One by one, May River has taken down all the big boys around Beaufort County.
Bluffton. Hilton Head High. Now Beaufort High can be checked off the list after the Sharks improved to 7-0 with a dominant 30-7 win over the visiting Eagles on Friday.
May River has one more intra-county rival to dispatch, as Battery Creek visits “The Tank” next week, before the Sharks can call themselves the county champs.
“It’s pretty wild to be the king of the hill,” May River coach Rodney Summers said. “Not long ago we were at the bottom of that hill.”
The Sharks’ ascension in their third season continued Friday, as they were able to shake off a rocky first quarter to take control of the game behind a pounding ground game and a punishing defense.
Brandon Morales rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries — racing past 1,000 yards for the season — and quarterback Ahmad Green added 121 yards and two scores on 15 attempts to power the Sharks’ offense.
The Eagles, playing without head coach DeVonte Holloman after his younger sister passed away late last week, seized the early momentum. After a goal-line stand resulted in a missed field goal by the Sharks, Jeffrey Smyth broke two long runs on quarterback draws to set up James Dagin’s 3-yard touchdown run, giving Beaufort a 7-0 lead.
The Sharks flipped the script when a Terry Fields punt was downed inside the 1 and May River’s swarming defense took down freshman quarterback Tyler Haley in the end zone for a safety on the second play of the second quarter. On the ensuing possession, Morales found the end zone on a crunching 15-yard run, and the Sharks never looked back.
Morales added a 25-yard TD later in the quarter for a 16-7 halftime lead, and the Eagles’ offense stalled in the second half. Green scored on a pair of 3-yard runs after halftime to put it away.
The Eagles (3-5) have dropped five straight after a 3-0 start, but with two key region games remaining — both at home — they still have time to salvage their season and earn a playoff spot. They host Hilton Head High next Friday.
The Sharks (7-0) keep rolling along and can claim their unofficial county championship with a home win over Battery Creek next week and their first region crown with a victory at Wade Hampton on Oct. 26.