The Community Vikings race on the field to start the 2025 football season. (Post Photo by Rickey Clardy)
By RICKEY CLARDY
Sports Writer
UNIONVILLE — The Community Vikings fell behind just 22 seconds into the game and the Vikings could never recover as a flurry of fumbles and mistakes took their toil as Community lost to the Moore County Raiders 42-7 in the 2025 football home opener.
The Vikings kicked off to the Raiders to start the game, and the opening play became an inauspicious beginning for Community as Cole Taylor took the kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown to give Moore County the early lead.
Jax Ros connected on the first of six extra points as the Raiders led 7-0 with 11:38 left in the opening quarter.
“I think the opening kickoff got in their heads,” Coach Glenn Tidwell of the Vikings said. “It’s like we’re back to where we were from the past, and that’s what we’re going to fight all year until we get that out of them, that one play doesn’t define 48 minutes of football.”
A three-and-out forced a punt on the opening Viking possession, but Jarrett Yancey got Community out of danger as his 38-yard punt forced the R
Isaac Jacobs finds some daylight and returns a kickoff 21 yards for the Vikings. (Post Photo by Rickey Clardy)
aiders to start their next possession at midfield.
Moore County used a fourth-down conversion on its possession and scored its second touchdown as Gavin Wise found pay dirt from 10 yards out.
The extra point put the Raiders up 14-0 with 5:22 remaining.
A series of turnovers hurt the Vikings as the Raiders added to their advantage.
A Community fumble on the kickoff gave Moore County excellent field possession and the Raiders turned the fumble into a score as Taylor scored from nine yards out to give Moore County a 21-0 lead.
A fumbled snap on a Viking punt set up the next Raider touchdown as Isaac Petty scored from one yard out on the second play of the second quarter as Moore County went up 28-0.
Another Viking fumble on the next kickoff once again gave the Raiders excellent field position and Moore County responded as Wise connected with Tucker Smith on a 17-yard pass play as the Raiders went up 35-0.
The Vikings moved the ball close to midfield on their next possession, but yet another fumble stopped the drive and gave Moore County the football.
The Raiders scored their final touchdown of the night as Wise threw a 37-yard pass to Taylor as Moore County went up 42-0 at the half as a torrential rainstorm invaded Unionville and forced fans to scurry for cover.
The Vikings were able to find success with two fumble recoveries in the second half.
Community could not score after Guner Harden recovered a Raider fumble, but another fumble recovery by Brandon Richardson set up a Viking score.
Starting on the Raider 30, an 18-yard run by Severen Garman gave the Vikings a first down as the third quarter ended.
Community continued the momentum to start the fourth quarter as Charlie Haskins completed a fourth-down conversion to give the Vikings a first-and-goal at the 1.
Garman finished the drive with the 1-yard run to put Community on the board. The extra point by Yancey cut the Raider lead to 42-7 with 9:20 remaining.
A run of 20 yards by Isaac Jacobs and an 11-yard run by Noah Land highlighted the final Viking possession, but a long scramble by Haskins which ended with a potential touchdown was called back on a penalty as the Vikings ran out of time.
“We went in at halftime and challenged them,” Tidwell said. “We just said let’s work on us in the second half and not care about the score and let’s get better at what we do.”
“We did some really good things in the second half that we should have done in the first half,” Tidwell added.
Community travels to Eagleville for another non-region game next Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m.
Moore Co. 21 21 0 0 — 42
Community 0 0 0 7 — 7
First Quarter
MC — Cole Taylor 84 kickoff return, (Jax Ros kick) 11:38.
MC — Gavin Wise 10 run, (Ros kick) 5:22.
MC — Taylor 9 run, (Ros kick) 3:52.
Second Quarter
MC — Isaac Petty 1 run, (Ros kick) 11:20.
MC — Tucker Smith 17 pass from Wise, (Ros kick) 10:19.
MC — Taylor 37 pass from Wise, (Ros kick) 5:45.
C — Severen Garman 1 run, (Jarrett Yancey kick) 9:20.