Vikings post shutout at Southern Wayne

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on October 28, 2008 1:46 PM

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DUDLEY -- All the scoring came in the first half as Kinston defeated Southern Wayne 20-0 in Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference football action on Monday night.

It was homecoming night at the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex. And a sweet return for Battle Holley, now the Vikings' head coach and former Saints' assistant coach.

"When I was here at Southern Wayne the people were great, and the kids were great," said Holley. "I won't say that it means more to get a win here, but it was definitely a good win for us."

The Vikings jumped in front early when quarterback Dori Hines found Joseph Newborn for a 33-yard touchdown completion. Later in the first quarter, Hines extended the Kinston advantage on a one-yard sneak.

With head coach Bob Warren out of town due to a family emergency, Saints' assistant coach David Lee handled the head coaching duties. And despite the two-score deficit after the first 12 minutes, Lee was pleased with his team's defensive effort.

"I thought we did a pretty good job on that side of the ball," said Lee. "We couldn't get anything going on offense, and that gave (Kinston) good field position several times."

The Vikings went up 20-0 just before the intermission on a 46-yard pass from Hines to Kewitt Koonce.

During the second half, the Saints turned the tide offensively, but could not come up with a big play to get back into the game.

Southern Wayne's best offensive chance came with two minutes left in the third quarter after Jordan Williams hooked up with Ryan Messimer for a 41-yard gain. Corey Baker carried the ball inside the Vikings' 5-yard line,, but the drive stalled when a holding penalty negated a short gain on third down.

Williams was sacked and fumbled on fourth and goal. The Vikings recovered at the Saints' 25-yard line.

"We moved the ball a little better in the second half, but we couldn't come up with a score," said Lee. "That says a lot about the Kinston defense. A lot of teams have been able to move the ball between the 20s, but they always bow up."

The playoff-bound Vikings (7-2 overall, 3-0 ECC) held the Saints to 133 yards of total offense. Baker led the Southern Wayne rushing attack with 44 yards on 14 carries. James Jones added 29 yards on 14 totes.

Messimer collected both of Williams' completions for 43 total yards.

"Our guys never gave up, and that says a lot about their resolve and their drive to keep battling each week," said Lee. "Playing two games in five days is tough, but we just have to recover physically and keep working hard."

Southern Wayne (1-8, 0-3) visits Wilson Hunt on Friday.