Rebels take it personally, blank West Florence 49-0
The Rebel defense left absolutely no room for the Knights to breathe on Friday night, forcing two turnovers, allowing no points, and giving up just 55 yards of total offense.
Byrnes gave the fans at Nixon Field a homecoming to remember on Friday night, demolishing West Florence 49-0.
The game was a rematch of the Rebels’ first loss last season, a 22-19 defeat in Florence that left a sour taste in the mouth of everyone in the Byrnes locker room. The Knights defeated the Rebels in 2022 on the final play of the game.
“To lose last year like that on the last play of the game in dramatic fashion, it didn’t sit well,” said Byrnes head coach Reggie Shaw. “It wasn’t hard to be motivated. We’ve been waiting on this one for a year.”
Byrnes accounted for 492 total yards of offense in the game compared to just 55 for the Knights. Quarterback Andrew Stevens went 10-17 with 180 yards and two touchdowns. For the fourth straight game, he was turnover-free.
The win brought the Rebels to 5-1 with region play on the horizon.
“West Florence is a good team. They haven’t been beaten like this in years, as far I know,” said Shaw. “We just came in with a gameplan and the guys executed it perfectly.”
CAN'T STOP THE RUN.
Ta’Lik Brooks remembers the play all too well.
Last year against West Florence, Brooks took his first handoff of the game near the goal line. It would also prove to be his last — not just of the game, but of the season.
“I got the ball, and somebody jumped on my back to bring me down,” said Brooks. “As I was going down, another player came through and hit me on the legs.”
Brooks tried to get up after the play, but immediately felt a sharp pain in his knee. He fell straight back to the ground.
“That’s when I knew something was serious.”
He had to be helped off the field, and as it turned out, Brooks had suffered a torn MCL on the play. He’d miss the rest of the 2022 season.
Friday night’s rematch meant that much more to Brooks.
He finished with 48 rushing yards and a touchdown against the team that cut his sophomore year short.
“It was personal for me,” Brooks said after the game. “I had a fire lit inside me because of what happened last season. I wanted that get-back.”
Brooks was just one of multiple Rebel running backs who showed out against the Knights — Byrnes’ backfield depth was on full display. Tre’ Segarra rushed six times for 81 yards and a score while catching another touchdown. Dreson Evans — who’s known for playing wide receiver — was especially impressive, needing just four carries to rack up 80 yards and two scores.
“We’re just trying to get the ball in [Dreson’s] hands more, and having him at running back was a good way to do it,” said Shaw. “He’s electric. He’s built low to the ground and very strong. He’s one of our best athletes.”
As a unit, the Rebels ran all over the Knights to the tune of 312 yards on 29 attempts.
“It’s hard to stop us when we’re doing that,” said Evans of the Rebel backfield. “When one of us gets tired, they can just put another running back in, and no matter who it is, we’re going to get it done. Our depth is really good.”
CAN’T STOP THE RUN?
Earlier in the week, Byrnes senior defensive lineman Chris Foster saw a post on social media that rubbed him the wrong way.
“Some reporter from Florence or something said that Byrnes couldn’t stop the run,” Foster explained. “They said we had two good cornerbacks, but the rest of our defense couldn’t stop the run.”
Foster — and the rest of his defensive front — took it personally.
“We thought of that the whole game, how we ‘couldn’t stop the run.’ It made us want to dominate the whole time. We wanted to make a statement.”
In response, the Rebel defensive line delivered its best performance of the season and one of its most impressive in recent memory. They dominated the line of scrimmage from the opening kick, even forcing a fumble on the Knights’ first play of the game. On seemingly every snap, multiple Rebels created penetration in the trenches and crowded the backfield.
By the time the game ended, West Florence had managed a minuscule 36 yards on the ground from 30 attempts, averaging barely over a yard per carry.
Not too bad for a team that can’t stop the run.
“We’ve got some guys up front that are just big and fast and strong and disrupt things at the line of scrimmage,” said Shaw. “I’m proud of how they stepped up for us.”
Byrnes’ defense as a unit allowed just 55 total yards in the game, by far their lowest of the season. The goose egg kept on West Florence’s side of the scoreboard was personal for them, too.
“We were making sure not to let them score and to keep that zero on the board,” said Foster. “We didn’t want them getting anything.”
“That’s just the standard,” said Shaw. “No matter if it’s first, second, or third string there at the end, we wanted to keep that shut out. It means a lot to those guys on defense.”
UP NEXT
Non-region play officially wrapped up for the Rebels on Friday night. Byrnes — ranked third in 5-A — begins region play this Friday against one of the hottest teams in the state, the sixth-ranked Spartanburg Vikings. The Vikings are coming off two straight demolitions of opponents — a 49-6 win over Riverside two weeks ago and a 57-0 thwarting of Mauldin on Friday night.
It’s a renewal of a prominent region rivalry and potentially a deep playoff preview.
“These guys respect Spartanburg,” said Shaw. “I don’t think I’ll have to say much to motivate them for that one. They know it’s going to be a dogfight. We’re looking forward to facing a well-coached, athletic team next week right here.”