SMITHFIELD-SELMA - A week after losing a heartbreaker in the final seconds to rival South Johnston when the Spartans' game winning field goal attempt was blocked, the Spartans got to see what it was like to be on the other side of such a dramatic finish.

With two seconds left in a tied ballgame, Knightdale lined up for a potential game winning 39-yard field goal attempt. On the deciding play, the Spartans got an incredible surge from the left side of their line as three players made their way unimpeded to the Knights kicker Craig Gage. Donald Jones stretched out to block the kick and Josh Snead picked up the loose ball and streaked down the right sideline 71 yards with no time on the clock to give SSS the improbable 34-28 victory.

"We told Coach [Barbour] that we were going to go out there and block it," said Josh Snead. "[Coach] said if y'all block it to pick it up and take it back to the house. That's what we did."

The block and subsequent return capped off a second half comeback that saw SSS (2-3, 1-0) storm back after trailing 14-28 at halftime.

After giving up 247 yards of total offense to the Knights in the first half, the Spartans defense stepped up in a big way in the second half limiting the visitors to just 77 yards (58 yards of which came on the last drive).

Tevin Barnes and Marquel Gathers helped to shut down the Knightdale ground game that ran roughshod over the Spartans in the first half. The defense held the Knights' Aaron Smith to just 11 yards rushing in the second half after he exploded for 138 yards and two scores in the first half.

Adjustments were made on the other side of the ball as well for the Spartans. SSS only managed two first downs in the first half and, had it not been for an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Snead, the game could well have been out of reach.

The Spartans went to their Wing-T formation and called on the services of fullback Kyle Wilson to carry some of the load and prevent the Knights from being able to key on Snead exclusively. Wilson responded with a gutsy effort in the final two quarters, as his 41 yards on six carries were enough to keep the Knightdale defenders guessing.

And in the second half, more often than not, those guesses were wrong. Snead scored on runs of 65 and 32 yards in the third quarter to tie the game as the offensive line began to exert its will and open up huge holes for the SSS runners.

In the fourth quarter, the Spartans put together an impressive 12-play drive that amassed 50 yards and more than seven minutes off the clock and had SSS knocking on the door to take their first lead of the game. Snead got the call and found some daylight on the left side before being stripped of the ball. Knightdale's John Scott recovered the ball and seemed to also grab with it the momentum that had been on the Spartans' side all second half.

The Knights marched down the field with relative ease on their only successful venture of the second half before Marquel Gathers made a couple key tackles to prevent Knightdale (0-5, 0-1) from getting inside the red zone.

It was a game for the ages type performance for Snead, who collected all five touchdowns (three rushing) for SSS. He finished the contest with 189 yards rushing on 22 carries.

"I tell you that Josh Snead... what a game," Barbour said. "It's been a long time since I've seen one player make plays like that. Snead told me let's get that field goal blocked and he was going to get it and score. I'd be doggoned if he didn't do it."

The play offset what was truly the Knights' game by the numbers in most every category except penalties. Knightdale had five penalties for 50 yards, SSS had three for 10. Knightdale had 11 first downs, SSS had nine. Both teams had, and lost, one fumble.

The Knights outplayed the Spartans' offense 324 yards to 246, much of the difference being Ben Bolling's 50-percent passing for 62 yards. Knightdale rushed the ball 39 times to Smithfield-Selma's 38 for the other 25 yards of its offense.

Coach Kamelio Johnson said Knightdale was sure it had the win in the books, it just turned into one that got away in the ugliest of fashion.

"We played well. Mr. Snead just asserted himself," Johnson said. "We had an opportunity to win, they blocked the field goal and 70-some yards later they won the football game."

Johnson said it's hard to stomach because it came on a relatively routine play, but it became anything but that.

"Hopefully we can put it behind us and not look back, just move forward," he said. "We've got Southeast Raleigh coming into town. We can't be dwelling on what Smithfield-Selma did."

Editor's note: Aaron Moody of the Eastern Wake News contributed to this article.