KNIGHTDALE — KNIGHTDALE -- Knightdale quarterback Marquavious Johnson rushed 13 times for 217 yards and three scores in the Knights’ 28-20 win over East Wake on Friday.

The win marked the Knights’ fourth straight over the Warriors and evened the all-time series between the two teams at four wins each.

Johnson broke free down the right sideline for a 95-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the game’s first quarter. In the fourth quarter, he ran left, met a wall of Warrior defenders, cut back to the middle of the field and bulldozed his way into the end zone for a 67-yard score.

“We run the ball. That’s who we are,” Knightdale head coach Rob Senseney said. “(Johnson) can go 80 (yards). He can go 90. He’s just got that kind of speed. When you’ve got a highlight tape on two plays, that’s pretty impressive.”

East Wake (0-4, 0-1 Greater Neuse River 4A) was quick to respond to Johnson’s 95-yarder.

On the second play of the ensuing drive, Warrior running back Shihei Robinson ran clean out of the back of the Knightdale defense and covered 64 yards before crossing the goal line. Knightdale kept the lead, however, after an extra point attempt by Jonathan Adams sailed wide left. The score was 7-6 at halftime.

The Knights (3-1, 1-0) scored again on a 14-yard rush by running back Nathaniel Harvey in the first drive of the second half. Taylor Betts hit his second extra point of the night for the 14-6 lead.

Warrior quarterback Trent Evans cut the deficit to 2 points, 14-12, on a 16-yard keeper with eight and a half minutes left in the game. East Wake tried to convert for the tie, but a pass over the middle failed.

Thirty seconds was all it took for Johnson to answer with his 67-yard rushing touchdown, and four minutes later he added his final score of the night on a 25-yard run. Betts concluded a perfect night to put Knightdale up 28-12 with four minutes to play.

East Wake used a 17-yard strike from Evans to Alex Cowan, and a 2-point conversion by Evans, to get within one possession of the Knights with a minute left.

The Warriors attempted an onside kick, but it failed, and Knightdale used Harvey’s running to run out the clock.

Harvey finished the game with 19 carries for 145 yards.

Damontay Rhem led the Warrior ground attack with 114 yards on 14 carries. Evans finished 16-for-32 for 191 yards and the touchdown pass to Cowan, who added 10 receptions for 134 yards for East Wake.

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