By Lonnie Turner
It was déja vu at Aynor on Friday night when the Dillon Wildcats journeyed down US-501 to take on the Blue Jackets in the first 8-AA conference game. Nearly every year when the Jackets open on offense, using that patented shoulder-to-shoulder offensive line and with running backs close enough that a king-size bed sheet could be thrown over all eleven players, just march down the field reeling off yards…and they usually score! Such was the case Friday night before half-time defensive adjustments kicked in to shut Aynor down in the second half in a 43-14 win for the Wildcats.
Senior wide receiver Eri’Reon Hayes set a 2014 mark for himself in the game, catching eight of Avery McCall’s eleven pass attempts for 182 yards. His 32-yard catch in the waning minutes of the third quarter gave the Wildcats a 36-14 lead and prompted the Aynor Head Coach to instruct the officials to keep the scoreboard clock running continuously, as has been the case nearly every year the two teams have played. Hayes also ran a 13-yard touchdown to cap an early third quarter 4-play, 65-yard drive.
After halfback Jalen Dixon, taking a direct snap from center, went untouched for a 54 yard touchdown to cap a 77-yard opening drive in five plays to give the Blue Jackets a 6-0 lead, Daquan Smith, Aynor’s leading rusher this season, ran the two-point conversion before the Wildcats could run an offensive play in the game.
The Aynor kicker was instructed to kick out of bounds after the touchdown and the Wildcats also took the football 65 yards for a touchdown, but in only four plays and less than a minute with McCall completing the drive on a one-yard run after, Johnny Allen was stopped a yard short of the end zone on the heels of two passes to Hayes that covered 66 yards. McCall hit Hayes in the end zone to tie the game at 8-8.
On a fourth and three play, Aynor chose to go for the first down at the Dillon 39 and was stopped short. Jamison broke around the right corner for a 43-yard run and two plays later McCall hit Chrishon Jordan for a 16-yard touchdown to take a 15-0 lead after Drew Covington was good on the PAT. Aynor chose again on their following possession on fourth and four at their own 15-yard line not to punt and on two plays, Johnny Allen was in the end zone and Covington made it 22-8 with 11 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Aynor ran a 92-yard drive in 14 plays and took seven minutes off the clock in the second quarter with Zach Todd going in for the touchdown. A two-point conversion attempt failed, but the Jackets had made a game of it, taking a 22-14 deficit into the intermission.
McCall finished the game with 11 completions out of 15 attempts for 216 yards and a touchdown and leading rusher was Allen with 81 yards on eight carries. Chapman added 72 more yards on five carries.
Leading the defense was Trey Melton with 15 tackles, with Jermaine McDaniel making 13 tops and Zach Wilson recording 11 tackles. Marquan Fullmore added 10.
Dillon starts a two-game home stand on Friday with Mullins and the next week against Marion before going to Loris. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
