LUMBERTON — Officials halted five area football games due to lightning Friday night.

Several are set to resume today or Monday. That includes Lumberton’s home opener against South View and Fairmont’s home opener against Ashley Wilmington. A county rivalry game with Purnell Swett playing South Robeson in Rowland will also continue today (see related story).

Two final results were recorded with opposite results for local teams. Red Springs won by forfeit and St. Pauls lost after play there was resumed.

PIRATES: In Lumberton, fierce lightning and strong winds might have seemed like the right weather for a Pirate, but game officials stopped play with just under 10 minutes to go in the first quarter.

After an initial delay call of at least 30 minutes, continued lightning prompted officials to suspend the game until 5 p.m. Saturday.

Those who had tickets will be readmitted if they show their stubs. Others can purchase tickets at the gate.

Just a few plays into the game no one had scored, but South View was driving after a big rushing play brought the Tigers to the Lumberton 35 yard line for a first down.

South View had just one other first down, which came courtesy of two off-sides penalties against the Lumberton defense.

In early play, Pirates recording tackles included senior linebacker Bryce Swindell, junior defensive lineman Colby Bullard and senior linebacker Thomas Evans.

TORNADOES: Fairmont was trailing 7-0 against Ashley in the second quarter when play stopped. It’s schedule to be resumed at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

A Fairmont turnover on a fumbled snap in the first quarter set up Ashley in the redzone. The Screaming Eagles took advantage of the opportunity, scoring later in the drive on a run by quarterback Caleb Parker from two yards out.

RED DEVILS: Red Springs’ game never got underway. The contest was called off entirely as Harrells Christian Academy decided to forfeit against the Red Devils rather than play later.

Red Springs improved to 3-0 on the season and will have next week off. The Red Devils next travel to Lakewood High School in Roseboro on Sept. 18.

BULLDOGS: St. Pauls lost 54-10 at home against East Bladen. The game was halted briefly due to the weather, but play resumed and the game was finished.

East Bladen scored a pair of touchdowns on turnovers, including a 50-yard interception return by Kyle Tatum. The Eagles also got a touchdown from their special-teams unit, scoring on a 76-yard kickoff return by Ethan Hines.

The Bulldogs first scored late in the game with a safety after a bad Eagle punt from the end zone.

St. Pauls offense got on the board to close out the game with a 1-yard scoring run from quarterback Tommy Jackson. He then passed to wide receiver Michael Barnes for the 2-point conversion.

Frank Taylor | The Robesonian | The Lumberton marching band flag squad has to onto their skull-and-crossbones banners tightly during pre-game activities Friday night as a storm moves into the air. Lightning forced the halt of play during the first quarter of Friday’s Lumberton game. Most other games in the area were also affected.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_Lumberton-South-View-football-suspended-game-090415-0452.jpgFrank Taylor | The Robesonian | The Lumberton marching band flag squad has to onto their skull-and-crossbones banners tightly during pre-game activities Friday night as a storm moves into the air. Lightning forced the halt of play during the first quarter of Friday’s Lumberton game. Most other games in the area were also affected.

Frank Taylor | The Robesonian | Lumberton senior linebacker Thomas Evans holds up the Tiger ball-carrier, senior running back Keyonis Hopkins, as junior defensive end Shadix Ralston closes in from behind during the opening drive of Friday’s game.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_Lumberton-South-View-football-suspended-game-090415-1062.jpgFrank Taylor | The Robesonian | Lumberton senior linebacker Thomas Evans holds up the Tiger ball-carrier, senior running back Keyonis Hopkins, as junior defensive end Shadix Ralston closes in from behind during the opening drive of Friday’s game.

Frank Taylor | The Robesonian | Pirate sophomore Will Osman kicks off for Lumberton to begin Friday night’s game.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_Lumberton-South-View-football-suspended-game-090415-0902.jpgFrank Taylor | The Robesonian | Pirate sophomore Will Osman kicks off for Lumberton to begin Friday night’s game.

By Frank Taylor

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Also contributing to this article were Rodd Baxley of The Robesonian, correspondent Cody Parker and Fayetteville Observer sports staff. Reach Frank Taylor at 910-816-1977 or email him at [email protected]