Kelly
Kelly, NC · Education
Duplin Times
Pender stuns No. 1 Kenan
WARSAW — Nelson Martel stood stunned. James Kenan players disputed the midfield referee’s decision to no avail as he held the red card high in the evening sky. “It was well-deserved,” the Tigers’ head coach said. The controversial call infuriated James Kenan fans, who watched their squad scramble for 50-plus minutes a man down and suffer a devastating playoff elimination. Pender prevailed 6-4 and earned a third-round date with ninth-seeded Midway in the 2026 NC High School Athletic Association Class 3A boys’ soccer playoffs. Up 2-0 and seemingly in control, Kenan keeper Gio Lincona came off his line to challenge a Pender player one-on-one late in the opening half. The two players collided outside the box. “The goalie came out for the 50-50 ball,” Martel said. “The Pender player got there first and he [Lincona] crashed into the player. He was the last man. [So] the red card was denying a goal-scoring opportunity.” The 17th-seeded Patriots (10-14-0) converted the free kick. Martel could feel the momentum shift. “That set them up to win the game,” said Martel, who called upon Jose Cruz and Kaleb Gallegos to work between the pipes during the remainder of the tension-filled contest. “I couldn’t have
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The Daily Reflector
High school football: Panthers thumped out of 4A playoffs in 48-8 rout by Stallions
BETHEL — Two play-action passes against North Pitt’s defense that went for touchdowns — both on busted coverages — started the downfall for the Panthers’ football team and ended its season Friday. North Pitt never recovered as Southwest Onslow scored 24 second-quarter points en route to a 48-8 victory in a first-round matchup in the NCHSAA Class 4A playoffs at E.R. McNair Field. Southwest Onslow (5-6), the No. 19 seed in the East 4A bracket, advanced to the second round, where it is slated to face off against No. 3 Clinton on Nov. 13 in Sampson County. North Pitt got off to a 1-4 start in the regular season but won four of its last five games in the regular season, the lone loss in that stretch coming by a point to SouthWest Edgecombe in Pinetops. It didn’t see its momentum coming to a screeching halt in a home playoff game. “Just the way we came together in that last five-game run was very special,” North Pitt assistant coach Avery Respass said. “We have a great senior class: Xaden Maldonado, Bralan Wilson, Jayden Patterson, Chris Moore, Wisdom Mason, a lot of these guys come in and work their tails off.”