Southern Durham’s Kendall Hinton connected with Jordan Brown on an 80-yard touchdown pass play with less than a minute to go give his club a 38-31 victory in the finals of the NC State High School 3AA championship.
Crest had just taken the lead 31-30 on a 33-yard field goal by Alex Trejo before the TD and a two-point conversion pass.
Hinton was 17 of 25 through the air for 332 yards and four touchdowns.
Crest did its damage on the ground, especially when running out to a 21-0 lead. Jalin Moore rushed for 183 yards while Tre Harbison ran for 128 yards.
Down 21-7 at the half, Southern Durham came back to score 31 second-half points including 22 in the fourth quarter.
Fellow Triangle area team Wake Forest didn’t fare as well. Mallard Creek got its first championship in the seven-year history of the school by drubbing a mistake-prone Wake Forest team by a 59-21 score. And the Ponies ended the season with a perfect 16-0 record.
Wake Forest, a 12th seed, made it to the finals with its defense but the Cougars had no answer in this one as Mallard led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter and 38-7 at the half.
Mallard Creek’s James Smith threw for three touchdowns including a 68-yarder while tailback Jaylen Samuels rushed for three more including a 62-yard dash.
Wake Forest ended the season 12-4.