South Johnston plays ‘cleanest’ game in shutout of rival North Johnston

South Johnston picked an odd night to play one of its best games of the season.

The Trojans blanked Johnston County rival North Johnston 31-0 Monday night in a game that featured a second half played almost entirely in a downpour.

“I really felt like this was our cleanest game of the year from an execution standpoint,” Trojans coach Hunter Jenks said. “We had very few penalties, made the stops when we had to on defense and didn’t give up any big plays. We played very clean in all three phases: offense, defense, special teams.”

Turning point

On a busted play, South Johnston quarterback Landen Lockamy broke away and ran 55 yards for a touchdown with four minutes left in the first quarter. Lockamy and his backs missed a handoff exchange, but he saw the hole and darted through for the first of three 50-plus yard Trojan touchdown runs on the night.

The play set the biggest trend of the night: South’s ability to hit on big plays and North Johnston’s inability to match them.

They said it

“Landen did exactly what we tell our guys to do if they end up in a busted play,” Jenks said. “We want them to find the hole the play was designed for and hit that hole. That’s exactly what he did and our guys up front had it blocked right.”

Three who mattered

Kavante Johnson, South Johnston: The junior back didn’t break loose until the fourth quarter – with a 53-yard touchdown run – but he kept the Trojans offense moving with a team-high 111 yards on 10 carries.

South Johnston’s defensive back seven: The Trojans kept the Panthers offense hemmed up for most of the first half, keeping North from building any momentum.

Dallas Krob, North Johnston: He ran for a team-high 67 yards on 18 carries and was the Panthers’ most effective weapon. The senior also was one of the top tacklers for the Panthers defense.

By the numbers

0: Number of North Johnston plays from scrimmage that covered more than 20 yards.

5: South Johnston offensive plays covering 20 or more yards.

7: Mishandled center-quarterback snap exchanges by the Panthers in the sloppy conditions. Two led to turnovers.

10: Plays North Johnston ran on the South Johnston’s side of the field in the first 7 minutes of the game. The Panthers recovered an onside kick to start the game and Tyler Scott intercepted a pass to stop South’s second drive but North couldn’t capitalize to turn the turnovers into points.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 10:06 PM with the headline "South Johnston plays ‘cleanest’ game in shutout of rival North Johnston."