Senior Allya Segura wears the queen’s tiara, while senior E’lla Boykin was selected king during halftime of Southern Wayne’s homecoming victory over Smithfield-Selma. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Smithfield-Selma linebacker Hunter Higgins (34) can’t wrap up Southern Wayne quarterback Tez White, who rushed for a career-high 316 yards Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne quarterback Tez White, right, hands off the ball to Tyler Speight, left, while Jahmere Bannerman executes the fake during action against Smithfield-Selma. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Two Smithfield-Selma defenders attempt to take down Southern Wayne’s E’lla Boykin after he catches a 10-yard pass from quarterback Tez White Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Saint Sound performs the National Anthem before Southern Wayne’s homecoming tilt against Quad County 3A rival Smithfield-Selma on Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Former Southern Wayne cheerleaders from the classes of 2012 to 2021 cheered alongside this year’s squad during homecoming Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne sophomore Tyler Speight (8) wraps up Smithfield-Selma senior running back Jaelyn Groves during third-period play Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Gabriel Carmack (15) and teammate E’lla Boykin (20) work to bring down a Smithfield-Selma running back. (Rudy Coggins|mountoilvetribune.com)
Southern Wayne defensive lineman Tyrick Hall forces Smithfield-Selma running back Jaelyn Groves to fumble the ball during third-period play Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Tyquavious Williams (3) breaks up a pass intended for Smithfield-Selma’s Elijah Bailey during opening-half play Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Marching Saints rocked the stands during homecoming Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
An overflow crowd on the Southern Wayne side viewed a homecoming victory over Smithfield-Selma on Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne snapped a five-game skid with a 38-12 homecoming victory over Smithfield-Selma Friday evening. The Saints beat the Spartans for the first time since 2013. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
DUDLEY — Long-awaited victories are a little sweeter. Just ask Southern Wayne’s football team.
The Saints snapped a five-game skid with a convincing 38-12 conquest of Quad County 3A rival Smithfield-Selma before a large and boisterous homecoming crowd Friday evening.
“It’s been a little while since we’ve felt this way,” first-year SW head coach Matt Hine said to his team in the post-game huddle. “Enjoy it this weekend.”
Tez White certainly will.
The senior quarterback punished the Spartans’ defense for a career-high 316 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 25 carries. He accounted for 326 yards of total offense, including a 10-yard completion to fellow senior E’lla Boykin.
Just one week ago, White accounted for 336 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in a loss at QCC rival South Johnston.
“If you asked me at 6:30 today [before kickoff], I would have told you we were going to throw the ball about 35 times tonight,” Hine said. “They have shown on film that they’ll pack the box. Our running-back corps right now is either injured, being disciplined or having personal issues.
“We are real thin in the backfield.”
SSS couldn’t stop White, who found open real estate behind an offensive line that consistently parted the Spartans’ defense like the Red Sea. He ripped off scoring runs of 16, 48 and 49 yards in the opening half.
The bruising signal caller boosted his season totals to 918 yards rushing, 501 yards passing and 16 touchdowns.
“Our offensive line really took some of the teaching we gave them this week to heart,” Hine said. “They were pulling, they were completing blocks in the open field and blocking to the whistle better. You know if you give a player as dynamic as Tez opportunities in the open field, either kids don’t want to tackle him or his strength just makes kids bounce off of him.
“His legs just keep pumping and then he’s on to the next level. He’s the heart of our offense right now.”
Senior quarterback Jayden Brinkley accounted for Smithfield-Selma’s two scores – a 47-yard scoring pass and seven-yard run. His second TD closed the gap to 22-12 with 36.7 seconds left before halftime.
The Saints quickly answered.
Jahmere Bannerman returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to the house. White’s two-point conversion put Southern Wayne ahead comfortably, 30-12, at the break.
“That was a huge momentum thing to take us into halftime, an extra push,” said Hine, who described the first half as a roller coaster. “Unfortunately, we didn’t come out in the third quarter and capitalize on that … kind of came out flat. Maybe we got a little happy with ourselves.
“Just try to focus our kids on finishing a game and playing another 24 minutes.”
Ty Williams tallied the Saints’ final TD — a 1-yard plunge late in the final period. The senior running back, Tyler Speight, Antonio Police and Bannerman combined for 65 yards rushing on 16 totes.
Southern Wayne’s defense pitched a second-half shutout against winless SSS, which had scored just three touchdowns in its previous 16 quarters of action. The Spartans amassed just 120 yards of total offense.
Southern Wayne 38, Smithfield-Selma 12
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
SW — White 16 run (White run), 7:57
SSS — Brinkley 47 pass (kick blocked), 6:54
SW — White 48 run (run failed), 1:24
Second Quarter
SW — White 49 run (White run), 8:39
SSS — Brinkley 7 run (run failed), 0:36.7
SW — Bannerman 85 kickoff return (White run), 0:21.6
Fourth Quarter
SW — Williams 1 run (Williams run), 5:02
