By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Washington dropped the ball, literally and figuratively.
For the second time this season, the Pam Pack’s high-powered offense was blanked. The Nash Central Bulldogs stormed to a 34-0 non-conference victory Friday night at J.G. “Choppy” Wagner Stadium.
It’s the first time since 2003 that the Pack (2-2), which plays in the 3A Coastal Conference, has been shutout twice in the same season.
Nash Central (2-3), which plays in the NEW 6 Conference, dominated in every facet. The Bulldogs held a 22 to 10 edge in first downs, while racking up 375 yards of offense (280 on the ground) and holding Washington to 171 yards.
Quarterback Austin Thompson, who came in hitting 75.5 percent of his attempts, was just 10 of 23 for 123 yards and two interceptions. His receivers certainly didn’t do him any favors as they had eight dropped balls on the night.
Missing in that receiving corps was junior Dakuan Spencer, a big-time playmaker who had to sit out because of disciplinary reasons. Spencer is also a starting safety for the Pack.
Washington was also without starting linebacker David Tyson, who was out with an injured knee. Meanwhile, center Marquin Hill missed the first half of the game.
After forcing a three-and-out on Nash Central’s first series, the Pack looked to be in business. Thompson connected with Michael Godley three times for 52 yards on Washington’s first drive, while the senior also hit Mike Moore on a 10-yard gain.
However, the drive stalled when receivers dropped two passes — a sign of things to come.
Michael Speight, who rumbled for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, gave Nash Central a 7-0 lead with a one-yard burst late in the first quarter. His 39-yard run and Dominique Holloway’s 22-yard burst set up the score.
Washington got into Bulldog territory on the ensuing drive, but drops once again stalled the drive. The Pack never seriously threatened after that as it battled poor field position most of the night.
The Bulldogs, converting a pair of fourth-down plays — one on an offsides penalty against Washington and another on an 18-yard completion from quarterback Justin Rollins to Danny Allen — led to Nash’s second score. Rollins capped off the drive with a three-yard keeper, which helped to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 halftime lead.
While Washington was still within striking distance, Sawyer believes his team folded.
Rollins added a 31-yard touchdown run in the third and Speight capped off the scoring with a five-yard blast in the fourth. William Scott nailed field goals of 41 and 32 yards in between the second-half touchdowns.
The Pack begins Coastal Conference action next week when it travels to Greenville to take on the D.H. Conley Vikings.
Nash Central Washington
22 First Downs 10
44-280 Rushes-Yards 22-48
95 Passing Yards 123
13-6-0 Pass-Comp-Int 23-10-2
3-36.3 Punting 8-32.7
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
4-25 Penalties 9-58
Nash Central 7 7 10 10 — 34
Washington 0 0 0 0 — 0
Scoring Summary
NS – Michael Speight 1 run (William Scott kick), 0:36, 1st
NS – Justin Rollins 3 run (Scott kick), 5:20, 2nd
NS – Rollins 31 run (Scott kick), 9:03, 3rd
NS – Scott 41 field goal, 1:07, 3rd
NS – Scott 32 field goal, 7:09, 4th
NS – Speight 5 run (Scott kick), 5:51, 4th
Murray’s three TDs lead Northside
By STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
YEATESVILLE — Sometimes stats can be deceiving.
That was the case Friday night in Yeatesville.
The stats were overwhelmingly in favor of North Edgecombe Friday evening, but when the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard favored Northside.
The Warriors out-gained the Panthers by nearly 200 yards, committed fewer turnovers, and nearly doubled Northside in time of possession, however, in the end, behind three touchdowns from sophomore Darius Murray and another by D.J. Satterhwaite, the Panthers edged the Warriors 28-22, and improved to 2-2 on the season.
After falling behind by a touchdown late in the third quarter, the Panthers responded with a six-play 40-yard drive to jump back on top of the Warriors with 10:22 left in the contest. Murray and Satterthwaite carried the load on the drive, combining for five carries and 39 yards during the possession that ended with Murray plunging in from one yard out.
From there, the Panthers defense took charge and preserved the victory.
Northside’s defense had trouble stopping North Edgecombe’s offense all night long.
But in the final five minutes, the Panthers defense rose to the occasion.
Clinging to a 28-22 lead after Murray’s score, Northside thwarted a North Edgecombe drive near midfield as it forced quarterback Jerrell Harvey to fumble with 3:27 remaining in the contest.
Then on the final drive, Northside got a pair of sacks from Benji Taylor and Michael Chase, before Daykuan Mackey intercepted Harvey with 17 seconds remaining to seal the win.
Murray scampered 10 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns and also returned a kickoff 92 yards for the Panthers’ first score. Satterhwaite also reached the 100-yard plateau, toting the ball 14 times for 113 yards, including a five-yard touchdown run.
The Warriors also featured a pair of 100-yard rushers as they racked up 426 yards on the ground. Josh Lawson paced North Edgecombe with 146 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, while Jekelvis Ransome added 114 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
The Panthers will be back in action next week when they travel to Plymouth to take on the defending Class 1-A state champion Vikings.
North Edgecombe Northside
21 First Downs 17
60-426 Rushes-Yards 27-233
4 Passing Yards 0
1-6-1 Pass-Comp-Int 0-2-1
0-0 Punting 2-45.5
4-1 Fumbles-Lost 3-2
7-40 Penalties 6-50
North Edgecombe 6 0 16 0 — 22
Northside 6 8 6 8 — 28
Scoring Summary
NE — Jekelvis Ransome 5 run (2-pt conversion failed), 4:31, 1st
NS — Darius Murray 92 kick return (Kick failed), 4:18, 1st
NS — D.J. Satterhwaite 5 run (Satterwaite run), 5:59, 2nd
NE — Josh Lawson 67 run (Jerome Taylor run), 9:51, 3rd
NS — Murray 61 run (Kick failed), 8:20, 3rd
NE — Jerrell Harvey 37 run (Lawson run), 4:23, 3rd
NS — Murray 1 run (Murray run) 10:22, 4th
Williamston offense struggles without Moody at quarterback
By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
WILLIAMSTON — Williamston entered the fourth quarter holding a 15-7 lead over North Pitt, but could not hold on to it as the Panthers tallied three touchdowns in the final 12 minutes to take a 28-15 win over the Tigers Friday.
Quarterback Cedric Moody started the game for the Tigers despite a knee injury and helped Williamston take an early 13-0 lead.
Moody was eventually pulled in the second quarter, but made a dramatic fourth quarter appearance in an attempt to rescue Williamston from defeat after the Panthers rallied to take a 22-25 lead.
With under two minutes left in the game, Moody checked back in and marched his team from its own 33-yard line to the Panthers’ 20. However, the drive was cut short when Maurice Williams intercepted a Moody pass at the 3-yard line and ran it back 97 yards to put the nail in the Tigers’ coffin.
The loss drops the Tigers’ record to 1-3, and head coach Asim McGill said his team needs to rebound quickly.
With Moody out, Williamston had struggled to sustain drives as running back Emery Griggs and sophomore Luke Mathews divvied up the QB duties and produced mediocre results.
Down 15-7, North Pitt (2-3) intercepted a Mathews’ pass at the Tigers’ 44-yard line and looked for quarterback Warren Wesley to get the Panthers back in the game.
Wesley did not disappoint, as he helped engineer an eight-play scoring drive, which ended when he found tight end Chad Lee in the back of the end zone with 6:54 left in the game. Panthers’ running back Maurice Williams would score on the two-point conversion to make it a 15-15 ball game.
On their next possession Tigers running backs Griggs and Derek Everett took turns gashing the Panthers’ defense on the ground. Everett, who normally plays tight end, looked comfortable in the backfield and was tough to take down. Griggs ran hard all game, and led the Tigers with 154 yards on 22 carries.
The two backs helped push the ball to the Panthers’ 45-yard line, where they faced a critical 3rd-and-5 situation.
With Mathews in at QB, McGill called for a screen pass. The North Pitt defense snuffed it out, and batted down Mathews’ throw.
While Williamston felt it was an incomplete, the whistle never blew and Lee picked up the loose ball and ran 55 yards to bust the stalemate and take a 22-15 lead.
Williamston will look to regroup this week as it heads into its match up with Manteo at home next Friday.
North Pitt Williamston
10 First Downs 12
31-76 Rushes-Yards 37-173
151 Passing Yards 116
12-27 Pass-Comp-Int 10-16-4
3-30 Punting 2-32
x-x Fumbles-Lost x-x
4-35 Penalties 8-55
North Pitt 0 7 0 21 — 0
Williamston 6 7 2 0 — 0
Scoring Summary
W — Kareem Bell 28 pass from Cedric Moody (Cody Speller kick failed), 5:19, 1st.
W — Emery Griggs 9 run (Speller kick), 9:09, 2nd.
NP — Maurice Williams 15 pass from Warren Wesley (Williams kick), 21.5 2nd.
W — Kenny Brown safety, 00.0, 3rd.
NP — Chad Lee 7 pass from Wesley (Williams two points), 6:54, 4th.
NP — Lee 55 fumble recovery (Williams kick)
NP — Williams 97 interception (Williams kick), 6.4, 4th.