What We Saw: Blackville-Hilda 20, Silver Bluff 14

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BLACKVILLE |</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='605527' first='Jaquel' last='Holman']</strong> (pictured with ball) wore blue and red-clolored football gloves which displayed the Superman logo Thursday night at Richard Huggins Stadium.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watching the Blackville-Hilda two-way University of South Carolina commit in action Thursday brought to mind another Man of Steel superhero.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holman was among the “Ironman” Hawks players who rarely left David M. Berry Field in the 20-14 victory over winless Silver Bluff.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whether it was chasing or defending any defensive player within his realm at the Flex position or being a vocal leader while still having enough energy to rush for a 21-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, the 6-foot 1, 200-pound senior was seemingly omnipresent right until the final formation. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It's a mindset, you've got to be a dog,” said Holman about his dual role. “They (recruiting sites) didn't give me four stars for no reason.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We weren't able to give him the ball on offense, but I'm sure he probably still had close to 100 yards,” Blackville-Hilda head coach Kevin Jones said. “He had the long touchdown run there. And then, of course, on defense, he's so big and fast and they weren't able to get outside him very often. I don't know how many tackles he had, but he had a lot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“He had an outstanding game and he's a kid, there's a reason he's going to South Carolina. He's a legit SEC football player and he showed that tonight.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For all of Holman's success, he made sure to point out his teammates. This was especially true Thursday as sickness and injuries going into and during the game resulted in several lineup changes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The offensive line saw senior center <strong>Andrew Brown</strong> and sophomores <strong>Noah Williams</strong> and tight end <strong>Terrion</strong> <strong>Johnson</strong> thrusted into the starting lineup for the first time all season. Working with regular starters <strong>Timothy Beard</strong>, <strong>Isaiah Greggs</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1003565' first='Jayden' last='Dash']</strong>, the trio kept Blackville-Hilda's rushing offense efficient against a hard-hitting Silver Bluff defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Facing active linebacker <strong>Trey Harris</strong> and defensive lineman <strong>Keyaideen Williams</strong> upfront, Blackville-Hilda had initial success with its version of the ‘Tush Push.” The formation made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Hawks' first scoring drive as it produced a 29-yard run by Holman followed by an 8-yard touchdown run by quarterback <strong>Samari Williams</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the third quarter, running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360154' first='Namair' last='Anderson']</strong> scored on a 20-yard run followed by a 2-point conversion run by Williams. Following a touchdown run by Silver Bluff's <strong>Dorian Jones</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360390' first='Jamarion' last='Kirkland']</strong> reversed field after initially fumbling the kickoff and scampered 58 yards to set up Holman's scoring run to make it 20-8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blackville-Hilda's lone offensive turnover was an interception thrown by Williams to defensive back <strong>Jessie Shelley</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the upfront challenge of well-sized offensive linemen 6-0, 260-pound center <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272706' first='Garris' last='Chambers']</strong>, 6-foot-5, 300-pound tackle <strong>Gage Kirkbride</strong> and junior <strong>Tariq Williams</strong>, the Hawks managed to stop the Bulldogs on three visits to the Red Zone. On a second and goal at the Blackville-Hilda 8, defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036784' first='Kaiden' last='Aiken']</strong> knocked the football free from running back <strong>Orinthian Williams</strong> and <strong>Darius Jenkins</strong> recovered it at the two-yard line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bulldogs recorded a safety on the very next play to take a 2-0 lead. Their next scoring opportunity ended on downs and the third try ended with a fumble recovered by Greggs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Among the contributing tacklers for Blackville-Hilda were middle linebackers <strong>Ricky Richburg</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1359157' first='Jabarius' last='Johnson']</strong> along with Holman and fellow “Ironmen” Johnson and <strong>Brandon Priester</strong>. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We go by something called Triple H – Hawks Hit Harder,” Holman said. “So, when we get to the goal line, that's what we go by – Hawks Hit Harder.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A vivid example of Triple H occurred with 2:12 left in the contest. &nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='605528' first='Jameat' last='Williams']</strong>, who led the Bulldogs in rushing, took the direct handoff and absorbed a crushing ‘sandwich” hit by Aiken and defensive back <strong>Jaden Berry</strong> near the goal line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams' momentum still carried him forward into the endzone for his second touchdown of the fourth quarter. It was not enough to keep the Bulldogs from going 0-4 for the first time since 2014.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“That Silver Bluff team, that's a good football team,” Jones said. “They're going to get some wins. They're going to turn it around because they've got too much talent not to.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->