WINNSBORO – Last Friday (11/5) the Richard Winn Eagles hosted Summerton’s Clarendon Hall Saints in the first round of SCISA’s 8-man football playoffs, but unfortunately for the unblemished 9-0 Eagles, the Saints proved to be their nemesis. The 54-40 Saints victory extinguished RWA’s Friday night lights for the 2021 season.
“It was a disappointing ending to a great season. We were unfortunate to get behind early due to turnovers which caused us to try and play catch up all night. Our boys fought hard, but in the end, we were just not able to overcome the early errors,” Coach Paul Brigman said.
The Eagles were plagued with two interceptions and turned the ball over on downs twice in the first half of the game while their opponents took advantage of each first half possession to score five touchdowns and go up 34-16. First half statistics reflect that Clarendon Hall ran 26 plays for 264 yards and five touchdowns to Richard Winn’s 35 plays for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
The Saints led 20-0 before the Eagles crossed into the end zone for the first time. QB Charlie Bonds rushed for RWA’s first touchdown with 7:28 left in the second quarter, and then Bonds threw to Rob Wilson for the 2 pt. conversion.
Following another successful Saints scoring drive, the Eagles picked up their second TD. Bonds and Wilson connected again with 1:07 left in the first half, and the 2 pt. conversion was good. RW 18 – CH 28.
Neither team was ready to halt momentum as both teams scored once more with the clock ticking down the seconds to halftime. The Saints struck again with 36 seconds left, but RW’s Jacob Chaisson broke up the conversion pass. RW 16 – CH 34.
Next J Talbert provided some momentary excitement for the Eagle fans as he returned the kickoff for a touchdown with 25 seconds remaining in the first half to cut the deficit by two touchdowns. Then Eagle Lawson Wade recovered an onside kick with 16.3 seconds left, but time expired before the Eagles could mount an offensive attack. RW 22 – CH 34 at the half.
Second half action started the way the first one ended, but this time it was Drew Spires recovering an onside kick. Six plays and 49 yards later, Bonds found his favorite target in Wilson once more for another Eagle touchdown. The 2 pt. conversion failed. With 9:51 left in the third quarter, the Eagles narrowed the gap to six, RW 28 – CH 34.
The Saints answered right back with a one play touchdown and a 2 pt. conversion to go up 42-28. The visitors hung onto the 14 point lead going into the final quarter.
Following an Eagle turnover, the Saints were able to convert the interception into another score with 9:08 left in the game. The 2 pt. conversion failed, but the Saints widened their lead again. RW 28 – CH 48.
The duo of Bonds and Wilson paired up again for an Eagle touchdown, but the 2 pt. conversion failed. RW 34 – CH 48 with 7:00 minutes remaining in the game.
Clarendon Hall’s offense was relentless and scored again with 2:03 left on the clock, but Chaisson picked off the 2 pt. conversion pass. RW 34- CH 52.
B Baker’s TD reception from Bonds was the final score of the game, but unfortunately the Richard Winn team fell short of capturing the playoff victory. As the final buzzer blew, it was the visiting Saints who had upset the Eagles, 52-40, to advance to the semi-finals of the state playoffs.
Bonds rushed for 67 yards on 9 attempts and passed for 4 touchdowns going 15 for 19 for 209 yards with 2 interceptions. Caulder rushed 7 times for 20 yards and was 5 for 7 passing for 29 yards with 1 interception. Wilson had 7 catches for 92 yards and 3 touchdowns. Baker hauled in 5 passes for 87 yards and 1 touchdown. Spires had 6 catches for 55 yards. Baker led the defensive stats with 11 tackles and was followed by Chaisson with 9 tackles and a 2 pt. conversion interception.
Coach Brigman praised his team for not giving up through the early adversity. He also recognized Bonds for stepping up in an offensive leadership role and Baker and Chaisson for leading the team defensively.
