RALEIGH – Salisbury won the school’s fourth football State Championship by rushing past St. Pauls 42-14. Hornets QB Vance Honeycutt collected the game’s MVP honors scoring four touchdowns on the ground and throwing for another in the game.
The Hornets started fast, with Honeycutt cashing in on their first possession on a four-yard touchdown run after a nine-play, 70-yard drive. The next Salisbury possession found paydirt as well when Honeycutt capped off a five-play, 55-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown dash to go up 14-0.
St. Pauls battled back in the latter stages of the first quarter as the Bulldogs got on the board when Waltay Jackson hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Mikail Breeden with 3:05 to go in the first quarter. After recovering a Hornet fumble, St. Pauls marched six plays and 28 yards to tie the game at 14 when Daekwon Payne recovered a loose ball in the endzone after a two-yard run by Demonta Williams.
Salisbury got a pair of touchdowns in the closing minutes of the second quarter, one on a 17 yard run from JyMikaah Wells and a ten-yard scoring sprint by Honeycutt to take a 28-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Honeycutt played a hand in both second-half touchdowns for the Hornets, ripping off a six-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter and throwing for another finding Jalon Walker from 25 yards out through the air for another. Honeycutt wrapped up the night with 105 yards through the air and 110 yards on the ground.
JyMikaah Wells was the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the game for Salisbury, winning the award with 144 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. Nicholas Hall was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the Hornets, racking up 10 tackles including 1.5 tackles for a loss from his defensive line spot.
The Bulldogs’ Waltay Jackson was the team’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player award winner. Jackson caught 10 passes for 72 yards and a score. Elston Powell was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the game, making eight tackles in the game.
Salisbury wrapped up the season 8-2-0. The Hornets were 4-2 in Central Carolina 2A play. The Hornets secured the program’s second straight Regional Title, appearing in the State Championship game for the fifth time in school history.
St. Pauls finished the season 8-1. The Bulldogs were 5-0 in Three Rivers 1A/2A play, winning the conference championship. They were Regional Champions for the first time in program history after earning a berth in the regional finals for the fourth time. Vance Honeycutt
The NCHSAA is committed to recognizing and promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with the NC Farm Bureau to highlight individuals from each State Championship event who exemplify the ideals of outstanding sportsmanship. The 2020-2021 2AA Sportsmanship Award recipients were Eric Washington, III from St. Pauls and Christian Morgan from Salisbury.
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
8:07 - SAL – V. Honeycutt 4 yard TD run (W. Robbins kick good) – SAL 7-0 (9 plays, 70 yards, 2:31)
5:21 – SAL – V. Honeycutt 5 yard TD run (W. Robbins kick good) – SAL 14-0 (5 plays, 44 yards, 1:13)
3:05 – SP – W. Jackson 14 yard pass TD from M. Breeden (A. Hajran kick good) – SAL 14-7 (7 plays, 55 yards, 2:09)
Second Quarter
11:54 – SP – D. Williams 2 yard run and fumble recovery for TD by D. Payne (A. Hajran kick good) – Tied 14-14 (6 plays, 28 yards, 2:06)
5:23 – SAL – J. Wells 17 yard TD run (W. Robbins kick good) – SAL 21-14 (8 plays, 62 yards, 2:51 – SAL – V. Honeycutt 10 yard TD run (W. Robbins kick good) – SAL 28-14 (5 plays, 57 yards, 1:18)
Third Quarter
1:47 – SAL – V. Honeycutt 6 yard TD run (W. Robbins kick good) – SAL 35-14 (7 plays, 99 yards, 2:08)
Fourth Quarter
10:28 – SAL – J. Walker 25 yard TD pass from V. Honeycutt (W. Robbins kick good) – SAL 42-14 (4 plays, 36 yards, 1:32)
Story courtesy of the NCHSAA
