From Citizen-Times.com
By Andrew Pearson

ASHEVILLE — Asheville High quarterback Rahkeem Morgan’s campaign to win every individual postseason award imaginable is back on and then some.  Morgan ran for 254 yards and two touchdowns Friday to go along with 60 passing yards and a third score as the Cougars routed North Buncombe 62-6.

Coach Danny Wilkins’s 80th career victory at Asheville (8-2, 5-1) coincided with his team clinching a share of its third consecutive Mountain Athletic Conference championship.  “We needed to come out and make a statement tonight and I thought we did,” Morgan said. “We were frustrated with the way we played last week at Franklin (where the Cougars lost, 21-20). I really have to give all the credit to my line tonight, they really blocked well and showed that they were a good line.”

Morgan, who needs only 228 more yards to break Asheville’s school record for career passing (2,760 yards), broke four runs for 40 yards or more Friday. Spenser Clement, Giovanni McKnight, Greg Ray and Marcus Thorpe added touchdown runs for the Cougars and Phillip Lamy caught Morgan’s only touchdown pass — a 23-yarder on fourth down — with 46 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Asheville’s defense held a MAC opponent to single-digit scoring for the fifth time this season. And in addition to forcing five turnovers, the Cougars got interception returns for touchdowns by senior Antonio Carson and sophomore Jamal Johnson.

“Our defense really adjusted well,” Wilkins said. “This was a good way to come back from a loss. Now we’re just like every other team in the state waiting to see (the NCHSAA playoff) brackets. We’ll wait to see what the computers spit out (today).”

Coming off a bye week, North Buncombe (8-3, 4-2) was rested and resolute for the opportunity to capture its first conference football championship since 1995. But a promising start quickly dissipated into a predictable ending.

The Black Hawks took their first drive down the field effortlessly, using just 4:35 to go 73 yards. Junior quarterback Randy Pressley’s ninth and final carry of the series was a

2-yard touchdown run.

But after spotting North Buncombe the 6-0 lead, Asheville reeled off 21 unanswered points. Morgan’s first carry of the game went 40 yards for a touchdown. And then Clement barreled in from 15 yards out just over three minutes later to give the Cougars the lead for good.

Black Hawks coach Carey Metts pulled Pressley and senior running back Christian West out of the game midway through the third quarter. At one point, Pressley put his helmet back on and tried to return to the game but was shooed back to the sidelines. He finished the evening with 22 carries for 115 yards, while West added 72 yards.

“At that point (when Pressley was pulled), we just didn’t want to get anyone hurt,” Black Hawks coach Carey Metts said.

“Asheville was the better team tonight, that’s all you can say. We had some sparks, but we couldn’t sustain anything.”