PREP FOOTBALL: North Duplin earns hard-fought win over Rosman

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on November 20, 2016 1:45 AM

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jhayes@newsargus.com

CALYPSO -- Looks can be deceiving.

North Duplin, which closed its varsity football regular-season slate in quick fashion for a share of the Carolina 1-A crown, seemingly held all the cards in advance of Friday night's bruising, 21-7 victory in the opening round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A (small-school) playoffs against Rosman.

For starters, the Rebels were at home.

Further, they emerged from the regular season with a roster full of healthy players -- a feat very few area qualifiers could manage. Lastly, ND was on proper form, having won seven of its last eight contests.

None of that mattered, however, to Rosman -- a notion that Rebel head coach Hugh Martin tried to communicate to his players throughout their film study and field preparation.

"I've been nervous all week," Martin said. "They play hard... my two coaches that were on the 2006 team (that faced Rosman in the playoffs) conveyed to them -- it's going to be tough."

And so it was.

Rosman, just 2-9 entering its clash in Calypso, made the nine-hour trek from the Great Smoky Mountains with just 24 players on the school's active roster -- but with a collective eye on ousting the Midwest Region's top seed.

From the outset, the action was pad-clicking physical.

The Tigers opened with a flurry, catching North Duplin off guard with a hook-and-ladder on its first play from scrimmage. From there, the orange-and-black stayed ahead of down distance until its opening number dissolved in a penalty for a chop block near midfield.

Then matters became chippy.

On North Duplin's opening series, the Tigers were twice flagged for late hits to Rebel quarterback Will Archer. The junior remained poised, however, and punched in the game's first score on a 16-yard dash to close the first quarter.

Over the next 12 minutes, the tilt was blanketed by an overdose of handkerchiefs. When the dust settled, both sides had been whistled for a combined eight penalties -- three of the unsportsmanlike variety -- which drew the decided ire of Martin.

"I told them to clean it up," the coach said with a laugh. "Just focus on playing... I think early we were both wanting it, trying so hard. There were some shots."

The Rebels led 7-0 at halftime.

North Duplin's David Price ended a scoreless third stanza by intercepting a Luke Stewart pass in the red zone, leading to a game-defining sequence by Archer and Co. -- a 16-play, 83-yard drive that ate nearly five minutes of clock and culminated with No. 9 (Archer) scampering 11 yards for a touchdown.

Rosman made the score 14-7 moments later with a score by Tanner Whitman, only to see ND flip field position on the ensuing kickoff and Archer score again with 4:19 remaining.

Post-game, the harsh reality of varsity life wore on the faces of the Tigers, many of whom had trouble stifling their emotions. On the contrary, it was all smiles for North Duplin, which will face yet another Smoky Mountain conference member next Friday -- fourth-seeded Cherokee.

Not that they'll forget this night anytime soon, mind you.

"I told our players, we're very similar," Martin said of the Tigers. "(A) small 1-A school have to fight for existence in terms of fielding a team, and tradition... they're tough."

Game notes:

ARCHER TIMES THREE

* The junior signal caller was at his best when it mattered most Friday night, fighting through a rugged Rosman defense for 132 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries... on the season. He has collected 1,252 hashmarks and 22 scores -- impressive.

HANKY DOODLE DANDY... SORT OF

* Both teams were flagged a total of 12 times in the first half, with the offenses ranging from chop blocking to late hits to a Hollywood-styled, end-over-end facemask along the Rosman sideline. Both teams played cleanly in the second half, however, garnering just two handkerchiefs.

PROPER SPIRIT

* Rosman, which lost 16 players this season due to injury, should be lauded for its effort -- and spirit, which was brilliantly captured by head coach Freddie Whitman in a post-game media session.

"I've been doing this 28 years," Whitman said. "And where else would you want to be on a Friday night... sitting out here in Small Town, USA, playing football."

Amen.