WHAT WE SAW: War Hawks Soar to SCISA 2A Title Game

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br>BEAUFORT- It was a rematch that lived up to the hype - and so much more.&nbsp; After falling short in a 20-19 heartbreaker to Beaufort Academy in the regular season, the Colleton Prep War Hawks flipped the script - and punched their ticket to the SCISA 2A title game with a 23-20 road win Friday over the Eagles. Let's break the matchup down and highlight the key stars from another thriller in Lady's Island.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The War Hawks needed a monster effort from <strong>Cole Davis</strong> on the road Friday, and the junior quarterback delivered with arguably his best performance yet. Primarily a rushing quarterback, Davis caught fire early through the air, throwing for three touchdown passes in the first half. The first two were beautiful long darts down the sideline, and the third was a well-designed five-yard bullet off play action. None of the three scores went to leading receiver <strong>Caden Crosby</strong>, as both <strong>Walker Bryan </strong>and <strong>Eli Rowe</strong> showed some terrific speed and hands by escaping the defense over the top and hauling in a 60-yard catch. But after both offenses found success in the first half in a 20-20 stalemate, it was the War Hawk defense that took over. After a nine-minute drive to open the second half led by Davis and a hungry offensive line capped off by a clutch 33-yard <strong>Connor Nettles </strong>field goal, it was the defense's turn to make some noise. We knew that the turnover battle would likely decide the game, and the War Hawks forced the only one of the night. <strong>Gus Warren</strong> powered himself into the backfield to knock the ball free, and <strong>Raleigh Obenaus</strong> promptly scooped it up. It was just one of many huge plays from Obenaus, who was a force all night at defensive end. The War Hawk defense simply rode the momentum from that point on and stymied the Eagles from any other explosive plays thanks to the strength and pursuit from <strong>Walker Nettles</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='434712' first='Noah' last='Catterton']</strong>. Greg Langdale's squad played it smart on defense down the stetch to limit any big plays and make the necessary tackles to force a long field goal which sailed wide to preserve the three-point win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was the end of the road for a BA team that showed its heart throughout the contest. <strong>Braydon Dineen</strong> left it all out in his final game as an Eagle, completing 8-of-11 passes for 83 yards and a score while displaying his unbeatable hustle on defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='976400' first='Devonte' last='Green']</strong> and <strong>Jaxen Porter</strong> finished their electric seasons at running back with over 90 yards and a touchdown apiece. Both backs showcased their quickness and elusiveness to hit the running lanes hard and their strength to battle through tacklers.&nbsp; Beaufort Academy's pass defense adjusted well in the second half, allowing no passing yards in the frame thanks to impeccable defense from <strong>Kevin Peeples </strong>who broke up a key throw on third down before applying lockdown coverage again to force a turnover on downs. in the fourth quarter. Dineen will be a massive loss for next year's team with his leadership, but Green and Porter are ready to take charge in their senior seasons either in the backfield or potentially under center. Electric receiver <strong>Te'Shaun Heward</strong> will be back as well alongside two-way star <strong>Zeke Gonzalez</strong> and a pair of terrific defensive pieces in Peeples and lineman <strong>Alex Williams</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colleton Prep will face Williamsburg Academy in the SCISA 2A state championship game at 3:30 pm on Saturday at Charleston Southern University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->