Football Recap: Southwest Edgecombe Finds Playoff Glory Versus East Duplin + How To Watch

With a playoff win on the line, SouthWest Edgecombe rose to the challenge on Friday. They skirted past the East Duplin Panthers 44-41. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Cougars have posted since November 1, 2024.

Andre Downey Jr

Rushing Yards

11/21/25 @ East Duplin	215
11/14/25 @ Bunn	182
10/30/25 vs North Johnston	135
08/29/25 @ Hertford County	126
10/17/25 vs Washington	85
+ 8 more games

It was another big night for Andre Downey Jr, who rushed for 215 yards and two TDs on only 13 carries, and also picked up 88 receiving yards and one touchdown. He has become a key player for SouthWest Edgecombe: the team is undefeated when he posts at least 100 rushing yards, but 4-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Devion Mayo Jr, who threw for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 90.9% of his passes.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: SouthWest Edgecombe was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 355 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 150 rushing yards in six consecutive matchups.

Several Panthers players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Shawn Davis, who rushed for 144 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 7.2 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Davis is now averaging an impressive 100.6 rushing yards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Aaron Hall, who rushed for 143 yards and one TD while picking up 7.2 yards per carry.

SouthWest Edgecombe's record now sits at 8-5. As for East Duplin, with the loss, they broke their six-game winning streak and moved their record to 9-3.

Coming up, SouthWest Edgecombe is taking a road trip to square off against West Craven at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Eagles will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something the Cougars surely won't give up without a fight. East Duplin does not have any more games scheduled as of now.