LowcoSports.com
Throughout their state championship run a year ago, the Beaufort Eagles developed a habit of starting slow before allowing a stout defense and dominant ground game to turn things around.
The first chapter of their title defense looked awfully familiar.
After falling behind by two scores early, the Eagles shut out Loris the rest of the way, and Jadyn Andrews scored four rushing touchdowns to power Beaufort to a 30-13 road win in the first round of the SCHSL 3A playoffs.
The Lions (7-3) kept the Eagles off the board in the first quarter and took a 13-0 lead early in the second before Andrews cashed in the first of his four touchdowns and Brendan Ford added a 34-yard field goal to pull Beaufort within 13-10 at halftime.
It was all Eagles after the break, as Andrews rolled up a total of 139 yards on 25 carries and four scores, while Samari Bonds was an efficient 6-for-13 for 90 yards with Amare Patterson snagging two passes for 50 yards.
Beaufort’s defense was dominant in the second half, finishing off a strong effort against a Loris team that averaged 33.1 points during the regular season. Jayden Simmons led the charge with nine tackles (three for loss) and a sack, while Robert Johnson added eight tackles (one for loss) and a sack, and Ford had four tackles (one for loss), two pass breakups and an interception in addition to his work in the kicking game.
The Eagles (7-4) will be on the road again Friday for a second-round game at Crestwood (10-1). It will be a rematch of Beaufort’s wild 45-42 comeback win at home in last year’s second round.
Andrews and Beaufort super fan Jimmy Searson were guests on the LowcoSports Lowdown on Monday night to reflect on the big win and look ahead to Friday. Find it on the Lowco Media Network on YouTube.
