Gray Collegiate football falls short of upending Abbeville dynasty
The matchup was the kind one can only hope high school football will produce: one of the most dynamic offenses in the state aiming to upend a dynasty.
In that quest, Gray Collegiate and its prolific quarterback, Hunter Helms, came up short against Abbeville ... but not by much.
Gray found itself a stop and a score short, watching the four-time state champion Panthers grind down the final 5-plus minutes of a 38-35 game to earn a spot in the Class 2A Upper State finals.
The War Eagles came away wishing for just one more chance or one drive that had gone a little differently.
“We score on one of the three or four times we went three and out, we win the game,” Helms said.
“We gave all we had, but there’s always things you wish you could get back.”
His team had cut an Abbeville lead from 15 to just seven before halftime, but the Panthers (12-0) got a 40-yard field goal to make it 24-14 on the first drive of the third quarter. From there, the War Eagles scored touchdowns on their final three possession.
But each time Gray Collegiate cut it to a field goal, the Panthers answered with touchdown drives of 66, 57 and finally 38 yards to run out the clock.
“I asked the guys to go out, play 48 minutes, give everything they had,” Gray coach Adam Holmes said. “Obviously we want to win, but the pride and passion they played with tonight, you couldn’t ask for more.”
Abbeville’s defense didn’t stop the War Eagles, but it certainly slowed them. Helms came in averaging 327.7 yards a game, but finished with 162, two touchdowns and an interception. Tailback KZ Adams did yeoman’s work on for GC, putting up 115 rushing yards on 21 carries and 41 more on four receptions, scoring all five of his team’s touchdowns.
But the vaunted Abbeville ground game was moving, putting up 371 yards with three runner posting more than 85 yards.
“I didn’t want them to get the ball back there,” Panthers coach Jamie Nickels said, referencing his team’s last drive. “They’re just so good. The quarterback is so good, the receivers. ... They had all the pieces and we knew what we were getting into.”
His team cleaned up penalties after 90 yards of infractions before halftime.
The loss brings an end to the most successful season in the short history of Gray Collegiate football. It also means the end for a decorated senior class, including Helms, who finished the year with 47 touchdown passes and more than 4,000 yards.
“This group of guys, couldn’t ask for any more,” Helms said. “This is my family right here.”
Scoring summary
ABB-7-14-10-7—38
GC-6-8-7-14—35
HOW THEY SCORED
1st Quarter
A – Haddon 1 run (D. Beauford kick), 6:00
GC – Adams 14 pass from Helms (Kick missed), 3:07
2nd Quarter
A – T. Beauford 1 run (D. Beauford kick), 6:43
A – Temple 12 run (D. Beauford kick), 5:45
GC–Adams 17 pass from Helms (Adams run), 0:10
3rd Quarter
A –D. Beauford 40 FG, 7:20
GC– Adams 35 run (Anderson kick), 5:55
A – Haddon 4 run (D. Beauford kick), 4:16
4th Quarter
GC– Adams 1 run (Anderson kick), 11:25
A – Moore 44 run (D. Beauford kick), 9:46
GC– Adams 9 run (Anderson kick), 5:18
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: GC: Adams 21-115, Dollison 3-12. Total: 24-127 A: Haddon 23-133, Moore 11-90, Temple 15-85, Marshall 4-59, T. Beauford 2-9, Jackson 1-5, TEAM 2-(-6). Total: 58-371.
Passing: GC: Helms 15-25-1-162. A: Moore 1-1-0-49, T. Beauford 0-2-0-0. Totals: 1-3-0-49
Receiving: GC: Higgins 5-64, Adams 4-41, Dollison 3-13, Smith 2-33, Rhone 1-13, TEAM 0-(-2). A: Haddon 1-49.
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 11:07 PM.
