Southside cruises past Rosewood

By David Miller
Published in Sports on August 28, 2005 2:11 AM

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Coming off an appearance in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A (small-school) championship game, Chocowinity Southside hasn't skipped a beat.

The Seahawks amassed nearly 500 yards of total offense and spoiled Rosewood's season opener with a 60-6 victory at Branch Pope Field on Friday evening. Each team continues play next week with the Eagles at Hobbton as the Seahawks (1-0) entertain Pamlico County.

Veteran Rosewood coach Daniel Barrow reminded his young team after the game that playing good competition will make them better later in the season.

"I'm fortunate to be coaching a great team, a smart team," he said. "We talk to them about who we're playing and why. They see 'the big picture.'"

Meanwhile, Southside coach Dewayne Kellum appearly particularly concerned about how his team would play after taking a team to the state final for the second time in three seasons. He didn't wait long for an answer.

The Seahawks forced a three-and-out on the opening possession and one offensive snap proved that 2,000-yard back Bryan Hayward just might not be missed after all. Tailback Joe King took the handoff from quarterback Raphael Marable and raced 43 yards for the game's initial touchdown.

That was just the beginning.

Before he retired for the evening early in the second half, King had amassed 83 yards on only five carries, including five touchdowns. One score was a 72-yard pass reception.

Southside's backs ripped off first-down runs of 43, 18, 16 and 20 yards on their first four carries. Overall, the Seahawks accumulated 310 yards on 36 tries and had 466 yards total offense.

Rosewood finished with 201 total yards.

The Eagles could never really get their offense untracked. They were stymied, particularly in the first half, by poor field position. Only once in the first half did the Eagles start a drive past the 30 yard line.

They got their only touchdown early in the second quarter. Halfback Josh Myers raced 87 yards down the sideline on a kickoff return. Southside blocked the PAT.

"We just could not match up with them on speed -- particularly on sweeps," said Barrow. "They look even better than they did last year. We only have one returning offensive lineman. Southside gave them plenty of different looks on stunts and blitzes."

Barrow praised the effort of quarterback Brantley Ellis in his first-ever varsity start.

"Brantley did a great job keeping his composure," said Barrow. "He read the defenses well and made some nice passes. As the game progressed, I thought we did a better job up the middle with our fullback trap and isolation plays."

Despite missing two backs out with injuries, Rosewood should be able to count on a sound running game Friday night at Hobbton. Junior Devon Bennett ran for 75 yards on nine carries, even though he missed some of the first half due to a bruise.

"He's a hard runner who loves the game," said Barrow. "Look for him to be a good one. He works hard and is very, very coachable."

Kellum lauded tackle Markas Brunson, whom Barrow taps as a "next-level" player on the Division I or II college ranks.

"I don't know his name, but he gave us a fit all night," said Kellum. "He did a great job reading our guards."

"He's our captain. When you line up against him, he'll be your No. 1 headache," said Barrow. "You won't be having a fun night."

Southside 22 18 14 6 -- 60

Rosewood 0 6 0 0 -- 6

First quarter

SHS -- King 43 run (run failed), 9:44

SHS -- King 22 run (Bensten run), 7:16

SHS -- S. Moore 2 run (Boyd pass from Marable), 4:11

Second quarter

SHS -- King 72 pass from Marable (run failed), 11:39

RHS -- Myers 87 kickoff return (kick failed), 11:24

SHS -- King 9 run (run failed), 0:57

SHS -- King 10 run (kick blocked), 0:11

Third quarter

SHS -- Moore 65 run (kick blocked), 11:39

SHS -- Parks 13 run (King run), 9:20

Fourth quarter

SHS -- Moore 48 pass from Marable (run failed), 10:52

SHS RHS

First downs 14 11

Rushes-yds 36-310 39-128

Passing yds 156 78

Total yds 466 206

Att.-Comp.-Int. 5-4-0 13-5-2

Fumbles-lost 4-1 4-2

Punts-avg. 4-31.3 7-30.4

Penalties-yds 9-60 4-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Southside -- Kelton Moore 4-98 1 TD; Joe King 5-83 5 TDs; Dontrez Sneed 5-62; Lion-O Bensten 6-23; Stephon Moore 4-22 1 TD; Fitzgerald Parks 5-13 1 TD; Leo Wood 1-10; Raphael Marable 5-(-17). Rosewood -- Devon Bennett 9-75; Brantley Ellis 12-30; Josh Myers 9-21 1 TD; Eddie Huerta 3-11; Mark Turnage 1-2.

PASSING -- Southside -- Raphael Marable 4-4-0 156, 2 TDs; Joe King 0-0-0 0; Joe King 0-0-0 0. Rosewood -- Brantley Ellis 5-13-2 78.

RECEIVING -- Southside -- Joe King 1-72 1 TD; Stephon Moore 1-48 1 TD; Kelton Moore 1-18; #83 1-18. Rosewood -- Stephen McIntyre 2-39; Garrett Howell 2-38; Devon Bennett 1-1.