Four in a Row
Burke County runs over Liberty County for region win
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

Chris Rainge, 27, Arsenio Strong, 40, and Terrell Brigham, 5, take down a Liberty County ball carrier.

The Bears are getting used to winning ballgames, and they couldn't have better timing.

Burke County showed what they were capable of last Friday night when they kicked off region play against Liberty County High School. The Bears sent the Panthers home with their tails tucked, handing them a 20-7 loss.

Head coach Eric Parker said the team is getting comfortable with new strategies on both sides of the ball, and their confidence is paying off.

"We still missed a couple of touchdowns, but we were able to get in there tonight," he said, continuing to give his defense their due. "I have to give the defensive folks a lot of credit. They gave it to us on a short field."

Burke County's offense, which has gained plenty of ground in the past few games but had trouble inside the 20, cashed in on good field position against the Panthers and made it to the end zone three times. The Bears totaled 251 yards offense, more than twice the 123 yards the Panthers were able to muster.

Senior running back Brandon Brown got the Bears rolling with just over a minute left in the first quarter. On a handoff from senior quarterback Tyler Hammett, Brown dodged Panther defenders at the line and sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown.

"I just saw an opening and ran. I've got to thank the offensive line for that," Brown said.

Sophomore Nathan Chance's kick was good after the touchdown to put the Bears up 7-0.

Burke County scored again on their next possession after moving the ball nearly 75 yards with a series of passing and running plays that yielded three first downs. A first-and-inches quarterback keeper put Hammett over the goal line. Chance posted the extra point again, and the Bears had a 14-0 lead with about three minutes left in the half.

Liberty County scored their only touchdown after kickoff when they tore a page from Burke County's book and ran it nearly 70 yards into the end zone. The point after touchdown would be the last they would post on the Bears' watch.

With less than a minute left in the half, the Bears' defense recovered a Panther fumble inside Liberty County's own 10. Three plays later and inches from the goal line, Hammett snekaed in again for Burke County's third touchdown. Chance's kick was blocked, but the Bears had a convincing 20-7 lead.

While fumbles and turnovers dominated the second half for both teams, the Bears' defense held the line and never let the Panthers back into the red zone again. They stopped Liberty County's last two drives short with interceptions by junior Arsenio Strong and sophomore Terrell Brigham.

Strong lived up to his name Friday night, leading the Bears with 13 tackles and 1 interception. Quinten Holmes and Keonte Gross tallied 7 tackles each, and Cornelius Washington chalked up five.

Brown led the Bears in rushing with 15 carries for 168 yards, which accounted for a majority of Burke County's 198 yards rushing for the game.

Although the win was Burke County's fourth in a row, coach Parker won't celebrate yet.

"Hey, we've got to build on it," he said after the game. "If you don't do anything after this, then so what?"

Coach Parker hopes the community will be there to support the team as they tackle the remainder of their schedule.

"I need this community to come get behind them," he said, as he looked up into a half-filled stadium. "We want these stands full."