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CALYPSO – The clock ran out — literally and figuratively — on North Duplin’s season last Friday at H.E. Grubbs Field.
The Rebels were driving the ball to the end zone during a 26-21 second-round playoff loss to No. 9 Southeast Halifax when the final seconds ticked off.
ND made it to the 23-yard line and a sack backed it on the 30 and the Rebels were out of timeouts.
“There were a couple of penalties mixed in there and those hurt,” said ND head coach Hugh Martin. “That made it harder. Another minute up there and maybe we can keep doing what we were doing and score. We lost ourselves a chance.”
The Trojans (10-2) will travel to No. 1 Tarboro on Friday. ND (9-3) ends its best season since 2017 when Martin led to Rebels to the 1A final. They were there in 2007 as well. ND fell by a touchdown each time.
Senior RB Dujuan Armwood scored all three of his team’s TDs and nearly had another on the final drive when he caught a pass from Luke Kelly in the open field and slipped hurdling a defender.
“He’s probably gone if he keeps his balance,” said Martin.
The Trojans beat ND 42-22 in the first round last season and were clobbered 48-0 by Tarboro, which lost 20-7 to Mount Airy in the 1A final.
Having Armwood back on the roster, and a Rebel team seasoned over the off-season, made all the difference in making it a second-round battle.
“I felt like we put in the work and focused on ourselves and that doesn’t always give you what you deserve or want,” Martin said. “I feel bad for our seniors, who prepared so hard and put everything into it, as well as some juniors and some of our younger ones.”
Close game throughout
ND rallied from 8-0 and 14-6 deficits tie it near the end of the second quarter.
A 10-play, 65-yard march chewed up most of the clock late in the first half as ND slowly pushed its way to a 5-yard score by Armwood. Kelly hit Carell Phillps for the 2-point conversion to knot it at 14-all at halftime.
The Rebels burned 6:01 off the third quarter by going 53 yards in nine plays to open the second half.
But SEH needed five snaps to score to push to within 21-20 when Trayvese Silver found Rodney Johnson for a 41-yard score on third-and-19.
An ND fumble set up the Trojans’ winning score a minute into the fourth quarter, as Silver ran for 17 yards on third-and-12.
ND’s offense was off the field in seven plays, and nine plays later Holmes had an interception.
On the final drive, Kelly hit Armwood with a 27-yard pass, Phillips had a 20-yard first down run and Armwood two runs of eight yards.
A Kelly interception was the final straw.
“Matchups in the playoffs are key,” Martin said.
Rebel Lines
SE Halifax had 16 penalties for 120 yards, ND four for 55.
Armwood finished with 135 yards on 22 carries and Carell (10-43) and fullback Bryan Zambrano (10-48) helped ND go for 226 yards on the ground. SEH had 244 rushing and 70 through the air.
Armwood had both the first TD and the 2-point conversion. He finished the campaign with 1,725 yards and 27 TDs by averaging 11.0 per carry.
Phillips had 687 yards and eight scores.
“Matchups in the playoffs are key,” said Martin. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they are not.
“We come back with a strong sophomore class. We did things right and there’s a lot to be said for that.
“We made strength gains in the weight room, football improvement on the field and these kids did everything right off the field. These young men have been outstanding.”
Holmes had a team-high eight tackles. Ethan Turnage and Isaac Davis seven apiece, Austin Wolfe six, Phillips and Rahmeal Gates five each.
Turnage, a sophomore, was the top takedown artist this season (8.1 per game), followed by Holmes and Wolfe (6.0), Oscar Romero (4.8), Trashawn Ruffin (4.7), Davis (4.5), Armwood (4.0), Khamari Leak (3.7).
According to correspondent Bill Rollins’ research, Martin’s record at his alma mater is 121-99 (.550), this year passing the late Richard Kaleel to move into second place all-time in ND football victories. Kaleel’s mark was 113-79-5 (.586) from 1956-74.
Martin also leads all Rebel coaches in football playoff victories with a mark of 17-18. Second is Ken Avent Sr., at 13-15. Avent Sr. is ND’s career wins leader at 172-105 (.621) over 25 years (1975-99).
