Wyatt Holland had a productive night passing for Midway.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
It was not the originally scheduled opponent, but Midway’s varsity football team still took care of business Friday night, defeating visiting nonconference foe, Richlands, 33-13.
“We played assignment football,” said Midway coach Cory Barnes. “They showed us some different formations that we hadn’t seen on film that kind of caught us, but we adjusted. The kids played pretty physical up front and did their job. We told them all week, ‘You’ve got to do your job playing an option team.’ And the kids did really well doing their job tonight. I’m proud of the defense, the way they played tonight.”
Midway (4-1) was originally scheduled to play East Seven 2-A Conference opponent St. Pauls, but the game was postponed to Oct. 5 because of COVID-19 issues with the Bulldogs and Richlands (0-3) was scheduled in its place.
Senior Wyatt Holland completed 18-of-24 passes for 295 yards and five touchdowns and ran for two yards, junior Kendrick Tyndall had four receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown and junior Casey Culbreth had six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions on defense to lead the Raiders.
Trey Gregory ran for 57 yards on 18 carries. Jamir McCrae had four receptions for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Nate Smith had two receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown. Josh Lupo had two receptions for 27 yards. Cameron Cousar ran for 19 yards on three carries.
“From week-to-week I feel like we’re different offensively,” Barnes said. “We’ve got to do one thing to open up the other. We’ve got some young guys up front that had to grow up tonight. They played better in the second half and we were able to run the ball a little better in the second half just because they were staying on blocks. We’ve got two freshman guards up from JV that are doing a great job. They’re in the process of getting better and they got better in the second half. In the first half, they had trouble meeting the physicality of this team. Richlands is a physical team. But I’m proud of how they grew up tonight and they had to, because we play Clinton next week.”
Sophomore Owen Simco ran for 52 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and had a 45-yard reception and junior Nasir Williams ran for 51 yards on four carries to lead the Wildcats.
Midway scored on the opening drive of the game when Holland threw to McCrae for a 16-yard score. Junior Acosta kicked the extra point.
Richlands got on the board early in the second quarter on a 14-yard Brennen Baker run. The two-point conversion attempt failed and Midway stayed in front 7-6.
Holland threw two more touchdowns in the second quarter. The first was a 62-yard connection with Tyndall and the second was a 17-yard connection with McCrae. Acosta made the first extra point, but there was a bad snap on the second. Midway led 20-6 at halftime.
Holland threw another touchdown late in the third quarter, a 13-yard connection with Smith. The extra point was no good.
Holland’s last touchdown pass came early in the fourth quarter on a 13-yard pass to Culbreth. Acosta added the extra point.
The Wildcats scored one more time within the final minute of play on a seven-yard Simco run. Chris Exley kicked the extra point.
Midway travels to conference and Sampson County rival Clinton (3-1), which suffered its first loss of the season Friday 35-18 to unbeaten nonconference opponent Ledford (5-0), on Friday.
“Coach (Cory) Johnson has a good program over there,” Barnes said. “They’re always physical. They’re always athletic. They know what they’re doing. They’re a very sound team. We’re a rival and we’ve never beat them. So, that’s what we’re locking in to do starting Monday. Get in the film room, get on the practice field, and do the best we can to see if we can go to Dark Horse stadium and compete and hopefully win a football game.”
Randy McMillan gets a sack for the Raiders against Richlands.
(Dunn Area Sports Photp/John Lucas)
Jamir McCrae scores after a catch in Midway’s 33-13 win.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Kendrick Tyndall is headed for six points for host Midway.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Nah Shon Sanchez gets to the ball carrier on a hand-off.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Aldo Lazcano-Navarano records a sack for the Raiders.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
