James Kenan head football coach Tim Grady (far right) watches his linemen work on blocking techniques during preseason practice. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
SWANSBORO — Imir Sanders turned in an unexpected breakout performance Friday evening during James Kenan’s 48-6, season-opening over Swansboro.
Sanders rushed for a career-high 118 yards.
Meanwhile, a pair of reigning conference champions turned back Southern Wayne and Spring Creek in their respective gridiron openers.
Co-owner of the 2023 Carolina 1A crown, Lakewood cruised past the Gators, 60-6. The Saints endured a 38-0 setback against cross-county rival Eastern Wayne, which finished in a three-way for the Neuse Six 2A title last fall.
Tigers dominate Pirates
Sanders didn’t step into the end zone.
Backfield mates Zamarion Smith, Eli Avent and David Zeleya accounted for one touchdown apiece. Cal Avent hit pay dirt twice.
The Tigers compiled 261 yards of total offense, including 256 on the ground.
“Offensively, we had a surprise with Imir,” Kenan head coach Tim Grady said. “We knew that he could run the ball well in our double-tight package. He’s a special kid … had a good night.”
Kenan played lights out on defense.
The Tigers forced three turnovers, blocked a punt on special teams and recorded 7.5 quarterback sacks. Dakota Henderson led the way with 2.5 sacks. Hassan Kornegay and Ty Morrisey, a transfer from Clinton, each recorded 1.5 QB sacks.
Kornegay posted a team-high 13 tackles. Morrisey logged nine stops, while Henderson collected seven hits with three tackles for loss yardage.
“I think they had a lot of things not go their way [offensively] and we took advantage of it,” Grady said. “Hassan played so physical. We played fast, got to the ball well and just extinguished them.
“Coach John Burt [Avent] did a great job preparing the guys. Once our defense answered the call, the offense, all of a sudden, feeds off of it. Defense stepped up and made big hits.”
Kenan earned its 41st season-opening victory since 1960.
“I like the way our kids came out,” Grady said. “They didn’t get carried away in the win. They kept their emotions in check very well. Played with the “next play” mentality, which is what we’ve been preaching.”
The Tigers (1-0 overall) return to action Friday at Midway. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Spivey’s Corner.
Saints shut down
GOLDSBORO — Matt Hine and his fellow coaches saw some shining moments against Eastern Wayne, but made two key observations.
The Saints have employed the “learn and build as you go” mentality and need to string together successful plays at their respective positions.
“I think our youthfulness, more than anything showed up,” Hine said. “We let the game get away from us. We weren’t playing well, but were hanging in there. We had a bad turnover and gave them another touchdown right before going into halftime.
“We looked very green.”
Eastern Wayne (1-0) avenged a season-opening loss to the Saints in Dudley a year ago. The Warriors squandered a three-touchdown lead.
Hine credited the Warriors for their aggressive play.
“They did what a veteran team does … like a shark, smelled blood in the water and went after it,” he said. “Eastern Wayne came downhill and ran the football a lot better than I was expecting them to do. Their starting quarterback [Izeiah Oates], you can see the increase in command that he has and being a leader out there.
“He made sure his decisions were almost always good. I walked away very impressed with Eastern Wayne.”
Southern Wayne (0-1) returns home Friday for a non-conference affair against long-time rival Goldsboro. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex.
The Saints won last year’s meeting.
“With so many young kids playing new positions, you take the good with the bad … saw some glimmers all over the field and the true ability these guys have,” Hine said. “We saw some things that we want to coach these kids up on as we move into next week and deep into the season.”
Leopards run past Gators
ROSEBORO — Darius “DJ” Deal and Brennan Chambers accounted for Spring Creek’s lone touchdown against Lakewood.
The duo hooked up on a 70-yard scoring strike before the opening quarter expired.
“We had guys chipping and moving the ball a little bit here and there,” second-year SC head coach Ron Wise said. “We had a couple of roster changes [before kickoff] that changed some of what we wanted to do. Malachi Moore put some decent numbers up.
“It’s all a building process.”
Wise said that Rennie Street Jr. had six solo tackles. He gushed over the play of linemen of Pablo and William Zapata.
“They did interior work that was insane,” Wise said.
Miscues proved critical for the Gators, who searched for just their sixth season-opening win in program history. Spring Creek is 1-4 all-time in openers against Lakewood.
Wise credited the Leopards’ discipline.
“Going into the half down the way we were, I felt like it was still a winnable game,” Wise said. “I out-coached myself. I’ve got to keep my kids focused and let them know this is not the end-all, be-all [to the season].”
Spring Creek (0-1) is the guest of Lejeune next Friday.
You may reach sports writer Rudy Coggins at prepswriter2@gmail.com or call/text 919-709-9257.
