Montgomery, Byrnes bury regrets in gritty Wednesday night win over Dorman

Byrnes' defense came through in a big way in the Rebels' 14-3 win over Dorman on Sept. 25, 2024. (PHOTO | KWAI COOK)

Tough conversations needed to take place. Byrnes head coach Reggie Shaw knew it.

Two weeks ago, Shaw looked around at a dejected locker room of Rebels. Byrnes had just lost to Greer, 18-10, falling to 0-3 for the first time in nearly 30 seasons. Something needed to change for the Rebels — if the trajectory of their season was to do the same.

In the following days, Shaw and his coaching staff didn’t say much to his team. Instead, he let the players speak their hearts and minds.

“We gave our players the opportunity after the Greer game to say what they wanted to say,” said Shaw. “We asked them, ‘What do we need to change?’ We had a lot of heart-to-heart conversations.

“Then, we wrote down all of our frustrations — and tossed them in the trash.”

Two weeks later, Shaw and company walked off the field victorious at rival Dorman, 14-3. The win was Byrnes’ second in a row after a 52-0 mauling of Wade Hampton on Sept. 20. The Rebels moved to 2-0 in region play.

“From the lowest of lows to the highest of highs,” said Shaw. “That’s a life lesson for you. It doesn’t always go like you want it, but it’s about how you respond.”

Byrnes responded with a defensive performance for the ages against Dorman. In a game moved up to Wednesday due to the impending Hurricane Helene, the Rebels held the Cavaliers to just 128 yards of total offense.

Dorman held the ball for just 12:05 of the 48 minutes of game-time. The Rebel defense stepped up time and time again when called upon, forcing three-and-outs left and right.

Junior linebacker Jonathan Montgomery was the star of the show. Montgomery led the Rebels with 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. He blocked a punt that set up a Rebel touchdown just before halftime. Montgomery came up with multiple clutch stops on third and fourth down to thwart Dorman’s offense.

Byrnes LB Jonathan Montgomery led the way for the Rebel defense with 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a blocked punt.

He was everywhere, all game long.

Shaw smiled as soon as Montgomery’s name came up after the game.

“Man, Jonathan, if you meet him, he is one of the most quiet guys off the field. He’s a musically-inclined, 4.0 student,” said Shaw. “But when he crosses those lines, he’s a dog. He loves to get out here on the field and hit people. Couldn’t be more proud of him tonight.”

“I had to miss last week’s game [vs. Wade Hampton] and I felt like I really let my teammates down,” said Montgomery. “I wanted to come out here tonight and make it up to them. I feel like I did that.”

Defense led the way for the Rebels, so against a similarly stout Dorman unit, two touchdowns was enough to get the job for Byrnes.

The Rebels’ first touchdown came as time expired in the first half. Caine Rogers dropped back and floated a ball to wide receiver Chanin “Choo” Harris in the front corner of the end zone. The sophomore Harris — widely regarded as Byrnes’ star wideout of the future — dived and came up with an impressive first touchdown reception of the season.

“It felt really great to finally get that first one,” said Harris. “This game meant a lot to us having not started the season so good. But we’ve come back and played really well.”

Harris’ TD reception put Byrnes up 7-0 at halftime. Dorman managed a 3rd-quarter field goal to bring the score closer, and as the fourth quarter waned, the Cavaliers had the ball one last time with just three minutes to play and a chance to steal the win.

An interception from Byrnes safety Emerson James interception put an those plans. Two plays later, Jacobi Fuller scampered into the end zone from 32 yards out to ice the Rebel win.

“The defense played lights out tonight. When they needed to make a big play, they did it every time,” said Shaw. “That’s the sign of growth we’re looking for. Offensively, we’ve still got to work on some things. But the offense did what was needed, putting up 14 points against a really great Dorman defense.”

Shaw hopes this win adds momentum and fuel to the Rebel tank as region play ramps up. Now 2-0 in region play, the Rebels will travel to Gaffney on Friday, Oct. 11. It only gets harder from here.

“We’ve been so close all year long,” said Shaw. “We’ve got four returning starters from last season’s team. To come into a place like this and come away with a win, I couldn’t speak more about these guys and their belief.

“It’s a whole new season once region play begins. We’re 2-0 right now, and that’s all we’re thinking about.”