FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Down 20-0 at halftime, The Apprentice School football team stormed back in the second half, scoring a touchdown with 18 seconds left to pull within a point, but the two-point conversion to win fell to the ground as Methodist hung on for a 20-19 win Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Builders fall to 1-3 overall for the 10th time since 2000. They also finish the season series against USA South opponents 0-3.

After an Apprentice fumble on the opening drive of the game, Methodist methodically marched down the field, going 45 yards in 11 plays to score on a fourth down passing play from Ty Little to Tyrone Atkinson for the game’s first points. The Monarchs then forced an interception and went 83 yards in 13 plays on their next drive to score on a Little 1-yard run to push the score to 13-0 after the missed PAT.

The two teams traded punts on their next drives before Methodist forced another interception that led to another Little rushing touchdown, capping an 8-play, 58-yard drive that gave them a 20-0 lead that would go to halftime.

The Builders woke up in the second half, blocking a field goal attempt from inside the 10 on the first drive of the second half and immediately turning it into points as Kendall Hunt found Isaiah Townsend for a 72-yard touchdown, the longest play of the season, to cut the lead down to 20-6 after a blocked PAT. After forcing a punt, the Builders drove right down the field again, looking for more points, but this time it was Methodist who blocked a field goal attempt from inside the 10-yard line to keep the score at the 14-point margin.

Apprentice answered right back, though, forcing a three-and-out to allow Hunt to find T.K. Petty down the sidelines for a 29-yard touchdown that trimmed the lead to seven. The two sides traded punts and the Builders got the ball back with 5:30 to go on their own 19-yard line.

The Builders marched down the field, taking up over five minutes of game clock to 14 plays, setting up Hunt to again find Petty for a 3-yard passing score on fourth-and-goal that brought the Builders to within one. Apprentice elected to go for two on a fake PAT, but the pass fell to the ground in the endzone and Methodist recovered the ensuing onside kick to hold on for the win.

Hunt finished the day 18-for-32 for 251 yards and three touchdowns, linking up with seven different receivers on the day.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @shotsbyk8lyn

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School football team has announced the 2025 slate of games, including the first ever New South Athletic Conference football schedule set to start on September 20.

“This is an extremely exciting time for Apprentice football,” said head coach Vincent Brown. “We have eagerly anticipated joining a conference for the last seven years since I became involved with the football program, and now we have a home. This is a great opportunity for our football program to receive the recognition it deserves, weekly awards, as well as player-of-the-year recognition, and a chance to win a conference championship and play for a championship in Atlanta. I’m extremely grateful for our athletic director and his team for getting this done.”

The Builders will be in the North Division of the NSAC, joining South Carolina Central, Barber-Scotia, and Clayton State. The South Division will include Lighthouse Christian, John Melvin (FL), Westgate, and Gordon State.

The season kicks off with a road trip to Southern Virginia September before opening up a five-game home slate of games on September 13 against North Carolina Wesleyan. The Builders will play back-to-back at home as they will host South Carolina Central in the first conference game of the year on September 20 for Homecoming.

After a trip to Methodist on September 27, Apprentice will host its annual Hall of Fame Weekend that will culminate with a home game against Alfred State on October 4. Then, the Builders will jump back into NSAC play with a neutral-site game against Lighthouse Christian on October 11 in Dahlonega, Georgia. It will be the first college football game to ever be played in Lumpkin County.

The Builders will return home for its final two home games the next two weeks, playing host to Keystone College October 18 before an NSAC game against Barber-Scotia on October 25. The regular season concludes November 1 on the road in conference action against Clayton State.

Should the Builders finish atop the North Division, the conference championship game will take place November 15 in Atlanta against the South Division champion.

“We have a great schedule this year, and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” said Brown. “I look forward to Builder Nation being there every step of the way.”

Story courtesy gobuilders.com; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @shotsbyk8lyn