Preview: Southeast Halifax Trojans vs. North Duplin Rebels
Two dominant backs in Jamereius Hudson and Dujuan Armwood are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Southeast Halifax Trojans will head out on the road to face off against the North Duplin Rebels at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
With a playoff game on the line, Southeast Halifax rose to the challenge on Friday. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 66-0 victory over Union. Southeast Halifax might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won seven matches by 24 points or more this season.
Southeast Halifax's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jaquavious Smith, who rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. Southeast Halifax also got a significant boost from Hudson, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 154 yards.
Meanwhile, North Duplin entered their tilt with Pamlico County with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. North Duplin walked away with a 35-27 victory over Pamlico County on Friday. The score was all tied up 14-14 at the break, but North Duplin was the better team in the second half.
It was another big night for Armwood, who rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Armwood was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 63 yards. Another player making a difference was Carell Phillips, who rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries.
Southeast Halifax pushed their record up to 9-2 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 45.5 points per game. As for North Duplin, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-2 record this season.
Southeast Halifax took their victory against North Duplin in their previous meeting back in November of 2022 by a conclusive 42-22. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was North Duplin's Eli Morrisey, who rushed for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Southeast Halifax to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
