Turnovers, Penalties, and a Late Pick-Six Doom Kinston in 33-21 Loss to Ayden-Grifton
The Kinston Vikings (3-3, 0-1) dropped a tough 33-21 decision on the road Friday night to the Ayden-Grifton Chargers (4-2, 1-0), undone by costly penalties, turnovers, and a back-breaking pick-six late in the fourth quarter.
Ayden-Grifton struck first and built a 20-7 halftime lead, capitalizing on short fields and a few Viking miscues. Kinston had a chance to swing momentum coming out of the locker room, but the Chargers received the second-half kickoff and continued to control the tempo early in the third quarter.
Despite the setbacks, the Vikings clawed their way back into contention. With just one possession separating the teams in the fourth quarter, the Vikings were threatening to tie the game — but disaster struck. A late pick-six sealed Kinston’s fate, stretching Ayden-Grifton’s lead and silencing what had been a surging comeback effort.
Quarterback Tyler Jones had moments of brilliance, throwing for over 200 yards and spreading the ball to multiple receivers, but his three interceptions proved costly. Even so, Kinston’s offense showed flashes of explosiveness behind its key playmakers.
Tyreek Copper continued his electric season, hauling in two touchdowns and over 120 receiving yards, while Genesis Wiggins piled up over 110 total yards of offense, battling through tackles and fighting for every yard. On defense, Ex’Zavion Croom snagged an interception to help the Vikings briefly shift momentum their way.
Head Coach Ryan Gieselman was proud of his team’s effort but acknowledged the self-inflicted wounds that made the difference.
“We came out flat, and when we got in rhythm, we hurt ourselves with penalties,” Gieselman said. “We had some timely turnovers to get us back in the game but then we gave it right back to them.”
Even in defeat, the Vikings never stopped fighting.
“We battled and forced some turnovers to get back in there. I don’t believe we gave up — I’m proud of our guys, and it’s not over yet.”
Gieselman praised his defense for adjustments after halftime.
“We did a good job at halftime of tightening down the screws. It really gave us a chance.”
Now sitting at 3-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play, the Vikings will look to rebound next week against Greene Central (4-2, 0-1) in a high-stakes rivalry matchup that could define both teams’ conference outlook.
“Conference schedule is the most important, and we talk about that,” Gieselman said. “It’s a rivalry game and will be a big-time atmosphere.”
