Segarra runs rampant as Byrnes beats Hough, 24-9
Byrnes freshman RB Tre’ Segarra rushes in the opening touchdown for the Rebels. Segarra finished with 84 yards rushing and two total TDs in Byrnes’ 24-9 win over Hough (N.C.)
In a border battle between two powerhouse programs, Byrnes took down Hough (N.C.) 24-9 in Charlotte on Saturday to begin the season with a statement win.
“We made a lot of mistakes tonight,” said Byrnes head coach Reggie Shaw. “Things that will drive you crazy, a typical first game. But we found a way to win.”
In quarterback Andrew Stevens’ first start, the senior was steady for the Rebels. He wasn’t called upon to do much, but he made the right plays when needed. Stevens finished the game 8-of-16 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown. He was turnover-free.
“I think he’s gotten better and better,” said Shaw of his quarterback. “We had a couple of dropped balls and some breakdowns in pass protection, otherwise his stats may have looked better. But he made good decisions with the ball and didn’t turn it over, that’s the most important thing.”
The Rebels came into American Memorial Legion Stadium in Charlotte prepared to go to battle against a top-ranked Hough defense and a dominant rushing attack.
“Hough’s a quality opponent with a great defense. We knew coming in that their defense was going to be one of the best we’ve seen,” said Shaw. “And they’re a physical run team. That’s something you don’t see as much in South Carolina, a big and physical run game.”
In the end, it was the Rebels who outperformed Hough in both areas.
The Rebels found the end zone twice on the ground. Hough didn’t once. Byrnes allowed just 189 yards of total offense. The Huskies gave up 230. Byrnes came down with two interceptions. Hough didn’t force a turnover all game.
“I’m proud of all these guys, especially on defense.” said Shaw. “Those guys played a lot of snaps tonight, and they found a way.”
TRE’ DAY
Tre’ Segarra called his shot.
When asked last week about what it meant to be playing on such a big stage — American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte (capacity 10,500) — against a high-level opponent like Hough, he spoke with clarity.
“You’ve got to love the energy in a game like that, being under the lights in such a big stadium against a great opponent,” said Segarra a week ago. “But you’ve also got to understand, when you get a moment and opportunity like that, you’ve got to show out.”
The freshman running back did just that Saturday night.
Segarra rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. His 13-yard scamper into the end zone opened the scoring in the first quarter. His only reception from quarterback Andrew Stevens was a 62-yard house call that sealed Byrnes’ win. Segarra led the Rebels in both rushing and receiving yards.
After the game, Segarra was given the TurfKings Invitational MVP award for his performance. He was humble in accepting the honor, showering affirmation on everyone but himself.
“I need to thank my [offensive] line,” Segarra said, patting each one of his linemen on the helmet.
Segarra also shouted out his defense for keeping the Huskies at bay.
“It’s a great feeling to be up there getting that award,” said Segarra. “But the defense doesn’t really get enough recognition for what they do, either. I feel like someone on defense deserves that award, because it was really a defensive game the whole time.”
Shaw couldn’t have sung Segarra’s praises any louder after the game, even mentioning Segarra’s name with Rebel royalty.
“I’ve been trying to tell y’all, man. That dude’s different. He’s just different. And he’s only 14 years old,” said Shaw. “Guys like [former Byrnes RBs] Marcus Lattimore and Rahjai Harris, those are the only two I’ve ever seen like him at such a young age.
“All the kid does is work and compete. He’s just a rare combination of athleticism, high-character, and strength. Anytime he touches anything it can go the distance.”
PLAY OF THE SEASON?
Midway through the third quarter, the Rebels momentum was slowly slipping away.
A safety just before halftime gave the Huskies a small jolt of life, and Byrnes’ offense was stalling.
Leading just 10-2 with 5 minutes left in the third, Hough put together their best drive to that point. The Huskies had advanced the ball to the Rebel 35-yard line. The Rebels needed to shift the tide back in their favor.
They did so on the craziest, most absurd play of the evening — an early contender for play of the season.
Hough quarterback Trey Blakeney dropped back in the pocket. He looked to the left side of the field and threw a quick slant to a receiver cutting right.
Byrnes defensive back Armoni Weaver read it the whole way.
Weaver jumped the route, punching the ball with his left hand as soon as it arrived. The ball slid down the Hough receiver’s leg, kicking up off his body and straight into the air.
Fellow Byrnes DB Chamarryus Bomar locked in on the ball and ran to get underneath it. Weaver didn’t realize what was happening, stood up, and accidentally bumped into Bomar as he tried to make the interception. Bomar bobbled it once, then twice, and finally came down with the pick.
He raced up the right sideline, cut back behind his blockers, and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown.
“I think it came off like [the receiver’s] stomach or shoe or something, I honestly don’t know what it was,” said Bomar. “I just saw it in the air, caught it and took it back for six.”
Bomar’s interception return touchdown gave the Rebels a 17-2 lead and stifled Hough’s momentum.
“I thought it was going to end up being a really close game,” said Bomar. “But we came back and did our thing after that.”
Bomar — who plays both defensive back and receiver — had previously been dealing with a lingering hamstring injury. Saturday’s season opener was the first meaningful action for the junior in months.
“It feels good to finally be back out here with the team,” said Bomar. “Even better that I was able to get into the end zone.”
“He’s had a bad hamstring problem going on for months,” said Shaw. “Seeing him be able to come out here and play and do all that, it’s awesome. He’s still not fully healthy yet, but he’s getting there.”
PAY DAY
Saturday’s week 0 win was a testament to what the Rebels had done throughout the offseason — a “payday” as Shaw called it in the team’s postgame huddle.
“The fun’s in the winning,” Shaw told his Rebels. “All that work you put in, you guys got paid. This is a payday right here.”
The Rebels were the only team in the region to win in week 0, with Gaffney, Dorman, Spartanburg and Boiling Springs, all suffering defeat.
A good start to the season, but Shaw saw several typical week 0 mishaps that need cleaning up moving forward.
“You don’t field the ball at the two-yard line,” said Shaw of a punt return decision from Armoni Weaver that led to a Hough safety. “But Armoni, he’s been out for a little while. He wanted to make a play. I can’t fault him too much.
“And then there’s some of our penalties. We’ll watch the film to see if they’re boneheaded penalties or if they’re effort penalties. We can forgive effort penalties. Boneheaded ones, we can’t. I don’t think we had too many of the boneheaded ones, but we’ve got to limit those and sustain drives on offense against good teams if we want to keep winning.”
UP NEXT
Byrnes will travel to Chapman Friday to renew the storied Duncan-Inman rivalry between the two schools. Chapman defeated Woodruff on Friday, 57-34.
“[Chapman] is an attacking defense that brings a lot of late blitzes, and that’s always a challenge for an offensive line,” said Shaw. “They do a really good job with different exotic blitz schemes. It’s going to present some challenges for our offense. But we’ll be ready.”
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Byrnes 7 3 7 7 - 24
Hough 0 2 0 7 - 9
STAT LEADERS
Byrnes passing: Stevens 8-16, 162 yards, TD
Hough passing: Blakeney 8-21, 86 yards, TD, 2 INT
Byrnes rushing: Segarra 18 rushes, 84 yards, TD
Hough rushing: Dossey 5 rushes, 35 yards | Will Jones 8 rushes, 31 yards | Jeremiah Jones 4 rushes, 30 yards
Byrnes receiving: Segarra 1 reception, 62 yards, TD | Evans 2 rec, 56 yards | Weaver 3 rec 41 yards
Hough receiving: Hampton 5 receptions, 37 yards | Sutton 1 reception, 35 yards, TD | Will Jones 1 reception, 13 yards
Byrnes defense: Bomar 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD | Harris 2 tackles, 1 sack | Hopkins 1 tackle, 1 sack | Lee 1 INT