Georgetown builds big lead early, runs past Waccamaw
Georgetown’s quick-strike opening burst overcame Waccamaw’s grinding running game Friday night in a battle of Georgetown County rivals.
The Bulldogs struck on big scoring plays on their first three possessions, including a pair of touchdown passes by quarterback Jarvis Brown, and fended off a determined Waccamaw team 35-12.
Brown hit Cavonte Gamble on a 54-yard catch and run on Georgetown’s fourth play from scrimmage. On the first play of the Bulldogs’ next drive, Brown, a 5-foot-10, 155-pound senior, found Deakidd Anderson open down the middle for a 61-yard touchdown strike.
On the first play after Jordan Manigault intercepted Waccamaw quarterback Jack Floyd, the Bulldogs capped the first-quarter blitz with Tony Lara’s 38-yard touchdown run up the middle.
After running only six plays from scrimmage, Class AAA Georgetown (2-1) had piled up 171 yards and held a 21-0 lead with 3:50 left in the first quarter.
“We felt like we had a pretty good game plan coming in,” Georgetown coach Bradley Adams said. “We kind of saw what we were expecting and it was able to work for us.”
Initially shell-shocked by the Bulldogs’ opening salvo, the Class AA Warriors buckled down and tried to make a game of it.
“They hit us with some big plays early and they caught us off guard,” Waccamaw coach Tyronne Davis said. “We’re young in the secondary. We told the players just keep playing, keep your head up and we got better. After we settled down, we matched them pretty well.’’
Riding their Wing-T running game, the Warriors controlled the second quarter and pulled within 21-6 when Kelton Grant scored untouched on a 4-yard sweep with 1:54 left in the first half.
“They could have easily (laid down) but they didn’t,” Adams said of the Warriors. “They fought their butt off the whole ballgame. We kind of got a little complacent and that’s not a good thing. That’s something we’ve got to fix.”
The Bulldogs turned to the ground game to start the second half and stretched the lead with a 13-play, 69-yard drive capped by Lara’s 1-yard run with 7:11 left in the third quarter to make it 28-6.
The Warriors immediately answered with a 10-play, 74-yard march of their own with running back Kevin Gasque’s 16-yard run cutting the Georgetown lead to 28-12.
The Bulldogs finished off the scoring on Brown’s 1-yard run with 7:11 left in the game.
Three offensive starters – Gasque and offensive linemen Ethan Chastain and Brady Lottchea – returned to the lineup and gave a boost to the Warriors (1-2), who gained 226 yards rushing to 113 for the Bulldogs.
Brown completed 8 of 14 passes for 222 yards for the Bulldogs.
“It’s a victory, so we’re happy,” Adams said. “Any of them (against a Georgetown County rival) is a good win.”
Georgetown | 21 | 0 | 7 | 7 | — | 35 |
Waccamaw | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | — | 12 |
FIRST QUARTER
G-Cavonte Gamble 54 pass from Jarvis Brown (Lorenzo Drayton kick)
G-Deakidd Anderson 61 pass from Brown (Drayton kick)
G-Tony Lara 38 run (Drayton kick)
SECOND QUARTER
W-Kelton Grant 4 run (run failed)
THIRD QUARTER
G-Lara 1 run (Drayton kick)
W-Kevin Gasque 16 run (run failed)
FOURTH QUARTER
G-Brown 1 run (Drayton kick)
▪ RUSHING: Georgetown: Lara 15-89, Brown 8-12, Eric Johnson 5-8; Waccamaw: Gasque 19-80, Grant 9-75, R.J. Knowlin 7-48.
▪ PASSING: Georgetown: Brown 8-14-0, 222, Tyler McAlister 2-3, 8; Waccamaw: Jack Floyd 3-12-1, 54.
▪ RECEIVING: Georgetown: Anderson 4-127, Gamble 2-57, Christian Johnson 1-37; Waccamaw: Knowlin 2-40, Gasque 1-14.
This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 12:25 AM with the headline "Georgetown builds big lead early, runs past Waccamaw."