
Nathue Myles busts through a hole up the middle for a big gain for the Raiders.
Daron Barefoot|Sampson Independent
It was senior night at Midway Friday night when Red Springs traveled to Spivey’s Corner for a Southeastern Athletic Conference showdown. An intense battle was expected from the Raiders’ sideline, but what unfolded on the field was an entirely different result. When all was said and done, Midway took an emphatic 46-8 victory to set themselves up for a critical matchup against St. Pauls this week.
Red Springs took the opening kickoff and started on their own 24-yard line. A couple of quick slant passes moved them into a fresh set of downs, but they abandoned that method and the drive went backwards. After failing to pick up another first down, the Red Devils were forced to punt. The punt was a poor one and the Raiders began their first drive at midfield.
They began to march quickly down field and were lined up just outside the goal line in a hurry. That’s when Gehemiah Blue scampered in for a 3-yard TD run up the middle to give Midway the first score of the game. Blue also converted the two-point try and the Raiders led 8-0 with 4:58 left in the first quarter.
The ensuing series was a short one for Red Springs as they committed a detrimental turnover that would put them further behind. Wilson Mayo intercepted a tipped pass, and returned it all the way down to the one-yard line. A holding penalty backed Midway up, but Blue ran the ball in on the next play for an 11-yard TD run. The two-point try was no good this time, but Midway led 14-0 with 3:54 on the clock in the first.
After another fruitless Red Springs drive, they were forced to punt the ball once again. This time, it was Ke’Mari McNeill getting on the stat sheet for the Raiders as he returned the punt from the 50-yard line all the back for another touchdown. The two-point try was good and the Raiders led 22-0 with 2:41 still left in the first quarter.
After the Red Devils started on their own 24-yard line, they faced fourth down and four yards to go as the first quarter ended with the 22-0 score. They were stopped short on the try to begin the second quarter and Midway took over at their own 36-yard line.
After plowing downfield yet again, it was McNeill who heard his name ring out across the PA system on a 25-yard TD run. The Raiders again converted the two-point try and now led 30-0 with 7:51 left in the first half.
After that, things just kept getting worse for the Red Devils. After starting on their own 20-yard line, Red Springs fumbled the ball on second down and it was recovered by Ryan Naylor for Midway at the Devils’ 24-yard line. A few plays later, McNeill struck again from 12 yards out to jolt the lead closer to the mercy-rule threshold. After the two-point try was successful, the Raiders led 38-0 with 6:45 left in the half.
The Red Devils got a great kick return on the next kickoff, getting it all the way down to the Midway 32-yard line. Their best shot at a score all night quickly fizzled, though, as they lost yards on each play and was stopped back at midfield. The Raiders, though, were also unable to make anything happen and they punted the ball away.
There was no more scoring from there and the halftime score held at 38-0.
On the opening kick in the second half, Blue struck quickly for Midway as he got a 70-yard return for a touchdown on the kickoff, officially activating a non-stop clock. The two-point try was good, and the Raiders led 46-0 with 11:47 to go in the third quarter.
With the clock on cruise control, the game very quickly reached its end. Before that, though, the Red Devils did manage one score and 2-point conversion against the Midway second string, producing the final tally of 46-8.
“Very excited…very excited for what we did tonight,” stated Midway head coach Barrett Sloan. “But, job not finished.”
Midway is now 4-0 in the conference with the win, pitting themselves into a winner-take-all with St. Pauls this week, who is also 4-0. Sloan is proud of his team for being in the running and hopes to keep the energy rolling into what will undoubtedly be a tough matchup.
“We know St. Pauls is a good football team, probably one of the best on our schedule. But we have a good football team, too, and I’m excited to see what we can do.”
When asked about what his preparation would look like for this week, Sloan stated “We’ve got to get this injury bug off us,” acknowledging that the Raiders have been banged up down the home stretch. “Hopefully we’ll get some of them back this week, some key pieces to what we do.”
Midway is now 8-1 on the season and has locked up no worse than runner up in the Southeastern Athletic Conference. They look to take it all, though, Friday night at St. Pauls. Game time is 7 p.m.