Dec 13, 2008
CHAPEL HILL — This time around, there was no fourth quarter drama for the Newton-Conover football team. And a much happier result.
Dorian Jones ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns to help the Red Devils roll over Tarboro 51-28 in the Class 2-A North Carolina High School Athletic Association championship on Friday night.
Jones earned MVP honors for the Red Devils (15-1), who closed the season with eight straight wins and a school record for victories in a season. Newton-Conover, which finished with 326 total yards, won its first state championship in two tries.
Newton-Conover coach Nick Bazzle was in charge when the Red Devils lost a 14-13 heartbreaker to Southwest Onslow in 2000.
"Last time I was here, doing this wasn't any fun," Bazzle said. "This has been the greatest night of my life as far as athletics go."
Josh Thompson added 106 rushing yards for the Red Devils, who never trailed and broke open a 7-7 game with two touchdowns in just over two minutes at the end of the second quarter to take a 21-7 halftime lead.
After the teams exchanged scores, Newton-Conover drove 69 yards on 12 plays to go ahead 14-7 on Wesley Hight's 7-yard touchdown run. On the Red Devils' next drive, Thompson completed a halfback pass of 42 yards to Jordon Hill and ran in a 13-yard touchdown on the next play.
"He's been our secret weapon," Bazzle said of Thompson.
Hill and Joseph Bryant both returned third-quarter interceptions for scores for Newton-Conover, which tacked on 37 unanswered points to lead 44-7 going into the final quarter.
Damarius Harper, Jeremy Bellamy, Brandon Dozier and Jamal Farmer ran for touchdowns for the Vikings (14-2), who compiled 269 total yards. But many of those yards came after the game was out of reach, as the Vikings managed 106 yards and four first downs in the first three quarters, and didn't complete a pass until the 2:17 mark in the fourth.
"They did a good job up front, and that was the difference," Tarboro coach Jeff Craddock said.
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