Hartsville gets payback over Tigers

No second-half comebacks this time.

After a heart-wrenching loss to Conway three weeks ago, the Hartsville Red Foxes earned a little redemption Friday in the first round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs.

Hartsville rushed for 264 yards, held the ball for most of the second half and kept Conway’s offense off balance for a 28-21 win in “The Backyard.”

“We hadn’t beaten them since 1997, and to come in here and win this game is big for us and big for our program,” Hartsville coach Jeff Calabrese said. “After that first game, I think it proved to our kids that we could play with Conway, and this game was a big step for us.”

After being knocked out after the first series in the teams’ first meeting, Hartsville running back Bennett Saunders made up for it by rushing for 180 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a scoring pass.

After a somewhat sub-par game the first time, Red Foxes quarterback Wil Newsome made amends Friday by throwing for 142 yards, one touchdown and rushing for two more scores.

“Being able to come here and get a second chance at these guys is an amazing

feeling,” Newsome said. “When we’re clicking on offense, I don’t think anyone can stop us.”

And the Red Foxes clicked most of the night.

Twice in the first quarter, Conway drove down the field for touchdowns behind quarterback Dakota Derrick, who completed six of his first seven passes and threw two TDs.

But each time, Hartsville answered. Newsome connected with Jordan Lyles on a 51-yard pass that set up Newsome’s 1-yard run on the first touchdown. Then, on the Red Foxes next drive, Saunders got a few key blocks and shed even more tackles to bust free for a 57-yard run to knot the score at 14 early in the second quarter.

“The running backs had the easy part,” Saunders said. “The line did most of the work. They played an amazing game. Being able to run the ball and take time off the clock was an important part of this game.”

After giving up touchdowns on Conway’s first two possessions, the Hartsville defense stiffened and didn’t allow the Tigers back in the end zone until the final two minutes of regulation.

Derrick completed 18 of 36 passes for three touchdowns, but also threw two picks, including one in the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t play well on offense or defense, and Hartsville was certainly the better team tonight,” Conway coach Chuck Jordan said. “They controlled the ball for most of the second half and when we did get opportunities on offense, we had six drops.”

After catching just four passes the previous game, Lyles caught seven passes for 104 yards Friday, all in the first half.

“They left Jordan with one-on-one coverage, and we showed them why that’s not a good idea,” Newsome said. “He made a couple of outstanding catches. Once they doubled him, that opened things up for the running game and some of the other receivers.”

Newsome hit Saunders on a 20-yard score late in the second quarter to put Hartsville up 21-14 at the half. After the Hartsville defense stopped the Tigers’ opening drive of the second half, the Red Foxes did something they couldn’t the first time around: Run a lot of time off clock.

The Red Foxes mounted a 16-play drive that erased close to nine minutes before Newsome’s second quarterback sneak for a touchdown.

“We’ve been trying to get coach to run that play all year,” Newsome said laughing. “I’m glad he decided to use it tonight.”

The Red Fox defense took over from there. They halted Conway’s next drive, and with time winding down in the fourth quarter, Jamie Davis picked off Derrick on the Hartsville 25-yard line to negate another potential score.

“They bent a little bit early on, but they kept their focus and didn’t break,” Calabrese said. “They made plays when they needed to and played a great game. Those two interceptions were big.”

A busted assignment allowed a long TD pass in the closing minutes of the game to make things interesting, but Hartsville recovered the onside kick.

A fourth-down gamble in the previous game swung momentum in favor of the Tigers, but that didn’t stop Calabrese from going for it again on fourth down this time. Twice on fourth and 1 Hartsville went for it and was successful both times.

“Sometimes you come up lucky,” Calabrese said laughing. “And sometimes you don’t.”