Jul. 23—GREENSBORO — Travis Hunter and Taujmel Mouzon took advantage of being on the field one last time.
Hunter and Mouzon, both from Thomasville, anchored a strong defensive effort as the West defeated the East 7-0 in the NCCA East-West All-Star football game Wednesday at Jamieson Stadium.
“We played great,” Hunter said. “The defense held them to a doughnut, the offense made plays when they needed to, and shoutout to special teams — our kicker set it up for us the whole game.”
“It was a great experience,” Mouzon said. “It was good. I had fun with these guys. The other team was great, but we just played harder.”
Hunter, a linebacker, finished with three tackles (two solo, one assist), while Mouzon, a defensive lineman, tallied one tackle as the West made a couple key plays on offense and defense that proved to be the difference in a tight game.
After a scoreless first half, Crest’s Caleb Borders caught a 38-yard pass from T.C. Roberson’s Brody Whitson that set up Eastern Guilford’s Hezekia Newby for a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
That gave the West the advantage, and they hung on the rest of the way.
“We all came here to work,” Mouzon said. “We all came here for the same thing, and everyone was on the same page. We had a good team.”
The West barely outgained the East 155-150. But it made the big offensive play to set up the game’s only score.
Plus, six sacks on defense, an interception by A.C. Reynolds’ Marc Golden and a 43-yard average by North Davidson punter Jake Marion helped keep the East in check.
During the second quarter, one of Marion’s kicks was downed at the East 2-yard line. A pair of runs went nowhere and Hunter very nearly recorded a safety, but the East barely escaped.
“Our D-linemen really set it up,” Hunter said. “They jammed the fullback and all the linemen back into the end zone. Unfortunately us linebackers got there just a little bit slow. But we still made the play.”
Hunter, who was all-conference as a senior, said he plans to enter the military, while Mouzon is undecided about his plans. So, the opportunity for the duo — who reunited with former Thomasville coach Doug Robertson, the West head coach who is now at Page — to end their careers with a win was a positive.
“It’s fantastic,” Hunter said. “I got to prove that I can compete with the best. And I will always remember that for the rest of my life.”
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