Class, Montgomery help North Myrtle Beach bounce back with win over Wilson

North Myrtle Beach football coach Blair Hardin had an obstacle to overcome Friday night.

It was something that no coach wants to have to do but his Chiefs rose to the occasion as they had to play their second of two games in less than 72 hours. The Chiefs dug deep and scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to overcome adversity and beat Region VII-AAA foe Wilson 30-17.

Because of a postponed game against Georgetown in which the Chiefs (5-3, 2-1) lost 32-10 just three days earlier on Tuesday night, Hardin had the tough task of getting his team ready for what he knew was going to be a physical football game.

“Our kids really responded well to a tough loss on Tuesday,” Hardin said. “We wanted to come back and play a physical game tonight and our game plan was simple. They have a lot of athletes so we tried to keep the offense on the field, so our plan was to run the football.”

The Chiefs did just that as sophomore Kered Class and senior Dequan Montgomery combined for 194 of North Myrtle Beach’s 198 yards on the ground. Montgomery scored on runs from runs of three, nine and seven yards out, the last being the dagger as Wilson was down by only a touchdown when he put in the last score with 1:25 left in the game.

Wilson (3-5, 0-3) saw the Chiefs go up by nine points in the first quarter but came storming back in the second to score 14 straight points and take a 14-9 lead into halftime.

Sophomore Xavier Thomas opened up the Tigers’ scoring on a 1-yard dive into the end zone at 5:03 in the second quarter after a successful fourth-down conversion on the Chiefs’ 15-yard-line just four plays earlier. The Tigers’ only other touchdown came later in the second quarter with only 24 seconds left as senior quarterback Tyler Johnson found teammate Deonta Johnson for a 27-yard catch.

The third quarter was scoreless as neither could overcome penalties and turnovers. North Myrtle Beach found a groove at the opening of the fourth quarter when Chiefs junior defensive back intercepted a Wilson ball and ran it back 27 yards for a touchdown, putting NMB up 17-14. The ensuing possession for Wilson ended with a blocked punt that set up the Chiefs for their second touchdown in the fourth as senior Austin Griffin recovered the ball to give the Chiefs first-and-goal from the 8-yard-line, leading to Montgomery’s second score of the night.

Montgomery had only seen the end zone one other time until Friday night’s three-score outburst and even though his 91 yards were was second to Class’ 103 yards, the 5-foot-8, 170-pounder came through in the clutch.

“I really don’t care about size and how I look,” Montgomery said. “It’s all about vision and following your blocks. I work hard every day and even when I’m at home, I’m working. I run nine miles a day and do 500 pushups in the morning and every night. I’m trying to get bigger every day.”

Although he’s in only his second year at North Myrtle Beach, Hardin said his team is responding very well. He said his kids’ love for the game and their strive to get better every week accounts for their toughness and will to be better. When he told his players they had to play back-to-back games with only two days of rest, they were not only up for the task but hungry.

“These kids love to play football,” he said. “I told them that we get to play twice in one week and they were excited. It was tough but we were excited for the challenge. They sky’s the limit for this young group of kids. I tell them to play with passion and play tough for your school, your teammates and your community and they continue to get better.”

The Chiefs travel to St. James next week, while Wilson, last in Region VII-AAA, will host Lake City.

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 1:04 AM with the headline "Class, Montgomery help North Myrtle Beach bounce back with win over Wilson."