O’Brian Ward is headed to the end zone for the Hawks.
(Dunn Area Spirts Photo/John Lucas)
After a sluggish start, a surge late in the second quarter propelled Triton’s varsity football team to a 34-15 win over visiting All-American 3-A/4-A Conference and Harnett County rival Western Harnett for Homecoming on Friday night.
“They’re growing,” said Triton coach Ben Penny. “A lot of times earlier in the year, we would get down early and we would fold. That’s what we had been doing. We had some young guys come up and take some jobs and they’re playing well and they don’t want to lose anymore. Tonight, they were determined. We had a couple of good bounces our way and we capitalized on them.”
Sophomore O’Brian Ward ran for 113 yards and a touchdown on nine carries and had one reception for four yards to lead the Hawks (2-5, 2-2 AAC).
Jacob Hamilton ran for 40 yards on four carries. Ray Plummer ran for 24 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Masiah Peterkin ran for 12 yards on two carries. Myke McNeill ran for seven yards and a touchdown on two carries. Alan Hinson completed 2-of-6 passes for six yards and ran once for seven yards. Ahmad Morris ran once for four yards. Chris Hicks had a two-yard reception and returned a punt for a touchdown.
Senior Trent Golcynski ran for 66 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and freshman Creig Matthews ran for 48 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries to lead the Eagles (0-7, 0-4).
Braedyn Kerns ran for 31 yards on 10 carries. Aiden Shupe ran for four yards on two carries. Kian Rucker had a two-yard carry.
Western got the ball to start the game and engineered a drive that lasted nearly the entire first quarter. The drive ended with a four-yard Matthews touchdown run with 13 seconds left in the quarter. Shupe threw to Londen Saunders for two.
The tide turned in Triton’s favor with a 22-point swing over the final four minutes of the second quarter.
Hicks returned a punt 38 yards for a touchdown to bring some energy the Hawks were sorely lacking with 4:51 left in the second quarter. Hinson ran for two to tie the game.
“We needed a spark,” Penny said. “Chris is a great player. He didn’t play last year because he transferred in. That kid’s got a lot of heart. He wants to win. He’s very encouraging to his teammates. We are very fortunate to have Chris Hicks on this football team. He has jumped into a leadership role immediately.”
On the ensuing kickoff, Brayden Bates recovered an onside kick. That led to Plummer scoring on a five-yard run with 12 seconds left in the second quarter to give Triton a 14-8 lead, but the conversion attempt failed.
Looking to score just before halftime, Western tried a trick play with a double pass, but the second pass was intercepted by Bates, who returned it for a touchdown as time expired in the half. Hinson threw to Plummer for two to give Triton a 22-8 advantage at halftime.
“I found a new gear running that ball back,” Bates said. “I was waiting for him to run it back and just found the ball.”
Triton added two more touchdowns on a 42-yard Ward run in the third quarter and a five-yard McNeill run in the fourth. The conversion failed on both. Triton led 34-8 with 4:18 left in the fourth.
Western found the end zone one more time in the final seconds of the game on a six-yard Golcynski run. Davino Guerra kicked the extra point.
Triton travels to conference opponent Pine Forest (4-3, 3-1) and Western Harnett is at conference opponent E.E. Smith (1-6, 0-4) on Friday.
“I hope it gives us a little bit of confidence going down the stretch,” Penny said. “We’re still growing. A young football team has really got to buy in. We got a good win on Homecoming. They have to use that as momentum going into next week. It’s all about learning how to play, how to build off of something, and how to continue to grow when they’re successful.”
Trent Golcynski carries the ball for visiting Western Harnett.
(Dunn Area Spirts Photo/John Lucas)
Brayden Bates makes a stop in the backfield for Triton.
(Dunn Area Spirts Photo/John Lucas)
Creig Matthews runs for Western Harnett at Triton.
(Dunn Area Spirts Photo/John Lucas)
Chris Hicks returns a punt for a touchdown in a 34-15 Homecoming win.
(Dunn Area Spirts Photo/John Lucas)
Ray Plummer scores as the Hawks evened their league record.
(Dunn Area Spirts Photo/John Lucas)
