Patriots hold lead despite late Wolfpack rally
Greenbrier Head Coach Mickey Derrick isn't afraid of change.
Greenbrier's Lashawn Butler is pursued as he charges down field for a first down in the first quarter against Westside on Friday.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
After a season-opening loss in which his Wolfpack offense was shut out, he took a closer look at his playbook and his offensive weapons. Then in Friday's home-opener against Westside, he made a change.
"We moved from the Wing-T to the I-formation," Derrick said. "It fits better with Reggie (Rice) and Erik Smith's game."
The changes didn't come easy. While Greenbrier's offense struggled through the first half, Westside's offense was doing just fine en route to a 35-23 Patriot win.
Westside scored in their first four possessions to take a 28-0 lead early into the second quarter.
That's when the Wolfpack offense finally clicked. After a full half of playing in their new formation, Greenbrier started to look more comfortable. Senior tailback Reggie Rice took over with three rushing touchdowns.
Although the burst of offense was too little too late, Coach Derrick said he liked the effort.
"Our offensive line has only two starters who played last year," he said. "They're doing real well adjusting."
Greenbrier (0-2) will play host to Lincoln County (0-2) on Friday.
Lakeside 12,
Effingham County 0
Before the season started, Lakeside Coach Randy Hill said he expected his more-experienced defense to lead the way for his younger offense.
That certainly proved to be the case in Friday's shutout of Effingham County. The Panthers not only avenged their 19-7 loss on the Rebels' home turf in 2004, but also picked up their first Region 2-AAAA victory.
After a sloppy, fumble-prone opening loss to Washington-Wilkes, the Panthers have rebounded to defeat Westside and shut down Effingham. The Panthers take a 2-1 record - representing the only winning record for a Columbia County public school - into Jefferson County (3-0) Friday.
Evans 0, Laney 14
The Knights hung with a strong Laney team for almost the entire first half Friday night before falling 14-0 to drop their third straight loss of the season.
After Laney's second touchdown came early in the second half, Evans responded with a 16-play, 60-yard drive that looked destined for a score. However, Laney's Kenneth Walker picked off a potential touchdown pass on the five yard line to end the drive.
Evans (0-3) will take a week off before hosting Greenbrier (0-2) Sept. 16.
Harlem 12,
Jefferson County 42
The Bulldogs hurt them-selves Friday night with four, first-half turnovers in a home loss to Jefferson County. The Warriors scored on five consecutive drives on their way to a 34-6 lead at halftime. Harlem's Brandon Gray scored on a 46-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter but it wasn't enough to stop a Jefferson County team that rushed for 263 yards.
Harlem (1-2) will travel to Richmond Hill on Friday.
Augusta Christian 42, Calhoun Academy 7
The Lions remained undefeated Friday night with another win on the road thanks to quarterback Lee Banks.
Banks ran for a 60-yard score in the first quarter, then found Josh Whitaker and Austin Greene in the end zone in the second quarter to take a 21-7 lead at halftime. The Lions scored three more times in the third quarter, including a 49-yard touchdown pass from Banks to Greene to seal the win.
Augusta Christian (3-0) will travel to Orangeburg Prep on Friday.