Green Wave's region title comes with a steep price

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Summerville v. Beaufort

Summerville captured the Region 8-AAAA title with a 33-3 win over Beaufort at home Friday night.

SUMMERVILLE -- Summerville defeated Beaufort, 33-3, on Friday night to win the Region 8-AAAA championship. But the victory, in front of approximately 3,000 fans at McKissick Field, came with a huge price tag.

Chris Williams, arguably one of the top two junior wide receivers in the state, apparently suffered a broken leg on a punt return with 55 seconds left in the first half. Williams had two big touchdown receptions in the first half, and three receptions for 63 yards before being carted off on a stretcher. Now coach John McKissick must come up with a replacement for the talented playmaker who has 36 catches for 634 yards and 10 touchdowns.

"Oh man, that's a big loss for us," said McKissick, who said that Williams is out for the season. "He's a good receiver. He's a tough kid. It's just one of those things. Our orthopedic man on the sideline said it was bad. It will hurt us down the line."

Summerville rolled for 404 total yards and held Beaufort to 179 total yards to pick up its sixth consecutive victory. The attack was balanced. Sophomore quarterback Dalton Saunders completed 5-of-12 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Junior De'angelo Henderson carried 17 times for 154 yards and a pair of TDs.

The Green Wave owns a 9-1 record, including 3-0 in league play. Summerville travels to Colleton County next week in the regular-season finale. Beaufort fell to 7-3, 3-1.

"We know that," McKissick responded when he was asked about winning yet another region title. "We don't worry about that. There always is the next game. Every game is a championship game."

Summerville scored three touchdowns in a five-minute, 32-second stretch in the second quarter to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 21-3 lead.

"They've got a good football team," Beaufort coach Mark Clifford said.

"They played hard. I didn't have our boys ready to play. They hit us early and we couldn't come back."

Henderson capped a four-play, 90-yard drive with a 37-yard touchdown run with 11:50 left in the first half.

Cody Reese had a 32-yard reception and Henderson broke off a 21-yard run to key the drive.

The Green Wave came right back with a six-play, 62-yard drive as Williams was on the receiving end of a 39-yard touchdown pass from Saunders with 8:29 left in the half.

But the Wave wasn't done. Daquan Jackson picked off a pass at the opponent's 23-yard line on Beaufort's next possession, and four plays later, Saunders hit Williams on a 20-yard slant to make it 21-3 with 6:18 left in the half.

The Eagles put together a drive that stalled at the Summerville 24 when they failed to convert a fourth-and-5 situation.

On the first play from scrimmage, Saunders hit Marlon Pryor over the middle and the speedy receiver outraced everyone for a 76-yard score to push the lead to 27-6.

Henderson, who entered the game with 911 yards rushing, carried nine times in the first half for 105 yards. He added a 31-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth-quarter.

Beaufort came into the game averaging 367 yards in total offense, including 263 yards on the ground. But the Eagles managed only 93 total yards in the first half. Wide receiver Luke Smith accounted for 32 yards when he took a handoff on a reverse and completed a pass.

Beaufort turned the ball over three times, and finished with 173 totals yards. Summerville put constant pressure on Beaufort quarterback Beau Brown, who was sacked six times.

"I was pleased with the defense," McKissick said. "That was the first time this year that they were held to three points."

B -- Kyle Clark 37 FG

S -- De'angelo Henderson 37 run (Michael Scholz kick)

S -- Chris Williams 39 pass from Dalton Saunders (Scholz kick)

S -- Chris Williams 20 pass from Saunders (Scholz kick)

S -- Marlon Pryor 76 pass from Saunders (Kick failed)

S -- Henderson 31 run (Kick failed)