CARRBORO - Before Friday's game against Cedar Ridge, Carrboro coach Jason Tudryn made it clear to his Jaguars that he felt his team's final three weeks are much more important than the previous three.

With good reason, the Jaguars' three previous games, all losses, dropped once 5-0 Carrboro down to the bottom of the Carolina 12 1A/2A standings with an 0-2 start in league play.

Carrboro responded Friday with a 42-21 win, its first victory against Cedar Ridge in school history.

"Huge win for our program," Tudryn said. "We challenged our guys. We said, 'We've really got to come down these final three weeks, and forget about what's happened before. Learn from the adversities.' "

Carrboro (6-3, 1-2) seemed calm and in control for most of the game, although the 21-point difference doesn't paint an accurate picture of how close the contest truly was.

Early on, Carrboro and Cedar Ridge (3-6, 1-1) fought like a couple of brawlers, exchanging blow for blow as each team tried to keep pace with the other.

Star running back Philip Chalmers carried much of the Red Wolves' offense in the first half, accounting for 164 of Cedar Ridge's 178 yards of offense.

The Red Wolves scored the first touchdown with a 39-yard carry up the left, and he added Cedar Ridge's second touchdown of the half with a 68-yard run. Chalmers wasn't just particularly difficult to tackle, but he was tough for the Jaguars to catch.

Chalmers finished with 213 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 26 carries, giving him 1,298 rushing yards this season.

There's certainly no doubt Cedar Ridge was missing one of its most dynamic playmakers in quarterback Fred Blanks, who served the first of a two-game suspension. But junior quarterback Robert Moore gave the Red Wolves some very solid play.

"We've got a great running back, and when Robert did throw, he did a good job with it," Cedar Ridge coach Joe Kilby said. "I think Robert did a great job leading the team."

Carrboro ended up with a 20-14 lead at halftime after a Douglas Parrish 9-yard touchdown carry near the end of the first half, his first of two scores.

Carrboro junior quarterback Alex McVeigh threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Irving for Carrboro's second score and finished the game 9-for-13 with 126 yards passing and one touchdowns. He also ran for 62 yards.

"It's Alex really growing up," Tudryn said.

Carrboro began to pull away after Trai Sharp's 1-yard run put the Jags up 35-21.