Sep 1

Sep 1 South Lenoir’s Defense Finishes What Offense Started, Blue Devils Reclaim Braggin Bowl 14-12

South Lenoir’s Defense Finishes What Offense Started, Blue Devils Reclaim Braggin Bowl 14-12

WHEAT SWAMP— South Lenoir needed two nights, two completely different performances and one final defensive play to bring the Braggin Bowl back to Deep Run.

The Blue Devils’ offense built the lead Thursday. Their defense protected it Monday.

With North Lenoir driving for a potential game-winning score in the final minutes, Jaylen Stallworth intercepted freshman quarterback Connor Bryant near the South Lenoir 33-yard line to secure a 14-12 victory in the 63rd Braggin Bowl.

South Lenoir improved to 2-0, reclaimed the rivalry trophy for the first time since 2023 and took an early 1-0 lead in the Jimmy Smith Cup standings.

“We made just enough plays to win the game,” South Lenoir defensive coordinator Matt Hine said. “Hats off to the guys that stepped up in big moments and made big plays.”

That was exactly what South Lenoir needed Monday because the Blue Devils barely resembled the offensive team that took the field four days earlier.

When the game originally kicked off Thursday, South Lenoir was sharp.

The Blue Devils controlled the line of scrimmage, sustained two long scoring drives and jumped ahead 14-0 behind rushing touchdowns from quarterback Christian Wooten and Jayden Jones.

Wooten was South Lenoir’s primary offensive weapon, finishing with 18 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown while completing 3 of 7 passes for 51 yards with one interception.

Jones added six carries for 34 yards and a touchdown.

“To be as weird as it was, we came out on fire on Thursday ready to play,” South Lenoir coach Brandon Proctor said. “Came out here today almost as flat as we can be offensively, and give credit to NL, they were ready to play tonight.”

North Lenoir found its first spark before the postponement with some creativity.

Running back Mario Bester took a handoff and delivered a halfback pass downfield to Keigan Blanchard, who broke free for a 62-yard touchdown.

Bester finished 1-for-1 passing for 62 yards and a touchdown.

The score cut South Lenoir’s advantage to 14-6 before the game was halted with approximately 50 seconds remaining in the first half and postponed until Monday.

When play resumed, the momentum had flipped.

North Lenoir’s defense shut out South Lenoir for the remainder of the game. Blanchard intercepted Wooten in the third quarter to end one Blue Devils possession, and the Hawks continued giving their offense opportunities to complete the comeback.

Meanwhile, senior running back Jaylen Wooten became the engine of North Lenoir’s offense.

Wooten carried 25 times for 161 yards and a touchdown, accounting for nearly all of North Lenoir’s 173 rushing yards. His 15-yard touchdown run in the second half pulled the Hawks within two at 14-12.

Then came one of the biggest snaps of the rivalry.

North Lenoir went for two and a tie.

South Lenoir middle linebacker Mike Jones and the Blue Devils defense met the challenge, stopping the conversion and maintaining the 14-12 lead.

“Offense did their thing on Thursday, defense did their thing tonight,” Proctor said. “We relied on them, they relied on us. We had each other’s backs.”

North Lenoir still wasn’t finished.

The Hawks took possession at their own 15-yard line with approximately four minutes remaining and put the game in the hands of Bryant, their freshman quarterback.

Bryant had endured an up-and-down night but showed poise on North Lenoir’s final possession. He repeatedly found Blanchard and moved the Hawks from deep in their own territory into South Lenoir territory.

Bryant finished 8 of 17 passing for 65 yards with two interceptions. Combined with Bester’s halfback pass, North Lenoir completed 9 of 18 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown.

Blanchard was Bryant’s most productive target and consistently moved the chains, finishing with five receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Bester added three catches for 32 yards.

North Lenoir reached the South Lenoir 33-yard line with a chance to take its first lead of the game.

It never got any closer.

Stallworth stepped in front of Bryant’s pass for the game-sealing interception, setting off the South Lenoir celebration.

It was the Blue Devils’ second interception of the game. Jayden Mason came away with another key pick during the first half.

For Jones, the final horn represented something deeper than simply moving South Lenoir to 2-0.

He grew up watching this rivalry.

“This means so much as a little kid coming up through South Lenoir, always seeing the North Lenoir Hawks whoop our tail every year,” Jones said. “This means a lot. It means a lot to the program, it means a lot to the school and a lot to everybody inside Deep Run.”

The victory was also the payoff for work Jones said started years before Monday night.

“I have been working since my freshman year for moments like this,” Jones said. “We grinded in the weight room, we grinded on the field. It’s been a competition every single day, pushing, pushing and pushing.”

It showed on the field. Jones was without a doubt the heart of the South Lenoir defense stuffing the run on multiple occasions in the backfield.

The Braggin Bowl, created by former South Lenoir coach Jimmy Smith and former North Lenoir coach Doug Hill, has become one of Lenoir County’s longstanding football traditions.

The rivalry also carries additional weight as part of the Jimmy Smith Cup, which determines the top football team in Lenoir County through the county matchups.

South Lenoir now owns the first result in that race at 1-0.

North Lenoir, now 0-2, gets its opportunity to answer when the Hawks face Kinston this week in another Jimmy Smith Cup matchup.

South Lenoir turns its attention to Eastern Wayne.

But before moving forward, the Blue Devils can enjoy something they hadn’t been able to do since 2023.

Take the Braggin Bowl trophy back home.

Key Numbers

South Lenoir

Christian Wooten: 18 carries, 110 yards, TD; 3-7 passing, 51 yards, INT
Jayden Jones: 6 carries, 34 yards, TD
Jaylen Stallworth: Game-sealing INT
Jayden Mason: INT
Mike Jones: Key stop on game-tying 2-point attempt, and big tackles in the backfield all night.

North Lenoir