Gators roll past Jackets

  • BY JOHN DEVLIN
    Special to The Post and Courier
  • Posted: Saturday, August 27, 2011 12:01 a.m.
    UPDATED: Friday, March 23, 2012 10:06 p.m.
  • Text size: A A A
Goose Creek’s Demetrius Hines runs from the tackle of Irmo’s Josh Jenkins during the first quarter at W.C. Hawkins Stadium at Irmo High School on Friday. The Gators won, 51-7.
/C. Aluka Berry/The StateGoose Creek’s Demetrius Hines runs from the tackle of Irmo’s Josh Jenkins during the first quarter at W.C. Hawkins Stadium at Irmo High School on Friday. The Gators won, 51-7.

IRMO -- Is Goose Creek this good?

Is Irmo this bad?

Or was it just one of those perfect-storm kind of things?

Those were some of the musings in the stands and along the sidelines at W.C. Hawkins Stadium on Friday night after the Class AAAA second-ranked Gators humbled the host Yellow Jackets, 51-7.

"Goose Creek, obviously, is a very good football team," Irmo coach Bob Hanna said. "They were impressive when we played them last year and this is basically the same team, and we are not."

The 44-point losing margin was the second-largest in Irmo's history.

For Goose Creek, it was an impressive start to a season of great expectations.

"I thought we played very well, especially in the first half," Gators coach Chuck Reedy said. "We're a veteran team, and you always want to get off to a good start, especially on the road. We came out and established control of the game early."

Goose Creek opened the game with a crisp 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive and had a 44-7 lead by halftime.

The Gators scored by land and air, while the defense registered a safety on a sack and accounted for a touchdown on a fumble recovery after another end-zone sack.

Goose Creek (1-0) had 23 points and 157 yards on the books before Irmo managed its first first down of the game at 1:38 of the opening quarter.

Irmo (0-2) has gone eight quarters without scoring an offensive touchdown. The Jackets' only tally came on a 50-yard interception return by Chris Bethea in the second quarter.

Goose Creek amassed 347 yards rushing. Caleb Kinlaw led the Gators with 127 yards on 12 carries. Tramel Terry rushed for 72 yards and scored three first-half touchdowns. Virgil Smalls ran for 30 yards and a TD.

Jaquan Marsh was 4 for 5 with 117 yards passing and a touchdown -- a 61-yard second-quarter strike to Terry.