Hawks and Iron Horses clinch football victories
It was a night when local high school teams got defensive about their performances. And that put Philip Simmons and Hanahan in the winning column.
Philip Simmons, in its first year as a varsity football team, recorded its first shutout in school history Friday night with a 28-0 victory over North Charleston.
Hanahan, meanwhile, was downright defensive in a 62-0 victory over Academic Magnet. The Hawks picked off nine Raptor passes and returned three for touchdowns to remain perfect in conference play.
PHILIP SIMMONS 28, N. CHARLESTON 0
Philip Simmons has struggled on defense in its initial season, allowing 38.7 points heading into the home game against North Charleston. But coach Eric Bendig’s stoppers got the job done against the Cougars. North Charleston held the visitors to 118 yards, including 24 on the ground.
The Iron Horses collected 223 of their 261 total yards on the ground to gain a region win. All four Iron Horses’ scores came on runs.
Bryant Collins scored on runs of 12 and 23 yards while Solly Bess broke free for a 38-yard TD. He finished with 95 yards on 12 carries. Javier Collins-Smith continued to be productive, scoring from 24 yards out. He rushed seven times for 73 yards.
Collins-Smith is the Iron Horses’ top offensive performer this fall with 531 yards rushing while Bess has 226 yards rushing.
Collins-Smith also shone on defense with seven tackles, including three for a loss. He logged two quarterback sacks. Nate Newman led the team with eight tackles.
R.J. Watson and Luther Smalls picked off passes for the Iron Horses.
The Iron Horses improved to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in Region 6-AA play. Philip Simmons will have a tough chore when it plays Oceanside Collegiate this weekend. Oceanside Collegiate is on a four-game winning streak and is 5-1 overall and 2-0 in league play.
HANAHAN 62, ACADEMIC MAGNET 0
Hanahan set a school record with nine interceptions to overwhelm Academic Magnet.
Wesley Crain returned two interceptions for touchdowns while Logan Ammons scored on an interception.
The Hawks struggled at times on offense and finished with 273 yards in total offense as coach David Morbitzer was able to give backups plenty of playing time.
The Hawks rushed for 179 yards with Gale Ball accounting for 30 on three carries. Shiron Hart had only one carry, but scored on a 34-yard TD run.
Braelyn Smith had two carries for 22 yards for a score while Cameron Morgan carried four times for 44 yards.
Quarterback Mac Blakeney completed three passes for 94 yards and three touchdowns.The Hawks top receivers were Jake Ward and Davis Wood. Ward caught two passes – both for touchdowns – and totaled 64 yards. Davis Wood had one catch, a 30-yard TD.
Hanahan is 3-3 overall and 2-0 in Region 8-AAA play. The Hawks are tied for first place in the conference with Manning. The Hawks travel to Georgetown to battle a Bulldog team that is 1-3, 0-1.