By By BRIAN HAINES
Sports Writer
WILLIAMSTON — Southside head coach David Hines and his defense did their best to not let Wiliamston’s do-it-all star running back Cedric Moody take over their game, but the Seahawks had no answer for the Tigers balanced attack as they fell 47-27 on Friday night.
Williamston ran and passed for over 200 yards respectively, and used every weapon in its arsenal to win its fifth straight game and improve its record to 8-2 (5-1) on Senior Night.
Williamston head coach McGill said he was happy with the win over fellow Four Rivers Conference foe Southside, but wanted to see his team play with more passion.
“Any time you get a victory it’s always good,” McGill said. “Tonight it just seemed like the atmosphere was kind of dull. Maybe it was because our kids didn’t have school today. We are perfectionist here at Williamston, and we want our kids to get better each week … We got a win, but there is always room for improvement.”
Moody did finish the game with two rushing touchdowns, but was not allowed to dominate the game.
Quarterback Luke Mathews hit on 13 of his 17 pass attempts for 213 yards and three touchdowns. Mathews also ran for a score.
Tigers’ receivers Kenny Brown and K.J. Brown took turns making big plays throughout the game. Kenny Brown ran for a 15-yard score and caught a 54-yard TD pass, while K.J. Brown took a screen pass and turned into a 46-yard score, and also grabbed a 9-yard TD pass.
“Luke played good tonight,” McGill said. “I thought Southside did a good job of taking away our running game and made us through the ball a little bit. If you are going to be a good team, then you have to be balanced.”
Southside ran the ball effectively, as it gained 155 yards on 35 carries, but in the end its five turnovers was too much to overcome.
Seahawks’ quarterback Terrill Moore threw three picks, while the Southside backs lost two fumbles. Williamston cornerback Quinton Lawrence shined defensively has he intercepted Moore twice.
Three of the Seahawks’ turnovers directly led to touchdowns.
“Turnovers got us tonight,” Hines said. “We haven’t had that problem all year … but it just gives us something to work on going into Northside next week. … We just have to be more consistent.”
The Seahawks got a scare late in the third quarter when defensive back Humberto Husband got carried away on a stretcher after making a tackle. However, Hines said that Husband was ok and that he just sustained a bruised muscle.
The Seahawks will close out the regular season next week at home against Northside, while the Tigers will face the Redskins on the road.”
Southside Williamston
12 First Downs 17
39-155 Rushes-Yards 35-203
78 Passing Yards 213
7-17-3 Pass-Comp-Int 13-17
3-22 Punting 1-20
5-2 Fumbles-Lost 2-1
0 Penalties 7-48
Southside 7 6 6 8 — 27
Williamston 7 12 12 14 — 47
Scoring Summary
W — Luke Mathews 5 run (Cedric Moody kick), 3:36, 1st.
SS — Lonnie Williams 74 kick return (Michael Ward kick), 3:24, 1st.
W — Kenny Brown 15 run (Cash Green kick failed), 7:44, 2nd
SS — Terrill Moore 1 run (kick failed), 2:50, 2nd.
W — Moody 1 run (two points failed) 1:00, 2nd.
W — K.J. Brown 46 pass from Mathews (Kenny Brown two points), 9:04, 3rd.
W — K.J. Brown 9 pass from Mathews (kick failed), 5:49, 3rd.
SS — Moore 1 run (two points failed), :49, 3rd.
W — Kenny Brown 54 pass from Mathews (two points failed), 11:06, 4th.
W — Moody 4 run (Anthony Goff two points), 7:28, 4th.
SS — Curtis Wright 15 pass from Moore (Wright two points), :24, 4th.