Both teams got off to sizzling starts: each scored a touchdown on only two plays on their first possession which, combined, took only 86 seconds off the clock.
However, Bryan County’s early sizzle fizzled while Aquinas kept on trucking. In a game delayed by weather for the second straight week the Irish, ranked No. 6 in Class 3A-Private, rolled to a solid 38-7 win last Friday at Redskins Stadium.
Bryan County (1-1) won the toss, deferred and let Will Summerford kick off. The high-powered Aquinas (2-0) offense wasted no time in giving a preview of what was to come.
After sophomore running back Elijah Hutchinson reeled off a 20-yard burst sophomore quarterback Turner Stevenson found senior wide receiver Jack Rhodes in the left flat and the University of Virginia commit turned it into a 48-yard scoring jaunt.
Just like that it was 6-0 after only 45 seconds of play but as the beloved Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend.”
Sophomore Caden Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the Redskins 38 and the offense immediately showed what it is capable of doing when it follows the script.
Anddreas “Buck” McKinny went up the middle for 11 yards and on the next play he burst off left guard and outraced everyone to the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown. Summerford kicked the extra point and with 10:34 left in the first quarter the Redskins were up, 7-6.
Unfortunately for Bryan County it was not able to maintain that momentum while Aquinas never broke stride as it showed why it is and will be a state championship contender.
The talented Irish responded with a five-play, 62-yard drive climaxed by Hutchinson’s 3-yard run to go ahead 12-7 for a lead it never came close to relinquishing.
Bryan County coach Cherard Freeman, sounding more frustrated than disappointed, said his team simply made too many mistakes against what---with all due respect to Class A-DII No. 5 Metter and No. 7 Jenkins County---may be the best team it’ll face all season.
The game was more than 30 minutes late starting and capped a troublesome week for the Redskins who, Freeman said, had 17 players out on Tuesday with COVID and another 10 on Wednesday which limited their preparation.
“We didn’t have any contact all week,” Freeman said. “I’m not making excuses—we’re not in the excuse-making business here—but we just couldn’t get anything going.
“We made so many mental mistakes, like blocking the wrong people, going in the wrong direction, just the little things,” Freeman said. “It’s not a lack of effort, it’s not a scheme. It’s none of that.
“We did what we do,” Freeman said. “We ran the ball, we ran the ball, hit them with a big play. That’s what we do.
“It was the little things that’s killing us. There were times we blocked the wrong man or ran the wrong way, missing tackles. Everything that is happening is fixable. We’ve got good, experienced coaches and they’ll fix it.”
After failing to score on its third possession Aquinas turned up the heat by scoring four straight touchdowns, the last one coming on the final play of the first half, a 15-yard pass to Rhodes who caught the ball on a bubble screen to the left, cut back to the middle and weaved his way into the end zone for a 38-7 halftime lead.
It was Rhodes’ third score of the night. He had four touchdown receptions last week against Athens Academy. His seven catches for 135 yards pushed his season total to 17 for 363 yards and seven scores. For his career he now has 139 for 2,537 yards and 36 touchdowns.
The Redskins, Freeman said, played much better in the second half after some halftime adjustments.
“We settled down and came out the second half and played better,” Freeman said. “We did what we had to do and they didn’t score.”
“We’re going to come in on Monday and watch film and run sprints and then take the day off,” Freeman said. “On Tuesday we’ll start getting ready for Savannah. As young as we are, we can't wait. We’ve got to try and get ahead.”
McKinny finished with 76 yards rushing for the Redskins who had 127 as a team. Freshman quarterback Jamariyan Cosey completed two passes for 76 yards, hitting Ger’bravion Collins on a 51-yard strike and connecting with Gunner Ennis on a 25-yard completion.
The Redskins will be idle this week before opening Region 3A-DII play next Friday when they host beleaguered Savannah High. The Blue Jackets have the second longest losing streak in the state having lost 36 straight games. Jordan of Columbus has lost 48 in a row.