Goldsboro's stout running game and ability to stop Princeton on offense gave the Cougars their fifth-straight win in a 40-13 triumph.

Having never met despite being just 12 miles apart on Highway 70, the Bulldogs and the Cougars held their initial clash last week in the newly formatted 1-A Carolina Conference with the top spot in the CC hanging in the balance.

With both teams coming into the game 2-0 in league play, Goldsboro handed Princeton its first conference loss while its conference record remains unblemished. The Cougars now share first place with Ayden-Grifton, whom they will face on Nov. 6 likely for the conference title.

Princeton dug itself a deep hole early, letting Goldsboro score on its first three drives and trailed 21-0 early in the second quarter.

"Man, we played good, I felt like," Princeton coach Russell Williamson said. "I didn't think we played as poorly as the score indicates."

Goldsboro's Andre Montgomery eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season with 232 yards, including six carries for 10 yards or more. Montgomery and Freddie Jones, both juniors, anchored the ground attack for the Cougars as Jones added 134 yards on 20 carries. Goldsboro ran for a staggering 415 yards overall.

"We weren't going to stop them completely," Williamson said. "We knew that, but we were holding our own. Their speed was a bit more than what we've seen this year and that gave us trouble."

Princeton quarterback David Gurganus had an average performance for his standards, having a stellar 2,300 yards passing coming into the game.

Three interceptions and five sacks hindered an otherwise respectable night, completing 20 of 30 passes for 256 yards. Princeton utilized the spread formation that it found success in all year, with the majority of Gurganus' throws going parallel to the line of scrimmage.

Cortez Spangle aided on the longest play from scrimmage on his 83-yard touchdown pass to Chris Gray that gave the Cougars a 21-0 lead. Princeton got on the board on the ensuing drive on a 12-yard pass from Gurganus to Patrick Jacobs.

Brown had his longest run to cap a 75-yard possession on a 46-yard scamper before halftime that gave Goldsboro a 27-6 advantage that would stand until halftime.

The Bulldogs recovered a fumble on the third play of the second half and scored three plays later on a 50-yard catch-and-run by Jacobs, his second touchdown of the night. Princeton would force a turnover-on-downs on a fourth-down sack by Benton Myers on the next possession to grab some momentum.

However, Goldsboro took the game by the throat minutes later, when they had a goal-line stand of the Bulldogs. Princeton had first-and-goal from the 2-yard-line, but a pair of no gains and two incomplete passes by Gurganus saw the Bulldogs walk away with no points on the 11-play drive.

"That was probably the turning point of the game, I thought," Williamson said. "It hurt us not to score, but it hurt us worse giving up the big run there."

A 73-yard run by Montgomery keyed the Cougars' next possession, which ended with Vontarius Kornegay's 1-yard fall into the end zone. "We could have cut it to one touchdown," Williamson said. "Instead, we're back down three just like that."