Holly Springs jumped out to a 14-point lead, but Wakefield scored 30-unanswered points to complete the comeback and claim their first win of the 2026 season.
The Wolverines built a lead and held off Holly Springs to claim a 37-34 win in the Wake County Football Showcase at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday night.
Chop Perkins gave the Golden Hawks an early advantage in the first quarter. After an interception by Carter Nelson gave Holly Springs a short field, Perkins broke a 32-yard run for the first score of the game.
Later in the quarter, Perks scored again on a one-yard run, and Holly Springs led Wakefield 14-0 after one quarter.
But momentum flipped in the second quarter.
With a two-score lead, Holly Springs was driving again with hopes of expanding the lead to three scores, but Wakefield’s Gabriel Loyola intercepted a pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Hawks’ lead to 14-7.
Midway through the quarter, Wakefield tied the game on a one-yard quarterback keeper from Landon Brogdon. Then on Holly Springs’ ensuing possession, Nirah Harrington recorded a 77-yard pick-six, giving Wakefield its first lead of the game at 21-14.
The Wolverines weren’t done. As the second quarter came to a close, kicker Zach Wilson connected on a 29-yard field goal attempt as Wakefield took a 24-14 lead into halftime.
Neither team scored for much of the third quarter, but with 2:10 left, Landon Brogdon hit Grayson Brogdon in the middle of the field for a 28-yard touchdown. The extra-point attempt was botched, keeping Holly Springs within two scores, down 30-14.
That left the door open for Holly Springs. Lamar Daniels scored his first touchdown of the season with a 79-yard run to pull Holly Springs within 30-21, then Keegan Johnson recovered a fumble for the Golden Hawks at the Wakefield 11-yard line as the quarter came to an end.
Holly Springs took advantage of the field position after the turnover. Early in the fourth quarter, Perkins carried the ball to the goal line, but he fumbled after a hit by a Wakefield defender. Offensive lineman Carter Olson recovered the fumble in the end zone for a Holly Springs touchdown, and the Golden Hawks pulled within two points at 30-28 with 11:46 left.
What ended up being the game-winning touchdown for Wakefield came at the 7:53 mark when Harrington scored on a three-yard run. Harrington was named the Player of the Game after giving Wakefield a 37-28 lead.
Holly Springs added another Perkins two-yard touchdown in the final two minutes. Perkins finished the night with three touchdowns for the Golden Hawks, but Wakefield’s offense was able to run out the clock in the fourth quarter and secure its first win of the season under first-year head coach Brandon Hughes.
Wakefield is now 1-1 on the season and will enter a bye week in Week 3. The next game for the Wolverines is on Sept. 11 at Wake Forest.
Holly Springs is back in action on Sept. 4 with a home game against Apex. The Golden Hawks are now 0-2.
