By By BRIAN HAINES, Brian@wdnweb.com, Sports Writer
CHOCOWINITY — Southside coach DeWayne Kellum could not have asked for a better playoff-opening performance on Friday as his Seahawks rolled past Columbia 40-0 in the first round of the NCHSAA 1-A state tournament.
The fourth-seeded Seahawks (9-3, Four Rivers Conference) excelled on both offense and defense against the fifth-seeded Wildcats (6-5, Tideland Conference) and will move on to face Four Rivers Conference co-champions Manteo on the road next week.
Southside jumped all over Columbia from the start as it took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and held a 34-0 advantage going into halftime. By the start of the third quarter the clock ran continuously.
“I feel good that we actually stepped up and played for four quarters,” Kellum said. “The second half we were able to get some of our second and third string guys in there and that will help us out down the road if we get any injuries.”
Columbia received the ball first and on the first play of the game threw an interception to Treyshon Blount, who gave the offense possession at the 18. From there, the Seahawks Julien Brown took the ball and darted 18 yards for a score to give his team a quick 6-0 lead.
The Seahawks offense wasted no time on their second possession either as Rokeem Miller zipped through the Wildcats’ defense for a 63-yard score, and after a Terrill Moore two-point conversion, Southside had a 14-point lead after only two plays on offense.
Miller would score again on a 24-yard run to close out the first quarter with a 21-o lead and a ton of momentum.
Kellum said the hot early start was crucial.
“It’s the second season, and we don’t get second chances this time of year,” Kellum said.
Southside scored early in the second quarter as Marcus O’Neal took a Moore handoff and
ran down the right side line for a 24-yard TD run to go up 27-0 at the 10:44 mark.
The Seahawks would score again before the break as Brown ran 39 yards for his second TD of the game.
After halftime, Southside’s Miller ripped off a 58-yard TD run for the final score of the game early in the third quarter.
After the game, Kellum credited the offensive line for paving the way for the Seahawks 316 rushing yards.
“We have worked real hard the last two or three weeks on picking up blitzes because everybody is just throwing everyone up on the line against us,” Kellum said. “Our backs also did a good job of carrying out their fakes.”
The win gave Southside its second victory over Columbia this season, both featured a stellar effort by the Seahawks’ defense as each contest ended 40-0.
“It was just a good job by our entire defense,” Kellum said. “And the (backups) did a good job of keeping it going.”
Columbia 0 0 0 0 — 0
Southside 21 13 6 0 — 40
Scoring summary
S— Julien Brown 18 run (Billy Harding kick failed), 11:30, 1st.
S — Rokeem Miller 63 run (Terrill Moore two points), 9:25, 1st.
S — Miller 24 run (Harding kick), 1:34, 1st.
S — Marcus O’Neal 24 run (kick failed), 10:44, 2nd.
S — Brown 39 run (Harding kick), 8:45, 2nd.
S — Miller 58 run (kick failed), 10:45, 3rd.