WAYNESBORO, Ga. – Burke County topped Evans 50-14 Friday night at the Bear Den in Waynesboro while the rain poured on the action.
The Bears overwhelmed the visiting Knights by recording three touchdowns on special teams, including two in the first quarter and another on the opening kickoff of the second half. Even though Burke County’s first string offense only saw the field for three series, all in the first half, the unit took full advantage of its opportunities by scoring 17 points on only 15 snaps. And the defense did its part as well by limiting Evans to 219 total yards on offense and keeping the Knights off the board until the final minute of the second quarter, after the Bears had already established a 31-0 lead.
Burke County set the tone immediately by forcing Evans into a three-and-out on the first two offensive possessions for the Knights.
After the first punt, the Bears took possession on the 32-yard line of Evans and scored on four plays. Charlie Dorsey did most of the work by taking a short pass from Marshall Flowers and running the ball 27 yards to the 7-yard line. Dorsey then scored from 5 yards out two plays later to give Burke County a 7-0 lead with 9:10 left in the first quarter. Eighty seconds later, Ronderius Gray returned Tyler Wallace’s second punt of the game 65 yards for a touchdown to put the Bears ahead 14-0.
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Evans answered with a drive that started on its own 34-yard line and stalled just inside Burke County’s red zone. After an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Knights, Wallace was called upon to attempt a 39-yard field goal on fourth down. The attempt was blocked, scooped up by Jeremy Richardson, and returned 78 yards for a touchdown that made it 21-0 with 2:30 left in the first quarter.
On the next drive, Evans again briefly showed some life but failed to convert. DJ Walton completed a 40-yard pass to Tyler Perry, who was streaking down the left sideline with the ball before he fumbled it and Kohen Rogers picked it up and returned it to the 46-yard line of Burke County. Two snaps later, Flowers hit Ronderius Gray in stride on a post route for a 46-yard touchdown that gave the Bears a 28-0 lead with 12 seconds left in the first quarter.
The first six minutes of the second quarter saw Burke County’s defense bending but not breaking again as the Knights marched 49 yards to the Burke County 17 before turning the ball over on downs. On the final play of the drive, Brandon Lively recorded one of his eight first half tackles on Malachi Hardin, who gained only one yard on fourth-and-two with 6:06 left in the second quarter. Two of Lively’s nine total solo tackles were for a loss.
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Burke County took over at their own 17-yard line and drove 77 yards before settling for a 27-yard Blake Burden field goal to take a 31-0 lead with 2:30 left in the first half. That drive was kept alive when Flowers completed a 44-yard pass to Rogers, his trusty target during the past three seasons, on third-and-6 from Burke County’s 30-yard line.
On the following drive, Evans finally got on the board with 30 second left in the first half when DJ Walton hit Kenneth Dorsey for a 10-yard touchdown completion. That drive started on Burke County’s 42-yard line after a 26-yard kickoff return by Dorsey.
But any momentum Evans took into the halftime locker room was erased when Jordan Franklin returned the second half kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown to give Burke County a 38-7 lead right as the rain started to pour relentlessly.
Burke County’s first string offense took the rest of the night off. But backup quarterback Jensen Brantley broke an 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and another backup quarterback, Sean Vandiver, also found the end zone on a 1-yard dive on the first play of the third quarter.
The lone touchdown of the second half for the Knights came at the end of a 46-yard drive that started when Burke County fumbled a punt near midfield during the third quarter. DJ Walton and Antwan Hendrieth connected for a 12-yard touchdown completion to end that drive.
Chad Cook has covered sports for several years under AugBball. Follow him on Instagram @AugBBall
