CHOCOWINITY — Southside fans jumped to their feet as the final seconds ticked off the clock to give the Seahawks their first win of the season. It was a statement 26-0 shutout in their first-ever meeting with 2-A foe Ayden-Grifton.

The Seahawks didn’t make their mark on the scoreboard until the second quarter where a punt return by Demitrius Ebron put Southside on the 45-yard line. After 11 plays and two first downs, the Seahawks went for it on fourth-and-8 on the 21-yard line. Senior Trajan Rhome then carried it in for the first score of the night, giving the home side a 6-0 lead.

PHOTOS: Ayden-Grifton at Southside

Ayden-Grifton had to punt the ball back to the Seahawks after a short drive following the touchdown.

Throughout the night, the Chargers’ quarterback struggled to complete passes as Seahawk defenders were applying constant pressure. The defense also attributed to the four turnovers, all while holding the Chargers to just 168 yard on offense.

“We’ve got a tremendous coaching staff, offensively and defensively. (Assistant head coach Andre Quinerly) does a heck of a job game planning,” said head coach Jeff Carrow. “He’s the seasoned coach. He’s got 30 years of coaching in, so he’s a happy guy.”

On second-and-10, debuting quarterback Will Warren threw a shot down the field to Amari Peele for a big gain, putting the Seahawks in red zone territory. A few plays later, it was Peele again for a 6-yard run to pick up the second touchdown of the night.

“I was happy with some of the decisions (Warren) made,” Carrow said. “He showed a little bit of youth in some spots, but all and all he had a really good game.”

Southside didn’t let up after halftime. Brandon Sullivan kicked off to Ayden-Grifton, and the Chargers struggled to gain control of the ball. The Seahawks came barreling down the field to recover.

Warren stepped back in the pocket on first-and-10, finding Ebron in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown connection. The Seahawks set up for the two-point conversion where a run by Peele would put Southside up 20-0.

With just 1:29 left in the fourth quarter, Trajan Rhome ran for six yards to pick up his second touchdown of the night and produce the final score of the game.

“Now we’ve got a new challenge. We’ve got a long away trip down in Dixon. Which, again, is a well-coached, very physical team. Especially on the offensive, defensive line,” Carrow said. “We’ve got a home victory, now they’ve got to learn how to get an away victory.”