Written by Christian Bateman
Kill Devil Hills — Running the football was the bread and butter for the Camden County Bruins’ offense under the lights at First Flight High School Thursday night.
The Bruins’ rushing attack was explosive, finding holes in the offensive line and sprinting through gaps for 209 yards on the ground. Of those yards, 151 came from Jaylen Mitchell as Camden County held on for a 14-12 win over the Nighthawks.
The game marked the home opener for First Flight. The Nighthawks battled throughout the night and adjusted after giving up big plays, but a few botched snaps on PAT attempts and a missed two-point conversion with 1:57 remaining ultimately kept First Flight from completing the comeback.
Cash Woods nearly flipped the script late in the fourth quarter, hauling in a dime from Sonny Lee in the back of the end zone with 1:57 to play. The touchdown pulled First Flight within two, leaving the Nighthawks just a successful two-point conversion away from potentially sending the game to overtime.
Camden County capitalized on special-teams mistakes, with both of its scoring drives coming after fumbles on kickoffs that gave the Bruins prime field position.
Danny DeFilippo and Jaylen Mitchell took advantage, using their speed to find the end zone and help Camden County secure its first win of the season, 14-12, on the road.