West Johnston managed the clock well on Friday night to set up Alex Mattes’ game-winning 32-yard field goal with seven seconds left in a 23-21 Greater Neuse 4A football victory over Harnett Central.

West had missed a potentially game-tying extra point after closing to within 21-20, but the Wildcats’ defense held, getting the ball back at the West Johnston 41 with 1:14 remaining. West had no timeouts.

The Wildcats ran nine plays and worked the ball to the 16 before Mattes kicked the deciding points.

During the last drive, West quarterback Justin Carroll helped overcome a third down and 18 yards to go for a first down by completing a 9-yard pass and a 14-yard pass.

“I was really impressed with how our players managed the clock,” said West Johnston coach Randy Ragland. “Our guys got out of bounds or we got to the line quickly to spike the ball.

“It really helps when you have a quarterback like Justin who understands the situation. It’s like having a coach on the field. Our players and coaches showed a lot of composure handling the situation.”

Carroll completed 30 of 41 passes for 271 yards. Jonathan Stevens had 13 catches for 148 yards.

Linebacker shines: Garner linebacker Jeremie Bolobiongo was outstanding in the Trojans’ 42-7 victory over Knightdale on Friday night. Garner held Knightdale to 150 yards rushing, including only 75 after Knights quarterback Marquavious Johnson broke a 75-yard scoring run in the first quarter.

“Jeremie has had a tremendous year for us,” said Garner defensive coordinator Thurman Leach. “The stat that jumps off at you is that he has 24 tackles for loss. He gets to the ball very quickly.”

Bolobiongo (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) was a starter at linebacker last year on a Garner club that reached the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4AA finals in Winston-Salem. The Trojans lost 35-21 to Greensboro Page in the title game.

Mitch adds five TDs: Wakefield quarterback Connor Mitch tossed five touchdown passes in Friday night’s 42-6 win over Enloe.

The University of South Carolina recruit has 2,851 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes. He is averaging more than four touchdown passes per game.

Rams’ string stopped: Word of God’s 33-game undefeated streak came to an end Friday night when Courtland (Va.) Southampton Academy scored with three seconds left to claim the 40-34 eight-man football win.

Word of God had won the past two N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association eight-man football championships and had not lost since falling to Rocky Mount Academy 46-18 on Oct. 16, 2009.

Scoring streak: Reidsville extended its scoring streak to 214 games with its 11-0 victory over Siler City Jordan-Matthews on Friday night, according to ncpreps.com. The Rams have not been shut out since losing to West Brunswick in the first round of the state playoffs in November 14, 1997.

STEVENS: 910-829-8910