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By Eric Montgomery, for the SNAP

Albemarle (2-3) got that bad taste out of their collective mouths on Friday night with a 22-15 victory after a shutout in Week 4.
The 2A Cougars (2-2) scored on the first drive of the game before they were dominated by a potent Bulldog defense until late in the game.
The defending Yadkin Valley champs limited the visitors to under 100 yards on the ground, making them throw on 25 occasions with little effect.
Senior end Willie Browne and freshman middle linebacker Skyler Potts helped lead the effort with their best showing of the season.
Browne, the team’s sack leader, had big stops when it counted. Potts has been the undisputed tackle leader this fall.
Albemarle had been outscored 127-75 coming into the contest, but Potts also had 42 tackles with a 10.5 average. He is the son of former Bulldog great Sidney Potts.
The elder Potts scored a touchdown in the 2001 state championship as a freshman in Chapel Hill. He and Marcus Davis combined for 3,000 yards before he tore his ACL, missing most of his junior season.
“There’s things he can improve on, but he can play,” Brown said of the 14-year-old Potts. “He’s going to be good for years.”
On offense, AHS quarterback Dre Davis had 78 yards of total offense and was five of seven in the air with a touchdown pass to Shoddy Pergee for 18 yards.
Davis punched in a two-point PAT. Davis has a quarterback rating of 77.3 with over 300 passing yards.
Kaine McLendon had the lion’s share of the Bulldog’s 115 ground yards with a 35-yard trip to the end zone.
McLendon has more than 300 yards and three scores.
“It was a great defensive night,” said Dre Davis, wearing a number 16 jersey to honor his late grandmother. “It was a wild night, starting out a little rocky … we got things rolling.”
Vincient Gregory picked up some running yards and is one of the top tackle leaders on defense. He scored a third quarter touchdown for Albemarle’s first lead.
Freshman defensive back A.J. Butler had some nice defensive stops.
Zyion Geiger, who has four touchdowns this season, and Nyzir Garner also had catches.
The Bulldogs travel to Lake Norman Charter Friday, looking to even the record.
“Didn’t I tell you the tide was about to turn? Here we go,” Albemarle head coach Richard Davis told his players after the game.”

Eric Montgomery is a freelance writer for The Stanly News & Press.