BY  JAY BENNETT

It took almost a full five years for the Cheraw Braves to get a chance to avenge their 27-21 loss to Batesburg Leesville in the 2005 State Championship game and Coach Johnny White’s squad did not waste that chance last Friday night, as they posted a convincing 21-7 win over the Panthers in the first round of the Class AA playoffs in Batesburg.

Coach Courtney McInnis’ squad came into the contest with a 7-3 overall mark and the #2 seed in Region 3, while the Braves struggled to a 3-7 record and the #3 seed in Region 4.  The beauty of the playoff system though, is that records do not count anymore and state titles are won on the field and not in the polls.  Coach White’s young squad took full advantage of their renewed chance and they came out as the aggressor, taking the battle to the Panthers from the opening whistle.

The key to a Cheraw victory was winning the turnover battle and keeping the football away from the home team.  Coach McInnis stated before the contest that he was concerned about the Braves playing keep-away from his squad and that’s exactly what happened, as Cheraw ran 61 plays and kept the ball for 31:35, while the Panthers ran 45 plays and only had the football for 16:25.   Coach Billy Amick’s defensive unit also played their best game of the year, as they forced seven Panther turnovers and knocked several players out of the contest with some bone-jarring hits.

Durrell Hawkins was the main man on offense for Cheraw, as the junior halfback rushed for 164 yards on 28 carries and he scored three touchdowns.  Tyrelle Leaphart also had a great game for the home team, as the senior ran the football for 169 yards in only 13 rushes, putting him over the 1,000- yard barrier for the season.

“I’m extremely proud of this team and the way they played tonight,” Coach White stated.  “We really took it to them and I don’t think they were ready for that.  I would also like to congratulate our assistant coaches for their hard work last week.  They all worked very hard and they had our players well-prepared.  I could see a completely different attitude in practice last week and the kids really responded after a disappointing regular season,” Coach White added.

The Braves improved to 4-7 with the victory and they will travel to Woodruff this Friday night to face the 8-3 Wolverines.  Woodruff won the Region 2 championship and they defeated Carolina, 44-10, last Friday night.  This will be the first-ever meeting between the two powerhouse schools.

The home team won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half, so the Braves got the first shot on offense.  Xavier Taylor returned Dylan Jones’ pooch kick to the 40-yard stripe, giving the visitors great field position.  Coach White mixed up the wishbone and I-formations on the opening march and it worked to perfection.  Ten consecutive running plays moved the ball down to the B-L    one-yard line and it appeared that Durrell Hawkins had scored on the next play, but the officials marked the ball inches short of the goal line.  Hawkins got the call again on the next play, but the ball was knocked out of his hands by Rivers Bedenbaugh.  Storm Jacobs was able to fall on the ball at the five-yard line, giving the Braves one more chance.  Jacobs then rolled out to his left and found a wide-open Darius Little in the endzone, but the senior halfback dropped the ball, turning the pigskin over on downs to the home team.   That opening drive was good for 55 yards on 13 plays and it ran 6:30 off the clock, but the Braves came away with no points.

The Panther faithful seemed to breathe a little easier after stopping the Braves on the opening drive and the offense came out firing on all cylinders.  Tyrelle Leaphart got loose on the second play from scrimmage and the senior halfback raced 69 yards, before Darius Little made a touchdown-saving tackle at the Cheraw 25-yard stripe.  Leaphart took the pitch, on an option play to the right, and it took a great play by Little to run him down.   Little’s tackle became even bigger, two plays later, as K.J. Johnson fumbled the pigskin at the 24-yard line and Franklin Wilson fell on it for the Braves.

The B-L defense made some quick adjustments, after the opening long drive by Cheraw, and they forced a three and out on this possession.  Brad Bradley then came on and got off a spiraling 34-yard punt, a boot that seemed to sail on Juawan Etheridge.  Etheridge reached up to catch the football, but it glanced off his hands and rolled free.  Several players attempted to fall on the football, but it was Demetris Holiday that recovered the pigskin for the Braves, at the Panthers’ 23-yard line.

Three running plays got the ball down to the 16-yard line, as the first quarter came to an end, with the Braves facing and fourth down and three.  The opening period statistics were about dead even, with Cheraw gaining 69 total yards in 19 plays, while the home team had 71 yards in only four snaps.  Leaphart’s 69-yard jaunt accounted for almost all of the home team’s yards, as Cheraw’s yardage mostly came on the methodical opening drive.

Durrell Hawkins then gave the visitors the lead, on the very first play of the second quarter, as he scored from seven yards out, on a quick pitch to the left.  Hawkins was hit at about the four-yard line, but he drug at least three B-L defenders into the endzone.  James Davis then came on and added the P.A.T to give the Braves a 7-0 lead with 11:52 left before intermission.

After an exchange of punts, the turnover bug hit the home team again, as Johnson fumbled the football for the second time and Joseph McFarlin fell on the pigskin for the Braves, at the B-L 19-yard line.
Storm Jacobs hit Franklin Wilson, out of the backfield, on first down and the senior fullback gained nine yards.  Hawkins then gained seven yards on the next snap, picking up a first down and moving the ball down to the three-yard line.  Hawkins then scored his second touchdown of the contest, as the senior went into the endzone, untouched, off the right side.  James Davis added his second P.A.T. of the night and the Braves suddenly had a 14-0 advantage with 5:37 left in the first half of play.

Ricky Adams, the Panthers’ second-leading rusher, hurt his ankle on a 16-yard run, as he had to be physically carried off the field.  Two incomplete passes and a short run by Johnson, brought up a fourth down and eight from the B-L 35-yard stripe.  Coach McInnis then called for a fake punt, but Durrell Hawkins stayed at home and the junior linebacker tackled K.J. Johnson for no gain.

The Braves got the ball back with only 3:58 left in the first half, but they had great field position, at the Panthers’ 35-yard line.  Hawkins then went back to work and he carried the pigskin four consecutive times, with his fourth carry picking up a first down and moving the chains to the 22-yard line.  Two more running plays gained seven yards and brought up a fourth down play, as the home team called a timeout to set up their defense.  Coach White then dialed up a pass to the tight end, but Josh Harrington could not hold onto football, as he was all alone in the endzone.

The Panthers then ran out the remaining :25 seconds of the first half and the Braves carried a 14-0 lead into intermission.  Even though Cheraw had a two-touchdown lead at the break, it could have been 28-0, if not for two dropped passes in the endzone.

The Braves had 128 total yards and seven first downs at the break, while the home team had 90 total yards and only two first downs.  Cheraw had also won the time of possession battle, 17:31 to 6:29, and they had run 35 plays to only 17 for the home squad.

Whatever Coach McInnis said to the Panthers at the halftime break seemed to work in a hurry, as their offensive unit came out and immediately cut the Cheraw lead in half.  Leaphart got loose for 17 yards on the first play of the second half and K.J. Johnson hooked up with Taquan West for 28 yards, to move the ball down to Cheraw 24-yard line.  Two running plays only netted seven yards, but then Johnson found his tight end, Damon Smith, over the middle and the senior rumbled in for a touchdown, capping the seven-play, 67-yard drive.  Dylan Jones then came on and added the P.A.T. to cut the Cheraw advantage to 14-7 with 9:21 left in the third quarter.

The momentum continued to swing towards the home team, on Cheraw’s next possession, as the Braves had a holding penalty and then had three consecutive running plays stopped for no gain.  Brad Bradley then got off a booming 39-yard punt and the Panthers started their next series, at their own 33-yard line.

Leaphart then continued his torrid running, picking up 20 yards in two runs and moving the chains to the Cheraw 47-yard line.  Juawan Etheridge then committed his second turnover of the game, as he fumbled the football on the next play and Forrest Privette recovered for the Braves, at the 46-yard line.

That turnover seemed to settle things down for the visitors, as Durrell Hawkins ripped off a     17-yard run, to pick up a first down for the Braves.  Hawkins was slightly shaken up on his long run and he had to come out of the game.  That left Darius Little and Xavier Taylor to carry the load, but that duo could not do it on this march, as Taylor was tackled at the 30-yard stripe, two yards short of a first down.

The Panthers then came out throwing the football, as Johnson connected with Taquan West on a 27-yard crossing route, but Demetrius Miller stripped the ball away from West and Forrest Privette came up with his second fumble recovery of the night.

Cheraw then went three and out on their next possession and the third period of play ended after a 39-yard punt by Brad Bradley.  The home team had dominated that period, but could only score one touchdown.  B-L amassed 123 total yards and five first downs in the third quarter, while the Braves only gained 25 total yards on 11 offensive snaps.

The Cheraw defense then rose up and stopped the home team at their own 30-yard stripe, as Demetris Holiday got to Johnson and sacked him on third down.  Ricky Adams then limped back onto the field and tried to punt the football.  He almost missed the ball and the punt only traveled nine yards, setting the Braves up at the B-L 38-yard line.

Darius Little ripped off an 11-yard gainer to move the chains and then Xavier Taylor picked up three yards to get the pigskin down to the 25-yard stripe.  It was then Durrell Hawkins time, as the junior halfback carried the ball the next four plays, capping the short scoring march with a seven-yard burst, off the right side.  James Davis then came on and converted his third P.A.T. of the game to up the Cheraw lead to 21-7 with only 9:10 left in the contest.

The home team refused to quit and they came right back down the field, thanks to the legs of Tyrelle Leaphart.   The senior halfback ran the football four straight times, with his fourth carry appearing to get the ball down to the Cheraw five-yard line.  A holding penalty against the Panthers, their only penalty of the contest, nullified the long run and backed the pigskin up to the 38-yard line. Three plays later, Franklin Wilson stripped K.J. Johnson of the football, at the 25-yard line, and the Braves had dodged another bullet.

Cheraw could not move the ball on their next possession, but they did run 2:30 off the scoreboard clock and B-L got the ball back, at their own 45-yard stripe, with only 4:15 left in the contest.

Ricky Adams came in at the quarterback spot, as K.J. Johnson had gotten hurt on his last fumble. It was another Leaphart run though, as the senior got loose for 27 yards, on a jet sweep run towards the home sideline.  Forrest Privette continued his fine play with a sack of Adams on the next snap and then Darius Little put the final nail in the coffin, with an interception in the endzone, as he outjumped Tray Stroman for the football.

The seventh B-L turnover gave Cheraw the football back with 2:52 left in the ballgame and the Braves were able to run out the rest of the clock, as Hawkins broke free for 25 yards, to pick up one final first down and put a capper on the 21-7 victory.
The Braves finished the night with 219 total yards on 61 plays, while the home team totaled 283 yards on 45 offensive snaps.   “We felt that we could run the ball on them and we did a pretty good job of that.  We were just a few steps away from breaking a bunch of big runs, but their linebackers did a good job of tackling our backs,” Coach White said.

“We also had some opportunities in the passing game, but we had two drops in the endzone, so once we got the lead by two touchdowns, we played it close to the vest.  We wanted to just run the ball and keep the clock going.  We did not want to take any chances the rest of the game and our offensive line did a great job,” Coach White added.

“Our defensive effort was also a key tonight, as we created a lot of turnovers at crucial times. We really did a great job of tackling low and stripping the ball from their runners.  We worked very hard in practice on tackling last week and it really paid off tonight.  We also had great pursuit to the ball and hit the hardest we have all season long,” Coach White stated.

“We’ve got Woodruff next and this will be the first time that we have ever played them.  They have a storied football history and their stadium is named after their legendary former head coach, Willie Varner.  I’ve heard they average around 5,000 people at their games, so it should be an exciting atmosphere next Friday night.  We are looking forward to this challenge and try to keep moving along in the playoffs,” Coach White added.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

(OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK)

#33    Junior halfback, Durrell Hawkins, rushed for 164 yards on 28 carries and he scored three touchdowns in Cheraw’s 21-7 win over Batesburg-Leesville.

(DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK)

#38    Junior linebacker, Forrest Privette, led the defensive effort with nine total tackles; including 5 primary stops, 3 assists, 1 sack and 2 fumble recoveries in Cheraw’s 21-7 victory