Eagles seek redemption, state title this weekend
Saturday’s game couldn’t have been written better as the Eagles will face a very familiar foe: Southampton Academy.
Northeast Academy is hoping to avenge its first loss of the season – hand delivered by Southampton Academy (9-2, 5-1). The season has come full circle, Flythe said. It has been the motivational factor for the Eagles since Aug. 21 when the Raiders topped the hosts, 50-44.
“All weekend it’s felt like something out of a movie ... It doesn’t seem real, and it’s starting to set in now,” Flythe said.
Southampton Academy is in Courtland, Va., but joined the NCISAA conference due to low student numbers and length of travel to play even 11-man teams. The Raiders are ranked first in a state they don’t reside in. Northeast Academy is hoping to change that after Saturday in a territorial matchup.
The task at hand is a tough one, the Eagles head coach noted.
“Their coach has been around for a while,” Flythe said about Southampton’s Dale Marks. “He’s a really good coach and he gets the best out of whatever they got.
“They are fundamentally sound. He’s got a good system and they have a good program. They are always competitive.”
Saturday’s game features two of the very best quarterbacks in the 8-man game.
Southampton’s Andrew Lowe tied with Northeast’s Matt Little for Offensive Player of the Season in the league. Both senior quarterbacks have a very similar style giving both their teams a versatile player under center.
“They are more of a run-orientated team,” Flythe said. “Their big thing is definitely the double-wing formation, and that’s been their big play this year.
“They are a well-disciplined team. They have a big nose guard. The guys up front are what bothers me. But if we bock how we blocked the past two games, we’ll be OK.”
The key to the game is how the offensive line blocks, Flythe said.
"If they don’t block well we are going to have a rough game,” he said.
Protecting Little at quarterback gives Northeast Academy an entirely new offensive dimension. Already giving the Eagles a threat to the secondary with nearly 1,000 pass yards on the year, Little has racked up about 1,900 yards rushing. He’s accounted for 30 of the team’s touchdowns with 21 of them coming from the ground game.
Northeast Academy’s explosive offense is complemented by a relentless defense, and Flythe said he remains confident with his defensive unit.
Nathan Rowe, a 6-foot-4-inch senior defensive end, should give the Raiders a tough time. He leads the team with eight interceptions and has two sacks. Offensively he’s Little’s go-to target in the field with more than 500 yards receiving. He has seven touchdowns on the year.
Peyton Galloway, a junior, leads the Eagles with seven sacks. On the other side of the ball he is the second-leading rusher with 930 yards and has 150 receiving yards.
On top of his offensive threat, Little is a force to be reckoned with on the other side of the ball. He has two sacks on the season and is second on the team in interceptions with five and has tallied 75 tackles.
Senior Bruce Sonnenberg looks to give the Southampton QB a tough time. He has three sacks on the year with 44 tackles to match.
Those complementing the Eagles on the offensive include Cody Wells, a senior full back who has 479 yards rushing and seven touchdowns and Josh Byrd a senior, with 225 receiving yards.
“Guys are starting to step up at the right time ... And even the younger guys are making an impact,” Flythe said, adding that the talented underclassmen have helped give the starting players a break in between. “I can trust them out there on the field.”
Underclassmen adding to Northeast Academy’s game include freshman Nick Trevino and sophomores Curtis Faulkner and Luke Baker.
Other seniors playing for Northeast Academy in the big game include Christian Bland, who has been an asset to the team, Flythe said.
The season-opening loss is what motivated the Eagles all season.
“We played with them right until the end,” Flythe said. “We were across midfield with 1:10 left and we were really driving. We had momentum going but we just had a bad play at the end.”
When the playoff predictions started to come into view, the season goal became clearer and clearer to Flythe and the Eagles. A winning, successful season meant a chance at revenge in the title game.
“After we lost that game, one of the things I was worried about is them being down after the loss. But they were the exact opposite,” Flythe said. “We want another shot at them.
“It’s been a good year It’s a good group of kids. To see them have this success when we struggled over the past few years is great.”
Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Kinston at Arendell Parrott Academy.
- Sarah Bloom sports@rrdailyherald.com ROANOKE RAPIDS NEWS HERALD
Saturday’s game couldn’t have been written better as the Eagles will face a very familiar foe: Southampton Academy.
Northeast Academy is hoping to avenge its first loss of the season – hand delivered by Southampton Academy (9-2, 5-1). The season has come full circle, Flythe said. It has been the motivational factor for the Eagles since Aug. 21 when the Raiders topped the hosts, 50-44.
“All weekend it’s felt like something out of a movie ... It doesn’t seem real, and it’s starting to set in now,” Flythe said.
Southampton Academy is in Courtland, Va., but joined the NCISAA conference due to low student numbers and length of travel to play even 11-man teams. The Raiders are ranked first in a state they don’t reside in. Northeast Academy is hoping to change that after Saturday in a territorial matchup.
The task at hand is a tough one, the Eagles head coach noted.
“Their coach has been around for a while,” Flythe said about Southampton’s Dale Marks. “He’s a really good coach and he gets the best out of whatever they got.
“They are fundamentally sound. He’s got a good system and they have a good program. They are always competitive.”
Saturday’s game features two of the very best quarterbacks in the 8-man game.
Southampton’s Andrew Lowe tied with Northeast’s Matt Little for Offensive Player of the Season in the league. Both senior quarterbacks have a very similar style giving both their teams a versatile player under center.
“They are more of a run-orientated team,” Flythe said. “Their big thing is definitely the double-wing formation, and that’s been their big play this year.
“They are a well-disciplined team. They have a big nose guard. The guys up front are what bothers me. But if we bock how we blocked the past two games, we’ll be OK.”
The key to the game is how the offensive line blocks, Flythe said.
"If they don’t block well we are going to have a rough game,” he said.
Protecting Little at quarterback gives Northeast Academy an entirely new offensive dimension. Already giving the Eagles a threat to the secondary with nearly 1,000 pass yards on the year, Little has racked up about 1,900 yards rushing. He’s accounted for 30 of the team’s touchdowns with 21 of them coming from the ground game.
Northeast Academy’s explosive offense is complemented by a relentless defense, and Flythe said he remains confident with his defensive unit.
Nathan Rowe, a 6-foot-4-inch senior defensive end, should give the Raiders a tough time. He leads the team with eight interceptions and has two sacks. Offensively he’s Little’s go-to target in the field with more than 500 yards receiving. He has seven touchdowns on the year.
Peyton Galloway, a junior, leads the Eagles with seven sacks. On the other side of the ball he is the second-leading rusher with 930 yards and has 150 receiving yards.
On top of his offensive threat, Little is a force to be reckoned with on the other side of the ball. He has two sacks on the season and is second on the team in interceptions with five and has tallied 75 tackles.
Senior Bruce Sonnenberg looks to give the Southampton QB a tough time. He has three sacks on the year with 44 tackles to match.
Those complementing the Eagles on the offensive include Cody Wells, a senior full back who has 479 yards rushing and seven touchdowns and Josh Byrd a senior, with 225 receiving yards.
“Guys are starting to step up at the right time ... And even the younger guys are making an impact,” Flythe said, adding that the talented underclassmen have helped give the starting players a break in between. “I can trust them out there on the field.”
Underclassmen adding to Northeast Academy’s game include freshman Nick Trevino and sophomores Curtis Faulkner and Luke Baker.
Other seniors playing for Northeast Academy in the big game include Christian Bland, who has been an asset to the team, Flythe said.
The season-opening loss is what motivated the Eagles all season.
“We played with them right until the end,” Flythe said. “We were across midfield with 1:10 left and we were really driving. We had momentum going but we just had a bad play at the end.”
When the playoff predictions started to come into view, the season goal became clearer and clearer to Flythe and the Eagles. A winning, successful season meant a chance at revenge in the title game.
“After we lost that game, one of the things I was worried about is them being down after the loss. But they were the exact opposite,” Flythe said. “We want another shot at them.
“It’s been a good year It’s a good group of kids. To see them have this success when we struggled over the past few years is great.”
Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Kinston at Arendell Parrott Academy.
