June 1st
The Carolina Cobras looked to bounce back from one of their worst losses in team history by taking down the Columbus Lions while on the road. Carolina did just that by holding on to a lead over Columbus with a final score of 52-43. Charles Mccullum went 22 of 40 for 238 yards in the game while netting five passing touchdowns and a single rushing one as well.
The first quarter of play seemed to rush by with the Carolina Cobras scoring on their opening drive. Cobras QB Charles McCullum found LaVon Pearson then forced the Lions into a missed field goal by Columbus kicker Blake Erickson. Then, Jordan Jolly got his first touchdown reception of the contest. Before the end of the first 15 minutes, Columbus would get points on the board by the efforts of Luke Collis connecting with Bones Bagaunte, cutting the Cobras lead in half.
The back and forth continued in the Columbus Civic Center with McCullum and crew moving down field and finishing off the drive with Kyrin Priester receiving a pitched ball for another Cobras touchdown and bringing the tally to 21-7. In a very similar fashion with Collis handing off to Kamryn Pettway for a Lions touchdown. Before the end of the half, Pearson made his second touchdown of the night to give the cobras a 24-14 lead two heading to the locker rooms.
The second-half continued the battle with Pettway getting another rushing touchdown, Carolina kept pace with the air attack seeing Jolly nabbing a 12-yard toss for his second of the night. Bagante and Pearson once more matched touchdowns in the struggle to give Carolina the lead 42-27 with 15 minutes left on the regulation clock. Columbus refuse to go down without a fight, started the opening drive of the fourth quarter with Bagaunte’s third touchdown catch combined with a two-point conversion sweep by Paris Mack. Columbus’s defense also managed to stop Carolina from finding the End Zone on their ensuing Drive, but Cobras kicker Brandon Rutherford took the opportunity to hit a 23-yard field goal tilting the scoreboard further in Carolina’s favor with a 10 point lead.
The Lions continued to push back with another touchdown drive with Collis finding DeAndre Brown on the reception and head coach Jason Gibson’s call for a two-point conversion was positive with Bagante as the recipient. Coach Gibson called for a onside kick attempt with just 18 seconds left and his Lions trailing by just two points. The kick was errant and cut out of bounds to give Carolina the ball back at the 5-yard line. What time still on the clock McCullum pushed for three players and found the end zone himself on the quarterback keep. Leaving the final score at 52-43 for the Carolina cobras as the clock hit zero.
The win moves the Carolina cobras to 5-2 on the season as they prepare to take on the New York streets next Saturday night June 8th. The Columbus Lions also fall to 2-4 on the season and 0-2 in the season series against the Carolina Cobras. The Carolina cobras game versus the New York streets will be live streamed on the National Arena League’s YouTube channel and fans are encouraged to join the Carolina Cobras road game watch party at Cooper’s Ale House on South Swing Road in Greensboro.
