In a close football game between two teams yielding ground grudgingly, the outcome can often turn on one play and that’s what happened to Bryan County last Friday night when it dropped a hard fought 19-9 game to unbeaten Screven County.
With less than 10 seconds remaining in the first half the two teams were locked in a dog fight with the two-touchdown underdog Redskins trailing 6-3 but in the process of lining up for Will Summerford to attempt a 45-yard field goal.
Summerford, a senior who is playing football for the first time, had kicked a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter to give the Redskins a 3-0 (4-3, 3-2) lead in the Region 3A-DII game against the Gamecocks (6-0, 4-0) who entered the game ranked No. 8 in the state by the AJC and were leading the state in fewest points (6.2) allowed per game.
Out of timeouts the Redskins were rushing to get the kick off and as a result Summerford did not catch the ball flush. The result was disastrous if you were a Bryan County fan.
The kick was short and it was fielded at the eight-yard line by Drayton Roberts who returned it 92 yards for a touchdown as the clock hit zero. The game gave Screven a 12-3 lead and Bryan County simply could not muster up enough offensive firepower to overcome it.
“We played good football but we made some mistakes and the field goal was a big one,” Coach Cherard Freeman said. “We didn’t cover it. We had a tackler but we just didn’t make the play on it.
“My thinking was if it didn’t go through the uprights it would at least go through the end zone and we could get out of there at 6-3.”
Bryan County’s three losses have all come to ranked teams: Screven and No. 10 Emanuel County Institute (5-2, 5-0) in region games and Aquinas (5-1) which is ranked No. 4 in Class 3A-A Private.
With three games, all in the region, remaining the Redskins must win a minimum of two of them beginning Friday night at McIntosh County Academy (2-4, 1-3) to keep its playoff hopes alive. Bryan County then plays its final home game against Jenkins County (4-3, 3-2) and following an open date it ends regular season play at Metter (4-2, 3-1).
Screven County was averaging 33 points per game but found it tough sledding against a Redskins defense which held Gamecocks star running back AB Hilton to 52 yards on 15 carries. Hilton now has 796 yards and leads the region.
Gamecocks quarterback Demarko Ward proved to be the difference maker as he gained 153 yards on 14 carries, one of which was a 78-yard run on a misdirection play in the second quarter to give his team its 6-3 lead.
Bryan County closed to within three points, 12-9, with 1:41 left in the third quarter when Ger'bravion Collins galloped 72 yards for a touchdown. Collins hit off right tackle, cut to the outside and simply outran everyone.
Collins finished the night with 136 yards and now has 555 yards on the season. Anddreas McKinny, crowned Homecoming King at a pep rally earlier in the day, added 72 to up his team leading total to 621.
Eli Koskela, who had his best punting night of the season, led the Redskins with 11 tackles with Zane Renteria getting nine and Collins adding seven.
To its credit Screven showed what it was made of as it answered Collins’ touchdown with a 5-yard scoring run by Ward who also completed three of nine passes for 69 yards. Bryan County had two possessions after that but could not generate a scoring threat.
“We couldn’t get anything going offensively,” Freeman said. “Hats off to our football team though. Our boys are growing up. I’m excited about it. We’ve just got to keep grinding, keep working and keep having patience.