In the final minute of the first quarter, Madison got on the scoreboard when quarterback Robbie Shelton completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Gonzalez. 
With two minutes remaining in the half, the Patriots scored again on a 10-yard run by Brandon Henderson. Madison kicker Blake Moore missed the extra-point attempt, leaving the score 13-7 at halftime.
Turnovers and penalties continued to plague the BlackHawk offense.
The Patriots capitalized on a North Buncombe mistake late in the third quarter when Dustin Fender recovered a fumble in the Patriots’ end zone.  Andy Buckner added a two-point conversion, giving Madison a 21-7 lead. 
On the BlackHawks’ next drive, quarterback Christian Jewkes had a long run to set up another North Buncombe touchdown.  Sophomore running back Cole Leighton ran in to score from 13 yards out to bring North Buncombe to within a touchdown. 
The Hawks were unable to keep the Patriots from moving the ball into field-goal territory.  With seven minutes remaining in the game, Madison’s Moore kicked a 26-yard field goal for the final score of the night.
It was obviously a very frustrating game for North Buncombe fans, players and coaches alike. “Madison is a strong team this year and they came ready to play,” NBHS Head Football Coach Carey Metts said.  “Our team made too many costly mistakes to be able to beat them.” 
The game was far from polished for either team.  Together they combined for a total of 13 fumbles, eight of which belonged to the BlackHawks.  “The ball was everywhere and we just couldn’t get it together,” Metts continued.  “It’s hard enough to lose games when you play well but it’s a lot worse when you nearly hand a game over to someone.  It is just really disheartening especially when you think of all the time we work on not making these same type mistakes.  We obviously have a lot more to work on.”
Despite the team’s lapses, North Buncombe’s defense had several strong stands to help keep the game in reach.  Corey Wilson again led the North Buncombe defense with 10 tackles.  Other leading defenders were Matt Griffin, Michael Bustle, Jessie Ketterman and Dillan Shetley.
North Buncombe totaled 152 yards offense on the night, with Jewkes accounting for 84 of those.  Shelton, Leighton, Collin Lilly and Dalton Friel were other leading offensive players.  Henderson led the Patriots offense, rushing for 182 yards, while Shelton threw for another 101.
The BlackHawks will host the Pisgah Bears on Friday night (Sept. 3).  Kick-off will be at 7:30 pm.

When two females entered the store around 7 pm on Sunday (Aug. 22) at 1164 Barnardsville Highway and demanded money, Brown said she refused and entered into a struggle with one of the suspects. She received a black eye for her efforts.
When they grabbed the register, Brown reached for a bat and retaliated, resulting in a scuffle in the front of the store that was caught by surveillance cameras.
“I might not have had the right decision, but it was my first instinct,” Brown said.
The suspects broke the cash register and fled the store, but they were unable to get the cash drawer open.
After breaking free of the skirmish, Brown flagged down a patron in the parking lot. They were able to grab the license plate of the suspects as they sped off.
Deputies from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office responded, and investigators were able to track down the suspects after they wrecked a short time later.
Andrea Dawn Minardi and Lindsey Paige Metcalf were arrested and charged with robbery and assault.
Brown, who has been with the store for more than two years, did not want the attention at first, but she said she now sees the experience as an opportunity to let others know of their options in similar harrowing circumstances.