Boaz, Gosnell Star in State Championship Win
DURHAM - East Surry waited one year to avenge a 50-10 loss to traditional powerhouse Tarboro in the NCHSAA 1AA state championship, and Saturday was its payoff.
Both teams entered the 2019 North Carolina 1AA state championship game unbeaten, but East Surry came away having fulfilled its mission with a 56-28 win.
Two of the most dominant performers on the field for the Cardinals were current North Carolina class of 2020 commits Jefferson Boaz and Stephen Gosnell.
Boaz, a 6-foot-8 quarterback, had video-game stats as he completed 33 of 42 passes for 478 yards with seven touchdowns and ran for a score. The passing yards and touchdowns are new state championship game records. He was named as the game's Most Valuable Player.
Gosnell, a 6-foot-2 wide receiver, tallied 13 receptions for 206 yards with two touchdowns. He was named as East Surry's Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game.
THI was on site and got the following interviews about the state championship game and their views on Coach Mack Brown and the Tar Heels.
JEFFERSON BOAZ Game Notes
*Boaz started off the game hot as he connected on his first nine passes amassing 182 yards in the first quarter. Two of the completions were touchdown passes to Landon Stevens and Stephen Gosnell. Stevens will be at UNC next season as a preferred walk-on.
*Boaz also connected with Gosnell on two occasions to covert first downs. The first was a fourth-down pass to the Tarboro 3-yard -ine to set up his own touchdown run on a quarterback sneak. A third down conversion midway through the second quarter kept a drive alive that also resulted in another touchdown.
*Boaz had plenty of time to find his receivers and finished the firt half 19 of 27 for 288 yards with four touchdowns and a touchdown run . East Surry led 35-21.
*He started off the third quarter with a short touchdown pass to Dillon Mosley and finished up the fourth quarter touchdown passes to Stevens and Mosley again.
*In the second half, he was nearly perfect as he completed 14 of 15 passes for 190 yards with three touchdowns.
*Boaz was very poised in the offensive backfield and wasn't pressured all game. The Vikings did sack him once, but he did an excellent job distributing the football..
STEPHEN GOSNELL Game Notes
*Gosnell had a big first half and he caught seven passes for 111 yards with two touchdowns. He caught several key passes to continue East Surry scoring drives. When East Surry needed a big play it usually looked for Gosnell.
*He catches the ball in traffic and can turn a 5-yard pass into a 50-yarder with ease. His most effective route in the short to intermediate routes over the middle or slants.
*In the second half, he caught six passes for 95 yards. He used his great hands to convert first downs to continue Cardinal drives.
*One of his best abilities is his vision. He runs excellent routes and can see the whole field. He is just a playmaker.
NOTE: Stevens caught 10 passes for 179 yards with 2 touchdowns in the win.