AIKEN — North Augusta traveled to the Stomping Grounds Thursday to earn a 24-20 road win over archrival South Aiken in the class 4A, region 4 opener for both teams.
After surrendering 20 points in the game’s first 25 minutes, the Yellow Jackets’ defense shut out South Aiken’s potent offense during the final 23 minutes of the game. During that stretch, North Augusta forced and recovered two fumbles and blocked a punt to put its offense in position to complete a fourth quarter comeback.
DJ Curry scored the go-ahead touchdown from 16 yards out with 3:53 remaining two plays after North Augusta blocked South Aiken’s punt and recovered it on South Aiken’s 15-yard line. Curry’s touchdown was the first time either team had scored since the 10:03 mark of the third quarter when Colson Brown hit Evan Waldhauer over the middle and Waldhauer ran 66 yards for a touchdown to cut South Aiken’s lead to 20-17.
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Waldhaeur’s score came only 53 seconds after Terrence Smith had taken the second snap of the third quarter and run 48 yards for a touchdown to give the Thoroughbreds a 20-10 lead. But South Aiken would not see the end zone again as North Augusta’s defense came to life while the wind howled at roughly 20 miles per hour.
The first big play by North Augusta’s defense came when senior Chavous Peyton placed his helmet directly on the football as Jevon Edwards carried it across the line of scrimmage near midfield. The ball flew loose, and Colyn Moore fell on it with 5:55 left in the third quarter as the visiting crowd roared in approval. Afterwards North Augusta’s offense was unable to sustain a drive, but neither was South Aiken’s when they got the ball again after a 71-yard punt by the Yellow Jackets that was aided by the fierce wind.
After yet another North Augusta three-and-out, the Yellow Jacket defense came up big again when L.J. Tillman stripped Ethan Bentley of the football and Xzavier Anderson recovered it on South Aiken’s 27-yard line with 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. But North Augusta’s offense could get no further than the 11-yard line before Jack Stevens missed a 28-yard field goal, which was made more difficult by the wind, with 6:08 remaining.
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But when South Aiken took over, Jaydon Eason proceeded to make a pair of tackles and Isaiah Weathersbee made another to force a punt after three plays. North Augusta blocked the punt with four minutes remaining to set up Curry’s go-ahead touchdown run.
Curry, a senior, rushed 24 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. Fellow senior Colson Brown completed 6 of 9 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, including the 66-yarder to Waldhauer and an 11-yard scoring strike to Taylon Washington on the game’s first series.
South Aiken’s dynamic rushing duo of junior quarterback Terrence Smith (12 carries for 108 yards and 1 touchdown) and sophomore Jevon Edwards (18 carries for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns) didn’t disappoint. Despite the lull in production for most of the second half, Smith nearly led a game winning drive during the final three minutes. The Thoroughbreds marched 66 yards to North Augusta’s 10-yard line before Smith’s pass to Tylan Creech at the goal line was broken up by Weathersbee and Tillman as the clock ticked to zero.
Chad Cook is a sports columnist who is known on the field and court as AugBball. Follow him on Instagram @AugBBall
