Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
The Barnwell Warhorses traveled to Swansea last Friday, September 20 to face the 4-0 Tigers. With a win, Swansea’s magical season would continue with a 5-0 record, but the Horses from Barnwell ended that streak, defeating the Tigers 14-7, on a beautiful night for high school football. With the win, Barnwell improved to 4-1 on the season, but this was not an easy victory.
Swansea’s defense was tough all night and limited Barnwell’s ability to establish long sustained drives. The good news for Warhorse fans was that the Horses’ defense was even more relentless, allowing just a single score from the Tigers.
Both teams struggled to move the ball successfully during the first quarter. Each team lost an early fumble, and it became more of a battle of field position. When the horn sounded to end the opening period, the scoreboard looked just as it did at kickoff 0-0.
The second quarter was controlled by Barnwell. Short runs and a few pass completions mixed in was what Barnwell used to move the ball and score two rushing touchdowns. Barnwell quarterback Cam Austin found the end zone on a 5-yard run with 4:48 remaining in the half. Lane Evans added the extra point to give Barnwell a 7-0 lead.
Barnwell was able to stop Swansea’s answer attempt and took the ball down for Austin’s second rushing touchdown on the night. The 15-yard run with 18 seconds left in the half along with another Lane Evans extra point made for a 14-0 halftime lead for Barnwell. The Horses’ defense did the rest.
Swansea was able to connect for a 30-yard touchdown pass in the second half, but the Warhorse defense was able to stop all other Tiger drives and Barnwell secured the 14-7 win. The win snapped the Tigers undefeated streak and the Horses improved to 4-1 on the season.
Cam Austin was 15/24 for 165 yards passing and ran for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Nehemiah Brown rushed for 51 yards. Ja’Quan Peeples had another big night, collecting 100 receiving yards on 8 catches. Kahzeer Wesley had 5 catches for 40 yards.
Barnwell head coach Brian Smith was asked about his team’s win over Swansea and said, “It was a great team win tonight. I am proud of the fact that our defense only gave up one score against a very good Swansea offense. Our kids did a great job all week preparing. The scout team players did the best they could and really helped our defense out tonight by doing their job all week. Offensively it was a tough night to move the ball. They packed the box a lot, and tried to create some issues for us, but our kids fought hard and played really well.”
Coach Smith continued, saying, “The biggest thing moving forward is to sure up a few things in the kicking game. We’ve got to make sure that we continue working hard on the fundamentals each day like we’ve been doing and not lose focus. Silver Bluff is a huge game for every team and it’s no different this year.”
Barnwell will hit the road again this week for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Silver Bluff on Wednesday, September 25. Barnwell fans are known for traveling well and the Horses need your support as they face an old rival in the Bulldogs of Silver Bluff. Come cheer your Warhorses on to another win. Go Horses!
