What We Saw: TL Hanna 36, Wren 29

PIEDMONT | After spending 48 plays on the field in the first half Thursday, TL Hanna's defense had just enough gas left to save its biggest play for its last of the night. With the Yellow Jackets clinging to a seven-point lead and less than three minutes remaining, Wren had a first-and-goal at the 10-yard line. Just when it appeared that standout running back [player_tooltip player_id='1253994' first='Reese' last='Price'] had a clear path to his third touchdown of the game, Hanna's Shondriques Vance came out of nowhere to strip the ball near the goal line and teammate Montez Williams fell on it at the one-yard line.   With 2:48 left and backed up at its goal line, Hanna still had to avoid a safety to deny giving the ball right back to the Hurricanes, this time down five. The Jackets turned to their star running back [player_tooltip player_id='1157743' first='Kedarrion' last='Patterson'] , who got nine yards on first and second down before fullback Daylan Williams plunged for a first down on third-and-one forcing Wren to take its last timeout. Hanna needed one more first down to be able to kneel out the clock. It got one two plays later, when Patterson ran for a 16-yard gain to seal the Jackets' 36-29 win over the Class 4A seventh-ranked Hurricanes.   Those final plays capped off a pretty normal second half after a first half that was anything but on a rainy night at Jack King Field. The teams went into halftime tied 20-20 despite vastly different experiences for each offense. Wren had 278 total yards of offense on 48 plays in the first half, while Hanna had 105 on just 11 plays. Eleven plays would be surprising for any team, but it was stunning for for the Jackets' wing-T offense.   "Our defense did a good job of adjusting. Wren's a really good football team that executed well in the first half. But to be tied at halftime with only running 11 plays was a pretty special effort by all of them - special teams, offense and defense," Hanna coach Jason Tone said. "I'm just super proud of the guys. After a tough loss to our rival (Westside) last week, they could've laid down or gotten really frustrated after falling behind 13-0 tonight."   Wren (3-1) took that 13-0 lead on touchdown runs by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1158040' first='Colten' last='Bagwell'] and Price, sandwiched around a fumbled kickoff return by [player_tooltip player_id='302810' first='Emari' last='Nance'] of Hanna. Nance made up for that in the best way possible when the Hurricanes sent another pooch kick his way and he returned this one 77 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 13-7.   Late in the first quarter, Hanna (2-1) had its longest drive of the first half - four plays for 89 yards. It was highlighted on a second down play when quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1254105' first='Brandon' last='Cunningham'] (pictured) rolled to his right. It looked like he was about to take off, which drew a trio of Wren defenders charging at him. Then he pulled up and found Patterson, who took off down the right sideline for a 64-yard gain. Two plays later, Patterson scored from 13 yards out and Hanna led 14-13 after one quarter.   "It was a little bit of improvising. I was looking to run, but then it looked like six guys were running at me. I saw KD back up a little bit. He made a great play backing up to get in my vision," Cunningham said. "I saw him and got it out, then he did what he does."   Wren answered with a 14-play drive capped by Price's two-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter. With less than three minutes left in the half, a fourth-down snap sailed over the head of the Hurricanes' punter for a 26-yard loss. On the next play, Williams scored from nine yards out to tie the game at 20-20.   On their ensuing possession, the Hurricanes drove to the Hanna 31 but their 48th play of the half was intercepted by [player_tooltip player_id='595709' first='Gavin' last='Magin'] as time expired. The only two turnovers of the game came on Wren's final play of each half.   As the rain began to heavily pour starting the second half, the Jackets opened with a 10-play drive that ended on a 23-yard field goal by Sam Waters. After a three-and-out, Hanna's 11th play of the second half finally gave it a two-score lead. Williams got nailed in the middle of the line on the play, but he didn't have the ball. After a great fake by Cunningham, he took off down the left sideline for an 84-yard touchdown to push the lead to 29-20.   "When the fullback gets blown up on that play, that's pretty good for me," Cunningham said with a smile. "I just read it, saw the dude fold and took it. Once I got past the first level, I knew it was a touchdown."   Wren came back with a 21-yard touchdown run by Bagwell, but Hanna answered that with a seven-yard touchdown run by Williams early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 36-26. It was set up on a 34-yard run by Nance.   Williams had 61 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, while Patterson finished with 55 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries. Cunningham completed 3-of-4 passes for 79 yards, and ran twice for 92 yards.   "Brandon's just a playmaker for us. He's really fast and athletic," Tone said. "He's a good football player, but an even better person. He's an outstanding young man."   After their big first half, the Hurricanes had 474 yards on 71 plays for the game. The loss spoiled monster nights by Bagwell and Price. Bagwell ran 16 times for 171 yards and two touchdowns, while completing 9-of-13 passes for 85 yards with one interception. Price had 28 carries for 168 yards and two scores, including 129 yards on 20 rushes in the first half. Josiah Mosley had 45 yards on seven carries also for Wren.

PIEDMONT | After spending 48 plays on the field in the first half Thursday, TL Hanna's defense had just enough gas left to save its biggest play for its last of the night. With the Yellow Jackets clinging to a seven-point lead and less than three minutes remaining, Wren had a first-and-goal at the 10-yard line. Just when it appeared that standout running back Reese Price Reese Price 5'9" | 175 lbs | RB Wren | 2025 State SC had a clear path to his third touchdown of the game, Hanna's Shondriques Vance came out of nowhere to strip the ball near the goal line and teammate Montez Williams fell on it at the one-yard line.