North Duplin gets the best out of Southside high school in week one of opening football. The Rebels won 27-0 against the Seahawks.
North Duplin uses balanced rushing attack to shut out Southside
CHOCOWINITY — North Duplin leaned on a trio of playmakers and a stingy defense to open its season with a 27-0 win over Southside on Friday night.
The Rebels (1-0) spread the ball around on the ground, led by Carell Phillips, who rushed 14 times for 86 yards and a touchdown. Vance Carter added 78 yards on eight carries, while quarterback Keiz Brock was efficient, completing his only pass for 12 yards and rushing for two short-yardage touchdowns.
As a team, North Duplin totaled 237 rushing yards on 43 attempts and held the ball for nearly 21 minutes. The Rebels also scored defensively with a 47-yard interception return in the fourth quarter to cap the shutout.
Southside (0-1) managed 158 yards of offense — 86 on the ground and 72 through the air. Junior quarterback Ryan Lewis threw for 72 yards on 6-of-15 passing and added 23 rushing yards, while Chance Haywood provided a spark at receiver with 53 yards on three catches. Running back JaVonn McCall carried the load on the ground, finishing with 37 rushing yards on five attempts.
Despite the loss, first-year head coach Andrea Quinerly said he saw positives from his team.
“They played hard and never gave up,” Quinerly said. “They’ve got a lot of fight, and that’s what you want to see in Week 1.”
Quinerly credited Caleb Lewis for his work on the defensive line and noted several underclassmen made an impact in their varsity debuts.
“We’ve got a couple of freshmen and sophomores stepping up,” he said. “They kind of surprised us all, doing a great job and taking on the challenge.”
Penalties proved costly for Southside, which was flagged 12 times for 56 yards.
“Our discipline — we had a lot of penalties, jumping offsides, blocking in the back, holding — little things we’ve got to clean up,” Quinerly said.
The shutout marked Southside’s third straight loss to North Duplin, though the series sits even at 3-3 across the past six meetings.
The Seahawks will look to bounce back Friday when they host North Edgecombe (0-1), which fell 52-8 to Southeast Collegiate Prep Academy in its opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Game Leaders
North Duplin
- Carell Phillips: 14 rushes, 86 yards, 1 TD
- Vance Carter: 8 rushes, 78 yards
- Keiz Brock: 1-1 passing, 12 yards; 6 rushes, 3 yards, 2 TDs
- Team Defense: INT return TD
Southside
- Ryan Lewis: 6-15 passing, 72 yards; 11 rushes, 23 yards
- Chance Haywood: 3 receptions, 53 yards
- JaVonn McCall: 5 rushes, 37 yards
- Caleb Lewis: Defensive line anchor
- Defense: 2 takeaways (fumbles recovered)
Category: General Sports
