Bears stumble out of the starting blocks

FAYETTEVILLE - There was no storybook ending for the New Bern football team this season. The defending 4-AA champs' repeat dream was shattered in the opening round of the 4-A playoffs Friday.

 The Bears turned the ball over four times in a 22-7 loss to Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville.

New Bern allowed the Eagles to gain 250 rushing yards. The Bears' offense also struggled, as they managed just 82 total yards.

After the game, a somber team walked off the sidelines for the final time this season.

"I told them that we love them, they played hard. It didn't end the way anyone wanted it to, but they just have to keep their heads up and keep moving forward," said New Bern coach Bobby Curlings. "This is just the beginning of their lives, and they have a lot of good stuff to look forward to."

New Bern's season ends with a 6-5-1 record. The year involved numerous ups and downs and included conference losses to West Craven, Havelock and J.H. Rose.

"We have got to develop some leaders because I think that is what we struggled with all year," Curlings said. "It started coming together at the end, but it was just too little too late."

Douglas Byrd got on the scoreboard with 4:08 remaining in the first quarter. After a Chris Zavala interception, the Eagles traveled 11 yards for a touchdown, scoring off a 1-yard run by Donnie Owens. Owens added a 2-point conversion to give the Eagles an 8-0 advantage.

Douglas Byrd missed three field goals in the second quarter, and the Eagles took an 8-0 halftime lead.

On the opening drive of the second half, Zavala broke off a 20 yard touchdown scamper, putting Byrd on top 14-0.

With 2:36 remaining in the third quarter, New Bern sophomore quarterback Tyrell Lindsey scrambled for a 9-yard run, putting the Bears on the board.

Prior to the touchdown, the Bears got the break they desperately needed. New Bern's Tiron Guion tackled Byrd's punter at the 10-yard line. The Bears scored two plays later.

Byrd answered with a Junior Williams' 10-yard touchdown run with 7:47 remaining in the game, which was followed by Brendell Davis' 2-point conversion run.

"We played a very good first-round opponent," Curlings said. "They played together, they played hard, and when they get on the field they want to kick everybody's butt that their playing. They are very successful at doing that."

Lindsey completed four passes for 37 yards with three interceptions.

Bears running back Josh Moore gained a team-high 30 yards on the ground, while Demarcus Howell grabbed two passes for 24 yards.

"We just had too many mistakes on offense and we put our defense in a hole," Curlings said. "We played hard, and I thought we matched them for a while, but our offense kept digging holes for us."

The Eagles (9-3) will square off with No. 1-seed Fuquay-Varina next Friday.

Adam Thompson can be reached at (252) 635-5670 or at athompson@freedomenc.com.

Douglas Byrd 22, New Bern 7

New Bern    0           0          7          0 - 7

D. Byrd        8          0          6          8 - 22

First quarter

DB - Donnie Owens 1 run (Owens run), 4:08.

Third quarter

DB - Chris Zavala 20 run (kick missed), 9:53.

NB - Tyrell Lindsey 9 run (Miguel Cruz kick), 2:36.

Fourth quarter

DB - Junior Williams 10 run (Brendell Davis run), 7:47.

Team Stats               NB                   DB

First downs               5                     11

Punts-yards              5-172                2-79

Rushing                    22-55                41-250

Comp.-Att-Int           4-13-3                1-4-0

Total yards               82                     315

Fumbles-lost             2-1                     1-0

Penalties-yards        7-36                  7-85

Individual Stats

Passing - New Bern: Tyrell Lindsey 4-13-3 37. D. Byrd: Malcolm Rowe 1-4-0 17.

Rushing - New Bern: Josh Moore 10-30, Jon Plant 2-10, Lindsey 8-12, TaQuan Hall 1-1, Jerrell Armstrong 1-3. D. Byrd: Zavala 6-65, Rowe 14-57, Darian Hogan 7-24, Owens 4-30, Rasheem Bronson 5-40.

Receiving - New Bern: Demarcus Howell 2-24, Cam Holton 2-13. D. Byrd: Kenneth Short 1-17.