May River wanted to get off to a fast start. The Sharks wanted to connect on a couple early passes to open up the run. They wanted to play with the lead.
Check. Check. Check. And the Sharks are into the third-round of the Class 3A playoffs.
May River jumped out to a big lead early and held on for a 36-22 win at Aynor on Thursday, handing the second-ranked Blue Jackets their only loss of the season.
Ahmad Green threw two deep touchdown passes to Terry Fields and two TD runs to power the Sharks’ offense, and May River’s defense was able to shut out Aynor’s powerful ground game in the first half.
“Great job tonight by the defense to come out and get a few stops and allow the offense to put some points on the board and get the early lead,” May River coach Rodney Summers said. “I got a little worried when they scored a few touchdowns in the second half, but our hands team came up big recovering the onside kick every time to keep from allowing them to steal possessions.”
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Donovan Ling opened the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown run, and Green took over from there. He connected with Fields for a pair of long touchdown passes and added a 10-yard touchdown run to give the Sharks a 29-0 halftime lead.
The Blue Jackets answered the bell after halftime and pulled within 29-16 with 9:45 remaining in the game, but Green delivered the dagger with a 35-yard touchdown run. Aynor tacked on a late score, but the Sharks were able to run out the clock and seal the victory.
“So proud of these guys for staying hungry to stay alive in the playoffs,” Summers said.
The Sharks will either travel to Strom Thurmond or host Cheraw in the third-round next Friday.