Maplesville did not punt in the first half, and the only drive the team didn’t score on was stopped by a fumble recovered by WInterboro.
On Maplesville’s first possession, junior Damian Mitchell returned the punt more than 50 yards, but was stopped just short of the end zone. One play later, a 1-yard touchdown was run in, but the kick was no good giving Maplesville a 6-0 lead with 9:21 in the first.
WInterboro maintained possession through most of the first quarter, and ended the first 12 minutes with a 4-yard touchdown run from Cardri Ducan. The two-point conversion was no good, tying the game at 6-6.
The scoring drive for Winterboro was 12 plays and 66 yards.
The next quarter was largely one-sided. Maplesville took touchdowns on every possession of the second, including a 31-yard touchdown pass from Colby Chambers to Mitchell with 57 seconds left. The Red Devils took a 28-6 lead into the half.
The Devils capitalized on a short punt by WInterboro early in the next half, and Chambers ran in a 9-yard touchdown with 9:04 left in the third. The Bulldogs then set up a short drive riddled with sacks that only gained six yards. Mitchell would run in the next touchdown for the Devils, a six-yard score with 2:05 left in the third.
To start the fourth, the Devils would go three-and-out and barely gain 20 yards on their punt. Set up on the Maplesville 25 yard line, senior Taylor Garrett would connect with Cedrick McKenzie on a 21-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was no good, bringing the score to 41-12 in favor of the Devils.
On the next play, Mitchell returned the kickoff 85 yards for a special teams score.
In WInterboro’s next attempt, freshman Micheal Hunt of the Devils intercepted Casey Goins’ first-down pass and ran it 35 yards back for a touchdown with 9:17 left in the game.
Winterboro fumbled the kickoff and it was swiftly recovered by Maplesville. The Devils failed to produce on that drive.
Goins connected with Bernard Twymon on a third-and 24 play and Twymon ran the ball in with 3:45 left in the game. Goins ran in the keeper on the two-point conversion, giving the final score of the game.
Winterboro head coach David Nurnberg said the biggest thing going against his team was themselves.
“It started in the first quarter, and we never picked it back up,” Nurnberg said. “You know, we got down on ourselves and weren’t able to overcome the mental stuff. That really affects your entire game, and I told them the score doesn’t matter. The way you play the game matters, and we didn’t play our best.”
Going into next week’s game against Fayetteville on the road, Nurnberg said he hopes his team can focus on its own game.
“I think the biggest thing for us is going to be if we can overcome adversity,” Nurnberg said. “Not every team is going to be a Maplesville, but if we get down on ourselves early, that’s hard to compensate for. You can make little tweaks to your game and personnel, but they have to go out there and want it.”
The Bulldogs did have some bright spots, including a 71-yard quarter from Twymon.
Nurnberg said he was pleased with the sophomore’s performance, but not surprised.
“Bernard wasn’t running the football in the spring, but he has really taken to it quick,” Nurnberg said. “I think he’s a great player and able to break tackles and make moves when he needs to. He’s a great addition to our backfield and he always come through when it counts.”
In just his first game as a head coach for Winterboro, Nurnberg said he feels confident in his group.
“It’s always hard to learn a new system, but tonight was better than I think the scoreboard showed,” Nurnberg said. “We obviously have some things to work on. Maplesville is the kind of team to exploit opportunities, and they really did that to us on special teams. I think if our guys can get in and stay focused on what we do, we can do some good things this season.”
