ROME, Ga.- The Shorter football team fell to Chowan Saturday afternoon in a heartbreaking 30-29 defeat in their Conference of Carolina's debut.  

Both sides traded possessions in the opening quarter, with no team gaining an advantage. The Hawks established the run game early, with Charles Alia getting the first points of the contest with a goal-line score towards the end of the first quarter. The Hawks of Chowan established their dominance in the air, answering Shorter immediately with a 67-yard touchdown pass to even the score.

Jeb Walls gave the Hawks the lead with 6:00 minutes left in the first half with a two-yard rushing touchdown, bringing some much-needed momentum. After another Chowan touchdown, Jeb Walls ran the ball in on a 20-yard touchdown to make it a one-score game. Chowan continued to answer, scoring with just 16 seconds remaining, but would miss the extra point attempt, giving Shorter the 21-20 lead at the half. 

The second half passed quickly as both teams made the rushing attack their main priority. After a scoreless third quarter, Jahseim Henry helped give Shorter some life after he forced a fumble to put the Hawks in great field position. Despite the fumble, the Hawks failed to take advantage, going three-and-out. At the 5:45 mark, Chowan scored the first points of the second half with a field goal to take the 23-21 lead. Lanear McCrary Jr. helped lead another dominant drive on the ground with a two-yard score to put Shorter ahead 29-23 after a successful two-point conversion. The Shorter defense continued to fight, but would give up a touchdown to put the Hawks ahead by one. Shorter had two opportunities late, but were met head-on by the Chowan defense, who forced two interceptions to seal the game in a 30-29 final. 

Lanear McCrary Jr. had a great outing, recording 25 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. Jeb Walls recorded two touchdowns on the ground as he ran the ball 14 times for 82 yards. Charles Alia rounded out the Hawks' scoring with a touchdown on 17 carries for 54 yards. Kobe Butts led the defense with 10 tackles, while also tallying 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks with a forced fumble. Bryan Gilmore Jr. and Jeremy Richardson each added six tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Jahseim Henry stepped up as well, recording four tackles, 0.5 sacks, and forcing a fumble. 

The loss drops the Hawks to 1-4 on the season while falling to 0-1 in conference action. 

UP NEXT

Shorter will look to bounce back as they travel to face Ferrum next Saturday at 12:00 PM. 

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