EUGENE JOLLEY
COURIER SPORTS

GREENVILLE — The Pickens Blue Flame opened their preseason schedule Friday with a two and a half-hour scrimmage with Wade Hampton.

The 4A Generals won the 148-play scrimmage, 24-13.
Pickens turned the ball over six times during the scrimmage, but also forced five turnovers.

“It was a good start,” Pickens coach Chad Seaborn said. “Of course, everyone has a long way to go right now with everything, and we do too. We’ve got a lot of young guys involved. I thought early on we had a little deer-in-the-headlights look. As it went on, they got going more. I thought the guys on the sidelines stayed into it. We’re having fun and we’re trying to get better. Overall, I was very pleased with their attitude and how hard they worked. We lost focus a few times and didn’t finish drives, and that’s something we’ve got to work on offensively and defensively. We’d get a first down and a first down and then we get in the red zone and make a mental mistake — a turnover or offside. Defense did the same thing. We get them in third and long and give up the big one. We’ve got to be disciplined in everything we do.”
The Blue Flame scored on their opening drive. Angus Anderson set up the score with a 39-yard run on the first play. Five plays later, quarterback Mason Covey hit Deshaun Gowens with a four-yard touchdown. The Blue Flame later fumbled after reaching the Generals’ 38.

The Generals struck quickly on their first drive, scoring on a 33-yard run on the second play and a long pass on the fifth play. The Generals then scored on a fourth and three from the 13.

But the Blue Flame defense held from there, with the Generals getting only a field goal. J.C. Baker got a fumble recovery and later an interception leading the defense. Koryo Gassman and Tanner Saunders also added picks, and Charlie Parris added a fumble recovery. The Blue Flame later added an eight-yard touchdown run by Cameron Holder, but an interception in the end zone and a fumble at the Generals nine-yard line turned away promising drives.

“We’re better than we were and we’ll keep getting better and begin correcting those things,” Seaborn said.

The Blue Flame hosted Ninety Six in a scrimmage Tuesday night and will play in the Easley Jamboree Thursday night.

Friday, the Blue Flame host an eight-team jamboree beginning at 6 p.m.. Hayesville (N.C.) and Walhalla play first, followed by West-Oak and Liberty, Wade Hampton and Pendleton and capped off by Pickens facing Daniel.