It’s a streak!
Laurens won for the second week in a row, wrapping up a playoff berth with a 23-13 Region 2-4A victory over hapless Wade Hampton on Friday night at K.C. Hanna Stadium.
Quarterback Nick Danciu passed for 49 yards and rushed for 44, scoring a touchdown both ways, and Denari Lee-Jackson rushed for 92 yards in 21 carries as the Raiders defeated the Generals for the 12th consecutive time.
Laurens (2-7, 2-1 region) trailed at halftime after Will Kay scored on a five-yard rush with 4:53 remaining in the first quarter, and John Stone’s placement gave Wade Hampton (2-6, 0-2) a lead it held until Danciu’s own five-yard rush with 10:23 left in the third quarter, and Brock Franklin’s extra point tied the game for 5 minutes, 17 seconds, at which point the Raiders scored again on Nick Fowler’s eight-yard cash of Danciu’s pass.
In the fourth quarter, Franklin kicked a 31-yard field goal. Javaye Suber’s pick-six of 27 yards off the Generals’ Jack Stepp put the game away with 8:39 remaining.
A Javarous Haygood scoring run of 10 yards brought the Generals back within 10 points at the final horn.
If you’re interested in the game’s most curious moment, it came from the final score. Haygood’s score was followed by a colorful shower of yellow flags that left Wade Hampton trying a two-point conversion from its own 47.
Not surprisingly, it didn’t work.
The statistics were close. Laurens had only six more yards of total offense (259-253) than Wade Hampton, even though the Generals barely budged the ball on the ground. Not that they didn’t try. Wade Hampton rushed 40 times, netting 107 yards but averaged just 2.7 per carry. Stepp connected on 13/22 passes for 150 yards. He was intercepted once, by Suber.
Josh Goodwin hauled in three of Danciu’s six completions. JaQuon Haygood caught five passes for the Generals.
Laurens has its bye week on the week before the playoffs start, so next week’s visit to Eastside (4-4, 0-2) wraps up the regular season.
Clinton’s junior varsity football team won again on Thursday evening.
They played, didn’t they?
A 30-13 victory over Woodruff at Wilder Stadium was the Red Devils’ eighth straight this season and 43rd in a row overall. Clinton visits Chester next Thursday.
K.J. Vance scored three touchdowns, two via the rush and one via a reception from quarterback Owen Glenn. Jarius Scurry also rushed for a touchdown.
Woodruff led 7-6 after a quarter, but the Red Devils led 14-7 at halftime and hiked the margin with additional touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters.
Our kids had a great week of practice that led to the field,” coach Dontavius Glenn stated. “We made plays on both sides of the ball that helped tremendously. All of our players contributed to the win.”
The Laurens JVs also won, 28-18, at Wade Hampton. Laurens (3-5) closes out versus Eastside at home.
Clinton won a home cross-country meet over Fountain Inn, Broome and Emerald. William Reid (17:41.76) won the meet, Charlie Cody (18:00.72) was third, Sam Gearhart (18:33.77) was fifth, Gage Dominick (18:33.77) sixth and Hayden Stinson (19:29.04) eighth.
The girls finished third behind Fountain Inn and Broome. Marissa Brewer (27:32.9) finished ninth to lead the Devils.
Elsewhere on Friday night, the Anderson Cavaliers (3-4) blanked Thornwell (1-6), 59-0.
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