East Duplin was the 66-12 winner over Kinston when they last played one another back in September of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. The East Duplin Panthers were outmatched by the Kinston Vikings on the road and fell 52-22. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
When it comes to explaining why East Duplin lost on Thursday, don't look at Shawn Davis. Despite the final result, he rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: East Duplin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 386 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 168 rushing yards in six consecutive games.
Kinston's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tyler Jones led the charge by throwing for 404 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 15.0 yards per attempt. Tyreek Copper was Jones' top target, picking up 171 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
East Duplin's loss dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Kinston, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 4-2.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. East Duplin will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on North Lenoir at 7:00 p.m. on October 11th. As for Kinston, they will host Southwest Onslow at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Southwest Onslow is coming into the matchup with three straight losses on the road, meaning Kinston will have to defend against a squad hungry for a victory.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
