THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9608290222
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 51 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 82 lines
Two area high school football teams gained instant respectability by knocking off state champions last weekend.
Edenton-Holmes, which is predicted to win the Northeastern Conference, burned Bertie County, the defending 3A state champions, 28-12.
Currituck County knocked off defending 1A state champs Williamston 25-19.
For Edenton, Mitchell Stanley rushed for 168 yards and scored three touchdowns. The Aces' defense held Bertie County to just 41 yards of offense during the first half.
Edenton showed who was boss right from the opening kickoff. David Sutton recovered a Bertie fumble on a muffed handoff on the Falcons' first possession. Three plays later, on the third down, Edenton quarterback Chris Williams hit Stanley over the middle. Stanley busted 40 yards for the touchdown. Kicker Stephen Mitchener booted the extra point and Edenton led 7-0 with 8:42 to play in the first quarter.
Uncharacteristically, Bertie punted four times in the first half and gave up another possession on a fumble. The Aces held Bertie's top runner, Christshawn Gilliam, to just 29 yards in the first half.
The Aces put more points on the board in the second quarter. After Edenton pushed Bertie back to its own five-yard line, Kelvin Freeman's punt was returned by Devon Coston to the Bertie 20. Two runs by Shelton White put the Aces at the four. Stanley ran four yards for the score on the next play to give Edenton a 13-0 lead with 5:48 to play in the half. Mitchener's extra point kick hit the right upright and failed.
Not used to being dominated on both offense and defense, Falcons captain Kyle Williford stood on the sidelines after halftime and chastised his team at the top of his lungs, trying to light a spark. Apparently his teammates were not listening as Edenton took the first possession of the second half and scored on a big play. On the third play of the drive, with the Bertie line bunched close, Stanley broke a hole and ran 77 yards for a touchdown. Mitchener's kick was good and Edenton had an insurmountable 20-0 lead with 10:08 to play in the third quarter.
Bertie did not fold. On their next drive, the Falcons had a big play of their own. Gilliam, who was the MVP of last year's 3A state championship game, finally burst out for a 53-yard touchdown run on a third down play. Quarterback Ronnie Riddick, who was playing in place of benched starter Xavier Overton, was sacked on the extra point attempt.
With Bertie still in the game, the Aces roared back with another score on their next possession, which was highlighted by three big plays on the third down. At 3rd and 9 - with the the ball at their own 42 - Stanley rushed for 13 yards and a first down. Later in the drive, with the ball at the Bertie 41 on a 3rd and 6 play, Williams hit Stanley with a 15-yard pass down to the 26. Again in the same drive, on a 3rd and 1 from the Bertie 16, Karl Bailey went up the middle for a yard.
A Bertie unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave Edenton the ball on the 7. Two plays later, Bailey punched it in from the 1. Williams ran on a fake kick and scored the two-point conversion to put the Aces up 28-6 with 2:10 to play in the third quarter.
The Falcons added one more score in the fourth quarter when Riddick ran 11 yards on a quarterback draw with 5:01 to play.
Both coaches downplayed the upset.
``One game doesn't make our season,'' said Edenton head coach Jay Swicegood. ``We still have a lot to work on. I thought Mitchell had a great night and the guards played well, especially on the trap up the middle.''
``We played this game like a scrimmage,'' Bertie head coach Roy Bond said. ``I was not pleased with what I saw. We have a lot more potential. The off week is going to help us. We're going to stress fundamentals all week.''
Mitchell said the Aces, who are favored to win the Northeastern Conference, were ready to defeat the defending state champs.
``We were pumped up for this one. We knew our defense would be there. But we had to get our offense together. We did that,'' he said.
Shelton White finished the game with 78 yards on 17 carries for Edenton. For Bertie, Gilliam finished with 125 yards on 23 carries.
Currituck pulled off its win in an unusual way.
True to coach Donnie Simpson's word, the Knights came out passing. Quarterback Jesse Jones threw for 227 yards in his first varsity start at quarterback. His big target was Ken Simmons, who caught four passes for 120 yards - including a 72-yard touchdown. It wasn't too long ago that Currituck would hand off and hope for the best.
Perhaps even more impressive was Currituck's defense which held Williamston's top running back, Rodney Bland, to just 55 yards on nine carries. The Tigers trailed 25-6 until they scored two touchdowns in the 2:29 of the game. by CNB