North Augusta football survives Aiken to open region play with a win on the road
· Yahoo Sports
NORTH AUGUSTA 38, AIKEN 15
The energy was palpable in Hagood Stadium on Sept.18 for the first region game of the season at Aiken High School.
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Both the Hornets and North Augusta came into the night 3-1 with some commanding victories under their belts and a desire to get a head start in the region with another win. While the 38-15 scoreline in the Jackets’ favor may look lopsided, it was a dogfight through all four quarters between the two.
“We're always happy to get a win,” said North Augusta head coach Richard Bush. “On a Friday night, wins are always hard to come by, no matter who you're playing, and that’s a much-improved team. We came out, we got a good lead and we were able to hold on. We made plays when we needed to make plays, so happy about that. But we can still be a lot more consistent. We’ve got to continue to get better.”
Aiken’s defense made the Jackets earn every single point they put on the board, starting off by forcing them to settle for a field goal in the opening quarter with a stop in the end zone on third down. However, It wouldn’t take them long to extend their lead to 10-0 with running back Jayden Hatcher’s first touchdown of the night just a few plays later.
While a strong defensive showing gave the Hornets opportunities throughout the first two quarters, the offense was never able to crack through North Augusta, with almost every drive ending in a punt. Every time it seemed like Aiken’s offense was picking up some steam downfield, the Jackets weren’t far behind to spoil the fun.
Having all three phases working well is a big emphasis for North Augusta, and against a team like Aiken, it was important for the Jackets to take advantage of every opportunity they got to control the game.
“We felt like we had some stuff open in different areas, and we were able to capitalize when we needed to,” Bush said. “But their defensive line's good. They get after you. They play hard. They're physical. And we make plays when we need to make plays. But yeah, that's a good football team.”
Head coach Steve Hibbitts said the offensive struggles in the first half were partly due to having to adjust when standout wide receiver Allen Cummings left the game early with an injury.
“He went down, so we had to do some shuffling around,” he said. “So when that happened, he was our go-to guy. But other guys stepped in, and we were able to piece together some drives. But the main thing for us, we weren't consistent. But we'll make the corrections, and we'll get back at it next week.”
The second touchdown of the night came off of a botched kickoff return from the Hornets, giving North Augusta the ball back with prime field position for tight end Kydre Wright to score from just outside the goal line.
From this point forward, the Jackets had found their rhythm on both sides of the ball, adding a third touchdown just before the half on the 30-yard reception from wide receiver Aiden Lee. With a 24-0 lead, they looked poised to run away with the game in the second half, but the Hornets weren’t ready to give up that easily.
“We knew coming in, they have a great defense,” Hibbitts said. “Hats off to their defense. But our defense is really good, too, and in the first half we had a couple bad breaks that gave them short fields. But man, I am so proud of these kids for the way they fought. Because they were down at the half pretty good, and we just said, ‘Hey, come out and get a little bit at a time, a little bit at a time.’”
Most of the third quarter was a defensive battle with both teams punting the ball back and forth, but at the tail end of the period Aiken had something brewing on offense. The Hornets finally broke through as the clock hit all zeros in the third with quarterback Tanner Padgett keeping the ball for a 40-yard touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion to cut down on North Augusta’s lead.
Scoring started to pick up again heading into the fourth with the Jackets quickly responding to add seven more points on the board on Hatcher’s second touchdown of the night. This was closely followed by a pick-six from Aiken duel-threat Jeremiah Thomas to make it a two-score game with an entire quarter left to play.
And while the comeback never came to fruition for the Hornets as North Augusta added another touchdown midway through the quarter to put things out of reach, Hibbitts said he was proud of how his team fought until the end.
Aiken be back home to face undefeated Strom Thurmond on Sept.25 before heading on the road for another region matchup against Midland Valley to open up October.
For North Augusta, Bush said the win was a testament to the hard work the team has put in to get ready for one of the more difficult stretches of the schedule with May River and Irmo in the next two weeks.
“The guys just put their nose to the ground and just work,” he said. “So that's the biggest thing we talk about each day, is making sure it's our best every day. And it's not always pretty, but the guys are consistently showing up to work and trying to get better and working. And that's all we can ask for. So, we're excited about our team and is excited about where we're headed.”
Scoring Summary:
NA – 10 14 0 14 -- 38
A – 0 0 8 7 -- 15
First Quarter
NA — 3:51 Jacob DeGennaro field goal
NA — 2:40 Jayden Hatcher 6-yard run (DeGennaro PAT)
Second Quarter
NA — 1:30 Kydre Wright 3-yard run (DeGennaro PAT)
NA — .18 Collin Tillman to Aiden Lee 30-yard reception (DeGennaro PAT)
Third Quarter
A — 0:00 Tanner Padgett 40-yard run (2 pt. conversion)
Fourth Quarter
NA — 11:34 Hatcher 1-yard run (DeGennaro PAT)
A — 10:27 Jeremiah Thomas pick-six 25 yards (Zachary Groseclose PAT)
NA— 5:38 Alkaleb Terrell 6-yard run (DeGennaro PAT)