Greene Central Dominates Beddingfield 38-20, Moves to 3-0
Snow Hill, N.C – Greene Central’s dominant first-half performance propelled the Rams to a 38-20 victory over Beddingfield on Friday night, improving their record to 3-0. Sophomore quarterback Josh Cetnar made his first varsity start, stepping up after starter Nick Avent was sidelined with an injury. Cetnar completed 9-of-12 passes for 165 yards, throwing three touchdowns and one interception.
The Rams wasted no time, jumping out to an early lead when junior wide receiver Kam Vandiford recovered a fumble in the end zone during the opening drive to put Greene Central ahead 6-0. The Rams' defense made life difficult for Beddingfield, limiting them to just 26 total yards in the first half.
“We anchored everything behind the hogs and dogs,” said head coach Jay Wilson. “The hogs made holes all night long, and the dogs kept putting pressure on the quarterback. It all started up front, leaning on the boys and making plays.”
On offense, junior wide receiver Sam Avent was a key target, catching three passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Vandiford added two catches for 16 yards and a touchdown, while senior wide receiver Christian Tavarez contributed four catches for 60 yards. Vandiford’s 20-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter extended Greene Central’s lead to 18-0.
Cetnar’s only mistake of the night came just before halftime when Beddingfield’s Jamauris Howard intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Rams' lead to 18-7 at the break. Despite the turnover, Greene Central had thoroughly dominated the first half, amassing 197 yards on offense compared to Beddingfield’s 26.
Coming out of halftime, Cetnar connected with Avent again for a 59-yard touchdown on the first drive of the third quarter, pushing the lead to 24-7. The Rams’ defense kept up the pressure, as linebacker Ahzavion Strong intercepted Beddingfield quarterback Sam Finch and returned it 40 yards for a score, extending the lead to 30-7.
Beddingfield fought back late in the game, with Finch throwing two touchdown passes—one to Darrian Jones for 11 yards and another to Kameron Pitt for 22 yards—but it wasn’t enough to overcome Greene Central’s strong performance. Finch finished 11-of-20 for 136 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, while rushing 16 times for 29 yards. The Bruins finished with 106 rushing yards on 35 carries.
Greene Central’s defense was led by senior Tyler Williams, who recorded five tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble. Donovan Hall added three tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, while Dre Garrett and Jalin Sutton each tallied two sacks. Defensive back Mez Coppedge also came up with a critical interception, halting one of Beddingfield’s few red-zone opportunities.
Coach Wilson praised his defense’s performance, particularly the efforts of the defensive line. “Everything is anchored behind Big Smiley (Tyler Williams),” Wilson said. “Smiley is the linchpin. Then you’ve got Dre (Garrett), Don (Hall), and Jalin Sutton—they're going to keep pounding on you all night long.”
Offensive lineman Craig Whitely emphasized the pride the team takes in its blocking. “We’ve been in the weight room all year, hitting the weights,” Whitely said. “We don’t want any of our running backs to take hits—that’s important to us.”
On the ground, junior running back Dejuan Cobb posted his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 18 carries for 103 yards. Senior Mike Suggs contributed 49 yards on four carries, helping the Rams control the clock and wear down the Beddingfield defense.
With the win, Greene Central extends its home winning streak to five games and now turns its attention to Eastern Wayne (1-2), who is coming off a 15-6 loss to Southwest Edgecombe.
“We’re going to start everything in the trenches and let everyone eat after that,” Wilson said.
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