Four downs: Aynor road graders hammer point home, pave way for historic performance

With the harvest moon hanging overhead, it was the Aynor offensive line that manhandled the Waccamaw front like a tractor through a field of corn.

And like the hungry back he is, Noah Seaver made sure to not leave a single kernel behind.

The Blue Jackets’ leading rusher significantly added to his tally Friday night, going for 335 yards and seven touchdowns in his team’s 57-33 win over Waccamaw.

Placing emphasis on hard work and good character, Aynor football coach Jody Jenerette could not wait to sing his praises following a career night.

“(Seaver is) a better person than he is a football player,” he said. “He’s one of those guys that’s going to come to work everyday, everybody on the team loves him.

“He’s the dude, we just got to feed him. We fed him tonight.”

For the season, Seaver has rushed for 908 yards and 14 touchdowns. Though he will get the bulk of all recognition, the junior running back is quick to heap praise on the “no-names” creating running lanes for him.

“First of, I’d like to shout out my offensive line and coaches,” he said. “Offensive line opened up some big holes (Friday night). I’d like to thank the coaches for giving me the ball and making a play.”

Aynor rushed for 527 yards in the game, one of its more prolific performances this season.

After taking it on the chin the previous week in a loss to Georgetown, Jenerette called the week of practice leading up to last Friday’s game “one of the most physical” his team has had in some time.

“We hadn’t been physical all year like we know we can be,” Jenerette said. “I thought we brought it tonight, played with good effort up front and (Seaver) had a good night.”

Trick play aids in Carolina Forest’s great escape

Marc Morris tends to have a play drawn up for just about any situation.

The depth of his playbook was put to the test Thursday, however, with his Carolina Forest team trailing 10-7 with 1:36 to go in a crucial Region VI-5A contest at South Florence.

As fate would have it, the Panthers head man kept one in the chamber for the right moment.

With his team at midfield and under a minute remaining, Morris dialed up a double pass from backup quarterback Jackson Weatherwax to wideout Derek Alston that resulted in a 44-yard completion. The gamble would pay off a few moments later, as starter Matt Beale connected with Alston for a 5-yard touchdown pass as the game-winner.

On South Florence’s ensuing drive, defensive back R.J. Richardson returned an interception for a touchdown to cap off a thrilling comeback, a 20-10 win for the Panthers.

According to Morris, the team regularly practices the trick play in walk-throughs, but not at game speed. With the game hanging in the balance, Carolina Forest performed it to a T.

Said Morris: “That last drive, we needed a big play. We needed to do something a little different. … The last drive, our kids went out there with a whole lot of confidence.”

A new challenger in Region VII-4A?

Three names have often been thrown in the ring as potential contenders for the Region 7-4A crown — Marlboro County, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach.

After Friday night, it may be time to add another name to the list.

Wilson (5-2, 1-0 Region 7-4A) continued its swift return to prominence on Friday, taking rival Marlboro County behind the woodshed for a 38-19 win.

By virtue of the Tigers’ victory, it sets up a clash between them and the only other team undefeated in league play, North Myrtle Beach. The Chiefs were on a bye this past Friday night, but it doesn’t mean they weren’t paying close attention to what was going on in Bennettsville.

“We had a couple coaches (make the trip to) Bennettsville to check Wilson out,” said North Myrtle Beach football coach Matt Reel during an interview Saturday morning on the Countdown to Kickoff radio show. “Of course, you usually exchange two games of film. But thanks to things like Hudl, we are able to not only look back at this year’s games, but some of those from last year as well.”

Marlboro County’s loss to Wilson may have taken a little shine off its trip to Myrtle Beach on Friday night. But this one still holds quite the importance, with the loser set to be all but eliminated from Region VII-4A title contention.

Make it four in a row for Georgetown

Guess it’s fair to say Georgetown is peaking at the right time.

After starting 0-3, the Bulldogs have won four in a row following a 33-6 road win over Lake City.

More importantly, they move to 2-0 in Region 6-3A and find themselves in the catbird seat for a potential first round home playoff date. Dillon is the only other team in the league without a loss to its name.

Quarterback Bret Kirtley accounted for three touchdowns — two through the air — while Fred Taylor and Ishmael Taylor each rushed for scores of their own.

Georgetown hopes to continue its recent roll when it plays host to a Loris team desperate for its first Region VI-3A win.

This story was originally published October 8, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Four downs: Aynor road graders hammer point home, pave way for historic performance."