Kinston Falls Late to South Central in Season Opener

Aug 23

Aug 23 Kinston Falls Late to South Central in Season Opener

WINTERVILLE — For the third straight year, Kinston’s season opener against South Central ended in heartbreak. The Vikings had their chances, but miscues down the stretch cost them in a 21-19 loss Friday night.

“It sucks, but that’s what we wanted — to be tested in Week 1,” head coach Ryan Gieselman said. “That’s a great test for us. We had question marks up front and didn’t have answers. Hats off to Coach Buie and his staff for winning Game One, there’ll be many more to come there. We’ve got to get back to work and get ready for Wallace.”

How It Happened

South Central struck first when quarterback Jaylen Butts (#15) hit Eljai Sumpter (#6) on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 2:18 left in the first quarter.

Kinston answered immediately — two plays later, senior quarterback Tyler Jones connected with NC State commit Tyreek Copper for a 57-yard score. Copper juked a defender and delivered a vicious stiff-arm on his way to the end zone.

In the second quarter, Jones found Marshall commit Brennan Chambers for a 30-yard fade route touchdown, putting the Vikings ahead 13-7. That score held through halftime and into the fourth quarter.

Kinston was driving to extend the lead when a fumbled handoff at the South Central 25 swung momentum. The Falcons capitalized, with sophomore Kaden Smith (#3) punching in a touchdown run to tie the game at 13 with 7:21 left.

The Vikings responded with an 80-yard drive capped by an ExZavion Croom 5-yard rushing touchdown to reclaim the lead, 19-13, with 4:14 to play. Minutes later, Croom intercepted a pass and returned it to the South Central 5-yard line with under three minutes remaining.

But Kinston couldn’t close. A stalled drive led to a short punt, and South Central made them pay. Smith capped a late drive with a 5-yard touchdown, then dove across the goal line for the game-winning two-point conversion with 34 seconds left.

“We’re up six with that much time left — we’ve got to be able to run the clock out,” Gieselman said. “We’ve got the pieces, we just have to figure out the right way to fit them together. If we want to be successful, we’ve got to be able to run the ball.”

Kinston (0-1) drops to 3-3 all-time vs. South Central after losing the opener to the Falcons for the third straight season. The Vikings now turn their attention to Wallace-Rose Hill, who lost 21-0 to East Duplin in their opener.