Second place didn't seem like much motivation for an Asheville High football team accustomed to winning conference titles.  Now first place, that's a different story.

The Cougars rallied from a 10-point, second-half deficit Friday night to ruin North Buncombe's senior night and score a stirring 14-10 victory in the Mountain Athletic Conference. The win, combined with Tuscola's stunning home loss to Roberson, gives Asheville (7-3, 5-1) at least a share of the MAC title for the fourth straight season.

“It doesn't get any better than this,” Asheville senior Wells Fanning said. “We came out playing for second and hoping to play for a share of first, and things went our way.”

Throughout the game, fans, players and coaches could hear that Roberson (6-4, 3-3) was rolling to a 49-20 win over the Mountaineers (10-1, 5-1).

“I think later in the game those announcements from Haywood County just helped us out,” Fanning said. “Hearing that Tuscola was about to take its first loss all year, I think it helped us all.”

In the first half, Asheville didn't look like a team that was playing for much. North Buncombe (7-4, 3-3) led 7-0 at halftime with only 105 yards of offense. Asheville was even worse, with just 69 yards in the first half.

Abraham Rosales gave North Buncombe a 10-0 lead with a 38-yard field goal, capitalizing on a recovered onside kick to start the second half.

From there, it was all Asheville. The Cougars scored on their next two drives, moving the ball primarily on the ground.

“I think we came out and our intensity level wasn't as high as it was at the beginning of the game,” North Buncombe coach Carey Metts said. “Asheville just challenged us with the run and said, ‘We're going to shove it down your throat.' And they did.”

Tailback Greg Ray capped an 80-yard, 12-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. He had to break a tackle just to make it out of the backfield.

On Asheville's next drive, Ray scored on an 18-yard run on a fourth-and-two play. The run gave the Cougars' their first lead of the game with 8:46 left in the fourth quarter.

It was a significant turnaround from the first half, when Asheville started three possessions in the North Buncombe territory and came up with nothing each time.

Asheville coach Danny Wilkins said he used the Roberson-Tuscola game as inspiration during halftime.

“That loud speaker is so loud over here you can't help but hear it – even if you were trying to tune it out,” Wilkins said. ““ We knew there was a chance for a championship sitting out here on the field if we just came back out here and got it done.

“I'm extremely proud of our kids.”