AHOSKIE – Two teams headed in opposite directions met here Monday night.

In the end, the upstart team from Edenton walked away with a 28-14 victory, staying unbeaten and sending Hertford County High School reeling to its fourth consecutive loss.

While the Aces put no one over the century mark, three Edenton players came close. Tyquan Fleming led the way with 98 yards on 10 carries while Marcus Jackson added 96 yards on 17 carries. Deshon Fleming rounded out the solid ground attack with 94 yards on 14 carries.

Hertford County, meanwhile, had Aaron Thomas pick up 102 yards on 19 carries, but that total accounted for more than half of the team’s 158 total yards.

Edenton appeared to be heading directly for the endzone on their first possession, driving from their own 36-yard line down to the HCHS one, but Bladen Gatling recovered a fumble to halt the drive.

An exchange of punts led to Hertford County taking over possession on their own seven-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, however, Lailun Majette gave the team some room to work as he picked up 34 yards down to the 41.

Thomas followed up that run with scampers of nine and three years and a pass reception for another eight as HCHS moved the football down to the Edenton 38-yard line.

The Bears continued to drive and Thomas capped the 93-yard scoring drive with a 10-yard run to paydirt. Ackerman Grace added the conversion kick and HCHS led 7-0 with 4:40 to play in the first half.

The Aces wasted little time answering the score. Edenton took the ensuing possession and drove 60 yards on nine plays, capped by a D. Fleming seven-yard touchdown run. The conversion run failed and HCHS maintained a 7-6 lead with 1:01 to play in the half.

Edenton opened the second half with fireworks as Jamez Moore returned the kickoff 71 yards for a score. D. Fleming added the conversion run and Edenton jumped ahead 14-7.

Hertford County then drove to the Edenton 30-yard line, but came up short on fourth down.

Edenton responded by putting together a 10-play drive that covered 70 yards as they padded their lead. Jackson covered the final six yards on the ground and Josh Laverty added the conversion as the Aces took a 21-7 advantage with 2:47 remaining in the third quarter.

The visiting team found the endzone for the final time early in the fourth period. After forcing an HCHS punt, Edenton drove 55 yards on just five plays to take a 28-7 lead.

Jackson again had the scoring run, this time covering three yards, and Laverty added another conversion with 10:51 to play.

The Bears didn’t give up, however, as they responded in less than 30 seconds.

Despite a penalty moving them back to their own 13-yard line to start the next drive, quarterback Dorrien Askew connected with Kevin Privott for an 87-yard scoring strike on the first play from scrimmage. Grace added the conversion and the Bears were back within 28-14.

HCHS continued to keep momentum in their favor, forcing a fumble on the next Edenton possession which was recovered by Montel Lewter.

The offensive firepower didn’t connect this time as the Bears threw three incomplete passes and were forced to punt.

Edenton (5-0, 2-0) ran out the clock to preserve their fifth consecutive win.

The Bears, meanwhile, drop to 1-5 for the year and to 0-2 in the Northeastern Coastal Conference. Things will not get easier this week as HCHS hosts Currituck County High School at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Knights will enter the contest 4-1 overall 2-0 in the league.