Aynor guts it out to beat Waccamaw in overtime

Jody Jenerette preaches “power football”

And the Aynor coach got exactly that from his squad Friday night, especially when it mattered most.

In a thrilling game that went to overtime, the Blue Jackets outlasted Tyronne Davis’ Waccamaw Warriors 22-20 for their first win in the region.

It was a big one.

“This group deserves something like this but I hate it for Tyronne’s kids; he does a great job over there,” Jenerette said. “We deal with similar-type football teams and when it can go either way like that, you just hate it for their guys. But, you know, I’m just real proud of our effort.

“We came out real flat early, couldn’t get nothing going but found a way in the end; that’s when lifting weights, running – that’s where all that stuff matters. It’s power football.”

Aynor went down 8-6 in the second quarter when the Warriors’ Colin Floyd scored on a 28-yard run.

After the Blue Jackets’ Jonathan Gause scored on a 7-yard run with just under four minutes left in the third quarter, the Warriors struck back just in the nick of time. Waccamaw’s Darnell Dadd caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jack Floyd with just under a minute left, but the conversion failed to leave the game tied at 14-all. Aynor ran the clock out in regulation to send it to overtime.

Que the nail-biting.

After two quick runs to start the extra frame, the Warriors’ star halfback, Kevin Gasque, found the end zone on a 3-yard run to give Waccamaw the lead. Aynor’s defensive unit came up huge, however, stopping the Warriors on a two-point conversion attempt.

“This is the first time we’ve been to overtime this season. So we had to really explain the rules to the guys and make sure they know what they’re doing out there,” Jenerette said. “We found a way to stop the two-point conversion and that was huge. Whenever you stop that two-point conversion, you always have a feeling you’re gonna come out on top.”

Still, it wasn’t over yet. The Blue Jackets had to find the end zone and then punch it in for 2.

They did just that.

Junior quarterback Caleb Jenerette, Jody’s nephew, had a 5-yard rush to start it off for Aynor. Immediately following, Jalen Dixon scored on a 5-yard run of his own. Then, Jody Jenerette put the ball in the hands of his quarterback for the two-point conversion, and Caleb Jenerette ran it in for the victory.

“I’m really proud of our offense there at the end,” Jody Jenerette said. “We got some power for three yards; that’s what we preach every single day. That’s nine feet. We found a way to get nine feet.”

Said Aynor senior halfback A.J. Jenkins: “The defense did really good making the stop to set it up for us to win it.”

And it was practically a must-win on senior night for an Aynor team that dropped its first two region contests.

“It’s a big [win]. We did what we had to do,” Jenkins said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way with my boys. We work hard nonstop to do what we do and it wasn’t any different tonight. It feels so good to come out and get this win our last night here.”

Jenkins was a big part of Aynor’s rushing attack that complied 283 total yards and powered the team to the win. Jenkins had five rushes in which he gained at least eight yards and finished with 56 yards on 11 carries.

Dixon had a touchdown and 58 yards on four carries, Colie Rogers picked up 32 yards on 12 carries and Jonathan Gause carried the ball three times for 15 yards and a touchdown.

Caleb Jenerette was the leading rusher for the Blue Jackets as he racked up 84 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while playing through pain most of the game.

“My quarterback toughed it out; you could tell he was limping all game,” Jenkins said. “He showed guts and worked his butt off for us. … It’s not about me at all; it’s a team effort here. We grind hard together because we’re brothers.”

Meanwhile, Waccamaw played with heart until the end and never wavered. Gasque finished with 81 yards on 11 carries to pace the Warriors. Kelton Grant picked up 54 yards on 11 carries and Colin Floyd rushed four times for 37 yards and a score.

Waccamaw – which fell to 0-2 in region play – already played a game this week, too. The Warriors fell to Loris on Tuesday in their first game since a 40-8 win over Green Sea Floyds on Sept. 18. Waccamaw didn’t play a single game in a 25-day span and had to come right back and play two games in three days.

It’s been a whirlwhind week for the Warriors and Davis immediately turned the focus to next week as the Warriors host Marion on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

“Tough game,” Davis said. “We didn’t play well and, unfortunately, it didn’t work out tonight. We’ll go back to work and get ready for Marion next week.”

In the meantime, Aynor will try to build from the win and attempt to make a push for the playoffs. The Blue Jackets travel to Marion on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

“It gives us good momentum but we just need to prepare and work our butts off like we did tonight,” Jenkins said. “We can’t get ahead of ourselves.”

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 12:15 AM with the headline "Aynor guts it out to beat Waccamaw in overtime."