Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
The 4-1 Blackville-Hilda Hawks hosted the 2-3 Wagener-Salley War Eagles last Friday, October 11 on Blackville-Hilda’s homecoming night.
As any coach will tell you, with all the homecoming festivities before the game, it can be very easy for a team to become distracted and lose focus on what they need to do to win the game. This was not the case last Friday night in Blackville as the Hawks easily defeated the War Eagles from Wagener in an important Region 3-A contest by a score of 50-6.
Despite a close first quarter as the War Eagles only allowed the Hawks six points, Blackville-Hilda added 30 second quarter points to grab a 36-0 half-time advantage. The Hawks had a big night on offense as you might think after looking at the score, but the defense really was impressive, not allowing a single point to the visiting War Eagles until the fourth quarter when several back-up players were in the game.
Special teams played really well for the Hawks to make this a quality showing in all three phases of the game. The kickoff team got a lot of work for the Hawks and really covered well throughout the night, to not allow the War Eagles to get good field position. Namair Anderson had an 84-yard punt return for a Hawks touchdown.
Blackville-Hilda coach Kevin Jones was asked about the game and said, “Anytime you have a homecoming game, and especially one as big as Blackville-Hilda has, you are always concerned about the team getting lost in all the distractions. We preached all week about staying focused and getting the job done. I thought the kids played really well in all three phases of the game.”
Offensively, the Hawks made a few adjustments. “That has really opened up what we can do. Jaquel Holman only carried the ball 9 times but had 206 yards and 4 touchdowns. Samari Williams did more damage with his legs but also hit Namair Anderson on a nice slant route that went 60 yards for a touchdown. Jamarion Kirkland has added so much to our offense with his ability to run, catch and block. He is also a violent hitter on defense,” said Coach Jones.
“Defensively, we played really hard and did some good things. Jabarius Johnson, Ricky Richberg, and Jayden Dash all had big games for the defense. Jayden Jackson has made huge progress from his defensive end position. Namair Anderson had a nice 84-yard punt return for a touchdown that showed off his speed. I also want to give a shout out to our kick off team. They get down the field so fast and are looking to do serious damage when they get there,” he said.
Getting off to a 1-0 region start was big for the Hawks, said Coach Jones, but this week they have a talented Calhoun County team coming to town for senior night. “They don't have a great record but they are talented. They are just really young. Coach Farmer will have a plan in place to cause us problems Friday night,” said Coach Jones.
With the win, the Hawks improve to 5-1 on the season and are 1-0 in Region 3-A. Blackville-Hilda will host the Saints from Calhoun County this Friday, October 18. Come out and support the Hawks as they look to go to 6-1 on the year, but more importantly, as they look to go 2-0 in region play. Go Hawks!
