Football Recap: Swansboro Comes Up Short

Swansboro had lost three straight at home, but on Friday they dropped down to 2-6 to make it four. They were beaten by the Havelock Rams 50-14. The Pirates lost against the Rams in their previous head to head back in April of 2021, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 68-0 score last time.

Despite the loss, Swansboro had strong showings from Nolan Armstrong, who picked up ten receiving yards and one TD, and Carmello Beasley, who picked up 89 receiving yards and one score. Beasley also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making three total tackles and defending one pass.

Even if they lost, Swansboro's defensive line still kept up the pressure with four sacks. In that department, Connor Roth was the leader with two. Swansboro got some further help from Connor McInnis: he picked up a sack and made nine total tackles (4.0 for loss).

As for Havelock, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-5 record this season. The result was nothing new for Havelock, who have now won three contests by 29 points or more so far this season.

This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Jayden Howard and Lloyd Jones. Howard rushed for 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 15 carries while Jones gained 94 total yards and two touchdowns. With that strong performance, Howard is now averaging an impressive 101.7 rushing yards per game.

Coincidentally, Swansboro and Havelock will both be playing Northside - Jacksonville the next time they take the field. The Pirates will head out to face the Monarchs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, while the Rams will host them at 7:00 p.m. on the 31st.