By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter

brobinson@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — Easley kept its hopes alive for earning a spot in the AAAA playoffs by knocking off the Greenwood Eagles Friday night.[cointent_lockedcontent]

Kerry Gilstrap/Courier
Easley’s Caleb Hill sacks Greenwood quarterback Roshun Jackson during the Green Wave’s 29-21 win over the Eagles Friday.

With the win, the Green Wave moved to 5-4 and 2-3 in Region I-AAAA. Easley must travel to Simpsonville to face Hillcrest on Friday night. Hillcrest is 7-2 for the season and 3-2 in region play.

In an uncharacteristic down year, Greenwood dropped to 3-6 for the season with the loss at Easley and will host unbeaten Westside on Friday.

Easley opened the game hot on offense, driving the ball inside the Greenwood red zone before Greenwood’s Jeremiah Black intercepted a Dalton Black pass intended for Bralan Fuller at the 1-yard line.

Although the setback led to points after Greenwood took control of the ball and drove it 99 yards for the game’s first touchdown, with Zane Dimiati scoring on a 10-yard run, Black and Fuller still had plenty of success for the Green Wave on the night.

The two connected for a 40-yard touchdown on Easley’s next possession, one of eight catches for an eye-popping 256 yards for Fuller, who scored on three of his eight grabs. After a missed extra point, Easley trailed 7-6 heading into the second quarter.

The Green Wave took a lead they would never relinquish in the second quarter as Josh Hansen drilled a 38-yard field goal to give his team a 9-7 advantage.

Greenwood’s Jack Pierce missed a 50-yard field goal attempt wide right just before halftime, and Easley took its 9-7 lead into the break.

The Green Wave struck first in the second half as Will Drawdy scored on a 38-yard pass from Black on their first possession after forcing a Greenwood punt, increasing the lead to 16-7.

The Eagles responded quickly, as Rayshawn Moss capped a three-play, 57-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown less than a minute after Drawdy’s score. Pierce’s extra point made the score 16-14 in favor of Easley.

Not to be outdone, Easley returned the favor even faster, as Fuller grabbed a pass from Black on the first play of the ensuing possession and sprinted 80 yards to paydirt, stretching the Green Wave’s lead back to nine points at 23-14.

Greenwood got on the board once more before the end of the third quarter when quarterback Roshun Jackson found Deontray Drennon for a 29-yard touchdown. Pierce’s extra point pulled the Eagles to within two at 23-21, but that was as close as Greenwood got.

Easley gave itself some breathing room midway through the fourth quarter on the third touchdown connection between Black and Fuller — this time from 31 yards out — but a blocked extra point kept Greenwood within striking distance at 29-21.

Driving to try to tie the game on their next possession, the Eagles reached as far as the Easley 18-yard line following a stop by Austin Morgan and Craig Barksdale on a third-down quarterback keeper. The Green Wave defense came up with a big fourth-down stop when Sean-Thomas Faulkner broke up a pass from Jackson.

After an Easley three-and-out and punt, Greenwood had one final chance, but Morgan fell on a loose ball at the Green Wave 40-yard line as time expired.

Although he tossed two interceptions, Black shined in the game, going 16-of-22 for 346 yards. Drawdy and Derrick Phillips combined to lead the Green Wave on the ground, with Drawdy carrying 14 times for 55 yards and Phillips adding six touches for 53.

Kickoff for Friday night’s game at Hillcrest is set for 7:30 p.m.

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