FAYETTEVILLE — A thunderstorm didn’t dampen the season opener for Lumberton coach Mike Brill and his Pirates.
Rain and lightning forced officials to postpone Lumberton’s contest with Cape Fear just moments before halftime Friday night. The teams returned to the field Saturday afternoon and the Pirates rolled to a 27-3 victory over the Colts.
Senior running back Daniel Robinson ran for four touchdowns and rushed for 265 yards on 25 carries. Robinson ripped off scoring runs of 79, 48, 9 and 1 yard in the win.
“I stayed up all night re-working the game plan on both sides of the ball,” Brill said to The Robesonian. “We had to adjust our running game to just go forward. There would be no cutting because of the turf. And we knew Cape Fear would come out and pass since the field was so bad.”
The Pirates will return to action 7:30 p.m. Friday at Jack Britt.
JACK BRITT 34, PINECREST 15
FAYETTEVILLE — Jack Britt scored on its first two possessions of the 2012 season and overcame a 98-minute weather delay to knock off Pinecrest 34-15.
Mark McRae opened the scoring for the Buccaneers with a 1-yard dive before the Patriots tacked on a field goal off the foot of Connor Hees. Eric Carter sprinted 35 yards for the final score of the first quarter before rain and lightning delayed the game.
After a scoreless second quarter, Jack Britt’s Quintin Murphy took the opening kick of the second half 79 yards for a touchdown to break the game open. The Buccaneers scored 20 unanswered points in the third quarter.
“That was a big turning point,” first-year Jack Britt coach Brian Rimpf said to the Fayetteville Observer. “It was a big play and an explosion play for us that got us emotionally back in the game after the long delay.”
Pinecrest will play host to Overhills at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
SCOTLAND 35, SEVENTY-FIRST 6
LAURINBURG — Despite the loss of 20 starters from last season’s 4A state championship team, including SEC player of the year Kwashaun Quick, Scotland blitzed Seventy-First 35-6.
Like the majority of the area’s games, the Scots and Falcons were postponed because of weather until Saturday. Before the delay, the Fighting Scots led 13-0 Friday night.
When the team’s returned to action, Seventy-First trimmed the deficit to seven when Brandon Fife reeled in a 30-yard pass from Jamel Jolliffe for a touchdown. It was Falcons’ lone score of the contest.
Scotland sophomore quarterback Jaylend Ratliffe had a solid effort in his first varsity start as Quick’s replacement. Ratliffe accounted for 286 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. Ratliffe had touchdown runs of 11 and 3 yards, while connecting with Jalen McLean for a 61-yard touchdown and Justin Brown on a 20-yard scoring strike.
“Whether it was the restart of Friday’s game or not, we all came out flat as a team at the onset,” Scotland coach Richard Bailey said to the Laurinburg Exchange. “With that said, I’m proud of the effort we put in and the little mistakes we made are mistakes that we will clean up in time.”
Scotland will welcome New Hanover to Pate Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
HOKE COUNTY 48, ASHLEY 30
RAEFORD — It didn’t take long for Hoke County running back Detrez Newsome to once again prove he is one of the top players in the region.
The senior rushed for 390 yards and five touchdowns in the first half to lead the Bucks to a 48-30 victory over Ashley in another game delayed because of weather.
After the Screaming Eagles returned the opening kickoff for a score, it took the Bucks two plays to knot the game. Newsome rambled 70 yards for the first of the five first-half touchdowns.
“He had two or three touchdowns on about three carries and they were all just like forever,” Ashley coach Tom Eanes said about Newsome to the Star-News. “He was running and it was like we all had on cinder block boots.”
Hoke County will battle South View at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Hope Mills.
PINE FOREST 19, PURNELL SWETT 6
FAYETTEVILLE — Purnell Swett struggled offensively in its season opener, turning the ball over seven times and recording just two first downs in a 19-6 loss at Pine Forest.
Purnell Swett coach Mark Heil is looking to replace three key offensive players from a season ago — quarterback Chase Armstrong, running back Travon Clark and wide receiver Juwan Jones. The Rams totaled just 31 yards of offense against the Trojans.
Purnell Swett will battle Western Harnett in its home opener at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Pembroke.
— Sports editor Shawn Stinson can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 14, or by email at sstinson@heartlandpublications.com
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