James Kenan gets revenge at Southern Wayne's expense

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on August 18, 2012 11:08 PM

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DUDLEY -- James Kenan wanted revenge for a season-opening loss to Southern Wayne just one year ago.

The Tigers got their wish on Friday night.

Four rushers combined for 307 yards on the ground and the Tigers defeated the Saints 28-12 at the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex.

"I think our guys were ready to come out and do whatever it took to win," Tigers head coach Ken Avent Jr. said. "Offensively we put it together on the ground and were able to move the ball efficiently."

A mistake put the Tigers in a hole early.

On the team's second possession, a fumble gave Southern Wayne the ball at the James Kenan 11-yard line. One play later, tailback Andrew Matthews raced into the end zone and the Saints led 6-0.

James Kenan immediately answered with a long drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Dominique Barnes. A missed extra point left the teams tied at 6-6.

The deadlock did not last long.

Following a failed Saints possession, the Tigers took over and hit the game's first big play. Barnes found Marcelias Sutton for a 76-yard touchdown pass. Frederick Miller ran in the two-point conversion and gave the Tigers a 14-6 lead.

"When you look at how (James Kenan) scored it was pretty much all on big plays," Southern Wayne head coach David Lee said. "That pass play was big for sure."

James Kenan (1-0 overall) added to its lead before the half when Ja'Quan Williams broke free for a 30-yard touchdown scamper. Sutton ran in the two-point conversion and pushed the score to 22-6 at the intermission.

Southern Wayne battled back in the third quarter.

After a failed possession by both teams, the Saints took over on their own 15-yard line. Two plays later, Matthews broke loose and rolled 77 yards for a touchdown that made the score 22-12.

"They were taking away the strong side in the first half," Lee said. "In the second half we adjusted and went to the weak side, and Andrew was able to run a couple of cutbacks that led to big gains."

Southern Wayne had a chance to pull within one score in the fourth quarter when it moved the ball to the Tigers' goal line. A fumble into the end zone was recovered by a James Kenan defender and resulted in a touchback.

"There are obviously things that we need to work on going into next week," Avent Jr. said. "But, with that said, I was really pleased with this being our first time out."

Sutton led the Tigers with 105 yards rushing on 15 carries and the team's lone reception for 76 yards. Williams added 99 yards on nine carries.

Matthews paced the Saints with 138 yards on the ground and three catches for 29 yards.

Southern Wayne (0-1 overall) travels to Northern Nash next Friday, while James Kenan is the guest of Jones Senior.