Greene Central drops C.B. Aycock
By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on September 5, 2010 12:21 AM
PIKEVILLE -- Greene Central enters the Labor Day weekend with a reason to smile and a boost of confidence.
Charles B. Aycock is left with unanswered questions and plenty of work to be done.
The Rams capitalized on a blocked field goal and two Golden Falcons' fumbles in the first half and cruised to a 42-13, non-conference win on Friday night at Hardy Talton Stadium. Greene Central has won five of its last seven meetings with Aycock.
Brandon Bishop recovered the Golden Falcons' blocked field goal attempt late in the first quarter and returned it to the Aycock 31-yard line. Three plays later, Brandon Suit's 29-yard touchdown pass to Jerel Stevens put the Rams in front.
Greene Central recovered a fumble on the Golden Falcons' next possession and Kenzie Phillips' 3-yard touchdown run put the Rams in front 14-0.
"A lot of things went our way," said Greene Central head coach Ken Grantham. "It's good to see the kids pull together. It makes for a nice long weekend."
Suit engineered an eight-play, 64-yard drive that took just over three minutes and ended in his 3-yard score midway through the second quarter. The senior quarterback finished 5 of 9 through the air for 94 yards and added 61 yards and two scores on the ground.
"(Brandon's) a senior, he provides great leadership for us," said Grantham. "I saw a lot of positives. I wasn't sure how it was going to be after last week's loss. I couldn't be more pleased with what the kids have done."
Kelsey Dixon's 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half put the Rams in front 28-0 and appeared to evaporate what life Aycock had left.
"When your team has come off of two losses and been down a whole lot, you're never sure how we're going to handle coming out after halftime," said Grantham. "You knew Aycock was going to be fired up and I think that kick return really set the tone and took the pressure off us and put it back on them."
Suit added a 12-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter. Rasheem Shackleford tacked on a 42-yard score for Greene Central late in the game.
The Golden Falcons had 51 yards of total offense in the first half and struggled to move the football all night. The Rams' defensive line made it difficult for Aycock ball carriers to run inside or find room on the perimeter.
Marquis Bryant led Golden Falcons with 55 yards on 10 carries. Senior quarterback Tyler was 9 for 23 passing for 112 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Go-to receiver Craig Murdock was held to 47 yards on five receptions.
Farmer threw a touchdown pass to A.J. Mundle in the late stages of both the third and fourth quarters.
"Greene Central is huge and physical up front, and we didn't do a good job of handling that," said Aycock head coach Randy Pinkowski. "I think as coaches we're going to have to sit back and reassess. Are we using Tyler Farmer, A.J. Mundle and Craig Murdock to their fullest extent in what we're doing?
"We're scratching our heads right now for an offensive identity."
The Golden Falcons (1-2 overall) entertain Goldsboro on Friday, while Greene Central (1-2) travels Eastern Wayne.