Published: 12:59 AM, Sat Nov 10, 2012
Jack Britt rallies past Hoke County, 17-10
Jack Britt's dominance over Hoke County continues, at least on the football field.
Since the school's inception in 2000, Jack Britt had posted a 9-1 record against the Bucks. On Friday night, at the Buccaneers' Boneyard, Britt's football team put away a pesky Hoke County team for its biggest victory ever over the Bucks.
Quarterback Mark McRae passed for 192 yards and two touchdowns in a balanced offensive attack to lead Jack Britt to a 17-10 win in the second round of the NCHSAA 4AA playoffs, advancing in the Mideast pod.
Britt next plays Richmond Senior, a Friday winner over Fuquay-Varina, marking Britt's fourth appearance in the third round over the last five years.
Third-seeded Hoke County (10-3) was hoping to stretch what had been a surprising season, considering the loss of a pool of players to graduation in the spring. Eight years ago, the school reached the fourth round of the playoffs.
But a talent-laden Buccaneer squad, 11-2 and seeded second, put an end to matching that quest.
"Our defense stepped up," McRae said. "When our defense steps up, our offense starts cooking. Hoke County has a good team. They have a great running back in No. 6 (Detrez Newsome)."
Buccaneers' linebacker Javon Williams' sterling defensive effort with less than three minutes to play in the game sealed the victory for Britt.
On a fourth-and-15 play from the Jack Britt 17, and Britt hanging on to a 17-10 lead, Williams' Super Glue-like defense on Newsome kept the star running back from catching a pass from Hoke quarterback Geoffrey Thompson. Williams nearly picked off the pass, and the Buccaneers took over the ball to run out the clock.
"It was big. Big opportunities," said Hoke Coach Milton Butts, a journeyman of sorts who previously guided the football programs at E.E. Smith and twice at Westover. "We were down there twice in the first half and only got three points. We knew it was going to be a tough game. It's hard to win when you're playing a good team and you're doing that."
Jack Britt took the lead for good with 5:31 to go in the third quarter.
That's when McRae, from shotgun formation, fired a pinpoint 8-yard pass to wide receiver Edmund Grant on a quick slant. Grant scored on the play to make it 14-10 with the PAT.
On the ensuing kickoff, Britt converted on an onside kick, with defensive back Quinton Murphy recovering the ball for the Buccaneers to take over on the Hoke 47. Ten plays later, Atilla Kurt booted a 33-yard field goal to up the lead to 17-10.
McRae called the onside kick "a momentum changer. A big momentum change."
Big backfield
Along with McRae's aerial attack, spreading the ball around to half-a-dozen receivers, Britt running back Eric Carter rushed 17 times for 104 yards and snagged two of those passes for a team-high 59 yards. His backfield running mate, Marquis Foshee, compiled 71 yards on 17 carries.
"The difference in this game was - they hoped they were going to win and we knew we were going to win," Carter said.
Hoke's Thompson carried the ball 16 times for 109 yards, while Newsome gained 30 yards on 10 carries.
Newsome, a fleet-footed back who is capable of ripping off long yardage on any given play, scored on a 90-yard punt return with 6:34 remaining in the first half.
"There are plays all along the way that can affect the outcome," said Britt coach Brian Rimpf, "and we were fortunate enough to make the plays we needed to make."
Staff writer Michael Futch can be reached at futchm@fayobserver.com or 486-3529. Jack Britt 17, Hoke County 10
Hoke County
0
10
0
0-10
Jack Britt
0
7
10
0-17
HC - FG John Walrath 33
HC - Detrez Newsome 90 punt return
JB - Sean McLean 6 pass from Mark McRae (Atilla Kurt kick)
JB - Edmond Grant 7 pass from McRae (Kurt kick)
JB - FG Kurt 32
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: HC - Geoffery Thompson 16-104; Newsome 10-30. JB - Eric Carter 17-104; Marquis Foshee 17-71.
Passing: HC - Thompson 0-5-0, 0. JB - McRae 13-20-1, 192.
Receiving: HC - None. JB - Carter 2-59, Grant 2-23, McLean 3-29, Jalen McDaniel 1-55, Chris McGee 2-26, Foshee 1-18.
Records: Hoke County 10-3, Jack Britt 11-2
Next game: Jack Britt at Richmond Senior