By Jim O'Hara
 
ROME, Ga. – They were hoping to close out the season on a positive note.

Instead, the Shorter Hawks were left with a sour taste in their mouths as the one problem that has plagued them all season – a letdown in the second half – came back to haunt them as the North Greenville Crusaders defeated Shorter 42-16 in the 18^th annual NCCAA Victory Bowl on Saturday afternoon at Barron Stadium.

Shorter, who led 10-7 at the half, closes out the season with a 3-8 record and a seven-game losing skid, while the Crusaders improve to 7-5.

After the Hawks grabbed the three-point at halftime thanks to a 36-yard field goal by senior kicker Kenny Langford in the final seconds of the first half, North Greenville came out of the locker room quickly changing the game's momentum in their favor recovering a fumble on the opening kick-off of the second half in the end zone and two minutes later adding another touchdown to take command of the game.

Quarterback Nelson Hughes directed the North Greenville attack that ended the game with 411 yards, completing 19 of 28 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns, with receiver Robbie Brown hauling in nine passes for 139 yards. Brown was named the Offensive Player of the Game.

The Hawks finished the day gaining 365 yards, as senior quarterback Eric Dodson rushed for 81 yards and sophomore fullback B.J. McCoy added 68 yards on the ground where Shorter rolled up 282 yards. Shorter sophomore linebacker Jevaris Jones was named the Defensive Player of the Game coming up with seven solo tackles and forced two fumbles.

The Crusaders struck first on their first series of the afternoon when North Georgia put together a seven-play, 61-yard drive that ended with Simeon Byrd broke into the end zone from 14 yards out with 9:06 left in the opening quarter and Justin Gravely added the extra point to give NGU the 7-0 lead.

Shorter, however, immediately responded on their ensuing possession as the Hawks covered 78 yards on 12 snaps, the final one resulting in a 1-yard touchdown run by Dodson and Langford's PAT with 2:05 left in the first period knotted the game up.

The Hawks' defense then stood their ground three time in the during the second quarter, the first stand coming with Santavious Bryant – he had an interception at the start of the stanza – recovered a fumble at the Shorter 19 with under nine minutes to play, and the second coming with 1:42 to go in the half when Jordan Shaw forced the Crusaders to cough up the ball at the Hawks' 1 and Reggie Brown fell on the loose ball.

From there, Shorter took off the other way and with four seconds left until the break, Langford nailed a 36-yard field goal that eventually gave the Hawks a 10-7 lead.

But when the two teams came back on the field for the final 30 minutes, the Crusaders quickly turned the game's momentum around when, on the second half kick-off, the Hawks fumbled the ball, which rolled into the end zone where North Greenville's Rashad Simmons fell on it to put NGU back into the lead 14-10 with just nine seconds elapsed on the clock.

After the Hawks went 3-and-out on their first series of the second half, North Greenville was back in business starting their next possession at the Shorter 49 and seven plays later the Crusaders added to the lead when Hughes lofted a seven-yard pass into the back right corner of the end zone where Mason Sanders made a one-handed catch for the touchdown to give his team a 21-10 advantage.

But Shorter shook off the slow second-half start and on their next series regrouped, taking the ball 79 yards on 11 plays – a 19-yard gainer by Dodson highlighted the series – and with 4:47 to go in the third quarter Aaron Bryant found a hole up the middle to score from 10 yards out to make it 21-16 as the extra point failed.

That didn't stop North Greenville from adding to its lead.

Following the Hawks' touchdown, the Crusaders capped a 65-yard drive with 13:56 remaining in the game when Byrd scored from a yard out to give his team a 28-16 lead, and more than two minutes later they were back in the end zone when Hughes hit Brown with a 42-tard touchdown pass that gave North Greenville a commanding 35-16 edge.

North Greenville added one last touchdown with just over seven minutes remaining when Charles Coleman pounced on a fumble in the Hawks' end zone.