The Ahmad Green era might be over at May River, but the Garvin Douglas era has begun.
Douglas did his best impersonation of the Sharks’ four-year starter under center, rushing for three touchdowns and tossing a TD pass, and May River’s inexperienced defense came up with two huge stops down the stretch to seal a 34-33 win over visiting Orangeburg-Wilkinson on Friday in The Tank.
The game was scheduled to be played in Orangeburg, but the venue was changed after three O-W students were injured in a drive-by shooting outside the school earlier this week. An emotional and inspired Bruins squad started a bit flat, as Douglas capped off a drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and Jaeon Allen added a 32-yard scoring run to give the Sharks a 14-0 lead.
Things went haywire in the final minute of the half, as the Bruins put together a long drive to cut the deficit to 14-7 with 53 seconds left, setting off a flurry of scoring. The Sharks quickly marched down the field, and Douglas found a wide-open Jake Ridgeway for a touchdown, only to see O-W take the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown to again make it a seven-point game at halftime.
The Bruins came out swinging in the second half, driving down the field for a touchdown, but a failed extra-point kept May River on top. Then Douglas struck again, breaking out of the pack for a 54-yard touchdown run to make it 27-20. The opposing quarterbacks continued to trade punches, with the Bruins pulling even before Allen’s 25-yard scamper set up Douglas for a 28-yard TD to make it 34-27.
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A weary May River defense couldn’t stop the Bruins from marching again, but the Sharks came up with a huge play when they needed it most. O-W elected to try a two-point conversion, and an incomplete pass preserved the one-point margin.
But the Sharks’ young defense wasn’t out of the woods. The ensuing kickoff smacked off the return man’s knee as he raced up to field it, and the Bruins pounced, giving them the ball at the May River 29-yard line. May River’s defense punched back in for one more series, and Reece Simonson broke up a desperate heave to the end zone on fourth down, though a flag was waiting in the backfield to call it back for holding had it connected.
Douglas was a force all night long in his debut as the starter. Though not as quick and shifty as Green, he is bigger and runs with determination, and the former Battery Creek star Allen delivered big plays in every phase of the game in his Sharks debut. A green May River offensive line held its own against a strong defensive front, and linebacker Thomas Raisch and defensive lineman Caleb Tkaczyk made key stops throughout the night to help secure a hard-fought win over a quality non-region opponent.
May River (1-0) hosts Hartsville on Friday.
Story and photos by Justin Jarrett
