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Warhorses stomp the Gators 38-16

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The Barnwell Warhorses opened Region 5-AA play by hitting the road and traveling to Lake Marion High School to face the Gators. This was one of those games that seemed like it might be an easy win for the Horses, but the Gators had a thing or two to say about that, at least during the first half, before Barnwell pulled away to a 38-16 win, thanks to a strong second half.

Lake Marion came ready to face the Warhorses and showed that by getting on the scoreboard first on a 28-yard touchdown pass. The Gators added the extra point and claimed a 7-0 lead after the opening period had expired.

Nehemiah Brown scored 2 rushing touchdowns for the Horses.
Nehemiah Brown scored 2 rushing touchdowns for the Horses.

Barnwell answered with a Nehemiah Brown 4-yard touchdown run and then a second Brown touchdown run from 15 yards out. Before you knew what happened, Barnwell had claimed a 14-7 lead. Lake Marion answered with another Gator touchdown of 47 yards and the score looked like it might be a one point game going into the half with Barnwell holding a slight 14-13 advantage.

The Lake Marion defense came up with a big play and caused and recovered a Warhorse fumble. The Gators took advantage of the turnover and kicked a 30-yard field goal with less than 20 seconds left in the half to take the lead 16-14.

Barnwell could have taken a knee and run the clock down to end the half, but decided to go for a big play and are glad they did. Horses quarterback Cam Austin found wide receiver William “Polish” Robinson and the two connected for a 63-yard touchdown pass. Barnwell entered the half-time locker room with a 20-16 lead.

Cam Austin was 13/20 for 223 yards and 3 touchdown passes and ran for 48 more yards in Barnwell's 38-16 win over Lake Marion.
Cam Austin was 13/20 for 223 yards and 3 touchdown passes and ran for 48 more yards in Barnwell's 38-16 win over Lake Marion.

The second half was controlled by the Warhorses, as they added 18 more points and did not allow the Gators to score again. Lane Evans kicked a field goal. The Defense recorded a safety. Austin threw another long touchdown, this time finding Kahzeer Wesley for a 61-yard touchdown pass then later, threw another to William “Polish” Robinson and Barnwell came away with the 38-16 win and a 1-0 start in region play.

Cam Austin finished the night throwing for three touchdowns on 13/20 passing for 223 yards. He also had 48 yards rushing. Nehemiah Brown rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns. William Robinson led the receivers with 107 yards and two touchdowns. Kahzeer Wesley had 61 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Kahzeer Wesley returns kicks and caught a 61-yard touchdown against the Gators.
Kahzeer Wesley returns kicks and caught a 61-yard touchdown against the Gators.

Barnwell head coach Brian Smith was asked about the win and said, “It is great to open the region schedule with a win. This is a fun football team to coach and as a staff we're very thankful we get this opportunity each week. We're excited to go into the open week with the win and work tirelessly to prepare for our next game at Hampton. We've got a long way to go in this region. We need to fix a lot of things after tonight. We still need to eliminate turnovers and reduce some of the penalties. Our team will continue to work to get better each day.”

With the recent hurricane and its’ aftermath, Coach Smith said, “After all that everybody has been through in the southeast, I'm just glad we got to play. I'm very proud of the way that our team responded to the adversity of the hurricane over the last week. We had coaches and players who didn't get power until Thursday, so the fact that we got to play after two days of practice and that it is a region ball game excites me even more.”

William "Polish" Robinson led the team with 107 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns for Barnwell.
William "Polish" Robinson led the team with 107 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns for Barnwell.

Barnwell has a “Bye” week coming up but then will travel to face their strongest region challenger when they go to Hampton County to face the Hurricanes on Friday, October 18. Barnwell faithful will need to turn out in big numbers to help cheer on the Warhorses as they look to win Region 5-AA. See you there! Go Horses!