But for the lack of an offense, winless Bryan County lost its sixth game of the season as it dropped a 14-3 decision to heavily favored Screven County Friday night at Redskins Stadium.
It was the Region 3AA opener for both teams with the Gamecocks (5-1), 1-0) scoring early and late to hand the Redskins (0-6, 0-1) their seventh straight loss dating back to last season.
Screven County entered the game as a 28-point favorite but encountered stiff resistance against a Redskins defense that gave ground grudgingly. The Gamecocks scored twice, taking a 6-0 lead off the opening kickoff and then scoring a meaningless touchdown as the game neared its end to set the final margin.
In between it was a slugfest between two defenses that made sure the game stayed close.
Screven County has one of the best rushing attacks in Class AA headed by running back AB Hilton and quarterback Demarko Ward and they proved to be the difference.
Each scored a touchdown, Hilton going 11 yards to cap a 46-yard drive to start the game and Ward breaking loose on a 46-yard scamper with 2:31 to play. Ward finished with 116 yards on the night while Hilton, a University of South Florida commit, added 69. Hilton was averaging 115 yards per game.
Bryan County has now gone 10 quarters dating back to the second half against Windsor Forest without scoring a touchdown and things don’t promise to get any better this week as the Redskins play at Calvary Day School at 7 p.m. Thursday night.
The Cavaliers (5-1, 1-0) are ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 2A-4A Private and are coming off a 54-7 win at Metter in a game in which quarterback James Mobley IV threw five touchdown passes.
Calvary was a state runner-up last year and is expected to make another deep playoff run this season. The Cavs have seven players who are Division I commits and are averaging 37 points per game while giving up 13.
The Redskins’ lone score came on a 38-yard field goal by senior kicker J.D. Roberson with six seconds left in the first half. At the time of Roberson’s kick Screven County had a 6-0 lead and Redskins Coach Cherard Freeman was hoping it would give his team some momentum going into the second half.
That momentum, however, never materialized.
Roberson’s field goal was set up when sophomore linebacker Banks White blocked a Gamecocks punt and Bryan County took over at the Screven County 22-yard line with 1:47 left in the half.
However, in a microcosm of how things went on the night for the Bryan County offense five plays later the Redskins had the ball at the 21 bringing on Roberson to kick his first field goal of the season.
The offense, it should be noted, was bogged down by a dead ball unsportsmanlike conduct call after a Jamariyan Cosey pass to Kmari Dixon picked up 11 yards to the Gamecocks nine. The penalty pushed the ball back to the 24 and was an example of how Bryan County at times was its own worst enemy.
“We got down there and did some stupid stuff,” Freeman said. “We got to the 15 twice and didn’t get anything out of it.
“We ran the ball well but we didn’t get the consistency we needed,” Freeman said. “We made some mistakes at times when we couldn’t afford to make them.
“I thought we played good football overall. We just wasted some opportunities.”
Playing Calvary on a short week will not be an issue, Freeman said.
“It’s going to be a quick turnaround,” Freeman said. “But it doesn’t affect preparation. We’ve got a system that allows us to adapt real quick.”