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GIBSONVILLE - Many people in the eastern half of Guilford County consider Eastern Guilford High School to be the little brother to Northeast Guilford High because Eastern was created out of Northeast.

If that is the case, little brother may have finally created a true sibling rivalry.

With its defense coming up with two fourth-down stops and a late interception to record a second-half shutout, Eastern Guilford beat Northeast Guilford 14-7 Friday night. It was the first win for the Wildcats over the Rams in 16 years.

"It's been a burden on this community for some time," said Eastern coach Scott Loosemore. "Eastern is a spinoff of Northeast, and for many years their parents were telling our parents that we couldn't beat them. It was a big-brother, little-brother complex. But little brother had a little more tonight."

Loosemore said there are three things that make his team, off to a 3-0 start for the first time in recent memory, so special - heart, pride, and discipline.

"This is the biggest senior class we've ever had (on the football team)," Loosemore said. "There are 23 of them, and they have a lot of experience. They know what I expect of them and they know what to expect from me. We've been around each other a while."

In addition to those intangibles, a defensive adjustment at halftime made a huge difference and helped the Wildcats keep the Rams' potent running game in check.

"They were beating us with this one play off tackle," Loosemore said. "The defensive coaches made a slight adjustment that took that play away. We felt like they didn't have anything else that they could throw at us."

With the game tied at 7 early in the third quarter, Northeast went for it on fourth-and-6. But Rayshawn Trader was tackled by a gang of Eastern defenders after a 2-yard gain to give the ball back to the Wildcats.

The Wildcats took the lead on the ensuing possession. Gerrod Herbin took an inside handoff, bounced off a couple of tacklers and then cut to the sideline, turning it into a 55-yard touchdown run that turned out to be the difference in the game.

"I just wanted to win," said Herbin, who finished with 123 yards rushing. "I was willing to do whatever it took to win. I didn't care who was in my way."

Eastern sealed the win by eating up a large chunk of the fourth quarter. Although the 14-play drive ended with a missed field goal, it ran off nearly eight minutes of time.

Starting its last possession on the 20-yard line and having only 2:46 to work with, Northeast was forced to throw the ball. It tried to go deep down the left sideline, but the ball was overthrown and Eastern defensive back George Williams was there to haul in an over-the-shoulder interception.

"I knew that they had to go deep and coach just told me to go with it," Williams said. "This is all thanks to our coaches. We've got the greatest coaches in the world."

Northeast Guilford (0-2) broke a scoreless tie with a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. After 15 straight running plays, Rams quarterback Demetrius Phillips dropped back and found Trader sprinting down the left sideline and Phillips hit Trader in stride for a 44-yard score, giving Northeast a 7-0 lead.

Eastern Guilford answered on its next possession, a 12-play drive. After driving deep into Rams' territory, the Wildcats had two straight penalties for 25 yards. A 13-yard run by Herbin and a 14-yard pass from Jason Davis to Billy Morehead gave Eastern new life. Five plays later, Davis pushed the pile forward from the 1-yard line to tie the game at 7.

It looked like the Rams would seize momentum to start the second half when the Wildcats' Von Thorpe looked like he fumbled into the end zone. Kenny Rush recovered for Northeast, but the touchdown was reversed because the referees ruled that the ball's momentum carried into the end zone after the player never gained possession.

N - Rayshawn Trader 41 pass from Demetrius Phillips (Matt Johnson kick)

E - Jason Davis 1 run (Will Gann kick)

E - Gerrod Herbin 55 run (Gann kick)