Conway scores early, often in rout of Marlboro County

A road meeting with Marlboro County is always a daunting task.

But Conway did a pretty good job dispelling that notion Friday night.

Quarterback Peyton Derrick connected with Bryan Edwards for a pair of scores and running back Jah’Maine Martin scored on a pair of runs as the Tigers cruised to a 46-22 win over the Bulldogs.

“It’s always good to beat Marlboro County because they’re very well coached and they have some very good players,” Conway coach Chuck Jordan said. “And we did it in a convincing fashion, so that’s even better.”

The Tigers improved to 4-1, but Jordan cautioned that his squad still has a ways to go.

“We’re still a long way off,” he said. “Offensively, we’re still young up front. We have some good things (happening) to protect the young guys. Defensively, we’re bending, not breaking right now. We’ve not been quite as dominant as I’d like us to be. We’ve got 11 sophomores and four freshmen; we’re a very young football team. We’ve got a lot of growing to do and getting better to do and I’m hoping we’ll continue that.”

On Friday, the Tigers jumped on the Bulldogs early and didn’t look back.

“We had a real good first half,” Jordan said. “We got some key turnovers and played well on offense in the first half. We were able to score and convert opportunities and that’s something we haven’t done.”

Next up for Conway is a matchup with Myrtle Beach in the area’s biggest rivalry game. While Myrtle Beach lost 24-20 to Carolina Forest on Friday, Jordan knows anything can happen when the two teams meet with the Victory Bell on the line.

“It’s always a challenge when you play Myrtle Beach because so many emotions are involved,” he said. “They have some excellent players in (Brandon) Sinclair and (Drayton) Arnold. There’s no doubt those guys make them go.

“Against them you’ve got to make sure you coach [well] and protect the ball. That’s something we did tonight. You’ve got to protect the ball and create turnovers.”

Conway’s Antonio Long had a pair of interceptions, including one he returned for about 50 yards.

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 12:42 AM with the headline "Conway scores early, often in rout of Marlboro County."