Hunt tops Southern Wayne

By Staff Reports
Published in Sports on November 2, 2008 12:48 AM

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WILSON -- Going into Friday night's showdown at Wilson Hunt, the Southern Wayne coaching staff expected a low-scoring matchup of run defenses.

That didn't happen.

The teams combined for 647 yards rushing and 870 yards of total offense. The Warriors remained in playoff contention with a 43-26, Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference victory.

Southern Wayne's James Jones finished the night with 284 yards and three touchdowns.

"(James) did a great job. I didn't really know how many yards he had on the sidelines but I knew it was around 300," said Southern Wayne head coach Bob Warren. "Our offensive line did a good job of opening holes and allowing James to do what he does best ... run in space."

The Warriors set the tone in the first quarter with two touchdown runs by Tyrell Applewhite.

Trailing 14-0, the Saints battled back on Jones' shoulders. The senior tailback broke a 25-yard touchdown run to open the second quarter, but 14-7 was as close as the Saints would get.

Warrior quarterback Jacob Page showcased his strong arm on scoring plays of 13 and 70 yards before halftime.

"We had some turnovers and got behind, and it's pretty tough to battle back from that," said Warren. "Combine that with the injuries and the guys we were missing, and it all worked against us."

The loss eliminated Southern Wayne, the 2007 ECC champion, from the postseason. The Saints (1-9 overall, 0-4 ECC) focuses on the spoiler role when county rival Charles B. Aycock visits Dudley on Friday.

"The county rivalry factor will be there, and we want to finish the season strong," said Warren. "I am pleased with the fact that our guys haven't given up, and we are going to prepare this week and come out ready to play."

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.