Council, Saints top winless Vikings

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on October 23, 2005 2:17 AM

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By BRYAN C. HANKS

Courtesy Kinston Free Press

KINSTON -- Anthony Council ran for 175 yards and three touchdowns as Southern Wayne beat Kinston 43-23 on Friday night.

The sophomore running back now has 1,521 yards and 22 touchdowns this season as the Saints improved to 6-3 overall and 2-1 in the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference.

Kinston fell to 0-9 overall and 0-3 in the ECC on homecoming night at Vikings Field.

The winless Vikings, however, kept things close as the Ken Whitehurst-coached team trailed just 30-23 with a little over seven minutes left in the game and was driving toward a potential game-tying touchdown.

On third-and-one from Southern Wayne's 49, Kinston sophomore Quinton Coples tried to stretch out for the first down, but the ball was stripped by a Saints defender. Southern Wayne's Michael Warren scooped up the fumble and returned it 51 yards for touchdown to give the Saints a 36-23 lead.

The Vikings didn't challenge again.

Whitehurst refused to put the blame on Coples for the loss.

"Quinton Coples ran very hard tonight and we're very pleased with what he did tonight," Whitehurst said. "We're thrilled with what he did. He was just a player trying to make a play. And most of our players are 15 years old instead of 18 years old."

Friday's game included three lost fumbles by each team, including two fumble recoveries by Kinston on muffed Southern Wayne punt returns and one by the Saints on a Vikings punt return.

"It was one of those games where we were high and then low," Southern Wayne coach Bob Warren said. "It was just back and forth. We had trouble making plays offensively and defensively, but so did (Kinston). We just happened to get one more break than what (Kinston) did."

In addition to his 175 yards and three TDs on 24 carries, Council also added a pair of two-point conversions.

Kinston ended up outgaining Southern Wayne 380 yards to 337. The Vikings were led by senior quarterback Jamar Carraway, who completed 13 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Thompson caught one of those scores and finished with five catches for 106 yards. Terry Locust caught the other and ended up with 58 yards receiving on four catches.

Antonio Whitfield led the Vikings rushers with 90 yards on five carries, including an 82-yard touchdown run.