Friday Rewind: Dominant wins for Gray, Batesburg-Leesville. Irmo QB accounts for 8 TDs
After a week full of distractions, the Gray Collegiate football team turned in one of its most dominating performances of the season.
The War Eagles defeated Gilbert, 42-0, on Friday and left Tomahawk Stadium still with some uncertainty about their 2024 season.
Gray Collegiate, winner of six straight games, is scheduled to play North Augusta for the Region 4-4A title next week. But first, Gray will go before the South Carolina High School League’s executive committee next week to try and keep the season alive.
Gray athletic director Kevin Heise said the school will likely find out Monday when it will appeal the league’s ruling on the eligibility of one of its players. If the committee upholds the ruling, the War Eagles can go before the appellate panel.
If they are unable to get the ruling reversed, there is a chance the War Eagles’ season would be over. The specifics of the ruling are not yet known, but an eligibility case can result in the forfeiture of wins and possibly a postseason ban.
The S.C. High School League playoffs are scheduled to begin Nov. 15, and the War Eagles are contenders in Class 4A Lower State.
“We can’t worry about that. It is easy to say that. But we’ve just got to go out and control the things we can control,” Gray co-interim coach Treigh Sullivan said after the game. “There is nothing we can do that is going to happen with other stuff. But we can control our efforts and attitudes and how we handle ourselves.”
It will be the second time in as many weeks Gray will appear before the committee. The committee voted 10-5 Wednesday to suspend head coach D’Angelo Bryant and an assistant coach for the rest of the year for a violation of the league’s rules on recruiting. Gray also was fined $2,500 and placed on warning status for one year.
Bryant and Gray decided to not go before the appellate panel on that ruling.
Sullivan, a former Dreher head coach and Gilbert assistant, and defensive coordinator Howie Bayer were named the school’s interim coaches for the rest of the season.
Bryant isn’t allowed to attend any practices as part of the punishment. But right after Friday’s game, the team Face-timed the first-year coach.
“We’ve just got a bigger purpose now,” Gray defensive lineman Zeb Taylor said. “Before we were playing for a team and ourselves, but now we are playing for someone else. Coach Bryant, it is not his fault he is in that situation. He is a (heck) of a coach and he got us here. Love that guy.”
After Wednesday’s SCHSL meeting, Sullivan said Bryant brought the staff together and delivered a strong message to the team going forward.
“Those conversations were difficult,” Sullivan said. “But we had a really good day of practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Just proud of our group for executing the way they did.”
On the field, Gray jumped out to a 21-0 lead at halftime and then scored three touchdowns in less than four minutes to begin the third quarter to lead Gilbert, 42-0.
Quarterback Tyler Waller threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and running back BJ Montgomery rushed for three TDs, two coming in the second half. Montgomery finished with 130 yards rushing. Waller was 10-of-14 for 134 yards.
Gray’s defense applied pressure on Gilbert quarterback Cooper James much of the night. Ethan Raysor picked James off in the end zone to end a drive, and the War Eagles had several sacks on the night.
Gilbert will finish up its regular season on Wednesday at Aiken. The Indians have already wrapped up a playoff spot.
Batesburg-Leesville 28, Saluda 7
Amadre Wooden and Tanner Watkins each had two touchdowns as the Panthers defeated the Tigers in a matchup of the two top-ranked teams in Class 2A.
Batesburg-Leesville will play for the region championship next week against Strom Thurmond.
Watkins was 12 of 17 for 175 yards and set the school’s all-time touchdown record with 32 scores. KD Whitt caught both of Watkins’ touchdown passes, the first came with 21 seconds left in the second quarter, to put B-L up 14-0.
B-L recovered an onside kick to start the second half and then Watkins hit Whitt on a 33-yard pass to make it 21-0.
Wooden finished with 172 yards on the ground and Jamerius Clark had six catches for 86 yards.
Dutch Fork 41, River Bluff 14
Ethan Offing threw for a career-high 417 yards and four touchdowns as the top-ranked Silver Foxes won their final test before next week’s showdown against Irmo.
The winner of Dutch Fork and Irmo will decide the Region 4-5A Championship.
Offing was 21 of 27 passing in the game. Receiver Boykin Bickley and running back Maurice Anderson each went over 100 yards receiving. Bickley finished with seven catches for 187 yards and TD. Anderson had six catches for 108 yards and a TD. He also rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
KJ Smith caught two touchdown passes and had four catches for 83 yards.
Hayden Myers rushed for 106 yards and a TD to lead River Bluff. It was the first points Dutch Fork’s defense has allowed in 11 quarters.
Irmo 55, Chapin 21
Virginia Tech commitment AJ Brand threw five touchdown passes, ran for two and also caught one as the Yellow Jackets moved to 9-0 going into next week’s match-up with Dutch Fork.
Brand went over 10,000 career yards in the victory. The senior was 18-of-26 passing for 196 yards and carried it 11 times for 263 yards.
Donovan Murph and Joey Albritton each had two TD catches for the Yellow Jackets. Murph had 11 catches for 115 yards.
Anton Jones added 170 yards on the ground for Irmo.
Ridge View 21, Blythewood 7
The Blazers kept their hopes of a region title alive with a win over rival Blythewood.
It was Ridge View’s fifth straight win over the Bengals. The Blazers will play Sumter for the Region 5-5A championship next week.
Khristian Jackson caught two TD passes and also returned a punt for a TD.
Boston College commit Sterling Sanders had a TD run for Blythewood.
The game featured more than 30 penalties between the two teams and both starting quarterbacks left the game with injuries.
White Knoll 35, Lexington 14
Quarterback Landon Sharpe threw two touchdowns to Devin Geronomi and also ran in a TD for White Knoll.
Tiyon Fanning and Shaquez Montgomery had TD runs for the Timberwolves.
Camden 44, AC Flora 21
The Bulldogs wrapped up second place in Region 3-4A with a win over the Falcons.
Quarterback Wyatt Thompson threw two touchdown passes and had a 52-yard TD run. Tylin Drakeford caught a TD pass and threw one.
Logan Freeman returned an interception for a Camden touchdown.
Roper Wentzky had three TD passes in the loss for AC Flora.
Newberry 45, Swansea 0
The Bulldogs stayed in first place in Region 4-3A with a win over the Tigers.
Newberry can win the region title next week against Silver Bluff.
Kenton Caldwell threw three touchdown passes, one to South Carolina commitment Jamel Howse. Caldwell finished with 288 yards passing. Cash Brown and CJ Earl also had TD catches.
BJ Jones rushed for a pair of Newberry TDs.
Hammond 52, Cardinal Newman 21
The Skyhawks (10-0) used a 36-point second quarter to complete an unbeaten regular season. Hammond trailed 14-6 after the first quarter before taking over.
Senior quarterback Andrew Turner threw three touchdown passes and ran for another. Turner was 13-of-18 passing for 235 yards and carried it four times for 43 yards.
Jack Croft had two of the TD catches for Skyhawks and finished with five catches for 108 yards. Senior running back Manny Johnson had an 81-yard TD run and Jackson Ross returned an interception for a score. Kinson Holland also had a TD run. Johnson led the Skyhawks with 127 yards rushing
Caleb Ford ran for two Cardinal Newman touchdowns. Ford finished with 255 yards and went over 2,000-yard mark for the season.
Brookland-Cayce 49, Airport 14
The Bearcats wrapped up a playoff spot with a win over rival Airport.
Brookland-Cayce scored 28 points in the first half in their sixth straight win over the Eagles. Running back Tyronne Jackson ran for two scores and caught a touchdown from Dre Dopson.
Dopson finished with three TD passes and also ran for one. David Daniels and Amarii King had TD catches for B-C.
Airport QB Jay Eady threw a TD pass and also ran for one.
Fairfield Central 48, Columbia 0
The Griffins clinched a share of the region title and can win it outright next week against Mid-Carolina.
South Pointe 56, Richland Northeast 6
Jordan Collins had a pair of touchdowns and South Carolina commit J’Zavien Currence had one in the Stallions win.
Will Wilson had a TD pass to Blake Betette for RNE’s score. Wilson, the North Carolina State commit, threw for 188 yards, rushed for 34 and went over 10,000 career yards.
Mid-Carolina 37, Eau Claire 0
The Rebels scored two special teams touchdowns and Jamarian Dewalt returned an interception for a score in the win.
Ryker Woolstenhulme took the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown. Montieth Brown and AD Basnight each had TD runs for MC.
Northside Christian 48, Camden Military 14
Sam Burks ran for three touchdowns and also returned a punt for a score as the Crusaders finished the regular season with a 9-1 record.
Northside will host a first-round game in the SCISA 3A playoffs next week.
Burks finished with 193 yards rushing. JR Kinard added 104. Quarterback Jeff McCallum threw a TD pass and also ran for a score.
Richard Winn 60, Wardlaw 14
The Eagles clinched the region title and will be a top seed in SCISA’s 8-man playoffs.
Quarterback Charlie Bonds threw three touchdowns, two to Josh Tyndall, and ran for a score.
Bennett Nicholson caught a TD and also returned an interception for a score. Eli Smith added two rushing TDs for the Eagles.
Augusta Christian 20, Ben Lippen 6
KJ Dupree had a TD pass to Michael Traynum in the loss for Ben Lippen.
Pelion 28, American Leadership 6
Allen Moore threw two touchdown passes as the Panthers wrapped up a playoff spot.
Kaleb James and Jamie Johns had TD runs for Pelion.
This story was originally published November 2, 2024 at 12:14 AM.
