Monday, February 10, 2025

Football: New Hanover overcomes slow start, puts up 500 yards of offense

New Hanover 56    South Brunswick 22

 The Wildcats overcame a slow start and used big plays throughout the night to earn a share of the Mideastern Conference Title following a 56-22 victory over South Brunswick at Legion Stadium. New Hanover will have the top seed out of the division when seeding takes place for the upcoming state playoffs.

For the second straight week, the Wildcats put up over 500 yards of total offense and used multiple players to get into the end zone. Seniors Keegan Santos, Javeon Hall, Freddie Taylor, Jyree Taylor and L.J. Ballard all finished with at least one touchdown, while Jahann Simmons recorded his second interception of the season.

New Hanover made enough big plays to gain separation on Friday night.
New Hanover made enough big plays to gain separation on Friday night.

Sophomore quarterback Blake Walston moved New Hanover down the length of the field late in the first quarter and gave the Wildcats a 7-0 edge on a 37 yard strike to Jyree Taylor.

South Brunswick answered with multiple third down conversions on the ensuing drive to tie the score, 7-7, early in the second quarter thanks to a 52 yard pass from Mason Phillips to Josh Carter.

However, the seesaw battled didn’t last long as New Hanover was able to put up 21 points over the final 4:37 of the first half. Hall made a 36-yard trip passed the goal line on a lateral behind the line of scrimmage from Walston to go along with a 17 yard touchdown from Santos. Walston’s 3-yard pass to Vaughn with 00:12 seconds left in the period gave the Wildcats a 28-7 advantage.

Carter finished his night with a pair of scores and over 100 total yards, but New Hanover just had too much firepower for the Cougars to keep it close.

With the Wildcats leading 35-14, Freddie Taylor had a 13 yard touchdown and senior lineman L.J. Ballard scored his first career touchdown on a one yard lateral from Francis Meehan late in the third quarter. Meehan set up the score on a 41 yard run and shoveled the next snap to his center to get Ballard in the state column.

New Hanover finished with 36 rushing attempts for 401 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Meehan had six carries for 102 yards, while Hall had 74 yards on six rushes. Walston was 7-of-16 through the air for 110 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

New Hanover finished the regular season schedule with a 5-1 mark in league play and 7-4 overall mark. The Wildcats will have a first-round playoff game at Legion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 18.

 Box score

S. Brunswick    0-7-15-0=22

New Hanover    7-21-21-7=56

 

Scoring summary

First Quarter

New Hanover- Blake Walston, 37-yard pass to Jyree Taylor, 3:51

Second Quarter

South Brunswick- Mason Phillips, 52-yard pass to Josh Carter, 8:03

New Hanover- Javeon Hall, 36-yard run, 4:37

New Hanover- Keegan Santos, 17-yard run, 2:59

New Hanover- Blake Walston, 3-yard pass to Wiz Vaughn, 00:12

Third Quarter

New Hanover- Wiz Vaughn, 13-yard run, 10:42

South Brunswick- Josh Carter, 39-yard run, 8:17

New Hanover- Freddie Taylor, 13-yard run, 5:50

South Brunswick- Shawn Grisso, 7-yard run, 2:08

New Hanover- L.J. Ballard, 1-yard lateral from Francis Meehan, 00:34

Fourth Quarter

New Hanover- Meegan Canty, 39-yard run, 1:57

 

More Port City Daily sports

Seniors step up for Laney Bucs in regular season finale

98-yard kick off return not enough for North Brunswick

New Hanover overcomes slow start, puts up 500 yards of offense

3 TDs from senior Tony Allen, special teams/defense guide Hoggard

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