Trey Scott's 5 Takes From Kinston Upset Over #1 Seed James Kenan
My 5 Takes from the Kinston vs. James Kenan Football Game…
#1 — Kinston was absolutely the more physical team.
Usually when an Air Raid offense meets a Wing-T, 80/20 run-heavy team, the run team tends to be the stronger and more physical group. That was not the case. The Vikings dominated on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Kinston’s tough schedule played a major factor in this game. By the RPI/standings, South Central and White Oak might not have seemed like a big deal, but both are larger schools (7A and 5A) with bigger, stronger kids. The Tarboro game was the biggest preparation of all. Kinston lost all three of those games, but the physicality of those matchups prepared them for this moment.
#2 — The Kinston coaching staff deserves a ton of credit.
They had their kids super prepared. Everyone executed their assignments, and the defense gave up zero explosive plays (25+ yards). Out of 38 rush attempts, only two went for more than 10 yards. The Vikings played mistake-free football with zero turnovers, starting with QB Tyler Jones: 18-of-28, 184 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT.
#3 — The Tyreek Copper Effect.
Looking at the stat line, you might say he had a “below-normal” game (6 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD). But James Kenan showed the ultimate respect—putting one defender in his face and another 10 yards directly behind him no matter where the Real Deal lined up. That’s been the theme throughout the playoffs, and it creates countless opportunities for the offense. For one, it removes an extra defender from the box—whether as a rusher or run stopper—equalling better protection and more success in the run game. Don’t let the stats fool you. Tyreek was huge, including a head-tap catch in triple coverage with 14 seconds left in the first half.
#4 — Playmakers make plays.
Reggie McNeil, Pap Brown, Brennan Chambers, Tyler Jones, and Genesis Wiggins put their hard hats on and went to work.
McNeil got one-on-one coverage in the red zone and torched his guy for the first touchdown.
Leading into that drive, Kinston was behind the sticks in a 3rd-and-19, but Brennan Chambers came up with an incredible deep-post grab.
Pap Brown did Pap Brown things—got loose, scorched man coverage, and found the soft spots in the zone.
QB1 Tyler Jones was on the money, buying time with his feet and delivering balls only his receivers could catch.
Genesis Wiggins may have had his best game as a Viking, scoring twice—one through the air and one on the ground. His rushing TD was a perfect snapshot of the night: he carried 3–4 Tigers for eight yards into the end zone.
#5 — The Unsung Heroes.
This one is mainly about two groups: the offensive line and the defense. Jemorris Poole, ExZavion Croom, and Christian Ham were the leaders of the pack, but the entire Viking unit deserves recognition. They were hungry. They fought. They hit. They flew to the ball. And ultimately, they carried Kinston to an upset victory.
The offensive line will never get the glory, but they always have the guts. Just go look at Tyler Jones’ jersey in our postgame interview—it looked like it just came out of the washer. The offensive line was incredible.
