By Jake Keator / The Daily Reflector

SNOW HILL -- A big second half allowed Winterville South Central to sneak away with a road win over Greene Central, 18-14 on Friday on the opening night of high school football.

An onside kick recovery by SC’s Tarrel Hines with 2:40 left in the fourth secured the final score and the victory for the Falcons.

Falcons senior quarterback Caleb Woodley went 13-for-32 for 224 yards on the evening, scoring a touchdown, while Jemere Artis also played a big role, rushing for 148 yards on 20 attempts and scoring two touchdowns. Jeremy Lewis was the Falcons’ top target, totaling 117 yards and one touchdown through the air.

Woodley shined in the first half, as he went 8-13 for 80 yards. The Falcons, however, went into halftime down 14-0, when head coach Andy Tew and his staff tried to inspire some fight in their team. 

“We told them they could win this,” Tew said. “They were on the verge here and there of making big plays, and they played incredible the whole second half.”

Tew said he was proud of the performance of his new quarterback as well.

“We want him to be comfortable running the offense the way we coach it,” Tew said of Woodley. “He’s a great quarterback with a great arm. As soon as he come out and gets on a roll and executes with confidence, we’ll be on the right track.”

The Rams provided a tall task for the Falcons, using a heavy run game to tire the defense in the first half. They went into halftime energized and with momentum. 

The Rams got on the board first, scoring a 19-yard rushing touchdown from Cornelius Smith. They added onto it with a 34-yard pass touchdown from B.J. Corbitt to Saquon Conner in the second courtesy of an Artis fumble on the Falcons 34 yard line. 

The Falcons came out on a mission in the second half, gaining momentum. Woodley completed a pass to Lewis who pushed his way 49 yards for a touchdown to get SC on the board, 14-6. 

With 7:10 to go in the third, Artis made his mark, punching in his first touchdown to make the score 14-12. The Falcons capitalized later in the third on another short field to take the lead 18-14 after a failed two-point conversion. 

The Falcons head into a Week 2 matchup against West Craven on Aug. 24. Kckoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.