For the fourth time in six games, the North Moore football team claimed an early lead.

On a night that the school was celebrating Homecoming, the Mustangs got off to a blazing start. On the first play from scrimmage, Jeremy Monroe found Harold Chandler with a pass that resulted in a 78-yard touchdown, giving North Moore a quick 6-0 lead.

But after that it was all downhill for the Mustangs, as visiting Chatham Central scored 38 unanswered points to pick up the 38-6 Yadkin Valley Conference victory.

"Their tailback (Travis Scotten) and their quarterback (D.J. Dean) were very good," said Mustang coach Jim Hicks. "We're a young team, but the guys played right up to the end. They never quit."

Scotten burst through the Mustangs' defense for 233 yards on 19 carries, scoring three times, while Dean did a little of everything. He not only contributed 107 yards passing on an eight for 11 nights, but added a touchdown on a short run and collected an interception on the defensive side of the ball.

Meanwhile, the Mustangs' offense was held in check after the opening fireworks. North Moore finished with slightly over 100 yards of offense, including the 78-yard touchdown toss.

After the Mustangs opening score, Scotten started the Bears scoring on a seven-yard jaunt with 8:33 remaining in the first quarter, and with the extra point tacked on Chatham Central had all the points it would need.

Dean connected with Hunter McDaniel for another Bear score late in the first period, leaving the score at 14-6 at the end of the first period.

Scotten set up the Bears' third touchdown with a 72-yard run, then plunged over the goal line from one-yard out. The point-after attempt was good. Travis Bolton kicked a 26-yard field goal late in the second quarter to give the Bears an 18-point lead at the half, 24-6.

Chatham Central scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter, one on a 22-yard run by Scotten, and the other on a keeper by Dean from the one-yard line. Bolton was good on both point-after attempts, bringing in the final 38-6 score as neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

North Moore's record dropped to 0-2 in the conference (0-6 overall). Chatham Central it 1-1 in the conference and 2-5 overall.

The Mustangs take to the road next Friday when they face another conference foe in East Montgomery.