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If Barnwell High was hoping for Williston-Elko High to have a hangover from its frustrating  season opening loss to Strom Thurmond High, then the Warhorses were sadly disappointed Friday night at W.W. Carter Field.
The Blue Devils rebounded behind a potent ground game and a ballhawking defense. The end result was a lopsided 56-15 victory.
The game was never in doubt as the Blue Devils raced to a 22-0 first quarter lead and never looked back.
The win evens Williston-Elko High record at 1-1 in the season.
Williston-Elko High head coach Dwayne Garrick said the team eliminated the mistakes and turnovers that plagued them in the loss to Strom Thurmond.
“This was a much better effort tonight,” Garrick said.
“I thought we played well offensively and defensively. Offensively, we were able to spread them out and take advantage of our speed. Overall I thought we did a good job in the passing and running game.”
For Barnwell High a lack of offensive production for the second week in a row hurt any chances for a victory.
“We lost to a very good football team tonight. It’s hard to simulate the speed they have in practice,” Barnwell High coach Ed Moore said.
“In the first half, we couldn’t get anything done.  Right now, we have to find a way to get better. We have to get better fundamentally and we have to play with more disciplined.”
Offensively, the Blue Devils rolled up 432 yards. Senior quarterback Tamyn Garrick and junior tailback Kendric Salley did most of the damage.
Garrick, who threw three interceptions against Strom Thurmond, bounced back with a solid effort. Garrick completed 13 of 20 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. Garrick was especially accurate in the first half, completing six of nine passes including a four-yard scoring strike to Dexter Staley to end the first half. Garrick had two dropped passes in the first half.
Salley finished with 187 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Salley’s most impressive run came early in the third quarter. On the play, offensive linemen Joseph Ryans and Malcolm Yeldell cleared a path that allowed Salley to break free down the sideline and 89 yards for a touchdown.
Others performing well for the Blue Devils offensively included Dexter Staley, Davarius Hosey, Rokeem Williams and Demetrius Facison Staley set the tempo for the game, scoring two of his game high four touchdowns in the opening quarter.
Staley’s first score came on a game opening six-play 61-yard drive. Staley capped the march with an eight-yard run. On the Blue Devils next drive, Staley hauled in a 55-yard scoring pass from Garrick.
Hosey scored on a three-yard run in the second quarter. Rokeem Williams and Facison each had a reception on a two-point conversion.
Defensively, the Blue Devils made life miserable for the Warhorses almost the entire game.
The unit forced three turnovers while limiting the Warhorses to only four first downs through the first three quarters of play.
Leading the charge defensively for WEHS were Andrea Williams, Kevin Johnson, Marcus Bates and Daryl Salley.
Williams was the major disrupter of the Warhorses’ ground attack. He finished with seven tackles for losses, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Johnson turned in his best varsity outing, totalling six stops and a 38-yard fumble return for a score. Bates was almost unstoppable, finishing with a team high 15 stops, including two for losses.
“Defensively, I thought we did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage and stuffing the run,” Garrick said. “We got after it with 11 players going to the ball on every play.”
For the Warhorses, the offense finally showed some signs of life after being quiet for three quarters. The Warhorses broke their silence midway in the fourth quarter when Kevin Washington scored on a one-yard run. Freshman Tyrin Williams had 34 yards rushing on the drive.
The Warhorses added another touchdown on the last play of the game when Jakolby Akins rumbled 23-yards to the end zone.
For the Warhorses, senior Patrick Green shined on kickoffs with  325 return yards.