Finch carries Evans to big win

Evans running back Jonathan Finch ran for three touchdowns and the Knights picked up a key Region 3-AAAA victory, beating Hephzibah 28-16 on the road.

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Finch ran for two of his three touchdowns 54 seconds apart in the third quarter and had 218 of Evans' 260 rushing yards.

"Pound, pound, pound," Finch said. "We wanted to wear them down."

The Knights' victory rearranged the Region 3-AAAA standings. Three of the four playoff-bound teams -- Hephzibah, Lakeside and Evans -- are 6-1 with two games to play.

Evans wore down the Rebels a year after struggling on offense during a nine-point win.

"I don't think we even ran 30 plays on offense, it didn't seem like," said Hephzibah coach John Bowen, whose team rushed 25 times and attempted 21 passes. "They did a good job of keeping our offense off the field, but we executed about as good on offense as we have all year."

Hephzibah's 10-7 halftime lead vanished on Finch's 11-yard run with 3:54 left in the third quarter and fumbled on its next play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Finch was dashing into the end zone again.

The Rebels pulled to within five points early in the fourth quarter, but Evans quarterback Troy Griffith threw a 56-yard scoring pass to Justin Black on third-and-3. It was the biggest conversion for Evans, which accumulated 21 first downs and 420 yards against a defense that had shut out three of its first seven opponents.

Finch posted season highs in rushing yards and attempts. He also scored on a 6-yard run in the second quarter.

The Rebels (6-2, 6-1) led 10-7 at halftime on a 50-yard pass from sophomore Terry Robinson to his older brother, Gary, who caught all but one of the team's eight completions for 158 yards.

Evans (7-1, 6-1) forced an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2 inside its own 25-yard line with four minutes left to clinch the win in a swiftly played game.

The teams combined for only two fumbles (one lost) and two punts.

The Augusta Chronicle staff writer Matt Middleton contributed to this report.