Iron Horses’ late gridiron rally falls short, lose 37-34 to Hanahan

The Philip Simmons High School football team entered an Oct. 20 Region 8-AAA showdown against Hanahan with a perfect record, impressive statistics and dreams of a region championship.

 

However, the Hawks left the Phil with a 37-34 victory in a game that offered just about everything including a double dose of drama and two onside kicks late in the game as the Iron Horses’ valiant attempt to rally came up short. Now, the Iron Horses must play a waiting game to learn their fate as the regular season concludes this

weekend.

 

Hanahan, which improved to 5-4, including 3-0 in the league, needs a victory over Beaufort at home, and if the Hawks achieve that they’re crowned the region champs and Philip Simmons would finish in second place.

 

Philip Simmons, 8-1, 2-1, must win at Battery Creek and have Beaufort top Hanahan to force a three-way tie for the title.

 

Then it would come down to a series of tie-breakers, including the first tie-breaker: points given up in games involving the three teams.

 

The Iron Horses, who entered the game with an average of 10.7 yards per carry and 345 yards on the ground per game, found the going tough against the Hawks.

 

Philip Simmons managed just 86 yards on 22 carries as the team’s two 1,000-yard rushers were held in check. K.J. Asbury, who had nearly 1,500 yards entering the game, managed only 83 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Sharod Williams, who went over the 1,000-yard mark last week, carried three times and had zero yards.

 

That forced the Iron Horses to the air, and quarterback Tavien Orellana had his best numbers of the season. The junior quarterback completed 15 of 21 passing for 216 yards and three touchdowns. 

 

All-state candidate Troy Stevenson was on the receiving end of all the TD passes, including one that covered 75 yards. Stevenson also caught a 60-yard TD pass from Asbury and finished with six receptions for 188 yards.

 

Hanahan, which pushed its winning streak to three games, managed to solve the Iron Horses defense, which had been on a roll lately, allowing only a combined 16 points in its three previous games.

 

Hanahan’s 1-2 punch of quarterback Julius Hippensteel and running back Kevon Rivera were able to decode the Iron Horses’ defensive strategy.

 

Hipensteel completed 9 of 11 passing for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Rivera ran for 237 yards and a pair of TDs.

 

BE falls to Oceanside

 

Meanwhile, Bishop England fell to 1-7, including 0-3 in Region 7-AA as Oceanside Collegiate Academy posted a 47-7 victory at Jack Cantey Stadium.

 

The Bishops need a victory at Academic Magnet Oct. 27 to qualify for the playoffs.

 

The loss came a week after the Bishops picked up their first victory of the season, a 42-0 victory over First Baptist.

 

Bishop England used big plays to crush the Hurricanes and improve to 1-6. First Baptist fell to 1-7.

 

The Bishops settled the issue early, taking a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and upped the margin to 35-0 at halftime.

 

Nate Anderson completed 2 of 4 passing for 57 yards and a touchdown. He connected with Connor Layne for a 25-yard score. Zach Rooney led the Bishops’ running attack with 118 yards and two TDs on 16 carries. Dixon Hardy carried 6 times for 48 yards and two TDs. Jack Leahy made the most of his one carry, ripping off a 73-yard TD run.

 

Editor’s note: This story corrects an error in last week’s story on the BE victory over First Baptist.