Some Green Hope parents couldn't hold back their tears as a streak that had haunted the school for almost four years came to an end Friday night in Smithfield.

Green Hope snapped the state's longest active losing streak with a 38-0 win against host Smithfield-Selma. Ironically enough, the Falcons losing streak was had the team 0-38 in its last 38 contests.

The school's first win since Sept. 28, 2007 was also the first win in the first game under Dixon, who accepted the job last winter after being an assistant coach at N.C. Central.

"That was a monkey (on our backs) that we kept hearing about," Dixon said. "It's a tremendous relief (for the players). I had never been in something like that. My seniors had never won a varsity football game. That's not the legacy they wanted to leave behind and that was not the legacy I wanted to leave for them."

The Falcons' exited the field to the cheers of fellow students and cheerleaders who stuck around after a torrential downpour didn't relent for the entire third quarter. Perhaps the best part of the win, besides breaking the streak, was that it was never in doubt.

In the first offensive possession of the season, the Falcons (1-0) went 89 yards on seven plays, taking a 6-0 lead on a 10-yard pass from Will Nassif to Tyler Baddick.

On its next drive, the Nassif found Baddick all alone behind the defense this time all alone from 30 yards out to make it 12-0.

Nassif's nine-yard touchdown with 2:09 left in the first half put the Falcons up 19-0. An 49-yard interception return by the Falcons' Jonathan Arias set up a two-yard touchdown run from senior Marcus Williams on the next play to put Green Hope up 25-0 at halftime.

It was more points than Green Hope had scored in any game last season.

"It's exhilarating," Williams said. "Coach Dixon's mindset when he came in here was to put everything in the past and focus on the now. And that's what we did tonight, and the outcome showed (it)."

In the second half, Falcons running back Nicky Newsome dashed 81 yards to push the lead to 31-0. The Spartans (0-1), which mustered just 92 yards of total offense on the night, gave Green Hope its final touchdown of the night as Jacob Best returned an interception for 12 yards for a touchdown.

Female kickers Lisa Armstrong and Jenna Meanor each hit extra points for Green Hope.