NEWS
BRUNSWICK WINS BIG ON HOMECOMING NIGHT
By Kevin Price
For GCS Athletics
The Brunswick High Pirates powered past Evans Friday night, clicking to a 48-14 victory at Glynn County Stadium in the annual Homecoming game.
The game was also a Region 1-AAAAA counter, and the Pirates (3-1) have won their first two contests on the league slate. Brunswick, winners of three straight since dropping its season opener to Camden County, kicked off the region schedule last Friday with a 42-20 victory at Effingham.
BHS moved into the state rankings at No. 10 in Class AAAAA and has eclipsed 40 points in each of its first four games.
Evans (2-2) started the season 2-0, but has now lost its first two region games while falling to .500 on the year. The Knights lost at home to rival Lakeside-Evans 21-0 last week.
Brunswick rushed for more than 300 yards for the second straight week and nearly gained 500 yards for the second game in a row as the Pirates went up and down the field on Evans most of the game.
“I thought we had pretty good balance on offense," said Brunswick head coach Garrett Grady. "We need to keep doing that. We just can’t shoot ourselves in the foot. We had some penalties that had us going backward a few times.”
While scoring on its first three possessions and four of its first five in the first half, BHS gained 261 yards before halftime and totaled 489 yards for the game including 317 on the ground.
Last week at Effingham, the Pirates rushed for 385 yards while routing the Rebels 42-20.
BHS went 80 yards to open the game with Waseem Murray going off the left side from 8 yards out for the game’s first score.
Murray also scored the second BHS touchdown on the team’s second series when he took a short pass from quarterback Grant Moore for 28 yards to the end zone.
Brunswick’s third possession started at midfield and it took BHS only three plays to score. On third-and-3, Moore hit wide-open Heze Kent, his junior tight end, for a 47-yard TD strike down the home sideline.
A third straight extra-point kick by Landon Etheridge gave BHS a 21-0 lead before the end of the first quarter.
Evans did get back in the game with two quick scorses early in the second quarter. A 56-yard run by Jeremy Howard got the Knights on the scoreboard moments into the second frame.
A ill-advised pass by Moore on Brunswick’s next possession was picked off by Evans defensive back Christian Scott who returned the ball to the Brunswick 3 to set up another score by the Knights which made it 21-14.
The Pirates extend their lead again, though, with a 73-yard drive that ended with Moore again throwing a short pass to Jamarius Towns who raced to paydirt for a 21-yard score and a 28-14 advantage for the Pirates inside the four-minute mark in the second quarter.
BHS didn’t let the Knights back in the game again. Evans fumbled just shy of midfield after taking the second-half kickoff and the Pirates would drive 54 yards for a touchdown and a 35-14 lead.
William Heck, who led BHS with 131 yards on 14 carries, scored from 5 yards out. He tallied three carries on the drive for 38 yards.
The Pirates would go up 41-14 before the end of the third on a 5-yard run by big Kent to cap a 7-play, 67-yard drive.
In the fourth quarter, the Brunswick defense held Evans after it had the ball first-and-goal at the BHS 6-yard line.
“We did a heckuva job there on defense. We’ve been preaching to them about defending the box and they did it all four downs there,” Grady said.
Following the turnover on downs with 7:12 to play, BHS took over on its own 5. BHS would march the 95 yards for one last touchdown while running the ball 12 straight times. Josiah Gibbons had the final carry of 5 yards for the touchdown which made for the final score.
Seven different players carried the ball for BHS. Nigel Gardner followed Heck with 86 yards on 8 tries while Gibbons was next with 48 on 10 attempts.
“Our offensive line probably needs to play a little more consistent, but we had some big runs when we got out on the perimeter,” Grady said.
Through the air, Moore was 12-of-16 for `172 yards with three touchdowns and the interceptions.
Murray led BHS with four catches for 86 yards.
“He can do it all,” Grady said of the sophomore play-maker.
Evans finished with 241 yards with all but 20 of that coming on the ground. Running behind a big offensive line that includes 315-pound Georgia commit Mason Short, Breyden Johnson led Evans with 115 yards on 15 carries.
“Their offensive line is big,” Grady reiterated. “I knew it would be a battle in the trenches. Our defensive line was challenged tonight for sure.”
The Pirates go to Augusta next Friday to face Greenbrier which defeated Statesboro last week to open region play. Greenbrier had an open date this week.
GCS
Staff | 9/14/2024
Staff | 9/14/2024