Goldsboro offense explodes in third quarter

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 12, 2015 11:33 PM

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Take a deep breath.

Settle down.

Let's play football in the second half.

Goldsboro High head football coach Bennett Johnson offered those three pieces of advice with his team trailing county rival Charles B. Aycock, 9-7, at halftime.

Na'Shir Bowden added his own mental note -- it's 0-0.

"Aycock got in our heads because on that last drive I got sacked two or three times in a row," said Bowden. "We just had to start over."

And Bowden took charge.

The senior quarterback directed four consecutive scoring drives and polished off three possessions with touchdown strikes to senior wide receiver Eric Bufkin in a 32-9 victory over the Golden Falcons on Friday evening.

Bufkin's TD receptions covered 8, 30 and 19 yards. He finished with 92 yards receiving on five catches.

Bowden described the connection as "chemistry."

Bufkin offered a different view.

"The first quarter we couldn't do anything because I guess our lien was kind of messed up," Bufkin said. "At halftime, we got that done. Our line blocked great, give them credit tonight. They played better overall than anybody else on the team."

Bennett hailed the defense's effort.

The Cougars coerced the Golden Falcons into six turnovers -- two fumbles and four interceptions. Three of the miscues led to third-quarter touchdowns that turned Aycock's two-point advantage into a 23-point deficit in 101/2-minute span.

"Our mistakes against other teams we might could get away with," CBA head coach Steve Brooks said. "(Against) athletic football teams, you can't make any mistakes. That's totally my fault. I didn't have them prepared to finish."

Goldsboro seized a 7-0 lead on Bowden's 40-yard touchdown pass Ray'Quan Griffin 4:28 left in the opening quarter. Bowden threw for 201 yards and completed 15 passes among six different receivers.

Aycock (2-2 overall) answered with an 8-play, 29-yard drive that ended with Seth Harrison's 27-yard field goal. The Cougars fumbled away their next possession on a fourth-down completion that would have been a first down.

Quarterback Jake Flowers directed an 11-play, 4-minute drive that ended with a fourth-down, 27-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Matthews. Harrison missed the extra point and the Golden Falcons entered halftime with a 9-7 advantage.

"We felt like we had done some good things, but needed to come out of the locker room and play a good second half," Brooks said.

Bowden orchestrated a opening drive that covered 52 yards in seven plays. His 8-yard TD pass to Bufkin started a 26-point run.

Shemar Mitchell's interception set up a 34-yard touchdown rumble by Jamal Wilson. Aycock fumbled the ensuing kickoff and one play later, Bufkin snagged a 30-yard TD pass.

"I like the way we scored to open the third, just driving ... running the ball, being physical," Johnson said. "Winning is great, but when you win after you respond to adversity, those are really the ones that feel the best."

A little chemistry doesn't hurt, either.