Iron Horses remain undefeated at 8-0, face rival Hanahan
Wed, 10/18/2023 - 9:36am
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By:
Philip M. Bowman, sports@thedanielislandnews.com
If the Philip Simmons High School football team was looking ahead to its monumental Region 8-AAA showdown against Hanahan, it didn’t show on the scoreboard in an Oct. 12 game against league foe North Charleston.
The Iron Horses, playing on a Thursday night, jumped to a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and padded the lead to 36-0 at halftime. Coach Eric Bendig was able to get his younger players playing time enroute to a 43-0 victory to set up a game against the Hawks that should decide the region champion.
“Not only is this a rivalry game with a team that has a rich history and a great program, but there is the added importance of the fact of this game being a chance to win the region title for our young program and host a playoff game,” Bendig said. “It is one of the steps to our process we have worked for all offseason and during the season.”
Bendig used eight different ball carriers against the Cougars in a game that didn’t have the off-the-charts offensive statistics that most Iron Horse performances have.
The big news is that Sharod Williams became the second Iron Horse running back to top 1,000 yards on the ground in a season. He carried 10 times for 81 yards and a score. He now has 1,048 for the season.
K.J. Asbury, the other Iron Horse with 1,000 yards under his belt, carried 11 times for 55 yards.
Quarterback play was productive as Tavien Orellana completed 3 of 5, passing for 51 yards and a TD. Max Stafford completed 3 of 5 for 49 yards and two touchdowns. Kolten Kellermann had a big night with three receptions for 48 yards and a pair of TDs.
The Iron Horses pushed their record to 8-0 for the first time in school history, and are 2-0 in league play. North Charleston dropped to 4-5, 1-2.
The Iron Horses have outscored foes 370-131 on the season, but all that matters now is the showdown against rival Hanahan. The Hawks will travel to the Phil on Oct. 20 with a 4-4 record, including 2-0 in league play. They have won back-to-back league games against North Charleston and Battery Creek.
Philip Simmons and Hanahan have played four times with each team winning two. The Iron Horses won 27-18 in the first meeting in 2019 and gained a 22-0 victory last season.