By DANNY LYON, Correspondent
CHOCOWINITY — Southside coach Dewayne Kellum knew his team would be put to task with the No. 8 Plymouth Vikings coming to town. The game plan was to possess the ball and keep the Viking offense off the field but it wasn’t enough as the Seahawks fell to Plymouth 48-0 Friday night.
The Hawks put together several drives but just couldn’t finish them off with points on the board.  “We came out and marched the ball up and down the field,” Kellum said. “But, against one of the best teams you gotta get those last inches.”
The Seahawk effort didn’t slip by Plymouth head coach Robert Cody either. “I feel that Southside came out and played as well as they can play without finishing drives,” said Cody. “If they finish either of those first two drives they get momentum…we were fortunate enough to stop them.”
And after Southside’s opening drive stalled on the Viking 15-yard line, the Vikes’ offense would march 85 yards to the end zone ending on an 8-yard run by tailback Carl McCray.
On their second drive, McCray would score again, this time from 25 yards out to put the Vikings up 14-0 in the first quarter.
Southside’s efforts, including running back Rokeem Miller’s 91 yards on the ground, wouldn’t be enough on Friday night. The Plymouth defense was strong and the offense took advantage of every possession.
Senior wingback Kendrick Pitt would find the end zone twice in the second quarter and senior Quadree Pettiford would cross the goal line just before the half to put the Vikings up 34-0. Pitt ended the night with 113 yards on the ground and three TDs.
Plymouth began the second half with a two-play drive resulting in a Pitt touchdown on an impressive 47-yard run. The Vikings’ Ahllyric Norman would tack on touchdown run from seven yards out to finish the scoring. Coach Cody was pleased with his team’s effort.
“We did the things we need to do, we blocked, we tackled, and we ran the ball well,” he said. “We’re even able to throw the ball a little bit. We’ve improved a lot.”
Improvements he hopes they can build on moving forward in the season.
As for Southside and coach Kellum, there are some bright spots he takes from this game. “I was real proud of our defensive line, they did a heck of a job. And our offensive too, they went toe-to-toe,” he said. “We just have to tackle, and open field tackle, especially against a team like this.”  The hawks will look to build on their performance against Perquimans next week, as Plymouth travels to Riverside.