Hawks finish regular season with five-game winning streak
The Hanahan Hawks are Region 8-AAA football champs – with an exclamation point.
The Hawks wrapped up conference play with a 5-0 record to gain homefield advantage for the Class AAA playoffs with a 41-7 victory over Waccamaw on Friday night.
It was a great finish to a regular season as the Hawks concluded with a five-game winning streak after starting the 2018 season with a 1-3 record. It was the Hawks’ first region title since 2015 and first under first-year coach David Morbitzer.
The Hawks will have a week to rest up. The High School League extended the season by a week after Hurricane Florence threatened South Carolina. The Hawks decided not to play the makeup game against a non-conference opponent.
Hanahan will host Pelion in the first round of the playoffs on Nov. 9. Pelion is 2-7 and will conclude its regular season this weekend.
The Hawks churned for 403 yards on the ground against the Warriors and finished with 439 total yards.
Gale Ball carried 13 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Shiron Hart exploded for 187 yards and two touchdowns on only 10 carries.
Braylon Smith also had a big game with 10 carries for 103 yards and a score. Quarterback Mac Blakeney threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Davis Wood.
The Hawks’ defense has been off the charts during the winning streak and Friday night was no exception. The Hawks forced five Warrior turnovers. Donald Vanderhorst led the way with three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Wesley Crain recovered a fumble.
The Hawks have allowed 29.4 points per game, but the defense rose to the occasion in conference play, allowing only 8.4 points per game. The Hawks will face a Pelion team that is averaging 16.4 points per game.
MANNING 54, BE 12
Manning wrapped up second place in Region 8-AAA with a 54-12 decision over visiting Bishop England in a game that was played on Thursday night.
The Bishops dropped their second straight game to end the regular season, and finished 3-6 overall and 2-3 in the region.
The Bishops qualified for the playoffs with their fourth-place finish in league play.
The High School League extended the season to a week because of Hurricane Florence. The Bishops, however, will not play its makeup game and will have this weekend off.
The Bishops will begin playoff action Nov. 9 at Strom Thurmond. Strom Thurmond is the Region 5-AAA champ and posted an 8-2 record in the regular season, including 4-0 in league play.
BURKE 22, PSHS 14
Philip Simmons completed its first varsity season with a 2-8 record following a 22-14 loss to the Burke Bulldogs. The loss at Stoney Field gave the Iron Horses a 0-5 record on the road.The Iron Horses fell behind 14-7 at halftime and couldn’t recover as they finished the season in fifth place in Region 6-AA.
The Iron Horses, who didn’t have a senior on the roster, will look to improve on offense and defense in 2019. They averaged 14.8 points per game and 34.9 on defense.