By Wes Kerr
LowcoSports.com
A handful of plays can separate a season-defining win from a bitter-tasting defeat. Bryce Lybrand’s squad learned how thin that margin can be for the second week in a row.
After a stunning fake punt caught Beaufort off guard in a tight second half, the Greenwood Eagles took the momentum and ran with it, scoring 23 consecutive points to pull away for a 37-18 win in Beaufort’s home opener Friday night.
Samari Bonds completed 18 of 37 passes for 328 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, while senior running back Elias Johnson paced the ground game with 60 rushing yards and a TD on nine carries, and Isaac Smalls added a 45-yard rushing score on his only attempt of the game.
It was the first meeting between the two opponents since a first-round matchup in the 2009 SCHSL playoffs.
Despite some positive early signs for Bonds with a pair of third-down conversions to start the opening drive, the senior quarterback couldn’t consistently beat a strong Greenwood pass rush. Beaufort’s exceptional defensive front kept the home team afloat in the opening half, thanks to some key hustle plays from corner Aaron Daise and the versatile junior Smalls. Senior linebacker Will Codding came up huge on two plays in a row for Lybrand’s group, stuffing back-to-back runs from Bryce Seaborn to keep the defensive battle scoreless.
After Bonds hooked up with Jaemin Odom to move the chains again on third down, Lybrand unleashed his always-trusty fastball — the outside ground game. Thanks to some terrific blocking on the left side of the line, Johnson hit the hole perfectly and zoomed down the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown run to open the scoring as the Kirkland Krazies went wild.
The visitors wasted no time responding with a quick three-play drive all from dynamic mobile quarterback Triston Lewis for a 7-6 Greenwood lead. Beaufort’s defense stood tall as the half came to an end, as the secondary showed its alertness to deny a late aerial charge.
Lewis and company got right back to work for Greenwood after the break with poised throws and some hard-nosed running from Alijah Wade to set up a 1-yard quarterback sneak across the goal line. An ill-advised throw from Bonds gave the visitors a short field on an interception, but Raymond Middleton bailed his team out on the very next play, tracking down a Lewis heave down the right sideline to re-energize the Lady’s Island crowd.
And they had an even bigger reason to cheer just moments later. After a beautiful connection from Bonds to Caleb Stephan, the two-way star Smalls finished the drive in spectacular fashion, evading a Greenwood defender with a spin move and jetting past the rest on a 45-yard score.
It was a 90-yard outburst on just two plays to cut the lead to two points, and Beaufort looked primed to get the football right back after more sensational defense from Codding. But Greenwood head coach Chris Liner reached into his bag of tricks and turned the game on its head with just one play call.
A fake punt on fourth down near midfield shocked Beaufort’s defense and led to another Wilson scamper into the end zone just two plays later. The disastrous sequence continued for Beaufort on the first play of the next series, as a high snap sailed over Bonds’ head and into the end zone for a safety.
A contest that had been up for grabs turned into a commanding 23-12 Greenwood lead in a flash. The visitors kept the momentum rolling into the fourth on offense, converting a massive fourth-and-2 as Lewis rolled to his right and found an open Seaborn, who plowed past a defender and powered across the goal line. Special teams continued to haunt Lybrand’s group, with a mishandled punt falling right back into the hands of an alert Greenwood unit in the end zone, swelling the lead to 37-12 over a stunned Beaufort squad.
Bonds finished his busy night on a strong note in his final drive, hitting Eric Smart on a 50-yard beauty to end a string of 23 straight Greenwood points.
Beaufort (0-2) will look to notch its first win of the season on Friday at former Region 8-3A rival Philip Simmons. The Iron Horses (1-1) are coming off a 38-9 loss to Lucy Beckham after opening with a 28-26 victory over Hanahan.
