FOOTBALL: Goldsboro looks to turn around season

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on September 16, 2016 9:57 AM

• Print
• Email

Following last week's 43-20 loss to county rival Charles B. Aycock, even the most casual observer couldn't avoid noticing the appearance of Goldsboro High's post-game huddle.

There were long faces. Slumped shoulders and hurt feelings.

More than a few get-me-out-of-here looks.

In short, the typical expressions of players trying to process the most recent chapter of an 0-4 start to their season.

The voice of said huddle, however, rang with a different tenor.

In non-negotiable terms, head coach Bennett Johnson and his staff reminded their troops that being all-in isn't a week-by-week proposition, and the program's standard-bearing work ethic doesn't come with a bevy of personal preferences.

Wearing the blue-and-gold means wearing the blue-and-gold.

Together. All the time.

"The kids were disappointed," Johnson said of the moment. "(And) sometimes their actions don't necessarily reflect the way they really feel. Every man that you see on the field Friday night will be fully vested."

And if the Cougars are to begin the challenging work of balancing their win-loss scale, they'll need to be -- especially with long-standing Big East 3-A pillar Northern Nash in town tonight for what projects to be a slugfest.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

A rugged, physical outfit, the Knights have faced the likes of 1-A Tarboro High, 2-A Elizabeth City Northeastern, 3-A Corinth-Holders and 4-A Wilmington Laney to open their season, fashioning a .500 record in the process.

"They are the most complete team we have played yet," Johnson noted. "They've played a tough schedule so far and have held their own against those teams."

Just without much pop and sizzle.

Averaging just 16 points a contest, Northern's gridiron identity isn't rooted in a spread formation, nor does it grow gaudy offensive numbers. The green-and-gold play old-school, possession football -- smashmouth, if you will -- and make no apologies for it.

That is of particular concern for Johnson, who will take the field tonight minus perhaps his most industrial strength-type player -- Xzavior Bowden. The all-purpose sophomore, scratched because of an undisclosed shoulder injury, has made quite a splash on the varsity level this season, playing high-volume snaps on both sides of the ball.

Bowden recently emerged from a crowded summer backfield to become the Cougars' offensive bell cow, toting the luggage 34 times for 208 yards and three touchdowns in four games.

He also features prominently on the other side of the ball, as evidenced by his team-leading 30 solo tackles and 10 assists -- numbers that represent roughly 20 percent of the team's overall mark.

In his place, the Cougars will call upon the duo of sophomore Dennis Coley and freshman Darius Rodgers -- both of whom have yet to register a solo varsity tackle this season -- to factor in the game's outcome.

"It'll be a great test for us," Johnson said of the matchup. "And I think our kids will be up for the challenge."

Together, that is.