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<p><strong>LowcoSports.com</strong></p>
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<p>The second-round curse has been vanquished in Seabrook.</p>
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<p>Whale Branch gave a gritty performance on the road Friday, winning 27-12 at Lake View to advance to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2015.</p>
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<p>The Warriors are technically in the Class 1A Lower State semifinal for the second straight year, but last year’s condensed playoff format meant that round came a week earlier. The second round had been a stumbling block in five consecutive seasons, and things got off to a shaky start Friday.</p>
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<p>Lake View struck first on a pick-six before senior star Joseph Hicks took over for the Warriors. Hicks scored on a 10-yard run to give Whale Branch the lead, then picked off a pass and returned it to the Gators’ 15 before finding the end zone on a 10-yard pass from Kai’Shawn Jenkins.</p>
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<p>Darrell Cummings tacked on a 10-yard touchdown run to make it 21-6 at halftime, and the Warriors were in command.</p>
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<p>Lake View’s Marvin Gordon finished off a drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to get the Gators within striking distance, but the Warriors stopped the two-point conversion to keep it a two-score game. Whale Branch sealed it by pinning the Gators deep and forcing a fumble inside the 5 before Jakhi Pusha punched it in from the 1 in the final minute to seal it.</p>
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<p>Whale Branch (8-1) will travel to Region 4-1A champion C.E. Murray on Friday. The War Eagles (5-1) beat Branchville 58-36 in the second round.</p>
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