PITTSBORO — On the night in which the North Carolina High School Athletic Association presented Seaforth with the 2023-24 2A Wells Fargo Cup, the Hawks came up just short of a fitting ending to the festivities in their football season opener.
After being down 18-0 entering the final quarter, the Hawks, who opened the season at home, fell to Westover Friday night, 18-16.
In a game that was never out of reach for Seaforth, the Hawks fell victim to its numerous offensive mistakes and turnovers. A problem for both teams, Seaforth committed three turnovers, including a lost fumble, an interception and a muffed punt, while Westover also lost a fumble and threw an interception.
“Mistakes killed us,” Seaforth coach Terrance Gary said. “We’ve got people running the wrong routes, going the wrong way and blocking the wrong person.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Seaforth began to chip at the deficit with a 12-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Duncan Parker to sophomore receiver Max Hinchman.
The Hawks were able to move the ball to within the five-yard line in their next drive with the help of some penalties, but they settled for a 20-yard field goal from Travis Mann after failing to get in the end zone.
Following another big stop from its stout defense, Seaforth, now in the final minutes of the game, put together a long drive highlighted by a 33-yard completion to Hinchman and a 36-yard touchdown pass from Parker to junior receiver Patrick Miller, which brought the Hawks within two points.
“We didn’t give up,” Gary said. “Even though we blocked the wrong people, we didn’t quit.”
However, with 21 seconds left, Seaforth couldn’t hold on to the ball in the ensuing onside kick, and Westover took knees to end the game.
Prior to the dramatic finish, both offenses struggled with offensive production.
Both teams failed to score in the opening quarter as Seaforth couldn’t establish its run game, and the Hawks’ defense took away Westover’s perimeter attack both in the air and on the ground.
“The defense played their butts off,” Gary said.
With the exception of a 32-yard touchdown run from Westover’s senior running back Nasir Wells in the second quarter and an 11-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Richard Vanderhost to junior receiver Tramell Hankins in the third quarter, Seaforth’s defense came up with big stops after big stops no matter Westover’s field position.
Hinchman picked off Vanderhost in the first half immediately after a 17-yard gain from Wells, but the Hawks’ offense just couldn’t capitalize on the ensuing possession.
Yet, it was Westover junior linebacker Jamal Williams’ 13-yard pick six in the second quarter that gave the Wolverines a 12-0 lead just before halftime had major implications later in the game.
A 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter instead could have produced a different outcome for Seaforth, especially when it got its passing game going in its last few drives.
Most of Seaforth’s offensive production came through the air as Parker threw for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. Parker only threw for nine yards on five attempts in the first half, and Seaforth only rushed for 36 yards the entire game.
Although it gave the Hawks a spark and a chance at completing the comeback, long completions through the air is not the type of offense Gary thinks will be sustainable in the long run.
“We can’t rely on that,” Gary said. “We’ve got to have other things. You just can’t throw the ball up and expect somebody to get it all the time. That’s not going to work. That’s not going to win you games down the road. You win games down the road by not making silly mistakes and making smart decisions.”
Said Gary, “I know it looks fancy and looks pretty throwing deep balls and catching it, but that ain’t going to win you championships.”
On a positive note, Friday’s outcome was the closest varsity football loss in Seaforth’s history and the lowest points it has ever allowed in a season opener. With the comeback effort and a defense that showed little weaknesses in the first game, Seaforth’s football program seems to still be headed in the right direction even if there’s still plenty of progress to be made.
“We’ve got a good core group,” Gary said. “We ain’t as deep and we ain’t fancy, but my guys work harder than anybody else.”
Seaforth is now 0-1 on the season and will look to fix its offensive shortcomings against Southern Lee Friday at 7 p.m.