Kinston Dominates North Moore 53–7 in 3A Playoff Opener as Copper and Jones Rewrite the Record Book

Nov 9

Nov 9 Kinston Dominates North Moore 53–7 in 3A Playoff Opener as Copper and Jones Rewrite the Record Book

Written by: Keith Spence

Kinston didn’t just put a 53–7 beatdown on visiting North Moore in the first round of the 3A state playoffs Friday night — the Vikings also did a number on the record books.

Despite falling behind 7–0 and experiencing some rarely seen statistical oddities, Kinston rolled to an easy win behind an unstoppable passing attack and an opportunistic defense that forced six turnovers. The Vikings only missed a shutout due to a questionable call on a first-quarter fourth-and-16 play.

“We overcame an early turnover and a little adversity before we finally got in a groove offensively,” Kinston coach Ryan Gieselman said. “I’m proud of the way the guys responded.”

Ball Control is Overrated

The Vikings led 33–7 at halftime, but looking at the first-half statistics, it would have been easy to imagine the scoreboard had been flipped.

The Mustangs ran 41 plays in the first half compared to just 13 by Kinston. North Moore also dominated time of possession by an incredible margin — 20:57 to 3:03.

But Kinston didn’t need the ball for long. After losing a fumble on its first play from scrimmage, the Vikings scored on five straight possessions: one play, three plays, one play, two plays, and a “long” five-play drive.

The dynamic trio of Tyreek Copper, Tyler Jones, and Brennan Chambers proved to be too much for the Mustangs’ defense.

Tyreek Copper

Copper caught four passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns, and in the process, moved into fifth place all-time in receiving yards in North Carolina high school football history.

He scored on plays covering 52, 42, and 50 yards — all coming on the first play of a Kinston possession.

“For four years I’ve had a coach that trusts me and a quarterback that gets me the ball,” Copper said. “I couldn’t have reached those goals without my teammates and coaching staff.”

Tyler Jones

The senior quarterback completed 10 of 13 passes for 285 yards and a school-record-tying seven touchdown passes, averaging more than 28 yards per completion.

His offensive line gave him ample time all night as Jones picked apart an overmatched North Moore secondary.

“We’ve got so many explosive options that sometimes my job is easy,” Jones said. “I’m fortunate that I’ve got guys like Tyreek and Brennan to throw the ball to.”

Brennan Chambers

Chambers caught four passes for 101 yards — and he found the end zone on all four receptions.

His touchdown catches covered 35, 9, 46, and 11 yards as he used his 6-foot-5 frame to full advantage.

“I’ve got a great quarterback who finds me and a receiver like Tyreek on the other side who gets a lot of attention,” Chambers said. “I get a lot of one-on-one matchups that I can win with my size.”

Don’t Forget the D

Lost in the shuffle of the offensive fireworks was a Kinston defense that held North Moore to 164 total yards, picked off two passes, and recovered four fumbles. The Vikings would have recorded a shutout were it not for a fourth-and-16 pass that was ruled a completion — even though it clearly bounced off the turf before the receiver secured it for a 19-yard gain to the Kinston 12-yard line.

The Mustangs scored three plays later to take a brief 7–0 lead.

“They’re a power rushing team, and we knew we had to stop the run,” Gieselman said. “They were able to string together some first downs and control the clock at times, but we didn’t give up any big plays and we were able to counter with a lot of big plays of our own.”

Other than the questionable 19-yard completion, the Mustangs didn’t have another play longer than nine yards. Meanwhile, Kinston erupted for 12 plays of at least 10 yards — including six of 35 yards or more.