ROCKY MOUNT – It was the Hertford County High School show and it starred Antonio Vaughan.

The 5’8”, 146-pounder rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for another pair of scores on 100 yards passing. In addition, Vaughan also intercepted a pair of passes on defense as he led the Bears to a 46-13 rout of Nash Central High School.

All total, the Bears amassed 463 yards of total offense in claiming their third straight win and remaining undefeated under first-year Head Football Coach Scott Privott. They limited the Nash Central offense to just 99 total yards.

Hertford County got on the board early during the Thursday night contest, scoring on their first drive to take an early lead. Vaughan scampered 19 yards on the second play from scrimmage to move the ball to near midfield before connecting with Darnell Vaughan for 19 yards down to the Nash Central 29-yardline later in the drive.

From there, the Bears moved the ball just six yards on three plays, but Vaughan found Monterio Hunter in the endzone on fourth down, connecting on a 23-yard touchdown pass at the 7:08 mark of the first quarter.

Markee White scored the two-point conversion and the Bears took an early 8-0 lead.

The visiting team was back on the board again just moments later. After forcing a three-and-out, the Bears set up shop on the Bulldogs 49-yardline. From there it took just one play as Vaughan covered that distance on the ground to make it 14-0 with 4:43 to play in the first quarter.

Nash Central sustained a drive late in the first quarter, but the Bears turned them back on fourth down at their own 37-yardline. HCHS took over and drove 50 yards to the Bulldogs 33, but an interception ended the drive.

Neither team could muster much offense over the next few minutes, but the Bears got a fumble recovery from D’Isaac Jordan at the HCHS 45-yardline.

On the next play, Vaughan scampered 22 yards down to the Nash Central 33. The next snap from scrimmage saw Ron Gatling Jr. break through for 18 yards. Vaughan had back-to-back carries to get to the three-yardline

From there, Gatling barreled into the endzone, giving HCHS a 20-0 lead with 3:35 to play in the second quarter.

After forcing a punt by Nash Central, the Bears set up shop at the Bulldogs 45-yardline late in the first half. Vaughan connected on three consecutive passes – one each to Hunter, Gatling and Michael Stephenson – as they moved to the 31-yardline.

After a pair of runs, Vaughan found Gatling for a 12-yard gain down to the Nash Central 15. A Bulldogs penalty moved the ball to the eight-yardline from where Vaughan found Stephenson in the endzone. Brandon Warren added the PAT to give the Bears a 27-0 lead with 4.7 seconds to play in the second quarter.

The second half started nearly as well for the Bears as Gatling picked up a Nash Central fumble just two minutes into the third quarter and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. Ansley Lassiter added the extra point and the Bears led 34-0 with 10:10 to play in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs finally got on the board with 6:35 to play in the third quarter. Latavius Davis capped a 45-yard drive with a one-yard plunge. Jake Kennedy added the PAT and the Bulldogs closed within 34-7.

It didn’t last long, however, as three plays into the next drive Vaughan broke off a 64-yard touchdown run. The kick was blocked, but Hertford County led 40-7 with 5:11 still to play in the third quarter.

The Bears scored again, this time with 0.3 seconds left in the third quarter. Petey Boone, who was in at quarterback in relief of Vaughan, went 18 yards for a score. The kick failed, but HCHS had claimed a 46-7 lead.

The final score of the game came when Deshon White went 12 yards to paydirt with 8:52 left in the game. The kick was blocked leaving the Bears ahead 46-13.

Vaughan led the Bears in rushing 178 yards while Boone was next with 95 yards. Gatling added 41 yards and Aaron Thomas had 34 yards.

The Bears are 3-0 in non-conference action and will host Rocky Mount next week in their first game at home this season.