What We Saw: Run Game Helps Andrew Jackson Pull Away From Lamar

Brandon Stockdale September 8, 2023 @ 11:33 PM

KERSHAW | When it counted in the 4th quarter, first year Andrew Jackson head coach Jeremy Smith and the Volunteers relied on [player_tooltip player_id='317140' first='Trey' last='Thompson'] (pictured) and Demais Seegars to pull away from Lamar 31-18 on Friday night.   “Those two did a great job tonight. Demais has really come along. (He's) only a sophomore. Trey is what Trey is. We know he's a good running back and he's going to get his yards and carries. We've got to do the right things up front for him.    Demias is coming along. He's gotten better each week at running back. He plays a lot of defense and so trying to limit his carries and try to make sure Trey gets a break in there but those two did a great job tonight,” Smith said.   STUCK IN NEUTRAL   Neither team could get much going offensively in the first quarter.    Lamar's Kamon Miller recorded an interception with 9:30 to play.    AJ tried to go for it on 4th and goal with 2:30 in the first quarter, but a false start forced them to line up and kick a field goal, which was subsequently blocked.   [player_tooltip player_id='1395004' first='Jase' last='Fair'] recovered a fumble, which led to a short Thompson touchdown run right off the right side to put the Volunteers on the board first at 7-0 with 11:19 to play before halftime. He ran hard throughout the night and showed a good burst of power when he ran.   Lamar had a nice drive going into AJ territory, but the Volunteers slammed the door on the jet sweep, getting good penetration into the backfield, thanks to Daniel Johnson Caples with 5:54 to play before the half. Smith credits his staff for putting his team in different situations in practice during the week.   “We feel confident. Our kids don't panic. That's a good sign of our coaching staff. They do a good job of putting them in situations during the week where they're going to be successful,” Smith said.   The momentum would shift towards the end of the half for the visitors from the Pee Dee. [player_tooltip player_id='1250948' first='Zoom' last='Jackson'] connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1462573' first='Alvion' last='Ward'] on a long touchdown pass where he was wide open. That tied the game at 7 with 1:20 to play before the half. Ward got in on the action defensively with an interception to end the half.   SEPARATION AND COMPETITION   The second half was all Andrew Jackson. Sort of.   Thompson continued his strong night on the Volunteers' initial drive in the second half. He had a huge run all the way down to the Lamar 10, but AJ had to settle for a 27-yard field goal from [player_tooltip player_id='1165169' first='Curt' last='Horton'] to give them the lead at 10-7 with 9:06 to play in the third.   After a Lamar turnover on downs, it took AJ two plays to score. Seegars ran right off tackle and once he found the green grass, he's fun to watch. Brady Williams connected with [player_tooltip player_id='448986' first='Banks' last='Helms'] for a touchdown where he made people miss in space to increase AJ's lead to 17-7 with 4:56 to play in the third quarter.   Williams found [player_tooltip player_id='399205' first='Hayden' last='Williams'] wide open in the early stages of the fourth quarter to make it 24-7 with 10:11 left in the game. But Lamar wouldn't go away, though.   Jackson moved the Silver Foxes quickly down the field and found [player_tooltip player_id='997292' first='Tavis' last='Dolford'] on a beautiful corner route to cut into the deficit at 24-15 with 9:19 to play in the contest. Lamar recovered an onside kick. But they would have to settle for a Grayson Booth field goal, making it a 9-point game at 24-18 with 5:48 left. Lamar head coach Stephen Burris told Prep Redzone SC that his team is learning and growing, despite the loss.   “We're learning how to handle a little adversity. We've just got to go back to the drawing board and take care of ourselves. We had some missed opportunities there in the first half. Some self-inflicted errors where I think it changed the game a little bit, we get a little momentum and who knows what happens. We've got to capitalize on things early in games and get out of our own way and we'll be okay,” Burris said.   Thompson put the icing on the cake with a touchdown run to close the scoring at 31-18 with 4:21 left.

KERSHAW | When it counted in the 4th quarter, first year Andrew Jackson head coach Jeremy Smith and the Volunteers relied on Trey Thompson Trey Thompson 5'10" | 195 lbs | RB Andrew Jackson | 2024 State SC (pictured) and Demais Seegars to pull away from Lamar 31-18 on Friday night.