No one would accuse Bryan County of playing great but after sleep walking through the first half it gave an indication of its potential as it rolled to a 42-7 win at Claxton last Friday night.
The Redskins 4-2, 3-1) trailed 7-6 at the half but came out a different looking team as it ended any hopes the winless Tigers (0-6, 0-4) may have had in the Region 3A-DII game. Claxton leads the overall series behind the longtime rivals, 27-13, but this was Bryan County’s fourth straight win in the rivalry.
“We came out a little sluggish but credit to Claxton they came out ready to play,” Coach Cherard Freeman said. “We did not have our team ready to play in the first half and it showed in the mistakes we made.
“We got better as the game went on,” Freeman said. “The coaches did a great job making adjustments at halftime and we just came out and played football. Claxton showed us a few things defensively we hadn’t seen on film.
“Hats off to our boys,” Freeman said. “They grew up a little bit tonight. Our defense played well.”
The win set up a showdown game with unbeaten Screven County (5-0, 3-0) Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Redskins’ Homecoming game. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 8 in the state by the AJC after beating Jenkins County, 35-14, last Friday.
Screven County leads Class A-DII teams in scoring defense as it is allowing only 5.2 points per game while scoring 32 per game. The overall series is tied, 3-3, with Bryan County having won the last three games.
The Redskins defense stymied the Tigers all night and scored twice with Ger'Bravion Collins taking a fumble 80 yards for a touchdown and junior linebacker Jonah Bruce going 50 yards with a fumble recovery for his first career touchdown.
Sophomore wingback Gunner Ennis also scored his first ever touchdown when he romped 27 yards for a score in the fourth quarter. Ennis’ score was part of a 265-yard rushing attack against a Tigers defense that was simply pounded into submission.
After a scoreless first quarter Bryan County got on the board on a 2-yard run by Anddreas McKinny to cap a six-play, 32-yard drive but the Tigers answered immediately when on the second play following the ensuring kickoff Keri Murcherson went 76-yards practically untouched with 3:22 left in the half.
That was one of five explosive plays Claxton had totaling 191 yards but it was unable to take advantage as the Bryan County defense responded each time. The Tigers had 14 plays that produced negative yardage and they finished the night with 132 yards total offense.
Freshman cornerback Anthony King had 10 tackles to lead the defensive effort which also got excellent production from Corey Collier, Zane Renteria, Nathan Long, Eli Koskela, Collins and Ennis.
“It’s hard to single out any individual,” Freeman said. “Anthony King played a heck of a game, Zane and Corey, Eli all played well. Most did. The defense is starting to understand the system and they’re starting to understand what Coach (Tim) Adams wants them to do.”
Koskela put the Redskins in front for good when he bulled his way in from the one on Bryan County’s first possession of the second half. Collins ran in the conversion attempt.
Claxton responded by driving the ball to the Redskins 20 when Collins applied the backbreaker. Matthew Melvin ran into the middle of the line and Collins came out of the scrum with the football. From there it was a foot race which the senior running back/linebacker won going away.
With a 21-6 lead the Redskins got the ball back three plays later when Long recovered a fumble at the Bryan County 40. Koskela capped the six-play drive, highlighted by a 20-yard completion from Jamariyan Cosey to Landon Cash on a crossing pattern, with a 3-yard run.
The Tigers then went three-and-out and the Redskins scored in three plays: Ennis got nine, Koskela picked up seven and Ennis finished it off with a 27-yard run untouched.
Broce then made Matthews’ night more miserable when he scooped up the Tiger back’s fumble at midfield and took it home with 3:18 to play.
BRYAN COUNTY 0 6 15 21 -- 42
CLAXTON 0 7 0 0 – 7
Second Quarter
BC: Anddreas McKinney (kick failed)
C: Kori Murcherson 76 run (Deion Palmer kick)
Third Quarter
BC: Eli Koskela 1 run (Ger’bravion Collins run)
BC: Collins 80 run with fumble (Will Summerford kick)
Fourth Quarter
BC: Koskela 3 run (Koskela run)
BC: Gunner Ennis 27 run (Summerford kick)
BC: Jonah Broce 50 run with fumble (kick failed)
