Still unbeaten: No. 8 Holly Springs stops No. 16 Fuquay-Varina

The highly anticipated matchup between the Triangle’s top defenses also proved which team had the better offense.

Holly Springs, ranked eighth in the News & Observer Sweet 16 poll, came out ahead of No. 16 Fuquay-Varina, 28-13, to remain unbeaten at 3-0.

An early injury to all-conference running back Derek Coombs didn’t seem to affect the Golden Hawks. Dylan Waskey led the team with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns in place of Coombs to help lead his team to the win. Despite constant pressure from the Bengals defense, Holly Springs quarterback Brock Willis shared the spotlight, showing off his legs and arm throughout the game while throwing a pair of touchdowns and running for 106 yards.

Fuquay-Varina tested Holly Springs’ defense with a tough, 16-play drive to start the game. A fourth-and-goal connection from Caden Castle to Ethan Burke put the Bengals up 7 midway through the first quarter.

The Golden Hawks maintained possession of the football going into the second quarter and evened the score at 7-7 after a 3-yard run by Waskey. Holly Springs tried to push ahead with less than a minute left in the second quarter, but a missed 20-yard field-attempt left the score even at 7 going into the half.

Holly Springs leaned on the running game to start the second half, but a 42-yard pass from Willis to Tyler Griffin put the Golden Hawks ahead. Castle connected with Burke once again on a 47-yard score to pull the Bengals within a point, but they missed the extra point.

Waskey and Allison Carlson tacked on two more rushing touchdowns for the Golden Hawks to help put their team go up, 28-13.

After forcing a fumble, the Bengals lit a temporary spark, but a turnover shifted the momentum right back to Holly Springs. Holly Springs then sealed the win late with an interception, ending Fuquay-Varina’s last-ditch comeback effort.

Three who mattered

Brock Willis, Holly Springs: The junior quarterback put on his best Houdini act with his ability to escape the pocket with 106 rushing yards. He finished 6-for-13 passing for 82 yards with two pass touchdowns.

Ethan Burke, Fuquay-Varina: A bright spot for the struggling offensive unit. He scored the team’s only two touchdowns.

Dylan Waskey, Holly Springs: Despite losing Derrick Coombs, Waskey stepped up big on the ground with 111 yards and two touchdowns.

Worth mentioning

Holly Springs has now won its last three matchups against Fuquay-Varina

Records: Fuquay-Varina Bengals (2-1), Holly Springs Golden Hawks (3-0)

What’s next: Holly Springs will host Middle Creek next Friday. Fuquay-Varina will visit Apex Friendship next Friday

Scoring Summary:

Holly Springs 0 7 7 14 — 28

Fuquay-Varina 7 0 6 0 — 13

FV: 5-yard pass from Castle to Burke; ( Matt Jones kick)

HS: Dylan Waskey 3-yard run (Patton Sower kick)

HS: 42-yard pass from Willis to Griffin (Sower kick)

FV: 47-yard pass from Castle to Burke (Jones missed kick)

HS: Dylan Waskey 14-yard run (Sower kick)

HS: 20-yard pass from Wllis to Addison Carlson(Sower kick)

CAP 7 4A

No. 13 Millbrook 34, No. 6 Leesville Road 14 ... Ford Spainhour threw three long touchdown passes to junior Wesley Gaines, and the Wildcats (3-0 overall, 3-0 conference) remained atop the CAP 7 4A. Leesville Road (1-2, 1-2) led 14-13 at the half.

NORTHERN ATHLETIC 4A

Rolesville 56, Wakefield 35 ... The host Rams (2-0, 1-0) opened conference play behind a huge night by quarterback Byrum Brown. He ran for two touchdowns and passed for five more. Rolesville took a big first-half lead, but the Wolverines (1-2, 0-1) scored twice in the last two minutes of the first half.

SOUTH WAKE ATHLETIC 4A

No. 9 Apex Friendship 38, Apex 14 ... The Patriots (3-0, 3-0) dominated this rivalry, as Sam Lersch caught three touchdown passes. Max Bartelt passed for a touchdown and ran for another for Apex (0-3, 0-3).

Middle Creek 48, Garner 23 ... Dorian Stewart ran for three touchdowns, leading the Mustangs (2-1, 2-1) past the Trojans (0-3, 0-2).

TRIANGLE 4A

Green Hope 20, Athens Drive 0 ... The host Falcons (2-1, 2-1) scored on a pair of long touchdown runs and two Owen Zalc field goals. Athens Drive dropped to 1-2, 1-2.

No. 14 Panther Creek 22, Cary 0 ... The Catamounts (3-0, 3-0) celebrated Senior Night with a shutout victory and remained tied for first place with Hillside.

Jordan 21, Green Level 13 ... The host Falcons (1-2, 1-2) got their first victory for new head coach Justin Allred. Green Level is 1-2, 1-2.

BIG 8 3A

Chapel Hill 41, Cedar Ridge 0 ... The Tigers rebounded from last week’s loss to Northwood, improving to 2-1, 2-1. Cedar Ridge is 0-3, 0-3.

Orange 7, Northern 6 ... A second-quarter touchdown by Elliott Woods and Darius Satterfield’s conversion kick lifted the Panthers (1-1, 1-1) over the Knights (1-2, 1-2).

Southern Durham 6, Vance County 0 ... The Spartans had a tough time with the young Vance defense but pulled into first place in the conference (3-0, 3-0).

GREATER NEUSE 3A

No. 3 Cleveland 54, East Wake 0 ... Skyler Locklear completed 16-of-22 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns, as the Rams (3-0, 1-0) rolled in their conference opener. Omarion Hampton added 250 rushing yards and three touchdowns. East Wake is 0-2, 0-1.

Clayton 48, South Johnston 6 ... Dashawn Hinton ran for three touchdowns and Everett Boyd caught a pair of touchdown passes, as the Comets (3-0, 1-0) posted their biggest victory of the season. South Johnston fell to 1-2, 0-1.

West Johnston 35, Smithfield-Selma 20 ... The Wildcats piled up a big first-half lead and improved to 3-0, 1-0. Smithfield-Selma is 2-1, 0-1.

This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 9:56 PM.