Rebels downgrade Hurricanes, defeat Wren 28-7
In front of a packed Nixon Field on Friday night, Byrnes took down Wren 28-7 to move to 4-1 on the season.
From the opening kickoff, it was clear the two teams were due for a strange game.
Byrnes kicker Jacob Coman couldn’t get full power behind the opening kick to send it through the end zone for a touchback. A Wren returner collected the ball near the 10-yard line and found a lane. He burst past the entire coverage team, leaving just Coman to beat.
Coman — a four-year Byrnes soccer player — did what came naturally to him as Wren’s returner tried to beat him down the sideline. The Rebels’ senior kicker slid feet first and brought the returner to the ground by a shoestring.
“We definitely don’t teach that,” said Byrnes head coach Reggie Shaw of Coman’s slide tackle. “But Jacob’s a soccer player who just started playing football, so I don’t know if he had a flashback or what, but we definitely don’t teach that.”
The play drew a flag, naturally, but it saved a touchdown as Wren was unable to cash in on the field position. The Rebels got the ball back and scored on their opening drive. By halftime, Byrnes had put three touchdowns on the board to take a 21-0 lead into the break.
Ta’Lik Dawkins-Brooks found the end zone from three yards out in the first quarter, while quarterback Andrew Stevens passed for two second-quarter touchdowns — a 62-yard Armoni Weaver, the other to senior slot receiver Ethan Morris.
Morris’ 11-yard touchdown reception was his first score of the season.
“Ethan’s had a really bad hamstring injury since the summer, so it’s good to see him get back in the game and back on the board,” said Shaw. “He’s worked his tail off to get back. He's a strong, blue-collar kind of guy.”
“I’ve had some hamstring problems since I aggravated it during the spring when we were testing 40-yard dashes,” explained Morris. “It felt really good to be out there on the field again and score. Hopefully I’ve got more to come.”
Wren managed to rush for a touchdown on the board in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout. Nonetheless, Shaw praised his defensive unit for allowing its fewest points in a game so far this season.
“Our guys on defense continue to play lights out,” said Shaw. “We missed a few tackles on a quarterback run and he was able to get their only touchdown, but aside from that, the defense put in another great game.”
On the offensive side of the ball, Andrew Stevens delivered his third-straight quality performance under center. The senior threw for two touchdowns and 262 yards on a 15-23 completion clip. Stevens also ran for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.
That’s 817 yards and 10 total touchdowns for Stevens in his last three starts. He’s thrown just one interception in that timespan.
“Andrew’s grown this season a lot,” said Morris. “He takes care of the ball a lot better. He’s taking easy throws to get himself into a momentum, and when we’re able to take those shots down the field, he hits our receivers in stride. He’s come a long way.”
This week for Byrnes is a matchup Shaw says his team will have no problem getting up for. West Florence—one of the top teams in 4-A play—comes to town for a rematch of Byrnes’ most intense 2022 games. Last year, the Knights took down the visiting Rebels 22-19 with a touchdown on the final play.
“That left a bad taste in our mouths last year, the way that game ended,” said Shaw. “We don’t feel like we played up to our full potential. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about getting up for this game.
“These guys have had this one penciled in the back of their minds since last year.”