PREP FOOTBALL: Cougars, Saints look to overcome losses

By Aviel Smolka
Published in Sports on August 31, 2018 5:51 AM

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By AVIEL SMOLKA

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DUDLEY -- How does a football team recover from a tough loss?

Goldsboro and Southern Wayne will each look for the answer when they take the field against each other tonight.

The Cougars have won five of the last six against the Saints and seven of the last 10 in the series since 2008.

Last week, Goldsboro rallied from a 9-0 halftime deficit only to fall to Eastern Wayne on a last-second field goal in the annual Wayne County Classic.

Southern Wayne fell 56-17 to James Kenan.

Cougar senior running back Xzavior Bowden rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener against Hobbton. The Eastern Wayne defense held him to 61 yards.

Getting Bowden back on track and not turning the ball over will be priorities for the Cougars.

"Eastern Wayne capitalized on our mistakes last week," Goldsboro head coach Timothy Ray said. "Offensively, we were off our game. We're still trying to figure out what we do well. Last year's team had an identity [and] this year we're still trying to find our identity."

Ray is not taking Southern Wayne's recent on-field struggles for granted. The Saints produced plenty of yardage on the ground against Kenan.

Running back Deandre Wright rushed for 106 yards on 17 carries.

"They're very fast and they have a really good running back," Ray said. "The biggest thing is keeping them contained and stopping them from what they do well."

The Saints continue to build the foundation for a successful program.

Southern Wayne head coach Ronnie McClary Jr. thinks they're headed in right direction.

"We've been staying positive and staying in the weight room," McClary Jr. said. "We've also got to take care of our bodies because we don't have as many bodies as we'd like. We looked at what we did wrong and we're ready for Goldsboro.

"If we can just turn that corner, we'll be alright."