DOBSON — High school football in Surry County is officially back.
It may have taken place on a Thursday night in February, but football is football and the Golden Eagles couldn’t be happier to be back.
Central’s came away with a win in its first game since Nov. 8, 2019. The Eagles overcame a rocky start to defeat West Stokes 22-8.
“I’m not going to lie to you, it felt a little bit weird,” said Surry Central coach Monty Southern. “You know, we started running workouts back on July 6. You wait so long for something that it’s hard to process it when it finally gets here. The kids were just so excited to finally get that opportunity.”
Southern called the Eagles’ first win over West Stokes since 2016 “a really good overall win.” Senior quarterback Chase Holt threw for 125 yards and two touchdowns while also running in a 2-point conversion.
Holt connected with both Brady Woods and Logan Priddy for his two passing TDs. The 25-yard throw to Woods in the second quarter gave Central its first lead of the game, and the 40-yard throw to Priddy in the fourth put the exclamation point on the win.
Woods also had a 2-point conversion catch in the win.
Despite the final result, the Eagles had a rough start to Thursday’s game. Central was set to receive the opening kickoff, and West Stokes’ kicker ricocheted the kick off a Central player and recovered the kick.
The Eagles actually had the Wildcats stopped twice on the drive, but penalties extended the drive for West. After the second penalty granted West a first down, sophomore QB Mason Cain connected with Dillon Stanley for a 37-yard TD pass.
Cain found Dakota Barker for the 2-point conversion to put West Stokes up 8-0 with 9:12 left in the first quarter.
Central scored less than three minutes later when Karson Crouse punched in a 1-yard TD, but failed to convert the 2-point conversion. The Eagles would take the lead on Holt’s 25-yard pass to Woods at 7:42 in the second.
Surry Central’s offense struggled at times during Thursday’s season opener. Southern said not having any scrimmages during the preseason really hurt the offense’s consistency.
“We’d have a play where it looked like everything was clicking, then three or four plays where things were just off,” he said.
The Eagles still managed to rack up 142 yards rushing on 41 attempts to compliment’s Holt’s 125 yards passing. Junior Palacios led the team with 16 carries for 76 yards, and Crouse added 47 yards rushing and a TD on seven carries.
While the offense tried to find its identity, the Golden Eagle defense kept West Stokes out of the end zone for the rest of the night.
“The defense really settled in after the first drive,” Southern said. “They made West work for everything. Coach [Mark] Snow and the defense had a really good game plan and followed through with it.”
Crouse and Kade Norman led the Eagles in tackles. Crouse and Holt each grabbed interceptions to keep the Wildcats off the board in the second half.
Holt’s fourth-quarter TD pass to Priddy, followed by Woods’ 2-point conversion reception pulled the Eagles ahead to 22-8.
Things didn’t always go according to plan for the Eagles, but Southern said the players understood what the coaches were going for and made the best with the little practice time they had.
“Our kids have been extremely resilient,” Southern said. “We’ve literally practiced more inside than outside this year. I’m proud of the guys, and it’s always good to get a win.”
A prime example of the team’s resilience was its ability to compete with a kicker. With the starting kicker, Jacob Edmonds, tied up in an overtime soccer match in East Bend, Palacios stepped up and took over kicking duties.
Surry Central travels to Forbush (1-0) on March 5.
Scoring
Surry Central – 6, 8, 0, 8 = 22
West Stokes – 8, 0, 0, 0 = 8
1Q WEST 0-6 9:12 – Mason Cain pass to Dillon Stanley 34-yard TD reception
1Q WEST 0-8 9:12 – Mason Cain pass to Dakota Barker 3-yard 2pt conversion reception
1Q SCHS 6-8 6:24 – Karson Crouse 1-yard rush TD
2Q SCHS 12-8 7:42 – Chase Holt pass to Brady Woods 25-yard TD reception
2Q SCHS 14-8 7:42 – Chase Holt 3-yard rush 2pt conversion
4Q SCHS 20-8 6:16 – Chase Holt pass to Logan Priddy 40-yard TD reception
4Q SCHS 22-8 6:16 – Chase Holt pass to Brady Woods 3 yard 2pt conversion Reception
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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