Prep notebook: Warriors' Williams slows down in game in 2nd half

By Staff Reports
Published in Sports on October 8, 2012 1:50 PM

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DUDLEY -- Slow it down.

Eastern Wayne quarterback Mitch Pike completed six first-half passes, including touchdown strikes to Deshawn Boudy and Dayshawn Pridgen against Southern Wayne on Friday evening. But the sophomore also threw three interceptions.

One pick led to the Saints' second -- and final -- touchdown.

Warriors head coach Bubba Williams decided to change the tempo at halftime. Pike completed one pass and Pridgen hooked up with Alex Davilla on a half-back option in the second half.

Eastern Wayne had 19 rushing plays.

"We were trying to slow the game back down for Mitch," Williams said. "He threw a couple of interceptions and was rushing. We wanted to him to make reads in the running game. We challenged the offensive line and in the second half they did a little better job of getting off the ball."

Runnin' Rebels

PRINCETON -- North Duplin piled up 523 rushing yards in Friday night's 41-20 win at Carolina 1-A Conference foe Princeton.

Senior quarterback Tyler Royal rushed for 425 yards and six touchdowns and missed tying a pair of state records.

The Rebels have rushed for more than 2,500 yards through seven games this season and average 360-plus rushing yards per contest. North Duplin has scored 29 touchdowns, 27 coming on the ground.

Cougars on the prowl

After allowing an 18-yard pass play on the second snap of the game, the Goldsboro defense got itself together and held Rosewood in check on Friday night.

The Eagles had just 44 yards of total offense in the first half.

"I thought the defense played with intensity," Goldsboro head coach Eric Reid said. "We wanted to set the tone and we were able to do that by stopping Rosewood's ground game."

The Cougars rolled to a 54-0 victory.

Goldsboro has outscored its opponents 95-18 through two Carolina 1-A games this season.

Takes a licking

DUDLEY -- Andrew Matthews refused to let a fractured hand, bleeding fingers and toe injury keep him from his duties Friday evening.

The Southern Wayne tailback rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in a loss to county archrival Eastern Wayne. The senior averaged 4.8 yards a carry.

"Andrew, bless his heart, he's a tough kid," Saints head coach David Lee said. "His fractured hand ... it's healing. His other hand, I don't think anything is broken, but it was bleeding a couple of times and you have to come out of the game.

"He's been nursing a toe injury where he was cleated in practice. He gets a lot of touches for us because he's that dynamic of a back and we rely on him because he's our most-experienced back, he's a senior and he's got speed."

Matthews has rushed for 728 yards and eight touchdowns this season.

Series history

DUDLEY -- Eastern Wayne won for the third time its last four tries against county archrival Southern Wayne.

The 32-point victory margin was the second-largest by either team in the series since the Warriors' 59-22 blowout win in 2006.

The Saints have won seven of 12 meetings since 2001.