5A Playoffs: T.L. Hanna vs. Northwestern: Offensive standouts

Brandon Stockdale November 28, 2020 @ 09:45 AM

ROCK HILL, S.C. - T.L. Hanna and Northwestern defeated their second round opponents in the SCHSL Playoffs in tight ball games last Friday night and this one was a repeat of last week’s thrillers, this time at District 3 Stadium. But the stakes were much higher: A birth in the state championship was on the line. T.L. Hanna was able to take 8:33 off the clock in the 4th quarter to score the game winning touchdown to win 28-24. The Yellow Jackets will face Dutch Fork, who will be going for their 5th straight state title next Friday night at 7:30 p.m at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. Let’s get into the offensive standouts for both teams in what was a thriller: Northwestern 2021 WR Kyle Aldridge - Aldridge is listed as a wide receiver, but he looks more like a tight end and a fullback with the way he runs through the hole and he will get the tough yards when you need them. That was no more evident on a 4th and short where he busted through the hole for a 30-yard TD run to begin the second quarter. He also had a touchdown in the first quarter on Northwestern’s first drive of the game. 2022 WR Christian Watkins - On a critical 4th and 4 in the second quarter, the junior converted it on a quick out pattern and made a move in space to make a man miss and pick up some yards after the catch. He scored on a 6-yard TD catch a few plays later to tie the game at 21 before the half. T.L. Hanna’s Wing-T option offense was critical in a tight win over Trojans - The Wing-T option attack for the Yellow Jackets took up over 8 minutes in the fourth quarter, as they converted two 4th down conversions on the game-winning drive. Highlights from the night include: 2021 RB/CB J.J. Hudson - Hudson got the Yellow Jackets’ night offensively off to a solid start with a huge kickoff return down to the Northwestern 30-yard line, which set up a touchdown a few plays later in the first quarter. He looked smooth in the Yellow Jackets’ wing-T option attack on the sweep plays. 2022 FB/DT Kabrail Morrison - Whenever T.L. Hanna needed a conversion on third and fourth down, and most of it was short yardage situations, Morrison was the bulldozer they went to and he had three short touchdown runs, including the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"></li> </ul> T.L. Hanna went for it on fourth down multiple times and even recovered an onside kick following a touchdown and it’s what you would expect against a team that runs this kind of offense.