Junior quarterback Luke Kelly orchestrated a time-consuming, fourth-quarter drive that helped North Duplin edge Southside, 20-18, on Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
CHOCOWINITY — Southside came within inches of pulling off a late-game, comeback victory over North Duplin on Friday evening.
DuJuan Armwood and teammate Branden Reyna didn’t let it happen.
Seahawk quarterback Luke Bullock scrambled out of the pocket on a fourth-and-nine play with about a minute remaining in regulation. Armwood delivered the initial blow and Reyna finished off Bullock, who fumbled near the goal line.
The pigskin bounced over the pylon and out of bounds.
North Duplin took over at the 20-yard line, ran out the clock and preserved a season-opening, 20-18 victory.
“It was one of them bang-bang plays, one [Armwood] slowed him down a little and the other [Reyna] finished the tackle,” Rebels head coach Hugh Martin said. “A heck of a finish. It was exciting, great to see our kids play with the kind of heart they did.”
Down 18-14 through three quarters, ND seized the lead in the final period.
Ethan Turnage capped a time-consuming drive with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone. Turnage ended the game with nine yards on four carries.
“Our offensive line had been battling all night,” Martin said. “It was a drive where they just dug down real deep, kept pounding way and were able to punch it in. One of the better gutty drives we had, good to see that type of response after being backed down after their score.
“We had been doing that throughout the game.”
Southside led 6-0 after the first period.
The Rebels entered halftime ahead 14-12 on Luke Kelly’s 25-yard scoring strike to Thomas Morrisey and Armwood’s 14-yard scamper. Reyna converted two PATs.
Armwood paced North Duplin’s ground attack with 71 yards on 13 totes. Reyna supplied 50 yards on 12 carries, while Bryan Zambrano (36 yards) and Wesley Holmes (20 yards) combined for 14 rushes.
North Duplin compiled 204 yards of total offense on 51 plays.
The Rebels (1-0 overall) halted a three-game skid in season-opening contests. They return home Friday to face Pinetown Northside. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at H.E. Grubbs Field.
Gators fall to Leopards
SEVEN SPRINGS — Spring Creek started the Ron Wise era in “The Swamp” with a 50-8, season-opening loss to former Carolina 1A foe Lakewood on Friday evening.
Nathan Jackson tallied the Gators’ lone touchdown with about three minutes remaining in the game. MK Haynes provided the two-point conversion.
“Many people saw our student-athletes play hard and try with only three weeks of preparation,” Wise said. “We had plenty of opportunities to change the flow of the game, but as you know missed opportunities happen and we had plenty to us starting so late.
“Overall, my student-athletes showed heart and are learning the game of football, which showed in the questions they were asking during the game.”
The Leopards claimed their third consecutive win in the series and 17th overall in 19 meetings since 2001.
Spring Creek (0-1 overall) entertains Lejeune next Friday. Game time is 7 p.m.
