
Southern Wayne head football coach Matt Hine (wearing headset) and offensive coordinator Tori King (gray shirt) talk with the offense during a timeout last week against Eastern Wayne. The Saints claimed their third straight win, 56-14, over Goldsboro on Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
GOLDSBORO — Locked in another classic duel with another county rival for the second consecutive week, Southern Wayne erupted again in the second half — this time on defense.
Bookend defensive backs Tyquavious Williams and Jaylen Bowden each recorded a pick six (interception), which spearheaded a 36-point, second-half outburst.
The turnovers powered the Saints to an emotion-field 56-14 triumph – their third consecutive triumph over Goldsboro High.
“I told them all week [in practice] there’s been talk since June and that’s going to continue tonight, so keep your emotions in check,” SW head coach Matt Hine said. “I think overall the effort was awesome. It was the same kind of fighter’s mentality they had when the played Eastern Wayne.”
Southern Wayne led 20-8 at halftime.
Dorien Toussaint returned an interception to the house. Jahmere Bannerman broke loose for a 14-yard touchdown, while quarterback Lamontez White and Williams hooked up on a 20-yard scoring strike.
It was White’s second TD pass of the season.
“Tez is such a good athlete, quick learner and coachable young man,” Hine said. “Coach [Tori] King and Coach [Danny] Merritt are guiding him on reads, thought process on every play. Every rep he’s getting expands his experience as a quarterback, so I think the ceiling for him is very high.
“He’s in a great spot because we run so many wing-T principles out of our offense, he’s not only a quarterback, but a running back too. He’s developing into a runner.”
Jaylen Bowden started the Saints’ second-half scoring with a two-yard touchdown dive.
Williams’ 94-yard interception return and Bowden’s 75-yard pick six highlighted a 30-point fourth quarter. Bowden also provided a 51-yard TD romp and White walked into the end zone from the Cougars’ 5-yard line.
“The pick sixes were just factors of Goldsboro trying to throw the ball, put a touchdown on the board and get back into the game,” Hine said. “There was another turnover on downs and we had a short field. The strength of our team took a toll on Goldsboro as the fourth quarter went on. The last drive where we scored, we ran the same play six times in a row.
“Seeing the [current] trajectory of this group of young men and this team, there is no quit in them. They battled and I have to be immensely proud of that.”
The Saints will use its upcoming bye week to heal linemen on both sides of the ball after two physical contests. Hine plans to address character and behavior to help qualm two games which have been marred by unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
There’s also accountability for mental mistakes and turnovers.
“We’ll try to fix that,” Hine said. “We’ll use this week to really focus on making sure our basics are good and sound, develop a degree of trust in the base core plays and put them back to the forefront of what we’re doing. We’ll see where that takes us.”
Southern Wayne, which is 2-0 for the first time since 2011, returns to action Sept. 8 at Rosewood. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Branch Pope Field.