Gray: Warriors not mentally focused on Falcons

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 29, 2015 1:48 PM

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WINTERVILLE -- The next man didn't step up.

Missing its leading running back, Devonte Corum, Eastern Wayne could never get its ground attack in gear on a wet, squishy turf that was comparable to a child's slip and slide on Monday evening.

And the Warriors returned home disappointed.

South Central turned two fourth-quarter turnovers into touchdowns and cruised to a 30-14 victory at Falcon Field. It was the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference opener for both teams.

Corum suffered a severe ankle sprain during EW's bye week.

"It was a big factor not having Devonte," Warriors head coach Phil Gray said. "We really missed him running the ball and doing some blocking. When one man goes down, somebody's got to step up and be ready to play."

Eastern Wayne managed a season-low 24 yards rushing on 28 attempts. The Falcons' defense recorded 10 stops behind the line of scrimmage and sacked quarterback KK Best on three occasions.

Gray attributed his team's troubles to three factors -- lack of focus, inexperience on the offensive line and discipline issues. He benched a few starters on the Warriors' first two offensive series, which gave several freshmen and sophomores considering playing time in the trenches.

"We're going to learn how to be disciplined and do the things that we're supposed to in school before we worry about the footfield field," Gray said. "We weren't mentally focused on this game. We're very young and we've got a lot of kids who haven't played the game before.

"I know a lot of people get tired of hearing that because we're on week six (of the season) now. We're trying to teach as we go."

South Central (1-5 overall, 1-0 ECC) capitalized on its opening possession of the game. Quarterback Robert Rapp directed an eight-play, 63-yard touchdown drive that ended with Emmanuel Lewis' 7-yard scamper.

Eastern Wayne (2-3, 0-1) came up empty on its lone red-zone series before halftime. Best hooked up with Austin Hite for a 19-yard touchdown that was called back to due a chop block. Another chop block pushed the Warriors further back and EW entered halftime down 8-0.

The Falcons scored on their initial possession in the third quarter. Ty Parker broke free for a 31-yard touchdown that pushed South Central's advantage to 14-0 with 8:17 to go.

The Warriors answered with two touchdowns -- a pair of halfback option passes. Zeke Best hooked up with KK Best for a 27-yard scoring strike with 2-plus minutes left in the third.

EW tied the game at 14-14 on Zeke Best's second option TD pass -- a 25-yarder to Austin Hite. The Warriors ended the night with 257 yards passing on 38 attempts.

"The halfback passes, we felt like it was something we could try," Gray said. "They were putting a lot of pressure on us. We felt like if we could get the ball off, we would have somebody open down field."

Turnovers -- a fumbled snap and pick six -- iced the game for South Central, which beat EW for the just the second time in nine meetings. The Falcons forced five turnovers, including four interceptions.

"They played hard tonight," Gray said of SC. "We've got a little bit of work to do. We've only got three days to prepare for the defending state champion."

New Bern comes to New Hope on Friday.