Redhawks second half rally extinguishes Trail Blazers
November 6, 2020
Red is better than blue. Well for at least one night it was after the Redhawks beat the Rockhill Bluehawks 43-36 in the opening game of District 7-5A play at Kuykendall Stadium Thursday. The Redhawks now have a three game winning streak under their belt which junior Keldric Luster hopes will serve as motivation for the next game. “We really stepped it up as a team,” Luster said. “We came together and got it done which I think was a big thing for us.” Luster led the way for the Redhawks with his arm and his feet by completing 21 of 23 passing attempts for 268 yards, and rushing for another 118 yards. Down a few players, including senior 5-star recruit Evan Stewart, the team still pulled through in the final half of the game after Rock Hill took an early 14-7 lead. “We have a lot of talent this year,” head coach Matt Swinnea said. “We have many athletes who have been competing alongside one another for multiple years which has been extremely beneficial to our bond and success as a team.”
Deep in their own territory, quarterback WIll Glatch and the offense get ready to snap the ball in the Redhawks come from behind win over Lebanon Trail. Trailing for much of the game, the Redhawks outscored the Trail Blazers 23-7 in the second half.
Hitting the ground, running back Will Ashmore gains a few yards for the Redhawks offense in their District 7-5A contest against Lebanon Trail Thursday at the Ford Center.
After taking the handoff, junior running back Jack Bryan makes his way around the edge of the Trail Blazers defense in the Redhawks 40-35 win. With starting quarterback Keldric Luster and starting wide receiver Evan Stewart out, the Redhawks still scored 40 points in the win.
Senior quarterback talks to coaches on the sideline during the Redhawks 40-35 win over Lebanon Trail. Glatch threw for 99 yards and rushed for 69 more.
In their final regular season game, The Redhawks gear up to take on the Lovejoy Leopards. With playoffs guaranteed, the team needs to win by 17 points in order to win Districts.
Looking towards the sideline for the play call, junior linebacker Sam Wenaas had a fumble recovery in the second half to help spur the Redhawks comeback win.
Fielding a kickoff, junior running back Jack Bryan begins his returns. Bryan would finish with 57 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Looking to bounce back from their first District 7-5A loss, the football team took on Lebanon Trail at the Ford Center Thursday, with two of their starting players out: quarterback Keldric Luster and wide receiver Evan Stewart, both out with injuries.
But when all was said and done, the Redhawks were able to prevail 40-35, improving to 5-2 (4-1 in District 7-5A).
“While we certainly want to be full strength, missing important players just provides an opportunity for others to step up,” head coach Matt Swinnea said. “Our running game really had to come through for us and it did. Receivers made some huge catches, the offensive line opened up some nice running lanes, and the defense rose to the occasion in the 2nd half.”
One of those players who stepped up was senior Johnathon Bone, who finished with two touchdowns and more than 200 yards rushing.
“I was very excited about the whole game,” Bones said. “Me rushing for 200 yards, but I was also thinking that it was time to step up and help make a big impact on the game.”
With Luster out, the offense was led by senior Will Glatch, last year’s starting quarterback that switched to linebacker this year.
“It felt great to get back out there,” Glatch said. “I was a little anxious at the beginning knowing it was a big game as well as missing a few key players and coaches.”
Trailing at the half 28-17, the Redhawks outscored the Trail Blazers 23-7 in the second half.
“I think there was not necessarily a change, but rather just a commitment to play better and stay in the fight,” Swinnea said. “We challenged the guys to score on our first possession after the half and then stop them. We did both, and momentum began to swing for us then.”
The Redhawks had several big plays on offense with Bone scoring on a 72-yard run, and junior Chris Johnson taking a kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown. But it wasn’t all offense as the defense forced two turnovers, including a fumble recovery by junior Sam Wenaas.
“I made some mistakes earlier in the drive,” Wennas said. “So I was really happy to capitalize off of a great play by my teammates to strip the ball loose.”
