Inclement weather once again reared its head during last week’s football activities, delaying some games and forcing others to be rescheduled.
A late start can’t
stop the Spartan attack
Union (3-1) had to wait two hours to kick off its game against West Bladen due to lightning in the area, but the Spartans overwhelmed their opponents 42-13 to continue their three-game winning streak.
Union duo Tobias Cromartie and Marquavion Melvin both eclipsed 100 yards on the ground to lead the Spartan attack. They also accounted for all of Union’s scores, as Cromartie scored four touchdowns and Melvin added two. West Bladen struggled to stop the run, as Union collected more than 310 yards in the win.
The Spartans look for their fourth straight win as they stay home to face East Columbus on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m.
Midway Raiders
survives shootout
The Raiders (5-0) were tasked with their hardest test so far last Friday, as they defeated Princeton on the road 52-46 to maintain their perfect start to the year.
Midway quarterback Tanner Williams started the scoring with a rushing touchdown from the 1-yard line, as the Raiders converted the two-point conversion. Princeton answered back with a rushing touchdown and conversion, then took the lead 16-8 after the first quarter. A Midway touchdown from running back Wesley Tew got the Raider boys back to a tied game before Princeton scored again.
Down 24-16 at halftime, it was the first time the Raiders had trailed in a game this season. Nevertheless, Midway continued to fight. Williams broke free on a 33-yard scamper to put the ball in the end zone in the third. A successful two-point conversion tied the game at 24. Then, the Raider defense made a play. Midway’s Weston Rawls intercepted Princeton’s quarterback and ran the ball back for a 65-yard pick-six to give the Raiders the lead for the first time since the first quarter.
After another two-point attempt from Midway, Princeton tied the game at 32-32. Williams, however, took the ball, rushed and got loose again, this time for 65 yards to score another long rushing touchdown. The Raiders then followed up the score with another pick-six, this time from Tew, who took the turnover 80 yards to give Midway a two-possession lead.
Up 44-32 in the fourth, the Raiders defense was unable to hold the cushion for long. Princeton scored to make the game 44-38. Tew did manage one last touchdown to put Midway up 50-38, with another Williams conversion adding two more points. Princeton fought back as the Bulldogs cut the lead with another rushing score. After the Bulldogs scored, they kicked an onside kick and recovered it to give themselves one final chance to catch up to their opponents as the fourth quarter began to wane. But it was too little, too late, as the Raiders managed to hang on to win.
Williams ran for more than 220 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. After the win over Princeton, the Raiders get a week off before they head back home to face James Kenan on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.
Hobbton finds
first victory
The Wildcats (1-4) broke their three-game losing streak against East Columbus, as they won 32-13 this past Friday. Hobbton quarterback Braxton McLamb threw a touchdown early in the first quarter to put the Wildcats up 6-0 before a two-point conversion tacked on two more points. McLamb followed it up with his second touchdown pass of the day to double the Hobbton lead, plus another two-point conversion to make the score 16-0.
Wildcats running back Javarus Johnson got in on the scoring festivities, as he added a rushing touchdown in the second quarter to put his team up 23-0. East Columbus added a score to get on the board to make the halftime score 23-7. After receiving the ball in the second half, the Gators cut the lead to just 10 off a touchdown pass.
Late in the fourth, Johnson sealed the deal with his second rushing touchdown of the day, along with a two-point conversion to put Hobbton up 32-13. On the ground, the sophomore running back had 176 yards on 24 carries.
The Wildcats return home this Friday, Sept. 25, with hopes of duplicating this result against East Bladen at 7 p.m.
Harrells falls
The Crusaders (2-2) weren’t able to find much end zone success against Ambassador Christian, as they were defeated 41-14.
After falling behind 13-0 in the first quarter, Harrells managed to get a rushing touchdown from senior back Demetrius Jones before ACS scored two more to build a 27-6 halftime lead. Crusader quarterback DJ Davis added a rushing touchdown of his own late in the fourth quarter, but Ambassador Christian had secured the win long before the score.
Despite the loss, Harrells was able to move the ball down the field, accounting for more than 216 rushing yards in the contest. The Crusaders look to rebound at home against Covenant Day on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m.
Lakewood delayed
The Leopards’ road matchup with North Duplin was postponed to Monday at 6:30 p.m. due to inclement weather. A recap of the Lakewood result will come in Wednesday’s edition of The Sampson Independent.