They recovered two onside kicks within 13 minutes, picked up eleven first downs in the second half after getting only one in the first, and stumbled upon a potential star running back who led the team in rushing even though he wouldn’t have played if not for Hurricane Dorian.
And that was just the second half.
Yet even with all that going for them, the Orange football team couldn’t get its first win of the season.
South Granville (1-2) pushed past the Panthers 20-15 at Viking Stadium in Creedmoor on Friday night. Freshman quarterback Khawan Bobbitt, in just his second game after sitting out the Vikings’ loss to Sanderson last week, scored the game-winning touchdown with a four-yard carry out of the Vikings wishbone offense.
Bobbitt factored in on all three Granville touchdowns in its home opener. He finished with 76 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
After being totally dominated in the first half, Orange found a game changer in sophomore running back Omarion Lewis, who didn’t play in last week’s season opener against R.J. Reynolds and was absent during the first half against the Vikings.
In the second half, he sparked a lackluster Orange offense with 119 rushing yards on 12 carries and his first varsity touchdown.
The Panthers needed something after wingback and safety Machai Holt missed the game because of an injury suffered against Reynolds last week. Holt scored a touchdown, made an interception, blocked a field goal and an extra point against the Demons.
Yet if it wasn’t for Dorian, Lewis probably wouldn’t have seen the field Friday night.
Lewis, a sophomore, was penciled in by the coaching staff to play on the junior varsity. The Orange JVs were scheduled to host South Granville in its season opener on Thursday night, but the game was canceled on Tuesday ahead of forecasts calling for Dorian to bring rain across the Triangle.
Instead, Lewis found himself on the varsity Friday night playing his first game. Orange went from trailing 14-0 at the half with a measly 39 yards total offense in the opening two quarters to 194 yards total offense in the 2nd half with a chance to win late.
“He’s kind of been on the bubble as to where he’s going to be,” said Orange coach Van Smith. “We knew he’s got that spark, that strength. He has as good a vision as anybody about seeing things and hitting those holes. He kind of needed a tryout, so to speak.”
After a lethargic first half, Orange’s got a jolt when Cameron White returned the 2nd half kickoff 45 yards. Elliott Woods’ nine-yard carry set up Orange outside the Granville red zone, which the Panthers never came close to in the 1st half. Nigel Slanker kicked a 38-yard field goal to put Orange in the board.
The subsequent onside kick took a quirky bounds on the thick brush on the Vikings field, which doubles as its baseball outfield during the spring. Jayce Hodges made the recovery in front of a raucous Panther side to send the offense back on the field.
It set up Orange’s opening 49-yard touchdown drive, of which Lewis had 33 rushing yards. On third-and-goal from the Viking 14-yard line, quarterback Wyatt Jones found classmate Zyon Pettiford in the middle of the end zone.
Orange simply couldn’t stop Granville when it counted most. The Vikings finished 8-for-12 on third down conversions. Three of the four times they failed, they went on to convert on fourth down.
It was never anything fancy. Under Mike Hobgood’s wishbone offense, the Vikings biggest weapon was a simple toss sweep that burned Orange constantly.
The Vikings’ opening drive of the 2nd half came with 5:14 remaining in the third quarter, but they made it worth their while. With Bobbitt at quarterback, they converted one third down and two fourth downs, twice using the toss weep. Following Jaydon Crabtree’s four-yard run on a 4th-and-1, Bobbitt scored from four yards out. The extra point was wide right.
Orange still had its chances. Defensive end Khaleb Smith recovered a fumble at midfield. Lewis took over the final three plays of the drive with runs of eleven and four yards before scoring his first varsity touchdown from eight yards out.
The Panthers recovered yet another onside kick, this time with Jacob Chapman pouncing on the ball. Orange advanced to the Viking 36-yard line after a seven-yard bootleg by Jones, but the drive stalled after four incomplete passes.
Granville opened the game with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that took 6:53 off the clock. Bobbitt scored on a quarterback sneak from two yard away.
The last thing Orange needed from its offense was a three-and-out, which is exactly what happened. Granville scored on its next possession when Bobbitt found Bryson McCall for a 42-yard touchdown pass. Though McCall plays regularly, it was his first touchdown of the season.
Total offense in the first quarter: South Granville 85, Orange 3.
‘I was tickled to death with the defense,” Smith said. “After the first two possessions, I thought it was going to be 42-0 and they were eating the clock up. Our defense came back and held them to one score the rest of the way.”
Orange labored through the first half. A fumble recovery by linebacker Caulin Fansler helped the Panthers come up with its first stop.
Orange, which has now lost eight in a row, hosts Burlington Williams next Friday night.
“I was worried last week,” Smith said. “I feel better this week.”
South Granville 20, ORANGE 15
SG-Khawan Bobbitt 2 run (Jackson Erwin kick)
SG-Bryson McCall 42 pass from Bobbitt (Erwin kick)
O-Nigel Slanker 38 FG
O-Zyon Pettiford 14 pass from Wyatt Jones (kick blocked)
SG-Bobbitt 4 run (kick failed)
O-Omarion Lewis 8 run (pass failed)
RUSHING–ORANGE: 30-158 (Lewis 12-119 TD, J.J. Torres 5-21, Elliott Woods 5-19, Jones 5-3, Jacob Chapman 1-3, Joe Kiger 3-(-7).
South Granville: 53-251 2 TD (Malachi Flowers 14-87, Bobbitt 15-76 2 TD, Jaydon Crabtree 8-46, Ethan Josselin 3-26, Micah Wilkerson 10-23, team 3-(-3) McCall 1-(4))
PASSING: ORANGE: (Jones 7-16 TD 75 yards)
SOUTH GRANVILLE (Bobbitt 2-6 56 yards TD)
RECEIVING: ORANGE (Pettiford 3-24 TD, Kiger 2-31, Woods 1-14, Daniel Champion 1-6)
SOUTH GRANVILLE: McCall 1-42 TD, Dominic Deloatch 1-14