Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
Friday, September 6 was a rainy night in Barnwell. The highly ranked Bamberg-Ehrhardt Red Raiders came to Mac Wier Stadium for a battle between two ranked, undefeated rivals, who know each other very well. Neither rain, nor Red Raiders could stop Barnwell from coming away with their third win of the season, to remain undefeated at 3-0. Barnwell outscored their rivals from Bamberg 21-7.
It may still be early in the high school football season, but when Barnwell and Bamberg-Ehrhardt enter the game both undefeated, the state football world takes notice. Despite the rainy weather, Barnwell fans came out to cheer on their Warhorses and were not disappointed as the Horses improved to 3-0 on the year.
Scoring would be limited with the rainy weather conditions. Both teams’ defenses were ready to face another top ranked offense. The combination of the two resulted in a scoreless first quarter. Most of the second quarter went by before Barnwell got on the scoreboard with a one-yard Cam Austin quarterback run. Lane Evans added the extra point to give Barnwell the 7-0 lead.
Bamberg-Ehrhardt wasted little time in answering the Warhorses’ touchdown with one of their own. The Red Raiders connected for a 46-yard touchdown pass. They added the extra point and the game was tied at 7-7. It would remain at 7-7 at the end of the first half. Both teams headed to their locker rooms all tied up and finally feeling like they could score despite the wet conditions.
Midway through the third quarter Barnwell broke the tie when Ja’Quan Peeples found the end zone on a two-yard run. Evans added the extra-point to give the Horses a 14-7 lead. The score stayed at 14-7 for the rest of the third quarter and into the fourth.
Bamberg-Ehrhardt had stopped the Barnwell offense, forcing them to punt. Barnwell kicker and punter Lane Evans had a great punt that Jayden Pinkney made an athletic play to down the ball inside the two-yard line.
The Red Raiders had almost eight minutes left in the game. They started to move the ball away from their end zone. With a little breathing room, the Bamberg offense needed to keep the drive going, but Barnwell’s defense dug in and stopped the Red Raiders on three straight plays to bring up a fourth down near the 32-yard line of Bamberg-Ehrhardt. In a bold move, the Red Raiders decided to go for it on fourth down with almost six minutes left. Barnwell’s defense held strong and stopped the Red Raiders.
Barnwell would add another Ja’Quan Peeples touchdown and another Lane Evans extra point to seal the victory 21-7 in favor of the hometown Horses. The crowd was wet, but they saw a really good football game that was won by their Warhorses.
Barnwell head coach Brian Smith was asked about his team’s big win and said, “It was a great win for the Warhorses. Our kids fought through a lot of adversity last night. We’ve got to be able to beat good teams like Bamberg and tough weather conditions if we expect to go forward to playoffs. Our defense played well. I was very proud of the fact that we were more physical than they were at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Special teams were huge. I really thought Lane’s punt that was downed near the one-yard line by Jaden Pinckney was a turning point in the ball game. I felt like we came out offensively and were able to throw the ball around, but we had too many dropped passes and then as the night went on, the running game improved. Our offensive line played well along with our backs.”
Before the game, Barnwell Warhorse stadium announcer and huge supporter Gary Brantley was honored for his 23 years of service to Barnwell football and baseball. Athletic director Derek Youngblood, head coach Brian Smith, Assistant Superintendent (and former BHS Principal) Franklin McCormack along with Gary’s wife Robin and daughter Mattie joined “The Voice of the Warhorses.” Gary was presented with a Warhorse team helmet. The Warhorse world thanks you for all your years of support!
This was a huge win for the Horses, but Barnwell can’t celebrate too long as another really good football team comes to town. This Friday, September 13 South Aiken will visit Mac Wier Stadium. Come out and support the Horses as they look to go 4-0 on the season. Kickoff is set for 7:30. Go Horses!
