Monday, September 16, 2019

Hephzibah, Westside and Harlem opened region play with a win and these are the highlights, statistics and stories from the opening night of class 2A league play

Javeon Harris (4) - Hephzibah


The fourth week of the high school football season was headlined by the beginning of region 4-AA action. Because of postponements caused by lightning Friday night, the last of the opening four games in that league won't be decided until Monday night after Butler hosts defending region champion Jefferson County. But regardless of how that game unfolds, Hephzibah's 35-27 road win over Screven County, Westside's narrow victory at home over Laney and Harlem's thrashing of Glenn Hills ensured that the beginning of conference play proved to be as exciting as we should expect when it comes to region competition, which of course eventually decides which teams will earn a spot in the state playoffs.

Below you will find full game highlights from the first sign of region competition in the area along with as much information as could be gathered over the weekend from the entire area's week four games.

Hephzibah 35, Screven County 27



The visiting Rebels played with poise and benefitted from a string of big plays during the game's most crucial moments by a long list of contributors, securing an important road win over a quality opponent, and improving to 2-0 overall, and 1-0 in region 4-AA action.

First, Javeon Harris ran back a Screven County kick off 70 yards for a touchdown to give Hephzibah a 7-6 lead right after the Gamecocks had scored on their first drive on a quarterback keeper by Austin Markovcic. Then after both teams took turns losing possession on a fumble, Hephzibah defensive back Jecori Johnson swung the momentum back towards his team's side with a diving interception after making a break on a Markovcic pass over the middle. Then quarterback Marshall Chambers extended Hephzibah's good fortune with two touchdown passes, one to Angelo Mosher, and the other to Erick Harris, giving the Rebels a 21-6 heading into halftime.

Marshall Chambers rolls right and looks for a receiver in Friday's win over Screven County.

Chambers was brilliant in engineering his team's only two offensive scoring drives of the game, both before halftime, by which time he had recorded 118 yards passing and 2 touchdowns throws on only 4 completions. On the first drive, he threw a strike to Harris on the right sideline to earn a first down on fourth and four right inside Gamecock territory. And a couple snaps later he barely avoided a sack, escaped toward the right sideline and waved Mosher down field before hitting him in stride on his way to a 28 yard touchdown that put the Rebels ahead 14-6. Later in the half he showed off a strong throwing arm by heaving a perfect spiral to Harris while rolling to his right for a 65 yard touchdown completion.

"He's not just an athlete. He's a quarterback," Hephzibah coach William Harrell stressed after the game. "And he's out here to make people understand... he's a dual threat quarterback. And he's busting his behind to make sure people understand he can throw and he can run."


But it was the second half when both teams proved they have what it takes to emerge from the region schedule in 8 weeks and represent the league in the playoffs. Screven County bolted out of the locker room to score 13 points in the first 5 minutes when Shemar Cheever reached the end zone on a 50 yard run, which was immediately followed by a PJ Flowers interception that was returned to inside of Hephzibah's 5 yard line. 270 pound lineman Demetrius Boyd then lined up in the backfield, took a handoff and trucked his way into the end zone to cut Hephzibah's lead to 21-19 with 7:00 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

But the swing in momentum towards Screven County was instantly reversed when on the ensuing kickoff Harris sprinted 85 yards for a Rebel touchdown. Moments later, Hephzibah safety Enoch Howard recovered a Screven County fumble on a botched pitch inside the Gamecocks' 5 yard line, which led to a Ronald Coleman touchdown run and a Jalen Gibson 2 point conversion to give Hephzibah a 35-19 lead. And there was still 4:00 remaining in the third quarter!

Enoch Howard (8) and Jalen Gibson (70)

Howard and Jecori Johnson, who between them accounted for three of Hephzibah's five takeaways, talked after the game about the "family bond" that they say defines their team, which is believable after seeing the way this group, which is fresh off a school record 8 win season, responded to adversity Friday and stuck together through the difficult stretches that come with playing against a good team on the road in league play.

"At Hephzibah we play for more than just us. This is really just a family bond," Johnson said. "Everybody here just loves each other and at the end of the day, no matter how down we are... we're gonna keep fighting besides each other. And I would never like to play for nobody but Hephzibah."

Howard told me in the post game interview he played middle school football with Johnson, and he said he and Johnson have been playing with other current teammates Gibson, (Erick) Harris, Chambers and E'shawn Mayes for years. He was also quick to give credit to others when talking about his own impact on the game in making 8 tackles from the strong safety position:

"They (Gibson and fellow defensive tackle Raul Rodriguez) were just messing up the whole play. It started up front with the D-line," Howard explained. "Them boys held their ground, and I'm really proud of them."

Hephzibah's defense held Screven County to 227 yards rushing, which is 130 yards fewer than its per game average in the first two weeks of the season when the Gamecocks earned close wins over Bluffton and Southeast Bulloch. Along with Howard, a host of Rebel defenders deserve credit for getting the job done, including Nickolas Callen (13 tackles), Dale Mealing (13), Malachi Louis (8) Rodriguez (7), Gibson (7), Ivan Arroyo (6) and Jaiden Wofford (6).

But the deciding play came with less than 4 minutes remaining when Johnson answered a third and final Screven County lunge back into contention. The Gamecocks had just pulled to within one score on Cheever's second rushing touchdown of the game and then immediately forced a Hephzibah three-and-out. On first and 10 from the Hephzibah 41 yard line, Markovcic threw another pass into Johnson's territory. This time instead of diving for the pick, Johnson caught it in stride and ran it back across midfield before being forced out on the left sideline into the Rebel bench, where his teammates, or as he would put it, his "family," greeted him and thanked him for sealing the all important win.


"I'm not gonna lie to you... It took me like three steps to realize I had the ball," Johnson told me after the game about his game clinching interception. "All I know is you just go. You can't be thinking about 'who's over here, who's over there?'"

Westside 6, Laney 0


Maddox Hankinson kicked field goals of 42 and 36 yards to provide the difference on the scoreboard and give the Patriots their first win of the season. Hankinson also did his part in pinning Laney deep in their own territory several times, recording a touchback on all three of his kick off's, and also booting a 50 yard punt.


The other necessary ingredient in Westside's winning its region opener despite failing to cross the goal line for the second time in two games this season was a defense that, in coach Jon Wiley's words, is "stacked with ball players." The unit hasn't given up a touchdown in eight quarters against Richmond and Laney, and it can boast of these accomplishments in Friday's game:


  • 7 forced turnovers (4 fumbles, 2 interceptions, 1 on downs)
  • Allowed only 134 yards on 50 snaps (a large snap count due to Westside's struggles on offense)
  • Recorded 14 tackles for a loss
  • Recorded 4 sacks while forcing Laney into completing only 4 of 20 passes

Harlem 35, Glenn Hills 0



Junior phenom Cameron Garnett was 100% for an entire game for the first time this season, and the statistics for both his team and himself reflected that fact. According to the Augusta Chronicle's Will Cheney, Garnett rushed for two touchdowns and 152 yards on 20 carries. Sophomore Jeremiah Ellis also scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who improved to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in region play.

Jefferson County at Butler (Monday, 6:00 P.M.)

Follow the @AugBball social media timeline for video highlights and updates from this special "Monday night football" game that was rescheduled because of Friday's weather troubles. Both teams enter the contest 0-2, but Jefferson County's losses came to a pair of top 10 teams in Swainsboro and Washington County. The Warriors also started last season with a pair of losses against the same two teams before they ran off 10 straight wins to claim a region title and advance to the class 2A state playoff quarterfinal round.

More Week 4 Results


Besides unbeaten and unchallenged Barnwell, no area team is hotter right now than Strom Thurmond (3-1), which blitzed Midland Valley 40-0 last night for its third straight victory over a local class 4A team. Thurmond is the defending champion of its 3A region. The Rebels will visit Emerald next Friday.


Silver Bluff 42, Denmark-Olar 14 




Grovetown 13, Richmond 7 




Jose Taylor scored on a 71 yard touchdown run and Kori Bryant also rushed for a touchdown from a yard out.

Fox Creek 20, McCormick 14 - OT




Augusta Christian 19, Cardinal Newman 14





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