By CHRIS LANE
Correspondent
PLAYOFFS!
Just the mere mention of the word brings out the rarest of emotions, for the playoffs themselves are rare.
The intensity levels rise beyond comprehension, the overwhelming feeling of success, knowing that your blood, sweat and tears have paid off.
The inner pride of standing with the elite and the confidence of those that have been there before and succeeded.
For the third straight season, Pee Dee Academy’s gridiron gang found themselves in the playoffs after a regular season of tense, gutty play.
The demons of injury and adversity came hard at the Golden Eagles, but here they were. Now, having to play their first playoff game under the lights of Bluffton High School, the enlarged surroundings served as the perfect atmosphere for a playoff showdown with Hilton Head Prep.
Their stage was larger than ever, as were the roles. But, in the opening act, Pee Dee’s blue and gold troops had a front row seat for the Michael Herman Show.
The Hilton Head Prep field general took center stage in the first quarter, scoring on runs of one and 15 yards for a 14-0 lead.
The star struck Golden Eagles had to answer fast, so Kyle Drew led them downfield. Drew would get first downs on runs of nine and 10 yards.
Ed Stephens would also move the chains on a 14 yard gain and Arnett James did the same with a six yard burst to the left side.
With the ball at the Dolphins’ 12 and Pee Dee facing third down, Drew hit Kirk Coleman for 10 yards on the right sideline to cut the lead in half with Dylan Mincey’s PAT.
However, Herman would answer again moments later with a 41-yard floater to Creighton Quinn.
The touchdown gave Hilton Head Prep a 21-7 lead going into the locker room for halftime.
But, the Golden Eagles refused to quit.
Senior Kirk Coleman took the opening second half kickoff and ran through the Dolphins’ like Forrest Gump through the Alabama band. The 90-yard touchdown return cut the lead back to seven again.
But, Herman would not let Pee Dee get any closer. In the final 20 minutes, he would hit Quinn for 27, Jessie Powell for 18 and would take a 61-yard turnover, all for touchdowns, to finish a 41-14 Hilton Head Prep win.
Pee Dee’s season finishes with 7 wins and 4 losses.
Ed Stephens ran for 116 yards in his final game and Kirk Coleman had a total of 64 yards and two scores for the Golden Eagles.
Kyle Drew would finish with a touchdown pass while Storm Page and Chas McMillan led the defense with nine and seven tackles respectively. TJ Jordan and Stephens also finished with six take-downs apiece.
And, so the end of another season, another successful year in the books.
Complete with all of the drama, emotion, sacrifice and success of a prize-winning script.
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