The Hillcrest Rams scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to run away from the Laurens Raiders 56-17 on Friday night in Simpsonville.
A wet, soggy field hampered both teams but the Rams took advantage of Raider miscues for a season-opening win.
The Raiders came out of the gate after the opening kickoff and drove the ball right at the Rams. After a key fourth down conversion by Nemo Fernandez, the senior running back scored from one yard out to give Laurens a 7-0 lead.
Hillcrest answered on their first play of the game, an 80-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7.
Laurens made key plays on the ensuing drive, led by freshman quarterback Logan Bragg and sophomore receiver Damaija Crooks. Brock Franklin connected on a 33-yard field goal to give Laurens a 10-7 lead.
“He’s got such a high ceiling,” said Raiders head coach Greg Porter when talking about Bragg. “He doesn’t dwell on mistakes, he’s on to the next play. He made some great throws tonight in rough conditions and we’re looking forward to seeing him grow this season.”
Big plays again propelled the Rams down the field and quarterback Jackson Free scored from one yard out to give Hillcrest a 14-10 lead.
Laurens would not go quietly and took the lead back after an 18-yard touchdown run by Denari Lee-Jackson. After a Franklin PAT, Laurens led 17-14.
That would be the last lead and the last points for Laurens on the night.
Hillcrest scored on a 78-yard touchdown pass and a 30-yard pick six to take a 28-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.
“If you made a recipe for what can go wrong in a game, that’s what we saw in the second half,” said Porter. “Turnovers, missed assignments and the field conditions all came together and things just got away from us. We’re going to look at what needs to be adjusted and fixed but we’re also going to look for positives. We moved the ball well, the defense had its moments, and we’re a young team with a lot of growth ahead of us.”
Laurens will host Clinton on Friday night. Watch the game on Facebook or YouTube on the Laurens Raiders Sports Network. Pregame show begins at 6:30pm with kickoff at 7:30pm.