Moore's fourth-quarter TD seals Tigers' home win

By Staff Reports
Published in Sports on August 29, 2009 11:23 PM

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WARSAW -- Brian Moore's 7-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown run gave James Kenan all the cushion its stout defense needed in a 14-0, non-conference triumph over Jones Senior on Friday night.

The Tigers held the Trojans to 113 yards of offense, including just 66 on the ground. Kyle Bosti paced Kenan's defense with seven tackles while Lee Grant and Dontril Hyman added six apiece.

Jonathan Webster collected an interception.

"I thought we played very well on defense and actually we played very well on offense," said fourth-year Tigers head coach Ken Avent Jr. "We had two touchdowns called back on penalties. We moved the ball well all night, but at times we just couldn't score."

Quarterback Dasmine Smith's 1-yard, first-quarter touchdown plunge put the Tigers on the board. Victor Parker finished with 101 yards on 16 carries.

James Kenan (2-0 overall) entertains East Bladen next Friday.

North Lenoir 27

North Johnston 19

LaGRANGE -- North Lenoir head coach Calvin Sutton picked up his first career win as the Hawks held off North Johnston 26-19 at Bullock Field on Friday night.

After North Lenoir fumbled on its first possession, North Johnston's Jaques Alston broke loose on a 69-yard scoring run for the 6-0 lead. The Hawks stole the momentum two possessions later when Maurice Morgan returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown.

North Johnston led 12-6 at halftime and added another touchdown when Malik Adams returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a 75-yard score.

The Hawks controlled the rest of the game behind a strong offensive surge.

Romero Arnold hit Zack Braxton for a five-yard score on the Hawks' next possession. With 1:32 left in the third quarter, Mike Sutton dove into the end zone from two yards out.

North Lenoir scored the go-ahead touchdown on Sutton's six-yard scamper with two minutes left in the game.

North Lenoir (1-1 overall) will travel to Kinston on Friday.

Hobbton 27

Spring Creek 8

SEVEN SPRINGS -- Spring Creek had a tough time slowing down the Hobbton rushing attack in a 27-8 loss at "The Swamp" on Friday night.

The Wildcats tallied 343 yards on the ground and scored all four of their touchdowns via the running game. Xavier Thompson paced Hobbton with 97 yards on 13 carries.

"Until we start winning some battles at the line of scrimmage this is what we can expect," said Spring Creek head coach Aaron Sanders. "We have some things to work on, and the offensive and defensive lines are two of those areas."

Hobbton jumped in front on Henry Barnes' six-yard scoring plunge in the opening quarter. The visitors extended their lead to 13-0 when Barnes found the end zone to open the second period. Thompson made the score 21-0 at the intermission with six-yard run of his own.

The Gators fared better in the second half, but Hobbton's Abudar Alwahish skated across the goal line in the third quarter. Ryan Jones broke an eight-yard run for the Gators' only score of the night in the game's closing minutes.

"We have a lot of good athletes and we are trying to get better," said Sanders. "But we have to fix some things and that's what we will be working on this week."

Spring Creek (0-2 overall) is the guest of Midway on Friday.

Beddingfield 13

Southern Wayne 12

WILSON -- Southern Wayne failed to convert a key fourth down during a potential game-winning drive, and suffered a 13-12 loss to Wilson Beddingfield.

The Saints faced a fourth-and-two inside the Bruins' 30-yard line, but quarterback Quintin Smith was stopped a yard shy of the first-down marker.

Beddingfield took over on downs.

"It was a nice drive and it came down to fourth-and two and we weren't quite in what we would consider field-goal range," said Southern Wayne head coach Bob Warren. "We went for it and came up about two feet short. Our kids certainly made big strides forward. Our defense played exceptionally well.

"Beddingfield has a real good passing game and we slowed them down a little bit, and put ourselves in a position to win."

The Bruins recovered a Saints fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter and later took a 13-12 lead on Menteith Lucas' touchdown run.

Marquis Hines' 89-yard interception return for a touchdown put Southern Wayne ahead 12-7 in the third quarter.

The Saints (0-2) travel to Wallace-Rose Hill next Friday.

Ayden-Grifton 20

Greene Central 19 (OT)

AYDEN -- Greene Central suffered a heart-breaking 20-19 overtime loss against Ayden-Grifton on Friday night.

After the teams battled to a 12-12 tie in regulation, the Rams took the ball in overtime and promptly moved it into scoring position. Kenzie Phillips capped the short drive with a four-yard dash into the end zone to give GC a 19-12 lead.

The Chargers blocked the extra-point attempt.

Ayden-Grifton used Justin Whitaker as its workhorse on its game-winning drive. Whitaker's 1-yard dive and Lucas Angle's PAT secured the home win.

"We had some chances and we didn't take advantage," said second-year Rams head coach Ken Grantham. "We had two touchdowns called back on penalties and we had a fumble inside the ten-yard line. Those things are tough to overcome."

Phillips paced the Greene Central rushing attack with 132 yards on 19 carries. Aaron Harper added 104 yards on 12 carries Quarterback Brandon Suit completed three passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.

"I am really proud of the effort my guys gave out there," said Grantham. "We just have to do a better job of making the most of our opportunities."

Greene Central (0-2 overall) entertains C.B. Aycock on Friday.