Wallace-Rose Hill nips Tigers; wins Super Six title

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on November 6, 2005 2:29 AM

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WARSAW -- For the second straight year, Wallace-Rose Hill and James Kenan squared off with the Super Six 1-A championship on the line. And for the second consecutive season, the undefeated Bulldogs took the title back to southern Duplin County.

But this time, it was a dogfight.

After whipping the Tigers 63-0 in 2004, James Kenan (8-3) gave the No. 2 state-ranked 'Dawgs (11-0) all they could handle Friday night as Wallace-Rose hill escaped Warsaw with a 23-18 win.

Before an overflow crowd at Bill Taylor Field, James Kenan shut out the Bulldogs in the second half. But Wallace-Rose Hill held off a determined Tigers squad in the final period to capture its sixth consecutive Super Six crown.

"Wallace-Rose Hill is a heck of a football team and so are we -- everyone one found out James Kenan is for real tonight," third-year Tiger coach Kevin Motsinger said after the game.

The Tigers began the game impressively with a goal line stand, stopping a fourth-down Bulldog running play at their 1-yard line. Two plays later, however, James Kenan fumbled in its own end zone and the Bulldogs defender Derrien Brown recovered to give Wallace-Rose Hill a 7-0 advantage midway through the first quarter.

Following the kickoff, the Tigers moved to the Wallace-Rose Hill 39 yard line before losing their second fumble in the first quarter. The Bulldogs quickly ran off five first downs and scored again on a short touchdown run by Jemel Hall as the first quarter ended.

Trailing 14-0 as the second quarter began, the Tigers were confident they would avoid a repeat of last year's lopsided loss. Midway through the second period, James Kenan freshman quarterback Alex Nickerson threw a lob pass down the left sideline to wide receiver Jamian Smith. Smith made a circus catch and rambled to the 1 yard line before Wallace-Rose Hill was able to catch him from behind.

Brandon Satchell scored on the next play with a short touchdown run. The Tigers defense forced a quick Bulldog punt on the next series. In just four minutes James Kenan scored again on an eight-play, 68-yard drive. Ronnie Williams ran the ball in from the 1 and the Tigers lined up for a two-point conversion to tie the game. The run failed and Wallace-Rose Hill led 14-12.

The Bulldogs answered two minutes later on a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andrew Bowden to Mike Evans with just 41 seconds left before halftime. Bradley Bradshaw kicked his third extra point of the first half and Wallace-Rose Hill extended its lead to 21-12.

With only 16 seconds left before halftime, Wallace-Rose Hill added a safety on a Tigers bad snap from the shotgun formation.

James Kenan held the high-scoring Bulldogs scoreless in the second half. The Tigers added another touchdown as Williams ran for his second score with just less than seven minutes left in the game.

James Kenan would get one more chance to pull the game out, but the Bulldogs intercepted a pass and ran the clock out.

"We made those early mistakes and you cannot do that against a team like Wallace-Rose Hill, they've got the best football program in eastern North Carolina and that is where we want to be," Motsinger said.

James Kenan was led in rushing by Williams with 14 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Bulldog quarterback Andrew Bowden passed for 100 yards and one touchdown.

The Tigers received a No. 6 seed in the upcoming playoffs and will host No. 11-seeded Northampton-East this Friday night.

Predictably, Wallace-Rose Hill got the top seed and will host Rosewood (2-9) the same evening.