North Duplin’s Wesley Holmes (20) and senior Thomas Morrisey (2) react after defeating Hobbton to earn a share of the Carolina 1A regular-season championship two weeks ago. The Rebels square off against Tar-Roanoke 1A runner-up Southeast Halifax in round two of the NC High School Athletic Association football playoffs at home Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
CALYPSO — One year ago, 371 days to be exact, Southeast Halifax stunned North Duplin in round one of the NC High School Athletic Association Class 1A football playoffs.
They meet again Friday evening at H.E. Grubbs Field.
The second-round clash kicks off at 7 p.m.
“I have a sense of that [redemption] from them,” ND head coach Hugh Martin said of his team. “Most certainly, in my mind, is that we want to go out and perform better, play better. We’ve done a lot of work since last year to improve our strength and football abilities, and hopefully we can show that Friday night.”
Cleaner tackling has been the focal point in practice this week.
North Duplin defenders appeared to have Pamlico County players stopped at either the line of scrimmage or in the backfield a week ago. The Hurricanes’ backs escaped tacklers on several occasions, which kept potentially-stalled offensive series alive.
Southeast could present the same problem.
The Rebels’ defense has to work against an offense that shows different formations. The Trojans could line up under center in an unbalanced “I” formation or a diamond/inverted bone scheme that requires assignment blocking.
Six-foot-two senior quarterback Trayvese Silver is a double threat. He has accounted for 1,205 yards and 24 touchdowns rushing and passing combined. Backfield mates Jamerius Hudson (1,134 yards) and Jaquavious Smith (689 yards) have collected 13 and six TDs, respectively.
All three average more than 11 yards per carry.
“[Tackling] is the first thing we talked about Monday when we met [for practice],” Martin said. “Defensive drills … we went back to what we used earlier in the season. They’ve been open and receptive that we need to re-emphasize this for ourselves.”
“We can’t be in the wrong space defensively or there will be a big price to pay. They’ve been able to hit a big play consistently against folks.”
Sophomore middle linebacker Ethan Turnage has emerged as North Duplin’s top tackler with 8.1 stops per game. Junior strong safety Wesley Holmes and sophomore outside linebacker Austin Wolfe provide 5.7 and 5.4 tackles per outing, respectively.
On defense, ninth-seeded Southeast (9-2 overall) likes to load the box. Martin observed on film that the Trojans regularly slant and blitz, which is something the eighth-seeded Rebels (9-2) haven’t seen too often this season.
The Trojans have to contend with three talented backs – senior DuJuan Armwood, sophomore Carell Phillips and junior Bryan Zambrano. Armwood averages 150 yards per game and has tallied 24 TDs. Phillips and Zambrano are each capable of breaking off big runs.
“We’ll see how we handle [their defense] as we go through the game,” Martin said.
North Duplin seeks its first third-round appearance since making back-to-back trips in 2016 and 2017. Southeast last reached the third round in 2013.
