Eastern, Western fall in their first-round playoff games
By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Cummings and Southeast Alamance will meet again next week after both teams won in the first round of the Class 2-A state playoffs Friday night.
Southeast Alamance added to its historic first season by defeating host Martin County 27-13. Cummings was at home and pulled out a 27-22 victory against Heide Trask.
Those teams will meet in the second round Friday night at Cummings in a rematch of an October 27 clash in the Mid-Carolina Conference. Cummings won 47-14 in the first meeting at Southeast.
For No. 24 seed Southeast (7-4), Jerry Sims scored two touchdowns and Ryan Dodson ran for a touchdown and threw for a score.
Sims helped clinch the outcome by returning an interception for a touchdown with 42 seconds left.
No. 9 seed Martin County (5-6) is a consolidated school playing in its first season under that format.
Daniel Bunker scored Southeast’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run following a Martin County muffed punt in the first quarter. The Stallions had their first lead on the extra point after Dodson scored on a 4-yard keeper with 27 seconds left in the first half.
Southeast stretched the 14-13 edge on Dodson’s 5-yard pass to Sims with 2:31 to play.
Cummings 27-22 over Heide Trask
In Burlington, Cummings (9-2) benefitted from Jonathan Paylor’s three touchdowns. It was just the third game decided by a single-digit margin for the Cavaliers this season, but this was the first of those that they won.
No. 25 seed Heide Trask (6-5) led 14-13 at halftime.
Quarterback Devin Witherspoon scored Cummings’ other touchdown.
Southern Durham 36, Eastern Alamance 7
At Mebane, a string of 15 consecutive seasons with at least one state-playoff victory ended for the host Eagles.
No. 21 seed Southern Durham (7-4) went up 13-0 in the first quarter and led 21-7 at halftime.
The 12th-seeded Eagles (8-3) scored in the second quarter on Tyrek Samuel’s run. That was set up by Jason Ball’s pass to Douglas Lathan.
Cape Fear 33, Western Alamance 12
At Fayetteville, the Warriors lost in a first-round road game for the third season in a row.
The No. 17 seed Warriors (6-5) were hindered by turnovers. No. 16 seed Cape Fear (9-2) won its fifth game in a row.
