By Justin Nuzzo
The Mount Airy News
jnuzzo@mtairynews.com

DOBSON -- When 0-2 Surry Central hit the field Friday night against 2-0 East Surry, the Golden Eagles were supposed to be the underdog. But the Eagles took a 16-14 lead into the fourth quarter before surrendering a 27-16 loss to the Cardinals.

Hunter Diamont had a key interception return for a touchdown for East Surry and also ran for a touchdown at quarterback.

Terril Hargrave added a 34-yard touchdown run for the Cardinals, now 3-0. Hargrave rushed for 212 yards on 19 carries on the night.

East Surry got the scoring started when Walt Tuttle caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Diamont with 8:02 left in the first quarter. Jorge Padron put the extra point through to give East a 7-0 lead.

Hargrave gave East a 13-0 lead with a 34-yard touchdown run with 10:26 left in the second quarter. Padron's PAT gave the Cardinals a 14-0 lead.

That's when Surry Central rallied behind the play of running back Marvin Spicer and quarterback Brett Boyles.

Spicer had 24 carries for 111 yards for the Eagles. Boyles went 3-for-4 passing for 93 yards in the first half alone. After a 60-yard completion from Boyles to Shane Johnson, Spicer scored from three yards out to cut the Cardinals' lead to 14-6 midway through the second quarter. A Ben Earnest extra point cut the lead to 14-7.

Central's defense stymied the Cardinals' offense in the third quarter, while the Eagles put together a drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Boyles to Dave Wilmoth to give the Eagles their first lead of the game, 16-14 with 6:28 left in the fourth quarter.

East Surry answered back when Diamont ran for a 24-yard score and later had an interception return for a touchdown to cap East Surry's 27-16 victory against the Eagles.

"That's what this team is made of," Surry Central coach Monty Southern said of pushing the favored Cards. "Mount Airy just broke our will last week."

Southern was happy about his team's offensive performance against a tough East Surry defense, especially the offensive line and his running back Spicer.

"We've been trying to convince our kids all year we're capable of that," he said. "Our linemen are really playin' hard.

"Spicer, he churns them legs, and he's a strong young man," Southern said. "I don't know how many times tonight he was moving the pile."

After facing a fired up Surry Central team at home, East Surry coach Dave Diamont was happy to get out of Dobson with a win.

"We're not gonna out-athlete anybody," he said. "We just have to play solid football and we made some mistakes tonight... Terril Hargrave had another good game. We lost two centers by injury in a quarter-and-a-half, so we played with our third string center."

Diamont was especially happy with the performance of Hunter Diamont, who scored a pair of key touchdowns down the stretch.

"He made two big plays at critical times, and I was surprised to be honest with you. I didn't know he could get out there and move around."

East Surry hosts East Wilkes, and Surry Central hosts West Stokes Friday.

East Surry 27, Surry Central 16

Friday * at Dobson

East Surry 7 7 0 13 -- 27

Surry Central 7 3 0 6 -- 16

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

ES - Tuttle 10 pass from Diamont (Padron kick) 8:02

Second Quarter

ES - Hargrave 34 run (Padron kick) 10:26

SC - Spicer 3 run (Earnest kick) 8:13

SC - Earnest 30 field goal :41

Fourth Quarter

SC - Wilmoth 13 pass from Boyles (kick failed) 6:28

ES - Diamont 24 run (kick failed) 3:59

ES - Diamont interception return for TD 1:07