Friday night marked a lot of firsts of the wrong kind. Southside lost for the first time in its final non-conference game of the season. North Duplin rolled past the Seahawks, 35-6, and left them battered and bruised heading into Friday’s 1-A Coastal Plains opener against Tarboro.

It was the first time all three Beaufort County clubs lost. Washington, hoping to win its second in a row and pick up some steam heading in its conference opener at Greene Central, fell to Bertie. Northside’s one-touchdown halftime deficit turned into a 28-0 shutout at the hands of former Pam Pack coach Sport Sawyer and Manteo.

There were incredible one-man performances in Week 5, but they weren’t enough to lead to any wins in the county. Here are the standouts from the last of the non-conference games:

 

DEMETRIUS EBRON, SOUTHSIDE

Southside’s offense has been evolving with Will Warren’s passing capabilities and Demetrius Ebron’s knack for highlight-reel plays. That evolution was accelerated a bit as the Seahawks took to the air to try and make up for a 28-6 halftime deficit.

Ebron helped Southside to its only score of the game. He took a tackle while bringing in a 27-yard catch, barely remaining in bounds along the left sideline, to position Hayden Mayo for the 1-yard score. Ebron finished the game with three catches for 45 yards. He also had three tackles on defense.

 

HYKEEM RUFFIN, WASHINGTON

Hykeem Ruffin has emerged as a consistent, explosive playmaker in Washington’s backfield. He followed his four-touchdown performance at Northside a week prior with all three of the Pam Pack’s trips to the end zone against Bertie.

Ruffin answered both Falcon touchdowns in the first half, ensuring the Pam Pack was within a field goal at the intermission. Nazzir Hardy jumped on the mishandled kickoff at the beginning of the third quarter, and Ruffin scored from 23 yards away to mark his seventh touchdown in two games. It gave Washington the lead early in the second half.

 

TEDDY MINOR, SOUTHSIDE

Southside’s defense came out of halftime motivated. It only took North Duplin four plays to find the end zone at the beginning of the game. The Seahawk defenders spent a lot of time on the field in the first half as William Archer and the Rebels posted 28 points.

Front man Teddy Minor led a Southside defense that better contained North Duplin in the second half. He led the team with eight tackles (four solo) as the Seahawks held the Rebels to one touchdown in the latter 24 minutes.

 

KA’CI FOREMAN, WASHINGTON

Even though Hykeem Ruffin notched all three of Washington’s scores, junior running back Ka’ci Foreman played a crucial role in putting Ruffin within striking distance.

Foreman, the go-to running back for the Pam Pack’s junior-varsity team last year, is settling nicely into the varsity game. He had arguably his best showing of the season on Friday as he took 16 carries for 97 yards — second only to Ruffin’s 101 yards. The two accounted for the majority of Washington’s 230 yards of offense.