Jacksonville 48, Northside 27

Amari Pearson rushed for 163 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries as Jacksonville defeated host Northside.

It marked the Cardinals’ sixth consecutive win over the Monarchs.

Pearson’s 5-yard run to end the first quarter gave Jacksonville a 14-13 lead while his 70-yard run in the second quarter made it 28-13.

He added a 45-yard scoring run in the third to make it 34-13 while his 4-yard score made it 41-20. Amaree Betton added 63 yards on six carries, scoring on a 6-yard run early while quarterback Anthony Washington had a 2-yard score in the second.

Washington also completed five of 10 passes for 74 yards.

Jah’quez Robinson had a second-quarter interception for the Cardinals.

Northside’s Gavyn Davis had 12 catches for 161 yards and three touchdowns. The 12 catches set a program record for most in one game while he also broke the school’s all-time receptions mark.

Jamian Johnson had a 38-yard touchdown reception that gave the Monarchs a 13-7 lead. Reginald Gray completed 20 of 35 passes for 258 yards.

Jacksonville (2-0) has an open date next week and hosts Topsail on Sept. 12. Northside (1-1) visits Topsail next week. 

White Oak 34, Richlands 21

Josh Smith ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries to lead White Oak to a home win over former conference foe Richlands.

The Vikings have won three straight the Wildcats. 

Smith also completed three of five passes for 62 yards. Montez Jimenez added 79 yards rushing and a touchdown on 15 carries while Edrick Pineda had 50 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.

The Vikings trailed 21-16 at halftime, but took a 22-21 lead on a Pineda touchdown in the third quarter. Pineda added a 4-yard score to make it 28-21 with nine minutes left in the game. Smith then sealed the victory with a 36-yard touchdown run.

Richlands’ CJ DiBenedetto scored on a quarterback sneak early to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead. White Oak responded with a Jimenez touchdown and two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead.

Eric Collins then returned the ensuring kickoff for a touchdown to give Richlands a 14-8 lead. DiBenedetto later threw a touchdown pass to Cale Wilges to make it 21-8.

Smith followed with a 59-yard touchdown to pull the Vikings to within 21-16.

White Oak (1-1) hosts Swansboro next week while Richlands (1-1) hosts East Duplin. 

East Duplin 42, Princeton 20

Aaron Hall rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries and Shawn Davis added 90 yards and a score on 12 carries in East Duplin’s home victory over Princeton.

The game was tied 6-6 at halftime before Davis’ 6-yard touchdown and Zachary Ball’s two-point conversion catch gave the Panthers a 14-6 lead. Maddox Weis extended the lead to 21-6 on a 37-yard touchdown run.

Hall added a 17-yard score in the third while his 22 and 17-yard score in the fourth helped the Panthers pull away after Princeton got within 28-20.

Gavin Jarman threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Nickolas Davis in the first quarter for the Panthers. Keeshon McKinney added 15 tackles, Ball had 13 tackles and one interception, DJ Davis had 10 tackles, one forced fumble and one recovery and Ayden Lane made 13 tackles for East Duplin.

The Panthers (2-0) visit Richlands next week while Princeton (1-1) hosts Seaforth. 

Dixon 57, Beddingfield 6

JJ Gulat rushed for 230 yards and three touchdowns as Dixon had little issue defeating host Beddingfield on Thursday.

It marks the Bulldogs’ first 2-0 start since they were 4-0 in 2013.

Sean Delaney added 44 yards rushing and a touchdown as well as a defensive touchdown while Shondel had 79 yards and two scores. Markes Roberton also added a touchdown while Keono Terukina made 12 tackles for the Bulldogs.

Dixon (2-0) hosts Hobbton next week while Beddingfield (0-2) visits North Edgecombe.

Swansboro 42, Pamlico 14

Hosts Swansboro ended a 22-game skid with a victory over Pamlico.

The win marked the Pirates’ first victory since a 41-14 triumph over Dixon on Oct. 7, 2022. This is also the first football meeting between Swansboro and Pamlico since the Pirates defeated the Hurricanes 47-0 in 2016.

Swansboro led 14-0 after the first quarter and 28-6 at halftime.

Swansboro (1-1) visits White Oak next week while Pamlico (0-2) visits Wake Prep Academy.

Stats were not available.

Croatan 49, Topsail 7

Croatan moved to 2-0 with a home victory over Topsail.

This was the first meeting between the teams since the Cougars downed the Pirates 36-34 in 2016.

Croatan (2-0) hosts Southwest next week while Topsail (0-2) hosts Northside.

Stats were not available.  

Community Christian 38, Liberty Christian Academy 20

Host Liberty Christian trailed just 14-13 at halftime and 22-20 after the third quarter, but ran out of gas in falling to Community Christian.

Eddie Deptola and Daniel Canacles each had rushing touchdowns for the Heat while Eli Arnette recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.

Liberty Christian (0-2) hosts Father Capodanno next week while Community Christian (4-0) hosts Berean Baptist Academy. 

Lakewood 40, Lejeune 0

Lejeune suffered a defeat to visiting Lakewood as the Devilpups are still looking for their first points.

Lejeune (0-2) visits South Lenoir next week while Lakewood visits Midway.

Chris Miller can be contacted via email at cmiller@jdnews.com. Follow him on X @jdnsports.