By MONTE DUTTON

Led by running back Thomas Stanley and a duo of quarterbacks who combined to complete 11-12 passes, Hillcrest mauled Laurens, 55-9, at K.C. Hanna Stadium on Friday night.

There’s just no other way to put it.

“It wasn’t ever good, not from the beginning,” Laurens head coach Daryl Smith. “It was little stuff, breakdowns, at the beginning that just snowballed on us. We saw a bunch of things we can improve upon … obviously.

“We’ve got to work on missed tackles, and defensively, that’s a big thing. We have to watch the film and see if we can get a little better.”

The Rams scored on their first and third offensive plays. The Raider offense never scored. Laurens scored on a Travija Austin pick-6 and a safety when Hillcrest’s Kalab Sutton couldn’t wiggle out of his own end zone.

It could be argued that Laurens’ most successful offensive play was a Nick Fowler interception. Brennan Matthews flagged it down, leaping up at the 2-yard line. His momentum carried him into the end zone, and the ball’s placement set up the Laurens safety.

Not much more could be argued about the night. The Rams outrushed the Raiders, 198-64, outpassed them, 146-49, and, duh, outgained them, 304-113. Hillcrest averaged 8.3 yards a rush, Laurens 3.0.

Fifteen seconds into the game, Sutton hit Grant Holliday on a 75-yard bomb. After 2 minutes, 56 seconds, Hillcrest led, 14-0, on Stanley’s 70-yard run, his first of three scores. The senior rushed for 115 yards in eight carries.

Austin’s 55-yard interception return brought the Raiders briefly, very briefly, within seven points, but 39 seconds later, Sutton ran it in from 20 yards after a long kickoff return.

The game blew up. A fumbled punt snap cost Laurens seven points. Jy Leake returned the pick-6 favor for Hillcrest (1-0).

Laurens (0-1) trailed 42-9 at halftime, and from there, the game could not end too soon.

The Raider quarterback, Nick Fowler, was the leading rusher with 27 yards in 9 carries. DaShawn Webb (5-20) averaged four. Fowler hit 9-18 passes for 49 yards. He was intercepted twice.

Sutton was 5-6 for the Rams, gaining 106 yards; the miss was caught, but by the Raiders’ Austin. Nick Danciu was 6-6 but for only 40 yards.

Laurens’ nine completions averaged only 5.4 yards.

Clinton, a 50-28 winner at Batesburg-Leesville, visits K.C. Hanna next Friday night.

“One thing we won’t have to worry about is getting them up for next week. We’ll put this behind us, and they’ll be fired up and ready to go,” Smith said.

It was the debut for Hillcrest head coach Bennett Swygert. Laurens leads the series, 34-17-2, but the Rams have won eight of the last nine meetings.

Hillcrest also won the junior-varsity scrimmage, 30-18, on Thursday night in Simpsonville. The exhibition was played without special teams, so the Rams basically won in touchdowns, 5-3.

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Come join me at Fiesta Grande in Clinton on Wednesday, Aug. 23, for an Open Mic, celebrating local musicians, beginning at 7 p.m.