North Duplin celebrates perfect fun as a family

By John Joyce
Published in Sports on November 4, 2017 8:58 PM

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CALYPSO --  Family.

It's the familiar embrace of a familiar face.

The feeling that someone has your back.

Older people mentoring younger ones.

And on Friday night, in the one brightly lit spot for miles around, it was hundreds of fans showing their unending support as the North Duplin Rebels steamrolled Hobbton, 42-7, to close out their regular season undefeated.

"It's awesome," said North Duplin quarterback William Archer. "It feels like everybody in the community has our backs no matter what."

Archer was one of a few players who took time out of the action-packed -- if one way -- game to talk to young fans that barely reached over the fence near the bleachers.

The crowd that turned out to watch the Rebels roll on to a perfect season packed the stadium, lined the fence and wrapped all the way down around the home team's end zone.

Truly, it felt as though the entire population of Calypso was there to witness a historical night at the end of a legendary season.

North Duplin made quick work of the Hobbton boys, pounding out a score of 14-0 by the end of the first quarter.

At half, that score had risen to a hearty 35-0, with no signs of North Duplin slowing down.

The Rebels kicked off the second half to Hobbton, but regained possession in short order.

With each passing touchdown, field goal and 2-point conversion, the applause from the home team fans rose to deafening levels.

By the time 9 minutes and 18 seconds were left on the clock in the third quarter, the community's raucous support helped the Rebels stretch their lead to 42-0.

The mercy rule took hold.

The clock began to run freely.

Hobbton came close to scoring against North Duplin's starting lineup only once, during a run of downs that saw them reach the 5-yard line.

But, with rumbling cheers providing the back beat to pads as they clapped and smacked together, the starting Rebels held the line and turned the tide back in their own favor.

The second string would put up a respectable effort, sending the crowd into a frenzy with a few hard and fast tackles that left Hobbton players stretched out on the ground.

It was clear what would happen at that point -- North Duplin would cap the season with an unblemished record.

The starting lineup filtered off the field, with many senior players taking the time to talk to kids -- possibly future Rebels -- in the stands.

Kenneth Sheppard was one of those players, stopping to fist bump the kids and talk to them.

"I love it," Sheppard said as the clock inched closer to marking a Rebels victory. "I love when the kids come and I get to fist bump them."

The stadium broke out into a frenzy when the clock struck zero and the Rebels walked away with a 42-7 easy victory.

When handshakes were finished, a few Rebels dumped coolers on the coaches -- head coach Hugh Martin included.

Martin said this level of community support was there for the team all season, where the entirety of the town where everybody knows everybody else and their mother turns out to cheer on the next generation.

"It's awesome. It's been like this since I've been here," Martin said. "Tonight is just another example of that."

Playoff Implications

North Duplin earned the top seed in next week's N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A state playoffs, and will enjoy a bye through the opening round.

The Rebels, who will be at home throughout their postseason, will entertain the winner of Southside and Northside-Pinetown on Nov. 17.

North Duplin has defeated both schools this season by a combined 45 points.