State 2A high-school football playoffs - 3rd round
Stallions to take on Cavalier playoff tradition
On the go at 13-and-0
The South Columbus High School football team goes through drills during its Monday practice session in preparation for Friday night’s third-round state 2A home playoff game against the defending state champion Cummings Cavaliers of Burlington. Coach Joey Price’s South Columbus team, carrying a 13-0 record, has posted wins over Clinton (33-7) and Bunn (36-0) in the first two rounds of the playoffs while carrying the top seed in the East 2A bracket. Cummings has an 8-5 record and holds the No. 12 seed. Coach Steve Johnson’s Cavaliers have gone on the road to knock off Elizabeth City Northeastern (34-12) and West Bladen (42-39 in overtime) in the first two rounds.
By DAN BISER
Sports Editor
Two weeks ago, the undefeated South Columbus Stallions atoned for three previous state football playoff losses to Clinton by taking a 33-7 victory over the Dark Horses in the opening round of this year’s 2A playoffs.
On Friday night at 7:30, the Stallions will have the opportunity to avenge two past playoff losses to Burlington Cummings when they entertain the Cavaliers in a third-round game.
Cummings is the defending state 2A champion. The Cavaliers eliminated SCHS in a first-round game in 1995 and a third-round game in 2003.
South Columbus holds a 13-0 record following a 36-0 shutout victory over Bunn in last Friday’s second round. Coach Joey Prices’ Stallions hold the top seed in the East 2A bracket.
Cummings will bring an 8-5 record to South Columbus this Friday following its 42-39 overtime road win over West Bladen last week.
Coach Steve Johnson’s Cavaliers, who opened the playoffs with a 31-12 victory over Elizabeth City Northeastern, will make their third consecutive lengthy road trip as they have held the No. 12 playoff seeding.
The Cavaliers tied for runnerup in the Mid-State Conference, suffered league losses to Northwood and Graham. Other losses came against Western Alamance, Eastern Alamance and unbeaten Reidsville.
Cummings posted a 15-1 record last year in marching to their second straight state title in five years. Cummings is also the reigning state 2A basketball champion.
Cummings has long mastered the Run-N-Shoot, no-huddle offense that utilizes quickness and timing to the fullest.
“Their offense is something that we rarely see,” said Price. “They flank four receivers and their quarterback can either throw it or take off with it. They also have some strong runners. They really pile up the yards and they strike quickly.”
While wide open offenses continued to be the Cavalier trademark, defense is not a strong suit for Cummings.
In last week’s overtime win over West Bladen, the Cavaliers yielded more than 400 yards rushing to the Knights.
“They are so explosive on offense that they often just flat outscore people,” Price said. “They never really stopped West Bladen’s running game, but they still won in overtime.
While the passing of junior quarterback Justin Duncan has been a plus for the Stallion offense all season, it has really come to the forefront since the opening of the state playoffs.
In the win over Clinton, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Duncan passed for 275 yards and four touchdowns. In last week’s win over Bunn, he threw for 147 yards and four more TDs.
For the season, Duncan has completed 80 passes for 1,413 yards and 18 touchdowns.
“Justin’s passing gives us a pretty good balance on offense,” Price said. “Both Clinton and Bunn geared their defenses to stop our run, so we were able to have some success throwing the ball.”
SCHS fullback Justin Smith rushed for 125 yards and scored two touchdowns against Bunn. His season rushing total now stands at 1,252 yards and junior running back Rashawn Grate is less than a 100 yards of breaking the 1,000-yard barrier.
In the Cummings win at West Bladen, Cavalier quarterback Omar Stewart passed for 266 yards. Aston Eubanks ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns, and Dominique Pass caught six passes for 131 yards.
Price has pointed out from the start of the season that the team’s senior leadership is one of its foremost strengths. The SCHS squad boasts 18 seniors and most of them have been playing key roles for the Stallions since they were sophomores.
“You can’t say enough for the group of seniors on this year’s team,” Price said. “They have shown a lot of maturity and have provided a lot of strong leadership.”
In 1995, South Columbus played host to Cummings in the opening round of the playoffs and absorbed a 36-28 loss. The young South Columbus team, which included current SCHS assistant coach Jake Fonvielle, jumped to a 14-0 lead but were overtaken by the Cavaliers in the second half.
In a 2003 third-round playoff game at Burlington, South Columbus jumped to a 20-6 lead over Cummings, but the Cavaliers rallied to take a 56-40 victory.
Along with its 2002 and 2006 state 2A titles, Cummings also had state runnerup finishes in 1993, 2001 and 2003.
South Columbus has advanced to the third round of the state 2A playoffs six times in Price’s 11 seasons as head coach.