What We Saw: Adams, Gray Collegiate Run Past Abbeville

The term legendary was floated around after Gray Collegiate finally was able to overcome powerhouse Abbeville in the third round of the Class 2A playoffs. The Panthers had eliminated the War Eagles from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons but thanks to the efforts of [player_tooltip player_id="89314" first="Kazarius" last="Adams"], it wasn’t going to be a third time. The finalist for Mr. Football in South Carolina ran for 322 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries and added a fumble recovery and game-sealing interception in Gray Collegiate’s 31-15 victory. “Is there anything else to say? (Adams) told me, I’m going to make you legendary tonight. He did it. He doesn’t come off the field. Selfless player,” Gray Collegiate coach Adam Holmes said. “He will do anything to help this team win and win a championship. I’m so proud of that guy and the effort he puts into it. Amazing job. He’s the staple hood of our program. He’s done it for four years since he was a freshman. I couldn’t be prouder of a young man.” Adams had help though. Quarterback Tre Robinson ran for 115 yards on eight carries and added a 62-yard scoring run in which he broke several tackles at the line of scrimmage. Gray Collegiate finished with 427 yards rushing, Adams scored on runs of 2, 9 and 30 yards. After his interception in the red zone with 4:22 remaining, he added a 70-yard run that helped the War Eagles run out the clock. “He’s a special player but give credit to their offensive line and the quarterback,” Abbeville coach Jamie Nickles said. “He had some big runs too. I thought all-in-all, they were more physical than us tonight.” The physicality showed up on the three turnovers forced by Gray Collegiate. Zach Glenn, [player_tooltip player_id="200691" first="Tory" last="Kelly"], Blake Croft, Savion Jones, Jakiaus Hilton and Dayton Williams helped hold Abbeville to 300 yards and 15 points, which is very below their average of 45 points a game. Their previous low was 31 points. Zay Rayford scored one of the two Abbeville touchdowns. He finished with 64 yards rushing and 71 yards passing. Jamal Marshall was the leading ground-gainer with 70 yards. Antonio Harrison scored the other touchdown and added 43 yards on the ground. Addison Nickles showed off a powerful leg with a 45-yard field goal for Gray Collegiate. He also started on the offensive line. [player_tooltip player_id="91180" first="Jeremiah" last="Lomax"] was the leading tackler and showed why he was a Shine Bowl selection. Gray Collegiate will face Newberry in the Upper State final next Friday night.