Cardiac Rebels: Byrnes edges out Dorman for 28-26 victory
All Zy Landrum needed was an opportunity.
With Byrnes and Dorman tied at 14 in the fourth quarter, he finally got it.
Byrnes’ backup quarterback took charge under center after heavy rain at Nixon Field picked up early in the fourth. Byrnes head coach Reggie Shaw knew Landrum’s ability as a runner would be crucial in the wet conditions.
“Zy’s a great runner. We’d talked about making the move at halftime if it really started raining,” said Shaw. “We knew we might put Zy in. And with the game on the line, he stepped up in a big way.”
On Landrum’s first drive, he and running back Tre’ Segarra ran the read option to perfection, marching down the field with ease on a Dorman defense that had been stout all night. Landrum got the Rebels down to the Dorman 37-yard line.
Then, he took matters into his own hands.
Landrum pulled the ball on the read option and took off himself down the left side of the field. Players all around him slipped and slid trying to bring him down, but Landrum was too quick. Behind several key blocks, the junior sped into the end zone to give the Rebels a 21-14 lead.
Byrnes (8-1, 3-0 region) wouldn’t relinquish that lead, ultimately downing Dorman (3-5, 1-1 region) 28-26.
Landrum was all smiles after the game. He seized the moment and kept the Rebels undefeated in Region 2-5A play.
“Man, I’ve been waiting on this for a very long time,” Landrum said after the game. “I feel really good right now.”
After Landrum’s first touchdown put Byrnes up for good, Shaw caught Landrum and hugged him.
He pulled the 6-foot-2 junior aside before he reached the sideline.
“I just told him how proud I was of him,” said Shaw. “He’s been working his tail off. I’ve wanted to see him have success, because he’s a great young man and a great athlete.”
“I knew going in that I had a job to do, and my job was to get in there and score,” said Landrum. “Coach Shaw told me he was proud of me for stepping up when it was my time.”
THE RUNDOWN
The game couldn’t have started much worse for Byrnes. In fact, it couldn’t have started any worse.
On the first play of a game, Rebels’ starting quarterback Andrew Stevens was hit making a throw and his pass fluttered into the arms of Dorman linebacker Owen Hendricks.
Hendricks ran it back 30 yards for a touchdown.
The Rebels would answer on their next drive when Stevens connected with wide receiver Chamarryus Bomar for a six-yard touchdown pass. Bomar bowled over a Dorman defensive back and into the end zone.
But on the Rebels’ next drive, disaster struck again. After leading the Rebels down to the Dorman two-yard line, Stevens threw another interception on a pass intended for wide receiver Ethan Morris.
Dorman defensive back Kentavion Anderson jumped the out route and picked off Stevens’ pass.
Anderson took it back 100 yards to give Dorman a 14-7 lead.
Two pick-sixes for the Cavaliers in two quarters of play.
“We made some big blunders on offense, some of the worst we’ve played all year,” said Shaw. “But I was proud of the guys, because there was no finger-pointing. They just kept playing and responding.”
Byrnes’ response to Dorman’s second interception touchdown? Chamarryus Bomar took the ensuing kickoff back for six. Bomar’s second score of the day tied the game at 14-14 going into the half.
No scoring in the third, and with the rain picking up at the beginning of the fourth plus Stevens’ tossing his third interception of the evening, Shaw decided to put Landrum in the game. His 38-yard scamper gave Byrnes a 21-14 lead.
The Rebels forced a timely fumble on the following kickoff, recovering at the Cavalier 28-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, freshman running back Tre’ Segarra did his thing, bolting into the end zone untouched. His 10th touchdown of the season pushed the Rebels’ advantage to 28-14.
But Dorman wasn’t going down without a fight.
The Cavaliers stormed back down the field. With 1:43 left in the game, Dorman quarterback Brice O’Neal connected with wide receiver K.D. Hainsworth for a 27-yard score. 28-20. The extra point snap was bobbled, however, and the try failed.
That bobbled snap would prove to be crucial.
On the ensuing onside kick, Byrnes’ hands team couldn’t corral the ball. Dorman recovered at their own 48-yard line. The Cavaliers had life. And on the second play of the drive, O’Neal and Hainsworth again connected for a 52-yard score. Hainsworth found a seam in the middle of the field and sped outside around the outstretched arms of safety Knai Cook.
28-26. In just 16 seconds, the Rebels had gone from 14 up to potentially tied with a successful two-point conversion.
The Rebel defense was gassed and shocked. Hands on hips and heads to the sky, they needed one stop on the two-point try to preserve a win.
Someone had to make a play.
A SENIOR STEPS UP
Friday night was senior night for the Rebels at Nixon Field. Senior defensive end Chris Foster was already feeling emotional while being honored with his family before the game.
“I’m just really going to miss being out here playing beside my brothers,” Foster said. “A lot of these guys are guys I grew up with.”
He knew he wanted to make his last regular season home game count.
Foster — a captain for Byrnes and the leader of the Rebel defensive line — rallied his troops after Dorman cut the Rebel lead to two late in the game.
“I knew we had to come together right there before that play. We couldn’t point fingers. All I knew was that we had to stop them there, no matter what it took.”
Dorman opened up the bag of tricks on their crucial two-point try. The Cavaliers called a double pass to try and catch the Rebels out of position.
Foster read it the whole way.
He pulled off his block and tracked down Dorman wide receiver Tra’Von Fernandez in the backfield. Foster slung him to the ground — along with linebacker Shayne Dixon — to seal the win.
“I saw the ball come around, and it was like a double pass, fake jet sweep kind of play or something like that,” said Foster. “When I saw it, I went after him and kept him out of the end zone.
“We’d been playing great defense all game even in the rain. But we started gassing out there at the end a bit. We just had to find something deep down in us to pull it out and get one stop.”
On senior night, Foster came through, just as he’s always done in the silver helmet. Shaw was full of praise for Foster following his performance.
“What a heck of a day for Chris. And what a way for him to go out right there,” said Shaw. “And I couldn’t be more proud of our whole defense. They made stops all night.
“They got worn down at the end, but they made one stop when they had to. That’s what matters.”
UP NEXT
The Rebels get a much-needed week off this week, as several players out with injuries will get a chance to heal before Byrnes’ Oct. 27 clash with rival Gaffney (6-2, 2-0 region). That game, which will be at The Reservation in Gaffney, will decide the winner of Region 2-5A.
“Byrnes-Gaffney at Gaffney? That’s going to be a knockdown drag-out game,” said Shaw. “We know that. It always is.”
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Byrnes 7 7 0 14 - 28
Dorman 7 7 0 12 - 26
First quarter
Dorman: 7-0 - Owen Hendricks 30-yd interception return (Mitchell Powell kick)
Byrnes: 7-7 - Chamarryus Bomar 6-yd pass from Andrew Stevens (Jacob Coman kick)
Second quarter
Dorman: 14-7 - Kentavion Anderson 100-yd interception return (Mitchell Powell kick)
Byrnes: 14-14 - Chamarryus Bomar 98-yd kickoff return (Jacob Coman kick)
Fourth quarter
Byrnes: 21-14 - Zy Landrum 37-yd run (Jacob Coman kick)
Byrnes: 28-14 - Tre’ Segarra 28-yd run (Jacob Coman kick)
Dorman: 28-20 - K.D. Hainsworth 27-yd pass from Brice O’Neal (Mitchell Powell rush failed)
Dorman: 28-26 - K.D. Hainsworth 52-yd pass from Brice O’Neal (Tra’Von Fernandez rush failed)
STAT LEADERS
Byrnes passing: Stevens 9-16, 84 yds, TD, 3 IN
Byrnes rushing: Segarra 13 carries, 96 yds, TD | Brooks 10 carries, 58 yds | Landrum 1 carry, 37 yds, TD
Byrnes receiving: Brooks 2 rec, 31 yds | Bomar 2 red, 15 yds, TD | Buckley 2 rec, 11 yds
Dorman passing: O’Neal 11-19, 148 yds, 2 TDs, INT
Dorman rushing: O’Neal 8 carries, 37 yds | Means 11 carries, 28 yds | Fowler 6 carries, 21 yds
Dorman receiving: Hainsworth 6 rec, 132 yds, 2 TDs | Fernandez 2 rec, 5 yds | Gassoway 1 rec, 5 yds