SNOW HILL – A week of rollercoaster emotions didn’t end the way Greene Central coach Allen Wooten hoped, but in the grand scheme of things, the only hitch was still just a football game that his team easily could have won.
Wooten’s Rams dropped a heartbreaking 16-14 decision to Pikeville Aycock Friday at the James Fulghum Athletic Complex, coming tantalizingly close to capping an incredible week in style.
Wooten and his wife Nina celebrated the birth of their second child on Tuesday.
“It’s been an amazing few days for me personally,” Wooten said. “It would have been great to finish it off with a win, but it wasn’t meant to be. I feel bad for the kids. They played their hearts out and deserved to win.”
After a scoreless first half, GC led 14-13 when Aycock took over at its own 33 with 3:10 left in the game.
The Rams (0-2) couldn’t contain elusive Aycock quarterback T. J. Morrow, who kept several plays alive with his scrambling ability as the Falcons (2-0) marched inside the GC 10 with less than a minute to go.
The key moment came on fourth and six from the Falcon 47. About to be buried for a game-ending sack, Morrow escaped the pressure and found receiver Michael Eutsey downfield for a 36-yard completion.
Five plays later, on fourth down from the GC 4, Aycock’s Jacob Harrison booted a 21-yard field goal with 25.1 ticks remaining.
GC reached the Falcon 45, but a Hail Mary as time expired fell incomplete.
“Our game plan on defense all week in practice revolved around slowing down (Morrow),” Wooten said. “Except for a couple of plays, I thought we mostly did a good job. Unfortunately, those were the plays that also hurt us the most.”
Morrow, who threw for 160 yards and a touchdown and rushed 16 times for 65 yards, turned in an even better Houdini-like act during Aycock’s first scoring drive midway through the third period.
Facing a fourth and 15 from the GC 20, Morrow again evaded a heavy rush and juked his way for a backbreaking 18 yard gain.
Two plays later Neil Clark reached paydirt from three yards away to tie the score 7-7 with 6:05 left in the third quarter.
“(Morrow) deserves a lot of credit,” Wooten said. “He made plays when he had to and willed his team to win.”
The Rams outgained the Falcons 174-98 in the first half but neither team could dent the scoreboard until the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Greene Central kicked off to start the second half but gained possession when a hustling Bobby Evans recovered the kick at the Aycock 18. After a one-yard loss, GC signal caller Austin Batchelor hooked up with Michael Mitchell on a 19-yard TD strike.
Mitchell enjoyed a fine night, picking off a pair of Morrow passes to go with his offensive score.
Following Aycock’s tying score, Curtez Braswell returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards to put GC right back on top, 14-7 with 5:53 to go in the third period.
The Falcons found the end zone again with 6:21 left in the game, but GC’s Travon Williams blocked the extra point, leaving Aycock a point shy and setting the stage for Harrison’s late-game heroics.
“We have nothing to hang our heads about,” Wooten said. “We played well; they just played better in the key moments. The important thing is that we’re getting better each week and we’re still 0-0 in the conference.”
The Rams travel to former conference foe Southwest Edgecombe next week.