Off the back of an exceptional performance by Dionte Neal, the one-seeded Reidsville Rams have earned their second playoff win and will move to round four. With their 41-24 defeat of the number nine seed in the 4A East, Eastern Wayne, their season will continue, and so will their quest for their twenty-fourth state title in program history.
In a rare occurrence, though, it was a rough first quarter for the Rams. Eastern Wayne scored a touchdown, recovered a fumble, and scored a field goal soon to make it 10-0 immediately. To make matters worse, the Rams then found themselves on the wrong side of an interception. Eastern Wayne failed to capitalize, largely due to self-inflicted penalties, and would end up on 4th and 43. Dionte Neal then returned a punt all the way to the house to put Reidsville on the board before the end of the first! Now, it was a 10-7 ballgame, with Eastern Wayne still in the driver’s seat.
Reidsville got the ball back after the Warriors missed a field goal, and it did not take them long to seize the lead. Dionte Neal rushed the ball 65 yards into the end zone, and Reidsville now had a four-point advantage. The ‘Ville would intercept a pass and fail to take advantage of it, but when they reclaimed possession, Neal would bring in the touchdown once again, rushing it from twenty yards out. Jordan Robinson earned his second interception of the quarter soon after, and on the other end of the field, Tyson Broadway connected with the oft-mentioned Dionte Neal for the TD, making it 27-10 at the break.
Back from the break, Eastern Wayne proved they were not going down without a fight. A fumble returned for a touchdown made it 27-17, and it was Reidsville’s turn to respond. Michael Smith was the one to answer, as he would score six on a rush touchdown and Alex Pinaloza would add the extra point. The pendulum continued to swing, as Izeiah Oates added a rush touchdown of his own for Eastern Wayne and cut the deficit to ten again.
On the kickoff after that Oates touchdown, Neal went from Reidsville’s one yard line ninety-nine yards to paydirt, making it 41-24 for Reidsville and capping off his unbelievable night. That was it for the offense, as the Rams and Warriors had gotten it out of their system in the third, and the teams shut each other out from then until the clock hit zeroes.
Next up, Reidsville will face 4 Central Davidson. The Spartans beat the twelve-seeded North Pitt Panthers in the third round, 40-22, to keep their season’s hopes alive. Central Davidson will be one of many teams over the years to travel to the Football Capital of NC in November, as they attempt to take down the Rams and continue their quest for their first-ever state football title.
Three games and seven teams remain between the Rams and their second football state title in three years. On Thanksgiving, the Rockingham County Preview will look ahead to Reidsville’s quarterfinal matchup against Central Davidson in-depth, and seven days from today, we will find out whether Reidsville will be playing in the 4A East Championship or watching from home.