the Matewan ranks and sophomore Jordan Roark blocked the kick as time expired to preserve the win.

“We’ve been in a bunch of these games,” Matewan coach Yogi Kinder said. “We won two close ones and lost two close ones. That’s the way it goes.”

Cottle led the Fayetteville attack, rushing for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and returning a kick 79 yards for another score.

Calvin Wilkerson produced a 218-yard, four-TD ground game for the Tigers and added an 85-yard kick return for a fifth score.

Spangler ends a 28-year career at Fayetteville on a winning note.

“This is my last game as head coach,” Spangler said. “I’m stepping down.

“If we play next week, that’s a different story. I’ll coach the rest of the year. As far as the regular season goes, this is my last home game here as a head coach. I’m going to step down and let someone else take it.”