Trojans earn respect at North Duplin

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on September 9, 2008 12:47 PM

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CALYPSO -- Jones Senior walked onto H.E. Grubbs Field seeking respect Monday evening.

The Trojans certainly found it against North Duplin.

Senior quarterback Covair Frost accounted for 367 yards of total offense in a 40-21 victory over the Rebels, the reigning Class 1-A (small-school) eastern champions.

"That's a very good football team and they have a lot of speed," said North Duplin head coach Hugh Martin. "I was pretty pleased with my guys' effort, but we know that we have some things to improve upon."

Frost rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns, and threw for 165 yards and another two scores. Jones Senior handed North Duplin its first defeat in three outings this season.

"He is an athlete. It's that simple," said Trojans head coach Greg Hampton. "We put him in as a sophomore and let him learn ... now he is putting it together."

Meanwhile, Rebels quarterback Marcus Kornegay continued to mature in the loss. The sophomore threw for 168 yards and a touchdown in his second straight start.

"Marcus continues to improve," said Martin. "I thought he was good in the pocket and I thought our pass protection was very good."

Trailing 14-6 at halftime, the Rebels opened the third quarter with their best series of the game. Akeem Cox's one-yard plunge into the end zone capped the eight-play drive that covered 61 yards. Kornegay found Michael Warren on the two-point conversion pass and tied the game.

Jones Senior dominated the rest of the night.

Frost answered with a game-tying score, a 22-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Fryar with 2:48 left in the third quarter. Two minutes later, the Trojans added some insurance on Frost's longest run of the game -- a 73-yard touchdown scamper.

Cox rounded out the Rebels' scoring with a six-yard run in the fourth quarter. He finished with 92 yards on 33 carries. Martin didn't use another running back during the game.

Martin was pleased with his prized back's ability to tote the ball so many times and stay fresh on defense.

"That's something he is learning to do, and he continues to get used to playing both ways," said Martin. "He is a guy that we need to have out there as much as possible.

"Overall, I was pleased with how our guys competed as a team and the effort they gave tonight."

Tropical Storm Hanna forced school officials to move the game to Monday. That leaves the Rebels just two days to prepare for Union, which suffered two losses to North Duplin in 2007.

"We will change some things at practice as far as how hard we go," said Martin. "But I think we will be ready to play on Friday."