VALDOSTA, Ga. - No. 13/17 Valdosta State never let No. 19/16 North Greenville closer than nine points in the second half in a 49-33 win Saturday at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
Valdosta State opened the scoring after pinning North Greenville's opening 13-play drive at the Blazers' 32, where William Tate sacked Kam Montgomery on third down to force a punt. Starting at their own 5, the Blazers went 95 yards in nine plays. Matt Wilson broke a 23-yard run, Champ Harris hit Jaheim Arnold for 28 yards and found Chance Black for 13 to the 1-yard line, and Black scored on the next play with 1:41 left in the first quarter.
North Greenville answered with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Montgomery to Mikhai Isaac, but the extra point failed, leaving the Blazers ahead 7-6.
Valdosta State's next drive covered 63 yards in 13 plays. Harris scrambled 14 yards on third-and-21 to set up a fourth-and-7, then ran 11 yards to the 5 before hitting Rowan Darnell for a 4-yard touchdown and a 14-6 lead with 9:43 left in the half.
After Montgomery's 21-yard touchdown run cut it to 14-13, Harris answered with a 54-yard scoring strike to Arnold, capping a seven-play, 77-yard drive with 3:04 to go before halftime.
Jabari McMillan intercepted Montgomery in the end zone to end North Greenville's next threat at the Valdosta State 29. The Trailblazers got the ball back on an interception at the Blazers' 34 with 30 seconds left, but Izaiah Scott sacked Montgomery on the first play, and the drive stalled at the 28. Rickey Ransom blocked Camron Frazier's 38-yard attempt as time expired, and Devin Ross scooped it up and went 66 yards for a 28-13 halftime lead.
After the Trailblazers' surprise onside kick to open the second half, Harris connected with Leon Washington Jr. for 39 yards to the 4, and Wilson scored on the next play for a 35-13 lead 38 seconds into the third quarter.
North Greenville cut it to 35-20, but the Blazers stopped Montgomery for a 3-yard loss on third-and-1, then for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-4 at the Valdosta State 39. Kenai Grier broke a 30-yard run on the next play, and a pass interference penalty on fourth-and-9 kept the drive alive at the 14. Washington got the ball from Harris on a reverse and then threw it to Arnold in the end zone for a 42-20 lead with 2:26 left in the third.
Montgomery's 9-yard run opened the fourth quarter and pulled North Greenville within 42-27. Black carried four straight times for 21 yards on the ensuing drive, but the Blazers were stopped on fourth-and-2 at the North Greenville 24. The Trailblazers converted a fourth-and-9 and a fourth-and-3 on a 12-play, 77-yard drive, with Montgomery scoring from 9 yards out to make it 42-33 with 4:40 remaining. The 2-point try failed.
North Greenville then attempted another onside kick. Valdosta State recovered at the North Greenville 49 and handed the ball to Wilson on seven straight plays as the Trailblazers burned their three timeouts. Wilson finished the 49-yard march with an 18-yard touchdown run with 2:08 left.
Tate sacked Brendan Mansinne at the Valdosta State 36 on the Trailblazers' final drive, and Curtis Janvier intercepted Mansinne at the 7-yard line on the next play with 28 seconds left to seal the victory.
Wilson ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, and Harris threw for 194 yards and two scores as the Blazers averaged 7.4 yards per play and went 5 for 5 in the red zone, all touchdowns. Valdosta State scored offensive touchdowns on six of its nine possessions and punted once.
Janvier, Ransom and Julius Pascal each had seven tackles. Tate finished with two sacks, and Jayden Bethea added six tackles and a forced fumble. Washington finished with 54 receiving yards, and Adrian Gonzalez made all seven extra points.
North Greenville outgained Valdosta State 556-419 and held the ball for 34:13, but the Blazers forced two interceptions, two turnovers on downs and recovered two onside kicks, turning both into touchdowns.
Before the game, the Blazers honored 11 seniors playing their final regular-season game at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium: Arnold, Black, Daniel Jean, Justin Franklin, Samuel Curry III, Jameson Holcomb, Demetrius Coleman, Thomas Johnson, Malik Moore, Kentravius Williams and Scott. Senior equipment managers Chase Thompson, Alexa Hawkins and Jason Ackerman were also recognized.
Valdosta State will finish the regular season with a trip to Cleveland, Mississippi, to face Delta State at 3 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 14.
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