Top Three: Corprew carries Panthers to big win

Published 6:47 am Wednesday, August 31, 2022

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The second week of the high school football season resulted in a pair of wins and two losses for the county schools. Northside and Southside prevailed, while Washington and Pungo Christian fell. The running game was on full display except in Belhaven, where the 8-man Raiders found success through the air. Northside’s fullback led the top performers.

  1. Jamie Corprew-the junior totaled 141 yards on 14 carries after transferring from Southside in the off-season. He scored once in the Panthers home-opening 42-18 rout of North Duplin. Northside averaged almost 10 yards per rushing attempt as they gained 403 yards on 42 attempts.

  1. Darren Joyner-Southside-the senior running back scored the Seahawks first two touchdowns on runs of 14 and two yards in a tight 27-20 home victory over Washington County. He finished with 93 yards on 19 carries and played solid defense at linebacker as Southside claimed the best record in the county at 2-0.

  1. Josh Gordon-Washington-the junior tailback tried to bring the Pack from a deficit, but turnovers and penalties in the red zone led to their demise. Gordon gained 171 yards on 19 carries and scored the final touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Best of the rest: Pungo Christian Academy freshman quarterback Austin Gibbs stepped in when senior signal-caller Ethan Mann was ejected in the first quarter at home against Brunswick Academy of Virginia. Gibbs led the JV Raiders to victory the night before and threw for 237 yards and ran for 67 more in the varsity’s 61-26 loss. His three touchdown passes went to senior Conner Sweet, who finished with five catches for 187 yards.

Northside: Senior tailback Marcus Clayton had 174 all-purpose yards in the win over North Duplin, including 109 rushing and 65 on returns. Elijah Holloway had 70 yards rushing and three touchdowns. T.J. Squires led the defense with eight tackles, while Gus Vansant and Nick Roberts had seven. Roberts total included five tackles for loss.

Southside: Tequan (Tater) Moore ran for 84 yards on 19 carries, while freshman fullback Brian Salinas had 57, including the winning 6-yard touchdown run with two minutes left against Washington County. Senior Xavier Ham led the defense with five tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

Washington: sophomore linebacker Gabe Davis had 12.5 tackles, a sack and blocked a punt, while K.J. Moore had 10.5 tackles.

Northside plays at Riverside Thursday, while Southside hosts South Creek, Washington entertains South Central and Pungo hosts Mattamuskeet.