LowcoSports.com
Even after eking out a narrow victory on the road last week, there was an uneasiness about the state of the defending Class 3A champion Beaufort Eagles, whose star quarterback hobbled through the final series on an injured ankle.
After a hard-fought 32-25 win at Goose Creek on Friday, the ankle is not an issue, and the Eagles are finding their wings.
Samari Bonds bounced back from a rough outing last week at Hilton Head to rush for 117 yards and a go-ahead 44-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and drop a dime to Jaemin Odom for a score. Jadyn Andrews continued his evolution into the Eagles’ workhorse back with 137 yards and a two TDs on the ground.
Meanwhile, Beaufort’s defense continued to dig in and new contributors are still emerging.
Jayden Simmons racked up eight tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks, and Will Codding added seven tackles with two for loss and two sacks to lead a ferocious front seven as Beaufort piled up 12 tackles for loss and six sacks.
Adrian Lamb was a big part of the Eagles’ efforts in the trenches on both sides of the ball, collecting six tackles with two for loss and a sack along with anchoring the offensive line that produced 271 rushing yards at a clip of 7.3 yards per carry.
Bonds rolled left and threw an off balance strike to the end zone for a 23-yard TD pass to Jaemin Odom to give the Eagles an 18-15 lead with just under five minutes left before halftime, and the defense held the Gators to a field goal after a workmanlike drive to send it to the break tied at 18. Andrews put Beaufort back on top with a 48-yard burst for his second touchdown of the night, but Goose Creek marched down the field and answered in the final seconds of the third quarter to tie it again.
That’s when Bonds tested his left ankle and turned up the heat, pulling the handoff from Andrews’ belly and bolting around the right side before hitting the jets and sprinting to the end zone to regain the lead with 9:43 left. The defense came up with a three-and-out and the offense ground the clock down to a minute, then Codding came on consecutive delayed blitzes to wreak havoc in the backfield and put the Gators in desperation mode and Lamb batted down a fourth-down pass to seal the win.
Beaufort (2-2) returns home Friday to take on county rival May River.
