Third ranked Barnwell Moves To 3-0 With 21-7 Win Over Bamberg-Ehrhardt In Week 2

By Billy G. Baker

Publisher

Barnwell — The HSSR third ranked AA Barnwell Warhorses (3-0) over-came a 7-7 half-time tie with rival Bamberg-Ehrhardt, (2-1), by unleashing a potent ground game in the second half, to earn a hard-fought 21-7 win to remain undefeated on the 2024 season.

Barnwell head coach Brian Smith left immediately after the game to drive to Tennessee to visit his son, who is a college football student assistant coach at the next level. The HSSR interviewed Warhorse defensive coordinator Isaac Cooper after the game.

“At half-time Coach Smith felt like our offensive line could wear down their defensive front in the second half, so we decided to pound the football more in the second half, and that was a good strategy, because our line was able to wear them down,” said Coach Cooper. “It also helps the team that we have a quarterback (Cameron Austin) willing to run the ball off tackle, and in the hole, getting you seven to eight yards just about every time he runs the ball also.

“Our goal is also to pass the ball a little more, but it is still early in the season, and we are still working on our timing, and things like that,” said Coach Cooper. “We have a good group of receivers and the passing game will come around no doubt.”

Coach Cooper also cited the running of Wildcat quarterback Jaquan Peeples who played the majority of the second half, after Austin hurt his lower leg after a 41-yard run early third quarter that set up Barnwell’s go-ahead touchdown. “Jaquan is a great athlete who can play multiple positions and he was a very good play maker for us tonight,” said Coach Cooper.

Barnwell had a strong game on defense as well. The Warhorses have only allowed 14 points over three games this season. “We put a lot of demands on our defense,” said Coach Cooper. “Lex Thomas does a great job in the middle (after moving from OLB), making our calls and getting everyone lined up where they are supposed to be. He is flying around the football a lot better this year and he seems to have found his home in the middle.”

Coach Cooper joined the program as defensive coordinator in late May of 2023, and he feels now that the defense has had one year in his system he brought from Laurens High, that everyone knows the system better this season. “Everyone has bought in to what we are trying to do and they have worked hard during the off-season,” said Coach Cooper in reference to the marked improvement of the defense. “I have tried to make it where the defense does not have to think as much; just read, react, and go make plays.”

Coach Cooper also gave a shout-out to the offensive line for their outstanding play so far this season. The leader up-front is all-region three- year starter Tony Cherry (6-4, 285) at left tackle. The center is Lamar Buxton, and the left guard is Klayton “Peanut” Zissett (6-1, 230).  Jackson Bedingfield, Copeland Owens, and Kaleb Wilson are also key performers up-front.

“Those guys were pushing the pile all night,” said Coach Cooper. “They deserve a lot of credit for this win also.”

B-E head coach Corey Crosby was upset with numerous dropped passes from his receivers during the game. “We dropped balls tonight, and we had two touchdown passes dropped, and you can’t do that against a quality opponent like Barnwell,” said Coach Crosby. “This game was very similar to the way we played over here two years ago.

“We could never flip the field in the kicking game,” said Coach Crosby. “We gave them good field position and that was something that hurt us tonight also. They have a solid kicking game.

“Our kids fought hard and our seniors like Chanston and Demetrius Odom are good senior leaders and we are asking a lot from sophomores like Anthony Williams, but you just have to put your talented younger players on the field and hope they grow with the situation,” said Coach Crosby.  “We are a 1-A school and we have a lot of guys playing both ways and we just got worn down by the start of the fourth quarter.“

Coach Crosby said his team is healthy coming out of the game. “We are not going to change anything we are doing in getting ready to play Calhoun County next week,” said Coach Crosby. “We just need to focus better, concentrate on not dropping passes, and be more fundamentally sound of all phases of the game. This was a non-region game, and we’ll keep working hard towards our goals in Class A football.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Barnwell gained possession, after a punt, on their own 33-yard line. On first down Nehemiah Brown rushed for 9 yards, and then over consecutive plays senior quarterback Cameron Austin gained 10 yards to move the ball to the 16-yard line. Two plays later Austin broke tackles down to the one on a 13-yard burst. He scored on the next play, from the one, with 5:25 left in the half.

Place kicker/punter Lane Evans, who had an outstanding game made the first of three PAT’s to put Barnwell up 7-0.

Bamberg-Ehrhardt answered to tie the game on their next possession. Following a pooch kick the Raiders started the drive from the 44-yard line. After losing two yards on first down, two plays later senior quarterback Chanston Crosby threw a 46-yard pass to a wide- open Rocky Walker with 4:26 left in the half and Charles Breland’s PAT tied the score at 7.

Following a punt, B-E took over on their own 25-yard line with 2:00 left in the first half. Demetruis Odom had a 23-yard run on second down, and a 15-yard pass interference penalty against the Warhorses, were two key events in helping move the Raiders all the way down to the 14-yard line with 1.7 seconds left. A field goal attempt from around 30 yards fell just short under the goal post, as time expired, shifting momentum to Barnwell.

Barnwell received the third quarter kick-off and it took them only six plays to pull- ahead for good on a one-yard run by Jaquan Peeples with 7:50 remaining in the third period. His touchdown run was set-up by a 41-yard scamper by Austin down to the five-yard line. At the end of Austin’s determined run he appeared to have hurt his lower leg, but he did return for limited action afterwards. Evans added the PAT.

Barnwell added an insurance score with 3:31 left in the game after B-E went for it on fourth and two from their own 28-yard line, down by seven. The Warhorses took over at the 33-yard line (6:26 left in the game) as Jaquan Peeples ran seven straight plays from the Wildcat formation to score from the six- yard line. Evan’s PAT made the final score 21-7.

For the game, Austin completed 6-of-11 passes for 41 yards. He did most of his damage to B-E with his feet leading all-rushers with 102 yards on 14 carries and one TD. Austin’s three game totals are now 12-0f-19 passing for 186 tards and two touchdowns. He leads the team in rushing with 221 yards on 40 carries and five touchdowns.

Nehemiah Brown rushed for 56 yards on 16 carries against the Raiders and after three games he has 184 yards on 47 carries and two touchdowns. Jaquan Peeples has rushed for 55 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns in three games. Peeples rushed for 53 yards on 12 carries and he had two rushing touchdowns against B-E.

Lane Evans was a key performer for Barnwell against B-E averaging 41 yards on four punts, including one punt downed at the one-yard line late in the game. On the season Evans has a 40-yard average on 8 punts. He had made 10-of-11 PAT’s and one FG from 41-yards.

Logan Sturkie caught four passes for 26 yards against B-E and he now has seven catches for 87 yards and one TD on the season. Jaquan Peeples caught one pass for 15 yards against B-E and he now has caught seven passes for 80 yards on the season. Kahzeer Wesley has two catches for 46 yards this season.

Barnwell runs an East Coast 3-4 defense Jalen Carter is at nose-guard and the boundary end was Henri Creech for this game along with field end Adrain Cochran. Thomas was at Mike LB and the Will LB is Jeremiah Eaddy and the Jack LB is Logan Sturkie and the Sam LB is Jordan Peeples. The CB’s are soph Jayden Pinkney and Jaquan Peeples and soph Jayden Peeples. The double safeties are soph Damahjai Devoe and the boundary safety is William Robinson.

Against B-E the Barnwell tackle index was led by Devoe who had 13 tackles while Eady and Robinson had 10 tackles respectively. Thomas had 8 tackles while Creech had 8 stops and two sacks to his credit. Sturkie contributed five tackles and two sacks and Jordan Peeples had four hits and one sack.

After three games the tackle leaders are: Devoe (28), Thomas (25-1 sack), Robinson (24), Eady (22), Sturkie (21-3 sacks) and Jordan Peeples (18).   

Against Barnwell, senior B-E QB, Chanston Crosby, a North Carolina Central commitment,  completed 11-of-23 passes for 175 yards, while rushing for 30 yards and one TD.

Other rushers against Barnwell included Marcus Cann who rushed 9 times for 42 yards and Demetruis Odom who rushed 9 times for 35 yards. The top two receivers for the Raiders were Walker who caught three passes for 68 yards and one TD along with Anthony Williams who had two catches for 60-yards.

The top tacklers for B-E in the game were MLB Robert Jamison (6-0,200) with 13 tackles, LB Roger Mack-Thomas had 11 tackles and junior OLB Jalen McGraw (6-2, 200) had 11 tackles, including two TFL.

This week B-E will host Calhoun County while Barnwell will be at home to face South Aiken.