Sure, Wando coach Bob Hayes was pleased with his offense after Friday night's game against Colleton County.
North-South quarterback Jamie Childers was one of 42 seniors from last year's team who graduated, and his replacement Michael Dawley was efficient, completing 10-of-20 passing for 173 yards. Hayes also had to be impressed with the athleticism of Chleb Ravenell, who caught five balls for 84 yards.
Yes, Hayes was pleased with what happened on offense.
But the reason Hayes is smiling today is what didn't happen on defense. The Warriors didn't allow a single point in their 20-0 victory at the Wando Athletic Complex.
"Our defense played great," Hayes said. "We had to shut down a lot of weapons. We had six three-and-out series and they had to punt nine times. The defense got the job done."
The Warriors were a disappointing 6-6 last fall, and the biggest problem might have been the defense. The Warriors had such woes on the defensive side that Berkeley gained 712 yards in a 70-34 victory over the Warriors. That wasn't the only defensive horror story of the fall.
On Friday night, Wando held an experienced Cougarsoffense to 137 total yards, including only 25 yards rushing on 17 carries.
One game doesn't make a season, but Hayes has to be pleased with Friday's opener. The team lost 42 seniors, including 21 lettermen and 19 starters, hence no great expectations for '06.
"We might have been under the radar at the start of the season, but if we keep winning, we'll create a situation where people will start looking at us," Hayes said. "We have a bunch of kids who want to go after it and get the job done."
This week's job is another home game. This time, Battery Creek comes a calling.
TD Club
The Palmetto Touchdown Club's season kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Charleston Rifle Club located at 2210 Heriot St. The speaker will be former Clemson coach Danny Ford.
Tickets for Tuesday's season kickoff are available to non-members for $25. To reserve tickets call 937-5586.
Beaufort rebounds
Beaufort rebounded from a season-opening loss to Aiken with a 31-0 win over Hilton Head Friday night.
The defense played well, limiting Hilton Head to 34 yards.
The offense played well despite having two starters sit out because of injuries: quarterback Edward Legree and running back Andre Carpenter, who rushed for 128 yards last week.
Beaufort has owned Hilton Head the last three games, outscoring the Seahawks 107-0.
Hilton Head has lost 15 consecutive games.
Attention coaches ADs
Beginning Sept. 12, The Post and Courier will publish a swimming honor roll to highlight the best meet times from Lowcountry swimmers. Coaches need to contact Bill Henley at 937-5595 or by e-mail at bhenley@postandcourier.com this week to submit rosters and then by noon Mondays to submit times from the previous week.
Also on Tuesdays, The Post and Courier will recognize the top performances in the sports other than football. Coaches need to submit their nominees to Bill Henley at 937-5595 or by e-mail at bhenley@postandcourier.com by noon on Monday for events that occurred the previous week. Submissions should include correct spelling of the athlete's name, class, sport, a brief rundown of what the athlete did and a return phone number in case more information is needed.
Finally, coaches or their representatives should call in results of games as quickly as possible to ensure they appear in the next day's edition. The numbers to call in game reports are 937-5586 or (800) 209-2609.
Football info
Football statistics will run on Fridays. Stats must be called in by Wednesday at 937-5592, by fax 937-5579 or e-mail at pbowman@postandcourier.com.
Finally, nominations for football players of the week must be made by noon Monday. Call in nominations at 937-5592.
Reach Philip M. Bowman at pbowman@postandcourier.com or at 937-5592.
