Best, Vick spearhead EW's offensive attack

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 30, 2013 11:03 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Eastern Wayne got two quick strikes.

The Warriors' defense did the rest.

Sophomore KK Best rushed for a game-high 200 yards and a touchdown during Eastern Wayne's 12-7 conquest of Eastern Alamance in eastern semifinal-round play of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A football playoffs at Little Big Horn on Friday evening.

"Defensively, we stepped up," EW head coach Bubba Williams said. "Offensively, we scored when we needed to. We put together a drive at the end, held onto the ball and put the game away.

"It's a big win."

Best scored the Warriors' initial TD -- a 72-yard, first-quarter gallop after the sixth-seeded Eagles recovered their own fumble and ran it into the end zone on the previous possession.

The two plays occurred within 23 seconds of each other.

Lavoris Vick notched the game-winning TD midway through the second quarter. His 37-yard scamper set up his 23-yard scoring run that capped a three-play, 51-second drive.

Eastern Wayne led 12-7.

Sixth-seeded Eastern Alamance (10-4 overall) had one sustained drive that ended on a fourth-down incompletion early in the third quarter. The Eagles misfired on a fake punt and came up empty on another red-zone possession.

The third-seeded Warriors (11-2) played three choppy quarters offensively, but controlled the clock with two textbook drives in the final period. One possession started the EW 3 and resulted in a punt. The other began at the Warriors' 12 and stalled at the Eagles' 15 on a fumble.

Best had a combined 13 carries on the two possessions. He sustained a foot injury on his last rush.

"It says a lot about the kid, what we think of him and how good we think he can be to give him the ball in that situation," Williams said of Best.

Eastern Wayne held a 286-281 edge in total offense. The Eagles led 65-53 in total offensive plays.