Goldsboro 'D' converts turnovers into points
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 29, 2010 1:46 PM
SEVEN SPRINGS -- Defense carried Goldsboro one step closer to its second consecutive Carolina 1-A Conference football championship on Thursday evening.
Senior linebacker Andre Montgomery returned two interceptions for touchdowns and lineman William Super added a 75-yard fumble return in a 56-0 romp over Spring Creek at "The Swamp."
The playoff-bound Cougars (7-3 overall) remained unbeaten in four conference outings this season and entertain Ayden-Grifton for the league championship next Friday. The Gators (1-9, 1-3 CC) conclude regular-season play the same evening at rival North Duplin.
"Spring Creek caught momentum (early) because of our lack of offense," said Goldsboro head coach Eric Reid. "I was glad that they (the defense) stepped up. We had a change midseason with defensive coordinators and I knew we wouldn't mesh overnight.
"Now, we're starting to see the fruits of the labor."
Goldsboro marched downfield on its opening possession. Corteiz Sprangle directed the straight-T offense on a nine-play, 53-yard scoring drive that ended on Montgomery's 7-yard run.
Montgomery rambled for 161 yards on just 12 totes.
Each of Spring Creek's first three possessions ended in interceptions. Montgomery converted two of the miscues into touchdowns, including an 80-yard pick six early in the second quarter.
"Andre is an extraordinary young man," said Reid. "He can catch the ball, he can run, he can block and he can hit. He's an athlete. Our defense came up (tonight), but our offense just didn't gel."
Super's fumble return just before intermission gave Goldsboro a 35-0 lead. The Gators surrendered 36 points on six miscues.
"We knew coming in they had two very good running backs and they had a very good defensive line, and we were going to have to do some things to neutralize that," said Spring Creek head coach Aaron Sanders. "We slowed them down a lot in the first quarter and they had to earn everything they got, but after awhile, those two big boys just kind of wear on you a little bit.
"We really struggled to get anything going offensively tonight."
Goldsboro owned a 223-84 edge in total offense and didn't allow a first down until late in the second quarter. Spring Creek quarterback Ricky Brayboy completed nine passes for 64 yards to three different receivers, and added 17 yards rushing.
The Cougars, winners of nine consecutive conference contests, had two sustained drives the remainder of the game. One possession ended on Darius Currie's 20-yard touchdown scamper, while penalties forced another drive to stall midway through the second quarter.
Reid's team ran just two offensive plays in the second half. Each resulted in touchdowns -- a 52-yard gallop by Montgomery and a 15-yard run by Freddie Jones.
"Our goal tonight was to come out and get better. We showed some spurts where we did, and showed some spurts where we didn't," said Reid. "We're still a work in progress. We have a tradition we have to live up to, so we have to keep working."