By Romando Dixson, Asheville Citizen-Times

November 15, 2008 - The Asheville High defense didn't always have an answer for R-S Central, but the Cougars' offense passed its first postseason test with flying colors.  Senior tailback Greg Ray scored three touchdowns and rushed for 152 yards Friday at Memorial Stadium, leading the No. 6 seed Cougars to a 42-24 win over 11th-seeded R-S Central in the NCHSAA 3-A football playoffs. Asheville (8-3) will play the winner of tonight's Tuscola-Hunter Huss game next week in the second round.

The Cougars led 21-3 at halftime but didn't seal the victory until late in the game. R-S Central started to take over in the second half and cut its deficit to 28-24 with 9:52 in the fourth quarter.

But Asheville responded with an 83-yard scoring drive that ate up almost seven minutes off the clock. Ray scored from 2 yards out, and the Cougars took a 35-24 lead with 2:54 left in the game.

“The big thing was our offense responding,” Asheville coach Danny Wilkins said. “We couldn't afford to punt them the ball back with the momentum on their side. We got the rushing game going down the stretch. It was just huge. We got the momentum back and turned it into a two-score game. I was proud of the way we responded.”

Asheville quarterback Brandon Whiteside completed 11 of 16 passes for 150 yards, helping the Cougars amass 395 yards of offense.

Senior Tyequan Finley made two catches for 24 yards, but they were both big. He caught a 5-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left in the first half. He also picked up 19 yards on a key third-down conversion in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, Finley returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown, accounting for the Cougars' final score.

“I'm just playing my role,” Finley said. “I'm a captain on the team, so I have to step up. A lot of things I do are magnified. So if I make a big play it helps the team with momentum.

“We have a lot of playmakers on our team. So I'm just a part of something real special.”