Corinth Holders football in position to win Two Rivers 3A after win at South Johnston
Last season the Corinth Holders football team had to share a conference title with a pair of Two Rivers 3A Conference foes but, after a 28-16 win over South Johnston (6-4, 1-3) on Friday night, the Pirates (9-1, 4-0) assured themselves the opportunity to win the title outright with a win in the final week of the regular season.
Kaelin O’Neal found the end zone on the ground three times in the second half to help the Pirates rally with 21 second half points to set up the league’s only two unbeaten teams in conference, the Pirates and Rams, for a championship game of sorts.
South Johnston took a 10-7 lead into halftime thanks to a Kavante Johnson 76-yard touchdown run and a Yovani Herrera 21-yard field goal.
“Credit to those guys as they did an excellent job in the first half,” Corinth Holders coach Bubba Williams said.
Turning Point
The South Johnston defense had stopped Corinth Holders on six consecutive possessions but a six-yard punt set up the Pirates on the Trojans 47-yard line late in the third quarter. Four plays later, Kaelin O’Neal pulled the Pirates ahead with a 1-yard touchdown plunge.
They said it
“Corinth Holders is good and they earned the win tonight but I was happy,” said South Johnston coach Hunter Jenks. “Any time we can come out and practice the way we did and then play as hard as we did for 48 minutes … I mean sometimes you’re just on the short end.”
Three who mattered
Kavante Johnson, South Johnston: The junior running back powered the Trojans attack with his quick bursts through the line which was on full display on the tailback’s 76-yard touchdown romp in the first quarter. Johnson led South Johnston with 224 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns.
Kaelin O’Neal, Corinth Holders: O’Neal found the end zone three times on the ground within a 7:26 span that stretched from late in the third quarter to the early stages of the fourth quarter. O’Neal finished with 270 combined yards on the ground and in the air.
Corinth Holders defensive line: The Pirates’ defense held tough for much of the second half and kept Corinth Holders within striking range.
By the numbers
14: Offensive plays that gained at least 10 yards on the night for Corinth Holders.
130: Yards rushing for the Pirates’ Howard Watson.
113: Yards receiving for South Johnston’s Javonte Smith.
This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 10:32 PM with the headline "Corinth Holders football in position to win Two Rivers 3A after win at South Johnston."