Aycock stuns Eastern Wayne

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 2, 2008 12:48 AM

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Eastern Wayne tried to disguise its injuries on defense.

County archrival Charles B. Aycock discovered the trick and treated its blanket-covered fans to a 32-24 victory on Halloween at Little Big Horn.

The Golden Falcons' Marcus Cobb slashed the Warrior defense for a season- and career-best 286 yards rushing on a whopping 43 carries. His nightmarish performance created a haunting atmosphere as Eastern Wayne fans screamed their disappointment from the bleachers.

The absence of linemen Kevin Gendreau-Fowlkes and Chris Hines, and middle linebacker Hunter Newsome was too much for the Warriors to overcome.

"Our defense was limping tonight," said Eastern Wayne coach Jeff Price. "We tried to plug holes and the guys there did the best they could, but it wasn't enough to stop the bleeding. It was a big concern going in."

C.B. Aycock (3-7 overall) carved up its first Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference victory in 2008, and kept a dim playoff flame flickering with one week left in the regular season. The Golden Falcons (1-2 ECC) travel to Southern Wayne on Friday.

Cobb averaged 6.7 yards per carry, and scored touchdowns on runs of 1 and 7 yards. The 6-foot, 196-pound junior accounted for more than 80 percent of Aycock's 346-yard offensive output.

"We found a little something we could do offensively against what they were doing defensively," said Aycock coach Randy Pinkowski. "I told Coach (Jay Westbrook) to stay with it and we made a slight adjustment at halftime to make it better."

Cobb's 1-yard plunge erased a scoreless tie late in the opening half.

Eastern Wayne, which trailed significantly in time of possession, answered with Lamar Best's 82-yard kickoff return and Steven Hall's 26-yard field goal. The Warriors led 10-0 at halftime.

Switching between Cobb and backfield mate Tyheim Pitt, the Golden Falcons constructed a third-quarter scoring drive. Pitt's 8-yard touchdown reception from David Gurganus put Aycock ahead 13-10.

Seven minutes later, Shepard Whitfield's 76-yard punt return for a touchdown extended the advantage to 20-10.

"We talked about making sure we got something good to happen in special teams which is one of the things we haven't done this year, and that happened," said Pinkowski.

The Warriors didn't go away.

Senior quarterback Dan Price threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Best and Will White for 16 and 50 yards, respectively. Price finished with a career-high 254 yards passing on 17 of 29 attempts, while White hauled in seven catches for 129 yards.

White's reception pulled Eastern Wayne to within 26-24 with 6:58 to go in regulation. But C.B. Aycock answered with Cobb's 7-yard scamper that capped a time-consuming, nine-play drive.

Pitt's interception of Price sealed the Golden Falcons' second consecutive win the series and third overall in the last four years.

"How does the old saying go?" asked Pinkowski. "Even a blind sow can find an acorn in the mud every now and then. I thought the kids played exceptionally well and never given up since they've faced adversity all year long."