MANTEO, N.C. — On Thursday night on Roanoke Island, the John A. Holmes Aces left no doubt about who ruled the Albemarle Athletic Conference. The Aces rolled past Manteo 43-7, clinching the conference championship with a performance that blended grit, speed, and a century’s worth of football pride.
With the conference win capping off the regular season, the Aces eagerly await the announcement of the playoff brackets by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. They are set to be announced at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2.
From the opening whistle, Edenton’s balance on offense and defensive discipline told the story. Senior running back Kazzure Downing set the tone early, breaking loose on a 61-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the game.
Manteo briefly answered with a long scoring pass from quarterback Drew Brown to Conner Pearce. Marley Battle’s kick for the extra point was good, tying the game at 7–7 midway through the first quarter. From there, the Aces took control.
Aces’ quarterback Mason Byrum found senior receiver Myles Cobb wide open for a 24-yard touchdown late in the first, then added a 55-yard sprint of his own in the second quarter. By halftime, Edenton led 21–7, their sideline confident.
The Aces’ defense proved to be the backbone of the night. Edenton’s front line bottled up Manteo’s running game and forced key fourth-down stops in the red zone. Whenever Manteo threatened, the Aces’ defenders bent but never broke.
On defense, Amari Bond had four solo tackles and two sacks, giving Manteo a total loss of 14 yards.
As the third quarter wore on, the Aces found another gear. Downing, the hard-charging junior back, ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run that sent the visiting fans into a roar. DJ Sutton followed it up with a 32-yard score in the fourth quarter, capping a night where the Aces’ offense simply wore Manteo down. Quarterback Byrum added a successful two-point conversion, stretching the lead to 36–7 before the reserves closed things out.
Caden Jernigan scored the final touchdown of the game with a little over 6 minutes in the game, setting up a running clock.
When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 43–7 — but the number that mattered most wasn’t on the board. It was the one attached to a milestone: Conference Champions.
The victory not only secured the Albemarle Athletic Conference title but also marked another proud chapter in Edenton’s 100-year football legacy. The team’s broadcasters and longtime fans couldn’t help but reflect on the decades of names, coaches, and moments that built the foundation for nights like this.
With the win, the Aces improved their record to 6-4 overall and 5-0 in conference play, guaranteeing a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage to start the postseason. As they look ahead to November football, the team knows that their toughest challenges still lie ahead — but so does their best football.
Under the Thursday night lights in Manteo, the Aces didn’t just win a football game — they stamped their name on a new era of conference football, carrying forward the same Edenton spirit that’s defined a century of champions.
