Philip Simmons staves off Wade Hampton in 1-point win

High school football playoff games always seem to offer drama, especially third-round affairs that feature the best teams the Palmetto State has to offer.

 

But Nov. 19’s Barnwell vs. Philip Simmons Class AA clash will throw in some family drama, and, no, we’re not talking about the Kardashians.

 

Barnwell, which comes to town with an 8-4 record, is coached by Dwayne Garrick. His son, Tamin, will be standing on the Philip Simmons sideline. The younger Garrick is an assistant coach who works with the quarterbacks.

 

“We definitely gave him a little harassment,” coach Eric Bendig said of Sunday’s staff meeting. “We asked him who his mom would cheer for Friday night. And we asked him if it would make Thanksgiving a little different this year, depending on the outcome of the game.”

 

The winner of the Nov. 19 game will advance to the Lower State championship. If the Iron Horses win, they will get another home game during Thanksgiving weekend.

 

Philip Simmons, the new kid on the block because of its short four-year history of being in the varsity pigskin business, is having a season that might be hard to top even a decade from now. The Iron Horses own a school record seven-game winning streak and school record 11-1 record. And those two playoff victories? You guessed it, a school record. The 11th victory of the season was also the 20th victory in the program’s history.

 

Speaking of drama, Nov. 12’s 15-14 victory over Wade Hampton was dripping with suspense. On the first play of the game, a Red Devil defender picked off quarterback Tripp Williams’ pass and returned it for a touchdown to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.

 

But on this night, mettle might have meant more than muscle.

 

Fast forward to the last minute of the game when Williams got redemption and the Iron Horses got the victory. The senior quarterback completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Riley Beard with about 30 seconds to go to give the Iron Horses the 15-14 victory.

 

It was a somewhat sloppy game as Williams also threw two interceptions in the Wade Hampton redzone. The drives died, but the Iron Horses remained alive. 

 

Wade Hampton led 7-0 after the quick score, but Philip Simmons rallied to tie the score as Williams completed a 43-yard pass to wideout Tristan Skipper in the red zone. Running back Isaac Schimpf bullied in on a 6-yard touchdown run to cap the drive.

 

Wade Hampton scored a touchdown in the third quarter while Philip Simmons recorded a safety on a bad snap on a punt attempt. Those two points came up big although the Red Devils led 14-9 to begin the third quarter.

 

The Iron Horses managed a 35-yard scoring drive that was capped by Williams’ touchdown throw to Beard. The two-point conversion failed and the Iron Horse defense held in the waning seconds.

 

Skipper, who had the big catch to set up the first score, played well on both sides of the ball. He had three receptions for 88 yards and logged 11 tackles, including six solo and two for a loss. L.J. Goss led the Iron Horses with 16 tackles, including nine solo and one tackle for a loss. Bryce Smalls, tallied 11 tackles. He had eight solo stops.

 

“The defense played really well,” Bendig said. “To give up only one touchdown in a playoff means you are getting the job done.”