West Brunswick 27 South Brunswick 24
Friday’s cross-county rivalry game came down to the wire, but Bubba McCray proved to be the difference maker with four rushing touchdowns to help lead West Brunswick past South Brunswick 27-24 on Friday night.
Trailing by 17 headed into the final 12 minutes, the Cougars rallied for a pair of scores to make it a three-point game with 4:21 to play in the fourth quarter.
Following a fumble recovery by Austin Fleming, Cole Blackburn dove in from 1-yard out and ran in for the two-point conversation to get within a field goal before West Brunswick was able to run out the clock.
The Trojans jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a 20-yard run from McCray to cap off an 11-play, 80-yard drive as the junior running back scored his second touchdown of the game with a 3-yard run early in the second quarter to put West Brunswick in front by seven after Shamawle Fabian answered for South Brunswick to tie the game with just over four minutes to play in the first quarter.
Down 14-7, Blackburn hit Josh Carter on a 55-yard pass, but the drive stalled deep inside West Brunswick territory and Hunter Hemphill knocked in a 22-yard field goal with 5:20 to go in the first half to get within four.
Big plays ultimately cost South Brunswick as McCray used runs of 44 yards and 64 yards to get into the end zone in the third quarter to put the game in hand.
West Brunswick moved to 1-1 in conference and 3-4 overall. The Trojans head into the final month of the regular season with a key 3A ballgame at home against Topsail on Friday, Oct. 17.
South Brunswick (1-2, 3-5) has now dropped two straight games entering the bye week with a date in Hampstead against the Pirates on Friday, Oct. 24.
W. Brunswick 7-7-13-0=27
S. Brunswick 7-3-0-14=24
Southwest Onslow 20 North Brunswick 0
N. Brunswick 0-0-0-0=0
Southwest 7-0-7-6=20
