Published 11:42 pm Thursday, August 29, 2024 By Jason O. Boyd YEATESVILLE, N.C.
– Classes resumed at schools all over the area this week. It’s safe to say there were several teachable moments for Northside’s football team in Thursday’s 21-7 loss to North Duplin. The Panthers (1-1) were stunned early when the Rebels (2-0) scored on a 62-yard touchdown run on the first play.
Northside also had its first pass play intercepted during its opening offensive series. The saving grace for Northside’s defense was forcing the Rebels to turn the ball over on downs after a 16-play series that ended at the Panthers’ 2-yard-line. However, two quick-play runs by the Rebels put Northside in a 21-0 hole with 5:31 left in the first half.
North Duplin scored on runs of 18 and 1 yard by patiently waiting and hitting the holes the offensive line created. On the other side, Northside struggled at times on its offensive line, giving up a sack after driving to the North Duplin 9 late in the first half. The Panthers also had some critical dropped passes that could have given the team some momentum heading into halftime.
“We kind of came out ...
I feel like we were ready,” Northside coach Keith Boyd said. “They just kind of jumped on us real quick. “My lord, the dropped passes we had in the first half .
.. you don’t ever know.
I know of two touchdowns that were dropped, possibly a third and you win that ball game 28-21.” The Panthers did connect on a beautiful pass play with 8:36.