KINSTON, N.C.
Southampton Academy head coach Dale Marks said prior to the season that his only expectations for a team replacing eight starters was to remain competitive in every game on the schedule. Saturday’s North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association State Championship Game far exceeded those expectations, as Marks and the Raiders captured their fourth state title by defeating the Northeast Academy Eagles, 56-14.

“When you have kids that are willing to come out and work hard and they’re great kids that exhibit sportsmanship on the field, you want them to have success,” he said. “You want to do everything in your power to put them in a situation where they can be successful. There were a couple points in the season [a 70-34 loss to St. David’s in October and a 68-30 loss to Arendell Parrott Academy in the regular season finale] that were a little bit of a let down for us, but I thought the guys responded well. The kids never got down. We knew what we had to do.”

It was the second time the teams met on the gridiron this year, as Southampton Academy traveled to Lasker, North Carolina, to open the season. Quarterback Andrew Lowe, in only his second-career start, was the difference in the contest, finding receiver Brooks Holland for a touchdown with just over a minute remaining to give the Raiders a 50-44 win.

“We were green in a lot of positions having lost our whole starting backfield, two linebackers and two guys in our defensive secondary,” Marks said of the season opener. “They took advantage of us some in crucial situations, and their quarterback really hurt us running the football. We were being too aggressive defensively going up field and gave him some holes. We shored those things up in the championship game and really shut their running game down.”

Fullback Roy Hill said, “A lot of people were thinking about what we lost instead of what we were getting. We lost our whole backfield — Matt [Rose], Ethan [Edwards], Nate [Williams] — last year, and they didn’t think about all the stuff we were gaining.”

Southampton Academy raced out to a 22-0 lead in Saturday’s game, which stymied the potent Eagles rushing attack and forced them to play catch up.

“We showed what we could do offensively,” Marks said. “We went to a power-running game and just moved the ball down the field.”

Lowe capped off a four-play opening drive with a 26-yard sprint to the end zone to get the Raiders on the board. After cornerback Caleb Kidd picked off an errant pass at midfield, fullback Roy Hill then scored from four-yards out. Lowe added another, this time on a two-yard sneak, before the Eagles were even aware that the game had started.

“It was kind of the same situation we were in against St. David’s,” Marks said. “You get behind like that, and I really felt like —at that point — it kind of snowballed from there.”

Northeast Academy attempted to claw its way back into the game, cutting the lead to 22-6 at the end of the first quarter when fullback Curtis Faulker took a handoff between the tackles for a score. On the very next play, however, Lowe found receiver Sam Rose wide open for a 62-yard touchdown pass to end all hopes of a comeback.

Hill added a 1-yard touchdown run, and Lowe found Harrison Pope to extend the lead to 42-8 just minutes into the third quarter.

“That touchdown really means a lot to be because he’s one of my dear friends,” Holland said of Pope’s reception. The senior wasn’t able to play this season because of an injury he suffered to his sternum.

Northeast Academy fought back with a 73-yard kick return touchdown, but Lowe subsequently added two more touchdown passes — his fourth and fifth of the game — to close the book on the Raiders’ first state championship since 2012.

“We stuck together and played as a team throughout the season,” Holland said. “Even when we went down to St. David’s, we came right back up strong. We were always lifting each other up, and that turned out good for us. The coaches really helped us and got us going back on track again. The leaders on the team kept us going.”

Lowe, who finished with 212 yards rushing, added, “There’s one of two things you can do [after a loss]: You can either get back up and keep on going like you want to go or hang your head and say the whole season is over. It’s not. We proved you can still win championships with one or two losses.”

Southampton Academy will once again be faced with replacing several starters on both sides of the ball, most notably Lowe, who graduates in the spring. Hill and Holland, meanwhile, will be back to make the new starting quarterback’s life easier.

“We have a couple of kids in the pipeline that I think can do an admirable job,” Marks said. “I’m really excited for next year. Even when you look at all the 2A and 3A teams that we’ll be playing, I expect us to be competitive in all our games. A lot of people say when you get to the top that the hardest thing is staying there. I think that’s the case.”

To which Holland added, “I think if we come out strong and play like we did this year, we may just have a chance. We’re looking very promising.”