TABOR CITY–South Columbus jumped out to a 16-0 advantage but had to fight to hold on to the win as they defeated Fairmont 16-14 in football on Friday night.
The Stallions are now 1-0 in the Southeastern Conference and 4-2 on the season.
South Columbus came out of the gate early when Gentry Thompson ran it from five yards out to give thr Stallions the early lead 7-0. Oscar Zamora added the PAT with 7:08 in the first quarter. Zamora added a 35-yard field goal with 4:34 left on the clock in the second period to push the Stallions’ lead to 10-0.
Thompson found the endzone again before the half to force the Stallions ahead 16-0. The PAT failed.
Fairmont got the offense moving to score before the half as Jamarion Brown passed to Khammari McNair for a 12-yard touchdown pass with 3:04 remaining in the half to cut the lead to South Columbus 16, Fairmont 6.
During the fourth quarter, Jeremiah Morris ran the ball in from seven-yards away to make the score 16-14 with the Joshua Townsend two-point conversion. Fairmont recovered two fumbles late in the game for a chance to take the lead, one on the 30-yard line and the other on the 46-yard line. South Columbus showed its resiliency as Preston Dagger intercepted a pass at the 12-yard line to preserve the victory for the Stallions in the waning moments.
South Columbus is now 1-0 in the Southeastern Conference and 4-2 on the year. The Stallions will host Red Springs (0-1, 1-5) on Oct. 9. Fairmont (0-1, 2-4) will travel to Whiteville (0-0, 5-0) on Oct. 16.
