CHOCOWINITY — Playing on a rain-soaked, muddy field couldn’t slow down the Southside rushing attack one bit, and neither could the defense of No. 6 Manteo. However, with under a minute left to play in the game the Seahawks had to hold their breath and dig deep for one last defensive stand as they topped the Redskins 24-22.
On Monday night the only thing that managed to get in the way of the Seahawks (3-2, 2-0) were themselves, as they fumbled five times and lost two of them. Both turnovers led directly to Manteo (4-1, 1-1) scores.
When Southside managed to hold on to the football, the offense moved with machine-like efficiency as running backs Terrill Moore, Rokeem Miller and Johnnie Pender helped the team rush for 258 yards and three touchdowns on 51 attempts.
The win was not only big for the Seahawks because they upset a fellow Four Rivers Conference rival that was ranked sixth in the state, but it was huge because it proved to the team that on any night it can play as good as anyone around.
“Confidence, it’s all about confidence,” Southside coach DeWayne Kellum said. “The kids are starting to trust the scheme we put them in and I think they understand that tonight.”
Earlier in the year Kellum switched dual-threat QB Terrill Moore to running back and put Cole Kellum under center. The move was made to generate the most out of Moore’s talent and tonight that was clearly on display as Moore and the other backs paved the way to victory.
“Terrill understands that we can get him the ball more if he’s at running back,” Kellum said. “And with the line we got, it’s just 10 times better that way.”
On the flip side, the Seahawks defense gave a tremendous effort as it held Manteo to 146 yards on 28 attempts and had one interception.
Southside took the lead in the first quarter after its defense forced the Redskins to punt, giving the offense the ball at their own 17-yard line. From there, they marched down field and took an 8-0 lead after a Moore 5-yard TD run and a two-point conversion.
In the second quarter, Southside fumbled on back-to-back possessions. The first miscue led to a Zane Walker 13-yard TD scamper, while the second ended with a Devea White 8-yard run, which after a two-point conversion, gave Manteo a 14-8 lead.
A 48-yard run up the gut of the Redskins defense by Miller on the ensuing possession recaptured the lead for the Seahawks, and the momentum, as they went into halftime up 16-14.
Miller would strike again in the third quarter from 10 yards out to give his team a 24-14 advantage.
Manteo would pull within two points of Southside when the Seahawks attempted to punt from their own 24-yard line, but botched the snap gave the Redskins the ball at 14. On the next play quarterback Ian Baumberger connected with White on a play-actions pass to cut the lead to 24-22 with 2:36 left in the game
On the next possession, Southside tried to run out the clock, but it fumbled with: 36 on the clock to give the Redskins’ offense one last chance. The Southside defense would have none of it, as it stood tall one last time to preserve the win.