Beddingfield batters Rams in non-conference play

Published in Sports on August 28, 2005 2:09 AM

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By PAUL DURHAM

Courtesy Wilson Daily Times

WILSON -- In the waning seconds of Wilson Beddingfield's 37-14 thumping of visiting Greene Central on Friday night, Bruins head coach Tom Nelson muttered, "Not pretty," as his team celebrated its home-opener win on the sideline.

The smile on Nelson's face belied any immediate concerns he might have had about his team's performance in winning its second straight game to open the season.

"When you can be inconsistent and score 37, we'll take it," Nelson said. "We're a work in progress; but I think we'll be OK."

The Bruins of the Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference will have a week to tune their game before Nash Central comes to call on Friday. The Eastern Plains 2-A Conference Rams fell to 0-2 and will face their third straight 3-A foe in Charles B. Aycock on Friday.

While Beddingfield's passing game might have registered lower numbers than the Bruins are accustomed to seeing, the ground attack was particularly troublesome to Greene Central.

Senior tailback Gynorris King rambled for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Bruins rolled up 126 yards on the ground.

King totaled 57 yards in his first three carries, culminating in a 6-yard dash for the Bruins' first score. King, a 5-foot-7, 170 pound tailback, found the end zone again early in the second quarter to give Beddingfield a 13-0 edge.

But before Beddingfield could become too comfortable, the Rams then found a groove, moving the ball 63 yards in 12 plays.

Sophomore quarterback William Brown, one of three players Rams head coach Jim Bob Bryant tried at the position, found senior wide out Dreyan Willis from 5 yards out for a score.

"We had three guys playing quarterback who had never taken a snap in a high school game," explained Bryant, who lost his usual starter, Cameron Shelton, to a sore wrist in last week's opener.

The drive was helped by senior Kelsey Baker's 37-yard strike to junior flanker Harrison Walston. The pair connected again for a two-point conversion to bring Greene Central to within 13-8 with 2:42 remaining in the half.

It was as close as the Rams would get. Johnson took the Bruins 63 yards in seven plays to push the lead back up to 19-8. The key play was a 33-yard pass to senior wide receiver Alfred Artis.

Johnson, the rugged 6-0, 175-pound signal-caller, then replicated that scoring drive with another one to open the second half. Again, Johnson bulled his way into the end zone, giving Beddingfield a 25-8 advantage after the kick failed.

The Bruins scored again in the quarter when Johnson found King for a 20-yard gain into the end zone.

Trailing 32-8, the Rams finally put together a solid drive, churning out six first downs in a 74-yard drive. Brown hit Willis from the three-yard line to pull Greene Central to within 32-14.

The Bruins added a safety in the final period when senior defensive back Larry Elliott dragged Brown down.