Top Three: Melton shines in tough week for county teams
Published 9:55 am Wednesday, September 4, 2024
- Keondrick Melton had this week’s top performance in Washington’s loss at D.H. Conley. (Ashley Vansant/Washington Daily News)
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The second week of the high school football season turned out to be wet and winless for the Beaufort County teams, but there were some individual bright spots that comprise this week’s top three performances.
1. Keondrick Melton-Washington: The Pam Pack’s game at D.H. Conley was a homecoming for second year head coach Matt Taylor, who graduated from there and was the offensive coordinator for several seasons before coming to Washington. Storms and a wet field delayed the start for an hour, but Melton, a senior fullback, rumbled through the mud for 138 of the Pack’s 174 rushing yards on 19 carries that included a 45-yard touchdown run. The defense allowed 21 points in the first and third quarter in a 42-14 loss.
2. Trexler Gray-Northside: The Panthers junior linebacker and the rest of the defense was busy Thursday night trying to slow down North Duplin in a 21-7 loss. Gray was in on a team-high 10 tackles, including nine assisted stops.
3. T.J. Minor-Southside: Minor was a stalwart in a 6-0 Seahawks home loss to Washington Co. that wasn’t decided until the fourth overtime. Playing in a steady rain, Minor ran for 86 yards on 16 carries and contributed three tackles from his defensive back position.
Best of the rest: Washington: Quarterback Evan Makepeace and receiver Jarryn Payne combined an 11-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter to cap the Pack’s scoring. Payne finished with two catches for 30 of the 49 passing yards. Linebacker Marek Bates led the defense with 13 tackles, while Gabe Davis added nine. Ja’Tavion Ebron, Tyquez Nelson, Walker Kennedy and Logan Blank each had a tackle for loss.
Northside: The Panthers usually high-powered running game managed 102 yards on 19 carries in the home opener against a stout North Duplin defense. Sincere Columbus ran for 56 yards on nine carries, while quarterback Chase Hewitt was 5-14 for 84 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown pass to Holden Boykin, who added seven tackles on defense. Malachi Moore had nine tackles, while Zy’Marian O’Neal had seven solo stops.
Southside: The Seahawks ran for 299 yards but couldn’t find the endzone against Washington Co. Devonelle Brimage had 89 yards on eight carries, Isiah Knight had 56 yards on 12 attempts and MyQuon Clark added 53 on 10 tries and intercepted a pass.
Washington and Northside are off Friday, while Pungo Christian Academy returns from a bye week to host Mattamuskeet in 8-man action and Northside goes to Martin Co.