East Duplin falls to Kinston

KINSTON — After trailing just 32-22 at halftime, the East Duplin Panthers were never able to get their offense going in the second half against the Kinston Vikings on Sept. 26. as they were defeated 52-22.

The Vikings got off to a perfect start in the game when, on the opening kickoff, kick returner Alex Moore received the ball at three-yard line and outran everyone for a 97-yard touchdown to take a 6-0 lead after failing to score on the two-point conversion attempt.

It didn’t take long for the Panthers to respond though, and on just the third play on offense, quarterback Branson Norris hit Keeshon Mckinnie with a pass on third down and 10 on their own 38 which McKinnie took all the way down to the Kinston 39-yard line for a 23-yard completion. Later in the drive on second and goal at the seven, running back Aaron Hall finished off the drive with a rushing touchdown which, after the extra point, put his team up 7-6 with 7:24 left in the first quarter.

In what was proving to be an excellent quarter of football offensively, Kinston also immediately answered back with a touchdown on just their second play on offense when, on second down and 10, quarterback Tyler Jones completed a pass to receiver Tyreek Copper for a 51-yard touchdown. The score put his team up 12-7 with 6:23 left in the first quarter and the Viking then once again failed the two-point conversion.

After earning the first stop of the game on defense, the Vikings’ offense then scored again in the first quarter when, on first down and 10 at their own 37 yard-line, Jones completed a screen pass to receiver Okie Edwards who scored a 63-yard touchdown to give Kinston an 18-7 lead with 51 seconds left in the first quarter.

Later in the second quarter, a fumble by East Duplin (which the Vikings recovered at the 18-yard line) set the offense up in good field position, and on fourth and 10, Jones connected with Copper again to put Kinston up 24-7. After a successful two-point conversion, they increased that lead to 26-7 with 9:30 left in the second quarter.

On the next Panthers drive, their struggles continued, and they fumbled yet again, and after taking over at the 50-yard line, the Vikings scored a few plays later to take a 32-7 lead with 5:55 left in the first half.

Just when it seemed as if the game was over though, the Panthers rallied back, and on their next drive, they marched all the way down the field and full back Shawn Davis finished off the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion East Duplin trailed 32-15 with 3:40 left in the first half.

On the next possession East Duplin then forced Kinston to turn the ball over on downs at the Panthers 28-yard line with just 58 seconds left in the half. Needing to go 82-yards to score, it seemed as if the Panthers may not have enough time, but on the first play of the drive on offense, running back Jordan Hall found a hole and ran the ball all the way down to the Kinston 19-yard line. Later in the drive with about five seconds remaining in the half, Davis scored again to cut the lead to 32-22 after a successful extra-point attempt.

After scoring to end the first half, the Panthers also received the ball to begin the second half, and they began their first offensive drive at the 35-yard line. The drive got off to an excellent start, and the Panthers worked their way all the way down to the Kinston 12-yard line. A false start on third down though backed them up five yards, and they were unable to pick up the nine-yards they needed on the next two plays, and the Vikings took over at the Panthers 14-yard line.

All the momentum the Panthers gained then quickly came to an end just two plays later as, on second and 11 at his own 13-yard line, Jones completed a short pass to Copper who outran everyone to score a 87-yard touchdown, his third of the night. The touchdown catch by Copper gave the Vikings a 38-22 lead with 5:35 left in the third quarter.

A few minutes later, the Vikings all but put the game away as, on the next East Duplin drive, a bad snap on fourth down went over their punters head, and the Vikings recovered the ball at the Panthers eight-yard line. That turnover led to a six-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Edwards which, after a successful two-point conversion, gave Kinston a 46-22 lead with 3:34 remaining in the game.

Kinston would go on to score one last time in the game to come away with a 52-22 victory.

With the loss, East Duplin fell to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in East Central 2A Conference play. Kinston improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play with the win.

The Panthers will play again on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. when they face North Lenoir at home.