North Carolina high school football: Top performers, scores from Week 1 in Fayetteville area
Seven high school football teams in Fayetteville started the 2022 season Thursday night.
Cape Fear, Douglas Byrd, E.E. Smith, Gray’s Creek, Seventy-First, South View and Westover moved their games due to the threat of rain and thunderstorms Friday.
The Colts, Eagles, Bears, Falcons and Wolverines earned victories as Cumberland County's teams finished the opening night with a 5-2 record. Cape Fear edged out Riverside in an 18-14 win.
Jack Britt and Terry Sanford also earned victories Friday night to round out Week 1. Here's a look at scores and top performers from games involving Cumberland County teams.
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WEEK 1 SCORES: North Carolina high school football scores for Week 1 of 2022 season
Jack Britt 10, Pine Forest 7 (3OT)
A rainy night at the Boneyard ended with a game-winning field goal off the foot of junior kicker Ethan Emery.
Emery made a 27-yard kick in the extra period, while senior running back Sincere Baines scored on a 28-yard run for the Bucs' lone touchdown. Emery followed with a 35-yard extra point.
Pine Forest trailed 7-0 at halftime before tying the game in the third quarter. Trojan quarterback Xayden Watson had a 65-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half.
Terry Sanford 28, Glenn 12
Junior running back Johnathan Higgins-Simmons and junior cornerback Kamal Thames made plays to help the Bulldogs leave Kernersville with a big-time road win.
Higgins-Simmons had a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Thames added a 99-yard interception return for a score.
Senior defensive end Trevon Wactor had a dominating effort with 21 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
Seventy-First 52, E.E. Smith 0
The preseason favorites in the United 8 Conference scored 50-plus points for the fifth time in two seasons.
Junior running back Anthony Quinn Jr. had 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles. He also had an 86-yard kickoff return for a score.
Senior running back Jayden Shotwell added 112 yards on 14 carries and sophomore quarterback DeAndre Nance had 75 yards on two carries with a touchdown. Nance completed 6 of 9 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, senior linebacker Raymond McCray had seven tackles and an interception return for a touchdown. Sophomore linebacker Donavan Frederick had 17 tackles and senior Omar Houston added 12 tackles, including four for loss.
Gray's Creek 35, Hoke County 34
A trio of elite rushing performances helped the Bears earn a thrilling road win.
Senior running back Javon Webb paced the top performers with 221 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Fellow senior Elijah Wilson logged 119 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Davis, a junior, also had 80 rushing yards and two scores.
Douglas Byrd 26, Red Springs 20
With Thursday’s victory, the Eagles won a season opener for the first time since 2018. Senior running back Jameion Johnson scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for Byrd, and Wyatt Rodgers added a third rushing score. Deshawn Gillespie connected with Isaiah Washington on a touchdown pass to round out Byrd’s scoring.
Westover 47, Southern Lee 7
Coming off its best year in program history, Westover used 33 second-half points to pull away in the season opener.
Senior quarterback Joshua Jones completed 16 of 19 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns to pace the offense. Senior linebacker Damodrick Foster led the defense with 14 tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack, and a forced fumble.
Senior running back Joel McLaurin had 10 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Overhills 36, South View 22
The Jaguars used 24 points in the second half to rally past South View for their first win against the Tigers since 2017.
Overhills sophomore quarterback Jordan Bryant completed 13 of 15 passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns. Senior running back Kevin Lalin logged 223 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
South View senior quarterback Jaydon Richardson had three passing touchdowns and completed 12 of 19 passes for 172 yards. Junior wideout Donavan Pauling-Outlaw had five catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Brandon Sanders had four catches for 79 yards and a score.
Trinity Christian 60, Grace Christian 0
The Crusaders scored 30 points in the first quarter and never looked back.
Junior running back Michael Ross Jr. scored on each of his three carries and finished with 142 rushing yards. Senior playmaker Diavante Shepard also had three touchdowns and logged 84 rushing yards. Sophomore defender Lavarion Peoples had seven tackles.
Week 1 Fayetteville Area Scoreboard
2022 Fayetteville Area High School Football Week 1 Links
Week 1 PICKS: Fayetteville-area high school football predictions for Week 1 of the 2022 season
GAME OF THE WEEK: Jack Britt vs. Pine Forest is the Week 1 high school football game of the week
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Complete coverage from the 2022-23 season
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County high school football scores, live updates Week 1
