By Eugene Jolley
Courier Sports

ejolley@thepccourier.com

LIBERTY — It was red, white and blue night Friday as Liberty hosted Pickens in a game honoring our nation’s military, past and present.

[cointent_lockedcontent]But the Flame saw plenty of Liberty red and white and left feeling extra blue, falling 24-14.

It was Liberty’s second win in the last three seasons and third in the last six years against the Blue Flame.

Pickens couldn’t get anything going offensively, failing to get a first down until late in the first half. By that time, Liberty had built a 17-0 lead.

Penalties and negative plays kept the offense sidetracked for much of the night.

“We stayed backed up the whole first quarter,” Pickens coach John Boggs said. “Terrible field position — the only way to get out of bad field position is to get first downs, and we couldn’t do that. We stayed behind the chains most of the first half.”

Liberty took a 2-0 lead when defensive end Jacob Herman tripped up Pickens quarterback Tanner Stegall in the end zone on third and nine.

The Red Devils then kept the good field position, driving 41 yards in eight plays, capped off by Cavaugio Butler’s one-yard touchdown run. Liberty then went for two, and Nick Reeves hit Seth Dover on the pass, making it 10-0 with 1:42 left in the first quarter.

Stegall was later picked off by Kevon Tabron.

Liberty went up 17-0 with a six-play, 67-yard drive. Reeves hit Tabron for 32, and a facemask penalty was tacked on. Clay Lollis scored from a yard out with 6:37 left in the half.

The Blue Flame finally got a first down as Stegall hit Robert Jones for 20 on their ensuing possession. On the next play, Stegall found Daniel Hooper behind the secondary for 56 yards down to the Liberty 1-yard line. Bryson Capps, from the left halfback position, took it the final yard with 3:19 left in the opening half. Dylan Banyard’s kick made it 17-7.

Liberty came right back and was threatening for another score when Blue Flame safety Jamal Blythe picked off a Reeves pass at the 15 and returned it to the Liberty 35. Pickens kept the drive alive on fourth and two as Kyle Day fumbled while he was being stopped and Stegall picked it up and ran four yards to move the chains. Three plays later, and with time running out, Stegall hit Cole Stewart on a quick slant, and the side judge ruled he had eclipsed the plane of the goal line with 1.3 seconds left in the half.

“We finally generated a little something there at the end of the half and got back into it,” Boggs said. “That’s one thing about these kids is that they’ll battle every single week and they’ll fight hard, scrap and claw whatever they have to do to try and win. We keep knocking on the door. We’ve got to find a way to knock it open at some point.”

Liberty got the ball to start the second half and once again a penalty — this one a facemask — gave the Red Devils tremendous field position. Liberty capitalized, going 42 yards in 10 plays, converting on fourth and two at the 22. Three plays later, Tabron took a pitch and busted up the middle for a touchdown from 19 yards out, making it 24-14 with 7:49 left.

Two series later, the Blue Flame threatened as Stegall scrambled for 20 and Day ran for 20 and 16 down to the Liberty 24. But the drive ended after Stegall was sacked and his fourth-down scramble came up short.

“We couldn’t protect our quarterback, and they did a good job of bringing pressure,” Boggs said. “We didn’t do a good job of protecting him at all. We’ve got to get better there.”

The Blue Flame downed a Stone Prince punt at the 1-yard line and looked to keep the Devils there on third and eight when Hooper dropped an interception. On the play, Pickens was called for hitting a defenseless player, keeping the Liberty drive going.

“It’s called a defenseless player,” Boggs said. “The ball was tipped, but they said we hit a defenseless player after that and it was a personal foul. It kept the drive alive, but then we turned around and stopped them but it cost us time off of the clock.”

Capps stopped the drive as he picked off a pass and returned it to the Liberty 16. But the offense couldn’t take advantage, as Day lost yards on first down and Stegall was sacked on second and fumbled on third down.

“We got a little drive in the end of the third quarter and couldn’t punch that in. Two trips to the red zone could have been a different outcome. You’ve got to be able to score points,” Boggs said.

Pickens got the ball back after holding on fourth and one as Cole Seaborn and Lenny Russell came up with the big stop.

But the Red Devil pressure was too much, and Pickens receivers dropped two passes in sealing the loss.

Pickens played without senior Sam Lawson, out with dehydration. The Blue Flame also lost tailback Brandon Batson to an injury after the first series.

“We’re hoping for better news,” Boggs said of Batson’s injury. “We’re hoping to get Kirk-
land (Gillespie) back in a few weeks. It kind of depends on how he progresses with his rehab. We’re looking to have him back in full pads in a few weeks and back on the field in a few more. He got a good report this week. Sam should be back next week. A week of being dehydrated really zapped him. It was more precautionary than anything else.”

Pickens (0-3) will host winless West-Oak Friday night before having an open date.

“We’ve fought hard all three weeks and been in games,” Boggs said. “Offensively, we’ve got to get better and score some points. Our defense has been playing hard. I thought we were a little better tonight on special teams more than we had the last couple of weeks. We’ll take the positives from it and try to get better. It was a young and inexperienced team when we started, and they’re still young and inexperienced and they’re learning each week. We’ll keep working and try to get better.”[/cointent_lockedcontent]

By Jimmy Kirby
Courier Sports

jkirby@thepccourier.com

LIBERTY — The Liberty Red Devils are now 3-0 on the season after jumping out to a 17-0 lead on Pickens midway through the second quarter and holding on to defeat the Blue Flame 24-14 on Friday night.

In stark contrast, Pickens fell to 0-3 to start the season with the loss.

“The lead to start the game was big,” Liberty coach Kyle Stewart said. “It got the crowd into it and allowed us to focus on winning the second half at the break.”

Stewart is proud of how his team has gotten to 3-0 so far this season.

“It feels good to be undefeated, but the credit should go to the players for how hard they have worked and my assistant coaches for the preparation they have done to have our team ready to play,” he said.

Despite Liberty’s early lead, the Blue Flame got back in the game quickly in the second quarter on two big plays to set up scores.

Tanner Stegall found Daniel Hooper down the right sideline on a busted coverage for 56 yards to the Red Devil 1-yard line to set up a one-yard Bryson Capps score on the next play to cut the lead to 17-7 with 3:19 remaining in the second quarter.

The next big play halted a Red Devil drive deep in Blue Flame territory at the 15-yard line, as Jamal Blythe stepped in front of a Nick Reeves pass and returned it 50 yards to the Liberty 35-yard line.

Stewart said the pass by Reeves was a good read and a good call.

“The pass should have been on a rope, but instead he floated it a little and the defender made a play,” Stewart said.

The Blue Flame were stopped on a fourth-down run at the Liberty 27-yard line, but caught a huge break as Capps fumbled on the play. Fortune was on their side as Stegall scooped up the loose ball at the Liberty 31-yard line and gained eight yards for a first down to the Red Devil 23-yard line. Kyle Day then had a huge gain to the Red Devil 7-yard line, and Stegall found Cole Stewart as time expired to end the first half and narrow the Red Devil lead to 17-14.

It was the second week in a row that Liberty allowed a touchdown on the last play of the first half.

“We just need to focus on doing our jobs,” Stewart said. “In both situations, I believe we were a little tired and then had mental breakdowns.”

Liberty came out in the third quarter on a positive note. The Red Devils drove straight down the field for a score to extend the lead to 24-14. Kevon Tabron slashed through the Pickens defense for the 20-yard touchdown run.

The Red Devils had excellent field position to start the drive when the Blue Flame were called for a personal foul facemask on the kickoff. The drive started in Pickens territory at the Blue Flame 42-yard line.

Stewart said the drive to start the third quarter was a major key in the momentum of the game.

“It made it a two-score game, so it was big,” he said. “Also, it was a response to the momentum they gained before the half. It set us up to be able to milk the clock on later possessions in the second half.”

Neither team seriously threatened to score again. The Blue Flame moved down to the Red Devil 25-yard line in the fourth quarter, but a hit by Aaron Bates on Stegall forced a fumble that was recovered by Red Devil Jacob Rogers at the Liberty 22-yard line to end the drive.

The Red Devil defense held stiff the rest of the game and shut out the Blue Flame in the second half. They held the Blue Flame to 225 total yards in the game. Take away a busted coverage on the 50-yard bomb, and the Blue Flame may have finished with less than 200 yards of total offense in the game.

Meanwhile, the Liberty offense continues to improve week by week. The Devils had 197 yards rushing in the game and enough timely passing by Nick Reeves to finish the game with 74 passing yards on a 7-of-14 night, with two interceptions.

Austin Huey led the Red Devils in rushing with 51 yards on six carries. Cavaugio Butler had 48 yards on 12 carries, and was followed by Clay Lollis with 40 yards. Tabron added 34 yards to add to the jumble of yards by the four backs.

Stewart said spreading the wealth has been important to the team’s success in offensive production.

“My first season (in 2011, when the Devils finished 9-3) we didn’t have a rusher with more than 800 yards on the season, but we had close to 2,500 yards as a team if I remember correctly,” he said.

Stewart said the Liberty defense is doing a great job.

“They have peaked in the second half of games, which has been huge,” he said. “I believe players are starting to trust that we are going to make calls to put them in the right position to be successful.”

Cole Murphy, Aaron Bates, Jacob Herman, Ethan Harris and Seth Dover led the Red Devil defense to shut down the Blue Flame in the second half. They had a total of nine tackles for loss in the game to go with five sacks.

The Red Devils got on the board first when Dusty Owens sacked Stegall for a two-yard loss that resulted in a safety and a 2-0 lead. The Blue Flame were backed up on a 54-yard Austin Huey punt.

The Red Devils took the ensuing kickoff and drove 41 yards in seven plays. Butler scored from a yard out to make it 8-0. He had a 21-yard run to set up his score. Reeves found Dover on the two-point pass for a quick 10-0 lead.

Lollis scored on a six-yard run with 6:37 remaining in the second quarter to extend the Red Devil lead to 17-0. A Reeves pass to Tabron good for 31 yards was a key play on the drive.

The Red Devils will stay at home this week to face the Blue Ridge Tigers. This will be the second week that Liberty will face a 4A classification school. They now have their three wins over two 3A schools and one 4A.

The last time Liberty and Blue Ridge met was 2003, when the Devils defeated the Tigers 21-7. In 2002, the teams played twice — once in the regular season and once in the playoffs. Blue Ridge won both games that season, a 20-0 regular-season meeting and a 34-13 game in the first round of the playoffs. The two teams have played 30 times dating back to 1967.

Blue Ridge enters the contest with a 1-2 record. The Tigers opened the season with a 41-0 loss to Belton-Honea Path. They also defeated Landrum 29-3 and lost to Riverside 47-36.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday night.

By Ryan Davenport
For The Courier

news@thepccourier.com

Easley — A home crowd, lively atmosphere and raucous student section seemed to give the Easley Green Wave the upper hand on Friday night, but the visiting Belton-Honea Path Bears did not let it overwhelm them.

A young BHP squad improved to 3-0 with two late scores en route to a 42-28 victory, overcoming the Green Wave’s pregame advantages with big plays and gritty fourth-quarter determination.

The final score was not indicative of the back-and-forth affair. Easley held the lead four times throughout the evening, but the hard-charging Bears found a way to knot the score each time. Easley’s offense controlled possession of the football for more than 30 minutes, but BHP needed less than six minutes of game clock to put five second-half touchdowns on the scoreboard. More importantly, the Bears took advantage of major Easley offensive miscues with less than five minutes remaining in the game.

The opening half ended in a 7-7 tie, but the tie score was the only preview of the exciting conclusion.

The first half often resembled a sloppy season opener, with the nagging penalties, negated big plays, turnovers and missed assignments typically witnessed when teams first match up fresh off summer break.

The Green Wave’s first possession included two plays that lost yardage and one that gained barely a yard. The first of Easley’s three short punts on the night set BHP up nicely at the Easley 29, but the Bears gave it back quickly on downs. The four-play possession featured a Green Wave offsides penalty and a dropped interception opportunity by Easley cornerback Voc Tabron.

The Wave offense found its footing on the ensuing drive. Derrick Phillips darted through a hole behind the right guard for seven yards before sophomore quarterback Weston Black tossed to senior Carter Wiles in the flat for a gain of 11 and a first down. Two more rushes from Phillips led the Green Wave to midfield, where they turned to fullback Quenten Phillips, who barreled through the middle of the Bears’ defensive front for two more first downs. Following another first-down run by senior Will Drawdy, Black’s 20-yard pass to the end zone was corralled by Wiles for the score despite great coverage by the BHP defender. Nathan Baker’s extra point split the uprights to make Easley’s first lead of the night 7-0.

BHP appeared to gain steam on the next possession. Senior quarterback Kameron Burton broke away from a crowd of Easley defenders and a near sack to gain 14 yards, carrying the Bears into Green Wave territory. The drive stalled, but BHP made the gutsy call to execute a fake punt. Senior Akyah Miranda caught the Wave off guard by taking the direct snap and racing 28 yards straight ahead, but Miranda coughed the ball up as soon as he reached the Easley defenders. Easley pounced on the loose ball at its own 15.

The fortunate turn of events seemingly gave the Wave offense added life. Big runs by Drawdy and Derrick Phillips moved the ball toward midfield. Black then found senior Bralan Fuller on a quick slant that turned into a 50-yard gain. BHP’s defense stiffened, so Easley sent in the left-footed Baker for a 39-yard field goal attempt that had the distance but was wide right.

Easley regained possession just more than a minute later, picking up another first down on a 19-yard pass from Black to Wiles before being forced to punt. The Bears were called for a facemask on the return, giving the Wave an automatic first down and new life once again. Unfortunately for the Wave, the following play ended with an errant snap covered by the Bears at their own 34.

BHP then found its running game. Ten plays, four minutes and one big Easley facemask infraction later, senior O’Ryan Warren pushed into the end zone behind the Bears’ power formation. The successful extra point tied the game at 7-7 just before the half.

Easley came out of the break clearly ready to take control. A BHP punt was blocked by Wave senior Allen Cheagle, setting Easley up at the Bears’ 24-yard line less than two minutes into the half. Five plays later, Drawdy made a brilliant cut back inside and rolled into the end zone nearly untouched. Baker’s point after made it 14-7.

Only nine seconds later, what would be a wild second half came clearly into focus. Burton’s pass down the right sideline was tipped by an Easley defender right into the hands of Bear receiver Cameron Dixon. Dixon had only distant defenders to outrun in his 56-yard sprint to paydirt, tying the game at 14-14.

Easley’s next drive ended with a disastrous screen pass deep in the backfield. Two plays later, Green Wave safety Sean-Thomas Faulkner stepped in front of a Burton pass just shy of midfield. Faulkner hauled the interception 45 yards to put Easley back on top, much to the delight of an exuberant, camouflage-themed Wave student section.

As expected, the Bears answered. A quick 22-yard run was followed by a Burton to Xavier Nance pass good for 57 yards. Three plays and a Green Wave penalty later, Burton toted the football into the end zone to secure BHP’s third tie of the evening.

Easley wasted little time responding. Tyrese Bradley’s kickoff return started the Wave off with good field position. Black’s third-down pass was short and thrown into double coverage, but Fuller came back and leapt over both defenders for a 41-yard gain. The Black and Fuller show continued when a pass into the back-right corner of the end zone saw Fuller outjump the defender and get a foot down for the score. Baker’s point after gave the Wave their fourth and final lead at 28-21 with 8:29 remaining in the game.

A quick BHP three and out included an overthrown pass to a wide-open Dixon and Burton leaving the game momentarily, so momentum seemed to be in Easley’s favor. Disaster then struck. Black’s attempted handoff to Drawdy was high and mishandled, allowing Dixon to smother the loose ball at the Easley 26. The Bears needed only four plays for Breland Sampson to bull into the end zone behind the power formation, levelling the score at 28-28.

The third short Easley punt was returned to the Green Wave 37, allowing Burton to again take a keeper around the right side from nine yards away and the score. BHP’s first lead of the night, with 2:15 remaining in the game, put the Bears firmly in control.

Only three downs later, BHP sophomore Andrew Owen intercepted a tipped Black pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. Just 50 seconds removed from the winning score, the BHP fanbase barely had time to sit back down before the interception return nailed down the victory.

“I told our guys all week — Easley is a bowling ball full of butcher knives,” BHP coach Russell Blackston said. “They got after us and we had to make some things happen.”

With the loss, Easley dropped to 1-2 on the season. The Wave will play at home again this Friday, hosting archrival Wren at 7:30 p.m.. The always highly anticipated matchup might carry a little extra significance this year, with the Green Wave coming off two consecutive fourth-quarter meltdowns and the Golden Hurricanes losing to local rival Powdersville last week in the inaugural meeting of the two schools. One can expect the student sections to be loud and in full force.

By Rocky Nimmons
Publisher

rnimmons@thepccourier.com

SENECA — The Daniel Lions are rolling, with Friday’s game at Greer being the next obstacle that head coach Jeff Fruster hopes will be flattened out on his team’s march to region play at the end of the season.

Last Friday night, old foe Seneca felt what it was like to be thrashed by Fru’s crew, as the mighty Lions steamrolled the Cats 27-0 in front of a huge contingent of Daniel fans who made the trip to Tom Bass Field.

“We are just trying to get to the best possible start that we can,” Fruster said following the shutout. “We are only going to take them one game at a time. I think we are off to a good start, but at the end of the day we are just trying to win one game at a time.”

The game with Seneca was close through the opening quarter and a half, with the Lions only leading 3-0. But late in the first half, the Lions got momentum on their side following a huge blocked punt that led to a touchdown. Daniel followed that up with a three-play, 20-second touchdown drive that covered 68 yards just before the half to take control, and the blue and gold never looked back, cruising to a lopsided win over their longtime rivals.

Fruster, like everyone in attendance felt the wind rush out of the Bobcats when the blocked punt occurred.

“We have to find creases when we can,” he said. “The one thing that I have figured out in my short tenure as Daniel head coach is nothing is a given. You have to come out and play every down. That includes special teams as well.”

The Lions lost 35-17 last year to a senior-heavy Seneca squad, but this year the contest saw the Lions with all the experience, and from the get-go this time around it was going to be the Lions’ opportunity for revenge.

The Daniel defense started out on fire and shut the ‘Cats down on their first drive, forcing a punt without allowing Seneca a first down. The Daniel sideline exploded when Brandon Peppers took the kick and split the Seneca punt team, racing right up the gut for an apparent touchdown. The score was not to be, as yellow flags rained down and the Lions were called for a block in the back penalty that pushed Daniel back to their 38 to start it first series.

Lion quarterback Ben Batson and his unit hit the field and started a drive that lasted eight plays and managed to get down to the Seneca 17. The drive stalled as Batson missed Drew Swinney on a pass, followed by another misfire to Peppers. Fruster decided to call on his kicker, Nick Muchow, and the senior did his job, splitting the uprights from 34 yards out with 6:47 to play in the first quarter to give the Lions a 3-0 advantage.

The game slowed, with the defenses dominating and forcing three and outs on the next possession for both teams.

Seneca tried to answer the Lions’ score early in the second quarter following a 10-play drive that fizzled at the Daniel 31. Bobcat kicker Hunter Pearson missed on the 48-yard field goal attempt, and the Lions took over on their own 20.

Daniel marched the ball 54 yards in nine plays. Big plays included an eight yard toss from Batson to Will Swinney and a big 15-yard pickup after Batson was flushed from the pocket. This time, however, Muchow missed his mark on a 41-yard field goal attempt as the kick was flat, giving the ball back to the ‘Cats.

Neither team could get any real drives started the next two times they had the pigskin.

Seneca took the Lion punt and put the ball in play on the ‘Cats’ 30. A fumble by Jacob Lynn got the drive started off on a bad note, but lucky for Seneca the Bobcats managed to recover the loose ball and retain possession. That play set the drive on its ear. Three plays later, Pearson came on for a punt. The ball was snapped, and Daniel freshman Tyler Venables found a seam and blasted in, blocking the kick then recovering the ball for the Lions at the Seneca 10-yard line.

On the first snap following the block, Fruster told Batson to get in the end zone and the signal caller did just that, keeping and racing the distance with 1:54 to play in the half. The Lions brought in new kicker Eamon Espy, and he added the extra point to making the score 10-0 in favor of Daniel.

That play set the tone for the remainder of the contest, as momentum was now firmly on Daniel’s side.

“I tell the kids all the time momentum is as big a part of the game as anything,” Fruster said.

The Lions’ defensive unit looked to be improving on every snap and again stymied the Cats and forced a punt. This time Pearson’s kick bounced out of bounds without a return, giving the Lions the ball at the Daniel 32 with only 24 seconds before intermission.

On first down Batson took the snap, faded back, then darted downfield, picking up 37 yards down to the Seneca 31-yard line. On second down, he rolled and spied Will Swinney breaking over the middle and threaded a pass for 16 more yards down to the Seneca 15. As time ticked away, Batson again found Swinney open and fired a strike to his favorite receiver for a Daniel TD. The entire drive lasted only 20 seconds. Espy hit the extra point with just four seconds to play in the half, sending the Lions into intermission on top 17-0.

“We were just trying to move to the ball and we caught a couple of good breaks and ended up scoring right before the half,” Fruster said. “Every now and then you are going to get some balls that bounce your way. We were definitely trying to score, but we caught a couple of fortunate breaks on that drive, too.”

In the third quarter, Seneca got close enough to try a 44-yard field goal, but Pearson’s try hit the goal post and bounced out. That was as close as the Lions would let the Bobcats get for the remainder of the contest.

Daniel added points 12 seconds into the fourth quarter on a 60-yard drive that lasted nine plays. The drive was helped along midway through by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Bobcats. The drive stalled at the Seneca 12, and Fruster sent Espy on for a 29-yard field goal try. The kick was good with 11:48 to play, pushing the Lions’ lead to 20-0.

The final points of the night came on a bruising 72-yard drive by the Lions late in the contest. For Daniel it was all ground and pound, as Batson and running backs Billy Bruce and Kiandre Sims followed the Lions’ massive offensive front to paydirt. Bruce picked up 25 yards on three rushes, while Sims added 23 more on four times carrying the rock. Batson rushed the pigskin six times on the drive for 20 yards, including the final 12 for a touchdown with 2:38 to play. Espy drilled the PAT to give the Lions a 27-0 lead.

The Lion defense continued to dominate, picking up its first shutout of the season.

“I am proud of our defense,” Fruster said. “We gave up a good bit of yards, but at the end of the day no scores is no scores.”

The Lions now must travel to Greer to face Daniel grad Will Young’s Yellow Jackets.

“We will be going down to see old Will (Young), and he will be glad to host us,” Fruster said. “His mind will be the same as ours is — we have to get that win.”

Fruster knows his team will have to be road warriors again this week.

“It is easy to try to get them to defend their home turf,” he said. “Now we have to go on the road with our opponents having that same mentality. Going to Greer is not going to be an easy task. Greer is a formidable opponent. They always have been. They have been putting together good teams year after year. We are going to have our hands full.”

Fruster though encourages all the Lion faithful to make the trip to help the team.

“I love seeing the crowd on the road now,” he said. “Any time you can bring the fans on the road and try to equal out the momentum that a home crowd can create, I think that is key. So a big shout out to our fans for showing up here tonight and cheering us on. They had better be there next Friday at Greer, because we are going to need all the help we can get.”

Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at Greer’s Dooley Field.